e. 。Later, I studied very hard. The only thing I could surpass you in was academics. Every time my dad came to my house, I couldn't wait to show him my report card. He would praise me every time, but...If she had met Yi MuYang instead of Zhuo YuAn during her best years, that would have been so much better!

Actually, this assumption is a fallacy. If they had met years earlier, she wouldn't be who she is now, and Yi Muyang might not have taken notice of her; while Yi Muyang wouldn't be who she is now either, and she might not have crossed paths with him at all.

She and he, met the right people at the right time.

She lay quietly in his arms, not daring to move. The single bed was far too small; Yi Muyang was also quite tall, so he could only lie pressed against the edge of the bed.

He was very polite, he said "hug" and meant "hug", he didn't do anything over the line. Instead, Shu Tinglan felt a great deal of guilt in her heart. She knew Yi Muyang did this because he respected her, not because he didn't want to. They were normal boyfriend and girlfriend!

Yimu Yang is out of respect for her, wouldn't she just accept it calmly and contentedly

She gently reached out and encircled Yimu Yang's waist, only to feel him stiffen all over, more rigid than she was, completely motionless.

"What are we doing" Yi Muyang's voice was also tense.

Shu Tinglan moved closer to him from his arms, looking directly into his eyes. Although the lights were off, after adapting to the darkness and being so close, it was possible to clearly see each other's expressions.

She slowly closed her eyes, the meaning unspoken. She had taken the first step, and now it was his turn.

She closed her eyes, and after what felt like an eternity, she could feel Yi Muyang's breath getting closer. Yet, the expected kiss never came. She suddenly opened her eyes to look at him.

Close at hand, he smiled at her, making no move to get closer.

He said, "Tinglan, you're too tense."

She was unaware of the expression on her face with her eyes closed, a visage of acceptance of death. The hand around his waist tightened, almost to the point of gripping him painfully without realizing it.

Although he desired her deeply, he understood that this kind of thing had to happen naturally. True love was a union of body and soul. If one party wasn't ready or uncomfortable, there was no need to proceed.

At this moment, he was very sure of one thing: he had no sexual attraction to Tinglan at all.

Shu Tinglan herself felt a bit of frustration. She had mentally prepared herself just now.

"I can," she said softly.

Yi Muyang leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Let's just go home. I don't want our first time to be on this crappy bed."

This... also counts as a reason, after all, it's the first time thinking about it, wanting to leave a good impression.

"Okay."

Shu Tinglan also found it reasonable.

Yimu Yang hugged for a while, then went back to his own bed and fell asleep. He was afraid that if he continued hugging, he wouldn't be able to act like a gentleman anymore.

Shu Tinglan was relieved of her psychological burden and actually dozed off for a while. When she woke up the next morning, Yi Muyang was already dressed and ready to go to the airport.

She hurriedly got up intending to send him off.

"Just take a nap, you don't need to send me off." There wasn't really anything to send her off with anyway. She'll be back in a couple of days.

Shu Tinglan still got up and sent him to the hotel door, watching him get in the car before returning to her room.

Today, her main task was to visit the victim's family. This case had been going on for 18 years. In the eyes of the victim's family, it was already over and done with. No one wanted to reopen old wounds. So before she went, she was mentally prepared that it would be very difficult.

As she expected, when she found the victim's family member Zhang Hua at the address given by Xu's mother and told him her intention, Zhang Hua's face immediately turned cold.

“Don't look for me, the case was closed 18 years ago and the murderer was brought to justice.”

"Mr. Zhang, why don't you take a look at this Last month, the police arrested a rapist named Wang Mou. In his confession, he admitted that 18 years ago, he and his friend committed the crime." Shu Tinglan pushed the file in front of Zhang Hua.

Zhang Hua suddenly flew into a rage, without even looking, he threw the pile of documents and shouted angrily.

“So what It’s been 18 years, 18 years have passed, my child is about to get married, I’ve started a new family, and I don't want to deal with things from 18 years ago anymore. If you want to seek redress, go find someone else to complain to, don't bother me.”

It's human nature, no one wants to reopen old wounds. Or maybe after 18 years, even the deepest marital love has faded, leaving them strangers. Shu Tinglan understands all of this, it's human nature.

But: "Do you really have the heart to let the real murderer go unpunished To let your child's mother die in vain What about Xu Wei's 18 years of wrongful imprisonment"

"What does this have to do with me Lawyer Shu, come in here and see what my house is like now" Zhang Hua roughly pulled her into his house.

She stumbled into the house, and the sight inside left her speechless.

A very small house, only over 50 square meters. The living room was filled with things, leaving almost no space to stand. By the window there was a bed, and a young man sat on it watching her smile, looking mentally unstable.

“This is our son, he is 23 years old this year. If it weren't for seeing his mother being killed with his own eyes that year, he wouldn't have been scared witless. If he hadn't become mentally disabled, he would be of legal marriage age now, and it would be time to start a family and make a career.”

"Come, come here." Zhang Hua pushed open the door to the only bedroom again. There was another woman lying on the bed.

"This is my spouse. They had a stroke a few years ago and have been bedridden ever since."

"Lawyer Shu, you see, my life like this, it's better to just die. What's the point of seeking justice for a dead person"

Zhang Hua felt these lawyers were out of touch, talking from a position of privilege. How could they not understand the plight of the common people

Shu Tinglan also didn't expect Zhang Hua's current situation to be like this. The tragedy of that murder case lasted for a full 18 years.

"Mr. Shu, you can leave now, please don't bother me again."

He shoved and pushed Shu Tinglan out the door, then slammed it shut with a bang.

Shu Tinglan sat on the steps outside the door and didn't leave immediately. He naturally felt sympathy for Zhang Hua. When he was young, his wife died tragically, his son became mentally disabled, and when he remarried in middle age, his lover suffered a stroke and could only lie in bed after just a few days. The burden of the whole family fell on him alone, and he didn't have a regular job, so he could only make ends meet by doing odd jobs.

In such a harsh life, who would even care about the lives of others

But she was a lawyer, and when she came, she wanted to solve the problem. No amount of sadness would help. She organized her thoughts first, and by noon, Zhang Hua appeared again. Seeing Shu Lawyer sitting on the steps at the entrance, he looked impatient.

“Aren’t you leaving yet”

Shu Tinglan got up and asked a completely unrelated question.

Has your child been to the hospital

“What’s it to you” Zhang Hua didn't answer. Back then, when the child's mother was killed, the whole family fell into immense pain. Later, they were busy catching the criminal Xu Wei, and no one had time for the child. When things finally calmed down, their mood eased a little, only then did they realize something was wrong with the child. He used to be so smart and lively, but now…

I know quite a few good psychiatrists, I can recommend some to you.his voice barely a whisper: "Shu Tinglan, I'm not that bad, am I" Of course, no one could hear him. 。Lu Kuò darted out from behind him, wanting to sling an arm around his shoulder as usual, but his h...