To die

Lin Yan stared at the two text messages. After a while, he selected the latter with a calm expression, threw it into the trash can, and then entered the trash can to delete it permanently.

After doing this, he got up, dressed, and washed as usual.

But I silently recalled it in my heart:

Sunday afternoon at [-]pm, Mixed Ballroom.

The old lawyer's home is in the Fifth Ring District.

It was a very old residential area. When Lin Yan went there, some buildings didn't even have elevators.

When he reached the fourth floor, the iron door was stained with rust, and there were couplets stuck on both sides, and the dust hadn't been swept away for a long time.

"Hey, here we come."

The old lawyer, wearing presbyopic glasses, came to answer the door with a jerk, holding a newspaper in his hand.

Lin Yan went in, put the fruit gifts he brought on the cabinet, and changed into slippers.

The old lawyer lived alone and divorced in his early years.He was approaching retirement and didn't have much savings, so he still lived in such a small apartment of about [-] square meters.

Lin Yan thought that when he reached this age, it would probably be the same.

"...I called you here today, mainly because I want to talk to you."

The old lawyer spoke slowly, and said, "Xiao Lin, I know your temper. When I was young, I was just like you."

Lin Yan lowered his eyes and silently peeled an apple without making a sound.

"I've noticed you from the moment you entered the industry. Hey, that resume, a top student," the old lawyer said with a smile, "and you're different from others, the difference is too big. You have the 'that Vigorous'."

"I also had that vigor when I was young, but it's a pity that after being in this big dye vat for a long time, it gradually disappeared."

Lin Yan listened silently at the side without answering.

This old lawyer took him from the beginning.It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was the first teacher Lin Yan met after entering the industry.

Lin Yan thinks very highly of himself, and it is very rare for him to be so willing to sit on the sidelines and listen to the teaching.

"Xiao Lin, it's a good thing to be a lawyer and have a stubborn temper. But sometimes, it's not good to be too stubborn."

The old lawyer looked at him mildly and asked, "Do you know what I mean?"

"..."

Lin Yan was quiet for a while, then said, "I don't understand."

"Lin Yan, you are a lawyer, not a judge of God."

The old lawyer said: "According to the law, Zhao Yu's case should not have resulted in death. Why are you holding on to it?"

"He has other bad deeds." Lin Yan said coldly, "I have already found it. As long as he is prosecuted and punished for several crimes, he will hardly escape—"

"wrong."

The old lawyer shook his head: "Xiao Lin, I found out when you went to find trouble with that contractor for your senior sister. You are too soft-hearted and passive - but you should know that we are only defenders of the law, not makers of the law."

"But I didn't force him to use drugs, nor did I force him to whore."

Lin Yan said coldly: "As for Zhao Yu, he has done too many bad things. Even if one case does not result in death, the other charges in the complaint are not fabricated by me!"

The old lawyer stared at Lin Yan's persevering eyes for a long time, and then heaved a long sigh.

"Let me tell you an old story."

He said: "I just entered the industry at that time, about 20 years ago."

In a rich man's manor, a lady stumbled and fell from the balcony on the second floor.

All traces at the scene showed that there was indeed no interference from others, and she fell down by herself.What's more, the gentleman involved in the case also provided the victim's psychiatric testimonial.

It shows that she has serious mental problems.

Everything seems to be blameless, if there is no problem, it is that the gentleman has pursued the victim madly, and he is suspected of illegal detention.

"I was at the police station and met the victim's family once."

The old lawyer recalled: "It was an old lady with a child who was only four or five years old....It was really sad. They insisted that the victim couldn't jump off the building by herself. Someone must have pushed her. ...But even the police and the forensic doctor have already settled the case, so what room for discussion is there?"

"I once doubted that even if the victim had mental problems, would it have anything to do with the illegal detention? If so, the resulting slip and fall..."

The old lawyer was silent and didn't say any more.

"Xiao Lin, you are talented and upright. I cherish you."

He said: "Our current legal system needs to be improved. Don't go head-to-head. People's lives are already very difficult. We can't handle things that are too high-level. But if ordinary people's cases are handled more and more people The less they have, the harder it will be for them."

The old lawyer tried his best to persuade him, but he didn't notice at all that Lin Yan's expression was already very wrong, and his fingers were curled up so tightly that he was about to tremble.

"The victim..."

The blood seemed to rush to the brain all at once, Lin Yan tried his best to suppress the dizziness caused by the rapid surge of adrenaline, his Adam's apple rolled, and he asked in a hoarse voice: "The victim you mentioned...she Last name?"

The old lawyer frowned and thought deeply: "I don't know what the surname is... The person who suppressed this matter at the beginning was too tough. If you go to check the case file now, most people can't get it out... .”

"Little Lin, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing Lin Yan's unusual reaction, the old lawyer asked perplexedly, "What, what's wrong?"

Lin Yan felt his heart was about to jump out, so he waved his hand forcefully: "It's nothing, I'm a little hypoglycemic."

"I don't know the last name of the victim."

The old lawyer said, "But I know that it was the Lu family who came forward as a guarantor."

At that moment, Lin Yan felt a "clang" in his heart, all the blood was congealed and flowed backwards, his cheeks became cold, and his hands and feet felt cold.

He thought of the four-year-old, the empty living room, the sparse bedroom, and the white and cold mourning hall at home.And grandma's mournful and helpless cries.

I think of my grandmother holding his hand and moving from the small bungalow back to Xiaopingyuan in my hometown as if avoiding someone. There is no toy room or small garden anymore.

Grandma asked him, "Yanyan, what's your name?"

The four-year-old Lin Yan seemed to understand, but said in a daze, "Lin Guyan."

Grandma patted his head: "Good boy."

"Xiao Lin, so I don't suggest you go head-to-head with the Lu family."

The old lawyer said: "Take a step back, hold back your wings, and do more for ordinary people..."

But Lin Yan couldn't listen to what he was saying.

During the conversation afterwards, Lin Yan was in a trance.

He returned home as if in a dream, staring at the cultural wall with reliefs in the living room, and thought for a while, so it was like this... so it was like this.

No wonder no matter how much he searched before, he couldn't find any sporadic phrases.

It turned out to be related to the Lu family...!

At this time, when the door lock rang at the entrance, Lu Hanqian also came back.