Chapter 18

The bailiff did not allow all of Ye Feng's coworkers to enter, so only Zhu Zi and two other coworkers came in to see Ye Feng.

As soon as they met, the three of them came up to give Ye Feng a hug. His mother, however, stood far behind, watching them without saying a word or stepping forward. She just looked at Ye Feng, silently crying.

Ye Feng briefly spoke with his coworkers, mainly to thank them for asking Qin Yan to be his lawyer. Then he slowly walked to his mother's side and gently held her hand.

Zhu Zi and the two other coworkers had already left, not wanting to disturb Ye Feng's time alone with his mother.

His mother looked even thinner and darker.

Holding her hand, Ye Feng softly called out in their hometown dialect, "Mom, you're here."

Wiping away her tears, his mother asked the first thing that came to her mind, "Xiao Feng, did you really kill someone?"

Ye Feng shook his head vigorously and answered solemnly, "No, I really didn't. I was framed."

His mother let out a long breath and said, "That's good. I also believe you wouldn't do such a thing. As long as you really didn't kill anyone, I believe that lawyer Qin Yan can help you get justice."

Ye Feng hadn't expected his mother to have already been in contact with Qin Yan. He asked, "Mom, how long have you been in Mingzhu? What about Dad? And Grandpa and Grandma, who's taking care of them?"

"I've been here for over a week. The court and the police wouldn't let me see you. At first, Zhu Zi and the others took care of my food and lodging, but it wasn't convenient, so later, Zhu Zi introduced me to Lawyer Qin. I've been staying at the place where Lawyer Qin works. As for your father and the others, your uncle and aunt are taking care of them."

Ye Feng asked again, "What about my uncle and aunt? Do they know about my situation? Why didn't they come? Why aren't they taking care of Dad and the others?"

His mother's face darkened, and she said sternly, "Ever since your situation was known in the village, your uncle and aunt refused to step into our house. They even wanted to cut ties with us, saying that we have a murderer in the family, that you did something that would make people look down on us for the rest of their lives, disgracing the Ye family's reputation."

Hearing his mother's words, Ye Feng felt a surge of hatred. His uncle and aunt rarely interacted with them, and they not only neglected to take care of his disabled brother and sister-in-law but also ignored his elderly grandparents. Expecting them to do anything in this situation was impossible; it was already good that they weren't adding to the trouble.

His mother continued, sighing, "When your father heard about your situation, he fell into a coma for three days. He was taken to the rural health center and received intravenous fluids for several days before he recovered. But after he woke up, he became even more erratic, either crying or laughing."

His mother's words made Ye Feng feel very heavy-hearted. He held her hand and said, "Mom, why don't you go back? I'm worried that Uncle and Aunt can't take care of Dad. Don't worry about my situation. I promise you, I'll be out of here soon."

His mother just shook her head and didn't say a word, only touching Ye Feng's hand and face, and the tears that had stopped began to flow again.

Ye Feng knew that his mother wouldn't go back until his final verdict was announced.

After comforting his mother for a while, Ye Feng asked the bailiff if he could see his lawyer.

Ye Feng knew that Qin Yan had already arrived but perhaps to give him some time alone with his mother, she hadn't rushed to meet him.

When Qin Yan arrived, his mother went to the courtroom to wait for Ye Feng's appearance.

Seeing Qin Yan again, Ye Feng still felt a sense of admiration, despite the inappropriate timing. For a moment, he was captivated by her extreme beauty.

Today, Qin Yan wore a neat gray suit, her hair tied up in a bun, and she wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Her delicate eyebrows and rosy lips made her look incredibly beautiful.

Ye Feng composed himself and politely said, "Lawyer Qin, hello."

Ye Feng now had some good feelings towards Qin Yan, not romantic feelings, but gratitude for her willingness to take care of his mother from the countryside, despite having no relation to him.

This touched and moved Ye Feng deeply.

Qin Yan smiled and greeted Ye Feng, then immediately became serious. She took out a small notebook from her bag, opened it, and looked at Ye Feng very seriously, saying, "Ye Feng, I have a very bad piece of news and a not-so-good piece of news to tell you. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Ye Feng was no longer the man who had been terrified by Liu Yong's gun a month ago. Qin Yan's serious expression and tone only made him feel a bit surprised, but not panicked.

Ye Feng sat down on the plastic chair in the detention room, crossed his legs, and got into a more comfortable position before saying, "Let's start with the very bad news."

Qin Yan's eyebrows furrowed, surprised by Ye Feng's calmness. She adjusted her glasses and said seriously, "Ye Feng, do you remember our conversation before you were sent to the detention center? I said that the most crucial evidence in your favor was the time difference between the victim's time of death and your arrival at the villa. This time difference could be proven by the forensic report, and with modern forensic technology, the exact time of death could be determined precisely, especially since the victim's body was well-preserved. However, when I spoke to the forensic doctor responsible for the case, I received some very bad news."

She paused, flipped through her notebook, and continued, "First, the forensic report has already been completed, and it clearly states that the victim's exact time of death was shortly after you arrived at the villa, proving that you had ample time to commit the murder. Second, the forensic doctor pointed out that the victim had a struggle with you before dying, as your skin tissue was found under the victim's fingernails. Either of these points can prove that you are the true murderer, and the motive and other evidence at the scene are even more damaging to you."

Ye Feng listened quietly to Qin Yan's explanation of the very bad news, feeling no significant emotional turmoil. In the victim's villa, Ye Feng had been knocked unconscious by Liu Yong for a period of time, during which Liu Yong had enough time to plant Ye Feng's skin tissue under the victim's fingernails. On the other hand, as Ye Feng had suspected, the forensic doctor had likely been bribed by Liu Yong, leading to the fabrication of the time of death in the forensic report. This was now beyond doubt.

So, in response to the very bad news, Ye Feng simply said to Qin Yan, "Lawyer Qin, if Liu Yong wanted to frame me completely, he would certainly make sure to plant my skin tissue under the victim's fingernails while I was unconscious and bribe the forensic doctor. For a police captain, this shouldn't be difficult."

Qin Yan didn't immediately respond to Ye Feng's words. She nodded and walked around the room a few times before continuing, "Ye Feng, the not-so-good news I'm about to tell you is the biggest discovery from my recent investigation. You're right; if you were framed, the forensic doctor could have been bribed to fabricate evidence. As your defense lawyer, I need to get to the bottom of this, so I asked the forensic doctor for a second autopsy. However, I never expected him to tell me that the body had already been cremated. Honestly, his answer made me truly doubt and question your case. The victim had only been dead for less than three days, and cremating the body so soon is a clear violation of procedure. Moreover, without the family's consent, the forensic doctor and the police had no right to cremate the body privately."

"I then asked the forensic doctor why he did this, and he gave me an even more absurd answer. He said that the freezer in the forensic lab had broken down, and due to the hot weather, the body had started to decompose. So, with the police and the family's consent, they cremated the body. I asked him where the cremation took place, and he couldn't answer. I continued to ask for the family's consent form, and he couldn't produce it either. In the end, he blamed everything on the police and told me to ask them."

"So, I returned to the Changjiang District Public Security Bureau and found the police captain, Liu Yong, asking him to provide evidence. However, he couldn't provide anything. He didn't tell me where the body was cremated or provide the family's consent form. And just now, when I spoke with a judge familiar with your case, I learned that the police and the court have still not contacted the victim's family. Ye Feng, do you know what this means?"

At this point, Qin Yan stopped speaking, looking straight at Ye Feng, her body trembling slightly. Ye Feng could sense that she was quite agitated.