Lu Xiaoxiao happened to float by with a cup, and when she saw Ling Li holding her mobile phone, she burst into tears, took her mobile phone and looked at it, and was immediately silent.

After a long time, Lu Xiaoxiao returned the phone to her, sniffed and wiped the corners of her eyes: "I have also handled a lot of criminal cases, and this is the first time I have shed tears for the victim, which is really pitiful." ”

Ling Li picked up a tissue to clean up her face, took off her glasses to wipe away the tears stained on the lenses, and took a deep breath to calm her mood.

Lu Xiaoxiao was still sighing, and saw Ling Li's plain face on one side, and a little sad emotion just flew out of the clouds.

She was a little surprised: "Xiao Lingzi, no wonder you always wear a pair of thick bottle-bottom glasses, it turns out that you take off your glasses so tenderly, I'm afraid the person concerned will think that you are still a middle school student." ”

Ling Li looked at her with empty eyes, and replied rarely: "No way, highly myopia, if you don't wear it, you can't see clearly whether you are a human or a dog." ”

Lu Xiaoxiao was laughed at by her: "It turns out that you are also a person who can open a dyeing workshop for three points of color." ”

A few seconds later, she changed her serious eyes and said to Ling Li, "You can ask Zhou Ze to come up." I will accompany you to meet him, and the whole process will be recorded and videotaped to reduce the risk of practice. ”

As she spoke, her eyes looked out the window, and her voice was a little erratic: "I don't know why, I always feel that this person will make substantial progress in this case." ”

A few days later, Ling Li met Qu Jia's live-in boyfriend, Zhou Ze, in the law firm.

This is a weak and delicate man, twenty-four or five years old, white and glasses, but he does the job of an excavator driver who does not match his appearance.

Zhou Ze briefly talked about the situation of the incident that day, which was basically the same as what Zhu Jinchuan knew from the police, except that he described the incident from the perspective of a witness to the case.

Ling Li could hear the restraint between his words. As for Ling Li asking why they quarreled that day, Zhou Ze explained: "We have quarreled several times over this issue. Qu Jia has always been reluctant to get married, and if she doesn't get married, forget it, but Xiaoyuzi has never been registered, and if she doesn't solve this problem, what will she do if she goes to school in the future? ”

It turned out that there was a quarrel over the issue of her daughter not being able to go to the household because she did not apply for a marriage certificate, but Ling Li didn't expect that the police materials did not describe this problem too much.

So she asked again: "Why didn't you get married when you gave birth to Xiaoyuzi?" ”

Lu Xiaoxiao pushed her angrily, and threw a white eye that hated her for not being a weapon: "Can't do addition and subtraction when the head is knotted?" Qu Jia was only eighteen at the time, which was not enough for the legal age of marriage. ”

Zhou Ze also smiled bitterly and said: "Back then, I was not old enough to get a marriage certificate, so Xiaoyuzi became a black household without a birth certificate." Now the household needs a paternity test, and the identification fee is a large amount. ”

Ling Li laughed at herself for being slow and half-beating, but she still felt that this matter was a little strange.

At that time, the age of both parties had met the registration conditions, and there was a cute two-year-old daughter, why was Qu Jia still reluctant to get married?

Even if she really can't pay the appraisal fee, won't Qian Liting help out?

There was silence in the reception room for a while, and Lu Xiaoxiao asked Zhou Ze again: "So you had a dispute that day because you wanted to register your child?" ”

Zhou Ze nodded and sighed: "Before that, Xiaoyuzi had just had a pneumonia, and the family's savings were all gone, but the household registration problem could not be handled." That day, I said that I really can't do it, I will borrow some money from my co-workers, and I will do the appraisal first, and then I can't delay it any longer. She was suddenly angry, and I couldn't hold back my temper and say a few words, but it turned out to be ....... ”

Thinking of the tragedy that happened not long ago, and the pain of his daughter dying innocently while she was still ignorant, Zhou Ze couldn't say anything.

His voice was a little choked: "I used to hate her very much, but when you said that day she wanted to see Xiaoyuzi, I suddenly didn't hate her so much." I have heard that if the victim's family forgiveness is obtained, the responsibility of the offender will be reduced, and perhaps a few years in prison will be spared. I am willing to forgive Qu Jia, you go and get her sentence commuted. ”

This completely unexpected remark made Ling Li not come back to his senses for a while.

After sending Zhou Ze away, Lu Xiaoxiao was a little excited: "Sure enough, my intuition is right. With the understanding of the family, the commutation of the sentence is a certainty, and the death penalty should not be imposed and immediately executed. If the mental status assessment is a bit of postpartum depression or something, maybe the death reprieves will be replaced by indefinite. ”

Seeing Ling Li's thoughtful appearance, she pushed Ling Li again: "Little Lingzi, what's wrong with you?" ”

Ling Li pursed her lips and frowned: "I really want to know the answer to the question of Qu Jia's refusal to get married." ”

Lu Xiaoxiao sighed, and her signature mocking expression went online: "Don't be entangled in the trivial matters, it is already the best result to be able to get Zhou Ze's understanding without much effort." Now you should focus on how to get the application for another psychiatric evaluation approved, this is the direction in which you should rack your milk. ”

Ling Li was choked by Lu Xiaoxiao's unscrupulous behavior, and she couldn't speak for a long time.

However, this question lingered in her mind as if it had taken root, and she was still thinking about it until she returned home in the evening, and after helping and washing up in the restaurant, she lay down and prepared for bed.

"If you don't get married, and you don't go to the household registration, you will kill your daughter after a few quarrels......"

Ling Li muttered to herself, staring blankly at the somewhat peeling ceiling.

However, after a long time, I still can't understand the logic in this.

It was not early, and Ling Li was ready to sleep. She turned off the lamp, but she was still worried about the case, frowning in the darkness.

I don't know how long it took, but she suddenly sat up, shocked by the thought in her heart.

Could it be that the paternity test is the key to this case?

Early the next morning, Ling Li dragged Xiao Cheng, a trainee lawyer who had just arrived, and went with her to the detention center to see Qu Jia.

In just ten days, Qu Jia has lost a lot of weight, her sunken eyes are very big, her eyes are dull and dull, and her delicate facial features are floating on her pale face, and her appearance is a little terrifying.

Seeing Ling Li, she seemed to be in a good mood, and even smiled at her with the corners of her lips curled: "Thank you, Lawyer Ling, the detention center has given me the photo of Xiaoyuzi." ”

After speaking, her eyes suddenly lost focus again: "Now I won't be afraid of anyone snatching her away." ”

Ling Li saw that she didn't have a trace of desire to survive, and she felt a little uncomfortable.

After thinking about it for a long time, she finally spoke slowly: "Qu Jia, if you keep thinking that you will be sentenced to death and get together with Xiaoyuzi, I am afraid that your hopes will be disappointed." ”

Qu Jia raised his eyes when he heard this, and his eyes gathered on Ling Li's face again, but even if his eyes were moving, his expression was still like that pool of stagnant water.

The corners of her mouth were raised, and she smiled very badly: "It's okay, I want to die myself, who else can stop me?" ”

Ling Li forcibly held back the feeling of discomfort in her heart and said to Qu Jia: "Your family is running around for you, and I have also visited your colleagues, teachers, neighbors, and friends, and they are all willing to testify for you and plead with the judge. Also, I met Zhou Ze yesterday, and he is willing to forgive you and let us help you get your sentence reduced. ”

Qu Jia's eyes finally had a trace of fluctuation, but the emotion was fleeting, and he only smiled miserably: "It's useless, no one can help me, you won't understand." ”

Ling Li was once again speechless.

The client gives up on his own, and no matter how hard he tries as a lawyer, he is like a fist on cotton, weak and powerless.

She was silent for a while, and finally said the words that had been circling in her heart for a long time: "Qu Jia, the paternity test that you have been unwilling to do has been done after Xiaoyuzi's death, in order to confirm whether Zhou Ze is her biological father." According to the STR classification, Xiaoyuzi is indeed your and Zhou Ze's biological daughter. ”

As she expected, this question really made Qu Jia, who had been lifeless, react.

Her body tensed, and her hands reached her mouth and gnawed at her nails, and in a few moments the nails on her thumbs were already gnawing bald.

Nail gnawing is a manifestation of a person in a state of extreme tension, although Qu Jia did not speak, but her body language clearly told Ling Li the answer.

Sure enough, she guessed that Qu Jia was afraid of the paternity test. So Qu Jia didn't get married, and he dragged on and on the matter of needing paternity testing in the household.

Ling Li sighed, and was about to ask her why she was afraid of the paternity test, but Qu Jia raised her eyes and smiled coldly: "You don't have to lie to me, Zhou Ze and I are not type O blood, how could we give birth to type O children?" ”

Ling Li was stunned for a moment, and was about to answer her question, but saw Qu Jia raise her hand and rang the bell under the table calling for the police to end the meeting.

Back at the office, Ling Li hurriedly went to Zhu Jinchuan and told him about the meeting with Qu Jia, and especially emphasized Qu Jia's abnormal performance after knowing the DNA test results.

The more Zhu Jinchuan listened, the more his brows furrowed, and after listening, he immediately called Xiao Cheng, a trainee lawyer who went to the detention center with Ling Li, to come in.

He instructed Xiao Cheng: "What you heard in the detention center today is related to the client's privacy issues, and you can't publicize it, understand?" ”

Xiao Cheng replied obediently and lightly: "I understand, director." ”

Zhu Jinchuan turned his head to Ling Li again, and his voice was serious: "You are the same, you must remember." ”

Until Xiao Cheng closed the door and went out, Ling Li still didn't come back to his senses, and looked at Zhu Jinchuan in a daze.

Zhu Jinchuan understood her doubts, shook his head slightly, and said slowly: "The first time you handled a criminal case, you really didn't have enough experience. Why Qu Jia is reluctant to do a paternity test, does it have any substantive significance for her sentence reduction? Why do you have to distinguish between right and wrong on this issue?"

Ling Li was stopped by his question. However, after thinking about it, it seems that Zhu Jinchuan has a point.

But she still didn't give up: "Qu Jia mistakenly thought that parents who were not blood type O couldn't give birth to a child with blood type O, so she thought that Xiaoyuzi was not Zhou Ze's daughter, and she was afraid that the paternity test would lose control of her emotions and make a mistake." In this case, there must be another person who has emotional entanglements with Qu Jia. ”

Zhu Jinchuan categorically interrupted her: "What we lawyers have to do is to do everything possible to protect the rights and interests of our clients, and in specific cases, our defense must even be independent of the objective facts of the case. ”

was clicked on the argument that "defense is independent of objective facts", Ling Li was still a little confused.

Zhu Jinchuan seemed to have no patience to pull it off with her, and took out an ordered tone: "Listen, since this case is developing in a good direction, don't make any extraneous branches." You now file a new application for a mental state evaluation with the Public Prosecutor's Office. ”

Coming out of Zhu Jinchuan's office, Ling Li frowned, still hadn't figured it out.

All lawyers' actions should put the interests of their clients first, and Ling Li agrees with this.

However, there is obviously a hidden secret in this case, whether Qu Jia has emotional entanglements with another man does not mean anything to her commutation, if Zhou Ze knows, it may have the opposite effect and affect Zhou Ze's willingness to forgive at this stage.

However, does it really matter if the family forgiveness obtained by concealing the truth is true? Wouldn't it be even worse if Zhou Ze learned about this from other sources?

Ling Li sighed, but she couldn't convince herself, so she had to divert her attention and start to reapply for appraisal.

When it was almost time to get off work, Zhu Jinchuan suddenly walked up to her, holding the phone in his hand, his brows locked.

"Ling Li, you don't have to worry about applying for an appraisal anymore," he said, "You don't have to be responsible for Qu Jia's case." ”

Ling Li hurriedly stood up and looked at him with surprise on his face.

Zhu Jinchuan's face was so dark that he seemed to be dripping, and his voice was also very stern: "As you wish, Qu Jia's spiritual appraisal must definitely be redone." ”

Ling Li was even more confused, isn't this a good thing?

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jinchuan said in a deep tone: "Just now the call from the detention center, Qu Jia tried to commit suicide and fainted after hitting the wall. When I woke up again, I felt like I was really crazy. ”

His words made Ling Li stay in place like a thunderbolt from the sky, his brain was blank, and he had lost the ability to think.