Chapter 13 Late Justice is Not Justice

[A person's life can present many choices.

Some choose the temporary comfort of the present, while others opt for poetry and the distant horizon.

Yet, there was one individual who, with his life, granted that precious right of choice to a little girl he had but a fleeting encounter with.

His name was Meng Lang, 'Meng' from Mengzi and 'Lang' as in the waves of the sea.

I met him on a bus, initially mistaking him for a pervert. The misunderstanding only deepened the second time we met…

I deeply regret that. Perhaps if I had chosen to believe what he said then, the tragedy that followed could have been avoided?

A few days later, in the early hours, as I braved the heavy rain, returning from my job at "Gravity", I came across Xiao Yu, lying on the ground, covered in blood…

I screamed, panicked, at a loss, until the ambulance and police arrived, at which point I was completely bewildered.

Fortunately, after being rushed to the hospital, Xiao Yu, who was critically injured, made it through the critical period and survived!

Thank the heavens!

However, the very next day after the incident, the police told me they had found the suspect.

Meng Lang was discovered unconscious in the rainy night with the murder weapon in his arms.

Attempted murder and fleeing the scene – the chain of evidence was complete. Under the fermenting public opinion, the case was resolved with alarming speed!

In the end, he was sentenced to eleven years.

Yet, as I saw Meng Lang giving me a wry smile from the defendant's seat, I hesitated…

If he were the murderer, what purpose did it serve him to find me in advance and warn me about a stalker?

This action was indeed superfluous and only added to the suspicion against him.

It didn't make sense!

What ultimately swayed me was the first thing Xiao Yu said after waking up, "I believe that uncle is a good person"…

So, I decided to delve deeper into the investigation.

However, as I advanced, I found a mysterious force obstructing my inquiries.

Not only the judicial authorities but even the police handling the case showed resistance at every turn. Eventually, even the personal safety of me and Xiao Yu came under threat.

Alone and powerless, I had no choice but to leave Su City temporarily with Xiao Yu.

This only strengthened my conviction that there was more to this incident, and someone else had done harm to Xiao Yu!

The person who protected Xiao Yu was wrongfully convicted, while the true criminal roamed free.

Unfortunately, in major criminal cases, which are prosecuted by the state, even if the victims choose not to appeal, they cannot influence the final judgment.

The "justice" of the process left me, a lawyer, incredibly disheartened.

Before I left, I applied for a visit.

To the apologies and gratitude I expressed, he responded with a smile and acceptance.

He gave the most generous understanding to my choice to leave temporarily.

He only requested that I write his autobiography on his behalf to inform future generations of the truth behind the case as much as possible.

He even asked me to draft a deed of gifts there and then to deal with his assets fairly.

It was then I realized that he had been a savvy investor and was actually a multi-millionaire.

He could have had such a brilliant future…

In the agreement, he donated 1.5 million to his close friend Duan Xian to complete the treatment expenses for the latter's father.

He left 10 million for his own parents to live out their days in comfort.

The remaining 1.5 million would be used to support Xiao Yu's education…

Although I couldn't understand why an eleven-year sentence made him dispense with all his wealth as if he were drafting an early will, I did see the greatest virtues of man in him.

Loyal to his friends, devoted to his parents, indifferent to wealth, and a protector to a little girl he hardly knew.

It was the first time I felt that not all men were fickle and faithless.

If things were different…

If we could have had a better meeting again…

…

After leaving Su City, I never gave up on discovering the truth.

Finally, as my network expanded and after years of secret investigation, all clues subtly pointed to a massive force lurking behind the scenes... the Xu Group!

In an instant, I understood so many things.

The "Xu divorce case" that I was forced to abandon due to Xiao Yu's incident…

Who was the one stirring the waters behind the "Xiao Yu case"…

Who benefited the most, and who was covering up for the real culprit!

Xu Jingsong!

In the end, it was my own naïve troublemaking that had implicated others.

I believed I stood on a battlefield of fairness written by the law, but I overlooked that the law was still written by people…

Against a colossal entity like the Xu Group, even as a partner of a renowned law firm, trying to shake it was but a fool's dream.

I could only choose to bide my time and collect evidence in secret.

However, it wasn't until many years later, when Yuan Li was arrested accidentally in another murder case, that the truth of this matter finally came to light!

Only then did I learn that the police captain Yuan Li, whom I had sent to prison for brutality, was actually one of the Xu Group's people.

Back then, Yuan Li was released from prison early due to the manipulation of the Xu Group.

New grudges and old ones, coupled with the Xu Group's secret support, led to the planning of an action against Xiao Yu, which brought an undeserved disaster upon Meng Lang.

If it wasn't for Meng Lang's desperate efforts to stop them, perhaps what awaited Xiao Yu would have been an even more terrible fate!

All of this, it turns out, originated from me!

Filled with guilt, I immediately set out to overturn his case, even if it meant facing the enormous entity that is the Xu Group.

However, the first thing I received was a notice of critical illness…

On his deathbed, he only left behind a last word.

"In this life, I aimed high but lacked the strength even to truss a chicken. I hope that all is well with you in this time and space..."

…

The case was overturned, Yuan Li was brought to justice, but the Xu Group remained the Xu Group.

And some things, some people, can never be retrieved.

Years later, Xiao Yu was admitted to the International Detective Science Academy and later returned to become a professional criminal investigation police officer, gradually making a name for herself.

She said her life's desire was to rid the world of wrongful cases.

I thank my hero in my heart for giving her the chance to choose her life's path.

Every Qingming festival, Xiao Yu and I would visit his grave to pay our respects.

On his tombstone is an epitaph I wrote on his behalf.

"Late Justice is not justice (Justice delayed is justice denied)"

This book is dedicated to the great life of Mr. Meng Lang!

————Written on behalf of Lin Haitang]

The beginning of the entire book is still a photograph.

Different from before, there are two people in it.

Meng Lang, still in prison clothes, and Lin Haitang, in a long dress.

In the photo, Lin Haitang tenderly wraps her arms around Meng Lang's, both of them with only faint smiles on their faces, not like lovers, more like old friends who've known each other for years…

…

"Whew~"

Closing the book, Meng Lang closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh of relief.

It took a while before he opened his eyes again and took out his phone.

"Click click!" First, he took several snapshots of the photo in the book.

This was a memorabilia worth preserving, in case tomorrow's "update" erased it and that would be a great loss.

Immediately after, he made a phone call.

"Hello, Ah Lang?" On the other end, Duan Xian's voice seemed somewhat hoarse.

"It's me, how's Uncle doing now?"

"What? How did you know?"

"What, you wanted to keep it from me?"

"Ahh! No, I just didn't want to tell you so soon." Duan Xian's tone was downcast.

"What illness?"

"Heart disease, needs surgery."

"Not enough money? Why didn't you take back that 50,000 from me?"

"It's just a drop in the bucket compared to what the surgery costs."

"1.5 million, right?"

"You... how do you know? I only just..."

"Quit your yapping, and don't do anything stupid! I've just made a tidy profit from an investment, I'll transfer the money to you in a few days!"

Meng Lang didn't mind using the money he would earn in the future.

After hanging up the phone, he didn't care about what Duan Xian's reaction might be on the other end.

He stood up, stretched, and looked up at the clear blue sky.

How to put it, after finishing reading about "his" still tragic life this time, he didn't feel the same anger and frustration as the last two times.

Instead, he had a strange feeling of, "Eh? This sort of ending doesn't seem too bad."

Oh no, no! Compliments from a beauty and I get carried away.

Meng Lang quickly quashed the dangerous idea of "the book is complete, let's celebrate."

With so many open-ended life choices, why fixate on serving jail time?

Even if it's a tiny bit better than the last "Bad end," it's still a "Bad end"!

"What a pity! I almost got state compensation. It's the third time to discuss the importance of 'staying healthy'..."

…

[Late Justice is not justice (Justice delayed is justice denied)

An adage from the legal field of the US, which especially emphasizes procedural justice over substantive justice.

It means that even if the outcome of the judicial decision is fair, if there is a delay in making the judgment, or if there is a delay in notifying the concerned parties, the procedural inequity will still render the decision unjust.]