It was her first day at work, but Zhu Shan was already mentally exhausted.

Because at this moment, Miss Zhuo's hoarse cry was still lingering in her mind.

Zhu Shan weakly raised her hand to record the fingerprints. When she pushed the door open, in the living room she saw a small lamp which was turned on.

She put the bag of porridge on the shoe cabinet, then took off her boots and put on slippers.

After a few steps, Zhu Shan came back sensitively and took the unfinished millet porridge.

She walked to the kitchen counter and poured the porridge into the trash disposer.

She tapped the button on the control panel, and a slight mechanical buzz came to her ears.

Zhu Shan remembered that Qu Lianjie once asked her why she chose to be a reporter.

She chose to be a reporter not because she liked it since she was a child.

But it was only because that she wanted to find out the truth about the case of her father, Zhu Xiaowen.

Back then, Zhu Xiaowen, as a professor of economics in the university, led a group of graduate students. In the end, one of the female students reported molestation to him.

Before the police could investigate and decide to file a case, public opinion had already brewed.

At that time, it was the first time that Zhu Shan had known the horror of public opinion.

But Zhu Shan didn't believe that her father would molest his student.

He loved his wife, his daughter, and his family so much.

However, Zhu Xiaowen suddenly committed suicide by jumping off the building before the case was filed.

For this reason, the female student decided to withdraw the accusation.

Some said that Zhu Xiaowen had committed suicide out of fear of punishment, while others said that he had committed suicide because of the pressure of public opinion.

However, Zhu Shan did not believe it. Her father was not afraid of the unfounded accusation at all and firmly believed that the Judicial Council would uphold justice for him.

Whenever she thought of what had happened back then, Zhu Shan would feel suspicious.

Because Zhu Xiaowen suddenly committed suicide by jumping off a building before the case was filed, the case became an unsolved one.

But the public opinion was still there.

There was no judge in the court, but those people strongly believed that her father had committed a crime.

Her mother had never given up on bringing justice to her father. Her mother had been investigating it, but…not long after, her mother died in a car accident.

Zhu Shan wanted to finish what her mother had not finished.

No matter what, she had to get an answer.

A truth.

Back then, Zhu Shan was too young that her family was unwilling to talk too much with her, so she didn't know the details of the case.

But she could still remember that her father had been interviewed by a legal program on Yuhe TV Station. At that time, a thin reporter had been following the report.

But later, she found that the broadcast of the show was not aired.

That was why finally she came to Yuhe TV Station.

She wanted to find the reporter who had interviewed her father to find out what had happened, or some relevant information.

Because she had too few clues on her hand.

"What are you doing?"

A voice suddenly came from behind her. Zhu Shan was taken aback.

She turned around and saw Ling Xiao in a full set of home clothes. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, raised his chin slightly, and stared at her with a scrutinizing look.

Zhu Shan rolled her eyes at him and then patted her chest. "Why didn't you sleep in the middle of the night? Why did you come out to scare me?"

Ling Xiao chuckled. "Did I scare you?"

"Yes, because you walked soundlessly."

Zhu Shan clicked on the button to shut down the trash disposer, and the buzzing of the trash disposer in the kitchen stopped.

Ling Xiao looked down at the kitchen's sink before returning his gaze to Zhu Shan.

His eyes were sharp, and the sharpness in his eyes was blatant.

Zhu Shan didn't notice that his expression suddenly became dangerous. She cursed in her heart but didn't dare to say it out. She felt really aggrieved.

She turned around, washed the glass clean, and put it away.

She didn't look at him and didn't intend to stay any longer. Zhu Shan turned around and walked past him. Before she could take a few more steps, she was suddenly grabbed by a tight hand.

Ling Xiao pulled the hat of her hoodie back casually. Zhu Shan was dragged backward, leaving a slipper on the ground.

She stood on tiptoe, grabbed her collar, and pulled it. After making sure that she couldn't struggle out, she frowned even more deeply.

She no longer stood on ceremony. "Ling Xiao!"

Ling Xiao lowered his head slightly and leaned closer to her. He said in a lecturing tone, "Who was the one with the stomachache last night? Who was the one making a fuss all day long? Why couldn't you control your mouth?"

Zhu Shan was only as high as the shoulders of Ling Xiao. She raised her head slightly and met his aggressive gaze.

She swallowed and said gloomily, "You wronged me. I didn't eat spicy food. I just had porridge."

Ling Xiao snorted and tilted his head slightly. The shadow of the kitchen lamp over their heads was cast on the face of Ling Xiao. His expresssion looked mysterious.

His tone was extremely slow, and his low and hoarse voice carried a sense of oppression. "In accordance with the article 67 of the criminal law, confess your crime truthfully, and it's a voluntary surrender."

"A voluntary surrender?"

"How could this be related to criminal law?"

Zhu Shan felt that he was just used to bullying her.

She began to resist. She grabbed the collar of her hoodie and pulled it harder than before. She struggled fiercer than jsut now. Her back hit Ling Xiao in his chest and she twisted her body hard.

Fortunately, in the next moment, Ling Xiao let go of her and took half a step back.

Zhu Shan didn't care about him. She jumped forward with one foot and put on her slipper.

She wanted to go back to her room, but she was afraid that he would bear a grudge, so she turned around and explained, "My colleagues invited me to the canteen for dinner. I thought that I had to build a good relationship with them on the first day, so I went with them."

Seeing that Ling Xiao did not respond, Zhu Shan emphasized again, "I also had vegetable porridge in the cafeteria."

Ling Xiao glanced at her and turned to walk into the room. His steps were quick and big. It seemed that he didn't want to think about it anymore. He said, "Go to bed early."

???

"What's wrong with him tonight?"

"Teaching me criminal law?"

Stunned for a moment, Zhu Shan trotted over.

She adjusted her mood and smiled, and her expression was completely different from her angry image just now.

"I still have a question, Ling Xiao," she said in a fawning ton.

Realizing that Ling Xiao was ignoring her, Zhu Shan ran in front of him and stopped him with both hands. "Wait."

Ling Xiao lowered his head and fixed his gaze on her hand.

His face got gloomy.

Zhu Shan quickly withdrew her hand and raised her index finger. "I only have one question."

Ling Xiao looked at her for two seconds and said impatiently, "Say it."

"I want to ask, is Ren Xingyan really innocent?"

Ling Xiao didn't expect her to ask this question, and he instantly frowned slightly.

Zhu Shan saw the changes in his expression. She moved her head closer to him and said, "You are his defense lawyer. You should know the truth."

Ling Xiao watched as her face got closer and closer, so close that he could clearly count her eyelashes. So he propped his index finger against her forehead and pushed her away. "It's not up to me whether he's guilty or not."

"Didn't you ask about the truth?"

Ling Xiao did not speak. He looked at her forehead and saw that it had been poked red by him.

"Tell me, Ling Xiao. I want to know." Her expression was sincere and serious.

Ling Xiao unconsciously rubbed his fingers and said, "He told me that he was wronged."

Zhu Shan couldn't understand what he meant and asked, "And then?"

"What do you mean then?"

"He told you that he was wronged. Do you believe him?"

Ling Xiao said confidently, "Why should I suspect him?"

"What if he did commit a crime and lied to you?"

Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

Zhu Shan looked up and asked tentatively, "If he's really guilty, will you defend him?"

The night was especially quiet.

What Ling Xiao said was also very clear.

He said, "I'm a lawyer. First, I have to firmly trust my client. Second, I have to firmly stand on the side of my client and defend him."

"I'm just asking that what would you do if you knew that he was guilty?"

Ling Xiao raised his eyebrows and said unhurriedly, "Those who break the law also have the right."

"Is this the professional ethics of a lawyer?"

"Yes!"

Zhu Shan did not understand the professional ethics of a lawyer, nor did she understand the belief of a lawyer.

But she thought that reporters should reveal the truth in an impartial way.

After one night's sleep, Zhu Shan felt less heavy in her heart.

At noon, she and Wu Jing went to the cafeteria for lunch.

When picking out the dishes, Zhu Shan fixed her eyes on the spicy chicken for two seconds. Suddenly, the eyes of Ling Xiao appeared in her mind, as if he could see through everything.

She didn't want to listen to him telling her things about the criminal law. She didn't want to know what voluntary surrender was.

Without any backbone, she ordered stir-fried eggs with tomatoes and shredded pork with chives.

Halfway through the meal, Zhu Shan said, "Hey, Ms. Jing, where are Mr. Hui and Wenwen?"

"They went out for an interview."

"Oh." Zhu Shan sounded depressed. "When can I go with them?"

"Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities."

Zhu Shan licked her lips and carefully spoke. "Ms. Jing, will all the interview content be aired?"

"Not necessarily."

"What do you usually do with the interviews that are not broadcast yet?"

"Well..." Wu Jing lowered her head and played with her phone as she slowly said, "Generally speaking, those interviews will be stored for a period of time. But if it was not broadcast for a too long time, it will be applied to be disposed."

"How long do you usually keep it?"

"A few months, or even a year or two."

A few months?

One or two years?

However, eight years had passed since the case of Zhu Xiaowen happened. The contents of the interview should have been destroyed a long time ago.

Zhu Shan quickly picked up her chopsticks and said, "I've been a loyal fan of Yuhe TV Station since I was a child, Ms. Jing. I remember there was a legal program called 'Outside Court' when I was a child. Do you remember that?"

"Ah, wasn't that show suspended a few years ago?"

"Yes, do you know who were in charge of this program at that time? Are they still in the TV station?"

Wu Jing finally put down her phone and looked at Zhu Shan in confusion. "Why are you asking this?"

"I, I just like that show, and I particularly admire a reporter at that time. I think, can I ask him for an autograph?"

Wu Jing burst into laughter and teased, "I remember that the reporters of this program are all quite old. Do you like this kind of reporters?"

Zhu Shan nodded frantically.

Wu Jing rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. "That program was banned from broadcasting not long after I worked for the TV station. There were quite a few reporters there, but the turnover of this station is quite big..."

Zhu Shan lowered her eyes in disappointment.

"What's the name of the reporter you like, Shanshan? I can check whether he's at the TV station now."

Zhu Shan didn't remember the name at all. "It's been too long. I don't remember the name."

Wu Jing comforted her. "It's fine. Maybe you will come across him someday."

Zhu Shan sighed. That was all she could hope for.

Wu Jing asked, "By the way, Shanshan, are you living in your own house or renting a house?"

"Living…in my own house?"

Zhu Shan thought for a moment. "I live in a friend's house."

Wu Jing immediately began to gossip. "A man or a woman?"

"A man."

"Boyfriend?"

"No." Zhu Shan looked away guiltily and lowered her head to eat the rice in her bowl. "Just a friend of mine, and he used to be my neighbor who grew up with me."

"Just a neighbor? Won't that inconvenient?" Wu Jing added, "After all, he's a boy."

Zhu Shan shook her head. "I've never seen him as a man."

Two seconds later, Wu Jing came to a conclusion. "Is…is he not good-looking?"

Zhu Shan thought of the arrogant face of Ling Xiao.

No one had ever said that he was not good-looking since he was a child.

Zhu Shan had a childish desire to take revenge, so she nodded heavily. She held back her laughter and said seriously, "Ugly! He's so ugly that I can't even think of him as a man!"