Shuyin stared at her. "When... when were you appointed?"
"About three hours ago." Zhou Mei looked harried, overwhelmed, her hair escaping from what had probably started as a neat bun.
"I've reviewed the case file. I have to be honest with you, Miss Lin, this is going to be very difficult. The evidence is... It's very strong. And we have almost no time to prepare for proper defense."
"I didn't do it," Shuyin said, her voice cracking. "I didn't kill her. Someone set me up. My family..."
"I know, I know you say that," Zhou Mei interrupted, but her tone wasn't unkind. Just exhausted. "But we need to focus on what we can prove, not what we suspect. Do you understand? We have maybe twenty minutes before we're in that courtroom, and I need to know everything you can tell me."
Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes to explain a conspiracy that had been planned for weeks. Twenty minutes to save her life.
They were led to a small conference room where Shuyin tried desperately to explain her situation....The cancelled wedding, the pregnancy, and her family's convenient departure to the island. The mysterious vial she'd never seen before. The impossibly fast response time of the media and police.
Zhou Mei took notes frantically, her pen flying across the paper. But Shuyin could see the doubt in her eyes, the way she kept glancing at the clock on the wall.
"Miss Lin," she finally said, setting down her pen. "I believe that you believe this. But without evidence, without proof, it's just a theory. And the prosecution has hard evidence. Physical evidence... Testimony.... Timeline... Motive. We're going to have to fight this on technical grounds, chain of custody, reasonable doubt, and procedural errors. Do you understand?"
"But I'm innocent!"
"I know. But innocent people get convicted every day when the evidence looks this bad."
A knock on the door made them both jump. A bailiff stuck his head in. "Five minutes. Judge Chen wants everyone in the courtroom."
Zhou Mei stood up, gathering her papers with shaking hands. "Stay calm in there. Don't let them see you break. And for god's sake, don't make any outbursts. It will only make things worse."
The courtroom was packed beyond capacity. Every seat filled, people standing along the walls, more crowding in the doorway until bailiffs had to physically push them back.
The air was thick with anticipation, with the ugly excitement of people gathered to watch someone's destruction.
Shuyin was led to the defense table, her handcuffs finally removed. Zhou Mei sat beside her, still frantically organizing papers.
Across the aisle, the prosecution table was immaculate, three lawyers in expensive suits, their files perfectly organized, their expressions confident.
They knew they had already won.
The bailiff's voice rang out. "All rise for the Honorable Judge Chen."
Everyone stood in a rustle of movement and whispered conversation.
Judge Chen entered, an older man with silver hair and sharp eyes that missed nothing. He took his seat at the bench and surveyed the courtroom with obvious displeasure at the circus atmosphere.
"Be seated," he ordered, his voice cutting through the noise.
The crowd settled with obvious reluctance. "This is a court of law, not a theater. Any outbursts will result in immediate removal and possible contempt charges. Am I understood?"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
Judge Chen turned his attention to the papers before him. "We are here for the expedited trial of Lin Shuyin, who stands accused of first-degree murder in the death of Lin Wei Zhang. Due to the overwhelming nature of the evidence and the high-profile nature of this case, this proceeding has been fast-tracked under emergency protocols. Are both counsels ready to proceed?"
The lead prosecutor stood, a sharp-faced man in his fifties with grey at his temples and the bearing of someone who had never lost a case. "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."
Zhou Mei stood less smoothly, fumbling with her notes. "The defense is... we're ready, Your Honor."
"Then let's begin. Prosecution, you may make your opening statement."
The prosecutor stepped forward into the center of the courtroom, and Shuyin immediately understood why he'd never lost. He commanded the space, his voice carrying perfectly to every corner of the room.
"Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury," he began, his tone grave and righteous. "Today we will prove beyond any shadow of doubt that the defendant, Lin Shuyin, committed one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, the calculated, cold-blooded murder of her own grandmother for financial gain."
He began pacing slowly, his movements deliberate and theatrical.
"The evidence is overwhelming. Motive: Lin Shuyin stood to inherit fifty million yuan in liquid assets, plus properties and investments worth millions more upon her grandmother's death. She was the primary beneficiary of the will, standing to gain more than any other family member."