Chapter 224 Backfire

Stepping out the gate, blinding sunlight stabbed his eyes. Qin Guan instinctively closed them, darkness swimming before him.

He had stayed too long in the sunless detention center; he could no longer tolerate the light.

"Get in!" an officer beside him urged.

The police car door gaped open like a hungry beast. Qin Guan hesitated. Though mentally prepared, he still felt tense about this retrial that could decide his life or death.

Yes, the retrial was about to begin.

This time, Xu Ruyi and her crew would also stand in the dock—he naturally knew all about their confessions.

"This is advantageous for us!" His lawyer was delighted.

Qin Guan understood, of course. Xu Ruyi's confession had muddied the waters. The first trial's verdict was completely overturned. The crime-of-passion case at the Lakeside Hotel no longer existed. Replacing it was the "Qi Min Murder Case at the Xinhé Hotel", occurring half a month after her "disappearance" at the lakeside.

This was an entirely new case.

A new case meant all evidence and procedures started from scratch. According to the lawyer, in this new case, the police couldn't even produce sufficiently solid ironclad proof to convict him, Qin Guan, of the murder.

That self-righteous bitch thought muddying the waters would nail him, never imagining their clumsy actions would ultimately fail to escape the police's notice and would end up harming themselves.

"Rest assured, we'll go all out!" His lawyer had been confident during their last meeting. "Our chances are high. This time, besides winning the case, our goal is to get Xu Ruyi and her whole gang locked up too!"

Desecrating a corpse, tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, wasting so much police resources and time… Qin Guan knew that if his lawyer and the prosecution both pushed hard, that bitch could get a sentence of a year or two, maybe even longer.

She goes in. He comes out. Everything swapped places.

"Qin Guan, get in." Xiao Wu gave him a push. Only then did Qin Guan step forward and sit inside that huge, gaping "mouth".

The rearview mirror in the center front showed his face, but Qin Guan only glanced briefly before turning away—locked up for so long, he looked haggard, wretched, ugly.

Precisely because of this, he had to get out.

In this life, Qin Guan had faced desperate situations more than once. Each time he hit rock bottom, as long as he found a sliver of hope, he would struggle fiercely to climb back up. Even when truly cornered, he would always carve out a path forward for himself.

He would never admit defeat or give up hope until the very last moment.

"This is him, Qin Guan. A resilient man who walked step by step from a remote mountain gully to the bustling city. Poverty, humiliation, injustice, setbacks, false accusations, bullying, schemes, betrayal, being trampled upon—all that failed to kill him only made him stronger."

This passage was written by a paid troll hired by his lawyer and had resonated widely online.

Heard that a large group of strongly empathetic supporters had even mobilized on local websites, forming a Qin Guan fan group.

"The money we spent on trolls is working! Public opinion has long favored us. Now that Xu Ruyi is implicated, the tide will turn completely!" the lawyer had said.

Thanks to the trolls' efforts, public opinion had consistently leaned towards Qin Guan.

But those people didn't truly understand him—as the car sped down the road, Qin Guan silently watched the free and vibrant city outside the window. For him, anything that failed to kill him, as long as he caught his breath, he would bite it to death, piece by piece.

"Ah, traffic jam," the driver said.

Qin Guan looked out the car window and was startled—they were still a block from the courthouse, yet both sides of the street were packed with people, bustling and noisy. At a glance, there had to be over a hundred, surging towards the courthouse like a tide.

His lawyer had mentioned there would be "supporters" outside the courthouse today, but this many? Wasn't it a bit exaggerated? And how much money did that cost?

Annoyance flickered in Qin Guan's heart. More than winning the case, that law firm craved fame. They kept spending money on buying trolls to manipulate public opinion, then used the heat to boost their own reputation.

A bunch of selfish idiots.

Once he got out, the first thing he'd do was settle accounts with them properly!

Qin Guan's mood soured. Only when the car door opened did his furrowed brow relax—as the center of attention, the falsely accused man continuously followed and cared for by public opinion, he needed to project righteousness, resilience, and positivity.

He stepped out, and countless microphones were thrust towards him.

Qin Guan had naturally prepared his "speech" long ago. He lifted his head and spoke forcefully, "Thank you all—"

He had only uttered a few words when a furious shout cut through the crowd: "Shameless!"

"Useless phoenix man! Ungrateful dog!" someone else joined in.

Another voice yelled, "Cheater, murderer of your lover! You're a demon!"

"Killed the couple who helped you! Heartless! Deserve the death penalty!"

"Yes! Death penalty!" More voices joined in, chanting rhythmically, "Death penalty! Death penalty! We demand Qin Guan get the death penalty!"

A middle-aged woman stood close and spat directly. Spittle instantly clung to Qin Guan's face.

Another hand rose at the perfect moment. Smack! An egg hit Qin Guan squarely on the head. Stinking egg liquid cascaded down his forehead.

"Death penalty! Death penalty! We demand Qin Guan get the death penalty! Immediate execution!" The surrounding voices were unified, loud, thunderous.

Qin Guan was utterly dumbfounded—this wasn't his support group at all. This was Xu Ruyi's.

Sandwiched between two officers, he scrambled through the chaotic crowd. There were so many people, clumps here and there. Some had even unfurled banners.

The words on the banners struck terror into Qin Guan's heart.

"The orphaned girl is innocent! The murderer deserves to die ten thousand deaths!"

"Five lives! We demand Qin Guan get the death penalty!"

"The vicious wolf is cunning, but kindness is priceless! Demand Xu Ruyi be acquitted!"

…

Besides these spontaneous groups, there were media outlets—at least twenty or thirty of them. Reputable media. Qin Guan even spotted some highly influential state media outlets. Even authoritative legal media had come.

This couldn't have been arranged by Xu Ruyi. She absolutely lacked that capability.

Was the case too high-profile? Or had there been unusual developments?

Why had the tide of public opinion changed overnight?

With stinking egg liquid dripping down his face, Qin Guan numbly pushed forward through the crowd when he heard a shout: "Xu Ruyi is here!"

Qin Guan turned his head and saw Xu Ruyi—stepping out of a police car. The crowd automatically parted, opening a wide path for her. Everyone crowded around her, yet kept their distance. Someone shouted, "Stay strong, Ruyi!" Another yelled, "Innocent! Innocent!" Yet another called, "We'll always support you!"

Xu Ruyi stood amidst the crowd, her eyes red, bowing to everyone.

She no longer looked like a suspect implicated in a crime. She looked like an idol, a female celebrity.

What a bizarre scene.

Qin Guan watched in disbelief, letting the officer beside him roughly wipe the stinking egg liquid away with a tissue. The thick, cloying stench on his forehead felt like a filthy rag he couldn't kick off, plastered firmly over what had once been his clear mind.

A strong sense of foreboding washed over him. This trial would not go smoothly.

"Get inside!" The officer pulled Qin Guan up the steps.

"Thanks for your hard work! Appreciate it!" Old He and Qi Zhifei watched as Xu Ruyi and the others were led inside, then clasped their hands towards the media staff nearby. "Thank you all! I'll treat everyone to tea later!"

"You have to treat us too!" Xiao Wu and Xiao Qian whispered with a laugh.

Yes, the media presence was secured by Old He and Qi Zhifei after convincing their superiors. Many of the "supporters" were thanks to the efforts of the younger officers in the bureau.

Their high school classmates, junior high classmates… these friends, after simply learning about the case, rallied their own friends, relatives, aunts and uncles…

"We can't let the kind-hearted sponsors die in vain. We can't let the heartless criminal escape."

And so, they came as promised, from all directions. While public opinion was still blindly swayed by the trolls favoring Qin Guan, they gathered here. They drove away that small group of fanatical, brainless "fans". Standing in the sunlit, solemn courthouse square, they used their modest strength to support the orphaned girl who had lost almost everything.

"Hmm, soon," Old He strode steadily up the steps, looking up at the imposing characters of the high court. His confidence had never been higher. "Qin Guan will definitely lose. The 'heat' he bought with money and effort after the crime is about to backfire and consume him."