Blank Charge

After leaving the auto repair shop, Jin Zhou instinctively touched his empty stomach—not to feel his nonexistent child, but because he was a little hungry.

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“Have you eaten?” Jin Zhou asked Yang Shiyu.

“Not yet,” replied Yang Shiyu.

The two of them went to the lamb and rice noodle shop that Jin Zhou loved.

The aromatic lamb and rice noodles were quickly served. Jin Zhou added three mint leaves and a spoonful of pickled cabbage to his soup, then exchanged his bowl of noodles with the one in front of Yang Shiyu. “Try it.”

There were many other seasonings on the table, but the mint leaves and pickled cabbage that Jin Zhou added were what he considered the perfect combination.

Yang Shiyu didn’t immediately pick up his chopsticks. He took off his gold-framed glasses and placed them aside.

In that not-so-clean small shop, Jin Zhou was afraid the glasses would get stained with grease, so he grabbed a napkin and covered them.

“Not bad,” Yang Shiyu said after taking a bite, giving his evaluation without much enthusiasm.

Jin Zhou knew that Yang Shiyu was reserved by nature, so he didn’t expect him to enthusiastically praise the food.

Jin Zhou took a bite of his noodles and asked Yang Shiyu, “So, why did you come to find me?”

 Jin Zhou didn’t believe that Yang Shiyu came all the way just to have lunch with him in the middle of the day.

Yang Shiyu casually picked up a mouthful of noodles and looked at his hand as he said, “I missed you.”

Jin Zhou knew Yang Shiyu very well ,but if it was any other person, just looking at Yang Shiyu eating the noodles might have made them think he was referring to the noodles.

But Jin Zhou understood what Yang Shiyu meant.

Yang Shiyu was saying that he missed him.

Rarely hearing such pleasant words from the reserved person in front of him, Jin Zhou playfully ruined the atmosphere, “I don’t believe you. I know you are here to watch the video”

Jin Zhou’s whereabouts were unpredictable. Sometimes he would be at home, other times at the auto repair shop, and sometimes chatting with the old folks downstairs at the convenience store.

He hadn’t told Yang Shiyu that he was at the auto repair shop that day, so how did he coincidentally find him?

Perhaps he came to find him as a pretense, but his real intention was to find Sun Yi.

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As a judge and a lawyer, and since they brought the video out together, there was no reason for Sun Yi not to show it to him.

“Yes,” Yang Shiyu admitted straightforwardly. “I did come to watch the video.”

Initially, Jin Zhou had a little hope that in fact Yang Shiyu really missed him, but upon hearing the straightforward answer, he couldn’t help but feel helpless. He poked at the noodles in his bowl in fury.

Yang Shiyu raised his gaze and looked at Jin Zhou. “But I’ve been thinking about you too.”

Jin Zhou wasn’t convinced.

“And I was going to look for you,” Yang Shiyu continued, averting his gaze and focusing on his bowl.

“Look for me?” Jin Zhou curiously raised his head. “To watch the video together?”

“No,” Yang Shiyu said. “I have a rape case to try this afternoon.”

At that point, he paused and looked at Jin Zhou. “Would you like to come watch?”

That sentence was indeed intriguing to Jin Zhou.

Although most cases in the court were open to the public, there were actually very few  people attending the court hearings.

Jin Zhou used to attend Yang Shi Yu’s criminal court hearings. To put it nicely, it was his freedom; to put it bluntly, he was imposing himself without being invited. It was obvious that he was seeking a sense of recognition from Yang Shi Yu, which implied a certain level of audacity.

But the current situation is different from before. Yang Shi Yu is actually inviting him.

Just like when Jin Zhou helped Luo Xue Qing with her lawsuit regarding false advertising, he had hoped that Yang Shi Yu would attend. Of course, it was not to have more people cheering for him, but to let Yang Shi Yu see his shining moment.

Yang Shi Yu presided over various strange cases, from underwear theft to objects falling from heights… But at that stage, the most important and highly publicized case in his hands was the initial rape case.

In order to reduce his sentence, the defendant had testified against Wang Da Rong during the trial, which led to the subsequent involvement of Jin Zhou and Yang Shi Yu.

Yang Shi Yu’s seemingly casual invitation actually contained many interpretations.

He hoped that when he was handling such an important case, Jin Zhou would be there to watch him.

He no longer saw himself as an independent individual but included Jin Zhou in his work.

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He completely let go of his guard, set aside his concerns, and accepted the fact that Jin Zhou had returned to his side.

Even though the small boat had been away from the island for many years, it eventually returned to its original harbor after many twists and turns.

“Alright,” Jin Zhou smiled and said, “Why not?”

“You should come early,” Yang Shi Yu reminded, “There might be journalists attending, and there may not be seats available.”

“Okay,” Jin Zhou agreed and continued, “I’ll give you the video later. We failed to recognize those people.”

Perhaps not expecting Jin Zhou to actually agree to show him the video, a trace of surprise flashed in Yang Shi Yu’s eyes, then he lightly curved his lips and said, “Alright.”

Later at the court….

Yang Shi Yu, dressed in a loose black robe, sat in the middle of the judge’s bench and solemnly struck the gavel.

Under the guidance of the judge’s assistant, all the personnel in the courtroom stood up simultaneously in respect to the court as Yang Shi Yu walked in.

Luo Xueqing, standing next to Jin Zhou, held a notebook and prepared to record the verdict, as did most of the other reporters.

Among the eagerly anticipating reporters, Jin Zhou was the only one who didn’t care about the judgment and instead enjoyed watching Yang Shi Yu at work.

Regarding the content of the rapist’s testimony, Wei Jie, nicknamed “Crooked Brother,” took responsibility for all the crimes, leading to a separate trial, which could potentially result in the death penalty.

However, the process from prosecution to execution of the death penalty was usually a very lengthy one, perhaps taking several years, and it was unknown whether WangTai would interfere.

He didn’t implicate WangTai, so Jin Zhou’s parents’ car accident case could only come to an end.

The rapist’s commendable testimony led to a reduction in his sentence, but he still had to spend several years in prison.

After the verdict was announced, the journalists left one after another, and Luo Xueqing also prepared to leave.

She put away her notebook and walked out, asking Jin Zhou beside her, “Wasn’t it WangTai who ordered your parents’ accident?”

Walking among the crowd, the two of them didn’t have to worry about others overhearing their conversation.

“There’s no evidence, so we can only blame it on Wei Jie,” Jin Zhou said with no expression on his face, looking ahead, “He was already involved in criminal activities, so it’s reasonable to assume he seeked revenge against the judge.”

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“WangTai has managed to distance himself completely,” Luo Xueqing sighed and shook her head, “Don’t be too sad. I believe in karma.”

“I’m not sad,” Jin Zhou said indifferently, with a smile, “I’ll live well. It’s better for him to die before me, right?”

There’s no point in worrying about WangTai.

It’s better to live one’s own life well and wait for the right opportunity to find a breakthrough.

After saying goodbye to Luo Xue Qing, Jin Zhou looked around and soon saw Yang Shi Yu’s figure next to the elevator.

The other members of the trial team had already taken the elevator and left, but Yang Shi Yu was still waiting there, clearly waiting for Jin Zhou.

“Great work, Darling,” Jin Zhou happily came to Yang Shi Yu’s side, “You looked really handsome while reading the verdict.”

Yang Shi Yu ignored Jin Zhou’s praise and sighed softly, “This case has come to an end.”

It had come to an end, like an ending, yet also like a beginning.

“A partial victory in this phase?” Jin Zhou smiled and said, “Let’s continue to work hard.”

“Yes,” Yang Shi Yu said, glancing at the time and pressing the elevator button, “Wait for me, I’ll be done soon.”

Coming out of the court, Jin Zhou took out a QQ candy from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

The best way to resist the urge to smoke was to eat snacks. Since Yang Shiyu didn’t like the smell of cigarettes, he had to quit for his sake.

After a short while, Yang Shi Yu came out of the courthouse gate, and the two of them silently headed towards the market.

The weather had been getting colder recently, and the ground under the trees along the road was covered with golden fallen leaves. With a gust of wind, the leaves danced and floated on the ground.

Jin Zhou shrugged his neck, wanting to hold Yang Shi Yu’s hand, but looking at the crowded road, he suppressed the impulse.

“Don’t wear so little next time we go out,” Yang Shi Yu looked at Jin Zhou’s thin clothing, pulling him to his side from behind.

Suddenly, there was a sturdy wall in front of them, blocking the cold wind blowing towards them.

Their bodies were close, and Yang Shi Yu continued to hold Jin Zhou’s wrist without letting go. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Jin Zhou discreetly took a bolder move and held Yang Shi Yu’s hand in return.

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The warmth from their palms eased all the coldness.

“I don’t mind dressing like this.” Jin Zhou’s mouth couldn’t help but curl upwards. “My hand is also warm.”

Yang Shiyu turned his head to look at Jin Zhou, allowing him to hold his hand and lead the way.

On the way, there was a newly opened traditional pastry shop with a gathering of people queueing at the entrance.

With more people around, Jin Zhou and Yang Shiyu couldn’t continue holding hands and could only let go of each other and walk side by side.

Gazing at the mouth watering pastries in the glass case, Jin Zhou also joined the queue and ordered a pound of peach pastry.

“Do you want some?” Jin Zhou took a bite of the warm peach pastry and held it up to Yang Shiyu.

Being in a public place, Yang Shiyu remained unaffected and looked ahead, saying, “I don’t like sweet snacks”

“I’m not a big fan either,” Jin Zhou took another bite, “but I’ve been craving them lately.”

“Is it because of the pregnancy?” Yang Shiyu said with a hint of teasing.

“Go to hell,” Jin Zhou frowned at Yang Shiyu. “You took my joke seriously?”

“But I did impregnate you,” Yang Shiyu teased him again.

Jin Zhou couldn’t stand hearing such vulgar words from Yang Shiyu’s mouth, and he said displeased, “Could you at least have some self-awareness judge? Do your superiors know how vulgar you are behind their backs?”

“They don’t know,” Yang Shiyu looked at Jin Zhou calmly, “only you know.”

One had to admit that Jin Zhou fell for it. Falling for the old trick of “only you “ meant he was special.

“Mr smart mouth.”

The two continued walking and chatting, but suddenly, Jin Zhou received an unexpected phone call.

“Sister Liu?” Holding half a pastry in one hand, he put the phone to his ear.

“Zhouzi,” unlike Jin Zhou’s leisurely tone, the voice on the other end sounded extremely anxious, “your Brother Liu has been arrested. What should we do? The police said he is charged with murder!”

“What?” The pastry in his hand fell to the ground with a “thud,” instantly losing its appeal.