From Xiang Wanbin's reaction, he seemed completely oblivious to his own crime.

Coming to the police station was not truly for a confession.

But this did not prevent it from being legally considered a confession.

The legal definition of confession is not the same as what laymen perceive it to be.

In the eyes of the general public, confession requires a profound realization of one's mistakes, sincere remorse, proactively going to the public security authorities, and acceptance of punishment.

But in reality, it doesn't matter whether the suspect realizes their mistake or not, nor whether they come forward voluntarily; as long as they have surrendered, they meet the conditions for a confession.

Regarding confession, there are two essential requirements: one is to surrender voluntarily, and the other is to confess truthfully. Neither can be absent.

The act of surrendering voluntarily must occur before the suspect is taken into custody by the authorities. This can occur in four situations.

The first is before the judicial organ has discovered the crime.

The second is after the judicial organ has discovered the crime but before the criminal themself has been found by the judicial organ.

The third is after the judicial organ has discovered both the crime and the criminal, but before the judicial organ has taken any questioning or coercive measures against the criminal.

The fourth scenario: the criminal's illegal activities have not yet been discovered by judicial authorities. However, the criminal, due to suspicious behavior, is investigated and educated, leading them to voluntarily confess. This also qualifies as surrendering before apprehension.

Xiang Wanbin's case clearly belonged to the second scenario, though he was not aware that his action constituted surrendering himself.

"Just a reminder, Niu Huan next door has already confessed everything about the dealings between you two. If you insist on hiding it, you'll lose the chance for a reduced sentence that comes with confessing," Shen Dao said, his voice stern as Xiang Wanbin remained silent.

His gaze was sharp, carrying an air of authority that required no display of anger.

Xiang Wanbin flinched, his expression more wretched than if he were crying.

He asked tentatively, "If I... if I confess honestly, can I avoid prison?"

Shen Dao's mouth twitched, but he patiently answered, "Once you've confessed to the crime and the details, you can go to the detention center to await indictment from the public prosecution service. As for whether you'll go to prison... that's for the court to decide."

They were just the criminal investigation authorities. Guilt or innocence was for the court to adjudicate. They had no right to intervene.

"I... I confess." Xiang Wanbin hesitated for a moment and then slowly bowed his head.

He felt incredibly conflicted. If only he had known, he would never have involved himself in this mess. But if he hadn't come, he would have been caught sooner or later, and by then, he would have lost any chance for leniency from confessing. Thinking of this, he was filled with mixed feelings, unsure whether to feel relieved or regretful.

...

「Mountain and Water Garden District.」

After finishing with Peru, Qin Mu went straight home.

If there were any developments in the case, Shen Dao said he would call to inform him. As the complainant and a party involved in the case, he had the right to be informed.

Establishing the key facts of this case was relatively simple; they just needed to find the stolen goods.

The troublesome part lay in investigating the past criminal activities of Niu Huan and Chang Yingcai. This required them to give truthful accounts. Then, the police would need to contact the other car owners involved for verification and uncover all prosecutable offenses. This might take some time.

After washing up late at night, Qin Mu received another message from Qing Lan. She seemed very concerned about it.

"Up, how did it go? Did you succeed in defending your rights?"

Looking at the message, Qin Mu's expression was somewhat strange. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he had succeeded in defending his rights or not. The culprits had been apprehended. However, they had just been taken in; they hadn't been prosecuted or sentenced yet.

On the other hand, Zhu Li, the female salesperson from the 4S store, had actually taken the initiative to contact him, her attitude very sincere. She kept apologizing and volunteered to repair the car again, offering a refund plus compensation three times the original amount. She even offered him a luxury maintenance package worth two hundred thousand. He wouldn't have to spend a cent on maintenance for the next five years.

Upon learning what the 4S store had done, Qing Lan quickly sent another message: "What? Since when has the 4S store become so reasonable?"

Following this message, she included several emoticons expressing speechless shock.

——————

PS: Apologies for the delay today; there are only two chapters.

There will be another update later.

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