When the fire was about to reach them, no matter how close their family ties, they all chose self-preservation, fearful of being implicated.

「The following day.」

「Jin City.」

「Nursing home.」

Qin Mu didn't go to the courthouse. He went to work at the nursing home as usual.

At 9:30 AM, Zhang Qingyuan and the others gathered and hurried to the office of their legal advisor, Wang Dachui, urging him to set up the live stream of the trial. They remembered it more clearly than anyone. Today was the trial date for the illegal detention case involving Chen Daoguang and others. After watching that case yesterday, they had been so excited they couldn't sleep all night, eagerly awaiting the live stream of today's trial. According to the court's public notice, the case would be heard publicly at 10:00 AM.

"Xiao Qin, you didn't go to the trial today?"

While waiting in the courtyard, Zhang Qingyuan and the others noticed Qin Mu and asked curiously.

Qin Mu touched his nose. He expressed his desire for a few days of peace, to stay away from places of dispute.

The villagers from Chen Family Village far surpassed any defendants he had encountered before. They had a weak understanding of the law and preferred to act in groups. Influenced by their clan and kinship ties, they always believed in strength in numbers. Take this hearing, for example: they had brought dozens of people. Disagreeing with the court's decision, they had stubbornly remained in the courtroom, claiming they wouldn't leave unless the verdict was overturned. As a result, not a single one of them had left the courtroom.

He worried that if he went again, he'd be implicated by these villagers. If the court police mistook him for an accomplice, it would cause unnecessary trouble.

"Xiao Qin? Why didn't you go to attend the trial?"

At 9:50 AM, Wan Zhongyuan suddenly appeared in the courtyard, carrying a stool.

Qin Mu turned around and looked at Wan Zhongyuan. He had a peculiar expression on his face.

He couldn't help but ask, "Deputy Director, why are you here to watch the live stream too?"

Wan Zhongyuan chuckled drily. "Well, isn't this about balancing work and leisure? Watching that case yesterday left me feeling rather unsettled."

He chose a good spot and sat right down. His reaction was almost identical to that of Zhang Qingyuan and the others. He sat in front of the screen, waiting for the trial's live stream to begin.

"It's starting, it's starting! The court session is beginning!"

At 10:00 AM sharp, images finally appeared on the projection screen.

It was the familiar Second Criminal Court.

Zhou Quanmin, along with the members of the collegial panel, entered the courtroom and took their respective seats.

And at the prosecution table were the same two prosecutors from the previous day who had accused Huang Lan of intentional injury. Sitting beside the prosecutors now were Chen Qi and his son.

The defendants' dock was occupied by Chen Daoguang and several others. Due to the limited seating in the dock, most of the accused were still in the holding area and had not yet entered the courtroom.

"Huh? That's not right. What's going on? Why isn't there a single person in the public gallery today?"

Suddenly, Zhang Qingyuan and the others noticed something was amiss and couldn't help but look at Qin Mu.

On the live stream, the public gallery was completely empty. Not a single person was present. This was in stark contrast to yesterday's packed gallery. They remembered very clearly that yesterday, they hadn't even been able to get a spot to watch the trial in person.

"It's probably... because people were arrested yesterday."

Qin Mu watched the live stream, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. He then recounted how Liu Mei and the others had been detained at the courthouse.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire courtyard erupted.

Even Wan Zhongyuan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"They were all arrested? Even those in the public gallery weren't spared?"

"Over thirty people, all detained at the courthouse?"

"No wonder no one dared to come and watch today. Relatives really are unreliable in critical moments."

"Why do I get the feeling... this whole thing is related to Xiao Qin? The case just keeps getting bigger. Did they catch Xiao Qin's bad luck or something?"

"..."

As Zhang Qingyuan and the others discussed this, they suddenly cast wary glances at Qin Mu.

If their memories served them correctly, the turmoil in Chen Family Village had all started when Qin Mu visited the agritourism spot and encountered the wedding hazing incident!

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