Chapter 153 Building Momentum

Nowadays, Wen Xiaocheng no longer needed to resort to hacking tactics to attract attention online as he used to. After a brief word with Seventh Master, an article titled "Modern-Day Tiying Rescues Her Father: Mathematics Olympiad Champion Seeks Justice for Imprisoned Father" quickly skyrocketed to the top of trending news.

The case from five years ago was dug up, and the incident itself had immense selling points. Over a hundred people besieged a single household, bulldozers leveled courtyard walls, and more than ten individuals charged forward brandishing clubs. Before him stood a dilapidated courtyard wall; behind him were his young son and elderly mother. Wen Xinwu wielded a battered firewood chopper amidst the crowd, covered in blood and laden with injuries—one dead and three wounded. Naturally, he also paid a heavy price for his actions.

Was it legitimate self-defense or excessive defense? Perhaps everyone reading the news found themselves pondering: What would I do if I encountered such a situation?

In truth, the choices available were extremely limited.

Even if some disagreed with Wen Xinwu's approach, no one could deny that he was a real man!

Netizens are emotional. In a virtual courtroom hosted by a major web portal, users advocating for Wen Xinwu's innocence reached as high as 95.7%. The remaining 4.3% also believed that a 20-year prison sentence was too harsh, arguing that even if deemed excessive defense, a lenient judgment should be applied. Furthermore, this case sparked a nationwide craze for studying legal knowledge, temporarily propelling keywords such as "legitimate self-defense," "excessive defense," and "Criminal Procedure Law" into the top trending searches.

Then came a dramatic twist as another bombshell was dropped: among the four victim families, three had already reached a settlement and even agreed to testify in court on behalf of the defendant, Wen Xinwu!

As the incident continued to ferment, Wen Xue, a nationally renowned legal beauty and founder of the Silver Badge Lawyer Group, announced that she would provide legal support to Wen Xiaocheng and had already dispatched a team of seven lawyers heading toward Xiangyang City.

While some netizens accused Wen Xue's law firm of hype, the glamorous lawyer clarified via her social media: they were commissioned by a client to take on the case, and the two-million-yuan retainer had been paid in full.

Consequently, everyone began to guess who was secretly backing Wen Xiaocheng. The mystery was unraveled within days when Liu Mang, CEO of Mangyou Group, revealed during a talk show appearance: "Wen Xiaocheng is my buddy! If I don't help him, who will?"

The host, evidently hearing this piece of news for the first time, asked in shock, "I heard that Wen Xiaocheng is just an ordinary middle school student from a humble background..."

"When I make friends, do I need to look at their family background?"

With a look of envy, the host remarked, "Wen Xiaocheng must feel deeply honored to become friends with President Liu..."

"Pfft! The kid doesn't feel honored at all! I followed him on social media, but he didn't follow me back!"

With a single sentence, Wen Xiaocheng gained 200,000 followers on his social media account that very day.

The next day, Wen Xiaocheng posted: "I just won't follow back!" specifically tagging Liu Mang in the post.

From the perspective of personal safety, Wen Xiaocheng should not have kept such a high profile, but to maximize the chances of success for his father's case, he chose to step into the public eye.

Fueled by the celebrity effect, the heat of the matter continued to rise. The official social media account of the Xiangyang City Intermediate People's Court, which delivered the final verdict, also responded: having received the appellant Wen Xinwu's appeal petition and corresponding evidence, the court has accepted the case in accordance with the law. The new evidence submitted by the appellant proves that the facts established in the original judgment were erroneous, which may affect the final sentencing. Therefore, it has been decided to hold a retrial on a selected date...

A court decision for a retrial is part of normal legal procedures, especially given the compelling weight of the new evidence. However, due to media spotlight, the preliminary review period, which typically takes three months, was answered by the intermediate court in just ten days.

At this stage of development, the case faced virtually no obstacles. The personnel previously involved in the demolition had long been dealt with or transferred elsewhere. After a lapse of five years, this would not stir up old political disputes, nor would it conflict with or impact current incumbent leaders. Moreover, among the four victimized families, three had already signed settlement agreements and stepped forward to testify. In other words, the case no longer even had aggrieved plaintiffs, leaving the court under no pressure to deliver a lenient sentence or even acquit the defendant.

Even prison guards and wardens caught wind of the matter and extended special care to Wen Xinwu.

Actually, they had always treated him well, but now knowing that he might be released from prison before long—plus the fact that his son was buddies with the CEO of Mangyou Group—they treated him with even greater care.

An ordinary case under the jurisdiction of an intermediate court, propelled by the waves of media coverage, had captured the widespread attention of netizens. The public's gossiping appetite had been thoroughly whetted, and everyone was eager to know how the story would unfold. During this period, even a celebrity's divorce due to a cheating spouse failed to make the headlines.

"Hello, dear viewers and friends, welcome to this episode of *Months of Qin*, I am your host, Qin Yue."

*Months of Qin* was a prime-time talk show on Haitian Satellite TV, consistently dominating the top three ratings spots. Host Qin Yue was undoubtedly Haitian Satellite TV's leading star, a veritable pillar of the station. Renowned for being outspoken and profound, the show was deeply loved by the general public.

"Recently, a five-year-old case of intentional assault resulting in death has drawn widespread public attention. The defendant, Wen Xinwu, owing to his resistance against forced demolition, caused the tragic outcome of one death and three injuries, and is currently serving time in prison. Let us first take a look at a VCR clip."

To help the audience understand the situation at the time, the production crew specially visited the locality and interviewed several local residents. The short video lasted only a few minutes. It began with the sparkling ripples of Siyuan River, and as the camera slowly panned, it offered a panoramic view of the present-day Riverside Garden. At this moment, a voiceover introduced: "This was the scene of the incident back then, which has now been transformed into an upscale residential community..."

Sweeping across the alleys and streets of Dongfeng Town, the voiceover narrated the conflicts and contradictions of that era.

The story from five years ago did not feature intricate plots; it was merely a classic tale of one side wanting to buy while the other refused to sell. Subsequently, the conflict escalated until it culminated in tragedy.

As the short video ended, the camera cut back to the host on set. Qin Yue turned to the live audience and asked, "You've all seen the short clip just now. Do you think Wen Xinwu is guilty? Would anyone like to share their thoughts?"

An elderly gentleman in his sixties in the front row raised his hand and stood up. "I think this Wen Xinwu is not guilty. Whose home are we talking about? Right? Did I go to your house and hack at you with a knife? With that many people, what were you doing marching onto someone else's property with clubs? If this were in America, shooting you wouldn't even be a crime!"

Another bespectacled college student replied, "I'm a law student. Just watching this short clip, I don't know if he's legally guilty, but emotionally, I sympathize with Wen Xinwu. There is a Western proverb: 'The wind may enter, the rain may enter, but the king cannot enter.' It means that even a thatched hut that lets in wind and rain represents an individual's private property and cannot be forcibly entered without the owner's consent. Our Constitution stipulates that citizens' homes are inviolable, and the Criminal Law also contains the 'crime of illegal intrusion into a dwelling.' Since the other party broke into Wen Xinwu's home, they had already constituted unlawful infringement. Using weapons to resist at that moment should be considered legitimate self-defense, though whether the defense exceeded necessary limits might still need to be evaluated based on the on-site conditions."

The last person to stand up was a middle-aged aunt in her fifties.

"If you climb a tree to rob a bird's nest, the mother bird will still peck you! Let alone a human being! I know Teacher Wen; he's such a gentle, refined person, always courteous and amiable with everyone. At first, none of us believed it when they said he killed someone! If people aren't driven to the absolute edge, would they ever do something like that?"

Another familiar face. Many old book friends must have forgotten Qin Yue, haven't you? Wen Xinwu's case is entirely a work of my fiction—of course, this entire story is a work of fiction. However, fictional elements are not necessarily devoid of instructive significance. We may all feel that Wen Xinwu is innocent, but was Zhang Weihai deserving of death? Lü Songyan, Ding the Lame, Zhang Weishan—looking at the changes over the past five years, those once hateful faces no longer seem quite so detestable. Coupled with the intersections generated among these families—Lü Qi, Ding Sina, Zhang Peiyue—every distinct family carries its own grievances and demands, and nothing is absolutely absolute or purely right. This is also what sets this book apart. Matters in this world are not merely as simple as drawing swords and clashing over a disagreement. Pondering the aftermath of a single blade strike is what truly brings maturity to a person.