Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 190, Section 188: University Criminal Law Course

In November in Jiangcheng, even the temperature becomes ambiguous.

The dampness rising everywhere, carried by the morning breeze, silently seeps into every corner of the city.

The sky was overcast, casting a meager, almost unwelcoming light.

The leaves of the sycamore tree, with only their scorched brown edges remaining, twirled and fell to the ground, making a crunching sound under hurried footsteps.

"Hurry up! This is Professor Han's criminal law class!"

"I love listening to her tell case stories!"

"I'm going to be late!"

As it approached 8 a.m., students filed into the vicinity of the Wenhuan Building at Jiangcheng University of Finance and Economics.

The corridors and lobby inside the building were filled with the distinctive scent of books and paper, as well as the hushed conversations of young people.

Li Zhi sat in the front row early, tightened her beige turtleneck sweater, and yawned deeply.

Criminal law is arguably the most interesting subject for all law students, bar none.

As one of the few privileged students in the entire law school, Li Zhi's family had already spoken to the school leaders, so she wouldn't attend all classes.

I take general education courses as I feel like it, but I choose my major courses selectively.

But Han Qiulan is not only a professor of her field, but also a senior partner at the law firm where she interned.

Therefore, Li Zhi never missed a single criminal law class.

Class is different from work. Today, the short-haired girl's makeup was extremely light, almost bare-faced, with only a thin layer of tinted primer on her cheeks.

My hair was just washed this morning, and the ends and bangs were slightly curled to create a little curl, revealing my forehead and beautiful eyebrows and eyes.

She carried a dark brown leather backpack, which was heavy with two large volumes and thick paper notebooks.

The lecture hall was large enough to accommodate more than a hundred people, and it was already about 80% full.

The front row was full of well-behaved girls, while the back row was a bit more relaxed. Some people were staring blankly out the window at the gray sky with their chins propped up, some were secretly scrolling through their phones under the table, and some were taking a nap in the last few minutes to make up for the sleep they had sacrificed playing games or watching TV series the night before.

Li Zhi was no exception; she was currently typing rapidly on her phone screen with a slight smile on her lips.

[He's showing off news links in the group chat again! I saw them a long time ago!]

[And it wasn't even you being interviewed. Seriously, Sister He Min is amazing! She handles big-stage interviews with such ease, her words are so beautiful and cool.]

Gu Caiwei: [Who is He Min? Why doesn't he go up and answer the question himself?]

The short-haired girl continued typing: [He Min is his assistant.]

The butterfly flaps its wings, creating towering waves.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Zhou Mingyuan, your dining buddy, doesn't spend every day with the two women; he's incredibly noticeable!
Both he and Gu Caiwei had a strong desire to share.

Every day, in the WeChat group that the three of them share, they either take pictures of their breakfast or show off the scenery.

Sure enough, Zhou Mingyuan casually tossed the news of Mingli Legal Consulting Company being interviewed by major media outlets into the group chat.

Gu Caiwei, unlike Li Zhi, was not as knowledgeable and kept asking questions like a curious child.

"Ahem, Teacher Han is here."

Zhuang Mengxiang, the classmate sitting next to Li Zhi, cleared her throat, nudged Li Zhi with her elbow, and said in a low voice.

Li Zhi followed her gaze to the podium.

Professor Han Qiulan was already standing there.

Soon, the classroom, which had been buzzing a bit, fell silent, and even the students in the back row who were playing on their phones instinctively sat up straight.

Han Qiulan did not start the lesson immediately. Instead, she picked up the thermos on the podium and took a sip of water slowly.

"Okay, let's start the class."

The projection screen behind Han Qiulan lit up, displaying today's theme.

—"Special Provisions of Criminal Law: Crimes Against Property: Fraud".

Article 266. Whoever defrauds public or private property, where the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance, and may also be fined.

In the entire legal circle of Jiangcheng, Han Qiulan is a well-known figure.

She never reads from the textbook when she lectures, and she never brings any thick textbooks. She can recite every legal provision off the top of her head.

"The crime of fraud, though seemingly clearly defined in its provisions and elements, is extremely deceptive in judicial practice."

"It often disguises itself as voluntary, but it takes advantage of human weaknesses."

"Greed, fear, trust, and even the desire for love."

Han Qiulan deliberately emphasized the word "love," leaving a meaningful pause.

Like her classmates, Li Zhi put away her phone, rested her chin on her hand, and stared intently at the PPT on the screen.

"Speaking of new types of fraud crimes, a very representative case recently occurred in our Jiangcheng."

Han Qiulan smiled and slowed her speech.

That's right, it's that time of year again when everyone loves to see examples.

On the projection screen, the images changed, and the dry legal provisions were turned over.

Several screenshots of online chat logs with their images blurred out, along with official photos from the scene, immediately popped up.

What is this?

"Does it look like an online romance?"

"That's so cheesy, I don't want to watch anymore, tsk tsk tsk."

"Holy crap, so this is how you scam money?"

A murmur rippled through the classroom.

The students stared wide-eyed, their voices spreading like ripples on water.

Li Zhi sat up straight, couldn't resist taking out her phone, snapping several photos of the screen, and then sharing them in the group chat.

[Guess what case our criminal law professor discussed today?]

She had already guessed the typical case that Han Qiulan was about to cite in class.

The chat dialogue projected on the screen looked strangely familiar.

The person involved had vividly recreated the scene for her, and she had also reviewed it herself during a media interview. This was the third time Professor Han Qiulan had taken it out to explain it.

Li Zhi simply found the world fascinating.

"This new type of scam has a very descriptive, and also very cruel, name—"

Han Qiulan uttered three words, one after another: "Pig butchering scam!"

The screenshots on the screen played in slow motion, page after page.

The classroom was silent except for Han Qiulan's earnest explanation of the case.

"Just last month, our Jiangcheng police successfully cracked a major cross-provincial pig butchering scam, and the preliminary investigation revealed that the amount involved was as high as over one million yuan."

"Just to add, during the investigation of this case, an organization that was not a judicial organ played an extremely crucial role."

"Interested students can check the news reports from relevant media outlets; they can be found on various public WeChat accounts. We won't go into details here."

"Now let's analyze the elements constituting the crime of fraud."

The two class periods flew by.

After class, Li Zhi was immediately called into Han Qiulan's office.

"Li Zhi, have you seen this?"

Han Qiulan smiled warmly and pushed a copy of the Jiangcheng Daily, which contained a report on the case, onto the coffee table.

"To be honest, I really didn't expect our law firm's partners to do such a great job."

“I read the report carefully and also asked someone to find out some details.”

"The ability to identify new types of fraud, secure crucial evidence, and establish an efficient collaborative mechanism in such a short time."

“Mingli Company has some talented people.”

“I saw Professor Han.” Li Zhiying pursed her lips and nodded occasionally in response to Han Qiulan’s voice.

"I've told you several times, your mother and I are classmates. You can just call her Aunt Han in private."

"."

Li Zhi was thin-skinned, her pretty face flushed, but she still didn't say a word.

"I've read almost all the news reports about this case."

Han Qiulan picked up the thermos in front of her, took a small sip slowly, and spoke in a calm voice.

"Your mother has repeatedly asked me to take good care of you. You just finished your internship at the court, and now I've arranged for you to work at Leying Law Firm."

“I’ve seen all your hard work, especially in coordinating with Mingli Company, running around handling administrative tasks, and working so hard every day.”

"But I think she must also hope that you will have better development and achievements."

"right?"

"."

Li Zhi blinked, then nodded, "You're right."

"So I have an idea, I don't know if you're interested, or if you're interested in challenging yourself."

Han Qiulan changed the subject, her tone becoming inquiring.

“Our law firm and Mingli Company are partners. If we communicate with them, we can basically get first-hand data and information.”

"In fact, I can sense that their leadership had a plan for this matter."

"Official endorsement brings natural credibility, which makes clients trust them more. Trusting them means trusting us, especially since the other party mentioned our Leying Law Firm in the report."

"But something is still missing, something theoretical."

"From a scholar's perspective, our law society has conducted extensive research on topics such as grassroots social governance, the legal professional community, and crime prevention, and has published a considerable number of papers."

"But often, research tends to be superficial or become hindsight."

“Work models like those developed by Mingli Company through practical experience and proven to be effective are all worth exploring in terms of their operational details, key to success, and real challenges.”

"However, in terms of theoretical aspects, there is currently a lack of systematic recording, sorting out, and improvement."

"Valuable practical experience has not been transformed into academic achievements and institutional references that can be promoted and replicated in a timely manner."

Han Qiulan paused for a moment, then concluded, "It's a bit of a pity."

Li Zhi's watery eyes darted around, seemingly confused by what she was hearing.

It wasn't until the last few sentences that I vaguely grasped the elder's approach.

Institutional references, academic achievements?

Could it be that.
Is Aunt Han going to help me publish my paper?
"To give your mother an explanation, your aunt is thinking about whether to take you down the academic path and get you involved in research projects."

"what?"

Li Zhi involuntarily widened her eyes.

"Of course, it also depends on your opinion. After all, you're only a freshman this year. If you think this is too difficult or you're not interested, I'll ask one of my doctoral students to do it."

"You don't have to rush in your freshman year; you can try to get into a graduate program in two years."

"This is indeed a pretty good entry point, novel enough, and if done well, I feel there's at least a 60-70% chance of getting published in a journal."

"Core journals".

Han Qiulan added with a smile.

"Publish in core journals?"

Li Zhi only had a vague idea of ​​this unfamiliar term.

She knows it's awesome, but she hasn't studied in detail just how awesome it is.

"Yes."

Han Qiulan nodded: "We should conduct an in-depth, empirical legal research project focusing on the working model of Mingli Company, especially the successful experience of this 'pig butchering scam' case."

"But we still need Mingli Company's cooperation."

"I heard from Lvxia that their boss and you have a good relationship, right?"

"Yes."

Hearing this, Li Zhi suddenly felt a sense of relief, a significant reduction in pressure, and began to giggle.

Around noon, a new visitor arrived at Han Qiulan's meeting room.

"Hello, Director Han~"

Zhou Mingyuan had obviously just finished class and rode his electric bike over from the neighboring Nanhu University. Even his hair had been styled into a natural three-seven part.

He was wearing a youthful long-sleeved sweatshirt, and his smile was young and bright. You would never guess that he was the big boss of a legal consulting firm.

"Xiao Zhou, this isn't a law firm, you don't need to be so polite."

"Did Li Zhi tell you the specifics?"

Han Qiulan smiled and spread her hands, gesturing for Zhou Mingyuan to sit down.

"Not yet."

Zhou Mingyuan shook his head, exchanged a glance with Li Zhi, and found a place to sit side by side.

"I invited you here because I'd like to invite you two to collaborate."

Han Qiulan got straight to the point.

"You say."

Zhou Mingyuan was very polite.

“Xiao Zhou, from an academic perspective, I can help Mingli systematically sort out and refine the theoretical basis, operational norms, core advantages, and even find room for optimization of this model.”

"The research findings can serve as the most powerful explanation and endorsement of the Mingli model. They are valuable for gaining greater government support, attracting talent, and replicating and promoting the model in the future."

"Moreover, if it can be affiliated with a national-level research project at Jiangcheng University of Finance and Economics, it is itself a kind of authoritative certification."

Han Qiulan crossed her arms, turned her head to look at the short-haired girl, and said earnestly.

"Li Zhi, this is an excellent opportunity for you to participate deeply in empirical research on this topic."

"Not only can you access the most vivid first-hand cases, but you can also interview front-line police officers, lawyers, and victims to understand the complex ecosystem of law operation at the grassroots level."

"It can also enhance your academic abilities, including a series of processes such as thesis topic selection."

“If it can be published in a journal, I can explain it to your mother.”

"How about it?"

"."

Li Zhi didn't speak, but simply tilted her head slightly and blinked hard at Zhou Mingyuan.

You idiot, just say yes!
What a good thing!

This is definitely a win-win situation!

Although Li Zhi may not be as quick-witted as Gu Caiwei on ordinary days, she never makes mistakes in the big picture.

She only listened to Han Qiulan for a few minutes before she judged that this matter could definitely be done.

Not only can it be done, but Zhou Mingyuan also needs to be involved.

Just as Aunt Han said, this research can fill a gap!
Explore how, within the existing legal framework and resource conditions, institutional innovation can effectively address new types of crime and improve the efficiency of grassroots governance.

Han Qiulan herself is an important member of the Law Society, and she is naturally well aware of the research findings in the field and the feasibility of this matter.

If it weren't for the close, sisterly relationship between her mother and Han Qiulan, she certainly wouldn't have given up this honor for herself.

This would be an immense favor, whether given to a doctoral or master's student.

Ultimately, the most anticipated part of this whole thing is...
Of course, it's with Zhou Mingyuan.

(End of this chapter)