Read Novel Full Chapter 67.2 – A Little Angel’s Crash Course on Criminal Law (II)
Chapter 67.2 – A Little Angel’s Crash Course on Criminal Law (II)
Seeing the stunned looks on her friends’ and classmates’ faces, Xia Mian tilted her head slightly and said with a bright smile, “The police will be here in about ten minutes. While we wait, how about a quick legal lesson based on today’s event?”
She walked over to her desk, picked up a thick book, and strode calmly to the front of the classroom, holding it up. The title on the cover read: “Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China.”
Her gaze settled on Tian Xueya. “Didn’t you say I admitted to being involved in a criminal case? Perfect—let’s get that straightened out now.”
Tian Xueya hurriedly shot back, “No, no, you all heard it too—it was Hao Jian and the others spreading those rumors about you…”
Xia Mian showed a gentle smile. “No hurry. Don’t you worry—I won’t falsely accuse anyone.”
She opened to a marked page in the tome and began to read aloud:
“Article 246 of the Criminal Law stipulates: those who deliberately fabricate and spread false information that is sufficient to damage another person’s character and reputation, in severe cases, constitute the crime of defamation…”
“The crime of defamation infringes upon the same legal interest as the crime of libel—namely, affecting the dignity and reputation rights of a person. The victim must be a natural person. The act of fabrication means the defamatory content is completely fictional.”
Pausing here, she lifted her head and looked around the room. “I believe I’ve already made this clear, but let me officially repeat it: the rumor about me being detained and having a criminal record is entirely fabricated. And it has seriously harmed both my character and my reputation.”
All eyes turned to Tian Xueya, who looked thoroughly aggrieved. Xia Mian ignored her and continued reading:
“Regarding the act of spreading fabricated facts—’spreading’ refers to the public dissemination of content. This is generally done in two ways: verbally or in written form—such as posters, leaflets, drawings, newspapers, books, or letters.”
Her gaze swept the room once more and finally landed on Tian Xueya. “Hear that? Verbal spreading counts as evidence in a defamation case. Shouldn’t be too hard for the police to investigate that, right?”
Tian Xueya’s aggrieved expression froze.
“Defamation must be directed at a specific person—but it doesn’t have to name them directly. As long as the content clearly refers to a particular victim, it qualifies as a crime.”
Xia Mian finished reading and tilted her head with a smile. “See? The law is airtight—it even blocks off any loopholes for people trying to talk their way out of it. Especially since some bad actors are physically targeting me because of this rumor.”
“And since this is defined in the Criminal Law, there are naturally legal consequences. Let me tell you what happens to the person who defames others.”
She flipped the page. “When the fabricated defamation causes serious consequences—such as severe damage to someone’s dignity or reputation, or significant negative impact—it constitutes a punishable offense. If it leads to mental illness or suicide, that makes it even more severe.”
Xia Mian looked up. “I think it’s obvious my reputation has been seriously harmed, right?”
“I’m just a normal student, and now people are calling me a criminal out of nowhere!”
“As for negative impact…” She pointed to the three men pinned on the ground. “Let me ask you—if it hadn’t been me, but you facing this situation today, what would have happened?”
“Because of a baseless rumor—one you made without even knowing the truth—I was accused of having a prostitution record and ended up being targeted by these dangerous men!”
“If I hadn’t known Sun Yuexin and Li Lizhen, if Zhao Cheng and his friends hadn’t protected me, and I’d been taken away by these scumbags… what do you think would’ve happened to me?”
Her gaze scanned each of her classmates’ faces before fixing on Tian Xueya. Her voice rose sharply: “Would mental breakdown or suicide have been my final outcome?”
“Could you take responsibility for that?!”
Tian Xueya couldn’t bear it anymore. She screamed, “It wasn’t me! I told you, it wasn’t me! It was Hao Jian—he’s the one who said it!”
Sun Yuexin snapped, “You think we’re stupid? If you hadn’t been jealous of Xia Mian, none of this would’ve happened today!”
At first, the students hadn’t given it much thought. They were still young and unaware of how serious the situation could become. But after Xia Mian laid everything out plainly, they began to reflect—on how they had misjudged her before the truth surfaced, how no one had stepped in when she needed help, and how narrowly she had escaped being taken away by those men…
A chill spread through the class. And when they thought about how Tian Xueya had pushed the rumor while pretending to be innocent, they suddenly felt disgusted with her.
Tian Xueya naturally sensed it. Crying, she stood and yelled at Xia Mian, “You are talking nonsense! I didn’t spread any rumors—I’m innocent!”
She repeated it again and again, as if claiming her innocence loudly would make it true.
Xia Mian’s voice remained gentle, “Tian Xueya, calm down. I never said it was you.”
“I know Hao Jian is the root of all evil.” She flipped to another page, speaking in a light tone. “Let me tell you what his outcome will be, alright?”
“Oh, here it is… For this crime, the penalty is up to three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, continued surveillance, and/or deprivation of political rights.”
She looked up and smiled at Tian Xueya. “Since I already called the police, we’ll just have them check into this, too. Maybe tack on an extra year or two for him…”
“But during the investigation, you might need to give a statement.”
“No—no, please…” Tian Xueya completely lost it. “Don’t call the police! I don’t want to go with them…”
Xia Mian raised her brows in surprise. “No need to panic, really. You said it was Hao Jian, right? All you have to do is cooperate. If you were innocent, the police wouldn’t wrong you. In fact, the investigation is a sure way to clear your name. Hao Jian can’t lie his way out of this—they even have lie detectors now…”
“No! I won’t! I’m not going with the police!” Now drenched in cold sweat, Tian Xueya suddenly bolted from the classroom.
Everyone stared in stunned silence, but there was no longer any doubt in their minds.
Xia Mian let out a sigh and said to Gu Zhou, “Can you go look for her? It’s already dark, and it’s not safe for a young girl to be out alone. Just make sure she’s okay.”
After some hesitation, Gu Zhou reluctantly grabbed his deskmate and followed after her.
Xia Mian glanced at her watch. Only five minutes had passed, and there was still no sound of sirens. She returned to her ‘lecture’: “Since we’ve come this far, let me give everyone a quick crash course on justifiable defense.”
She found the right section. “Article 20 of the Criminal Law states: when an unlawful infringement is taking place, a person may take necessary action to defend themselves or others, their property, or other rights. Causing harm to the perpetrator in the process qualifies as justifiable defense and is not subject to criminal liability.”
She glanced at the now-conscious Hao Jian and his two thug friends, then said calmly, “You tried to coerce me into committing illegal acts at a nightclub. When I fought back and bashed your heads in, that was a justifiable defense.”
“To summarize—what I did was totally legit.”
She turned to Zhao Cheng and the others. “So don’t worry. As long as they don’t die, we’re good.”
The scrawny guy caught on quickly. His eyes widened in realization. “You—you did it on purpose… You made us say all that!” If they had just taken her away without saying a word, at worst, it’d count as coercion. There wouldn’t be any actual evidence of pimping or trafficking. Damn it—Hao Jian even stupidly mentioned the name of the nightclub!
Cold sweat drenched him. He turned to the class and barked, “If any of you dare testify for her, Brother Qiao won’t let you off. Not just you—even your parents can kiss their jobs goodbye!”
After his threat, the students looked at each other uncertainly—until someone spoke up, voice soft but firm. “W-We’re not afraid of you!”
Another immediately chimed in, “Yeah! We’re not scared! If you mess with us again, we’ll send you straight to the jail!”
Xia Mian froze for a moment. Honestly, she hadn’t expected this. She’d only known these classmates for a few days; there weren’t any deep bonds, and no one had any reason to stick their necks out for her. But she’d underestimated just how pure-hearted and fiery kids at this age could be. Maybe they didn’t know right from wrong at first—but they still had the courage to stand up for justice.
She smiled and turned to them. “Thank you, really. I’m honored to be in this class.”
The crowd lit up. “Don’t worry, Xia Mian! If you need us, we’ll totally testify for you!”
Xia Mian smiled. “I appreciate the offer—but it’s not necessary.”
She pulled out the Walkman she’d been fiddling with earlier and pressed play:
“…if you don’t want us spreading all your dirty little secrets everywhere, you’d better make them stop! Otherwise, I promise—you won’t dare to show your face in Yan City ever again!”
“Fucking slut, don’t know what’s good for you. You’re coming with me!”
“To King, of course! It’s a new nightclub we opened in Longcheng. It’s very lively there—you sure would love it!”
“You better think this through, little beauty. Play nice and we might actually treat you well. Otherwise, tomorrow the whole school’s gonna know you’re a whore—let’s see how long you last…”
“Heard the name Qiao Jianyu? He’s our boss. One word from his grandpa, and the top dogs of Longcheng District will run groveling.”
She grinned at the guy, “Sorry, I recorded everything. No need for witness statements.”
Zhao Cheng let out a low whistle. “That’s badass!”
Sun Yuexin threw her arm around Xia Mian’s shoulders, practically vibrating with excitement. “Sis, you are savage!”
Xia Mian tucked the Walkman away and looked at the still-dizzy Hao Jian. “I haven’t been in juvie, but it was true that I have been involved in a criminal case before. Want to know why?”
“I helped catch human traffickers who tried to kidnap a young child. And yes, I used ‘justifiable defense’ in the process…” She had, in fact, thrown a lot of bricks back then.
“Compared to them, a small fry like you…” Xia Mian chuckled, “If you’ve got any sense, don’t ever show your ugly face around me again.”
Her tone was casual, but Hao Jian felt a chill climb up his spine. For the first time, he realized this girl wasn’t someone to mess with.
She was clearly no amateur—taking them down with sheer force, calling the police without hesitation, all while protecting herself under the shield of the law!
By the time the wail of police sirens echoed in the distance, the doorway of Class 1-3 was crowded with students. Zhao Cheng and his gang—usually labeled as troublemakers—were practically beaming as they helped the officers escort the three criminals out.
With Xia Mian’s recording and the students’ testimony, and given the obvious criminal nature of Hao Jian and his gang, the case was crystal clear.
Xia Mian was only asked a few extra questions:
“How did you get your hands on a brick?”
“I overheard them discussing their plan in the restroom this afternoon. I was scared, so I picked it up—just in case.”
“Why didn’t you report it to a teacher?”
Because telling a teacher wouldn’t have solved the root problem. But Xia Mian put on her most harmless little angel face as she answered: “I thought they’d just be scared off if I stood up to them. I didn’t think they would go so far…”
…
When Xia Mian finished her statement, the homeroom teachers from the involved classes were already waiting outside—disheveled and clearly in a rush.
The police handed the students over and said, “These kids are smart. Their approach was a little reckless, but their intentions were to protect their friends. It’s late—save the talking for tomorrow and take them home to rest.”
The teachers bowed repeatedly and thanked the officers, then led their respective students away.
As they were leaving, Mr. Mi looked at his trio and sighed. “Well, you kids did the right thing. But next time, please tell a teacher in advance. What if something went wrong? It would’ve been dangerous.”
“You’re all girls—it’s not safe to be out this late. We’ve already contacted your home. Wait here for a bit, they’ll be picking you up.”
Xia Mian flinched. Call home? But her aunt had been exhausted lately, barely getting five or six hours of sleep a night. She didn’t want to give her more to worry about.
Then it hit her—there was no phone at home. The contact number she’d listed was Ning Shaobai’s.
She’d thought if anything serious happened, it’d be better for Ning Shaobai to worry instead of Xia Wenyue or Ning Shaoyun. But unexpectedly, the number had come in handy this soon…
Now she suddenly felt guilty—‘Being called out this late, Dr. Ning’s probably going to kill me!’
Translator’s Note:
Mass release (10 chapters!!!) on Sunday. Enjoy~