...

「Three hours later.」

The discussion was nearing its end.

A lawyer's primary job is to find advantageous points within legal statutes to defend their client. Zhang Wei used to research and ponder this alone. This time, after his discussion with Qin Mu, Zhang Wei found his perspective significantly broadened. Qin Mu effortlessly cited numerous legal provisions, many of which Zhang Wei had barely heard of before, drawing connections and parallels with ease. From criminal law to civil law, and then to procedural law, sentencing, and more, the two analyzed the case from various aspects, identifying many litigation points favorable to their side.

"I... I was wondering, how is your discussion going?" Bai Xuelan and the other two, who had been listening the whole time, asked cautiously. They truly hadn't understood much of it.

"It should be settled now. Let's stop here for today. The trial is in four days, and we might need to discuss a few more times before it starts," Zhang Wei said with a smile, though he still seemed eager to continue. His expression carried a trace of excitement. At that moment, he felt as if he had found a long-lost confidant.

"Then… if there's nothing else, I'll head back first," Bai Xuelan said, swallowing nervously. She was a full-time housewife and still had to take care of her school-aged child at home. It was about time for her to go back and cook.

"We'll head back too," Liang Chengbin and Hua Li exchanged glances and chimed in. This trip to the law firm had taken up their entire day, and each of them also had personal matters, more or less, to attend to at home.

"Wait." Qin Mu suddenly stood up, stopping the three. He said, "Now that we're done discussing this case, we can focus on another one."

The three of them paused, stunned. They all involuntarily looked at Qin Mu.

"Here's the situation: this incident was recently posted online, and it's stirred up quite a buzz. You're probably aware of it," Qin Mu continued.

The expressions of the three changed slightly, their faces becoming somewhat grim. This case of death resulting from pursuit had indeed had a massive impact and had spread very widely. Netizens online were almost universally against them, with nearly everyone cursing them. They said all manner of nasty things. They now dared not go online anymore. If they casually browsed short videos, they would inevitably see unscrupulous media outlets piggybacking on the controversy, slandering them to gain traction. Various "scathing critiques" flooded the internet.

Frankly, after these few days, their ability to cope psychologically was nearing its limit.

Qin Mu looked at the three and, smiling, extended an invitation. "I plan to sue these people. I want to ask… do you want to join?"

This online harassment wasn't directed at him alone; Bai Xuelan, Liang Chengbin, and Hua Li were also caught up in it. Of course, the ones who were insulted the most viciously were, without a doubt, he and Liang Chengbin. Many people regarded the two of them as indirect culprits in the death caused by the pursuit, incessantly berating their "unwillingness to take responsibility." Much of it wasn't even direct verbal abuse, but rather accusations and condemnations. Legally speaking, this also caused extreme damage to their personal dignity and constituted a violation of defamation laws.

"Sue?" Bai Xuelan and the others were once again taken aback, not quite understanding what Qin Mu meant.

"Yes, sue them. I've collected a total of over two thousand six hundred different comments and plan to sue these people for defamation," Qin Mu said, taking a deep breath as he stated his idea.

As soon as he finished speaking, before Bai Xuelan and the others could react, Zhang Wei's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "How many comments did you say?"

As an "old acquaintance," he knew Qin Mu very well; he had even handled sixty "defendants" Qin Mu had brought to him in the past. They were from different provinces all over the country. Just verifying information and searching for IP addresses... he'd heard it took a whole week's effort! For that, Qin Mu had even paid 870,000 yuan in litigation fees upfront!

And this time… it was even more outrageous! Qin Mu was now going after negative comments across the entire internet, actually planning to sue over more than two thousand six hundred of them!

"Two thousand six hundred. I don't know if more will be added later. If they are, we'll just add them to the list," Qin Mu said with a shrug, his expression earnest.

Zhang Wei: "…"

"Suing them for… for defamation, can that stop them from insulting people?" Liang Chengbin asked suddenly, his expression conflicted. He wasn't very clear on legal charges. But for the past two days, his wife had been washing her face with tears daily, worn down by this cyberbullying to the point of losing several pounds. He saw it all, and his heart ached for her. Even he, a grown man, felt a knot of anger in his chest seeing so many netizens curse him. He was genuinely terrified that one day his wife would be angered to the point of a breakdown or worse.

"Of course, it can." Qin Mu looked at Liang Chengbin and smiled. "Not only can it stop them from insulting people, but it will also make them hesitant to insult anyone casually in the future. Additionally... we can demand they pay compensation for damages."

Afterwards, Qin Mu explained the legal statutes concerning defamation and the typical sentencing to Liang Chengbin and the other two. Depending on the severity of the circumstances, the sentence could be up to three years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention. Furthermore, these people would be required to pay approximately 2,000 to 5,000 yuan each in compensation for emotional distress and other civil damages. These amounts were all within a reasonable scope.

Bai Xuelan and Hua Li were less affected, so their claims would be for smaller amounts. But he and Liang Chengbin... as the "main targets" of this cyberbullying incident, had received "special attention" and suffered the greatest emotional harm. They had the right to seek the maximum compensation, which was 5,000 yuan.

"Five thousand?" After hearing this, Liang Chengbin couldn't help but widen his eyes.

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