In the homeowner group chat.

It wasn't long before, one after another, the owners of the damaged cars were provoked into speaking out. Bai Shuirong's accusations in the group chat could already be considered a perversion of basic values. It was clearly because she refused to compromise that they had filed a lawsuit, yet now she was accusing them instead!

"You don't want to pay? Just wait for the court's decision and see if you'll pay then!"

"Our reminders are useless to you; let the court bailiffs talk to you when the time comes!"

"We don't blame the child; we blame you adults who let your child run wild and do wrong. Can 'being naughty' be an excuse to negatively impact others?"

"Exactly! It's better to educate such children early on; otherwise, they'll cause a major disaster sooner or later!"

"..."

In the homeowner group chat, the owners of the damaged cars and Bai Shuirong engaged in a heated "discussion." The topic veered from compensation to child-rearing. Everyone tried to persuade her not to spoil her child any longer, emphasizing that discipline was necessary. Excessive pampering, they argued, was no different from slow poison.

Children at this age don't yet have a clearly defined sense of right and wrong, or of what constitutes good and bad. They don't understand what actions are permissible or the consequences of those actions. They desperately need parental guidance.

However, Bai Shuirong was completely unreceptive. She scoffed in the group chat, "So, according to you all, only hitting children counts as education?"

"That whole 'a beating brings out talent' educational philosophy is long outdated!"

"I can't bear to hit or scold my own grandson; you outsiders have even less right to do so!"

"He's so young and just made a little mistake! As neighbors, you show no understanding and instead stand there making sarcastic remarks!"

"I have my own way of raising my grandson; I don't need any of you to interfere!"

Bai Shuirong showed no remorse whatsoever. In her eyes, her grandson was just a child, and it wasn't too late to discipline him later. His current innocent playfulness didn't need to be curbed. She believed that mischievous children were the ones with real prospects. A child who was too docile at this age would only end up being bullied later.

In the end, the "friendly exchange" between the two sides fizzled out with no resolution.

...

That night, Zhang He got off work and returned home, his mood extremely heavy. This was because, while at work, he had heard about the court summons.

"Mom, show me the summons," he said, his face grim.

He opened the document. After seeing the specific amount claimed on it, his face turned deathly pale. His entire heart seemed to give a painful LURCH.

1.09 million!

He was just an ordinary office worker who had been with his company for seven or eight years. Only recently had he managed to become a junior manager, with a salary that had just surpassed ten thousand a month. His son still had school expenses in the future, which would be substantial. Although they could technically pay 1.09 million, it would definitely be a major financial blow! For their entire family, this was undoubtedly an earthquake.

"Mom, didn't you say... everything was taken care of?" Zhang He asked, his face mournful as he looked at Bai Shuirong. After the incident, she had been responsible for communicating with the car owners.

Just a couple of days ago, it was still seven or eight hundred thousand. How had it increased to 1.09 million so quickly!

Bai Shuirong snorted coldly. The mere mention of this made her furious. "Isn't this just those car owners trying to extort us with their outrageous demands! They were fine when they quoted seven or eight hundred thousand for the claim. Now it's suddenly increased so much! They clearly think we're easy targets."

Zhang He's face was etched with worry, and he lowered his head. A court summons... It was the first time in his life he had received one. The summons clearly stated that the guardian needed to appear in court for the hearing three days later. Failure to attend would be considered a forfeiture of their right to contest the suit.

"Alright, don't worry too much," Bai Shuirong said, noticing her son's distress and trying to comfort him. "I've already contacted my nephew. I'll visit his law firm tomorrow."

"Zhang Wei?" Zhang He suddenly raised his head, his expression brightening.

He and Zhang Wei had been childhood playmates, the kind who grew up together. Over the past few months, Zhang Wei's career had been flourishing. He had taken on many big cases in Jin City and was very successful. It was said his law firm had expanded several times and recruited many people. His reputation in Jin City was growing rapidly. A few months ago, in the famous case involving a lawsuit against an entire online network, Zhang Wei alone had helped secure reduced sentences for over nine hundred defendants!

"That's right," Bai Shuirong nodded, a confident smile on her face. "He specializes in criminal defense. Ours is just a civil lawsuit. If he takes our case, wouldn't he handle it effortlessly?"

As a relative, she was confident Zhang Wei would help. If he could handle criminal cases, then winning a civil dispute about monetary compensation should be no problem for him.

Zhang He swallowed and nodded. At this point, this was all they could do. The other party wasn't likely to withdraw the lawsuit, so they had no choice but to face it head-on. His great reputation wasn't for nothing. With Zhang Wei involved, they shouldn't lose this lawsuit.

...

In the evening, after work, Qin Mu also returned to the Mountain and Water Garden District.

During the day, he had received the court's notice accepting the case for filing, along with the scheduled hearing date. He hadn't expected Bai Shuirong to still be causing such a commotion in the homeowners' group chat. She had even brought up Zhang Wei!

I didn't expect... Zhang Wei to be her relative, Qin Mu thought, his lips twitching as a strange expression crossed his face. Zhang Wei's professional ability is indeed strong, but his area of expertise is mainly criminal defense. This type of civil case isn't his forte. Furthermore, the evidence in this case is clear, with explicit surveillance footage all pointing to that brat. There's virtually no point of contention! No matter who the other side hires, they're bound to lose! The only point truly worthy of discussion is whether the claim for 1.09 million is reasonable.

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