Too Bad I Take Things Seriously

"Mr. Zhu, good morning."

Zhu Qingyun looked at the employees who greeted her as they passed by, nodding expressionlessly.

In her hand, she held a court summons she had just signed for.

Yes, it was a summons.

The summons ordered her to report to the Jin City Court six days later to participate in a lawsuit.

In this case, she was the defendant.

The plaintiffs had filed a defamation lawsuit, requesting a three-year prison sentence for her, as well as compensation to four individuals for emotional distress, lost wages, and other damages.

After reading the court summons, her good mood vanished instantly.

After graduation, she had started a business in her hometown county, and after much effort, it was finally showing signs of success. Her company's orders and profits were steadily increasing. The company had grown to a small team of twenty.

But now... she had encountered this kind of trouble.

"Mr. Zhu, there's a two hundred thousand yuan order to discuss in a couple of days. Should we confirm our schedule in advance?" the assistant asked after knocking and entering the office.

Zhu Qingyun gave the assistant a frosty look.

After a long moment, she said icily, "We'll put this order on hold for now."

She did want to discuss it. But now, with the lawsuit plaguing her, she simply had no time to attend to business matters. Her current priority... was to find a way to settle this defamation charge!

After consulting with her lawyer, she learned that the sentence for defamation could be up to three years. The sentencing, it seemed, depended on the reach and severity of the defamatory statements.

Half a month ago, from a woman's perspective, she had indeed spoken out in support of that mother. Carried away by emotion at the time, she had cursed, "People who haven't lost a son will never understand a mother's pain!" At the same time, she had also added a few other curses.

Who could have imagined... that these few comments would receive so many likes from strangers, directly fulfilling the legal criteria for defamation.

Defamation is a private prosecution offense; as long as the other party withdraws the suit... I'll be fine.

After a long while, she took a deep breath, her eyes growing brighter. Her lawyer had told her that if they could reach a settlement, there would be no issues.

"Finance, transfer 200,000 yuan to my personal account!"

Clenching her teeth, she called the finance department, planning to spend money to avert disaster.

「At the same time.」

Around the country, in different regions, 3,200 court summonses were gradually being delivered.

Receiving a summons was strictly regulated. Signing for it indicated acknowledgment of the lawsuit and a commitment to respond.

Of course, one could choose to sign or refuse to sign. Refusing to sign meant not participating in the lawsuit. This also meant forfeiting the right to present a defense and cross-examine in court. This would not affect the normal progression of the trial. The judge would then only hear the plaintiff's side of the story, which would significantly impact the verdict.

Therefore, the most rational course of action upon receiving a summons was to sign for it, respond, and prepare for the lawsuit.

After these 3,200 summonses were gradually delivered, only a small number of recipients chose to refuse. Most people, after consulting with lawyers, chose to actively respond to the lawsuit. They began purchasing train and plane tickets. Accompanied by family members, they set off for Jin City with anxious hearts.

「For a time.」

A storm was brewing in Jin City.

「Jin City.」

「Zhang Wei Law Firm.」

Who on earth leaked the news? The legal community is in a frenzy...

Zhang Wei sighed lightly, his face helpless.

Qin Mu had been the first to tell him the news: over three thousand defendants were en route to Jin City.

He had thought he would land an epic case this time, just like the last one. But he had overlooked one crucial detail: Jin City had other criminal defense lawyers.

These lawyers, to varying degrees, had connections within the court's case filing division and had learned about the latest influx of cases.

And then... the entire Jin City legal community exploded.

Criminal defense lawyers, one after another, were scrambling by all means to secure these "defendants" as clients. Even those who specialized in civil lawsuits joined the fray.

It couldn't be helped. These days, criminal cases weren't actually that common. On the contrary, the legal profession was already saturated, and internal competition was severe. Many had opened law firms only to go months without a single case. This was a common situation in the legal industry.

But this time... the sudden appearance of 3,200 defendants directly struck a nerve with this group of lawyers, making them antsy.

Moreover, these cases were largely of the same type. While the defense work would be voluminous, it wasn't overly complex. The standard fee for a criminal defense case was generally under ten thousand yuan. Landing one client meant earning anywhere from several thousand to nearly ten thousand yuan. Land ten, and you were looking at close to a hundred thousand yuan!

Thus, this throng of lawyers had now started acting like brokers outside the courthouse.

Whenever someone emerged from the courthouse looking dejected, they would proactively approach, ready to pitch their services. This was because, at this stage, nearly everyone visiting the court had received a summons for a defamation case.

Upon arriving in Jin City, they first needed to go to the courthouse to understand the details of the case against them. They had the right to view the case's evidentiary materials. They could also obtain a series of documents related to their participation in the lawsuit, such as a notification of rights and obligations, a summons to respond, and a notice for presenting evidence.

And those lawyers... were lying in wait.

The courthouse, usually deserted, had become unusually bustling during this period.

No way!

I can't just sit back and wait to die!!

Zhang Wei took a deep breath, feeling the immense pressure from his colleagues.