Too Bad I Take Things Seriously

Administrative detention was pretty much like being locked up in a small, dark room. No cell phones were allowed. No freedom. It restricted personal liberties for a certain period as a warning. In modern society, situations calling for administrative detention come up quite often. For instance, the others in the same room as her all had various reasons for their detention. Some were there for fighting and brawling. Some were there for hurling insults at each other so fiercely it had gotten out of control. Some were there for drunk driving. These acts were illegal but did not constitute crimes, so they did not qualify for criminal detention. Their nature was also different.

Xia Qingqing reflected on her own situation. At worst, it was just disciplinary action. Nothing serious. She'd learn her lesson next time and resolutely avoid illegal actions.

Time passed slowly.

With Yuan Cui Lian and her daughter taken into custody for disturbing the peace, the nursing home regained its tranquility. No more troublemakers came. And on the internet, no new provocative videos surfaced. Most netizens were focused on the first two videos Xia Qingqing had produced. Some even asked about the progress of Xia Qingqing's rights defense in the comments section, displaying 'heartfelt' concern. They even offered help should any trouble arise.

Of course, while showing sympathy for Xia Qingqing, these people did not forget to take a jab at Qin Mu.

「At the same time.」

Following the Case Filing Department's approval to proceed, agencies like the Prosecutor's Office began to advance the case. With Qin Mu providing precise IP addresses, the arduous process of evidence gathering was greatly simplified. After confirming their accuracy, they contacted the respective platforms and obtained the real-name information of 3,200 individuals. Then, summonses, along with copies of the complaint, were sent all across the country.

「In the southwestern borderlands.」

It was a small county town.

Jiang Renli was just an ordinary office worker in the county town. In a small county town like his, work pressure wasn't high, nor was the stress of daily life. Housing prices were not steep. One could easily make a down payment. Compared to the competitive rat race of big cities, life there was much easier.

Many young people, after graduating from college, had stopped migrating to coastal metropolises, instead returning to small county towns. They had begun a life of quasi-retirement prematurely. After toiling for a decade or two in a big city, their savings still wouldn't be enough to buy a house there. They would inevitably return to their small hometowns. It was better to 'lie flat' right after graduation than to take a ten or twenty-year detour.

Jiang Renli belonged to this group. Working nine-to-six each day, he would play games and browse videos after work. However, the arrival of an express mail package disrupted his peaceful life.

"Are you Jiang Renli?" the postal courier asked repeatedly for confirmation. He even had Jiang Renli present his identification to prove his identity before allowing him to sign for it.

"What's with all the secrecy? What kind of delivery is this?" Jiang Renli muttered, tearing open the document mailer.

Inside, lay a court summons and a copy of the complaint. The summons stated that he had been sued. The court had accepted the case and scheduled a hearing for six days later. He was required to appear at the Jin City Court on time, six days later, to participate in the legal proceedings!

The 'Statement of Facts' section on the summons detailed why he was being sued. It was all because of a few comments he had posted online half a month prior.

The content of the comments, while containing some insults and abusive language, was how he always commented online. It had never been a problem before. Why, all of a sudden, was he being sued for defamation?

Jiang Renli swallowed hard, his scalp tingling. What the hell is going on here?

Receiving a court summons out of the blue left him somewhat flustered. He quickly grabbed his phone, scrolling through his comment history. My comment was pretty civilized this time. I just criticized that person, told them to 'be a decent human being.' How could that be wrong?

Half a month prior, he had participated in a 'topic discussion' on a certain platform. He had flagrantly supported the mother grieving the loss of her son and had lambasted the person responsible for her son's death. While no one wanted to see a death resulting from a pursuit, the pursuer had been far too cold-hearted. After a human life was lost, there was no hint of apology or remorse towards the bereaved from the pursuer. This filled him with righteous indignation and resentment.

And after his comments were posted, many 'whitewashing' shills appeared. They posed as 'rational, neutral, and objective' commenters, saying there was nothing wrong with acting courageously for a just cause.

When had I ever said there was something wrong with acting courageously for a just cause? What I said was that the other party should at least apologize, offer compensation, and show the proper attitude. They chased someone's son to death, and they're not going to show any remorse at all?

His comments had quickly gained a lot of approval from netizens, with likes reaching tens of thousands.

How could my behavior possibly be linked to defamation? he couldn't help but murmur. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he was being wronged. And the person suing me... is simply being a troublemaker! I was just called out online, didn't lose any flesh or anything, and they actually turned around and sued me!

However, having received nine years of compulsory education, he knew he should respond actively to the summons. Left with no choice, he bought a plane ticket to Jin City.

When I win this lawsuit, I'll make the other party reimburse me for all these expenses!

「Zhao County.」

Another third-tier city.

A small startup company.

"Mr. Zhu, good morning."