Chapter 263: The Times Have Changed! (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Truth be told, Zhou Mouren was somewhat surprised when he saw this headline. After experiencing so many large-scale Legal Aid incidents, was there still anyone online who dared to stir up trouble for him?

However, thinking about it carefully, while his information had indeed been leaked, it was still rare for people to connect the name Zhou Yi with titles like "Storm-Born Flat-Head Brother," "Hard-Truth District Leader," or "District Tyrant A-Yi."

In other words, those who should know will know, and those who don't, simply don't.

Besides, in this day and age, there are plenty of people doing profitable business. As the saying goes, in an era where traffic is money, there will always be people desperate to become famous.

With a bit of curiosity, Zhou Yi clicked on the report.

"Not long ago, at the entrance of a Small Residential District in Jingzhou City, Handong, an elderly man riding a bike attempted to leave after colliding with a child. A neighbor of the child, Zhou Moumou, who witnessed the entire event, stepped forward to stop him, but unexpectedly, the elderly man suffered a sudden illness and died during the dispute."

"Subsequently, Zhou Moumou and the Small Residential District's Property Management were sued in Court by the deceased's family, who demanded 400,000 yuan in compensation and a public apology posted at the entrance of the Small Residential District for a period of one month."

"And today, following a trial by the Collegial Panel, the Jingzhou City Guangming District People's Court has issued a Judgment, dismissing all claims by the Plaintiff!"

"The sequence of events is as follows..."

"The Jingzhou City Guangming District People's Court holds that the method and content of Zhou Moumou's obstruction of Fang Mou were within normal limits; his actions conform to common sense and do not constitute illegality."

"During the obstruction, although Zhou Moumou and Fang Mou engaged in a verbal dispute, Zhou Moumou's language was not overly aggressive, and no physical altercation occurred between the two parties."

"In this case, there is no other evidence to prove that Zhou Moumou engaged in other improper actions or exceeded necessary limits. Zhou Moumou's act of obstruction does not have a legal causal relationship with the consequence of Fang Mou's death."

As Zhou Yi read on, he felt a bit dazed. He looked again—was this really a report about that incident?

It wasn't about the writing style or anything; these logical points were actually the content from the Judgment.

The main thing was, why would the report be written this way?

In Zhou Yi's view, if this matter were posted online, he would inevitably experience a wave of Cyber Violence. After all, look at it: on one side is a deceased elderly man, and on the other is a company executive who is super rich and constantly showing off his wealth or being a "hard-truth" seeker online.

This is a natural point of conflict, isn't it? It's practically a traffic magnet. As long as it's posted, it's guaranteed to be a massive stir!

Yet, this media outlet actually took a completely different angle. Although it seemed objective, in reality, between the lines, it was stating that the Court's ruling was absolutely correct and that it should have been ruled this way!

They were one step away from writing the words "Well done." This was completely different from the Self-Media he knew. What was going on here?

This was a reposted report, so who was the original publisher?

Looking further down, it mentioned Fang Mou—the elderly man—had just been discharged from the hospital before the incident and suffered from various illnesses.

Most importantly, it stated: In terms of timing, Zhou Moumou's act of obstruction and the consequence of Fang Mou's death occurred sequentially, but the act of obstruction itself would not cause Fang Mou's death. The actual cause of Fang Mou's death was cardiac arrest.

This was the most important part: there is no legal causal relationship!

It went on to write that Zhou Moumou was not at fault for the consequence of Fang Mou's death.

Although Zhou Mou stopped Fang Mou from leaving, inducing emotional agitation in Fang Mou, the two parties did not know each other before the incident, and Zhou Moumou did not know that Fang Mou suffered from multiple illnesses.

Moreover, Zhou Moumou's act of stopping Fang Mou was intended to protect the interests of a child; there was no intent or negligence to harm Fang Mou, and Fang Mou's death was unforeseeable.

Later, after Fang Mou fell to the ground, Zhou Moumou dialed the emergency number to provide aid; he was not at fault.

Therefore, Zhou Moumou should not bear any Tort Liability.

Zhou Yi finished reading the report and looked at the comments below. Sure enough, compared to the subtlety of the report, the netizens were direct and straightforward.

"It should be ruled this way. Damn, I hate those people who try to smooth things over the most in this life. Just because someone died, they're in the right? Pfft!"

"Finally, a correct ruling. Where is the judge from that previous case? Learn from this. This is what a judge should do. No responsibility means no responsibility. Why should I have to consider if someone is about to die before I stop them?"

"Exactly. Ruling like this will make those who want to stage a 'touch-porcelain' scam think twice!"

"A reasonable and fair Judgment!"

Zhou Mouren looked at these comments. This was an ordinary report; he didn't know the person who wrote it, and the people commenting below weren't his audience either.

But unexpectedly, the attitude everyone displayed surprised him.

There were indeed comments like "The person is dead, at least pay a little for humanitarian reasons," but as soon as they were posted, they were roasted until they were unrecognizable.

"I hope you encounter a 'touch-porcelain' scammer in the future and have to pay for 'humanitarian reasons' yourself."

With just one sentence, one could see everyone's hatred for this kind of behavior!

In any case, Zhou Mouren was truly surprised.

He handed the report to Zhou Xinran opposite him. Zhou Xinran read it and smiled, saying, "Boss Zhou, you didn't spend money on this, did you? Why does this situation feel a bit off?"

"I definitely didn't spend any money. I can only say that the times have changed."

In the United States, in a plaza, Lawyer Fang, who was wearing casual clothes for the first time in forever, was on the phone.

"Listen to me, you're right. To promote this matter, you have to exert effort in advance, and it must be objective."

"If you don't occupy the high ground of propaganda, others will. If an event like Cyber Violence actually occurs, it's over. Even if you catch everyone, the pain caused won't be completely erased."

"No, Old Zheng, your thinking really needs to open up a bit. Although we often say that law and morality should be discussed separately, in reality, the influence of law on morality is everywhere."

Speaking of this, Lawyer Fang seemed to recall something, smiled, and added: "The main thing is that young people nowadays really don't like smoothing things over. If I should pay, I'll pay, but if it's clearly not my responsibility and you insist on saying it is, that's wrong!"

The trend on the internet is always changing, but as a sophisticated legal professional, one must grasp it.

How many people among the masses like 'touch-porcelain' scammers?

Just like the cases mentioned before, sitting at home and having a pot fall from the sky—honestly, who would like that?

No one would really like to say that they have to pay money when it clearly has nothing to do with them, right?

So, after Lawyer Fang learned the Judgment had been released, he contacted friends from the past to report it quickly and utilized propaganda resources to promote it!

There's no need for bias; just report it truthfully and objectively. The internet will choose the result itself!

And looking at it now, the result is very good. Old Zheng, who is in charge of propaganda, is grinning from ear to ear because after the report was released, everyone's comments were uniformly supportive!

Furthermore, the popularity is climbing steadily. What this means for the Propaganda Department goes without saying.

What does it mean to follow the trend? At this moment, Old Zheng had an extremely profound understanding of this phrase from Lawyer Fang's mouth.

Whether it's online public opinion or national policy guidelines, Lawyer Fang has always done it this way.

"Then, Teacher Fang, do we need to conduct follow-up reports later?"

Old Zheng hesitated for a moment before asking.

"There will definitely be some trouble stirred up online later, but there's no need to pay attention to it. Once you've grasped the general trend, you don't need to worry about anything else. Things that the masses hate can't make any waves."

"Of course I have selfish motives. My little brother finally managed to meddle in someone else's business for once, so I have to help him out. That kid is bold, just a bit impulsive in his actions sometimes."

Of course, there was another thing Lawyer Fang didn't say: by that time, the water would already be very clear, and if anyone still wanted to muddy the waters, then everything would be very clear.

Hanging up the phone, Lawyer Fang continued to stand there looking at the sky.

Regarding this matter that Zhou Yi had stirred up by meddling, Lawyer Fang didn't say much.

This isn't called meddling; to put it in grander terms, this is called acting bravely for a just cause. I don't know when it started, but "acting bravely for a just cause" seems to have taken on a derogatory connotation.

Lawyer Fang wouldn't judge these things; he would only tell Zhou Yi that everyone can do what they want to do, but the prerequisite is that you must be able to withstand the pressure that comes with doing it.

Has the era really changed?

On the other side, in Jingzhou.

Xu Xiu looked at the various reports popping up online, feeling a bit caught off guard.

"What's going on? This isn't what we reported, is it!"

Someone had found him just yesterday saying they had a big scoop, and then Xu Xiu keenly realized the traffic potential in this.

On one side is a company boss, on the other is an ordinary commoner, an old man who suffered from many illnesses, and now the old man has passed away, yet the company boss actually won't pay a single cent in compensation!

And the Court actually ruled no compensation; he could already imagine how much of a stir this report would cause once released.

Of course, Xu Xiu understood in his heart that there were definitely more people supporting not paying, but it didn't matter; by finding some Internet Water Army, he could easily stir up the sentiment.

There are always people whose thoughts differ from others.

As it turned out, before his draft was even finished, someone else had already made a detailed report!

"Mr. Fang, please wait a moment. This really wasn't done by us. Since we've accepted the money, we will definitely help you speak up. Mr. Fang, don't be anxious."

Fang Fengyu on the other end roared: "How can I not be anxious? Now people are all saying my father brought it on himself, and even saying that guy surnamed Zhou was acting bravely for a just cause. What do you want me to do!"

When he saw the headline, he thought the people he paid had done things so quickly, but after looking at the content of the report, he was almost stunned. Is this how you handle things for me after taking my money?

Fang Fengyu really couldn't hold on anymore, and his younger sister Fang Xiaofeng was blaming him again, saying he couldn't handle anything.

She even said they should go to the company and the Small Residential District to make a scene, that this way was useless.

"Calm down, calm down, Mr. Fang, we will have results here very soon."

After comforting him for a long time, Xu Xiu finally put down the phone.

Someone nearby asked: "Big Brother, what do we do about this?"

"Publish it. It's fine. Write the draft a bit more neutrally, but focus on how poor and miserable that family is—it's best to make the readers feel compassion upon seeing it—as well as how arrogant the other party's remarks were."

"Didn't the other party say to go ahead and sue, that he wouldn't pay a single cent? Write it exactly as it was; you all know how to operate the specifics."

We are also very objective, oh; we are just writing down the specific situation of both sides.

The person nearby hesitated for a moment but said: "But Big Brother, that man is named Zhou Yi, and the incident happened at Yuefu Residential Quarter. Are we really going to do this?"

Xu Xiu gritted his teeth and said: "If we don't do it, then what? If you want to get ahead now, if you want to have a hot topic, you have to do things others dare not do. Otherwise, how do you make money?"

He paused, and as if comforting himself, Xu Xiu added: "We aren't reporting falsely either. Everything we said is true. Even if that guy surnamed Zhou is a stickler for details, there's nothing he can do, right?"

"Let's do it!"

Soon, after being concocted, a report was fresh off the press.

"Old man dies after dispute with company boss, the other party actually threatens not to pay a single cent?"

Looking at it, it feels very clever; they are also stating the actual situation, because you really did say you wouldn't pay a single cent.

And you are indeed a company boss, no problem there.

Soon, the report was posted online.

Xu Xiu still knew a thing or two; he didn't directly state Zhou Yi's identity, only saying that after a reporter's investigation, it was discovered that this company boss is surnamed Zhou, and the incident happened at the entrance of the Yuefu Residential Quarter in Guangming District.

That's right, they really didn't leak your information; surnamed Zhou, as mentioned in previous online reports, Zhou Mouren.

Actually, this is what relevant departments usually do in publicity, which is to protect the privacy of the relevant personnel.

Even if your name is Zhou Yi, sometimes they will say Zhou Mouren, or just change it to a pseudonym—for example, changing Zhou Yi to Zhou Yi—the purpose being to keep others from knowing the specific name.

So Xu Xiu was very smart: I won't say what your name is, I'll just say you are surnamed Zhou, you are a company boss, and the incident happened at the entrance of Yuefu Residential Quarter.

A Yi is a big Up Master; after being baptized by various videos, everyone knows that he lives in Yuefu Residential Quarter, Guangming District, Jingzhou City.

That is why he earned the name "District Bully".

But this information is all something you figured out yourselves.

It can be said that Xu Xiu felt he had reached his limit; it was absolutely impossible to be illegal. Even for the sake of insurance, he had contacted the lawyer of the previous party involved.

That lawyer surnamed Zhang also said there was no problem with this, it wasn't illegal, so he felt relieved and bold enough to post it.

You, A Yi, are famous for being a stickler for details, but it's all through legal means; now that I am also legal, what are you going to do?

If it were some other big Up Master, he might not have dared, because the other party might use other means to mess with him.

But A Yi is different; since you have that persona, you are a good person, and good people can't break the law, right? Plan successful!

The report was published. Originally, such a report basically wouldn't attract attention, but with the support of the Internet Water Army, and riding the heat of the previous report, soon, that heat rose to a level that made people look sideways.

Moreover, not beyond Xu Xiu's expectations, as soon as this report was seen, someone recognized it. Based on the conditions inside, one could tell at a glance that this was talking about that stickler Up Master A Yi!

"I thought I was the only one who saw it. I was saying, so it turns out this is that Up Master A Yi! He actually said that? But it's understandable."

"+1, A Yi has quite a lot of fans now, right? Such a big Up Master, and he even runs a company; he definitely isn't short of money. The person has already passed away, so giving a little compensation would be fine, no need to be so heartless."

"Unfollowed. I really didn't expect A Yi to have such a side. 'Behind the vermilion gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the road, there are bones of the frozen.' Sigh, these big Up Masters should be banned!"

The first two comments were fine, but the last one was actually written by the Internet Water Army to stir up sentiment.

And unsurprisingly, the people Zhou Mouren had offended in the past popped up once again.

As a big Up Master, you just can't say that. By saying that, what difference is there between you and those people in your past videos who opened their mouths to say "Go ahead and sue wherever you want"?

A person has died, and you actually have no empathy at all?

For example, someone named "Suffering of the World", who had been blocked by Zhou Yi before; this time, it was obvious they had changed accounts, and the moment they spoke, it was that familiar flavor.

"Setting aside the verdict, just speaking in terms of humanitarianism, shouldn't he pay?"

"A Yi is so rich, he even topped up one million into a game before, so this bit of compensation is just a drop in the bucket for him. Paying a little wouldn't be a loss at all. I'm really curious why he won't pay?"

"Look at them now, how miserable the family members are. A perfectly good home is about to fall apart. Can A Yi really live with his conscience after saying things like that?"

"I remember Lawyer Fang said in a video before, didn't he? He said that just because someone does something legal, it doesn't necessarily mean they are a good person; they could very well be scum."

"A Yi didn't break the law here, that's true, but I just feel he is scum. The person is already dead, what would it cost him to pay a little money? Does he have to force the people left behind to die too?"

Compared to the very cautious Xu Xiu, this brother spoke quite directly, and unsurprisingly, his rhetoric resonated with some people.

They weren't simply sympathizing with anyone in particular; they just find those big influencers or rich people unpleasant.

They just feel that if you are rich, you should donate, and if something happens, even if it isn't your fault, you still have to pay.

Zhou Yi, who was still drinking coffee at the cafe, had just finished a phone call with Lawyer Fang.

Lawyer Fang on the other end was a bit busy and didn't say much, but he told him not to worry.

He really wasn't worried, after all, he had the system, but Lawyer Fang...

It turned out that after asking, he learned that Lawyer Fang had already arranged everything. Knowing what to say—this is the experience of an old hand, striking first and not needing to waste words with you.

He had naturally seen these comments on the internet, but he didn't need to say anything; these people were directly swarmed by others.

"You have to pay just because you're rich? What kind of logic is that? Since we advocate for the rule of law, we must be legal and law-abiding. You've already set aside the court's judgment, so what else is there to talk about? How are you bigger than the Court?"

"Humanitarian compensation is something he can give, but you can't demand it. Besides, regarding that old man, I don't think it's necessary to give it. Didn't you read the judgment? His children didn't even let him receive treatment, okay? In a sense, his children are the ones who should be sentenced!"

Yuan Jie spoke with great satisfaction. It was the children who gave up on the treatment, and now that the old man is gone, they are coming out to demand compensation. Does that make any sense?

If applied to other areas, this method of creating opposition between two parties is indeed quite effective.

For example, if an old man collecting scrap metal on a tricycle scrapes a Rolls-Royce, then naturally, everyone will definitely support saying, "Rolls-Royce owner, don't demand compensation from the old man."

There are many reasons: the Rolls-Royce is so expensive, the old man can't afford to pay, and so on.

But it doesn't work here because everyone might actually encounter this kind of thing in their daily lives!

You might never encounter a Rolls-Royce in your whole life, but this kind of being framed is something you really might encounter.

Never mind whether you're rich or not; you're sleeping soundly at home, your beat-up van that you just spent ten thousand yuan on gets stolen, then the thief drives it out and gets into a car accident, and then the other party comes to harass you, demanding you pay money. Ask yourself, wouldn't that be disgusting?

And so, under these circumstances, the storm of public opinion did blow up a little, but it was useless.

The most important thing was the previous report; everyone had seen the Court's judgment from there, seen the sequence of events, and knew that when the incident happened, A Yi had only stopped the other party.

The one who kept cursing was that old man who passed away!

Yes, the deceased is paramount, so we won't talk about the person who passed away, but for you living people to act like this, isn't that wrong!

…………

The cafe was quiet. The two had finished their coffee and were sitting there in a daze.

Finally, Zhou Xinran spoke with a very complex tone: "Zhou Yi, sometimes I'm really curious why your relationship with Lawyer Fang is so good."

That's right, why is it so good, to the point that even when he went abroad to handle matters, he was still helping you.

"He clearly said he wouldn't worry about your affairs for the time being."

Zhou Yi smiled upon hearing this: "I don't know about that. Lawyer Fang is an extraordinary person; extraordinary people have their own reasons for doing things."

Men are just like that, stubborn, saying all sorts of things about how they are busy and won't get involved, but they still help out.

"Then what are you going to do about this matter next?" Zhou Xinran asked curiously: "The other party hasn't filed an Appeal yet."

"Next? Next, of course, is to find the person stirring up the trouble and think of a way to give them a hard hit!" Zhou Mouren said as a matter of course.

Huh? Zhou Xinran was confused again: "I read that report, the reposted one, but this should be a bit difficult, right? Do you know how to file a Lawsuit against the other party?"

Zhou Yi shook his head: "I don't know. If I knew, why would I be running a Company? I would have gone to be a Lawyer long ago."

Zhou Xinran: "..." I actually kind of want to hit someone right now.

"Alright Xinran, just joking. Go back early. If the other party files an Appeal, I'll call you again."

Zhou Yi smiled.

Just at this moment, his phone rang.

Picking it up to look, it was a call from the Company's Manager, Quan Longtian.

"Hey Lao Quan, what's up? Is something wrong?"

"Manager Zhou, the situation is a bit bad. A few people came outside our Company this afternoon. Some are crying and shouting for you to come out, saying that someone died and not a cent was paid. It's causing quite a stir."

Huh? Hearing this news, Zhou Yi didn't find it too surprising, just surprised that the other party's family had clearly filed a Lawsuit, yet they were still going to the Company to cause trouble. This is a two-pronged approach.

"Okay, I know. I'll go to the Company immediately to resolve it. Did you call the police?"

"Called them. The police officers are on their way. Should we tell everyone not to take videos..."

"Hmm, it's fine. Let the Employees who want to get off work leave, and those who want to watch the excitement stay and watch."

This incident ended quickly. I didn't expect some people to still be questioning it. It's an actual case; I didn't adapt it at all. In the real incident, the other party's family even beat someone up. I was afraid people would say I was deliberately lowering their intelligence, so I didn't even write that part. I'll emphasize again: the protagonist here really has no responsibility. No matter what is said, he has no responsibility.

Today I got another big supporter, which I didn't expect. It's getting intense, I'll work hard to pay it back. I don't know who that 2022 brother is, using a secondary account to tip. Sigh, thanks Wenchidage, Book Friend 2021, Book Friend 2019, Ling Di, Di Shaoyu, Zhonghuajia Tujiang, Liushui Youxi Ya, Another Newbie, Youxian A Ming, Liantong, Book Friend 2022, Crazy Ant, Sakura, Wind's Stone, Fire God Rabbit, Predator's Summer, Pixiu Fooling Me. Thanks to the brothers for the tips, thank you.

I saw some book friends asking if insurance would judge it that way; that is also an actual case.

(End of this chapter)