Chapter 279: So Why Was Someone's Lawyer Arrested?

At the entrance of the Ningchang District Court, Fang Dazhuang and Zhou Yi were walking inside.

Although he had experienced it once before, seeing this scene again, Zhou Yi couldn't help but sigh; Fang Dazhuang's reputation in the Modu legal circle was about the same as his own reputation in the Guangming District Court.

Everyone who saw him would greet him.

As they were entering the door, they saw a man in a suit and leather shoes also walking inside. Fang Dazhuang called out casually, "Is that Lawyer Fan? Long time no see. Do you have a case today?"

Huh? Lao Fan, who was walking in front, heard that familiar voice behind him and was a bit stunned, but he still forced himself to maintain his composure. This was the Court; no matter how much of a pervert that person was, he couldn't possibly attack him directly. Right, that's it!

"Hmm."

With a simple "hmm," Lao Fan walked straight inside. Zhou Yi, left behind, asked curiously, "Fang Dazhuang, is this Lawyer Fan famous? He looks so cocky, and he has quite a lot of hair."

Fang Dazhuang's eyes flickered, then he shook his head and said, "Oh, he's a somewhat famous lawyer in Modu, I suppose. His level is passable. I don't know what case he's here for today."

The two chatted as they walked into the courtroom, and then... Zhou Yi saw that Lawyer Fan was sitting in the agent's seat at the defendant's table opposite them, expressionless.

The two sides exchanged a glance, and Lao Fan looked away. The atmosphere was a bit off.

He had completely calmed his mood now. Yes, you, Mr. Fang, have some skills, but it's been many years; am I necessarily worse than you now?

And, truth be told, if he could win this lawsuit, his reputation would truly skyrocket!

This lawsuit could now be said to be under the spotlight.

Thinking this to himself, Lao Fan's gaze toward Fang Dazhuang grew increasingly serious!

Not to mention, before coming, Tian Zong had said that if this lawsuit was won, the bonus and such would be a small matter.

"Hey, Fang Dazhuang, why do you think that guy has so much hair?" Zhou Mouren continued, "Also, I don't like the way he's looking at you. Is he holding a grudge?"

Fang Dazhuang didn't speak; he was very silent.

After a series of preparations, Judge Cheng Mu of the Civil Court No. 3 of the Modu Ningchang District People's Court struck the Gavel.

"The case of Zhou Yi versus Modu Mengxun Company regarding the infringement of user Right to Know is now in session!"

"Do both parties agree to Mediation?"

Zhou Yi shook his head directly to refuse Mediation. Lao Fan from the opposite side, representing the Company, hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head.

Lao Fan was indeed a well-known lawyer before becoming in-house counsel—being rubbed into the ground by Fang Dazhuang is also being well-known, okay? Others don't even get the chance to be rubbed into the ground by Fang Dazhuang, you know!

"Plaintiff, please read the Indictment."

Fang Dazhuang began to read the Indictment. It was methodical and not long. The main point was only one: the Company did not disclose the rules of the event, which infringed upon the consumer's Right to Know.

Once he finished reading, the other side began to read.

Zhou Yi listened carefully. By now, he could be considered to have a certain amount of experience with court hearings.

Therefore, he could also hear that the other side's main arguments... main points of debate, had a few aspects.

First was the issue regarding the consumer's identity. The other side argued that Zhou Yi was not a consumer; by hosting such events, Zhou Yi would not have any consumption, but instead could get many rewards out of thin air.

This in itself had already yielded great benefits, so he could not sue on the grounds of the Right to Know.

Another was the issue of rule disclosure. The other side responded with that classic phrase: "The final interpretation right of this event belongs to the Company."

However, this was just the response to the Lawsuit; the specifics would depend on the situation.

The other side was also well-prepared, but, well, it's a case; one must debate it.

It was the routine procedure for a Civil Dispute: first, the presentation of evidence and Cross-examination.

This part of the content was relatively boring. Many pieces of evidence, in the eyes of a layman, actually didn't need to be presented at all, as they seemed to have no connection to the entire case.

But in reality, they were very necessary.

No matter what evidence Fang Dazhuang presented, the other side's reply was always the same.

For example, the evidence Fang Dazhuang presented showed that in Zhou Yi's live stream recording at the time, he invited many friends, but in the end, the progress bar didn't budge, indicating that many people's price-cutting was actually an empty cut.

"We have no objection to the authenticity of the evidence, but we have an objection to its probative value. In this case, the price-cutting by the friends invited by the Plaintiff was not an empty cut; it was just that because the amount cut was small, it was not displayed."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi was suddenly wide awake!

What is the key point? This is the key point. Why did I go through the trouble of filing a Lawsuit? Isn't it for this so-called hidden price-cutting content of yours?

Finally, the presentation of evidence and Cross-examination ended, and the thrilling Court Debate began!

"My client conducted a live-streamed price-cutting during this event and forwarded the link to multiple groups of two thousand people, inviting the audience to help."

"This point can be proven by our Evidence No. 3. However, when the price-cutting reached 0.09 percent, no matter how much it was cut, there was no progress. On the contrary, the Company's APP kept popping up multiple inducing and deceptive phrases such as 'You are the luckiest, invite one more person and you might get a Free Take,' and 'You are just a little bit away from success,' making my client continue the price-cutting."

"And it did not provide any reminders of the price-cutting progress."

"We believe that this behavior seriously infringed upon our client's Right to Know..."

After Fang Dazhuang finished speaking, Lao Fan on the opposite side began to reply.

Fear is fear, but what needs to be said must be said.

"The total amount of the product involved in this case is 2,899 yuan. The amount cut by the Plaintiff when starting the group was... the remaining amount accounted for one percent, so the event showing 'one percent to Free Take' had no deception whatsoever."

"Afterward, the Plaintiff invited friends to cut the price, and each click could get 0.01 yuan, so the later amount was less than 0.1 percent. According to the algorithm, the remaining amount ratio was approximately 0.009996427, but because the page display percentage is limited, it only displayed as 'just 0.9 percent away,' and the Plaintiff, through subsequent various price-cutting activities..."

"Therefore, regarding the Plaintiff's claim that we infringed upon his Right to Know, we believe that no such issue exists. How much each price-cut is, all algorithms are displayed; it is only because of display program issues that it could not be fully displayed and could only keep showing 0.9 percent. Therefore, we do not have any Tort behavior."

Lao Fan said it very casually, but both Zhou Mouren and Fang Dazhuang were stunned.

Wait, let me sort this out. So, what was displayed on the screen, "just 0.9 percent away" from succeeding, was actually not 0.9 percent at all; it was a number with at least six decimal places behind it?

Moreover, now, let alone Fang Dazhuang, even Zhou Yi wanted to stand up and start ranting.

This kind of debate is basically saying: we did all of these things, but because of the display program issue, it wasn't displayed, so what you saw was like that.

So we are not taking the blame; we have no deceptive behavior; it's all the display program's fault.

Listening to it made one feel like an idiot.

Yes, logically, it seems there is no flaw; they really were prepared, it's just that it couldn't be displayed.

However, if you add those highly inducing words and look at it again?

Fang Dazhuang spoke up: "I would like to ask the Defendant a few questions here."

The judge above indicated consent.

"The first question: does Bingxixi and its operating company know about the existence of such a display program issue?"

Lao Fan started to feel that something was wrong the moment Fang Dazhuang said he wanted to ask a few questions.

He had been rubbed into the ground before, so he was quite familiar with Fang Dazhuang's tactics.

But there was no help for it; in this situation, there was simply no way to refuse.

So he could only vaguely say: "This... I wasn't too clear about it before, but I knew about it later..."

"Before? When was that? This activity has been going on for several years. I do not believe that the company would be unaware of the specific situation of a program algorithm written by the company itself."

"Um, it's just, it's just that I'm not too clear either..." Lao Fan could only say.

"Fine, he says that as the company's legal counsel representing the case, he is unclear about the business situation, but that is fine."

"The second question: taking 0.0009... apologies, my memory is poor, this number is too long. With such a long number after the decimal point, abbreviated to two or three digits, I would like to ask, Bingxixi should be aware that this would cause misunderstandings for many consumers, right?"

Lao Fan wanted to say "damn it," but he didn't dare.

"I suppose... but it's not as you say..."

Lao Fan was trying hard to argue, but it was useless; in court, one must speak with reason, not just spout circular nonsense.

Fang Dazhuang waved a hand: "Very well, that means they knew. And I believe, inferring from the most basic principles, they would also know that this would cause such misunderstandings; otherwise, there is no way to explain their behavior of adding so many inductive remarks to the activity!"

"Now, based on the defendant's statement, we can know that Bingxixi and the Mengxun Company operating behind it knew about this display program issue a long time ago, and furthermore, they were clear that this issue would cause very serious misunderstandings for consumers!"

"However, the Bargain for Free activity has been going on for such a long time, and Bingxixi and Mengxun Company, knowing full well that this issue would cause great misunderstanding for consumers, ended up providing no relevant explanation, right?"

That last sentence was asking Lao Fan. What could Lao Fan say? No explanation meant no explanation.

Bingxixi had nothing better to do than to explain such issues.

But his heart felt extremely stifled right now; this feeling of being led by the nose by the other party from beginning to end was very unpleasant.

Only, considering the other party's status, he forcibly suppressed that emotion.

On this side, Fang Dazhuang was unconcerned; he had a response for civil discourse and a response for physical confrontation. Even without a brick, he, Fang Dazhuang, was not afraid of a one-on-one fight.

"I want to say, for such a long time, not only was there no relevant explanation provided, but on the contrary, many inductive phrases were added to the activity, such as 'Only 0.9% left,' or 'Today you are the luckiest,' etc. Can this not be considered as utilizing the fact that consumers are kept in the dark to achieve certain goals of the Bingxixi Company?"

"For example, attracting new users? Driving traffic?"

"The defendant has consistently argued that this activity did not cost our client anything, but such a large amount of consumer information is in itself an immeasurable wealth!"

"So, does this behavior not violate the principle of good faith in the Civil Code?"

Hearing this, Lao Fan finally could not hold back.

"How can you say that? Judge, I believe the Plaintiff's Lawyer is using his own subjective assumptions to confuse the issue. Our side does not have any Tort behavior, and the mobile phone has already been successfully bargained for; our side did not deceive..."

In his agitation, his voice was quite loud, but it was still just circular nonsense repeated over and over.

Things like it just being a display issue, and that they had no intention of deliberately concealing anything.

But unfortunately, even Zhou Yi could see that after the previous debate, Fang Dazhuang had completely gained the upper hand.

It was truly a classic "Fang-style debate": adjust my debate points at any time based on what you say during the debate. You said such a long string of numbers, right? Then how could you possibly not know?

Since you know, and according to common sense, you should be very clear that this would cause misunderstanding, yet you provided no explanation, and instead added many inductive remarks.

What are you going to do about it, I ask you.

Consequently, Lao Fan spoke for a long time, only to see Fang Dazhuang sitting there, a look of inexplicable mockery on his face...

The meaning was—is that it?

Immediately, he stood up again and said: "The Defendant's Lawyer has finished speaking, so let me help summarize. That whole pile of words just now can actually be summarized into one sentence: the phone was given to you, what else do you want."

"Such extremely unprofessional words could actually come out of a lawyer's mouth. I believe the Defendant's Lawyer should relearn legal language. I am finished."

Lao Fan's face turned beet red; even last time, he had never felt such grievances.

This already amounted to having his face pressed into the ground and stepped on. He had been in Modu for these years, and he also cared about his face. Today he had originally planned to overwhelm the other party, never imagining he would be rubbed into the ground again.

"You surnamed Fang, what do you mean by this? I'm unprofessional? I... your mother, I'm unprofessional?..."

Before Zhou Mouren could even react, a string of curses came out of the other person's mouth, making Zhou Yi very surprised. Lawyers would curse in court?

And the cursing was so nasty.

Looking at Fang Dazhuang again, he had already sat down leisurely, that mocking expression appearing on his face once more.

Is that it?

Well, Zhou Yi felt he could understand. If he were Fang Dazhuang's opponent, he would also have the urge to curse or even hit someone at this moment.

Just as he was about to say something, he heard Fang Dazhuang sigh.

"Sigh, my speed isn't what it used to be. I'm getting old."

Zhou Yi: "o((⊙﹏⊙))o"

Those onlookers were already boiling with excitement. Holy crap, coming today was worth it. Being able to see such a stimulating scene, he would have something to brag about in the future.

"Please, Defendant's Lawyer, watch your emotions!"

The judge had already started giving a Warning, but Lao Fan was completely out of control now, being told he was unprofessional by the other party in front of the judge and so many spectators!

Of course, he was just cursing there; he didn't dare to climb over the table to start a fight...

But even so, this had already destroyed the originally harmonious order of the court trial.

Not long after, several bailiffs walked in and took control of Lao Fan.

After being controlled, Lao Fan had started to regain his composure, but he was still forcibly taken away by the bailiffs.

In this situation, although the Court Debate was almost over, with only the Final Statement left, the Bingxixi side had only sent legal counsel, and after their sole representative was taken away for disrupting court order, there was no one left.

So the judge announced an adjournment.

At this time, it was necessary to ask Pinduoduo whether they would defend themselves or appoint someone else to defend them.

The court was adjourned; the next trial time would be announced later.

Soon, the two of them, Zhou Yi and a group of onlookers, walked out.

Outside, a reporter hurriedly asked: "How was it, brother? Who won? Oh, don't keep me in suspense, hurry up and say, I'm dying of anxiety."

"No, the verdict hasn't been handed down yet!" The man who was asked had an inexplicable look on his face: "It's just... it's just that the Lawyer from Pinduoduo got arrested."

Hmm... hmm?

What did you say? The verdict hasn't been handed down yet, and yet the Pinduoduo Lawyer got arrested instead?

What kind of situation is this?

Could Zhou Yi actually have this kind of ability? What kind of connections are these, they must be heaven-reaching!

My level is limited; the specific process was that I, Lao Jiu, asked a Lawyer friend for a favor, called up some nobodies, and helped put together a simple mock trial. Don't mock me, you big shots in the comment section. For the time being, given the level of Lao Jiu and Lao Jiu's trashy friends, this is all we can do. We didn't wait for the case's verdict and couldn't find relevant materials, so just make do with it...

There is one more chapter.

Thanks to Youran Luoyu, Ququ Zhiming Xiaoshang, puppet, You Yige Xinshou, Wenchidage, Manglu De Zhijian, Cangxuan Lei, Ru Xiangwen, Baiyue Laogui, Book Friend 1611, and Feimaowuyu. Thanks to all the brothers for the tips. I'm late again.

(End of this chapter)