Chapter 517: A Security Deposit is a Good Thing!

In the law firm office, Fang Dazhuang was busy taking notes.

He had been thinking about hiring a new assistant recently; although Zhou Xinran could continue to do the assistant's work, he knew that once he began practicing law, he would surely have higher pursuits.

Therefore, Fang Dazhuang did not want to hold anyone else back.

But he hadn't expected that finding an assistant who was truly to his liking would be so difficult.

The assistant Fang Dazhuang wanted to find was very special; he wanted someone who genuinely loved the law and wanted to work hard on this path for a lifetime.

And not those who only wanted to make money.

Making money was certainly not wrong, but what Fang Dazhuang wanted was not just making money.

With his reputation, it was very easy to say he was hiring an assistant, but the two he found had glass hearts within a few days, getting crushed by his rebukes.

Zhou Xinran had originally withstood this kind of pressure, which was why Fang Dazhuang thought highly of her, but the ones he found now were getting worse one after another.

Just as he was feeling uncomfortable, Zhou Yi called.

"This matter of yours is quite complicated and can't be explained in a few words. Send me the location, and I'll go take a look," Fang Dazhuang said.

Zhou Yi was truly worthy of being a confidant; every time he felt uncomfortable, something would come up, so he might as well go and enjoy himself.

At the property management side, Zhou Yi hung up the phone and immediately said, "Alright, let's all head back. This matter will be resolved very soon, Lao Liu, don't you worry."

He paused, then said to Pan Yanyan nearby, "Tell your Manager that if he gets the access pass processed by four o'clock this afternoon, then it will be fine."

"If there is still no movement by four o'clock, then he will have to bear the consequences himself."

Seeing that Pan Yanyan was about to say something, Zhou Yi said again, "Don't tell me he's on a business trip; in any case, you all just handle it yourselves."

After finishing, Zhou Yi turned and left.

Four o'clock in the afternoon was the time to meet Fang Dazhuang; he, Zhou Yi, was really not some kind of pervert, but unfortunately, there were always people in this world who just wouldn't listen to advice.

The three of them left, and Pan Yanyan's expression was very ugly; she felt that the man was putting on an act, talking about bearing the consequences—who did he think he was!

But after thinking about it, she still dialed the phone.

"Hello, Manager Wang, yes, they have already left, but the young man who called you said before leaving that you must have the access pass processed by four o'clock this afternoon, otherwise you will have to bear the consequences."

On the phone, Manager Wang roared directly: "Bear the consequences? Him? I just won't process it. I want to see what he can do to me. Sue me? Let him sue, what a joke!"

"Alright, that's it, you don't need to worry about it."

Having the Manager's word was enough, and Pan Yanyan didn't want to deal with it anyway.

Although Liu Daneng was anxious, he chose to trust President Zhou; since President Zhou had intervened, it was absolutely impossible for it to just end like this.

Zhou Yi returned to the Company and waited until 3:30 PM; there was no movement on his phone, and when he asked Liu Daneng, no one had contacted him either.

Let's go, to meet Fang Dazhuang.

Fang Dazhuang definitely had an idea, and it was the kind of idea that would settle the matter once and for all, ensuring the problem could be solved—he was just that certain.

He drove out to the Old Place Cafe.

"Dong Shu, two coffees please, the usual."

Dong Shu behind the counter nodded and smiled: "How about it, have you and that little Zhou become a couple yet?"

Zhou Yi: "???"

"Dong Shu, you... has this matter spread all the way to you?"

Dong Shu chuckled: "My eyes can't tolerate any sand. Regarding the situation between you two, I'm telling you the truth, only little Zhou could be with you; other people's personalities could never match yours."

Zhou Yi didn't speak; he was pondering.

He hadn't pondered for long when the door of the cafe was pushed open, and Fang Dazhuang walked in with Zhou Xinran.

Then, the two of them saw the two cups of coffee placed on the table.

Zhou Yi kept a straight face: "Dong Shu, why isn't this third cup of coffee ready yet?"

Dong Shu: "..."

Watching the two of them sit down, Zhou Yi felt a bit suspicious—why did Zhou Cainiao come too?

Didn't Fang Dazhuang say she was a bit busy recently? How did she have time to come out for coffee?

But he didn't think too much about it. Once Fang Dazhuang sat down, Zhou Yi quickly said, "Fang Dazhuang, you have to tell me what to do quickly. Our Company's Lao Liu is still waiting; his side has been dragged out for a long time."

Fang Dazhuang smiled upon hearing this: "Don't be anxious. This matter is actually not as hard to handle as you imagine. If that Manager dares to do this without fearing an investigation by their Company, it means there is definitely someone behind him."

Zhou Yi was certain of this point; the Property Management Company of that Small Residential District actually belonged to the developer. If the developer's Company didn't care, it meant it might be tacit approval, or there might be someone higher up.

"Look, someone in your Company has already guessed it; it's just making him buy materials from that so-called cooperative merchant. It's just that, right now, there is no concrete evidence to prove that one can only enter the Small Residential District if they buy materials from the cooperative merchant."

"Therefore, my suggestion is to have your Employee go to the cooperative merchant to buy materials first!"

Zhou Yi seemed to have caught on: "Fang Dazhuang, you mean to prove through such an action that one can only enter the Small Residential District if they buy those materials, right?"

Fang Dazhuang smiled: "Good progress. Xinran, you tell me, what kind of behavior is this, where they use coercion to make owners buy materials only from the merchant specified by the Property Management?"

Zhou Xinran had been very quiet after sitting down. Hearing this, she hesitated for a moment and said: "Teacher Fang, in this situation, would it be suspected of the crime of Forced Transaction?"

Her way of thinking had undergone a great transformation following Fang Dazhuang. In the past, the first thing she would have considered would definitely have been violating some management regulation or other.

The crime of Forced Transaction is a relatively old charge; it is what we commonly refer to as forced buying and forced selling.

Consumers have the right to choose independently when buying things; I can choose to buy, or I can choose not to buy.

But if you force me to buy this thing through other actions, that is a forced transaction, and if it constitutes Serious Circumstances, then it is suspected of being a crime.

It's just that, before this, even Zhou Xinran hadn't directly linked it to the crime of Forced Transaction, because before this, most of the cases for this charge involved using violent or threatening means to force buying and selling.

The original purpose of establishing this crime was to combat such behavior that disrupts market order and infringes upon personal safety.

Therefore, this crime is more often considered in imaginative concurrence with charges like intentional injury.

Fang Dazhuang nodded and said: "This, of course, already constitutes the crime of Forced Transaction. That Manager is still a bit smart, not taking it to the level of being involved with underworld forces, but then again, where in this world are there so many cheap deals?"

"So Zhou Yi, let that security guard from your Company go buy it. Remember, before that, you must have the person transporting the materials come one more time, have the security guard at the gate stop them once, then go to process the access pass, and record the situation where the other party refuses to process it."

"These pieces of evidence must form an Evidence Chain with the previous situation of refusing to process it. Then, go buy the materials and ask the material merchant if you can enter the Small Residential District after buying these materials. It doesn't matter if the other party answers or not; it's better if they do."

"If they don't answer, but the materials can definitely get in, then with this situation, whether they answer or not is no longer important."

"Finally, go find other people in the Small Residential District, ask them to help testify, and file a police report together. This crime is a Result Crime; it must reach the level of Serious Circumstances..."

Fang Dazhuang said this while taking a sip of his spiked coffee; he had just rattled off all the key evidence needed for the entire case in one breath.

The concept of an Evidence Chain sounds complicated, but it isn't actually that complex; link by link, proving one another, they can form an Evidence Chain.

Form a contrast between before and after: materials bought elsewhere earlier, applying for a pass, and it never getting approved for a long time; later, buying from the Small Residential District's partner, and being able to enter the Small Residential District instantly.

Zhou Yi nodded repeatedly as he listened and said, "No problem, Fang Dazhuang. The Company can pay for the materials he buys; it's for the sake of the case anyway."

"But there is a problem, Fang Dazhuang. Getting those people in the same Small Residential District to come out and report to the police as witnesses together—many of them probably won't be willing."

This wasn't Zhou Yi being an alarmist; it was a fact.

Liu Daneng had wanted his neighbors to help that day, but they didn't pay him any mind at all.

Nowadays, everyone just sweeps the snow from their own doorstep. As long as our own renovation is done, that's fine. As for other things, like reporting to the police or testifying, it all sounds like a hassle, so it's definitely a no-go.

"They definitely won't be willing. If it were me, I wouldn't be willing either. People come and go for the sake of profit. Just tell them that if they report to the police together and testify together, once the case has a result, they can receive compensation from Property Management."

"Furthermore, the Decoration Security Deposit they paid can be reclaimed in advance!"

Zhou Yi looked stunned upon hearing this: "The Decoration Security Deposit can be reclaimed in advance?"

"Of course. Wait, Zhou Yi, you don't mean to tell me you didn't know? The collection of a Decoration Security Deposit has no legal basis whatsoever. You didn't know that?"

Now it was Fang Dazhuang's turn to be dumbfounded.

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "I really didn't know, and I believe there are quite a few people who don't know, just like me..."

This counts as a relatively obscure piece of knowledge. Whether it's the Property Management Regulations issued by the state or local regulations in various places, there isn't a single law or regulation that explicitly states that a Decoration Security Deposit can be collected...

However, the Property Management Regulations also don't explicitly prohibit it, which leads to one consequence: the Property Management people have seized upon this—Law without prohibition is permitted.

How many households are in a Small Residential District? Every household has to pay this money to renovate; if you don't pay, you aren't allowed to renovate. And many Property Management offices stipulate that it's only refunded one or two months after the renovation is finished.

There are even more shameless ones—in the north, they make you wait until the end of the heating season to get a refund, with the excuse that they need to see if you have any water leaks after the renovation...

So, you can imagine how much money Property Management has collected over such a long time. Even if this money were just put in a bank for a short-term deposit, the interest would be quite substantial...

"Therefore, in recent years, various places have started issuing regulations prohibiting Property Management from collecting Decoration Security Deposits or security deposits. Coincidentally, our Jingzhou issued such a regulation this August, but I estimate not many people know about it..."

Zhou Yi nodded, cupped his hands, and said, "I have no more questions, Fang Dazhuang."

It really is Fang Dazhuang; he considers problems so comprehensively.

It's impossible that not a single person in a Small Residential District cares about this money. There will always be people who care. As long as you get enough people, it can definitely count as a crime.

There are six circumstances for the Case Filing of the crime of Forced Transaction, one of which is forcing a transaction three or more times, or involving three or more people...

That's why they say the number "three" in Criminal Law is truly a magical number.

"Collect all of these first, then send them to me. I'll help you organize them. Jingzhou is not allowed to have such an arrogant Manager!"

After finishing their coffee, the three of them returned to their respective homes.

Zhou Yi returned to the Company and began making arrangements, calling Liu Daneng over with a phone call.

"General Manager Zhou, I'm a bit confused. You asked me to find the previous material merchant first and have them deliver another load, but they will definitely be blocked."

Liu Daneng said while scratching his head.

"They will be blocked, that's correct. But you don't need to worry about it; just turn on your phone and record it. Afterwards, negotiate a return of the goods with the other party. This counts as a Breach of Contract; it's impossible for them to refund all your money, but don't worry, the money will come back very soon."

This counts as direct economic loss in a Forced Transaction, and once the direct economic loss reaches two thousand or more, a Case Filing can be made.

"Later, buy materials from the material merchant who cooperates with that Property Management. I'll cover the extra part for you. Again, don't be anxious; just do as I arranged."

Although Liu Daneng still didn't understand, he knew that General Manager Zhou wouldn't cheat him.

So he quickly said, "No, no, General Manager Zhou. I still have some savings; you don't need to help me cover the money. You've already done enough for the Company."

Human hearts are made of flesh; Zhou Yi is good to everyone, so everyone in the Company naturally admires and respects him.

Zhou Yi didn't insist, so it was happily decided just like that!

As for the Decoration Security Deposit, Zhou Yi didn't plan to file a Lawsuit because it wasn't necessary.

Filing a Lawsuit is long and troublesome. Now that there are regulations and evidence, just take them and file a complaint with the Housing Management Bureau; this is the direct regulatory department for Property Management.

To take a step back, if a complaint to the Housing Management Bureau is useless, then filing a Lawsuit would still be in time.

After leaving Zhou Yi's office, Liu Daneng dialed the phone number of the previous material merchant.

"Hey, yes, it's me, Lao Liu. About that, I have something to tell you..."

Making someone run a trip for no reason like this is definitely not right, so Liu Daneng was already prepared to let go of a portion of the money when it was refunded later.

Anyway, General Manager Zhou said that if this is accomplished, the compensation will be quite substantial.

The material merchant naturally agreed and drove all the way to the entrance of the Small Residential District, and then, without any surprise, was blocked by the Small Residential District security guards.

The delivery person called Liu Daneng, and Liu Daneng walked out holding his phone.

"What are you doing? On what grounds are you not letting me in? A pass? You haven't processed it for me for so long; am I just supposed to wait like this?"

"No way! I must go in today. If you don't let me in, I'll fight you to the death!"

Liu Daneng stood at the entrance, putting on a show of being fierce but cowardly, holding his phone up and recording, just recording directly like that.

The security guard remained the same: "That's not our business. Anyway, if you don't have a pass, you aren't allowed in."

An argument started here, and naturally, people elsewhere noticed.

After having a big argument with the security guard at the entrance, Liu Daneng walked to the Property Management Office with his phone raised, once again asking for the pass and inquiring why it wasn't being processed.

The answer was that the Manager was still on a business trip and hadn't returned yet, so there was no way to process it.

But in reality, Manager Wang was right there in the office, listening to the commotion outside, feeling quite disdainful. So, they've come to make a scene?

Let them make a scene. Who's afraid of whom? Can a Property Management office really be afraid of one person making a scene?

"So, you just won't process it, right? From the first time I came to you until now, it's been over two weeks, almost three weeks. For nearly a month, there's still been no movement. Fine, I get it now—you won't process it!"

Pan Yanyan didn't pay any attention; she was annoyed right now.

Moreover, the other party was recording, so it was better not to speak at this time.

After everything was finished, Liu Daneng walked out of the Property Management Office and immediately dialed the phone number of the material merchant who had contacted him that day.

"Hello, regarding the materials I want to buy... but I have to say, I can't get a pass right now, I can't enter the Small Residential District, and even if I buy them, I don't know when I'll be able to use them, so I can't pay the money for the time being."

Second update, I haven't made up anything in this case; there is truly no legal basis for the Decoration Deposit. Currently, places like Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, and many others have already issued regulations prohibiting it; Property Management has no right to impose fines.

(End of this chapter)