Chapter 553: How Does It Feel Like It's About to Become Real?

Another wonderful workday; at the Market Supervision Department, Xiao Cui was also starting work as usual, but no sooner had he opened his computer than a colleague called him over.

"Take a look at this; don't the companies involved in this list look a bit familiar?"

Xiao Cui took a careful look; it was a list of Lawsuits, and those companies listed as Defendant were indeed very familiar...

"What is this list? I only took a short break; has something happened on the internet again?"

The colleague laughed and said, "These companies have all been sued now. It's the list of companies suspected of Price Fraud released by the municipal bureau. Now, not a single one has escaped; they've all been sued by those people..."

There's such a thing?

The municipal bureau and their office often published lists of companies suspected of fraud, but every time, not many people were willing to look. Not only was the popularity so high this time, but everyone had actually gone to file a Lawsuit?

"You don't know, do you? A Yi posted a video, sharing the entire process of his Legal Aid. Now everyone is imitating him. Just watch, the Court better get ready for overtime."

Xiao Cui thought about it carefully; it really seemed to be the case. With such a sudden surge in Litigation, and with different people involved, he reckoned the judges in the civil court would lose a lot of hair.

And there was no way to say anything, because this was legal education; it was making the concept of the rule of law take root in people's hearts. No one could say a word against it!

More and more people were posting videos, and the internet's fervor began to boil. Everyone had started treating this as a game—a game to vent their frustrations.

Tang Pengcheng only found out about this when he received a call from another Company boss.

"No, President Li, you must be joking, right? Have these people gone crazy?"

He didn't understand, because they had done this many times before: raise the price first, then offer a huge discount.

Because of this, many companies had been fined, but after it was over, they just kept doing what they were doing.

It was obvious that a larger discount meant more traffic.

Not many people would actually take it seriously and file a Lawsuit; someone like A Yi was a special case.

But now, the other party was actually telling him that many people had filed Lawsuits for Return One Compensate Three this time, which was something Tang Pengcheng couldn't understand.

The boss on the other end didn't say much else and directly sent screenshots of those videos over WeChat.

"Old Tang, take a look for yourself. Our situation is really not good right now."

Tang Pengcheng began to look carefully, and soon he had his result: this was all real!

A-Fu Company already had hundreds of plaintiffs...

No, were they all crazy? Why would they insist on going against the Company for no reason?

Fighting a Lawsuit wasn't child's play; you had to hire a Lawyer and do all sorts of things, and nothing like this had ever happened before.

He hurriedly started looking for the reason online, but there was no need to look, because Zhou Mouren was playing with his cards face up.

Watching that video of A Yi, and then looking at that extremely clear and detailed process of Legal Aid, Tang Pengcheng's expression was terrible. Finally, unable to hold it in, he raised his hand and pushed the computer in front of him off the desk.

The Secretary hurried over to check the situation, but seeing the furious Tang Pengcheng, they didn't dare to speak.

Tang Pengcheng only felt that he was truly unlucky. Everything had been going fine and he was about to be promoted, but then this happened, and it was getting bigger and bigger!

The Self-Media he had hired to sway public opinion had caused such a mess instead!

He felt that if that Zhou Yi wasn't doing this on purpose, he would gouge his own eyeballs out and step on them like bubbles!

Yet he couldn't even say anything. It was obvious: you broke the law, and A Yi was just educating everyone on how to seek Legal Aid. If you stood up and said this was wrong, the outcome would be even more miserable...

This absolutely could not go on. Tang Pengcheng thought for a moment, took out his phone, and dialed a number.

"Teacher Ling, I told you to play the victim, why did you have to say that calculated number? If you hadn't said it, no one would have known!"

On the other end of the line, Teacher Ling was a bit confused at first, but after understanding the situation, they were also dumbfounded.

"No, President Tang, I didn't think this would happen. I just wanted to use that method to show that the Company really couldn't afford to pay. Who could have guessed they would all file a Lawsuit together!"

"It's all because of that A Yi, President Tang. Should I post something else? We can't let more people file a Lawsuit."

There was no other way now. Tang Pengcheng suppressed his anger; he also knew that getting angry wouldn't solve the problem.

"Then post it, Teacher Ling. You know the situation now; this matter must be resolved quickly!"

Hanging up the phone, Tang Pengcheng sighed. Just at that moment, Gao Yuxia knocked on the door and then walked in.

"President Tang, I have just finished speaking with the people in Modu..."

Gao Yuxia was prepared to report on her work. She had been physically and mentally exhausted during this period, running around trying to get this matter resolved, and hadn't really rested.

She truly regretted it. Why did she have that attitude back then? If her attitude had been slightly better and she had given his family a bit more money, it wouldn't have led to what followed.

But in truth, Gao Yuxia knew herself that even if it happened again, she would still be the same.

In a situation where she considered the other party just an ordinary person, she would only offer five hundred in compensation, not a cent more, because she felt the other party was just trying to take advantage.

Never mind the law; even today, many people should have realized that the Labor Law in the eyes of a boss is a completely different thing from the Labor Law you think it is.

Likewise, the Consumer Rights Protection Law in the eyes of a merchant is also something else entirely. Sometimes, when you say you want to claim compensation, they will directly call you a Professional Fake-Busting and tell you to go file a Lawsuit wherever you want.

However, Gao Yuxia didn't finish her sentence because Tang Pengcheng interrupted her: "President Gao, you bear great responsibility for this incident. I don't think you are suitable to continue working at the Company."

What? Gao Yuxia was stunned instantly. She never expected that even though she had already promised to let the Lawyer use those things as evidence, it still wouldn't work.

"President Tang, is this your personal opinion or the head office's? My attitude was indeed a bit poor at the time, but I didn't know he was A Yi! I've been at the Company for so many years; if I haven't made a contribution, I've at least put in the effort!"

Tang Pengcheng was expressionless: "This is the head office's decision. They believe that your attitude caused too much negative impact on the Company, so they have to dismiss you..."

Gao Yuxia: "..."

What is retribution? She was now feeling it vividly.

Before this, she really hadn't thought that a single argument during a Mediation could escalate to the point of her being dismissed.

On the other side, after Teacher Ling hung up the phone, they quickly wrote a paragraph and posted it online.

"Recently, I noticed that many people are posting pictures saying they have filed a Lawsuit. I am really puzzled by everyone's thoughts. I really want to ask everyone: what losses have you suffered? You got the goods, right? Real money, and the quality is fine too. Even so, you insist on demanding compensation, right?"

"Whatever an internet celebrity says, everyone believes it. I'm not saying consumers can't seek Legal Aid; I'm saying everyone shouldn't seek Legal Aid maliciously, you know? Besides, is Legal Aid just for money? Shouldn't we have some higher pursuits?"

Not long after these words were posted, Teacher Ling was roasted to a crisp.

When they spoke for the first time, it felt somewhat interesting, but this time, their stance was already too biased.

In the words of a Netizen, if I, damn it, am not seeking Legal Aid for money, then what am I doing it for? To reason?

Reasoning is for people like A Yi; we are just doing it for the money. We are all worldly people, so let's not talk about higher pursuits. As long as you pay, we'll withdraw the Lawsuit in a minute. It's that simple.

On the contrary, there are some people whose mouths are full of principles, while their hearts are full of business...

Of course, there are still people who get drawn in, as it really does seem like the consumer's loss is only that much, and it doesn't even count as buying it at a high price; it can only be considered higher than the price they had in mind.

Therefore, compensating so much seems to feel inconsistent with the legal principle of fairness...

And under these circumstances, Fang Dazhuang used his main account to post a message.

"Let's just chat casually. Why did the state establish 'Return One Compensate Three' and 'Return One Compensate Ten' for food and medicine? It's very simple; these are punitive compensation measures, just like those penal measures in Criminal Law. Their purpose lies in deterrence, letting these people know not to engage in fraudulent acts."

"Then, under such circumstances, if one commits a wrong and is not punished, where does the deterrent power of the law lie? Today, one can say it's unreasonable because the compensation amount is too high, so tomorrow, can there be even more reasons not to pay?"

Fang Dazhuang has always been very direct in his speech: the purpose of the law's existence is to deter you, to make you feel afraid, and to keep you from doing this.

Then, after you have done it, you say the punishment is too heavy and that you shouldn't have to pay that much.

I can only say, how could there be such a cheap deal in this world?

Although Fang Dazhuang doesn't easily use his main account to post, once his words are out, they are agreed with by many people.

Indeed, some people always empathize with the Company, believing that everyone makes mistakes and that one shouldn't strike someone down completely just because of this mistake.

However, first of all, the Company is not a person, especially a large Company; they are very clear internally about whether each of their decisions is illegal.

Otherwise, what is the Legal Department for, and what is legal risk assessment for?

It's just that, the Legal Department's opinions aren't always listened to, that's all...

Under such circumstances, there was no "striking down completely"; everything was strictly executed according to the law for compensation. If this is still considered too pitiful, then what are those truly pitiful people supposed to say?

Other companies in Shenzhen were full of curses; they felt they were hit while just lying down, and Tang Pengcheng had already been cursed into a sieve.

…………

Amidst the noise of the outside world, Jingzhou was unexpectedly calm.

In the words of Li Xusheng, the peers in Shenzhen have seen too little; look, if this matter had happened in Jingzhou, they wouldn't even twitch an eyelid.

Because A Yi has done too many outrageous things in Jingzhou over the past two years, and many, many things that "have always been this way" have been broken by him.

For example, large-scale Litigation, for example, Criminal Private Prosecution.

In the past, these were things many people couldn't even imagine.

Therefore, regarding the compensation of over ten million, Judge Li expressed disdain.

It's just a pity; if the lawsuit had been fought in Jingzhou, this case would definitely have become a Case Analysis.

Sigh, who told those companies in Jingzhou to be so spineless? Can't they just have a go with A Yi?

Zhou Yi was naturally drinking with Fang Dazhuang at this moment; he had originally only returned to Lincheng to handle a matter, but it ended up becoming this big.

The First Instance judgment required a return and compensation; the gold here had to be returned, and Zhou Yi had already placed a new order over the past two days, spending his own money.

There was no pressure for this bit of money; he had earned quite a lot from the previous many lawsuits...

Although the other party filed an Appeal, Zhou Yi had already prepared all the previous gold.

He estimated that the newly ordered gold would arrive tomorrow, and soon he would be starting the annual meeting.

As for that compensation money, he already had an idea: donate it all.

It wasn't that he was afraid of anything, but Zhou Yi felt that he should follow his own heart.

Although there was no evidence in law to prove it, he and Fang Dazhuang both knew in their hearts that this money counted as ill-gotten gains; it felt hot to hold, and he didn't feel comfortable with it.

Well, if it makes you uncomfortable, you have to make yourself comfortable, so taking it out to donate meant there would be no problem.

As for whether to donate to schools or something else, that would be decided when the time came.

Fang Dazhuang expressed his strong agreement; in his words, we aren't good people, but good deeds can still be done, and it can also let us sleep more soundly.

The night grew deep, and accompanied by those very "criminal" stories of Fang Dazhuang, Zhou Yi got drunk.

Another day passed, and the situation on the internet remained the same; there was never a shortage of arguments.

Even though Fang Dazhuang had already provided an explanation, there were still people who felt that A Yi was just doing the wrong thing!

Because he was retaliating against others; even though it was a Company, A Yi still shouldn't have done that.

However, on this very day, two pieces of news suddenly broke.

The news was exposed by a media outlet in Jingzhou, and the reporter's surname was Song.

"Tengda Company Manager Quan Longtian said that the Tengda boss A Yi has already organized all the previously purchased gold products, just waiting for the subsequent judgment to return them."

"He himself paid out of his own pocket to buy the same products again to use as annual meeting gifts."

This was the first piece of news, and the second piece of news was that if he won the Second Instance, A Yi would donate all the compensation money.

The former was fine; apart from making other company bosses curse a few times and making other company Employees envious, there wasn't much to it.

After all, A Yi has always been generous, especially toward the Company's Employees.

Under such circumstances, buying another batch was understandable; after all, the money would definitely be returned.

Others didn't know about the Virtual Account matter.

The point was the second piece of news!

Many Self-Media outlets preparing to ride the wave of popularity were dumbfounded; they had already prepared to publish articles questioning A Yi's behavior and, by the way, making him donate the money.

This was not strange at all; moral kidnapping happens all the time. It wouldn't be the case that just because you, A Yi, are more serious, they wouldn't morally kidnap you—that's impossible.

However, before everyone's articles were even published, there was news from A Yi's side saying he would donate it all!

This made many people feel like they had punched into empty air... they didn't even have a way to curse.

Damn it, why is this person so generous? Over ten million!

Zhou Yi didn't pay attention to the storm on the internet; he was now focused on starting the Company annual meeting.

Three days of revelry, all on workdays, with no inexplicable team-building activities—just playing!

You could play whatever you wanted, provided it wasn't illegal, and the Company would foot the bill for you.

Want to take your family to an amusement park? If there are many people, just book the whole place and everyone can have a blast together.

Consequently, during these three days, the social media feeds of Tengda Employees were already blocked by many friends and relatives...

Damn it, the sun just won't stop shining; don't they know my legs are sore!

I also want to book an entire amusement park, I also want to book those places to play to my heart's content...

The main event is, of course, the lucky draw; in the banquet hall of a five-star hotel, the event officially begins!

The A-Fu Company Employees have all brought their families, and at this moment, one by one, encouraged by their families, they are rubbing their hands together, determined to win the biggest prize!

Amidst the noise, Zhou Yi walked outside silently, looking at the streetlights; it's almost New Year again.

The A-Fu Company case is bound to drag on for a long time, but it doesn't matter; take it slow, handle it however it needs to be handled.

The problem now is that tomorrow I have to take Zhou Cainiao home with me, and as my "girlfriend" at that; it was supposed to be a pretense, so why does it feel like it's about to become real...

Second update of the double release. In this plot, the line "too expensive to Fudan" comes from a certain website whose name starts with Zhi.

(End of this chapter)