Chapter 98: Chapter 98: How to Build a Good Relationship with Fellow Inmates?
To be precise, even with the Net Cleansing Action, it wouldn’t be possible to eliminate those negative comments overnight.
While she was puzzled and confused, the fan group was also fiercely discussing this "Net Cleansing Incident."
"Did you see? Under takeout Xiao Liang’s video, it’s all our comments now!"
"I never expected we’d actually win this battle! The trolls packed up and fled overnight, disappearing without a trace!"
"Those trolls must have seen the content creator’s video by now. Imagine how traumatized they must be!"
"I just checked—the plaintiff has to advance litigation costs. The content creator sued sixty people and must have advanced at least eight hundred thousand!"
"..."
Watching the discussion among the fans, Qing Lan blinked, a sudden realization dawning on her.
So all of this... was because of Qin Mu’s video from yesterday.
Just a few days ago, the "cyberbullying army" she led—which couldn’t be defeated even when her fans were flaming five times a second—had crumbled like a landslide. They disbanded on the spot.
Indeed, the only way to shut up the trolls... is to make them afraid. She couldn’t help but sigh.
Trying to reason with a troll and get them to view issues rationally is almost impossible, especially on the internet. These trolls are always self-centered, furiously refuting anyone with a different opinion. They naturally enjoy taking the moral high ground, pontificating without suffering any consequences themselves. So-called empathy... is only the empathy *they* desire; they never consider the feelings of those subjected to cyberbullying.
After all, in real life, condemning others comes with the risk of being punched. But on the internet, hidden behind a screen, everyone wears a mask, allowing for unrestrained commentary, almost without consequence.
And Qin Mu’s appearance... dealt them a hefty slap, reminding them of the consequences of harassing others online.
Unfortunately, such resolute and uncompromising people are all too rare in real life. And nobody would normally be crazy enough to spend eight hundred thousand to sue an entire comment section!
「In a small county town.」
At a postal express service point, Han Suiyue opened an express mailer. The documents inside were addressed to him, and the sender... was none other than the Jin City People’s Court.
His expression was grim.
After watching Qin Mu’s video yesterday, he’d had a premonition that something was amiss. He just hadn’t expected to receive a court summons the very next day. This summons... clearly stated that the trial would be held in Jin City in six days. He was summoned to arrive at the Jin City Court on time to attend as the defendant.
And the charge Qin Mu had filed against him was defamation!
The elements of defamation are quite straightforward: insulting or slandering another person, thereby damaging their dignity, constitutes the crime if the circumstances are severe. And the comment he’d posted... had received tens of thousands of likes, maximizing its reach. The exposure was astonishing.
Meaning, if he lost the case, he’d be convicted of defamation and sentenced to prison!
Thinking about this—facing a lawsuit for the first time in his life with no experience—he took out his phone and began searching for answers, one question after another.
"If someone sues you, can you refuse to go to the court hearing?"
"If you go to the court hearing, can you get reimbursed for travel expenses?"
"As a defendant, should you hire a lawyer?"
"Defamation with over ten thousand likes—how does the court usually sentence?"
Looking at the answers on Baidu, his face turned even paler, filled with immense regret.
After a long silence, he let out a soft sigh. He seemed resigned to his fate, preparing for the worst. He then tapped the search bar and continued to look up new questions.
"How many years does one generally spend in jail for defamation?"
"What should be prepared before going to jail?"
"Before entering prison, should I bring a change of clothes and toiletries like a toothbrush and toothpaste?"
"How do I establish good relationships with the inmates in prison?"
"If I behave well in prison, can I be released early?"
"What punishment will I face if an escape attempt fails?"
「Jin City.」
Zhang Wei Law Firm.
Xiao Fang looked at Lawyer Zhang Wei and explained the whole situation from beginning to end, without any concealment. After her boyfriend was detained, the police station had advised her to find a lawyer. After careful consideration, and comparing various lawyers in Jin City, she finally approached the somewhat well-known Zhang Wei Law Firm. She’d heard that while this lawyer rarely won cases, he was very good at getting sentences reduced. He could supposedly help defendants minimize both compensation and prison time.
She lifted her head and looked at Zhang Wei pleadingly. "Lawyer Zhang Wei, you must help me. My boyfriend only spat some phlegm; surely he doesn’t deserve such a heavy sentence?"
According to the criminal law she had researched, the sentence for poisoning was a minimum of three years, up to ten years, depending on the circumstances.
After listening to the whole story, Zhang Wei became interested too. The main reason for his interest was the plaintiff’s name... Qin Mu.
"You can rest assured. I’ve faced Qin Mu in court many times; we’re old acquaintances," he said with a slight smile, comforting her. "Since he’s the one who brought this case, I’ll do my utmost within the bounds of the law to help the defendant get a reduced sentence."
Xiao Fang was taken aback for a moment. She couldn’t help but swallow. Something felt off.
"Actually, the best method for sentence reduction is to obtain a letter of forgiveness from the plaintiff. However, knowing Qin Mu as I do, he won’t issue one."
Zhang Wei continued, "So, we’ll have to approach this from other angles. This case involves the charge of poisoning. The penalty is three to ten years, and it constitutes a crime regardless of whether any actual harm resulted. However, poisoning is distinguished between negligent and intentional acts, and the sentencing severity is vastly different for each. Therefore, during the trial, the defendant can insist he only intended to disgust the other party, not to intentionally make them catch a cold..."
Zhang Wei began to dissect the act of poisoning from a professional perspective. Generally speaking, the crime of poisoning itself doesn’t differentiate between intent and negligence; committing the act constitutes poisoning. However, sentencing *will* consider negligence. Malicious poisoning... typically results in a sentence of at least seven years.
In Liang Shuqi’s case, if he insisted he only wanted to disgust the other person, Zhang Wei was confident he could get the sentence reduced to three years. That was the best-case scenario. But... it also depended on the opposing lawyer’s skill.
Even if Liang Shuqi insisted he had no intention of spreading the cold virus, legally, intent would likely be presumed. The court would simulate the scenario and infer intent based on an average person’s psychology. For instance, if Liang Shuqi received a negative review and, knowing he had a cold, still proceeded with the act, it’s highly probable he intended for Qin Mu to eat the takeout and also catch that cold. This is a permissible conclusion in legal reasoning. Therefore, this lawsuit wouldn’t be easy to win.
If the opposing side managed to characterize the case as intentional poisoning... That would mean at least seven years!
However... Xiao Fang’s expression darkened upon hearing his analysis.
"Reduced to *just* three years?"
Clearly, she wasn’t very satisfied with this outcome.