Before coming here, they had already gone to the nursing home to cause a scene with Li Weiguo. The relationship between them had become very tense. Li Weiguo had also clearly stated his position: he would never drop the lawsuit. In other words, the path to reconciliation was completely blocked.
"It's all over, Lawyer Zhang! You have to find a way to save us! We'll pay double the attorney fees!"
"Yes, yes! Once we win the lawsuit, we will definitely bring you a commendation banner!"
"We can't go to jail! Our husbands are useless. If we go to jail, our children won't even have food to eat..."
Yang Minghui and her two companions, looking dejected, all turned their eyes to Zhang Wei. After Zhang Wei's explanation, they fully understood the consequences of losing the case.
And now, Zhang Wei had become their last straw.
Zhang Wei looked at the three panic-stricken women and sighed softly.
As they say, pitiable people often have their own detestable aspects.
Their poverty and unreliable husbands were indeed pitiable.
But... their actions had, in fact, violated the law. Using deceitful methods to defraud money was unequivocally fraud.
Having been a lawyer for over a decade, he knew that such lawsuits were almost certainly lost causes.
"I'm sorry, but I really can't help much. I can only try to defend you in court three days from now and attempt..." Zhang Wei paused, then continued, "to get you less compensation and a few years less in jail."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Minghui and the other two, as if struck by lightning, collapsed to the floor.
There was silence for a long moment.
「Jin City. The nursing home.」
After driving away the unruly Yang Minghui and her companions, peace once again returned to the nursing home.
Li Weiguo, who was greatly upset, was taken by Zhang Qingyuan and the others to play chess and take a walk to alleviate his gloomy mood.
Meanwhile, Qin Mu went to the security room, retrieved a short segment of surveillance video, and returned to his room.
This short surveillance clip... was precisely the footage of Yang Minghui and her companions brazenly cursing at Li Weiguo, throwing tantrums, and rolling on the ground. He planned to include this part of the video in the one he was making as material.
Of course, to protect their privacy, he would pixelate the faces of Yang Minghui and the others. It took him an hour to finish editing the short video with Premiere Pro. Just trimming the beginning and end and adding the pixelation wasn't very difficult.
After completing these tasks, he took out his phone, faced the camera, and continued recording the third segment of the video.
"While waiting for the trial, another incident occurred: the defendants suddenly showed up at our doorstep. Moreover, their tone was extremely arrogant, forcibly demanding that we drop the lawsuit, without the slightest sense of wrongdoing or remorse. After they made a scene for quite a while, we had no choice but to ask security to escort them out."
He briefly narrated the events of the day. Then he said seriously, "As I mentioned before, not only is it impossible to drop this case, but even if we could, we absolutely would not! If one repays grievances with kindness, how is kindness itself to be repaid? Good deeds should not be met with indifference. Everyone must take responsibility for their actions!"
Having recorded up to this point, he saved the video. Next, all he needed to do was wait for the trial and judgment three days later, and the video would be complete.
Then... he could post the entire process of this rights-defense lawsuit on the website.
Time slowly passed.
「Three days went by in a flash.」
Early in the morning, the nursing home was bustling with activity.
Qin Mu, along with the plaintiff, Li Weiguo, was about to set off for the court. But he found that Zhang Qingyuan and the others had already dressed and were waiting at the nursing home entrance.
"Isn't today the day of the lawsuit? We figured that with more people, we'd have greater strength. That way, we wouldn't lose if it came to a shouting match."
"Yeah, and if a fight accidentally breaks out, Old Song, who used to be a soldier, can take on a few of them!"
"We're all from the same nursing home. Let's go together to bolster your spirits and cheer you on."
A group of elderly men rolled up their sleeves, appearing quite excited and agitated.
Qin Mu's mouth twitched slightly. They were on their way to a lawsuit. Good heavens, could they really start arguing and fighting in court?
However... he didn't refuse the enthusiastic crowd. He brought everyone along.
The group arrived at the court on time at nine in the morning, according to the trial's scheduled start time.
However, upon arriving at the court, everyone discovered... that not a single person from the defendant's side had shown up.
"Xiao Qin, no one from the other side is here. Does this mean... the lawsuit can't proceed?" Li Weiguo pointed to the empty defendant's bench, asking with concern.
Qin Mu's mouth twitched, and he replied, feeling rather speechless, "Don't worry. We filed the lawsuit, and the court ensures it proceeds. Whether the other side comes or not... won't affect the trial."
According to normal litigation procedure, if the plaintiff doesn't show up, it's considered a withdrawal of the lawsuit. If the defendant doesn't show up, the trial proceeds in absentia.
Overall... it was rare for defendants not to appear for a lawsuit. Because if they didn't, the trial would proceed as scheduled anyway. The defendant also misses the chance to present their defense and statement in court.
After listening, Qin Mu finally felt relieved. He then looked towards the only person in the defendant's section: their defense attorney.
From the bench, the judge glanced at the time and asked with a frown, "Defense attorney, the trial is about to begin. Are the defendants coming or not?"
The defendants' attorney, Zhang Wei... currently staring at the empty defendants' bench, was also utterly baffled.
Just moments before, he had made several calls to Yang Minghui, but she hadn't answered any of them.
They're not even putting up a final struggle. Surely they don't think the trial can't proceed without them...
He gave a bitter smile and shook his head. He then gestured to the judge, indicating his clients were absent.
Then... the trial formally began, with the public prosecutor submitting various pieces of evidence. This included the original donation contract, transaction records between both parties, phone recording evidence obtained through official request, and so on. Finally, the prosecutor moved to charge the defendants with fraud, requesting a ten-year sentence and compensation amounting to ten times the liquidated damages.
"Defense attorney, do you have any defense or statements you'd like to make?"
Subsequently, after reviewing the materials, the judge and other court officials looked back at Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei glanced at the empty seats beside him. His mouth twitched.
He sighed, "I have no defense. Please proceed with sentencing as deemed appropriate."
At this point, he was utterly disappointed in Yang Minghui and the others. He had helped so many defendants... This was the first time he'd encountered clients who simply didn't show up. Since they weren't even trying to fight for a chance, he saw no need to make a thankless effort.
Thus, this court hearing, lasting merely two hours, concluded with a verdict.
"After consideration of the evidence presented by the plaintiff and the defense statements from the defendant's side, this court has reached a comprehensive judgment and hereby announces the following verdict:
Yang Minghui and her two co-defendants, having demonstrated subjective intent and motivation to commit fraud, and having objectively misused the donated funds by converting them for personal use instead of for educational purposes, are hereby convicted of fraud. All three are sentenced to a prison term of five years each.
Furthermore, they are ordered to pay Li Weiguo compensation for breach of contract, emotional distress, and nutritional support, totaling 480,000 yuan.
This judgment is effective immediately upon announcement.
Should the defendants object, they may apply to a higher court for an appeal."
In the plaintiff's section, Qin Mu smiled as he heard the verdict.
The outcome of this judgment... was actually within his expectations. After all, a ten-year sentence and around a million yuan was a bit of an overreach. But five years and over four hundred thousand yuan were enough to teach Yang Minghui and the others a lesson. Everyone must be responsible for their own actions.