As a bystander, Qin Mu had witnessed the whole process and was thoroughly infuriated. It was utterly revolting—disgust piling on disgust until it reached an abominable peak.
We can't let them off so easily!
Qin Mu took a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice.
If they were let off the hook like this, those people would probably grow even more arrogant, thinking no one could handle them.
"DING! A new event around the host has been detected. Launching new task options."
Suddenly, the system in his mind was passively triggered, and a quiet voice arose.
"The host can make the following three choices:
First, persuade Li Weiguo to stop transferring the money and ignore those three families.
Second, find a way to reclaim the money Li Weiguo lost.
Third, reclaim the money and ensure the other party is incarcerated."
"System Reminder: Each choice the host makes will yield a different reward."
Three lines of text appeared before him, hovering in mid-air, visible only to him.
Having already experienced this once, Qin Mu wasn't surprised but calmly pondered.
The first option, stopping the money transfer, is the easiest. But... it's also the most infuriating. That's the typical approach for smoothing things over, resigning oneself to misfortune. The crucial point is... it wasn't our fault. Why should we swallow our anger and accept this misfortune? Just to let those three families remain utterly arrogant and boss everyone around?
As for the second option, it's much harder than the first. From that woman's voice earlier, I could tell they have no intention of returning the money. Not a hint of shame or remorse after being exposed. Instead, she's still fixated on the two hundred thousand that hasn't even been transferred yet. Getting them to return the money... that's exceptionally difficult.
However... Qin Mu's gaze remained fixed on the third, most difficult option. He made his decision.
"I'll still choose three!"
This money was, strictly speaking, a donation. Even if they didn't return it, their actions were legally defensible. That's why the woman on the phone was so audacious. She figured neither I nor the law could touch them. However, the best way to crush such arrogance is to teach them a painful lesson. Making them return the money and go to prison—that would be the most satisfying outcome! Besides, based on my first experience, the more difficult the option, the richer the reward.
"DING! Congratulations, Host, for successfully making a choice! The system will issue rewards based on task completion!"
Qin Mu shifted his gaze, looking back at Li Weiguo, who, after his initial outrage, now looked disheartened and sad. He sighed softly.
If justice isn't served... Li Weiguo probably won't perform any more acts of kindness or dare to help unfamiliar impoverished families in the future.
He then picked up his phone and dialed Zhou Qin's number.
"Hello? Qin Mu? What can I do for you?"
"Yes, Captain Zhou. An elderly man at our nursing home—yes, Mr. Li, the one who was shot before—he's run into some trouble..."
On the call, Qin Mu briefly recounted the incident. Upon hearing it, Zhou Qin was stunned for over ten seconds, clearly shocked by the other party's shamelessness and audacity. He couldn't help but remark, "It's a vast world; you really do meet all kinds."
Then he frowned and said, "However, this matter is difficult to handle. A donation is different from a loan, making it hard to reclaim. It scarcely even constitutes a basis for civil liability; at best, it's unethical. A donation isn't a loan. Once given, it no longer belongs to the donor, and they have no right to demand its return. These families were likely so brazen because they had consulted relevant personnel beforehand, which is why they acted so unscrupulously. For people like them, morality holds no sway."
"Is there no way?" Qin Mu furrowed his brows, then a thought struck him. "They took the money but didn't use it for schooling. Wouldn't that count as fraud?"
Zhou Qin was momentarily stunned by Qin Mu's question. This novel angle caught him off guard. After some thought, he said with a wry smile, "This... I can't say for sure. I've never encountered a case like this before. This kind of resource donation isn't typically considered fraud. However, donations usually come with a contract. The terms might specify the intended use of the donated funds."
Qin Mu's expression brightened at this. After a few more brief words with Zhou Qin, he hung up and turned to Li Weiguo, who still looked despondent.
"Mr. Li, did you have a contract when you made the donation?"
Li Weiguo paused, then nodded somewhat blankly. "Yes, we followed the standard procedure; there was a contract. I kept it at the nursing home."
He then took Li Weiguo and hurried back to the nursing home.
「An hour later.」
「Nursing Home.」
Li Weiguo dug out a donation contract from several years prior. It stated that he voluntarily donated to three impoverished families to help their children complete their education. During this period, he would be responsible for the children's tuition and living expenses.
"Found it!" Qin Mu read through the contract and located a particular clause. This clause clearly specified the use of the donated funds: they were solely for the children's education and could not be used for any other purpose. The contract also clearly stipulated the penalties for breach, which could range from two to ten times the donated sum, depending on the severity.
"Xiao Qin, what... what exactly are you planning to do?" Li Weiguo looked up, bewildered and confused.
To be honest, after that phone call, he had given up all hope of getting the money back.
"What am I doing?" Qin Mu took a deep breath and said earnestly, "I'm not just going to make them return the money; I'm going to get them locked up!"
"Locked up? Locked up where?" Li Weiguo blinked.
Qin Mu: "..."
He then comforted the disheartened Li Weiguo before returning to his own room in the nursing home. Closing the door, he picked up his phone and registered a new content creator account.
Zhang Qingyuan's viral video about being defrauded had given him an idea: he, too, could create videos to expose such base and unethical behavior in society.
The condemnation of one person is useless, but the condemnation of a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand people... That can surely make them feel utterly ashamed. Justice must be served.
This time, he would record the entire process of the incident. After activating the video recording feature on his phone, he looked at the camera.
"Hello everyone. I believe you've all heard stories of kind-hearted people making donations, only to end up being blamed and unappreciated by everyone involved.
"Well, today, something similar happened right near me, and it's even more despicable."
He then detailed Li Weiguo's experience.
"After their child dropped out of school, they brazenly continued to demand money under the guise of educational expenses—two hundred thousand, just like that.
"When exposed, they flew into a rage, becoming incredibly arrogant and flatly refusing to return the money.
"Therefore, I've decided... to report them directly for fraud!
"It's not about the money; we can forget about the money. But these people must go to jail!
"Goodwill should not be betrayed!
"There's no justice in a world where those who do good suffer while those who take advantage get away scot-free!"
He recorded up to this point, then stopped and saved the video. He planned to edit and release it online once everything was resolved.