After the video recording was completed, Qin Mu began to organize the whistleblowing materials, transfer records, original contracts, proof of withdrawal provided by the principal of Second Middle School, and so on.
Having gathered all these pieces of evidence, he found the legal consultant of the retirement home, Wang Dachui.
The retirement home he worked for was a private institution. To address many of the civil disputes concerning the elderly, it had specifically hired a legal consultant. This Wang Dachui was about his age and had graduated a few years prior. It was said that he had suffered a setback in love. He then resigned from his job at the law firm and came to work at the retirement home, living on a low salary. He had prematurely begun to lead the leisurely Red Sunset life of old age.
Moreover, Wang Dachui's daily work was even less demanding than Qin Mu's. At least Qin Mu still had to take care of the elderly, play chess with them, and go fishing. But Wang Dachui, on the other hand, worked regular hours every day, occasionally providing some legal advice on civil disputes. He clocked in and out on time, and after work hours, he absolutely couldn't be found within the retirement home.
Therefore, Qin Mu had to find Wang Dachui during working hours.
"You mean, you want to report this to the police?" After understanding Qin Mu's purpose, Wang Dachui was taken aback. He looked down at the thick stack of documents Qin Mu had arranged and swallowed hard. He couldn't help but ask in return, "And report it as fraud?"
He hadn't expected that after deciding to just coast along, entering this retirement home to enjoy an early retired life, he would still encounter such a criminal case.
That's right. Fraud is not just a simple civil dispute; it is a criminal offense.
He then took a deep breath and looked at Qin Mu. He said seriously, "Although I too sympathize with Old Li's plight, donations are inherently risky, and such cases... are very troublesome." Having worked as a lawyer, he had seen too many such cases. Donations are inherently altruistic acts, not intended for personal gain. Aside from moral condemnation, legally penalizing them is very troublesome. Law is only the lowest standard of morality.
But Qin Mu shook his head and pointed at the materials before him. "I've already prepared the materials. Take a look. If they aren't sufficient, I'll collect more." He gestured for Wang Dachui to review the materials before commenting further.
Wang Dachui nodded and began to review them earnestly. The materials clearly recorded each bank transfer made by Li Weiguo, along with the reasons for the transfers.
"March 12, the child needs to attend a basketball hobby class, transferred 1,300 yuan."
"March 25, the child suddenly falls ill, no money for treatment, transferred 485 yuan."
"March 28, the child needs to attend tutoring classes, transferred 2,300 yuan."
"..."
"April 1, the child took a liking to a pair of sneakers... did Mr. Li have to pay for even these damn sneakers?"
At this point, Wang Dachui's expression grew increasingly grim. As a staff member of the retirement home, he was quite familiar with Mr. Li. He was a teacher before his retirement. It was said he had always been donating to support poor students with their education and was known in the retirement home as a thoroughly good person. But now...
From these transfer records, the more he looked, the more furious he got. These people were clearly seeing Mr. Li as an easy mark! The total sum of the transactions over the years amounted to as much as 130,000 yuan! Almost all of Mr. Li's savings over these years had been spent!
After a long moment, Wang Dachui gave a bitter smile and sighed softly. "But even so, it's very troublesome. Unlike a loan, we first have to distinguish between voluntary donations and the allocation of responsibility..."
"Take a look at this contract," Qin Mu said with a slight smile, presenting an already yellowing formal contract. It clearly stated the obligations both parties needed to fulfill, as well as the liabilities for breach of contract. On the signature section, Li Weiguo and the guardians of the three families had all signed.
"Must be used for education?" At this point, Wang Dachui's eyes also brightened. He instantly understood Qin Mu's plan. The purpose of the donation was already defined; any use for purposes other than those specified constituted fraudulent behavior. Moreover, the contract clearly outlined the responsibilities for breach. If one party breached the contract, the other party had the right to demand compensation.
After reviewing all the materials, Wang Dachui took a deep breath, somewhat excited. "In that case, there really might be a chance to win this lawsuit! This now involves a criminal offense and qualifies as a public prosecution case. However, I can help you draft a formal complaint. You tell me, how much compensation do you want them to pay? How long should they be sentenced?"
Lawsuits initiated by individuals require clear demands to be stated. Criminal cases, however, generally need to be prosecuted by the public security organs or the procuratorate, with individuals only needing to report the incident. But in the report, one can also specify the demands.
Qin Mu blinked. Without even thinking, he said directly, "Tenfold compensation. And for the sentence… just like that previous fraudster, ten years as well."
As they say, a chronic illness turns you into a good doctor. Having gone through these two incidents, he had gained a sufficient understanding of the crime of fraud. Generally speaking, amounts under one hundred thousand yuan are considered relatively large, and the maximum sentence is up to three years. Amounts between one hundred thousand and one million yuan are considered huge and carry a maximum sentence of ten years. Amounts exceeding one million yuan are considered exceptionally huge and can carry a life sentence at most. As for the demands... well, he was definitely aiming for the maximum. He refused to believe he couldn't deal with them! Their behavior was outrageously blatant. It had chilled Mr. Li's heart and disgusted him. He would not indulge them! He would push for the maximum possible sentence!
Upon hearing Qin Mu's words, Wang Dachui was visibly stunned. The corners of his mouth twitched. After a long moment, he managed to say, "You… you're ruthless."
Immediately following, he added, "But I like it."
Qin Mu touched his nose.
「Two hours later.」
"All right, the formal complaint is written. Let's head to the court now before they close," Wang Dachui said after finishing the document.
Carrying Li Weiguo's power of attorney document, along with various pieces of evidence and accusatory materials, he and Qin Mu proceeded to the court. Generally, whoever files the lawsuit prepares the accusatory materials and evidence. These serve as the criteria for filing the case. Their materials were extremely complete, and the chain of evidence was sufficient. It fully met the standard for filing a case. Though it was a private prosecution, with Li Weiguo's representation, they could also litigate on his behalf.
「The next day.」
Qin Mu soon received the court's and the case filing division's notice of case acceptance. As it was a criminal case and located in Jin City, according to the schedule, the court session was set for three days later.
"DING! Congratulations Host, task completion reached 20%."
"Please continue to exert effort, Host. Upon completion of this task, the system will evaluate and reward you based on your performance."
The system's voice also rang out in Qin Mu's mind.
Afterward, he shared this news with Li Weiguo.
"The case has been filed?" Li Weiguo hadn't expected Qin Mu to be so terrifyingly efficient when he got serious. After it sank in, he said somewhat hesitantly, "But isn't suing them for fraud going a bit too far? Maybe just getting the money back would suffice…"
Qin Mu, however, maintained a stern expression and shook his head. "Too far? Not at all. Mr. Li, have you forgotten those harsh and spiteful words they said to you? Moreover, their children had dropped out of school, yet they still had the audacity to ask you for 200,000 yuan. If that's not fraud, what is?"
The opponent's behavior definitely constituted fraud.
Li Weiguo, prompted by Qin Mu's words, couldn't help but lower his head.
Indeed. Such people... seemed undeserving of his forgiveness.
The other elderly people in the retirement home also chimed in to persuade him.
"Yes, Mr. Li, stop worrying about it. Xiao Qin is reliable; the money will definitely be recovered."
"These three families are really despicable. Come on, let's play a few rounds of chess to relax."
"I'm going fishing later, Mr. Li, do you want to join me?"
"..."
Listening to his friends' words, Li Weiguo once again displayed a smile. He temporarily put the matter aside and joined in the other residents' recreational activities.
Meanwhile, Qin Mu returned to his room to update the second segment of the video. Facing the camera, he took a deep breath. He began, "After a day's effort, we've finally made significant progress in this matter. The relevant authorities have accepted the case and approved it for filing. It will go to trial in three days. I believe the other party has already received the court summons. Justice may take a long time to arrive, but it will never be absent; the net of heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through! Though law is but the minimum standard for morality, when people have no moral bottom line, there's always a law that will suit them!"
Afterward, he turned the camera toward the indictment, the prosecutor's notice of case acceptance, and the scheduled court date. In the notice of case acceptance, it was blatantly stated that the three impoverished families were being sued for fraud. They demanded tenfold compensation for breach of contract, along with damages for emotional distress, convalescence, nutritional expenses, and other losses, totaling 1,410,000 yuan. And they demanded a ten-year prison term! Every point was uncompromisingly drafted. Absolutely no leeway was given. Furthermore, on the indictment, the words "Absolutely No Forgiveness" were prominently written.