Chapter 778: Chapter 277: You Have Already Violated the Sacred and Great Donation Agreement_4
It seemed this plan... had been approved by them.
Afterward, he had someone hand the plan to Qin Mu and the others. "Defendants, please take a look."
The clerk immediately stepped forward and delivered the plan to Qin Mu, Chen Tiankuo, Zhang Qingyuan, and Feng Cuihua.
However, upon reviewing it, Qin Mu and Chen Tiankuo’s brows furrowed tightly, and their expressions changed slightly.
"What exactly does this say...?" After Zhang Qingyuan and his wife looked it over, they were still completely baffled. They hadn’t understood the meaning at all.
"The other party is asking us to compensate each person with twenty thousand in donations, and to also pay thirty thousand for damages related to the delayed donations—including damage to reputation and emotional distress—totaling seventy thousand," Chen Tiankuo explained softly to them, his voice low.
Before he could finish, Zhang Qingyuan exploded. "What?!" He glared at Xu Liming and the two others, full of anger.
Seventy thousand! To them, though it was a drop in the bucket and inconsequential, the mere suggestion was tantamount to an insult! The donation agreement stated twenty thousand per person, adding up to forty thousand. Beyond that, they had to pay an additional thirty thousand! It was outright robbery! And what was even more outrageous was that the judge actually thought this was reasonable and supported the opposing side’s settlement plan!
"It’s like this: things are different abroad compared to back home. They place more emphasis on emotional damages. There was once a case where the claim for emotional damages reached seven hundred and eighty thousand!" Chen Tiankuo explained to the couple with a bitter smile. Thirty thousand for emotional damages was actually quite minimal. He had seen far more outrageous amounts. Back home, in terms of compensation, the proportion for emotional distress is lower; it’s more geared towards loss of earnings, nutrition costs, transportation costs, and so on.
"’This plan... we can actually discuss it with the other party. Try as much as possible to get the emotional distress compensation waived." He frowned, unable to help looking toward Qin Mu. This case is led by Qin Mu, and I’m very clear about my own role, he thought. So I won’t say anything; I’ll just stick to being the translator. Right now, the safest approach is to appeal to the judge with reason and emotion, leveraging Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua’s age to gain the judge’s sympathy and hopefully get the compensation reduced. That would be the best outcome.
However, Qin Mu suddenly stood up and said coldly, "I’m sorry, I don’t believe we were in the wrong. We won’t pay a single penny."
This statement rang out clearly throughout the courtroom. It took everyone in the courtroom by surprise, and all eyes turned to Qin Mu.
Xu Liming’s expression darkened as he stared intently at Qin Mu. He hadn’t expected Qin Mu’s reaction to be so extreme. This plan... had been his idea, drafted and finalized by George. The intention was to teach Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua a lesson, to make them understand the consequences of offending them. He had planned to start with an exorbitant demand and then negotiate down, maximizing their gains. He hadn’t expected that Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua, these two stones in the latrine, had brought an even harder stone! Refusing to give even a penny, right from the start.
"Counsel for the defense, are you saying..." In the courtroom, the judge adjusted his glasses and couldn’t help but ask. He too hadn’t quite understood Qin Mu’s words. To avoid any misunderstanding, he specifically asked again.
"What I’m saying is, there’s no fault on our side in this case, and there’s no need to compensate the other party." Qin Mu stood tall and then continued, "The compensation scheme proposed by the other side is not only unreasonable but also infringes upon our right to reputation and property. It’s an attempt to use the law to force us into submission, and we firmly reject it!"
This time, his voice was even louder.
The judge understood, but his brows furrowed deeply. He was somewhat displeased with Qin Mu’s conduct. But he still patiently said, "According to the litigation evidence provided so far, your clients signed the donation agreement—that is undeniable. Yet they have refused to pay, thereby violating this sacred and significant agreement."
