The lawsuit between Wen Ying, the magazine, and Han Qin was a civil tort case.
The magazine’s “termination statement” was factually inaccurate, and Han Qin’s anonymous comments on Tianya Forum infringed on Wen Ying’s reputation. Zheng Zhihe’s demands were for the magazine and Han Qin to cease their infringing actions, restore the reputation of Wen Ying’s pseudonym, “Upstream Fish,” mitigate the negative impact of their misconduct, issue a public apology, and provide compensation.
A verbal apology was too light and meaningless. Zheng Zhihe wouldn’t accept it.
Only making the other party pay a painful price would teach them a lesson.
Zou Weijun, Xie Qian, and Xiao Ni all applied to observe the trial.
In the gallery, there was also a man in his fifties, dressed in a grey suit, thin and unassuming. Wen Ying’s eyes widened in shock.
This was the mentor who had guided her into the legal field in her past life!
Why was her teacher here today?
Wen Ying was dazed, never expecting her small case to draw her mentor’s attention.
She glanced nervously at the judge’s bench, fearing the presiding judge might also be someone she knew. With her teacher and senior brother present, adding another familiar face would feel like a thesis defence.
Fortunately, the judge was a stranger.
He looked even younger than Zheng Zhihe.
Tch, Senior Brother Zheng was just cursed with a mature-looking face.
Han Qin noticed the crowd observing from Wen Ying’s side and whispered to her lawyer. Her lawyer requested to clear the gallery, but the presiding judge denied it. Han Qin’s expression soured.
The case was being heard in a Chengdu court. Han Qin’s lawyer believed holding the trial in Chengdu was disadvantageous to the magazine and Han Qin, raising a “jurisdictional objection,” which the court rejected.
This was an infringement case.
Tianya’s exposé post was accessible in Chengdu, as was the July issue of Aige magazine. The magazine and Han Qin’s infringing actions weren’t limited to Shandong, so Chengdu’s court had grounds to accept the case.
The jurisdictional objection was dismissed quickly, and Han Qin’s lawyer sensed trouble, warning her that the opposing counsel was formidable.
For this lawsuit, Han Qin’s lawyer estimated only a 50% chance of winning.
That was assuming Xiao Ni didn’t testify.
The magazine had fired Xiao Ni for this reason.
But Xiao Ni had sued the magazine and Han Qin separately.
These were two cases, and the lawyer had to focus on this one first.
Both sides presented their arguments. Zheng Zhihe demanded a public apology from the magazine and Han Qin, plus 300,000 yuan in damages for emotional distress.
Zheng Zhihe glanced at Wen Ying, his face serious: “My client is a minor, a high school student. This incident has caused her significant harm. She’s not yet eighteen and can’t withstand public vilification. Her writing career, her studies, and even her daily life have been affected. This is a critical period for shaping her worldview, outlook on life, and values. The harm she’s endured may impact her for a lifetime!”
Wen Ying knew Zheng Zhihe’s style well and immediately put on a frightened expression.
Oh, the pressure was immense. Without the encouragement of her editor and lawyer, she wouldn’t dare face Editor-in-Chief Han in court.
Wen Ying didn’t feel shameless. When she was a lawyer, she’d also coached clients on courtroom behaviour.
Judges relied on evidence, but they weren’t immune to subjective emotions.
Wen Ying now played the part of a timid high schooler, bravely facing Editor-in-Chief Han in court.
Han Qin was furious, nearly spitting blood.
Wen Ying, scared of her?
On her last visit to Chengdu, Wen Ying’s parents never appeared. Wen Ying handled the publishing negotiations herself.
A high schooler bold enough to negotiate contracts with adults, whether smart or naive, was far from “timid.”
Her writing career affected?
Han Qin saw no sign of that. Youth Idol was released on August 1. Han Qin had secretly read the latter half, and its quality hadn’t dropped—it was smoother than the serialized version.
Xie Qian also thought Zheng Zhihe was exaggerating.
Aige’s termination statement was in the July issue, after the last semester’s final exams.
Wen Ying’s exam ranking had improved. Even if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t be because of Han Qin. Still, as Wen Ying’s friend, Xie Qian appreciated Zheng’s exaggerations.
This lawsuit had delayed Wen Ying’s holiday study time.
Missing one practice test was fine, but missing dozens was a problem. If Wen Ying failed to get into a top university, 300,000 yuan in compensation was far too little!
Of course, this was just Xie Qian’s courtroom perspective. Outside, if Wen Ying used this as an excuse to slack off, he’d settle old and new scores with her.
Han Qin’s lawyer was surnamed Xiong.
Lawyer Xiong was aggressive, lacking Zheng Zhihe’s finesse. When Zheng demanded a public apology and 300,000 yuan, Xiong questioned Wen Ying directly.
First question: what works had Wen Ying publicly published before submitting to Aige?
“None. I started writing after the high school entrance exam. My first work was published in Aige.”
Xiong smiled: “But you must have submitted to other magazines before and got rejected, right?”
Wen Ying nodded: “Yes, I was rejected.”
“You know in the literary world, especially for publicly distributed magazines, ‘multiple submissions’ is frowned upon. Have you done that?”
“Please, the defendant’s lawyer should stop leading my client!” Zheng Zhihe objected.
Xiong insisted Wen Ying’s answer was crucial. The young presiding judge allowed him to continue.
Xiong suppressed his smugness.
Wen Ying mentally cursed Xiong as an idiot for trying to trap a minor. He had professional skills but lacked basic compassion.
Some lawyers even prided themselves on being “rational.”
“I know,” Wen Ying said, shrinking back.
Xiong’s lips curled, his voice coaxing: “You knew multiple submissions were wrong, but you did it, right? Like during Youth Idol’s serialization, knowing Aige and Editor-in-Chief Han intended to publish your novel, you still contacted Chengdu’s publishing department.”
“No! I only said I knew multiple submissions were wrong, not that I did it. How could you say that about me?”
Tch.
Such a weak attempt at a trap.
Xiong thought he was dealing with a high schooler, not a peer.
A competent lawyer gathered evidence before trial; an excellent one anticipated the opponent’s questions and prepared answers.
For a reputation lawsuit, Han Qin’s lawyer would attack her character. Wen Ying was ready.
It didn’t matter. Her initial submissions were via email. Last summer, she sent one story to Huahuo and another to Aige, with records still intact.
Multiple submissions? Wen Ying never did that. She wrote two different stories.
Huahuo rejected her, but Xiao Ni’s encouragement made her stick with Aige. She eventually published a short story there and kept contributing. Multiple submissions? Nonexistent.
If Xiong doubted her first submission was last summer, that was his problem. The burden of proof was on him.
Zheng Zhihe immediately requested the court to review Wen Ying’s email records.
