MWC – Chapter 79 First Experience in a Small Dark Room (Part 2)

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

After stepping down from the witness stand, Chairman Wei sat next to Lu Ming.

Christine’s gaze at Lu Ming became even more hostile.

Chairman Wei’s testimony seemed more like a performance, a commercial promotion for his bank.

Lawyer Smith remained silent, displaying a gentlemanly demeanor. Once Chairman Wei finished his “testimony,” Smith stood up and said, “Your Honor, I request that the witness’s testimony be deemed invalid, and I ask for a recess.”

“Testimony invalidated!” Christine looked at Lu Ming. “You, follow me!”

“The plaintiff requests to participate!” Smith stood up again.

Christine nodded.

Lu Ming leaned over to Wei Baozeng and whispered, “The plan continues. You go out and make the statement without waiting for me. I’ll probably be locked up in the ‘little black room.'” The “little black room” was a colloquial term for the court’s temporary holding cell, which was actually quite decent.

The validity of the “testimony” in court wouldn’t affect the effectiveness of the performance.

However, Judge Christine seemed very angry.

…

“Bailiff, lock him up! 24 hours.” As soon as they entered the office, Christine made a gesture.

The black-uniformed bailiff summoned by Christine’s gesture hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly walked over. “Lawyer Lu, please.”

Lu Ming smiled at him understandingly.

This was the judge’s prerogative. Contempt of court could directly lead to a short-term detention of up to 24 hours, considered a minor offense without a criminal record.

Contempt of court could be a serious or minor charge, and the sentencing was particularly flexible. For example, a former president in a Western country was fined 10,000 per day for contempt of court for refusing to provide relevant documents as ordered by the court, although he did not have to go to jail.

In this case, it was only a minor contempt of court.

Smith seemed satisfied with the handling of the situation.

Lu Ming thought for a moment and said, “Your Honor, before I am detained, I have a few words to say.”

Judge Christine gestured, and the bailiff temporarily stood aside.

“Regarding the Baoyin Bank case, firstly, whether Mr. Wei and Mr. Bi Hanting formed a legally significant relationship and whether the neighbor principle applies is debatable.”

Smith immediately countered, “Bank account inquiries are a professional activity. Although Mr. Wei and Mr. Bi Hanting are friends and did not sign a service agreement, their friendship blurred the legal boundaries between them. Based on the precedent of the moth in the soda can, Mr. Wei and Mr. Bi Hanting implicitly formed a legal relationship!”

Not performing a show anymore, Smith’s counterattack was swift.

Lu Ming nodded, “The neighbor principle is indeed an important concept in our economic relationships. However, equating legal distance and foreseeable harm is quite inappropriate. In the absence of a contract, if one party causes harm to another, assuming a legal relationship damages our public order and morals.”

“For example, in this case, Mr. Wei was merely helping a friend but ended up in a lawsuit and possibly bankruptcy. How does this shape our societal values?”

“The neighbor principle should have three parallel test criteria: First, is the economic loss to the plaintiff reasonably foreseeable? Second, does the legal distance between the parties create a legal relationship? Third, is it fair, just, and reasonable to hold the defendant liable? Does it align with public policy principles?”

“Only when all three criteria are met can the neighbor principle be reasonably applied.”

“In this case, we can barely recognize the second criterion, as my client operates a bank and can be assumed to have a legal relationship with his friend despite only helping with an inquiry.”

“But for the first criterion, my client could not have foreseen that this inquiry would cause any economic loss to the plaintiff. For the third criterion, holding my client legally responsible severely undermines our societal values. If someone is severely punished for helping a friend without harming others, it is judicially unjust!”

“Finished?” Christine asked indifferently.

Smith looked at Lu Ming with a mix of surprise and thoughtful consideration.

Lu Ming nodded to Christine.

Christine gestured, and the bailiff reluctantly approached. Lu Ming did not make it difficult for him and followed him out.

…

After being detained for about half an hour, Lu Ming was released. In the hallway, Wei Baozeng was waiting for him with a wry smile.

“Were there many media present when you made the statement?” Lu Ming asked.

Wei Baozeng nodded.

Lu Ming pondered and said, “We’ll have to see the follow-up. This statement won’t have much impact on ordinary depositors. When the bank’s assets are unfrozen, they’ll still come to withdraw their money. We need to be prepared. But taking the opportunity to promote Baoyin’s new philosophy isn’t bad.”

Wei Baozeng seemed hesitant to speak.

Lu Ming shook his head, “Frankly, I initially said there was a 60% chance of winning. Now, it’s probably only 40-50%. We can only leave it to fate.”

This chief judge was indeed difficult to deal with, especially since she saw him as someone pursuing her dependent daughter.

Naturally, she saw him as full of flaws.

Judges are human too and cannot always remain fair and just.

Moreover, the three test criteria for the neighbor principle were originally from the 60s and 70s and officially established in the late 80s. They are somewhat ahead of their time now.

After some thought, he said, “Bi Hanting seemed to react differently when he saw Chairman Wei compared to seeing you.”

Wei Baozeng smiled wryly, “They used to be very good friends. But Bi Ershu lost too much money and became a laughingstock…”

Lu Ming was about to say something when Wei Baozeng interrupted, “Lawyer Lu, how about this: I’ll talk to Bi Ershu about Baoyin Bank taking over Nadu Film. Although Nadu’s film rights have been sold, leaving it an empty shell, it still has some studios and signed artists. It might not be impossible to make a comeback, especially with you as a partner.”

“If Bi Ershu agrees to a settlement, although Baoyin Bank will bear heavy debts, I now have the confidence to overcome this crisis.”

Lu Ming had another idea but, after hearing Wei Baozeng, reconsidered and said, “Yes, we can discuss it and see what conditions he proposes.” His original idea was somewhat harsher and could be considered if necessary.

Nadu was once renowned, but now the film industry differs from the future. Running a film company now is like a roller coaster. One successful film can make a company prosper, while one failure can lead to its rapid decline.

Nadu began its downfall after investing 500,000 in a record-breaking film that flopped.

A few years ago, Nadu was at its peak, investing 500,000 in a film with the largest budget in film history, but it failed miserably.

Wei Baozeng’s newfound confidence likely stemmed from the positive response to his father’s statement, making him brave enough to venture into the film industry.

“Let’s see what Chairman Bi says first.” Lu Ming pondered, “And remember, this case isn’t that bleak. When negotiating, consider it a normal investment rather than compensation.”

Wei Baozeng smiled slightly, “I understand, and you need to accompany me. You’re not just my legal representative; we’re partners, right?”