After Li Mingkang finished speaking, Liu Zhicheng grew even more anxious.
“Mr. Li, Attorney Li, could you let Student Ming Mei come out and speak with us? I’ll have Liu Hao and his parents come apologize to her. Surely that would be enough, wouldn’t it?”
Li Mingkang smiled, lowered his head, and pulled a screenshot from the pile of evidence.
“Mr. Liu Zhicheng, after receiving our warning, your nephew, Liu Hao, not only refused to delete the defamatory post he had published but also intensified his efforts to manipulate public opinion. Please take a look at this account.”
Li Mingkang found another screenshot and placed it in front of Liu Zhicheng.
“After investigating, we confirmed that this account is an alternate account belonging to Liu Hao. After receiving our warning, he not only refused to delete the post but also used his alternate account to insult and verbally abuse my client. His actions have seriously violated the criminal law. Taking Liu Hao to court is now the only way we can resolve this matter.”
Having finished speaking, Li Mingkang stood up, gathered the documents on the table, and handed them to Wang Jianguo.
“Dean Wang, I hope you’ll examine these documents carefully. Within the next three days, court summonses will be delivered to both the university and Liu Hao.”
Wang Jianguo, who had been drinking tea, suddenly froze.
“Wait, Attorney Chen—why does the university need to receive a court summons, too?”
Li Mingkang smiled and explained, “You may not be aware of this, but QQ accounts and Tieba accounts such as the Confession Wall are generally regarded as official university publicity channels. Therefore, aside from Liu Hao, who manages the Confession Wall’s QQ and Tieba accounts, the university also bears responsibility for this matter.
“Our statement of legal liability will be delivered to the university along with the court summons. Since the Confession Wall was established with your authorization, you’ll most likely be the one responsible for handling this matter on behalf of the university. Please make the necessary preparations.”
After finishing his explanation, Li Mingkang ignored Wang Jianguo and Liu Zhicheng’s attempts to persuade him to stay. He left the office with Li Da.
Wang Jianguo and Liu Zhicheng remained in the office, looking as though they had just been struck by lightning.
Wang Jianguo sent Li Mingkang off with a stiff smile. Then, with a loud bang, he slammed the door shut and unleashed all his pent-up anger on Liu Zhicheng.
“Teacher Liu! Teacher Liu! Your family has certainly done a wonderful job raising its children!”
At this point, Liu Zhicheng looked somewhat displeased.
“Dean, isn’t this Li Mingkang going too far? Liu Hao will certainly apologize to this student named Ming Mei. We’re even willing to compensate her financially. After all that, is he still unwilling to let Liu Hao off the hook?”
“Compensate her financially?” Wang Jianguo sneered. “Do you know who the other party is? Do you know who Ming Mei is? And you still dare to talk about compensating her with money? Do you have any idea how many people in all of Shanghai are wealthier than your Liu family?”
As he spoke, Wang Jianguo pulled a screenshot from the documents.
“Do you know what kind of car this is?”
Liu Zhicheng glanced at the car in the screenshot and replied dismissively, “I know. It’s a Ferrari. It’s not as if our family can’t afford one.”
Wang Jianguo sneered again.
“A Ferrari? No, no, no! The full name of this car is the Ferrari LaFerrari!
“When the LaFerrari was first conceptualized, only 499 units were made available worldwide. After those 499 units had been snapped up, Ferrari continued releasing the LaFerrari for ten years, with fewer than twenty units leaving the factory each year!
“There are only two of these cars in all of Shanghai! One belongs to Young Master Qin. The owner of the other had originally planned to unveil it for public sale at an international auto show a few months from now. Its presale price alone had already reached 80 million yuan!
“This car is worth at least 90 million yuan! And just a few days ago, it was bought by a mysterious buyer!”
Wang Jianguo glared at him.
“And you dare spread rumors that some rich businessman is keeping a mistress? Go ask Wang Zicong whether he’d be willing to spend 90 million yuan on a car just to keep someone! Your nephew has the audacity to spread rumors about someone like this. Does he have a death wish?”
Liu Zhicheng’s face grew paler and paler. When he heard that the car was worth at least 90 million yuan, his mind went blank with a loud bang. He grabbed the edge of the table, barely able to remain standing.
Ninety million yuan?
That meant their family would have to liquidate half of its assets just to afford the car!
And that half would include their real estate!
Liu Zhicheng’s lips trembled. His face deathly pale, he asked, “Why would someone from a family like that care about what insignificant people like us do? Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?”
Wang Jianguo looked at him with disappointment.
“A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? The documents and evidence are all right here. Just wait for your court summons!”
After scolding Liu Zhicheng, Wang Jianguo suddenly remembered that he would also be receiving a court summons. His mood became even more miserable.
Then, something occurred to him.
He shot Liu Zhicheng a cold glance before speaking slowly.
“Xiao Liu, I remember Liu Hao is the eldest grandson of your family, isn’t he?”
Liu Zhicheng nodded with a deathly pale face.
Wang Jianguo suddenly smiled warmly.
“Xiao Liu, you may not know this, but my father-in-law holds a very high-ranking position in the Education Bureau.”
Liu Zhicheng froze completely.
After a long pause, he stammered, “Dean… what exactly do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean? Nothing in particular.”
Wang Jianguo smiled and continued, “Student Liu Hao published unverified information about Student Ming Mei without the university’s review or approval, and he personally insulted her character. His actions violated the law. After investigating the matter, the university has decided to expel Student Liu Hao.”
Wang Jianguo looked directly at Liu Zhicheng.
“Everything was done by Liu Hao alone. We have a review process for posts published through these public accounts. Do you understand?”
Liu Zhicheng stared at him in shock.
After a long while, his trembling lips finally parted.
“Yes, Dean Wang. I understand.”
Two hours later, at the Liu family villa…
An elderly couple sat in the villa, drinking tea and playing chess. Liu Hao’s parents sat nearby, keeping the boy’s grandparents company as they played.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
“It’s probably Haohao coming home. Dad, Mom, I’ll get the door,” Liu Hao’s mother said as she stood up.
She walked over and opened the door, only to freeze in surprise.
A man wearing a suit and gold-rimmed glasses stood outside, carrying a briefcase. An identification badge hung from the front of his suit.
“Hello. May I ask whether you’re a relative of Liu Hao, a student in Class 2 of the Electronic Information program at Shanghai University?”
Liu Hao’s mother was momentarily stunned.
“Hello. I’m Liu Hao’s mother. May I ask what this is about?”
After hearing her answer, the man took an envelope from his briefcase and handed it to her.
“Hello, ma’am. I’m a court process server from the Shanghai High People’s Court. This is a court summons for your son, Liu Hao. I’d like you to accept it on his behalf. Here’s my identification for you to verify.”
Hearing the voices at the entrance, Liu Hao’s father stood up and walked over.
“What’s wrong, honey? Is Haohao home?”
Liu Hao’s mother turned toward her husband in disbelief.
“Honey, this man says he’s a court process server. He has a court summons for our son!”
“What?” Liu Hao’s father froze for a moment before stepping forward. “Hello. I’m Liu Hao’s father. What’s this summons about?”
The process server adjusted his glasses.
“Hello, Mr. Liu. I’m a court process server from the Shanghai High People’s Court. Here’s my official identification. You may check it if you wish.
“We have a court summons concerning your son, Liu Hao. He is suspected of spreading rumors and falsely accusing another person. Even after being warned by the other party, he continued slandering them using an alternate account. The other party has filed a lawsuit against your son, and the trial is scheduled for this Friday.”
Liu Hao’s mother looked even more incredulous.
“Sir, are you sure you’ve delivered this to the right address? Our Haohao is such a well-behaved child. How could he possibly do something like that?”
The process server was beginning to lose patience.
“Your son’s photograph is on the summons. Just look at it, and you’ll know whether I’ve delivered it to the wrong person.”