It surpassed all previous cases and was even an international one! Where is the breakthrough... Qin Mu furrowed his brows, deep in thought. This time, he had chosen the third option; if he failed, there would be no reward at all. Similarly, if they lost the case, Old Zhang would be forced to donate twenty thousand yuan, and if he didn’t donate, he might be detained! This shady tour group would become even more arrogant, more unscrupulous, and countless elderly people would continue to suffer its oppression!

「Meanwhile.」

In a cheap motel near a courthouse in Ames City, a certain country.

"Zhang Qingyuan, I’ll tell you one last time: the court has accepted this case, and a pre-trial conference will be held soon. You don’t know a single lawyer here, and you don’t speak the language. Instead of wasting your money, you might as well just hand over the forty thousand yuan."

An Asian-faced middle-aged man, holding a subpoena and complaint, looked coldly at Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua. He once again patiently "persuaded,"

Next to them, many elderly members of the tour group had gathered.

The difference was, these other elderly people had all chosen to swallow their pride and paid the twenty thousand yuan.

Only Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua had not paid.

"Zhang, do you know how expensive it is to hire a lawyer here? You’re not a local; you’ll have to find a major law firm just to get a translator. The lawyer’s fee alone will exceed forty thousand yuan."

Behind the middle-aged man, a lackey, seeing Zhang Qingyuan’s refusal to compromise, continued to threaten, "I’m telling you, if you lose this case, not only will you have to pay the forty thousand yuan, but you might also face more fines and even detention!"

Beside Zhang Qingyuan, the other elderly people turned pale with fright at these words, looking extremely uneasy. They all turned to Zhang Qingyuan.

One whispered persuasively, "Old Zhang, how about I help you pay the money? We’re in a foreign country, and this is their turf. We’re outmatched here."

"Yes, we were tricked into signing. Calling the police now probably won’t do any good."

"Old Zhang, nothing good will come from confronting them. A wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him."

"Sigh, this tour group is so brazen precisely because we’re in a foreign country, unfamiliar with the place and people."

"..."

The elderly people gathered around Zhang Qingyuan, each kindly trying to persuade him.

Having traveled together for so long, they had all become quite familiar with each other and knew a bit about Zhang Qingyuan. They couldn’t bear to see Old Zhang detained because of his "stubbornness."

However, Zhang Qingyuan remained unmoved by the persuasion of his fellow travelers. He politely declined, "I appreciate everyone’s kindness, but this is money I can donate myself if I choose to. If I’m unwilling, no one can force me!"

Seeing this, the others exchanged glances, wanting to persuade him further. But then they heard Zhang Qingyuan continue, "Actually, I used to be like all of you, thinking it’s better to avoid trouble, even if it means taking a small loss. But since I got to know Xiao Qin, I’ve realized that just taking a loss isn’t the best way to resolve things. If you take a loss today, it won’t lead to any good outcome. The other party will only become more arrogant and escalate their actions. Meanwhile, we’ll just end up blaming ourselves, growing angrier the more we think about it, and having suffered for nothing. Stop trying to persuade me. I won’t compromise!"

He clenched his teeth, looking directly at the two people from the tour group. His gaze was resolute, without a hint of retreat.

Before meeting Qin Mu, he might have made the same decision as the others. But after getting to know Qin Mu, he had learned a great deal.

Perhaps he couldn’t be as "persistent" as Qin Mu, but on this matter, he wouldn’t yield an inch!

"Old Zhang, have you really thought this through?"

His words caused the expressions of the two middle-aged men from the tour group to darken once more. Their gazes grew increasingly hostile.

Zhang Qingyuan stood tall, chest out, and scoffed, "I’ve already found a lawyer, so you don’t need to concern yourselves. You won’t win this lawsuit!"

His face was filled with confidence. Especially after his phone call to Qin Mu, he felt instantly reassured, as if he had taken a calming pill.

Qin Mu was already on his way. Once he takes over this case... Forget just winning; this tour group bunch might not get off lightly!

"Fine, fine, fine!" The middle-aged man stared intently at Zhang Qingyuan, uttering "fine" three times. He then said coldly, "I’d like to see what kind of lawyer you can find in a foreign country! Some people just won’t shed a tear until they see the coffin!"

After saying this, he didn’t bother speaking further with Zhang Qingyuan and left with his lackey.

By this point, Zhang Qingyuan’s stance was abundantly clear: he would not compromise.

And they were only after money, not engaging in kidnapping or robbery. In this foreign country, the sentences for such crimes were very severe. If Zhang Qingyuan managed to get evidence against them for something more serious, they could end up losing far more than they hoped to gain.

It was important to remember that they were in a region that operated under common law, where robbery and kidnapping penalties were often based on precedents from past cases. Previously, there had been numerous robbery convictions, with the longest sentence reaching eighty years. Someone entered prison at fifteen and was scheduled for release at ninety-five. And this individual had only committed robbery, without inflicting any other illegal harm.

So, they preferred to earn an extra few tens of thousands of yuan this way rather than resort to the risky methods of kidnapping or robbery.

After the two from the tour group left, the other elderly people crowded around, looking at Zhang Qingyuan with concern.

Even Feng Cuihua was fraught with anxiety, appearing extremely flustered.