Although he had never been involved in foreign lawsuits, he still knew a bit about foreign legal systems, which differed from domestic ones. Before any case went to trial, there was a mediation stage called a pre-trial meeting. The outcome of this meeting would determine whether the case proceeded to a full trial or if the parties settled privately. Furthermore, in most countries, aside from those with codified legal systems, court trials were not permitted to be livestreamed. The specific outcomes could only be known after the court’s public notification. Of course, one could also inquire with the parties involved to understand the situation.

He frowned and sighed lightly. This case... it’s not easy to win.

Those in the know understood just how high the probability of losing this case was. In fact, after learning some details of the case, the lawyers in Jin City didn’t hold out much hope. Everyone felt that Qin Mu would suffer a setback in this lawsuit. The differences between the two legal systems weren’t so easily mastered.

As Zhang Wei pondered this, he suddenly realized that in the middle of the night, the Jin City lawyers’ chat groups had suddenly become active, with messages popping up one after another. Upon checking, he saw that the topic of their discussion, just as he had worried moments before, was all about Qin Mu’s involvement in the lawsuit abroad.

"So many days have passed, does anyone know the current status of the case?"

"Any inside information? What stage has the trial reached in the foreign court?"

"I heard from my friend that the pre-trial meeting just ended. It’s said the parties didn’t reach an agreement, and the other side proposed a settlement of 70,000 yuan..."

"70,000 yuan? Pah! Why don’t they just go rob someone?"

"Strictly speaking, the signing of such an agreement, which goes against personal will, shouldn’t be considered valid, right?"

"Not necessarily. Foreign laws take agreements very seriously. Without conclusive evidence, an unwillingness to donate constitutes a breach of contract, requiring compensation for said breach."

"..."

Many lawyers chimed in on the group chat, sparking an avid discussion. Among them, some who had a particular understanding of foreign legal systems analyzed the differences between domestic and international laws.

Take donations, for example. This matter indeed arose from the donation, and the donor had clearly expressed his unwillingness to donate. But based on the contract, his expressed unwillingness was invalid. This was because he must have been willing to donate when he signed the agreement; he couldn’t just change his mind on a whim. Unless there was conclusive evidence proving he had been deceived into signing the agreement. However, a scam tour group bold enough to pull this off surely wouldn’t leave such an obvious loophole.

Zhang Wei browsed through the chat records of several lawyer groups, somewhat surprised. The pre-trial meeting is over?

The pre-trial meeting had ended. This meant the case would officially go to trial, and the lawyers from both sides would enter a fierce confrontation. And the opposing lawyers naturally held a home-field advantage.

"I heard from my friend that Qin Mu has actually introduced a jury!"

"Twelve jurors. He surely can’t expect them to suddenly switch sides and support us, can he?"

"I think it’s a bit iffy. The jury system abroad is somewhat unpredictable. When I was an exchange student abroad, I saw several outrageous cases."

"Their levels of competence are all over the place. I’ve even seen jurors who hadn’t finished elementary school."

"..."

In the various lawyer groups, the lawyers continued to chat, revealing more ’frontline’ updates. The news that Qin Mu had chosen to use a jury also confounded them. Without a jury, he would only need to persuade the judge. Once a jury was introduced, he would need to convince twelve jurors as well as the judge. In their view, the degree of difficulty had effectively doubled.

Zhang Wei showed a look of astonishment upon reading this. A jury?

He didn’t know if these ’rumors’ were true. If it were him, he definitely wouldn’t involve a jury in a lawsuit abroad. Introducing a jury would lead to an uncontrollable situation. Eventually, the basis of the judgment would move away from legal statutes and be decided by these jurors. This would mean he could no longer approach it from the angle of his professional expertise, and matters would slip out of his control.

Zhang Wei shook his head, suddenly feeling an irresistible itch of curiosity. It’s a pity I can’t see the trial...

At this very moment, he wanted to know the details of the case’s trial more than ever before. Unfortunately, the trial was closed to the public and not open for livestreaming. He could only learn some basic information from these Jin City lawyers. After all, these lawyers had recommended several foreign lawyers to Qin Mu to assist with this lawsuit.

「Abroad.」

Ames City. In a certain hotel.

After it was confirmed that the case would indeed go to trial, Qin Mu and his companions obediently stayed put in the hotel, not venturing out. Zhang Qingyuan, Feng Cuihua, and the other elderly tourists from the tour group had lost all desire to sightsee. They no longer wandered aimlessly in this foreign land. Everyone felt somewhat apprehensive. Even Old Zhang had been made somewhat less confident by Chen Tiankuo’s words. He was fearful they would lose the case.

For him at this point, paying 70,000 yuan was just a drop in the bucket. But it was a matter of face and principle; he simply couldn’t afford to lose the lawsuit and return to his country in disgrace. When that time came, if he returned home, Mr. Li and Old Song from the residential compound would surely laugh at him relentlessly.

"Don’t worry, we won’t lose the case," seeing Zhang Qingyuan fidgeting restlessly, Qin Mu rolled his eyes.