Chapter 571 Don’t Think of Having a Future
In the 1990s, many people had a weak legal awareness, even Ling Pingying, a well-known writer.
She felt that when she published an article in the newspaper criticizing Gu Siqing, she was just expressing her opinion on something, and it was impossible for it to rise to the level of breaking the law.
Wasn't that the same thing that happened the last time she and Gu Siqing had a war of words in the newspaper? Gu Siqing didn't sue her!
What she didn't know was that Gu Siqing didn't sue her last time because the war of words between the two of them didn't cause any harm to Gu Siqing, but instead allowed her to profit from it.
In that situation, if Gu Siqing filed a lawsuit again, it would be a bit like taking advantage of the situation.
Ling Ping's handsome face paled as she read the newspaper article written by Gu Siqing. This was the first time in her life that someone had taken her to court. She felt ashamed just thinking about it.
Furious, she picked up her pen and was about to write another article in retaliation, when her good friend Qi Xinhou came over and asked her, "Why are you arguing with Gu Siqing again?"
Ling Pingying remained silent and didn't respond. Even though they were good friends, she couldn't bring herself to share her plan to use her verbal battle with Gu Siqing to boost her profile and promote her new book. After all, it wasn't a very glorious thing to do.
"Besides, regarding the issue of Gu Siqing's readers, I think she did the right thing." Qi Xinhou added, "We are all writers. What should we do if those readers follow suit and come to us?"
Qi Xinhou's thoughts are almost the thoughts of all the authors. What happened to Gu Siqing today could happen to them tomorrow.
"But Gu Siqing is too reckless in doing things. Didn't I just write an article? Is it necessary for her to sue me?" Ling Pingying felt that Gu Siqing was too petty and was making a big deal out of nothing.
Qi Xinhou felt that although Ling Pingying had literary talent, she wasn't very bright in other areas and couldn't grasp the key points. What's the point of complaining now? Can you withdraw the lawsuit just by complaining to Gu Siqing?
"Let's not talk about this anymore," Qi Xinhou said. "Before coming here, I asked a lawyer about it. He said that in your case, there's a high chance you'll lose the case."
"What will happen if we lose the case?" Ling Pingying asked.
Qi Xinhou sighed, "The lawyer said it depends on what Gu Siqing wants. If she only asks you to pay compensation, it's not a big deal. But if she asks you to apologize in public..."
Qi Xinhou didn't say the rest, but Ling Pingying knew it too. If she apologized in public, she would be humiliated.
"What do you think I should do now?" Ling Pingying now truly realized the seriousness of the matter.
"You should take the initiative to reconcile with Gu Siqing." Qi Xinhou looked at Ling Pingying seriously and said, "Actually, there isn't much hatred between you two."
After all, there is no conflict of interest now, but it is hard to say whether there will be one in the future.
"Let me take the initiative to reconcile with her?" Ling Pingying's voice rose several degrees.
Qi Xinhou: "Do you think it's possible to let Gu Siqing reconcile with you?"
Ling Pingying fell silent again. Qi Xinhou moved closer to her and lowered his voice, saying, "Let's ask a few people in our circle to be peacemakers. It would be best if Gu Siqing agrees to reconcile. If she doesn't, she'll be in trouble in the future."
Ling Pingying understood Qi Xinhou's intention and asked, "Who should we ask to be the peacemaker?"
Qi Xinhou mentioned a few names and Ling Pingying laughed after hearing them.
Qi Xinhou whispered again, "'Zhi Tu' is written with incisive language, has profound ideas, and has a gripping story. It's clear that Gu Siqing put a lot of effort into this book, and she must be aiming for an award. The mediators we invited are all former award judges. If she dares to offend them, 'Zhi Tu' will have no future!"
Ling Pingying breathed a sigh of relief, as if she could see Gu Siqing's aggrieved expression as she couldn't handle her. To put it bluntly, Gu Siqing still didn't have enough experience!
Just as the two of them finished discussing it, the phone rang. Ling Pingying picked up the receiver and put it to her ear. She heard Fan's father's voice, "Writer Ling, what should we do if Gu Siqing sues us?"
Ling Pingying was about to ask them to apologize to Gu Siqing and then ask her to withdraw the lawsuit, but Qi Xinhou whispered to her, "Let them respond to the lawsuit."
Ling Pingying didn't know what Qi Xinhou meant, but she still said to Father Fan, "Gu Siqing was wrong in the first place. She won't win even if she sues you. She's just trying to scare you. Think about it, who would go to court over such a small matter? Don't worry, just ignore her, she'll drop the lawsuit on her own."
Mr. Fan was skeptical, but he was at a loss and didn't know what to do. He could only agree vaguely and then hung up the phone.
"Why let them sue Gu Siqing?" Ling Pingying asked Qi Xinhou.
"This is called killing a chicken to scare the monkeys," Qi Xinhou said. "If Gu Siqing wins this lawsuit, will readers still come to us at every turn in the future?"
Just think about how troublesome it is to meet a reader like Fan Yangbo.
After hearing his words, Ling Pingying suddenly realized and had to admit that she was indeed not as scheming as Qi Xinhou.
Here, Father Fan hung up the phone with a worried look on his face. Mother Fan asked him, "What did he say? What did Writer Ling say?"
Mother Fan's brows were knitted together. "She said we don't need to pay attention to Gu Siqing. She was just trying to scare us. If we ignored her, she would withdraw the lawsuit on her own."
"Is this true?" Fan's mother couldn't believe Ling Pingying's words. Who would use a lawsuit to scare someone? Going to court was such a big deal!
Mr. Fan took out another cigarette and smoked it silently. He didn't know what to do now. After finishing his cigarette, he said, "I seem to remember that the eldest son of your eldest brother's neighbor is a police officer at the police station, right? You can call and ask."
"Do the police understand this?" asked Fan's mother.
Mr. Fan: "The police are there to arrest people, they should understand."
"Call my eldest brother first and ask him." Fan's mother called her eldest brother and told him about the incident. After hearing it, Fan Yangbo's uncle scolded her:
"Yang Bo went to Kyoto to visit someone, and they provided him with food and lodging, isn't that enough? Now he broke his leg. Why should you hold them responsible? If it were me, I would sue you too!"
"I was so anxious back then, who knew things would turn out like this?" Fan's mother cried. "Brother, can you help me ask around? What should we do in this situation?"
"Okay, I'll ask for you."
After hanging up the phone, Fan's parents finally realized they had done something wrong. But when something happens, they naturally want others to take the blame. Isn't that how people are?
Uncle Fan Yangbo was very concerned about this matter and replied in the afternoon: "I asked someone to ask the court staff, and they said you have no chance of winning the lawsuit in your situation. They are not trying to scare you. It's troublesome for us to go to court, but it's not troublesome for them at all. They can just leave everything to the lawyers."
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