Chapter 76: Chapter 76: He wasn’t even injured, on what grounds can he sue?
While customer service was busy calling various property owners, Gao Feng was in Apartment 1803, Unit 2, Building 10, rubbing his temples against a splitting headache. Scattered beer bottles littered the area around his sofa; he had finished the two cases he’d bought earlier. But Yanzi... she had still left with someone else.
Gao Feng sighed deeply, reluctantly accepting this reality. The other man was taller, more handsome, and wealthier; Yanzi had simply made the most sensible choice.
I hope that person treats Yanzi better. Yanzi... you must be happy.
He picked up his phone and scrolled to Yanzi’s photo in the album. He gently caressed Yanzi’s face, his eyes unconsciously reddening again.
But he felt... There could be no one in the world who would treat Yanzi better than him. After leaving him, Yanzi might realize she was wrong and then come back to him.
For this reason, he decided not to date anyone for ten years, waiting for Yanzi to return.
Just then, his phone rang. DING-A-LING!
The caller ID showed Mountain and Water Garden’s property management center.
"Why would property management call me?" Gao Feng muttered, head down, but still answered the call.
"Hello, is this the owner of Apartment 1803, Unit 2, Building 10? This is Mountain and Water Garden’s property management center."
"It’s regarding a serious high-altitude littering incident that occurred in the complex last night. The victim has reported it to the police and filed a lawsuit. If you were the one who threw something, we hope you can come forward and take responsibility for your actions."
"If not, could you please tell us where you were around 8:27 last night?"
A sweet voice came from the phone.
Gao Feng listened and couldn’t help but frown. He had been drinking at home all last night, nearly blacking out. He vaguely remembered tossing a beer bottle off the balcony. Property management had issued a warning in the group chat at the time, and he recalled that it seemed no one was injured.
"Reported to the police and pressing charges?" Gao Feng swallowed and asked.
"Yes, the victim plans to sue the entire building of Unit 2. Were you at home at the time?" the customer service representative replied.
Suing the entire building? Didn’t they say no one was injured? Over such a trivial matter, he’s suing the entire building? Gao Feng’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Even when questioned by property management, he didn’t admit to being the one who threw the bottle. In his view, he was just drunk; overwhelming grief had driven him to toss the bottle outside. Besides, no one was even injured. There was absolutely no need to admit to such a trivial thing. Admitting it could even lead to a fine from property management. After all, signs prohibiting high-altitude littering were posted throughout the complex. He was just an ordinary office worker, earning less than 3,000 yuan a month. How could he afford a fine?
The sweet, clear voice of the customer service representative continued through the phone, "Yes, the victim is preparing to sue the entire building. Please cooperate with our property management so we can quickly identify the culprit."
But Gao Feng had already lost his patience. "I didn’t throw any bottle!" he said, annoyed. "Are you trying to scare me? No one was injured! If he wants to sue, let him sue. Does he think the court can arrest everyone in the whole building?"
With that, he hung up the phone.
Tossing his phone onto the sofa, Gao Feng couldn’t help but curse, "Such a troublemaker! No one was even hurt. What right does he have to sue?"
He didn’t believe a word property management had said. They’re definitely just trying to scare me. A normal person wouldn’t think of suing an entire building if no one was injured. That’s utterly insane.
Damn it! I overslept! There goes this month’s 100 yuan perfect attendance bonus!
Then, fully awake, he glanced at the time and saw it was already 10 a.m. His expression changed instantly, and panic set in. His salary was already meager, just 3,000 yuan. Losing that 100 yuan perfect attendance bonus... it made his already difficult life even harder. Waiting for Yanzi to return now seemed like a distant, unattainable dream.
「2 p.m. Property Management Center, Customer Service Department.」
"Manager He, all the information provided by the residents of Building 10, Unit 2, has been compiled here. We still haven’t found the person who threw the object," a customer service staff member reported.
He Bimin looked at the documents, his face ashen. Things were just as he had expected. After dozens of calls, some homeowners cooperated, while others didn’t. As for the culprit... no one had come forward to admit it. Even though he had instructed customer service to explain that the victim was suing the entire building, it had been useless. Most homeowners scoffed at the idea of suing an entire building; they didn’t believe it. They felt that since they hadn’t thrown anything, it had nothing to do with them.
It’s already afternoon. Qin Mu... surely he hasn’t actually gone to court? He Bimin swallowed nervously, his anxiety growing.
The difference between suing one person and suing an entire building was immense.
After much deliberation, he took out his phone and called Qin Mu.
"Hello? Hello, is this Mr. Qin?"
"Here’s the situation: our property management has been conducting a thorough investigation today, trying to find the culprit as soon as possible. I sincerely hope you won’t sue all the homeowners in the building. We’re all neighbors; we see each other all the time..." He tried his best to sound deferential.
However, Qin Mu replied coolly, "I already submitted the complaint this morning, and I’ve hired a lawyer. We’ll let the court handle the rest."
Hearing this, He Bimin’s expression turned grim. Qin Mu seemed very knowledgeable about filing lawsuits. In just one day, he had prepared everything and even submitted the complaint to the court.
This high-altitude littering incident within the community... was clearly about to become a major issue.
"Manager He, what do we do now?" a customer service agent asked. "Should we keep calling?"
"Keep calling!" He Bimin gritted his teeth and said in a low, firm voice. "Explain the situation to the homeowners clearly, multiple times! We have to find the culprit before the summonses are issued!"
These homeowners, and the culprit himself, still hadn’t realized the severity of the situation. This morning, he had specifically consulted a professional lawyer. If the culprit couldn’t be identified, the victim could indeed sue an entire building, provided there were valid reasons and charges.
His only hope now was that their persuasion would compel the culprit to come forward. Otherwise, an entire building of homeowners becoming defendants and appearing in court... The thought of it was too preposterous. It would also cause enormous damage to the reputation of their real estate development company and property management.
「Meanwhile. Nursing Home.」
Qin Mu hung up the phone, ending the call with He Bimin. He couldn’t help but mutter, "So now they’re eager to investigate. What were they doing before?"
Yesterday, when he was nearly hit by the beer bottle, property management had been evasive and shirked responsibility. They had merely posted an announcement in the group chat. Complete inaction. They had also kept trying to persuade him to drop the matter and maintain peace—an attitude he found truly disgusting.