CHAPTER 164: CHAPTER 125: I KNOW THE LAW, HOW COULD I POSSIBLY SEND MYSELF TO JAIL?

When Shen Dao and his team had just arrived, Chen Ping saw that Qin Mu knew them and felt somewhat apprehensive. Fortunately, they handled it impartially, sticking to official affairs without making any arbitrary charges. Otherwise, he really couldn’t withstand an investigation... If they searched the store, they would find the first-prize lottery ticket. If the ticket was found and the time of issue matched... then he would be utterly defenseless. However, police investigations require evidence. To conduct a search, a search warrant is necessary.

"For this matter, it’s best if you settle it privately."

In the end, Shen Dao glanced at Qin Mu and, sticking to official procedures, chose to call off the investigation. He had always been a person of integrity, handling matters by the book. According to the local police station’s case filing regulations, a case can only be filed when sufficient evidence of a crime is present. Ordinary civil disputes do not meet the criteria to file a case. This case was different from the previous ones Qin Mu had reported to the police. The previous incidents, to a greater or lesser extent, had a criminal nature with ample evidence. As for this event, what they could do was merely to help both parties negotiate a resolution.

As the sound of the police siren gradually faded away, Chen Ping spoke again inside the lottery shop, "Young man, always leave a way out so that we may meet with a friendly face in the future."

"You saw it yourself; the officers want us to handle this ourselves."

"I graduated in law, so I’m not ignorant of it. I can tell you responsibly that bearer lottery tickets involve speculative behavior. Although it’s my mistake, if this blows up, you might not get any money back at all."

"How about this: fifty thousand, no more..."

He looked at Qin Mu, trying to continue to persuade him to reach a private compromise.

But Qin Mu just looked at him coldly and raised an eyebrow. "You graduated in law?"

As things progressed to this point, he had also realized that the other party was not like the legally uninformed or ordinary people he had encountered before. An average person... would definitely not know specialized legal terms like speculative behavior and speculative contracts. And, if such a legally knowledgeable person intended to break the law, it indeed could be difficult to protect one’s rights. They could, to a great extent... find loopholes in the law, making it impossible for others to do anything. Take this event, for instance; not even surveillance footage could be found. Without evidence, Captain Shen could do nothing but call off the investigation.

"Correct." Chen Ping straightened his posture and said with a hint of pride, "To be honest, I not only graduated in law, but in Jin City, I also know many lawyers, several of whom are my seniors! If you insist on suing in court, you won’t gain any advantage."

Upon hearing this, Qin Mu almost laughed out loud in exasperation. He hadn’t even filed a lawsuit yet, and the other side was already applying pressure.

"Since that’s the case, then wait for the subpoena."

When words fall on deaf ears, it’s better to save one’s breath. Qin Mu didn’t bother to argue further with Chen Ping and turned to leave the lottery shop.

Seeing the other party’s current stance... he definitely wouldn’t hand over the first prize. And swallowing grievances has never been his style; he could only proceed through the legal path for rights protection!

「Back home.」

Qin Mu took a deep breath and quickly calmed himself. Then he began frantically recalling relevant knowledge from his mind about the "Civil Code," "Economic Law," "Financial Litigation Law," and other laws, searching for a way to defend his rights in this case.

The reason for the incident... was mainly because he was in a hurry and didn’t wait in line to receive his ticket. This resulted in the lottery ticket ending up in the hands of the shop owner. With a seven million opportunity in hand, very few could resist the temptation. Moreover, the whole event took place inside the lottery shop. The other party had already deleted the surveillance records, increasing the difficulty of investigation and evidence gathering.

In fact, the other party’s actions were, more or less, suspected of being illegal and criminal. For example, the lottery ticket he paid for remained in the store’s possession, and their refusal to return it could constitute embezzlement of another’s property, a criminal offense. This is more serious than a civil dispute. But... it all came back to the old problem: the key issue was the lack of evidence of a crime.

By myself, I simply cannot confirm that the first-prize lottery ticket exists and that I own it, Qin Mu frowned, gradually sorting out his thoughts. The other party repeatedly claimed to have printed the wrong ticket. And printing the wrong ticket, an action occurring before the ticket is issued, indeed does not constitute a crime. Even if taken to court... the court would likely do the same as the police, opting to mediate between both parties. Because of speculative behavior, they would not award compensation of seven million for such an intangible winning possibility!

However, after organizing his thoughts, Qin Mu’s expression gradually brightened.

Every lottery ticket has a serial number and a record of the purchase payment time. The surveillance is privately installed by the lottery shop owner, but the serial number... that’s backend data from the lottery center. Chen Ping could not meddle with such backend data. Likewise, he himself couldn’t obtain this evidence. But the prosecutor’s office could!

With this thought, Qin Mu took a deep breath and began writing a lawsuit overnight.

The content of the suit... was naturally about the lottery dispute and the ownership of the first and fourth prizes.

Unlike the police station, as long as the factual basis for the dispute can be provided, courts generally accept civil dispute cases. And in his hands, he happened to have a fourth-prize lottery ticket. The numbers on this ticket... were very likely someone else’s. He couldn’t track down a specific person, but the prosecutor’s office could!

At the end of the lawsuit, he specifically added, "Since the other party is involved in the lottery industry, it is difficult for me to gather evidence. Therefore, I request the assistance of the prosecutor’s office in obtaining evidence."