The middle-aged woman shouted loudly, "I don't want to go to the court; you and those judges are in cahoots, colluding to bully us, the common folk." Then she turned to the onlookers and said, "Don't you all think this makes sense?"
The bystanders started to feel there was some logic to her words and began nodding.
Seeing the middle-aged woman start to agitate the spectators, Yan Fei frowned, exerted force in his legs, broke free from the woman, and returned home. He called the police again, and Huang Pu and Miao Hong arrived once more, dispersed the crowd, and then took the middle-aged woman and the little boy to the police station for questioning.
In the evening, Yan Fei received news that the middle-aged woman, named Wang Xiaohong, was indeed related to the neighbors who had moved away years before. It turned out that the family had later contracted a severe contagious disease and almost all had perished, leaving only Wang Xiaohong, and the little boy was indeed her grandson. Once at the police station, Wang Xiaohong's attitude underwent a complete change, cooperating with the police in every way. After receiving legal education from the police, Wang Xiaohong, having completed her statement, left with the child.
Yan Fei was greatly vexed; he hadn't expected the trouble-making middle-aged woman to truly be from that family. His father had taken only five square meters of their land years ago and had even paid a substantial compensation, which had been notarized. But now that they were causing trouble again, the situation was somewhat difficult to handle.
Although China now governed according to the law, during some civil disputes, practical situations and social impact were still considered, mainly relying on the parties themselves to negotiate a solution. Coupled with the widespread sympathy for the underdog, Wang Xiaohong appeared to be a weak party, single-handedly raising a little grandson, which inevitably made people want to help her.
As Yan Fei feared, the videos that had been uploaded to the short video websites began to ferment. With the promptings of some with ulterior motives, several verified account internet influencers joined in. They portrayed Wang Xiaohong's plight in the videos as unbearably tragic, disregarding the facts and completely ignoring the several documents of evidence Yan Fei had presented, sharing them far and wide. This caused these videos to go viral, drawing a large crowd of people unaware of the truth, condemning the Yan Family, and successfully turning the incident into a hot internet topic.
The next day, Wang Xiaohong actually returned with the little boy. There were also dozens of so-called human rights fighters who had seen the videos on the internet and specially came from the city area to help the orphan and widow defend their rights. There was even a lawyer from some association who said he would help Wang Xiaohong sue Yan Fei for free.
These people surrounded Yan Fei's building, holding banners that read "Return our building, we need to eat," and every time someone tried to enter or leave the building, they would swarm around them, shouting slogans into their ears, causing Yan Fei's residents much annoyance. Yan Fei called the police again and as soon as the officers arrived, these people distanced themselves from Yan Fei's courtyard, nodding repeatedly to the police warnings, but the moment the police left, they would gather again and chant slogans.
On the third day, incredibly, three tenants requested to cancel their leases. Yan Fei observed coldly, promptly refunding the rental deposits and the remaining rent to these three tenants. Lü Yangyang and Su Yan, on the other hand, showed great loyalty; they not only comforted Yan Fei but also tried to help by mobilizing their colleagues to clarify the facts on the internet. However, as minor company clerks, what power did they have to dispel rumors? Facing the ferocious online army, they would be fortunate to escape without being viciously attacked.
On the fifth day, Yan Fei had completely mastered the new strength within his body. Meanwhile, the clamor for the building outside grew more intense, with the addition of many so-called justice advocates and internet live-streamers looking to gain attention, as well as a number of fierce-looking tattooed men. Although these people quickly disappeared when the police arrived, as soon as the officers left, they would reappear, loudly cursing at Yan Fei's building and even splashing red paint on the building's walls, inscribing slogans such as "Unscrupulous profiteer, return my building, I demand my rights."
But while their slogans were loud, none truly brought a case against Yan Fei to the court, which left him profoundly disappointed, as he had hoped to resolve the issue through legal channels.