This person is clearly a male protagonist in a female-oriented novel, yet he is excessively lucid.

The afternoon sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

Yu Chenzhou sat quietly at his desk, his fingertips lightly tracing the newly completed painting, his gaze focused and distant, as he softly sighed:

"It seems that the more you use it, the more proficient you become. When I was painting this picture, I was obviously more skilled than before."

Just then, a sudden, urgent cell phone ring broke the silence of the study.

Yu Chenzhou withdrew his gaze from the painting and casually picked up his phone, which was lying to the side.

Caller ID: Qin Jin

At this moment, Qin Jin suddenly called. Yu Chenzhou thought for a moment and figured it was probably about the lawsuit he had previously entrusted with.

Without hesitation, he swiped his finger across the screen to answer the call and asked calmly:

"Attorney Qin, is there anything I need to cooperate with regarding the case?"

Qin Jin's slightly solemn voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Mr. Yu, the case you entrusted has been officially accepted by the court."

However, after the court issued the summons, a special circumstance was discovered—one of our defendants was a minor.

At this point, Qin Jin paused before adding more.

"Given the special nature of the minor's status, the court contacted us specifically to inquire whether it was necessary to initiate a special procedure for this minor."

As soon as Qin Jin finished speaking, the calm on Yu Chenzhou's face vanished instantly.

He was genuinely surprised to find that there were minors among the defendants, and his brows furrowed involuntarily. His tone, tinged with surprise and seriousness, asked in return:

"A minor?"

Yu Chenzhou repeated the word, his questioning tone becoming more urgent.

Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? How old is it exactly?

"It's a boy, 17 years old, a local of Shanghai, and he's about to take the college entrance exam."

Qin Jin's voice came through clearly.

"I have his basic information here, which was provided by the court."

Judging from the court's stance, they prefer that we remove this minor from the indictment list to avoid unnecessary controversy.

"At 17, and still taking the college entrance exam..."

Yu Chenzhou repeated softly, his tone tinged with contemplation.

This age and status instantly silenced Yu Chenzhou.

He knew all too well that the college entrance examination was one of the most crucial turning points in a student's life, and any slight disturbance during this period could affect the candidate's mindset and performance.

more importantly.

The dual identity of "minor" and "college entrance examination candidate" is extremely sensitive. If not handled properly, it is easy to be swayed by external forces and even put pressure on oneself in the face of public opinion.

Yu Chenzhou leaned back on the sofa, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the armrest, lost in thought for a full half minute.

He looked up at the window and said firmly:

"Attorney Qin, do you have time now? Let's talk in person."

This matter involves minors, and there are too many details. I must understand everything clearly before I can make a final decision.

"I have time, of course I have time."

Qin Jin responded immediately.

"Okay, send me your address, and I'll head over there right now so we can discuss this in person."

"Perfect timing! The court issued the withdrawal ruling after Jia Zongzheng withdrew the lawsuit; I'll take it to you then."

The two quickly arranged a meeting place over the phone.

It's a casual restaurant near Yu Chenzhou's residential area. The environment here is quiet and convenient for conversation.

After hanging up the phone, Yu Chenzhou got up, tidied himself up quickly, picked up his coat and keys, and walked straight out of the house.

Half an hour later, in the private room of the home-style restaurant, Yu Chenzhou had just sat down when Qin Jin pushed open the door and walked in.

He greeted Yu Chenzhou as he walked to the table, sat down, opened his briefcase, took out two documents, handed them to Yu Chenzhou, and explained:

"After receiving the notice from the court, we immediately launched a supplementary investigation into the minor."

One of the two documents is the ruling to withdraw the case against Jia Zongzheng.

Originally, Jia Zongzheng's image had only been damaged, but this incident led to personnel and industry penalties from the China Artists Association, and netizens in the calligraphy and painting circles spontaneously boycotted him.

As a result, his live stream has been banned, and the live stream platform he works with is also investigating him for violations and other issues.

Please consider whether we should continue to pursue this matter.

The other document is the information you requested. It includes not only official court records but also additional information found by our team. You can take a look at it first.

Yu Chenzhou's gaze then fell on the documents Qin Jin handed over.

He first glanced at the thin document, which was only a few pages long.

It was the ruling to withdraw the case against Jia Zongzheng. The content simply confirmed that the withdrawal process was legal and valid. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about it, so he casually put it aside and accepted it.

"Jia Zongzheng is nothing but a clown. Since he has lost the traffic he relied on for survival, there is no point in me continuing to pursue the matter. Let's just leave it at that."

Then, he picked up another document, which was more than ten pages long, and carefully looked through it.

The first page of the document contains the minor's file information:

Name: Qi Yao.

Based on the birth date on his ID card, he is indeed only 17 years old, a clear minor.

Next is the official information, which isn't very interesting.

Scroll down further to find the core evidence collected by Qin Jin's team.

Qi Yao used the phone numbers of his parents and grandmother to register multiple accounts.

They then used these accounts to continuously post thousands of insulting and abusive comments against Yu Chenzhou and ink painting on various well-known social media platforms and in the comment sections of related news articles.

These remarks were extremely aggressive, filled with contempt and belittling of ink painting and insults against Yu Chenzhou.

He bluntly stated that ink wash painting is "cultural garbage that cannot be presented in a formal setting" and "does not deserve to be called art at all."

The language used was extremely vulgar and offensive, even containing personal attacks against the creators of ink paintings, making it utterly unbearable to read.

Yu Chenzhou flipped through the compiled screenshots of comments page by page, his expression gradually darkening.

He turned to the last page of the document, looked up at Qin Jin, his brow still furrowed, and asked in a serious tone:

"Can we be 100% certain that these statements were made by him personally?"

Is it possible that his family posted it, trying to exploit his status as a minor to evade responsibility?

Upon hearing this, Qin Jin answered without hesitation, his tone firm:

"You can rest assured about that; we have already verified it thoroughly."

The login IP addresses of these three accounts are highly overlapping, and the style of their posts and core viewpoints are completely consistent. It has been confirmed through technical means that they are operated by the same person.

In addition, we carefully reviewed the historical activity of these three accounts and found that, in addition to attacking ink paintings, they also attacked traditional Chinese ink paintings.

He also frequently made derogatory remarks about Eastern classical culture in other discussions, revealing a deep-seated and profound prejudice against it.

"It's more than just prejudice."

Yu Chenzhou put down the document, pointed heavily at the screenshots of those comments with his finger, and spoke with a hint of anger.

"He cursed me so filthyly and viciously, anyone who didn't know better would think I had a blood feud with him, like he killed my father or stole my wife."

This isn't just simple prejudice; it's blatant discrimination!

Yu Chenzhou took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. After thinking for a moment, a hint of doubt arose in his eyes, and he asked curiously:

"Have you found out why he has such extreme views?"

Is it due to family influence, or other reasons?

Qin Jin shook his head, a hint of helplessness on his face, and said:

"We cannot find out the specific reason yet."

The court refused to provide us with more personal information about him, citing the need to "protect the privacy of minors."

His parents were very vigilant.

Moreover, since minors are involved, we dare not conduct an in-depth investigation rashly.

As you know, being a minor is a sensitive topic, and with him about to take the college entrance exam, these two identities combined make it a "minefield" that cannot be touched.

The slightest oversight could backfire and cause trouble for our case.

After hearing Qin Jin's words, Yu Chenzhou was suddenly amused and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

He originally thought that after he launched this class-action lawsuit, the first to get restless would be those bloggers and internet celebrities who rely on traffic and popularity for a living.

Unexpectedly, the first person to surface was a student who was not yet an adult.

Yu Chenzhou picked up the document again, his gaze sweeping over the vile and abusive words once more, a chill spreading slowly in his eyes.

He was silent for a moment, then abruptly closed the file.

He slammed his hand on the table with a "thud," and said in a deep, powerful voice:

"Attorney Qin, we shouldn't lower our standards for protecting rights just because he is a minor."

The law protects minors to guide them onto the right path, not to condone their reckless behavior and harm to others.

Since his parents want to protect his privacy, then let them protect it properly.

They were unwilling to provide information, and I didn't force them, but I will not shirk any responsibility that should be pursued.

Since they can't provide a mitigating reason, we will handle this strictly according to legal procedures.

Please tell Qi Yao's guardian that, don't think I'm being unreasonable. Considering he's still a minor and needs to take the college entrance exam, I can give them a chance to mediate. Beyond that, there's no possibility of compromise.

In fact, Yu Chenzhou knew very well that there was no need to waste words with those who were timid and submissive in real life but could only vent their emotions, seek a sense of existence, and maliciously insult others online.

But Qi Yao's situation is too special.

The label of "minor + college entrance examination candidate" carries a strong sense of public empathy.

If he takes an overly tough stance and refuses to soften his stance in the slightest, the outside world will likely stand on the moral high ground and accuse him of "bullying the child" and "ruining the candidate's future."

Then a barrage of insults will follow, and even if he is right, he won't be able to explain himself clearly.

Furthermore, judges, due to their own lack of empathy, may subconsciously favor the other side during the trial.

Seeing Yu Chenzhou's resolute expression, Qin Jin immediately understood his thoughts, nodded solemnly, and replied in a serious tone:

"Okay, Mr. Yu, I understand!"

I will contact Qi Yao's guardian as soon as possible and accurately convey your message to them.

After settling the matter with Qi Yao, Qin Jin produced a litigation progress schedule and gave Yu Chenzhou a detailed report on the other defendants, including the progress of evidence collection and document service.

As they ate, the two continued to discuss the details of the case's progress, and the atmosphere in the private room gradually changed from tense to calm.