Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 459 - 197 Borrowing Money Turned Into Fraud!_4

"DING DONG—"

Just then, the doorbell rang. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Has the takeout arrived already?"

Meng Lei was slightly surprised. His wife had clearly said she had just ordered the food. Confused, he walked to the door and opened it.

And... he encountered the same postal courier as last time.

"Hello, are you Meng Lei? Here’s your parcel, please sign for it."

After confirming his identity, the courier handed him a document. Meng Lei’s heart skipped a beat as he passively took it. A Yangcheng Court seal was affixed to the document.

This was already the third document he had received from the court this month. The first was a court summons, and the second was an enforcement notice from the court’s Enforcement Division.

"Doesn’t this ever stop? This Ma Ming is really crazy!" he cursed under his breath after signing for it, while opening the document.

By now, he was increasingly convinced that Ma Ming had a screw loose. For a mere eighteen yuan, Ma Ming had spent at least ten thousand yuan on this whole affair. If it were me, Meng Lei thought, I definitely wouldn’t engage in such a losing trade.

"Another summons?" Meng Lei suddenly froze after opening the document envelope. It seemed Ma Ming had sued him again!

Twice in one month! he thought. This even made the postal courier give him a strange look.

"I want to see what you’re suing me for this time!" he snorted coldly and opened the summons.

But after reading its contents, his complexion changed slightly. He stood there stunned for a good while before regaining his senses.

"Fraud... fraud?"

He swallowed hard, rubbed his eyes, and checked again. This time, the accusation was completely different. Last time, it was a lawsuit for money borrowed and not returned. But this time, the accusation was that he was suspected of fraud!

In the plaintiff section, there were no fewer than thirty-four people—all his former university classmates! The accompanying copy of the complaint listed all the actions for which he was accused of "fraud," including the various reasons he had used to borrow money!

The summons required his presence in the First Criminal Trial Court of the Yangcheng Court four days later, when the case would be officially heard.

"This... this... this..." Looking at the summons in his hand, Meng Lei felt his scalp tingle. I’ve been to university, he thought. I know how serious this summons is. If I lose the case... I might go to jail!

Fraud was a clear criminal offense, although he didn’t understand how merely failing to repay a loan could turn into fraud.

It looks like I need to find a lawyer, he thought, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down. In the previous case, for a mere eighteen yuan, I was reluctant to hire a lawyer. But this case... I have to find a lawyer. Without one, I feel too vulnerable.

With this thought, he hurriedly called his wife, Tian Shulan. "Hello? Honey, there’s a problem. Can you come back for a bit?"

"What happened?" Tian Shulan asked from the other end of the phone, pausing for a few seconds before speaking, somewhat breathlessly.

But Meng Lei’s expression darkened as he listened, because he inadvertently heard a man’s voice in the background.

He squinted and said again, "Ma Ming has sued me again. This time I need a lawyer, but I don’t have any money. Can you come back for a bit?"

Right now, I’ve transferred all my savings, cash, and fixed assets like my house and car to Tian Shulan. I’m truly penniless. Even for food, Tian Shulan has to order takeout for me. If I want to hire a lawyer, I need Tian Shulan to pay for it, he thought.

"Hiring a lawyer?" After more than ten seconds, Tian Shulan finally spoke from the other end. "Do you know how expensive a lawyer is right now? With the high cost of living in Yangcheng, can’t you just handle it like the last lawsuit? Why waste money like that?"

Her tone was full of reluctance; she clearly didn’t want to hire a lawyer at all. She even brought up the last lawsuit, where they hadn’t hired a lawyer for a dispute over a mere eighteen yuan.

"But this lawsuit... might land me in jail," Meng Lei gritted his teeth and said again.