Finding "Bystander A"

At 10:00 AM, on the 17th floor of the Dongbei headquarters building, in the public relations department's office area.

The air was filled with the smells of coffee and printer toner. Xiao Liu sat at her workstation, eyes glued to the screen, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She was compiling last night's public opinion briefing—the service area video's data had surged again, with over 40,000 likes and nearly 8,000 comments.

"Xiao Liu," Li Li's voice came from behind.

Xiao Liu immediately turned around. "Sister Li."

"Any progress on the license plate issue?" Li Li asked, holding a thermos cup with steam rising from it. She looked a little tired, with heavy bags under her eyes, probably because she hadn't slept well last night.

"Investigating." Xiao Liu opened another window, which contained a folder of screenshots. "Last night I contacted the service area management and said I needed to cooperate with the police investigation into a dispute. They granted me access to the surveillance footage—but only the camera at the parking lot entrance."

"What did you see?"

"That car." Xiao Liu zoomed in on one of the screenshots. The image was taken from above, clearly showing a black Volkswagen SUV driving into the parking lot. The driver's side window was half-open, and the figures inside were blurry. "The time is 3:17 PM, which basically matches the time the two people in the video entered the store. The car model is Volkswagen Tiguan L, with temporary license plates, but..."

"But what?"

"But the license plate is unclear." Xiao Liu then opened another screenshot, showing the vehicle after it had come to a complete stop in the parking lot. "The temporary license plate is affixed to the inside of the car, and the windshield is heavily reflective, so I can only see that it's a temporary plate, not the specific number. Moreover, it's an out-of-province temporary plate, not a local one."

Li Li leaned closer to the screen, squinted at it for a few seconds, and said, "What about ETC? There are ETC records at highway exits now; you can check the license plate number."

"I asked," Xiao Liu said, pulling up his chat history with the highway management. "They said that ETC records involve personal privacy and cannot be provided unless the police issue a letter of assistance. I tried to say that we are a company and want to investigate the person who maliciously defamed us, but they said no, we must go through the proper procedures."

"Police assistance..." Li Li frowned. What Chairman Zheng wanted was to "find the person immediately." Going through the police process would take at least a few days, and there was no guarantee that a case would be filed—after all, it was just a customer review, not a criminal case.

"Is there any other way?"

Xiao Liu bit his lip. "I was thinking... could we check from the temporary license plate itself? Temporary license plates are also issued by the vehicle management office, they have a number, and they're in records. If we could get the temporary license plate number, we could find out which vehicle management office issued it, and then..."

"Then go to the vehicle management office to check the records?" Li Li shook her head. "Even more difficult. The vehicle management office's system is stricter than the highway's."

"Well..." Xiao Liu fell silent.

Li Li stared at the black SUV on the screen and remained silent for a while. Chairman Zheng had made it clear at the meeting yesterday. "I don't care about the process, I only care about the result." If she couldn't produce progress today, she wouldn't be able to explain herself at the morning meeting.

"Okay," she straightened up, "You continue to keep in touch with the service area and the highway authorities, see if you can find other channels—for example, say that we suspect those two are professional counterfeiters who frequently cause trouble at service area shops, and we want to retrieve more surveillance footage. Be polite, and if necessary, you can... show your sincerity."

Xiao Liu understood what "showing sincerity" meant. She nodded. "I understand."

"Also," Li Li added, "Send these screenshots to Director Zhao and tell him about the current difficulties. Also, send him clear screenshots of these two people's faces as well, and see if we can use facial recognition technology."

"Facial recognition? That would require integration with the public security system..."

"Director Zhao has connections." Li Li didn't say much more, "Send it over first."

"Good."

Li Li carried her thermos back to her office. Before closing the door, she glanced back at Xiao Liu: "I need to see something substantial before noon. Chairman Zheng will ask about it this afternoon."

"Understood, Sister Li."

At the same time, in an old office building in the west of the city.

Zhou Wenyuan had just finished a case discussion meeting and returned to his office. Files were spread out on his desk, and a draft equity transfer agreement was on his computer screen. He sat down, rubbed his temples, and picked up his phone to check messages.

He had several unread messages, mostly work-related communications from clients or colleagues. One message from an unknown number caught his attention:

"Hello Lawyer Zhou, I am Wang, a specialist from the Legal Department of Dongbei Catering Group. I would like to discuss some matters concerning your assistant, Mr. Lin Feng. Please call me back at 138xxxxxxx when convenient."

Zhou Wenyuan stared at the text message for three seconds.

Dongbei Catering. He remembered the name. A few days ago, Lin Feng had mentioned it casually, commenting on the food at a service area restaurant, which was then filmed and posted as a video by a blogger. Lin Feng's exact words at the time were, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Now, the other party has come knocking on his door, and they've come directly to him.

Zhou Wenyuan didn't call back immediately. He first opened a webpage and searched for "Dongbei Catering Service Area Video". The first result was that 15-second short video, which had over 40,000 likes. He clicked on it, watched it, and then browsed the comments section, roughly understanding what had happened.

Then he opened Weibo and found Dongbei Catering's official account. The latest post was a statement released last night, worded officially, but the meaning was clear: We use fresh ingredients, the video content is untrue, and we reserve the right to pursue legal action.

Zhou Wenyuan closed the webpage, picked up the landline phone, and dialed Lin Feng's mobile phone.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Lawyer Zhou." Lin Feng's voice came from a quiet background.

"Someone from Dongbei Catering contacted me," Zhou Wenyuan said bluntly. "They said they're from the legal department and want to discuss your matter with me."

There was a second of silence on the other end of the phone. "What is it?"

"The video of you reviewing their food has been uploaded online. They might be looking for you."

What do you want with me?

"Usually, they demand the removal of the video, a public apology, or a lawyer's letter," Zhou Wenyuan said. "Judging from their statements, their attitude is quite tough."

Lin Feng hummed in response, his tone unreadable. "And then?"

"I haven't called back yet. Do you need me to find out their specific demands?"

"No need," Lin Feng said decisively. "It's a private consumer review and doesn't involve legal issues. If they contact you again, just refuse."

"Okay." Zhou Wenyuan paused. "Besides, how did they know I'm your lawyer?"

"They must have checked the license plate." Lin Feng's voice remained calm. "The temporary license plate I had that day was issued under the law firm's name. It wasn't difficult for them to find the law firm through the license plate, and then find you."

Do you need me to process the license plate information?

"No need, the car has already been transferred to new ownership and has been given official license plates."

"I understand," Zhou Wenyuan said. "So, what's your stance on this matter?"

"Ignore them," Lin Feng said. "They'll cause trouble for a few days, get nowhere, and then naturally give up."

"Understood."

The call ended. Zhou Wenyuan put down the receiver, his gaze falling on the equity transfer agreement on the table, but his thoughts were still on the conversation.

Lin Feng's approach is very much in line with his style: he doesn't provoke trouble, but he's not afraid when trouble comes. Moreover, his judgment is accurate—in these kinds of situations, companies usually apply pressure first, and if the other party is tough, they will weigh the costs themselves. The probability of actually going to court over a customer review is very low.

However, Dongbei's reaction seems a bit excessive. Most companies facing such a small-scale public opinion crisis would at most issue a statement or contact the blogger to delete the post. Directly contacting the person involved's lawyer... this action either indicates a strong concern for brand reputation or a guilty conscience.

Zhou Wenyuan picked up his phone and replied to the text message:

"Received. Mr. Lin Feng's behavior is a subjective evaluation after personal consumption and does not constitute infringement in a legal sense. We have no intention of communicating on this matter. Please do not disturb us further."

Click send.

Almost simultaneously, his phone rang. The caller ID showed the number from the text message.

Zhou Wenyuan waited for the phone to ring three times before answering. "Hello?"

"Hello, Lawyer Zhou, this is Wang Qian from Dongbei's legal department." It was the same woman's voice, speaking even faster than when she called Yang Xiaoming yesterday, "Regarding the text message our company sent you..."

"I saw it," Zhou Wenyuan interrupted her, his tone flat. "And I replied. Mr. Lin Feng has no obligation to communicate with your company regarding his personal consumption experiences. If your company believes his remarks infringe on your rights, you can resolve this through legal channels."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, clearly not expecting Zhou Wenyuan to be so direct.

"Lawyer Zhou, you may not understand the seriousness of this matter." Wang Qian adjusted her tone, trying to remain professional. "That video has already circulated significantly online, causing substantial damage to our company's reputation. Mr. Lin Feng's remarks have gone beyond the scope of ordinary customer evaluation; they are clearly misleading and offensive..."

"Commissioner Wang," Zhou Wenyuan interrupted her again, "First, the video was filmed and released by a third-party blogger; Mr. Lin Feng did not actively disseminate it. Second, his comments are a personal description of the dish's taste, falling within the scope of the right to 'supervise and criticize goods and services' as stipulated in Article 15 of the Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law. Third, if your company believes that the statement 'It's normal for the quality to be slightly inferior' constitutes misleading or offensive, you bear the burden of proof to demonstrate that the dish's quality was not 'slightly inferior,' and that Mr. Lin Feng acted with malicious intent."

He finished speaking in one breath, his pace was slow, but every word was clear and forceful.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

"Lawyer Zhou," Wang Qian's voice lowered, carrying a hint of coldness, "We are communicating with you in an attitude of reconciliation. Going through legal proceedings would not benefit either party. Especially Mr. Lin Feng —he is still young, and if he has a litigation record because of this, it could affect his career development. You are a lawyer, you should understand this better than I do."

Zhou Wenyuan's lips curled up slightly, but it was a cold smile.

"Commissioner Wang, are you threatening my client?"

"No, I'm just stating the possible consequences."

"Okay," Zhou Wenyuan said. "Then let me also state the possible consequences. If your company continues to harass my client, or files unnecessary lawsuits regarding this matter, we reserve the right to countersue you for defamation and malicious litigation. Furthermore, your company's act of contacting me through my license plate information without my consent constitutes an infringement of my personal information. If your company wishes to continue communication on this matter, please send formal legal correspondence to our law firm. My client and I will consider whether to respond."

He paused, then added, "Finally, please convey my message to your company's management: a restaurant's reputation depends on its food and service, not on intimidating customers and lawyers. Goodbye."

After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

The office fell silent again. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting stripes of light and shadow on the solid wood floor.

Zhou Wenyuan put his phone on the table, picked up his thermos, and took a sip of water.

Then he reopened his computer, opened the equity transfer agreement, and began to modify the terms.

It was as if that phone call was just an insignificant interlude.

Dongbei Headquarters, Legal Department Office.

Wang Qian put down the phone, her expression not looking good.

My colleague across from me looked up. "What? The talks fell through?"

"Hmm." Wang Qian rubbed her temples. "The opposing lawyer was very tough, telling us to take legal action and even threatening to sue us for infringing on our personal information."

"So assertive?" My colleague was a little surprised. "Who is this guy?"

"He's an ordinary lawyer at a law firm named Zhou Wenyuan. I looked him up; he's somewhat well-known locally, but not a big shot," Wang Qian said. "The main problem is his client— Lin Feng —who's very adamant and doesn't want to talk to me at all."

"Then what should we do? Really sue?"

"Sue my ass." Wang Qian cursed. "Just for a sentence like 'It's normal for the quality to be a little worse'? I'd be begging for a beating if the judge even accepted the case. Besides, the opposing lawyer is right, customer reviews are protected, and it's very difficult for us to prove his malicious intent."

"What about Chairman Zheng...?"

"Just report the facts," Wang Qian sighed. "Just say the other party is uncooperative, the lawyer is very tough, and we suggest handling this calmly."

Will Chairman Zheng agree?

"I don't know." Wang Qian looked out the window. From this angle, she could see the sunlight reflecting off the glass curtain wall of the building across the street, so bright it hurt her eyes.

She recalled how Chairman Zheng had lost his temper at the meeting yesterday.

"Find him and make him apologize publicly. If he refuses, then let our lawyers talk to him."

Now, the lawyer has spoken with them.

The result was a rebuttal.

She picked up her phone, found "Secretary Chairman Zheng" in her contacts, hesitated for a few seconds, and then dialed the number.

"Secretary Liu, this is Wang Qian from the Legal Department. I'd like to report the progress of the service area video issue to Chairman Zheng..."