Chapter 8: Context
After Qiong Cang saw Xiang Qingxi's financial subsidy, she felt that the situation in that dormitory was a bit strange.
Xiang Qingxi had such a high financial subsidy, but she lived a very simple life. It was difficult for an average young girl to resist buying some beautiful things if her financial conditions permit, unless she had a very strong sense of crisis or financial management.
Qiong Cang was going to borrow some money from Xiang Qingxi to test it out, but it was difficult to find a reason to borrow money from an impoverished student. She was still thinking about the words she should say when He Jueyun came with a result.
He Jueyun: Yes.
He Jueyun: Have you eaten? I suggest you eat first.
Qiong Cang: Not hungry.
He Jueyun: Then I’ll say it.
He Jueyun: Among the impoverished students recommended to prestigious schools this year, there is one named Xu Manyan. Her track record has been good. Xiang Qingxi was even worse and didn't get a spot. But judging from Xiang Qingxi's monthly exam results, it is not difficult for her to get into the school by herself.
He Jueyun: The other party also gave me a list of impoverished students, which was interesting. 【Picture·Screenshot】
He Jueyun: Among the specially recruited poor students in No. 1 Middle School, there is a big gap in the ratio of men to women. For this year's senior class, the male-to-female ratio is 1:5. In previous years, it probably fluctuated between 1:6 and 1:7.
He Jueyun: According to the No. 1 Middle School, the situation of girls among impoverished students is much more difficult than that of the boys. In compulsory education, girls’ scores are generally better than boys. So something like this happened.
Qiong Cang: That makes sense.
Qiong Cang didn't feel that the above content could affect her appetite, so then, the following content was the most critical part.
He Jueyun: Because it involves the school, I just checked the police records of our bureau. In August of the previous year, the police station received a call from a graduate of No. 1 Middle School. The other party claimed that she had been threatened and sexually assaulted by school leaders and had suffered from improper relationships for many years. It was also reported that the school’s recommendation mechanism was faked and the school leaders were suspected of exchanging them with benefits.
He Jueyun: The person who called the police did not leave her name. The police followed the phone number and found her. However, she behaved in a panic. She changed her confession several times and later regretted, saying she wanted to withdraw the case. In the end, she said that it was because she did not get a place for admission to the university, so she maliciously framed the school leaders and did not want them to have an easy time.
Qiong Cang: Didn’t the police continue to investigate?
He Jueyun: The police asked several other impoverished students, and they all said they had not encountered similar situations. We also asked other teachers and students in the school for their statements, and they all expressed that they did not believe such accusations. And because there was really no evidence, we didn’t continue.
Qiong Cang: Oh.
He Jueyun: In addition to government funding, the sources of subsidies for poor students in No. 1 Middle School include donations from community members and the school's own subsidies. If someone designated a donation to a certain student, it would not be surprising for Xiang Qingxi to receive this amount of money.
He Jueyun took the cold coffee on the table and took a sip.
When the matter moved from school bullying among students to impoverished students at the bottom of society, and finally to the school itself, his keen intuition and rich experience made him subconsciously resist.
The deeper you think about it, the more disgusting you feel. It was as if a pool of bubbling, stinky black mud had been dug out, making people nauseous as long as they stepped into it.
There were class differences and cross-dimensional blows. It was the humbleness of minors and the cunning of the adults*.
*The original text said 社会人, translated as social people. It’s a Chinese slang, refers to those who step into society and understand the dangers. It is often used to describe people who have seen the world, have rich social experience, and understood the viciousness of society.
He Jueyun himself did not smoke, but out of character needs, he always carries a pack of cigarettes with him. At this time, he looked at the red cigarette box on the corner of the table and had the urge to light one.
He needed to do something to distract himself from his emotions and keep himself calm.
He Jueyun: A bold assumption. If the contents of the report are true and Tian Yun committed suicide because of this - or it may not be suicide - then this year's recommended student Xu Manyan is likely to be related to the case. Zhou Nansong had a very good relationship with Tian Yun. Perhaps she knew something from Tian Yun's mouth, and was stimulated by Tian Yun's death. She suffered a depression and chose to commit suicide in the same place. In order to cover up, the school deliberately shifted the focus and responsibility to Wang Dongyan.
He Jueyun: Xiang Qingxi was very beautiful, and both Zhou Nansong and Tian Yun had contact with her before their deaths. I guess she should know the details. I just don't know where she stands.
Qiong Cang: Logically possible.
He Jueyun: What do you think?
Qiong Cang's message was sent a moment later.
Qiong Cang: Don’t think too much. The longer the prediction, the higher the possibility of making mistakes. When the evidence chain is incomplete, there is no need to forcefully infer all cause and effect, let alone try to elaborate on the details.
When He Jueyun saw Qiong Cang's words, the other person's calm face automatically appeared in his mind, which seemed to have a special power that slowed down his violent heartbeat.
Anger would only affect a person's judgment, and he needed to be more sober.
No matter how heavy the curtain was, a hole had been burned by the blood of Tian Yun and Zhou Nansong. What they had to do was peek at the truth through the cracks, and move the absurd performances behind the scenes to the stage, so that all "actors" with sinful hands could face the judgment of reality.
He Jueyun: Where do you think we should start analyzing?
Qiong Cang: Wang Dongyan’s suicide. Issues that have not been resolved since the previous one was raised.
Qiong Cang: Why do students generally believe that it was her tricks that killed Zhou Nansong?
Qiong Cang: The authority of the school can indeed easily lead students to follow the trend. Why is Wang Dongyan accused of being the culprit in school bullying to deaths? Who is guiding public opinion? Only by guessing the person in charge can we make the next step forward.
He Jueyun: There must be traces of public opinion guidance. If it was really done by the school, it should be easy to find traces.
It was easy for schools to guide the school atmosphere.
After Zhou Nansong committed suicide, they would definitely go over and ask Zhou Nansong's roommates as soon as possible.
If one day a roommate with whom they got along with suddenly commits suicide by jumping off a building, everyone will be deeply affected.
The family members of the deceased, the police, the school, countless people stared at them, trying to get answers from them. In that kind of emotion, people's thinking can easily fall into confusion.
After repeated inquiries from the outside world, they revealed the bad relationship between Wang Dongyan and Zhou Nansong.
Even if they didn't think Wang Dongyan's trick was a serious form of school bullying at first, or in other words, they didn't realize it. However, because of their trust in the school and the sympathy of their families, they would subconsciously want to find someone to put their helpless emotions on. Wang Dongyan, who has always been at odds with Zhou Nansong and used excessive cold violence against Zhou Nansong, and who happened to be in a state of despair and seemed guilty, became an inevitable option.
The influence of the environment was powerful. Under constant hints from many parties, all the roommates expanded on what Wang Dongyan had done and believed in it. At the same time, they did not know how serious Zhou Nansong's depression was, and subconsciously believed that Wang Dongyan's seemingly harmless tricks would have a great impact on Zhou Nansong.
"Look, she feels guilty herself, which means she did it.", "Look, the school leaders and teachers think so too.", "Wang Dongyan dared to play tricks in front of everyone, but she must have done something excessive behind the scenes.", "Zhou Nansong suffered from depression and was mentally fragile. She was so pitiful that she couldn't stand the stimulation. In fact, it was Wang Dongyan who killed her."...
And so on.
Qiong Cang clicked on the official school website of No. 1 Middle School on her mobile phone, and then clicked on more under the Activities column.
Qiong Cang: First, publicize the matter and publicly criticize the students without naming them. Even though they won't mention names, everyone in the school will know who the school is talking about.
Qiong Cang: Adding relevant content to ideological education has been mentioned many times in school as a counterexample.
Qiong Cang: When students retaliate against Wang Dongyan, they deal with them in a biased manner, making students subconsciously believe that the school is acquiescing to the justice of their actions.
Qiong Cang: Remember the deceased, mourn for her, let people remember her, and constantly promote the image of the deceased in a positive way.
Qiong Cang cropped the screenshot and sent it.
Qiong Cang: [Picture·Activity] Tian Yun died in February this year. The school suppressed relevant information and kept a low profile. There are only a few event announcements during the same period.
Qiong Cang: But when Zhou Nansong died, judging from the activity records on the official website, they organized two commemorative actions. They also invited psychologists from the hospital to the school to give lectures. In response to the call issued by the Education Bureau to pay attention to the mental health of high school students, a major parent seminar was held in the school.
Qiong Cang: You can look up the number of relevant news reports, which can be used as reference evidence.
He Jueyun conducted a precise search according to what she said.
There were still recent paper newspapers in the bureau, but he felt there was no need to read them.
He Jueyun's fingertips turned a little white when he pressed the mouse. After reading the search results that popped up on the web page, he feebly sent a reply.
He Jueyun: You are right.
Qiong Cang: Yeah.
Qiong Cang: Sometimes it’s quite easy to force someone to death.
·
"...Fuck! Things suddenly unfolded in a disgusting direction."
"So angry!"
"Let's take a blind guess. If someone as beautiful as Xiang Qingxi really wants to choose, there is no need to sell herself out for one or two thousand yuan a month. Moreover, she has good grades and can rely on herself, and she has not won the final. She has a recommended quota and lives a relatively independent life. However, her best friend may not be innocent, so she is restricted. She is very good to Wang Dongyan because she knows that Wang Dongyan is just a scapegoat. Therefore, she is the most critical NPC in this instance, the only breakthrough."
"Although it was because we have a God's perspective, five people did die in a row, and we know the school must have an unshirkable responsibility. But I didn't expect this responsibility to be so big."
"It's true...everything evil people do will leave traces."
·
He Jueyun calmed down his emotions and sent text messages to Qiong Cang again.
He Jueyun: At present, the real breakthrough is Xiang Qingxi and Xu Manyan. Xu Manyan has a clear interest and may not want to inform you. Xiang Qingxi's position is more questionable. Why can she receive such a high financial subsidy?
Qiong Cang: Her financial subsidy was received by Xu Manyan on her behalf, and it may be the benefits that Xu Manyan obtained for her. Maybe it's to pay her silence, maybe it's just because they’re good friends. It’s uncertain. Xiang Qingxi doesn't have a strong personality, I guess it’s both.
Qiong Cang: In addition, Xiang Qingxi didn’t use the money much, and her daily life was extremely simple. I can't see any irrelevant daily necessities on her table.
Qiong Cang: I guessed before that she was saving money, maybe she just didn’t want to use it. I don’t know what she used the money for. Can you find out where her funds are going?
He Jueyun: So you maintain a positive view of Xiang Qingxi?
Qiong Cang: Not sure. I try to be as neutral as possible.
He Jueyun was stunned for a moment.
What did it mean to be as neutral as possible?
Why couldn’t she have a positive view?
...Oh, he understood, because one has to remain suspicious of the world in order to be cautious enough.
He Jueyun got up and made another cup of coffee, then sat in front of the screen and started staring at the surveillance camera he got from the canteen today.
After waiting for an hour, he picked up the phone again and found that Qiong Cang had replied to him with an inexplicable text message.
Qiong Cang: The orange hard candies are quite delicious.
"Orange hard candy?" He Jueyun thought for a while and whispered, "How can orange-flavored candies be as delicious as pineapple-flavored candies?"
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Thanks for picking this up !
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