Live From the Murder Scene - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

    Qiong Cang's video was probably taken at night, with a dark background and a dim light illuminating her face.

    Yesterday, Qiong Cang was hit with a stick by Xiang Qingxi, and her forehead was hit by a shovel. The wound has been healed at the hospital. But in the video, the bandage on her head was removed, and a circle of red blood stains spread around her, making the wound look particularly hideous. In addition, there were a lot of bruises on the rest of her face, as if she had been beaten severely.

    She looked at the camera with a distracted look, and seemed mentally exhausted.

    He Jueyun looked close to the screen for a long time. Because the light was too dim and the direction of the shot was not quite right, even he couldn't tell whether the injury was makeup or real. It was extremely realistic.

    The police officer next to him didn't know the truth, so he cursed rudely that the perpetrator was a beast.

    At this time, Qiong Cang in the video spoke, and everyone held their breath to listen to her.

    "Today, many people on the Internet cursed me in various languages. I do not accept their accusations. Since the leaders of No. 1 Middle School confuse right and wrong, it shows that they are unwilling to fulfill their promise and hit me instead. Then I will tell you everything today."

    She pursed her lips and combed up the scattered hair on her forehead with her fingers.

    "This year, in January, a classmate named Tian Yun in our class committed suicide by jumping off a building. The reason for her suicide was that a school leader sexually harassed her. She was a poor student with a very difficult family background. Her parents were patriarchal. She was a young girl with a younger brother at home. Her refusal angered the leader, so the school deducted her poverty allowance and put pressure on her from all aspects. Her parents were also instigated by the leader and wanted her to drop out of school early to support the family. Tian Yun relied on Zhou Nansong’s support to maintain her daily life. She was under great pressure and had no other choice. She pretended to invite the school leader out, got him drunk, and then got a piece of evidence from the leader’s mobile phone.”

    She seemed to have difficulty speaking, and had to rephrase each sentence after finishing it. After saying this, she quickly changed the topic.

    "The second person who jumped from the building was named Zhou Nansong. She was my roommate, the one who the school accused me of bullying. I didn't do it. She was Tian Yun's good friend. She knew the whole thing and got the evidence and told me.”

    She swallowed, which made people feel very bad. After saying this, she fell silent and raised her hand to grab her hair.

    The anxiety on her body was so obvious that a normal person could tell that her mental state at this time was definitely not normal.

    She looked at the camera, her eyes became red, and there were water drops in her eyes that were about to fall.

    It was this reaction that greatly increased the credibility of her words. She seemed completely like an innocent and inexplicable victim, and it was completely impossible to imagine that she could be the same person as the girl with a bad personality described by the school.

    Qiong Cang thought for a while and spoke hoarsely again.

    "The other party edited the recording and thought I was unprepared. But in fact, I bought a new mobile phone and went in to negotiate with him because I didn't believe in his character. Everything that needs to be said is in it, you can judge for yourself."

    What follows is a shaky video, with the camera focused on a middle-aged man. The other person's expression is arrogant, which makes it difficult for people to feel good about him.

    A young female voice said with obvious agitation: "You are forcing me, you did it on purpose. You knew clearly that Zhou Nansong committed suicide because of Tian Yun, but you told everyone that it was me who harmed her! You did it on purpose? Other students committed school violence against me, and you wanted to force me to death!"

    The middle-aged man said in a casual tone: "The school didn't do this, it was the students who thought so."

    That expression coupled with his words would make anyone who looked at him want to punch him.

    "It's all written in the notebook left by Zhou Nansong. You use this method to make each student compromise, dare not speak out, be enslaved by you, and harassed endlessly by you! And then use a little benefit to bribe them to comfort them. Once they disobey, you use the college entrance examination to intimidate them!" The girl yelled, "Zhou Nansong's notebook is still there! I can hand it over to the police!"

    The middle-aged man spread his hands and said, "Those can't be used as evidence at all. She had depression, and she was mentally unclear for a period of time before her death. Can you believe what she wrote? What's more, she just heard it from others and has no basis."

    "She said there are still photos! The photos you secretly took! She has seen them all! The principal XX, the director of the Academic Affairs Office XX, the general manager of X News Company..." The girl reported a series of names and identities, and said in a short tone, "You guys secretly filmed them, coerced them, commented on them, and took pleasure in watching them struggle. You are not human!"

    The middle-aged man asked: "What about the photo?"

    "You want to deny it? "The girl stood up suddenly, "If you have the guts, take out your phone! Let the police look through it and see what you have stored before! The Internet has traces. Do you think deleting it can change the facts? You are committing a criminal offense!"

    "Okay!" The middle-aged man shouted and motioned her to sit down, "That's called consensual, it's not illegal, do you understand?"

    The girl screamed: "You're talking nonsense! Shut up!"

    Middle-aged man: "That's enough!"

    The girl slapped the table and said angrily: "Don't force me! In the worst case, I'll jump off that dormitory building too! Two people have already died in the school. If another one jump, none of you will have a good result!"

    The middle-aged man laughed: "Then go ahead and jump, go. Everyone will only laugh at you and think you are committing suicide out of fear of crime! The police station has always cooperated with the school, you know? The Education Bureau is also a government department. Let’s see who they will believe in the end. Young people should not be too self-confident."

    The girl breathed heavily, obviously very angry.

    The middle-aged man took out a cigarette from the cigarette case at hand, lit it with a lighter, and leaned on the sofa chair. After a while, he said like a charity: "Why make everyone seem so ugly? Do you think you can threaten me with your life? Are you kidding me? I want to have a good chat with you. With your mood, how can we talk?

    "I advise you not to worry about this matter anymore. It's better to make some useful requests." The middle-aged man tried to persuade him seriously, "You should also think about it for yourself. You are already a senior in high school and will take the college entrance examination in less than a month, right? If you make trouble, what will you get?"

    Qiong Cang: "Justice."

    Middle-aged man: "How much is justice worth?"

    He exhaled a puff of white smoke in front of him with enjoyment.

    The girl was silent for a long time, then spoke again with a trembling voice: "Did Tian Yun die in vain? She was basically forced to death by you. You were the first to attack her, but you didn't even make the most basic compensation."

    "So, let’s talk about money, isn’t it more convenient?" The middle-aged man knocked on the table and said, "Two hundred thousand."

    "Not enough." The girl slowly calmed down, "And Zhou Nansong, her mother has only one daughter."

    Middle-aged man: "Then how much compensation do you think is appropriate?"

    Girl: "It's all human life, how much do you think it's worth?"

    Middle-aged man: "One million. Do you think that's okay?"

    The girl fell silent again, and her inner struggle could be felt through the screen.
Finally, she responded feebly, and added weakly: "You can't go to my mother again. I can pretend that these things never happened. She is just an ordinary person."

    The middle-aged man waved his hand, indicating that she could go out.

    The girl asked: "I have another question."

    The middle-aged man looked in a good mood: "You tell me."

    "Do you have a conscience?" the girl asked, suppressing her anger, "You have gained both fame and fortune with the poor student system introduced by the principal, but behind the scenes you do such things that are worse than a beast. You have wronged too many people, don’t you feel sorry for the principal? You ruined his kindness and ruined the whole school. Sooner or later, you will suffer the consequences."

    "Principal?" The middle-aged man sneered, obviously not taking her seriously, waving the flue in his hand, "You can go to the principal and ask him why he asked me to do this. Young people, you are so funny."

    The picture suddenly dimmed and switched back to Qiong Cang.

    Qiong Cang pressed her head, and didn't look focused in the camera. She whispered: "What I said is true. I don't know why everyone doesn't believe me and hurts my family. Do I have to die to prove it? Is this your demand for justice? I can use my life to guarantee you the truth, but can you be responsible for what you have said?"

    Qiong Cang choked twice, and then said: "I have said it all, believe me, don't hurt the victim, don't guess who is coerced. What really should be discussed are those who lie and deceive... ...Goodbye everyone."

    ·

    When this video came out, the school leader was being interviewed by the media. He lowered his eyes and pretended to express their disappointment and regret for Wang Dongyan. At the same time, he did a perfunctory self-examination and said that the school failed to pay attention to the psychological problems of students, and should also bear part of the responsibility.

    The media's sense of smell was sharper than his. When he was halfway through speaking, new message notifications appeared on the mobile phones of several reporters. They retreated to the back and quietly examined the contents.

    The school leader who was interviewed felt something was wrong. He cleared his throat and prepared to speak again.

    After reading the information, the reporters were shocked and looked at each other with disbelief. Their attitude changed, they quickly stepped forward, held the microphone in front of the leader, and asked awkwardly, "What does your school think of Wang Dongyan's latest video?"

    The man who was being interviewed was confused for a moment and said slowly: "What video? Wang Dongyan often lies. If she said it, I think we should verify it before getting the truth."

    "She released the complete video of her negotiation with you in the office!" The reporter was very agitated. "The mouth shapes and voices of the characters in the video are all correct! Do you dare to release the original audio!"

    A layer of cold sweat suddenly appeared on the back of the leader who was being questioned, but he still insisted on saying: "What we released is the original audio. We need to see the video you mentioned before giving you an accurate answer."

    The reporters didn't give him a chance to escape at all. They gathered in groups and asked:

    "Did you know that Wang Dongyan committed suicide by jumping into the water this morning?"

    "Did you know that Wang Dongyan used her own death to accuse you of your hegemonic behavior?"

    "Did you hire the trolls who attacked Wang Dongyan online?"

    "Did you lead Zhou Nansong's suicide by campus violence? Please answer directly!"

    The middle-aged man couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to escape from the crowd, so he pushed and said: "Wait a minute… Wait a minute..."

    "Stop!"

    "Do you know that although there is no clear legal provision for inciting others to commit suicide, the judicial authorities recognize it as intentional homicide and sentence it? May I ask if No. 1 Middle School has forced students to commit suicide! Has it!"

    "Call your leaders out! We need the truth! Three lives need the truth!"

    "How to explain what Wang Dongyan said!"

    The school's administrative building was directly surrounded, and reporters flocked to the principal's office and the residences of several other people mentioned by Qiong Cang in the video, going to them to seek justice.

    Those people were found out in a daze. Before they understood what was happening, they were directly faced with the dark camera and various angry questions, and they were speechless. Then, when they were at a loss, they were taken away by the police who suddenly appeared and went to the Public Security Bureau for investigation.

    Along the way, their various embarrassments were recorded by the camera. When they arrived at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau, they were watched by countless people, bearing the agitation of the citizens like rats crossing the street.

    Angry parents threw trash in their faces, but the police showed no sympathy and simply asked the citizens to make way.

    Everything happened so fast, like the sun rising from the sky, the light came instantly.

    ·

    The news that Wang Dongyan committed suicide by jumping into the water spread a little faster than her video. The police account directly posted the information that Wang Dongyan fell into the water, saying that they were searching and had found no trace of her yet.

    The first time netizens heard the news, they had mixed emotions.

    "Did you really commit suicide?"

    "Too fragile?"

    "Didn't you drive her to death step by step?"

    "She deserved it. Didn't her classmates say she deserved it?"

    The dead were the most important. Although some people still speak harshly, at least their voices are lowered.

    Then, the video went viral, and the silent majority was blown out.

    They came to Wang Dongyan's Weibo and saw the messages in the comment area. They were so stimulated by all kinds of malicious intentions that they felt chills all over their bodies, and then a strong sadness burst out.

    "Bah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! You're all a bunch of damn executioners! You eat people without spitting out their bones! Are you satisfied now? Are you satisfied!"

    "I was really sad. I cried just looking at her. It felt like she was dying in front of me. A girl with such a sense of justice committed suicide with the stigma of a criminal. What's wrong with this society?"

    "My scalp is so numb, this is real, bloody murder!"

    "These people are all idiots!"

    "Is it useful to curse people now? A person has committed suicide and her life or death is uncertain. Can you pray for blessings? Local friends have gone over to help find the person. We must seize all the time now!"

    "Those who went to Wang mom’s company to cause trouble yesterday should go and kneel down to apologize!"

    "Kindness is exploited and people's hearts are being used. What's even more disgusting is the capital behind the scenes. Stop creating internal divisions and conflicts. Please give an explanation, No. 1 Middle School!"

    "No explanation can be given. They have been taken away for investigation. The police responded very quickly this time."

    "What's going on with the students in No. 1 Middle School? Who would have thought that this could be reversed!" 

　 The public directly and subconsciously doubted the person who has been proven to be a liar. In the absence of clear evidence, everyone had believed everything Qiong Cang said in the video. At the same time, it was believed that the injuries on Qiong Cang's face were also caused by beatings by school personnel.

    At the same time, the official media urgently released an interview video again.

    Different from the previous media, this time they entered the campus when the school time first started and directly interviewed students in Wang Dongyan's class.

    Not those students who make their own judgment based on rumors, but the students in Class (1) where the rumors originated.

    The reporter asked: "Do you know Wang Dongyan?"

    The student muttered: "I know?"

    The reporter asked: "Did she commit any violence against Zhou Nansong?"

    "No. She didn't hit anyone."

    "Is that an act of psychological violence?"

    "I don't know what to say, but she just deliberately scared Nan Song."

    "Why was she scared? To what extent? I heard some students say that she deliberately pretended to be a ghost to scare people, right?"

    The student being interviewed lowered his voice and replied, "I've never seen this before. She's just holding those little toys. It's scary."

    The reporter took out a small toy box and asked, "Is this what it looks like?"

    The student said: "Yes."

    The reporter pressed the switch on the box, and as the lid slid back, a black rubber spider emerged from inside. He asked: "She used a toy like this to scare Zhou Nansong into committing suicide, right? Do you think so?"

    The student stopped talking. The mosaic blocked his face and his expression could not be seen clearly, but his shame was barely concealed.

    The reporter asked again: "Is there anyone in the school who is pretending to be a ghost? I heard some students say that there is. It's quite serious."

    The person being interviewed remained silent and unwilling to say anything.

    The reporter asked again: "Is there any?"

    The student answered: "Yes."

    Reporter: "Who is the target?"

    The student seemed to find it difficult to say: "Wang Dongyan."

    Reporter: "Let me confirm with you, it was Wang Dongyan who was scared, right?"

    "Yes. Everyone just wants to avenge Zhou Nansong."

    The reporter asked again: "Did Wang Dongyan lead the people in the class to exclude Zhou Nansong?"

    "No. She just doesn't like playing with her."

    "Do you think this is called campus violence? Do you think she should be called a murderer?"

    The students were silent again.

    The reporter's voice was calm, but every question was sharp: "Did you know that she committed suicide?"

    There was a choking sound in the footage. The student raised his hand to wipe his glasses.

    "Why are you doing this?"

    Student: "That's what everyone in the school says."

    Reporter: "But didn't the rumor spread from your class?"

    "That's what the teachers and leadership of the school revealed. When Zhou Nansong's mother was negotiating with the principal, someone heard it." The student said, "I didn't think too much about it."

    The reporter was speechless. After a while he asked: "Do you know what I want to say?"

    The student buried his head deeply.

    Reporter: "You are... the future pillars of our society, you know? Everyone has great expectations for you. However, I really can't imagine such a tragedy."

    The student asked: "How is she doing now?"

    "Great." The reporter said, "You finally asked this question. But I don't know either. In this season, the river flow is not slow, so she jumped down holding the stones. Now her body has not been found under the bridge, and the rescue team is still expanding the scope."

    The reporter raised his hand and looked at his watch: "It has been two hours since she jumped into the water, and nothing has been found yet. The police are now mobilizing citizens to search downstream. Do you know what this means?"

    The student burst into tears.

    Reporter: "I won't force you. I hope you will all be well."

    The student said guiltily: "I'm sorry."

    Reporter: "I hope you have the opportunity to say sorry to Wang Dongyan in person."

    The student nodded and asked, "Can I help find her?"

    "You shouldn't ask me about this matter." The reporter said, "If you think it's necessary, you can go. If you think you need to calm down, just adjust your condition first. Life is the most noble, and I don't want to see any similar tragedies anymore."

    The student said again: "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry..."

    ·

    Wang Dongyan's suicide and the reversal of events turned into a sharp blade that pierced everyone's heart. Whether they were involved or not, they all felt pain from deep down.

    They are angry yet have nowhere to vent.

    They were silent yet cannot bear the evil.

    There was more or less a thorn in their hearts, which was the guilt for Wang Dongyan's death, the shame for the unfortunate, and the introspection and regret for their arrogance.

    All the emotions that have exploded have been transformed into new power, silently setting off an Internet revolution called rejection of online violence.

    Then a huge "Looking for Wang Dongyan" activity began to be held spontaneously in the city.

<<Previous | Index | Next>>