CM - 7

Just as Xu Su sat down at the restaurant, he received a call from Zhou Siyuan, telling him to deal with Zhou Shuirong’s photos online. He opened his phone and saw quite a few. He immediately contacted the distribution channels and reported them for spreading rumors.

Paying to have them deleted was most effective, but then the rumor-mongers would have more to say, like “guilty conscience” or “scared.” So, reporting them for spreading rumors was the best approach.

Zhou Siyuan didn’t have time to pay attention to these high school students’ news. He thought the education department in the political center would be more cautious and stricter. Zhou Yan called and told him what had happened to Zhou Shuirong. He went online and fell silent.

They were so young, yet the intensity of their attacks and jealousy was already so strong; even he, an adult, couldn’t utter such words. Having been on the job for many years, he had seen the most evil people, yet they still had a soft spot, always compromising for that weakness at crucial moments.

These students, however, displayed a blatant determination to destroy others, visible through the screen.

He recalled his childhood, and the phrase “ignorant evil” lingered in his mind. Because there was no concept of right or wrong, a simple dislike became the root of destruction.

Disliking someone could be without reason, and destroying that person only required one’s dislike.

In previous years, he had handled several cases involving very young children trained by drug lords. They acted more ruthlessly than adults, with more resolute eyes, showing no hesitation towards themselves or their enemies. They fired guns more decisively than many police officers.

Not far from their team’s station was a middle school, where daily scenes of bullying the weak, molesting girls, and robbing teachers played out, with a few individuals forming gangs and fearing nothing. Even if reported to the police, such cases would often be handled summarily due to the minors involved or insufficient evidence, leaving victims to accept their misfortune.

For the slightly tougher victims’ families, if they pushed the issue upwards, pulling strings and finding people to advocate for justice, there were generally two outcomes: first, the higher authorities would accept the case, with a good result; second, the case would be exposed, and netizens would rally, pushing for its development.

But how many cases actually got such an opportunity? Conservatively speaking, probably only one in a thousand juvenile crime cases.

Campus bullying abroad was also severe. Students like Zhou Shuirong, with a background and the ability to fight back, were rare. Most “outcast” students like her were targets for bullying, and the bullies there were even more ruthless and despicable in their methods.

The police couldn’t control it; they would only divide areas into dangerous, safe, and slightly dangerous zones, etc.

...

Zhou Siyuan’s thoughts spiraled until Xu Su’s return call interrupted him. “Are you done handling it?”

Xu Su replied: “All deleted. I’ll monitor the follow-up and deal with it again if it reappears.”

After hanging up, Xu Su’s friend sighed repeatedly: “Are these kids really that malicious? It feels unreal. I don’t know if it’s because I was always focused on studying back then, but I feel like nothing much happened during my school days.”

“You also didn’t experience the disasters I went through later, but they happened. Do you find that unreal?” Xu Su said.

His friend remembered the incident where Xu Su’s parents died, pursed his lips, and fell silent.

Xu Su paid for their late-night snack and said: “So, don’t use your life experiences to question the possibility of others’ experiences. In this world, no two lives are exactly alike. He doesn’t know the taste of your smooth life, and you can’t feel the resilience of his thorny old age.”

When his friend looked up again, he saw Xu Su at twenty-five years old, with the wisdom of fifty-two. He had truly matured so much from the past.

No wonder that woman named Fang was so utterly enamored with him, as if she were under a spell. Such a man was indeed captivating.

He patted his shoulder: “Su, have you thought about finding a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“I think Fang Qi is quite good.”

Xu Su didn’t speak, not because he had nothing to say, but because after his friend asked that question, a scene flashed through his mind: the day he bought dumplings, turning on the light, and seeing Zhou Shuirong.

________________________________________

When Shen Tingwen found out someone was spreading rumors about Zhou Shuirong, those slanders had already been dealt with, but he had seen the content, and he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t.

He found the instigator, a girl named Chen Fuyu from Class 4 of Grade 2, one of Liang Jifan’s ex-girlfriends.

Actually, he didn’t even need to search; the person had directly used her full name, stating she was the instigator and Liang Jifan’s ex-girlfriend, as if afraid someone else would steal her “glory” of spreading rumors, afraid no one would know Liang Jifan’s ex-girlfriend was a bit out of her mind.

Jing He watched the drama for a long time and even called Shen Tingwen to talk about it: “I didn’t expect Zhou Shuirong to be that kind of person. She doesn’t look like it at all.”

This was the effect of propaganda; people with poor judgment were easily swayed by subjective and emotional remarks.

Shen Tingwen hung up the phone, his eyes narrowed. Bully anyone else, but my Zhou Shuirong?

________________________________________

Chen Ziqian, from Class 7 of Grade 2 at No. 8 Middle School, sat at the bar. Beside him were a few other notorious troublemakers from No. 8 Middle School. They had ordered beer and spaghetti, but hadn’t eaten much of either.

It was raining heavily outside, so Lu Sheng’s business wasn’t great. These young people were the only customers, so the owner sent them two more bottles of Corona.

When Shen Tingwen entered, the wind chimes on the door jingled incessantly. Everyone looked towards the entrance, only to see him holding a black umbrella, under which he wore white clothes.

The bar was illuminated by UV light. His clean white shirt, treated with fluorescent agents from the laundry detergent, appeared exceptionally bright due to the color correction.

Someone reminded Chen Ziqian: “Shen Tingwen, the guy from Guoda High School.”

Chen Ziqian pinched his glass with his thumb and ring finger, took a sip of beer, seemingly unfazed by the name Shen Tingwen.

Shen Tingwen walked to an empty table and sat down.

The owner approached him with a drink menu: “Just one?”

Shen Tingwen said: “Two.”

The owner nodded: “Would you like to order now, or wait for your friend?”

As he spoke, the door was pushed open again, and Chen Fuyu walked in.

The guys from No. 8 Middle School saw Chen Fuyu and called out to Chen Ziqian: “Hey, your sister.”

Chen Ziqian turned and saw his younger sister, Chen Fuyu. She also saw him and was a little surprised: “Why are you here?”

Chen Ziqian stood up: “I haven’t even asked you yet! What time is it? What are you doing out?”

Chen Fuyu became a bit impatient after his scolding: “You haven’t gone home either, what right do you have to tell me what to do?” She then sat opposite Shen Tingwen and smiled at him: “I’m late. What did you want to see me about?”

Chen Ziqian was furious at Chen Fuyu’s despicable behavior. She was always hanging out with this guy or that guy. She had just been with that Liang Jifan for a few days, and now she’d switched to Shen Tingwen?

How much did she enjoy being labeled a ‘public bus’ or ‘worn-out shoe’? He wanted to go over and pull her away, but his friends stopped him, telling him: “Don’t be impulsive, Shen Tingwen is different from Liang Jifan.”

Only then did Chen Ziqian force himself to hold back and not approach.

Chen Fuyu saw Shen Tingwen wasn’t speaking, so she ordered a bottle of sparkling wine for herself, then asked again: “How did you think of looking for me? We don’t even know each other. Have you heard about me?”

Shen Tingwen remained calm: “I’m giving you until 8 AM tomorrow to issue a handwritten apology letter for spreading rumors about Zhou Shuirong. It must have your signature, and a photo of you holding the apology letter and your ID as proof.”

Chen Fuyu’s face stiffened.

Shen Tingwen didn’t drink alcohol; he took a sip of lemon water and then said: “Otherwise, the video of your brother Chen Ziqian and his friends bullying a male and female student from their grade tonight will be sent to the police station.”

Chen Fuyu slowly twisted her neck to look at her brother. She knew her brother often got into fights. He was underage; if he didn’t seriously injure anyone, their family would just pay some money, and she was never afraid. When she turned back, she said to Shen Tingwen: “You’re scaring the wrong person. If he dares to fight, he’s not afraid.”

Shen Tingwen continued: “I can briefly tell you about the content of the video. Your brother made that boy and girl take off their clothes and have sex on camera. Do you know what he filmed it for? To livestream for money on pornographic websites. Do you know what crime that is?”

Chen Fuyu’s face grew increasingly pale.

Shen Tingwen put down his glass. The glowing white shirt made his face exceptionally pale. He was handsome, and also terrifying. “If I don’t see your apology letter by 8 AM tomorrow, you’ll only be able to see your brother in the juvenile detention center.”

With that, he stood up, picked up his umbrella, and walked out. After he pushed the door open and left, the wind chimes on the door jingled incessantly again.

Chen Fuyu’s legs felt weak. When Chen Ziqian walked over, she still hadn’t fully recovered. After being called several times, she finally frantically grabbed Chen Ziqian’s arm and said, “Brother, did you force other people to film porn and upload it to pornographic websites again?”

Chen Ziqian was stunned.

Chen Fuyu understood, and her heart went cold.

She had been upset when the administrator deleted her post, and she hadn’t expected Shen Tingwen to ask to meet her. She knew Shen Tingwen—rich, handsome, and better than Liang Jifan in every way except for his less flamboyant demeanor.

She thought Shen Tingwen was interested in her, but it turned out he was doing it for Zhou Shuirong...

He had invited her to Chen Ziqian’s hangout spot to tell her that he knew everything Chen Ziqian was doing tonight, and that he had evidence. If he reported it to the police, Chen Ziqian would be finished.