Warning: graphic description of a corpse on the third last paragraph...

Immediately after the police station's announcement stating the closure of the case was released on the Internet, a wave of netizens began crusading against Fan Jialuo online. Upon seeing him change his Weibo account ID to 'Psychic Fan Jialuo', those vicious curses and abusive words soon turned into pungent satire.

[Psychic Fan Jialuo? Ha ha ha ha, is this Fan Jialuo's new setup? You can't continue the 'noble childe' route, so you've changed to the spiritual route?]

[Fan Jialuo really is a devil! Not only is he the first person in the entertainment circle to so shamelessly become a fraudster, he's even using Gao Yize's death to increase his popularity. He really has no bottom line!]

[Would he have been expelled from the Fan Family if he wasn't a devil? This man is obviously crazy! Channeling and prophecies of death-his self-directed and self-acted drama is even more exciting to watch than Hollywood movies! Gao Yize's parents have just posted a message on Weibo. They are not satisfied with the results of the investigation and are preparing to accept an official interview with Zhalang Media to denounce the police's irresponsible behavior. Although the case has been closed, I think they will definitely destroy Fan Jialuo.]

The netizen posting this message then attached a link to it. Clicking on the link would redirect the reader to Gao Yize's parents' Weibo, where a video was being aired live. At that moment, they were indeed being interviewed and were seen repeatedly yelling towards the camera, "We don't believe these results! We all know who the murderer really is. Why did the police arrest that person twice and then release him twice? Is my son's life not as important as the surname before a certain man's face?

"We must seek justice for Yize! Yize and the sound technician that the police caught only had an ordinary working relationship. There hadn't been any contact between them at all, let alone a feud. So, why would he want to kill my son? The reason given by the police is too hard to believe. We are the people who know Yize best. He has been excellent in both character and his studies ever since he was young..."

Father and Mother Gao began to recount various memories of their son, always placing emphasis on just how good he had been. They couldn't and were completely unwilling to believe that Gao Yize's murder was revenge for his abusing another, and even less so when they were told that this abuse had been committed by him during his sophomore year. How could such a thing be true? When he was in high school, he didn't even talk to any of his female classmates. It was impossible for him to have done such a thing!

Even after the police report on the case was released, Father and Mother Gao staunchly believed that Xiao Jin was simply the scapegoat that the police station had found to protect in lieu of Fan Jialuo. They never spoke about the cause of their son's death, deliberately leading the public to focus on the police's so-called favoritism, for which they seemed to have bent the law. More and more people were being unwittingly misled, and the comments section at the bottom of the webpage was full of words, all in support of the elderly couple.

Without even mentioning what Fan Jialuo might feel after watching the interview, Xiao Li, who had been put in charge of monitoring public opinion, was on the verge of exploding in anger after witnessing this couple's shameless behavior. He finally understood how Gao Yize had become a beast donning human skin. It would be strange if he hadn't grown crooked with such an immoral pair of parents, who simply didn't distinguish right from wrong!

Xiao Li picked up the mouse indignantly, and got ready to delete some of the malicious remarks, when he surprisingly discovered a fiery red-titled Weibo post that had suddenly appeared on the page, and the content of the title was very eye-catching.

The truth about Gao Yize's murder? Who knew more about Gao Yize's murder than the task force? Had the details of the case somehow been disclosed to the unscrupulous media? Which media house had published this news? Did they have informants inside the police station?

With thoughts running wild, Xiao Li clicked to open the Weibo post, and he then discovered that this post contained a virus. As long as someone clicked on it, it would automatically be forwarded, thereby ensuring that this post was spread across the whole network in just a short space of time.

Before Xiao Li had time to even consider dealing with the virus, all his attention was captured by the content of the post.

Several videos, accompanied with a scrolling image, jumped out of the screen, and started to automatically play, without requiring people to click on them. Gao Yize's figure appeared in the first video. He was standing at the edge of the rooftop and smoking. Half of his face was visible, illuminated brightly under the light of a nearby advertising billboard. In the captured frames, he clearly showed a slothful expression, and eyes tinged with a decadence, all of which had never been seen before by his audience.

The image his management company had built for him was that of an honest and sunny 5-good youth. For the public, his external image was always cheerful and positive, his private life was simple and unsophisticated. His persona had been crafted to such an extent that even the clothes he used to wear in high school would still be worn by him, all to display humility and innocence... He never went to bars, he didn't smoke and he never touched alcohol. His life was like that of a veteran cadre's. And it was this that had won him the favor of many teenagers, along with that of their parents.

But in this video, he looked like a leather bag that had been hollowed out and filled with countless evil objects. Even though his face was still as beautiful as before, it somehow gave people a very uncomfortable feeling.

The camera was shaking as it steadily moved closer to him. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Gao Yize looked up at the videographer. His lips curled up, but the smile didn't seem to have a trace of friendliness.

If this video had been shown before his death, he might have even attracted a lot of fans, because with the look he was sporting right now, he would have completely subverted those countless images of positivity into one the bespoke of unspeakable evil.

"Would you also like to smoke?" He spoke with his cigarette in his mouth, and smoke bubbled out from between his teeth, obscuring the camera for a bit.

The videographer didn't answer and instead posed a question of his own, "Do you know Xiao Rui?"

"Who?" The smoke dispersed as Gao Yize spoke, revealing a nonchalant expression on his face.

"Xiao Rui," repeated the videographer.

Gao Yize casually flicked away the ash and said, "I don't know."

After saying these words, his eyes gradually sharpened and his tone morphed to contain an indescribable coldness as he said, "If I remember correctly, your name seems to be Xiao Jin? What's your relationship with Xiao Rui?"

"You just said you don't know Xiao Rui, so why do you care about my relationship with her?" The videographer's voice was dense with emotion, as if it was suddenly brimming with deep hatred.

At this time, Gao Yize's languid expression had completely disappeared. He threw the remaining half of his cigarette to the ground and stamped it out harshly. Then facing the videographer, he forcefully asked, "Who are you to her?"

"I'm her brother! She commited suicide, and you animals were the ones to force her to go to that extent! You put her under house arrest, abused her, took videos and photos, threatened her, and made her your slave. Then, as if all that wasn't enough, you sold her like an object, and used that dirty money to eat, drink and indulge! And especially you-you were the one to engrave humiliating words on her back with a knife-you mutilated her with words that would become everlasting scars.

"She was so sick and yet not once did she dare to go to the hospital, all because she was afraid that the doctor would examine her wound-riddled body. She had to endure so many hellish years! She was only 15 years old at that time! How could you bear to act so savagely?! You beasts!" The videographer's voice rose louder and louder, and every word he spoke seemed to be dripping with blood.

Gao Yize's cold and stern expression once again became languid. He casually inserted his hands into his trouser pockets, and said with a sneer, "Drop the act and just say it, how much money do you want?"

"I don't want money, I want to ruin your reputation! You are not worthy of being an idol..."

Gao Yize impatiently interrupted the videographer, "If you don't want money, then what do you want? Justice? Does such a thing exist in this world? I'll teach you something good instead. I'll give you a hundred thousand yuan to keep your silence, and you can leave after receiving the money so as to not waste your efforts so far and allow your future to become futile. You want to ruin my reputation, but can it be ruined? You want to go to the media and expose me? Do you have any evidence? Oh, now that you mention it, I remember!"

Gao Yize suddenly slapped his forehead and his expression became more and more pompous.

"I seem to have kept a lot of photos and videos of Xiao Rui. Do you want to take a look? You want to smear my reputation? How about we compare and see who will become the loathsome one in the end? Xiao Rui's reputation in the Affiliated High School seemed to have been very bad, right? Even her classmates knew that she was a disgusting thing-sick, dirty and smelly.

"Think about it, if I upload her photos and videos on the Internet, and then find a few classmates to reveal her dark history, what do you think will happen? Others will only think that she is a rotten person, a bitch, someone who is better off dead! And myself? I am a star, an idol, and I am in the Top 10 Youths of The Year List! No one will doubt me because of someone like her! She doesn't even deserve to clean my shoes! When the time comes, I'll sue you for blackmail. You won't be able to run away! In this public opinion war game, I am your ancestor!"

Gao Yize slowly approached the videographer and patted the other's cheek with his palm, a chilling contrast to his previous deluge of insult and wanton abuse. An evil smile hung on his enlarged face, and his pupils held only pleasure and contempt. He had plundered a living life using such cruel and torturous methods, but he didn't feel a trace of guilt and instead revelled in it.

Watching until that moment, the netizens who sat in front of their computer couldn't help but feel a chill appear in the bottom of their hearts. Gao Yize's originally beautiful face actually appeared to be so ugly. It was ugly to the point of being disgusting!

But the video was still not over yet. Gao Yize's eyes shifted downward, and his eyes met the lens of the small camera directly. After a moment of stunned silence, he gritted his teeth and laughed, "You brought a pinhole camera with you? Wow, you're really messing with me! Believe it or not, I won't be letting you leave this building!" He took out his cell phone and prepared to dial a number.

Suddenly, before he could do so, the videographer stretched out his arm and pushed him hard. Gao Yize, who had been standing at the edge, right against the railings, fell backwards and his figure disappeared. The screen turned dark, and nothing else could be seen. Only the heavy breathing of the videographer echoed in the ears of every person watching the video.

Shock, anger, sadness, disbelief...

Before anyone had the time to adjust their extremely complex emotions, the second video began to automatically play.

The scene showed a drunken young man, whose face was flushed red. He had a knife pressed to his neck, as he wept and cried without shame, "Brother Xiao, I beg you, please don't kill me! I didn't want to harm Xiao Rui. It was Gao Fei and Ruan Ye's idea. They said Xiao Rui was so ignorant that she should be taught a good lesson. I tried to persuade them, but they didn't listen to me. Ruan Ye was the one to start it. She kicked Xiao Rui and hit her, then she forced us to beat her together-"

This video ended in a pool of blood.

In the third video, a fierce-looking young man also had a blade held to his neck. He pleaded desperately, "Brother, don't kill me! I know it was wrong! We were young at that time, and we were not sensible. Please let me go. I will give you as much money as you want. It was only because we were so bored at that time. We had only wanted to find someone to play with. It was Ruan Ye who recommended Xiao Rui to us. She said Xiao Rui was a country girl, with no father and no mother, and that she only had a brother who worked outside, so even if we toyed with her or crippled her, everything would be fine. Everything was instigated by Ruan Ye. If you want revenge, you should go to her-"

A shrill scream interrupted the video. Before the audience had time to breathe, the fourth video had begun to play.

A petite young man with sparse hair was curled up in the corner between a sink and a toilet. There was a thick needle, filled with turbid liquid, stuck in his wrist.

The young man was frothing at the mouth as he begged for mercy, "Brother Xiao, please call 120 for me, I really can't do it anymore! Brother Xiao, I'm just a horse, just their chess piece. If you want revenge, you shouldn't look for me. It was Ruan Ye who asked us to bully Xiao Rui. She and Gao Fei were both abnormal. They were the ones who did the most terrible things when playing with her. I just helped them watch over Xiao Rui to make sure she wouldn't run away.

"There were many words on Xiao Rui's back. Did you see them? Gao Fei carved them with a knife and then sprinkled salt over them. It's said that by doing so, a scar will remain for a lifetime. Xiao Rui's scars from cigarette butts are Ruan Ye's work. Not only that, she also destroyed Xiao Rui's reputation. She was jealous that Xiao Rui was more beautiful and had better grades than her. She wanted to destroy Xiao Rui completely. If you want revenge, it's Ruan Ye you should be looking for. Can you let me go? Brother Xiao... I beg you..."

The voice pleading for mercy gradually slowed, and eventually faded into silence, leaving only a pale, lifeless face with traces of foam at the corners of the mouth.

The fifth video was shot in dim lighting. A young woman was bound to a small single bed with her eyes taped shut, but her mouth was free. An ethereal female voice echoed all around her, and it seemed to be narrating diary entries. And it was after hearing the contents of this diary that the woman suddenly exclaimed in horror, "Xiao Rui, is that you? You're not dead? You-let me go! If I could destroy you once, I can destroy you again for the second time! Your videos and photos are still in my hands. Whether you believe it or not, I can put those things on the Internet, and make sure that you'll never be able to lift your head from the shame! You-mmh mmh..."

A piece of tape was then plastered against Ruan Ye's vicious mouth and the scene descended into a long silence, followed by darkness.

After the video finally ended, a slideshow of numerous photos appeared. Page by page, diaries entries blinded the netizens' eyes. They were simple words, but they described unimaginable and tragic experiences.

[There were four people again...]

[They hit me with a stick and let me kneel on broken glass...]

[Gao Fei engraved some words on my back with a knife. I can't see them, but I can feel what they say. They sprinkled salt on the open wounds, it hurt so much that I trembled...]

[Why am I so dirty?]

[They sold me like a pig-dog...]

[When will such days come to an end?]

[Why should I live?]

[Who can help me?]

The string of photos came to an abrupt end as a short video appeared on the screen instead.

It was the last page of the diary, the one that couldn't be pried open due to being thickly covered in dried blood.

The videographer's hands appeared in the frame, as he tried to turn the page over, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage to force them apart. He kept trying. His fingertips trembled, once, twice, three times... After countless tries, these two pages finally opened and revealed themselves under those big hands- unveiling the girl who carried love and despair all the way to her death to everyone, and thus striking at the sanity of all those who saw her.

In the video, a string of large teardrops fell on the bloodstained pages and glued them back together.

Then, the final few photos gradually appeared on the screen. They slowly morphed from a vague blurriness to become clear.

A young girl was lying on an autopsy table, her face and sensitive areas were mosaiced, but her skin, which was riddled with scars, that ranged from round burns and long knife wounds to crisscrossing lacerations, was all clearly visible. The most shocking photo was of her back. There were countless insults and humiliating words that had been carved into her by sharp knives, and they occupied almost every inch of skin on her back. The bumpy white scars had become a shame that she hadn't been able to wash away in her entire life, and also a heavy burden-one that she could not bear.

As the photos faded away, a line of red characters slowly emerged-Those who swim in sin will sink in sorrow.

The people who had opened this Weibo post had completely lost their voices long ago. Their blank minds were not enough to support them, let alone allow them to express any opinions. They could only stare at this one sentence, one which seemed to flow with blood.

...