Chapter 18: Third Watch

Chapter 18: Third Watch

The video of Qiong Cang was likely filmed at night. The background was pitch black, with a dim yellow light illuminating her face.

Yesterday, Qiong Cang was struck by Xiang Qingxi with a stick and then hit her forehead on an iron shovel. The wound had been treated at the hospital. However, in the video, the bandage on her head had been taken off, revealing a circular red bloodstain around the wound, making it appear particularly fierce. Additionally, there were many bruises on other parts of her face, as if she had been beaten badly.

Her gaze was unfocused as she looked into the camera, appearing mentally exhausted.

He Jueyun leaned closer to the screen and stared for a long time. Due to the dim light and the inappropriate angle, even he couldn’t tell if the injuries were real or just well-made up. They looked extremely lifelike.

The disciplinary officer next to him, unaware of the situation, rudely cursed, calling her a beast.

At this moment, Qiong Cang in the video began to speak, and everyone held their breath to listen.

"Today, many people on the internet have cursed me in various languages. I do not accept their accusations. Since the leaders of No.1 High School distort right and wrong and refuse to acknowledge what they did to me, I will tell everything today."

She pressed her lips together and used her fingers to push back the hair that had fallen to the side.

"In January of this year, there was a classmate named Tian Yun who jumped off a building and committed suicide. The reason for her suicide was that a school leader had sexually harassed her. She came from a poor family and had a younger brother. Her parents were heavily influenced by the leader and wanted her to drop out of school to support the family. Tian Yun relied on Zhou Nansong's financial support to maintain her daily life. Feeling immense pressure and seeing no way out, she pretended to invite the school leader out, got him drunk, and obtained evidence from his phone."

She spoke with difficulty, rephrasing each statement. After finishing this segment, she quickly changed the topic.

"The second person who jumped was Zhou Nansong, my roommate, whom the school accused me of bullying. I did not. She was Tian Yun's best friend, knew everything, obtained the evidence, and told me."

She swallowed, looking uneasy, then fell silent and raised her hand to vigorously tug at her hair.

Her anxiety was too obvious; anyone could see that her mental state was far from normal.

Looking into the camera, her eyes turned red, with tears brimming but not falling.

This reaction greatly increased the credibility of her words. She appeared completely like an innocent and helpless victim, impossible to reconcile with the malicious character described by the school.

After a moment, Qiong Cang spoke again in a hoarse voice.

"They edited the recording, thinking I wasn't prepared. But I bought a new phone and recorded our conversation because I didn't trust them. Everything that needs to be said is in there; you can decide for yourselves."

The following footage was shaky, focusing on a middle-aged man with a haughty expression that was hard to like.

A young woman's agitated voice said, "You're forcing me. You deliberately twisted the truth. You know that Zhou Nansong's suicide was because of Tian Yun, yet you told everyone it was my fault! You deliberately incited other students to bully me! You want to drive me to death!"

The middle-aged man casually replied, "The school didn’t do that; the students thought it themselves."

No matter who saw his expression and heard his words, they would feel like punching him.

"Zhou Nansong's notebook wrote everything down. You use these methods to make students comply, afraid to speak out, enslaved and endlessly harassed by you! Then you use small benefits to buy them off and pacify them. If they don’t obey, you threaten them with the college entrance exam!" the girl roared, "Zhou Nansong's notebook is still here! I can hand it over to the police!"

The middle-aged man spread his hands and said, "Those can’t be considered evidence. She had depression and was mentally unstable before her death. How can what she wrote be trusted? Besides, she only heard things from others without any basis."

"She said there were photos! The photos you took! She saw them! Principal XX, Dean of Academic Affairs XX, General Manager of X company..." the girl listed a series of names and identities, her tone short, "You took photos, threatened them, and mocked them for fun. You’re not human!"

The middle-aged man asked, "Where are the photos?"

"Do you want to deny it?" the girl stood up abruptly, "Have the courage to show your phone! Let the police check what you’ve stored!"

"Enough!" the middle-aged man shouted, signaling her to sit down, "That’s mutual consent; it doesn’t count as a crime, do you understand?"

The girl screamed, "You’re lying! Shut up!"

Middle-aged man: "Enough!"

The girl slammed her hand on the table and shouted in anger, "Don't push me! At worst, I'll jump off the same dormitory building! Two people have already died in the school. If another dies, none of you will come out unharmed!"

The middle-aged man chuckled, "Then go jump. Everyone will only mock you, saying you committed suicide out of guilt! The police station and the school have always cooperated, you know? The Education Bureau is a government department, too. Just see who they'll believe in the end. Don’t overestimate yourself, young one."

The girl breathed heavily, clearly infuriated.

The middle-aged man took out a cigarette from the pack on the side table and lit it with a lighter, leaning back in his chair. After a while, he condescendingly said, "Why make things so ugly for everyone? Do you think you can intimidate me with your life? Are you joking? I want to have a proper conversation with you. How can we talk with you in this state?"

"I advise you to stop meddling in this matter. Why not consider your own future. You're in your third year of high school, and there's less than a month until the college entrance exam, right? What do you hope to gain by causing a scene?"

Qiong Cang replied, "Fairness."

The middle-aged man, "What is fairness worth?"

He exhaled a puff of white smoke contentedly.

After a long silence, the girl spoke again, her voice trembling, "Did Tian Yun die in vain? She was pushed to her death by all of you. You made the first move on her, yet you didn’t even provide proper compensation."

"So, if we talk money, wouldn't that make things easier?" The middle-aged man tapped the table and said, "200,000."

The girl slowly calmed down, "That's not enough. There’s also Zhou Nansong. She was her mother’s only child."

The middle-aged man, "Then what amount do you think is appropriate?"

The girl, "These are human lives. How much do you think they’re worth?"

The middle-aged man, "One million. Does that sound fair?"

The girl fell silent again, and her inner turmoil was evident through the screen.

Finally, she weakly agreed and added, "You can't go to my mother again. I can pretend this never happened. She's just an ordinary person."

The middle-aged man waved his hand, dismissing her.

The girl asked, "I have one more question."

The middle-aged man, apparently in a good mood, said, "Go ahead."

"Do you even have a conscience?" The girl, holding back her anger, demanded, "You take advantage of the poverty-relief system set up by the principal, gaining both fame and fortune, while secretly doing such despicable things. You've wronged too many people, even the principal. You've squandered his kindness and ruined the entire school. One day, you'll face the consequences of your actions."

"The principal?" The middle-aged man scoffed, clearly not taking her seriously, waving his cigarette, "You can go ask the principal why he had me do this. You're really funny, kid."

The scene abruptly went dark, switching back to Qiong Cang.

Qiong Cang held her head and said softly, not focusing on the camera, "Everything I said is true. I don't understand why no one believes me and why my family is being harmed. Must we die to prove our point? Is this how you seek justice? I can stake my life on the truth of what I’ve said, but can you take responsibility for what you've said?"

Qiong Cang choked twice and continued, "I've said it all. Believe me, don't harm the victims, and don't guess who's being coerced. What should be discussed are those who lie and deceive... Farewell to all."

When this video was released, the school leaders were in the middle of a media interview, pretending to express disappointment and regret about Wang Dongyan while superficially doing self-criticism, saying the school should have paid more attention to the students' psychological issues and should take some responsibility.

The media were more perceptive. As the leader continued speaking, several reporters received new message alerts on their phones. They stepped back and quietly checked their phones.

The school leader being interviewed sensed something amiss. He cleared his throat, preparing to speak again.

After reading the messages, the reporters looked shocked, exchanging disbelieving glances. Their attitude changed quickly, and they rushed forward, thrusting microphones at the leader, asking aggressively, "How does your school view the latest video released by Wang Dongyan?"

The man being interviewed was momentarily stunned and slowly said, "What video? Wang Dongyan has a habit of lying. If it’s something she claims, it should be verified before being believed."

"She released the complete video of the negotiation with you in the office!" The reporter exclaimed, "The lip movements and voices in the video match perfectly! Do you dare to release the original audio!"

The leader, under questioning, broke into a cold sweat but still insisted, "What we released is the original audio. We need to review the video you mentioned before providing a precise response."

The reporters gave him no chance to escape, swarming him with questions:

"Are you aware that Wang Dongyan jumped into the water and took her own life this morning?"

"Do you know that Wang Dongyan used her death to accuse your authoritarian behavior?"

"Were the online trolls who attacked Wang Dongyan hired by you?"

"Was Zhou Nansong's suicide manipulated by you to appear as a case of school bullying? Answer directly!"

The middle-aged man couldn't take it anymore and tried to escape the crowd, pushing away with his hands, saying, "Wait a moment… wait a moment…"

"Stop!"

"Do you know that instigating others to commit suicide, although there is no explicit legal provision, is recognized by the judicial authorities as intentional homicide? Can you confirm that No.1 High School did not force students into suicide? Yes or no!"

"Call your leader out! We need the truth! Three lives demand the truth!"

"How do you explain the situation Wang Dongyan described?"

The school’s administrative building was immediately besieged, and more reporters rushed to the principal’s office, as well as the residences of the other individuals mentioned in Qiong Cang's video, demanding justice from them.

Those people were found in a daze, confused and immediately confronted by dark lenses, rendered speechless. Panic-stricken, they were abruptly taken away by the police to the station for questioning.

All the way, their various embarrassments were recorded by the cameras, and upon arriving at the police station, they were treated like rats in the street, enduring the citizens' excited emotions.

Furious parents threw garbage at their faces, while the police showed no sympathy, routinely asking the crowd to clear a path.

Everything unfolded so swiftly, like the dawn breaking across the sky.

·

News of Wang Dongyan’s suicide spread slightly faster than her video. The police account directly posted information about Wang Dongyan falling into the water, stating that they were searching but had not located her yet.

Netizens reacted with mixed emotions to the news.

"Did she really commit suicide?"

"Is she that fragile?"

"Didn’t you push her to this point step by step?"

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

Out of respect for the deceased, some still spoke harshly but in hushed tones.

Then, the video went viral, bringing out the silent majority.

They came to Wang Dongyan's Weibo, seeing the comments, which stirred intense sadness, feeling chilled to the core by the malice. A profound sense of grief erupted.

"Blah blah blah! I f*cking told you, blah blah blah! Damn it, you're all executioners! Bloodthirsty monsters! Are you satisfied now? Are you?"

"I'm really sad. I cried while watching. It's as if she died right in front of me. A girl with such a strong sense of justice, yet she committed suicide with the stigma of a criminal. What's wrong with this society?"

"I’m freaking out, this is real, brutal murder!"

"These people are all fools!"

"Is cursing useful now? She committed suicide and her fate is unknown, can we just pray for her? Local friends, please help search for her! We need to act quickly!"

"Those who caused trouble at Wang Dongyan's mother's company yesterday should kneel and apologize!"

"Kindness is being exploited and hearts are being manipulated. Even more despicable is the capital behind the scenes. Stop creating internal divisions and disputes. We demand an explanation from the administration of No.1 High School!"

"They cannot provide an explanation. They've already been taken away for investigation. The police have responded quickly this time."

"What's going on with the students from No.1 High School? Who would have thought this would take a turn?"

A person known to have lied before is immediately met with suspicion from the crowd. Before any concrete evidence is available, people already believe what Qiong Cang mentioned in her video. At the same time, they believe the injuries on Qiong Cang's face were caused by school staff assaulting her.

Meanwhile, an official media outlet quickly released another interview video.

Unlike the previous media, this time they entered the campus as soon as the school opened and directly interviewed students from Wang Dongyan's class.

Not those making assumptions, but students from Class 1, the source of the information.

Reporter: "Do you know Wang Dongyan?"

Student: "Know her?"

Reporter: "Did she commit any violent acts against Zhou Nansong?"

"No, she didn't hit anyone."

"Was there any psychological abuse?"

"I don't know how to describe it, but she deliberately scared Nansong."

"How did she scare her? To what extent? I've heard some students say that she pretended to be a ghost to scare people. Is that true?"

The student's voice lowered as he replied, "I haven't seen that. She just used small toys to scare people."

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

The student said, "Yes."

The reporter pressed the switch on the box, and as the lid slid back, a black rubber spider popped out. He asked, "Did she use toys like this to scare Zhou Nansong into committing suicide? Is that what everyone thinks?"

The student fell silent, and the mosaic obscured his face, but his embarrassment was evident.

The reporter asked again, "Did anyone at the school pretend to be a ghost? I've heard from some students that there were indeed such incidents, quite serious ones."

The student remained silent and unwilling to speak.

The reporter asked again, "Did it happen?"

The student answered, "Yes."

Reporter: "Who was the target?"

The student seemed hesitant to speak, "Wang Dongyan."

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

"Yes. Everyone just wanted to get revenge for Zhou Nansong."

Reporter asked: "Did Wang Dongyan lead the class in excluding Zhou Nansong?"

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

"Do you consider this school bullying? Should she be labeled as a murderer?"

The student fell silent once more.

The reporter's voice was calm, but every question was sharp: "Do you know that she committed suicide to prove her innocence?"

A sob was heard on camera. The student lifted a hand to wipe their glasses.

"Why did you act this way?"

The student said, "Everyone in the school was saying that."

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

"The teachers and school administration disclosed it. Someone heard it when Zhou Nansong's mother was negotiating with the principal," the student said, "I didn’t think much about it."

The reporter also fell silent for a moment, then asked: "Do you know what I’m going to say?"

The student buried their head deeply.

Reporter: "You are... the pillars of our society’s future, do you understand?"

The student asked, "What happened to her?"

"Good," the reporter said, "You finally asked this question. But I don't know. This time of year, the river flows quickly, and she jumped in with a stone. Her body hasn’t been found under the bridge, and the rescue team is expanding the search area.

The reporter lifted a hand to check the time: "It’s been two hours since she jumped, and there’s been no discovery. The police are mobilizing citizens to search downstream. Do you know what this means?"

The student burst into tears.

Reporter: "I won’t pressure you. I hope you all stay safe."

The student said guiltily, "I’m sorry."

Reporter: "I hope you get the chance to apologize to Wang Dongyan in person."

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

"That’s not a question you should ask me," the reporter said, "If you feel it’s necessary, you can go. If you think you need to calm down, take some time to do so. Life is the most precious thing, and I don’t want to see any more tragedies like this."

The student said again, "I’m sorry. I’m really sorry..."

·

Wang Dongyan’s suicide and the reversal of events became a sharp blade, piercing deep into everyone’s heart. Whether involved or not, everyone felt a pain from within.

They were angry but had no outlet.

They were silent, yet could not bear the guilt.

In their hearts, each person had a thorn left behind, a guilt for Wang Dongyan's death, a shame for the unfortunate, a reflection and regret for arrogance.

All the emotions that erupted transformed into a new force, silently igniting a cyber revolution against cyberbullying.

Then, a large-scale, spontaneous event to "Find Wang Dongyan" began in the city.