The decision to expel a student usually depends on the school’s disciplinary regulations, the severity of the incident, and its societal impact.
Liu Wen happened to be on the borderline of this issue.
On the surface, he claimed to have psychological problems, and the school lacked substantial evidence.
Even though the forum was in an uproar and the entire school knew about it, with only an autopsied cat and a recording admitting to long-term cat abuse as evidence, the most severe punishment he faced was a demerit.
The school even had to assign someone for psychological counseling.
Reporting to the police was futile.
There were no legal grounds for action.
But now, the nature of the situation had changed.
Zhou Huaixia looked at the trending post from a well-known influencer.
The post not only named and shamed Liu Wen for abusing cats but also included forum threads from the school, along with a series of chat records, videos, and images.
The chat records came from an anonymous chat room, where Liu Wen’s statements were all highlighted in red boxes.
He had been flaunting his cat abuse online for a long time, posting photos and videos of every cat he tortured in the anonymous chat room.
The published images were gruesome, and the videos captured the agonized cries of different cats.
It instantly triggered an outcry from netizens.
The whistleblower even exposed Liu Wen’s IP address and matched photos from his social media with the backgrounds of the cat abuse images.
The evidence was irrefutable.
Liu Wen’s actions were cruel, his methods inhumane, and his behavior posed a psychological threat to students.
The widely circulated videos and images drew massive public attention.
Without a doubt, this level of severity was more than enough to justify his expulsion.
Zhou Huaixia’s gaze lingered on the photo of the white cat that had been tortured.
If only she had realized earlier that she wasn’t dreaming that night… maybe…
“The school is holding an emergency disciplinary committee meeting,” Lu Jin gritted her teeth as she read the messages in the group chat.
“Just expelling him is too lenient!”
She refused to look at the gruesome videos and photos dominating the trending topics.
It was unbearable.
So many cats had died.
She had often played with the school cats but had never noticed anything amiss.
Zhou Huaixia said, “Maybe he’ll be detained.”
Lu Jin paused. “Really?”
Zhou Huaixia showed her a comment from a lawyer influencer below the post.
“It should be credible.”
Chen Lu: [Liu Wen’s actions spreading extreme and bloody content online have caused a severe public disturbance.
According to Article 26 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, he may face detention for 5 to 10 days and a fine of up to 500 yuan.
If the circumstances are serious, the detention could extend to 15 days, with a fine of up to 1,000 yuan.]
Chen Lu: [Additionally, if the charge of spreading harmful content online is added, both are administrative penalties and will not be accumulated.
At most, he’ll face 15 days of administrative detention.]
Lu Jin adjusted her glasses, but instead of feeling relieved, she became even more furious.
“He killed so many cats, and he’ll only be detained for 15 days?
Once he’s out and expelled from school, he can do it all over again.”
Zhou Huaixia, though resigned, remained calm.
“At least his photo is trending, and more people know who he is.
Even if most forget, some will remember.
He won’t be able to act so recklessly anymore.”
Since Liu Wen was an elite student at S University, the incident drew even more attention.
With the trending topic dominating the internet for an entire morning, the school had to act before their reputation took a hit.
At exactly noon, S University’s official account released a statement formally announcing Liu Wen’s expulsion from the clinical medicine program.
The trending topic’s heat began to subside.
Zhou Huaixia had a professional class in the afternoon.
She struggled to keep her eyes open and focus.
By the time she made it through to 5:30 PM and stepped out of the classroom, she saw Lu Jin waiting outside.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Huaixia asked curiously.
Lu Jin was usually at the library around this time.
Had she been too disturbed by the videos to study?
Lu Jin pulled Zhou Huaixia aside and showed her Weibo with an excited expression.
“People are saying Liu Wen might actually get arrested.”
Zhou Huaixia took her phone.
The topic, which had begun cooling down, was suddenly back at the top of the trending list.
The new headline read: “Is Liu Wen Just a Cat Abuser or a Potential Serial Killer?”
Clicking in, she saw that one of Liu Wen’s recent chat messages had sparked mass panic.
He had said: [I’m about to find out what it’s like to dissect a human.]
At some point in the afternoon, a popular influencer had taken a screenshot of this message and shared it, raising concerns about whether Liu Wen’s sadism had escalated to homicidal tendencies.
Cat abuse might not be a clear legal offense, but murder certainly was.
“I looked into it,” Lu Jin said.
“The day he sent that message, he was preparing to accompany his mentor to a medical lab.
He was probably about to assist with basic suturing and wound dressing.”
Even if he had simply meant stitching up a patient, under the current public scrutiny, it now sounded like he was a would-be killer.
Liu Wen’s videos already showcased his extreme and brutal methods.
Now, with this message circulating, social media was gripped by fear.
Lu Jin pointed to another comment below.
“That lawyer Chen Lu commented again.”
Chen Lu: [If this is deemed provocation, the penalty is up to five years in prison.
In severe cases, more than five years.]
In short, Liu Wen was likely going to jail.
Both of them thought this would be the end of the matter.
But that night, the first influencer to expose Liu Wen’s story dropped yet another bombshell, setting social media ablaze.
A new post revealed that the anonymous chat room Liu Wen frequented was full of people who tortured animals.
They not only shared and sold videos but also distributed them to more private circles.
Liu Wen, thanks to his brutally “professional” cat abuse videos, had gained recognition in the chat room and made a considerable profit.
The post included screenshots of transaction records.
This case had now escalated to criminal law.
This time, Chen Lu’s comment was brief and to the point: [Liu Wen is going to prison.
Everyone involved is going to jail.]
Zhou Huaixia: “…”
She hadn’t expected this to unravel so much more.
The police need time to investigate.
It’s impossible to release results overnight.
But the anonymous chat room will definitely be taken down, and Liu Wen, along with everyone in the chat room who filmed and profited from the abuse videos, will be punished by law.
This includes, but is not limited to, the crimes of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, spreading obscene materials for profit, and illegal business operations.
In short, the Criminal Law has already prepared consequences for them.
Lü Jin sincerely sighed, “Thanks to those who reported it.”
In November, the weather started getting cold, with chilly winds blowing every now and then.
Zhou Huaixia had already put on her down jacket in advance and was bundled up like a penguin every day.
As soon as she returned to the dormitory, she would go straight to sleep.
“I think you should get a health check-up.”
Lü Jin held a steaming thermos cup, looking at Zhou Huaixia, who was lying on the upper bunk.
“You eat and sleep all day, and you have dark circles under your eyes.”
Zhou Huaixia remained motionless under her thick blanket.
“In the right drawer, my medical report.”
“When did you get a check-up?” Lü Jin asked as she opened the right drawer.
Sure enough, she found a thick stack of medical reports.
She adjusted her glasses and carefully flipped through them while standing below.
The reports showed they were done in the latter half of last month.
Aside from a low blood sugar result, everything else was normal.
Zhou Huaixia was a perfectly healthy university student.
Flipping to the back, Lü Jin was shocked.
“Why did you also do a head CT, an EEG, and a carotid artery ultrasound?”
“These tests are usually only necessary for people over 50.
Didn’t the doctor remind you?”
“Or do you have recurring dizziness and headaches, plus a family history of cardiovascular disease?”
Zhou Huaixia, eyes closed, muttered, “You’re so noisy.”
Lü Jin fell silent.
When she reached the last page, she found a psychological consultation record tucked inside the report.
Name: Zhou Huaixia
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Date of Consultation: October 26, 2030
Chief Complaint: The patient reports insufficient sleep…
Lü Jin frowned deeply and looked up at Zhou Huaixia, who was still sleeping on the upper bunk.
She had trouble sleeping?
But thinking about the date on the report, Lü Jin had a realization.
For some time now, Zhou Huaixia had stopped going to the library with her to nap.
She also wasn’t constantly video chatting anymore.
If they weren’t still living in the same dorm and talking normally, Lü Jin would have seriously suspected that Zhou Huaixia was mad at her.
When did this start?
It seemed like ever since Liu Wen was caught abusing cats, Zhou Huaixia had stopped sticking to her.
Lü Jin replayed all their interactions in her head, and suddenly, a thought struck her like lightning.
She grabbed a chair, stood on it, and reached out to push Zhou Huaixia, questioning in shock, “Zhou Huaixia, did you suspect me of abusing cats back then?!”
Even when pushed on the shoulder, Zhou Huaixia remained completely still, as if she were deep asleep.
“Stop pretending.” Lü Jin adjusted her glasses, having seen through everything.
“You always borrow the bathroom of whoever you suspect first.
The first bathroom you borrowed was mine.”
Zhou Huaixia: “……”
“I already noticed that your expression changed when I petted the calico cat that day.”
Lü Jin continued analyzing.
“And how did you suddenly know it was a single man living alone?”
Annoyed by the pushing, Zhou Huaixia finally opened her eyes and lazily replied, “I told you, I have special abilities.”
Lü Jin scoffed.
“Well, in that case, I’m the Mother of Ultraman.”
Zhou Huaixia: “……Your Excellency, Mother of Ultraman, aren’t you supposed to be studying?”
Lü Jin snorted.
“No studying today.
Lady Lü Zhihua has granted us two tickets to the newly opened amusement park.
We’re going out to have fun.”
Zhou Huaixia, with her messy bed hair, was dragged up.
“Why didn’t you tell me yesterday?”
Lü Jin, unfazed, replied, “Lady Lü Zhihua was busy and forgot.
She only remembered today that the tickets are about to expire.
She already arranged for a same-day delivery service to send them over.
They’ll arrive soon.”
The new amusement park was far away.
Lü Jin insisted that Zhou Huaixia should appreciate the cityscape of S City, so instead of taking the subway, they took the bus.
Standing in the crowded bus, Zhou Huaixia’s down jacket was squeezed flat.
Being taller, she could at least breathe.
She scowled while gripping the overhead handrail, creating a bit of space for the shorter Lü Jin.
The windows were completely blocked by people.
There was no way to see any “cityscape.”
Lü Jin struggled to speak.
“This route is usually a bit crowded, haha…
Just thirteen more stops, and we can transfer.”
Zhou Huaixia ignored her.
They endured the cramped ride for four or five stops when suddenly, Zhou Huaixia let out a sneer.
Lü Jin looked up in confusion.
She saw Zhou Huaixia turn her head and raise her voice, “Enough already.
Have you had your fill of touching my butt?”
Her blunt words caused a stir on the already noisy bus.
Lü Jin followed her gaze.
“?”
Other than the middle-aged women pressed up against them, the nearest man in a suit was still separated from them by a female high school student.
Based on her medical knowledge, Lü Jin could confirm that the man’s arms weren’t long enough to reach Zhou Huaixia.
But at that moment, Zhou Huaixia had already pushed her way toward the suited man.