Chapter 290: A Childhood of Rejection (Extra Chapter)
Chen Shi asked, “Which year was that?”
“Around 2009,” the worker said in a low voice. “Wang Changyou was killed a few days ago. Is it related to this? Will he come after me? I swear, I didn’t touch him.”
Lin Dongxue said, “That kid was only ten or so, an orphan. You grown men ganged up on a child and kept it a secret for years. Doesn’t that weigh on your conscience?”
The worker said, “His brother was a murderer. When the police arrested him, where else could we vent our anger? I’m just speaking for Wang Changyou. I swear I didn’t lay a hand on him. I just smashed a few thermos flasks. Besides, that kid wasn’t good either. Like brother, like brother. His teachers said he was always stealing and causing trouble at school. He was a plague; everyone avoided him. A kid like that grows up to be no good.”
Chen Shi said, “Alright, we won’t hold you responsible. Just be careful for the next few days.”
The worker clasped his hands together, “I’ll start burning incense today, praying you catch him soon!”
“Which school did the kid attend?” Lin Dongxue asked.
“School 37… It’s known for being a bad school,” the worker said with a sneer.
“Where does your kid go to school?” Lin Dongxue asked.
“Experimental High School, a top school,” the worker said proudly.
After leaving the worker, Lin Dongxue looked upset. Chen Shi asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I hate this blatant discrimination. My brother and I were orphans too, and our school wasn’t great either. A single sarcastic remark from others could hurt for years. I can’t imagine what kind of psychological scars a group of adults barging into a kid’s home and attacking him could leave. Today’s Wang Sunxu was created by these people!”
“This is the chain of hatred. Everyone on the chain believes they’re justified, that they’re victims. That’s why the law doesn’t look at intentions, only actions. Stopping violence is the only way to break the chain. Don’t be sad.” Chen Shi gently patted Lin Dongxue’s back.
Lin Dongxue gave a bitter smile, “All your comforting words can’t compare to that simple gesture.”
“Past events shape who we are now. We can’t change them, but we can learn to accept ourselves!” Chen Shi quoted, “I love the present you. Maybe if one little thing had changed in the past, we wouldn’t be together.”
“Alright, alright, you smooth talker… Where to next?”
“I want to visit Wang Sunxu’s school.”
“To find the next victim?”
“Exactly!”
Around noon, they arrived at the middle school Wang Sunxu had attended. School 37 only had a junior high, and Wang Sunxu had dropped out after graduating from there because he couldn’t afford high school. He worked various jobs to support himself.
At the office, the administrator initially didn’t recognize the name. But upon seeing Wang Sunxu’s photo in the student records, he slapped his forehead, “Oh, that kid! Isn’t he the murderer’s brother?”
“Is that the only impression you have of him?” Chen Shi asked with a smile.
The administrator awkwardly replied, “It’s not about discrimination. When teachers chat, we remember which students come from wealthy families or whose parents are officials. When his homeroom teacher mentioned his brother’s crime, it stuck with us. It’s been years, and all we remember is that he’s the murderer’s brother. It’s not discrimination, you have to understand!”
“I’m not here about that. Was he in your class?” Chen Shi asked.
“I taught him physics, but his homeroom teacher was Ms. Cai.”
“How did the homeroom teacher treat him?”
“Equally, of course. Our school’s graduation rate isn’t the best, but as a public school, we take ethics seriously. There’s no corporal punishment here, unlike in some private schools…”
Seeing that the teacher was about to launch into a critique of other schools, Chen Shi quickly interrupted, “The situation is this: this kid is now a serial killer. He has already killed someone who bullied him. We need to know if he was mistreated in school, which might help prevent the next murder. Of course, what you say will be confidential.”
The teacher scratched his head awkwardly, “The homeroom teacher didn’t abuse him, I can assure you. But he was treated a bit differently… You know, we’re just ordinary people. No one wanted to mess with a murderer’s brother!”
“What kind of different treatment?” Chen Shi pressed.
“He was made to sit at the back, next to the trash can, and stayed there for three years. During cleaning duty, elections for class roles, or self-study sessions, he wasn’t involved. I’d see him sleeping in the back during class and throw chalk at him. The look he gave me—I’ll never forget it—like he wanted to kill me. The homeroom teacher told me to leave him alone, saying he was the murderer’s brother. After that, I ignored him. Out of 46 students, I treated it as if there were only 45. I’d leave his test papers on the desk without a word, skip his name during roll call, and act like he didn’t exist.”
“All the teachers ignored him?”
“Treated him like air.”
“Do you realize it’s this very disregard and labeling him as a ‘murderer’s brother’ that pushed him down this dark path?”
The teacher awkwardly said, “We’re just ordinary folks. Teachers are even more cautious than regular people. If someone from my family were a murderer, like say, that janitor over there, we’d avoid them too. Call it discrimination if you want, but we can’t treat such people equally because I have my own family to think about. What if something happened to them?”
Chen Shi sighed inwardly. To ordinary people, being labeled a ‘murderer’s relative’ was like wearing a scarlet letter from a Hawthorne novel—a cursed identity. Avoiding them was a precautionary measure, and people’s compassion was only given when they felt safe. When everyone acts like this, the world becomes a cold and discriminatory hell for the person involved.
Chen Shi himself carried the stigma of being accused of murder. After changing his identity, he saw the internet filled with insults and accusations towards Song Lang. TV experts shamelessly analyzed why Song Lang had gone astray. He had felt that bone-chilling cold firsthand.