Hurry and create an account.
Yu Ban felt that if the group name and all the various sordid, perverse behaviors within this group were exposed, someone would definitely step forward.
“He Zi Lu was already in the group back in her sophomore year of high school, but the incident only happened in her second year of college. Given her personality, it’s unlikely she could keep this secret for so long. I suspect that besides Xia Yuxin and Qu Xiaoyun, there are others around her who know about this group. I guess there are two kinds of people in that group: one pays money to assign tasks, and the other carries out these dirty deeds for amusement. He Zi Lu was one of those getting paid to do the dirty work. Her constant demands for apologies on the underworld might not be a personal fetish, but the requirements of the employers in the group.”
Ji Jiang said, “So you want to make this public, to let those who pay others know about He Zi Lu’s death and trigger their panic?”
“That’s right.”
Yu Song nodded solemnly. “Though this method is simple and crude, it works well. There must be more than just He Zi Lu in that group. Others who know her death is connected to the group might come forward to seek police help. Even if they dare not turn themselves in, they might expose some information online.”
Gu Zhi pondered for a moment, frowning.
“Zhou Yaohui should be one of the payers, but he’s also dead, so your logic doesn’t add up.”
“He certainly had money, but he wasn’t necessarily a payer. Maybe he had his own perverse hobby, like enjoying bullying others and recording videos for amusement. Also, I never said all the dead people were those who got paid. It’s possible someone is targeting this group.”
“You mean the mysterious person who called you? Yu Ban, what’s your connection to him, and what about him to this group? Why would he notify you in advance and send you to see their death scenes?”
Yu Song shrugged helplessly, “How would I know? Just from the group name, I knew trouble would come my way. Who knows if they see me as a dog or as a person?”
Huo Anran suddenly said, “Maybe the meaning behind the group name is to treat people like dogs to be tamed, or to see if they can be trained like dogs.”
Yu Song replied, “So far, the answer seems clear. He Zi Lu definitely thought she was the one taming others, but I think they’re the ones being tamed. Those who pay don’t just want to watch bullying videos; they probably want to see how cruel people like He Zi Lu can be to their own kind.”
Gu Zhi glanced at her.
There were many doubts now, but the biggest suspicion lay with her.
Ji Jiang obviously thought the same.
He asked Yu Ban, “Why did the mysterious person choose you? Yu Ban, have you ever joined similar groups before?”
Yu Ban rolled her eyes inwardly.
“If I had, I would’ve said it already. Were you waiting to ask? Don’t worry, I want to know even more than you do why he picked me. When you find out his real identity, make sure to tell me first.”
After discussing with Ji Jiang, Gu Zhi decided to report this matter first.
The group was too dangerous and had to be eliminated.
Huo Anran was a little worried, “Team Leader Ji, Team Leader Gu, aren’t you afraid of stirring up trouble?”
Gu Zhi smiled, “There are too few leads now. We only have the testimonies of those two classmates, He Zi Lu and the other, who only knew such a group existed but never joined or even saw it. How else could we investigate?”
Yu Ban said, “If you can’t find the grass, what’s there to fear from disturbing the snake?”
When she revealed the dark mentor, she was worried about causing a stir, but the other side didn’t run away or shrink back.
Instead, they sent her a big gift package.
Now the internet was buzzing; no one said Yu Song forced He Zi Lu to death anymore.
He Zi Rui’s parents also dared not cause trouble. In fact, Yu Song was the one who benefited.
Qu Xiaoyun only recorded videos and insisted she was forced into it.
Even if she had done it voluntarily, she couldn’t be punished.
Xia Yuxin’s fake suicide attempt only disturbed social order, and her high school assault videos could only bring moral condemnation but no criminal charge.
Yu Song had expected that those bullied by her and He Zi Lu would stand up to condemn them.
But not a single one did.
Gu Zhi told her, “Being bullied isn’t something to be proud of. Those classmates have all started new lives; none of them want to expose their past vulnerabilities in public.”
Yu Ban agreed.
Being bullied draws sympathy, but after sympathy comes pity, and after pity, people say, “The pitiable have their hateful traits.”
In today’s internet environment, even victims get attacked online.
Once the online storm breaks out, without spending a lot of money, it’s impossible to control the direction of public opinion.
In such circumstances, those bullied certainly won’t come forward easily.
The authorities had to weigh every word in their announcements and report upward.
Yu Song couldn’t keep following the investigation either, especially since there was little to investigate at the moment.
Now, videos of Yu Song slapping Xia Yuxin were everywhere online.
The green-haired girl instantly became a trending tag with many imitators.
Yu Song walked into the barber shop, and Tony, a handsome man with gray hair and colored contacts, immediately recognized her.
“Hey, little sister, aren’t you the Ba Zhang Xia who slapped a netizen’s behalf?”
Yu Song twitched the corner of her mouth.
Only two days had passed and now she had a new nickname?
Ba Zhang Xia?
That’s a terrible name.
“I’m not. Please dye my hair another color. I don’t want to be stared at everywhere I go.”
Tony grinned as he invited her to sit. “Only stars get stared at. So many people dream of fame. With your heat, you could definitely become an internet celebrity. Are you sure you want to dye it black?”
“Definitely!” Yu Song had no interest in becoming a web celebrity.
“You’ve bleached your hair before. Even if dyed black, it’ll fade and might not look too good.”
Yu Song looked at herself in the mirror.
She never cared about whether it looked good or not.
It was just hair; if it didn’t look good, so what?
“Dye it. Black it is.”
Tony was quite reluctant but very skillful, quickly dyeing her hair.
Yu Song had already packed up her dorm, ready to move in, but Song Wenjing kept calling her to come home.
She had no choice but to return.
Once home, Song Wenya grabbed her and looked her up and down.
“You brat, why did you dye your hair black? Don’t you know how hot you are now? I called you, sent you WeChat messages, and you didn’t answer. Hurry up and dye your hair back. I’ve already told my fans to go live as soon as you get home.”
Yu Song stared at the excited Song Wenya in silence.
Her so-called stepmother was surprisingly trendy, wanting her to become an internet celebrity.
Song Wenya had long dreamed of being an internet celebrity.
Every time she went live with beauty filters, she wished she could drag it on forever.
Seeing her daughter suddenly become popular, she wouldn’t let go.
She nagged nonstop, urging Yu Song to dye her hair back quickly.
“If it doesn’t work out, just buy a wig. You have to keep your green hair on for the live stream anyway.”
Yu Ban suddenly felt sorry for the original owner.
So much had happened, yet her birth mother wasn’t worried at all and only thought about making money through live streams.
Her birth father Yu Daqiang teased her, “Well, well, our big internet celebrity is back. I even heard someone call you a hero. Why haven’t you made an account yet? What are you waiting for?”
“You only called me back for this? Then don’t waste time. If you really want to be internet celebrities, one of you dye your hair green and the other red. Do a stream together, you’ll definitely go viral.”
Yu Daqiang laughed, “Let your mom dye hers. I’m not coloring mine green.”
Song Wenya shot him a look. “What nonsense are you talking about in front of the kids?”
Yu Daqiang huffed unhappily. Yu Song guessed her earlier suspicions and asked, “Wait, which one is my real dad? Mom and dad, you’re not even sure yourselves, are you?”
Song Wenya got so angry she raised her hand to hit her but was pushed away.
“Why hit me? I say this only because you two are so unreliable. Back then, you actually participated in Huan Qi Pai Dui. How many people were there? How did it work? I’m an adult now; let me tell you about it.”
Yu Daqiang and Song Wenya both pulled grim faces.
Song Wenya shouted, “What nonsense are you talking about? Huan Qi Pai Dui? We’ve never even heard of it.”
Yu Daqiang put on the parent act, “Yes, yes, your mom and dad were busy earning money and might have neglected you sometimes. We’re sorry, but you are truly our flesh and blood. If you don’t believe it, we can all do a Qin Zi Jian Ding.”
“Why would we need a Qin Zi Jian Ding? Song Song’s eyes are exactly like yours.”
They started acting like a perfect couple again.
Thinking about today’s events, Yu Song decided to scare them.
“You saw what happened today, right? That girl who tried to jump and got slapped by me almost died. Her high school classmate He Zi Lu is already dead. Want to know how?”
Song Wenya didn’t really understand the relationships among those people.
She was always confused by complicated gossip and just followed the crowd to vent emotions.
Seeing her daughter come out on top and getting praise from many made her dream of turning Yu Song into an internet celebrity.
Now hearing this, she said indifferently, “Who cares how they died? Serves them right. As long as you’re fine. Song Song, you need to know the era of studying hard is over. Now all you need is traffic to make money.”
Yu Daqiang nodded along, “Yes, yes, your mom’s right. Besides, traffic won’t last forever. Whether you sell anything or not, let’s get your account started.”
Yu Song said seriously, “You can be internet celebrities if you want, but I want to remind you, two people connected to me are already dead, and we don’t know who the third will be. If it happens to you, I won’t be sad and won’t save you. Let fate decide.”
Yu Daqiang and Song Wenya were dumbfounded.
Yu Daqiang said, “People around you? Weren’t the dead your university classmates? They committed suicide. What does their death have to do with you?”
Song Wenya asked, “Song Song, are you trying to scare me? What do you mean by ‘it’ll be our turn’?”
Yu Song stared into her eyes. “Have you and my dad ever joined any organizations or groups? Have you been in any groups? Guess how I know about Huan Qi Pai Dui?”
They looked at each other, their faces very ugly.
“Song Song, what are you talking about?” Yu Daqiang still played dumb. “Your mom and I don’t understand.”
Yu Song was already very clear.
She frowned, “Say what you want. I’m going back to school to live. Don’t come looking for me if anything happens.”
Song Wenya, who valued her own life the most, suddenly stepped forward to stop Yu Song.
“Wait, don’t go yet. Make it clear — who exactly told you about Huan Qi Pai Dui? Your dad and I did join some ‘go’ groups before, but those were just for young people to chat and have fun. Your dad and I even chatted in those groups. What’s the problem?”