Ren Jin was released three days after Gu Yueji went to Xu Wangde's house.
That morning, Ren Jin walked out of the dark stairwell. The sunlight was a bit too bright for him, and he couldn't help but squint.
Although he knew he had not committed a crime and would be released sooner or later, the few days of detention still left Ren Jin feeling tired and confused. He looked up at the blue sky, took a deep breath, and felt the air of freedom.
Having regained his freedom and suppressed his longing for days, Ren Jin was especially eager to see Gu Yueji. He wondered if she was doing well and if the baby in her belly was behaving properly. Looking at the iron gate leading to freedom in the distance, he quickened his pace.
He walked through the heavy iron gate and out of the detention center, expecting to see Gu Yueji and her family and friends waiting for him at the door. However, as soon as he looked up, several people holding microphones and cameras crowded in front of him.
"Are you Ren Jin?"
"What would you like to say after being released?"
"Will your wife, Gu Yueji, come to pick you up? Can you two grant us an interview?"
"Do you have anything to say to Xu Wangde's family?"
The cacophony of voices from several people mingled in the air as they eagerly bombarded the air with questions, which came like a tidal wave.
Ren Jin looked surprised and confused. He didn't know what had happened. He subconsciously looked up to search for Gu Yueji and the others, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"I have nothing to say. Please move aside. I want to go home."
Ren Jin pushed them aside and walked forward, the others following closely behind, continuing to press for answers.
"Does your release mean that Xu Wangde's death has nothing to do with you?"
"Or did Gu Yueji give Xu Xin 3 million yuan in compensation, which is why you were released?"
Why didn't Gu Yueji come to pick you up? Was she affected by cyberbullying? Are she and the child alright?
The word "cyberbullying" struck Ren Jin like a blow to the head. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked in shock, "What cyberbullying? What happened to my wife and children?"
He is not allowed to use his cell phone in the detention center, and he has not been in contact with Gu Yueji for several days, so he has no idea what is happening outside.
Gu Yueji gave Xu Xin 3 million yuan? And she was cyberbullied?
He immediately pulled out his cell phone, which hadn't been turned on yet, from his bag, intending to call Gu Yueji.
"Brother!" A familiar voice rang out, and Ren Jin looked up sharply. He saw Qian Mingjun push through the crowd and come to him. "Sorry, brother, I was late because of traffic."
Ren Jin looked past Qian Mingjun and saw that he was all alone behind him.
When Ren Jin saw that Gu Yueji hadn't come to pick him up, his heart sank even further.
"What happened? Where's your sister-in-law?"
Qian Mingjun glanced at the people around him. "Brother, let's get in the car first, and I'll explain to you slowly."
Ren Jin nodded, knowing this wasn't the place to talk, and followed Qian Mingjun away. The others, however, weren't satisfied with not having gathered any material, and stopped Ren Jin, wanting to continue asking questions and trying to dig out more details and stories.
Ren Jin was worried that Gu Yueji was anxious, and being stopped made him furious. He roared at the group, "Get out of my way and don't bother me!"
Ren Jin was tall and strong, with an already powerful aura. When he got angry, he was even more intimidating. The group could only stand there and watch him leave.
Ren Jin couldn't wait to get into the car. As soon as they were a short distance apart, he grabbed Qian Mingjun and asked, "Where's your sister-in-law? Where is she now? Are she and the child alright?"
Seeing how anxious he was, Qian Mingjun quickly explained, "Brother, don't worry. Your wife is at home, and the child is fine. We guessed that someone would know he was out today and try to stop him here, so we didn't let her come in case she ran into your wife. She and everyone else are waiting for you at home."
Ren Jin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and a relieved smile finally appeared on his face. "It's good that she's alright."
After getting into the car, Ren Jin recalled the scene just now and finally had the mind to ask, "What was going on with those people just now? Xu Xin demanded 3 million? And someone is cyberbullying your sister-in-law?"
Speaking of Xu Xin, Qian Mingjun curled his lips in a mocking smile, "Xu Xin is now reaping what he sowed, and he can't even protect himself. He can forget about getting that 3 million."
Just as Gu Yueji had predicted, Xu Wangde's situation took a turn for the better because of that live stream. The netizens who had initially attacked Ren Jin and Gu Yueji shifted their anger to Xu Xin. They began to dig deep into Xu Xin's past, finding all of Xu Xin's social media accounts, and even digging up his WeChat chat history. The screenshots of Xu Xin asking Xu Wangde for money, the evidence of Xu Xin hiring online promoters to cyberbully Ren Jin and Gu Yueji, and Xu Xin's shameless remarks about discussing with his girlfriend how to cyberbully Ren Jin and Gu Yueji until he was satisfied with the compensation, were all exposed online. Within a few days, all of Xu Xin's social media accounts were attacked.
Xu Xin, who openly asked for money during his live stream that day, anticipated the online backlash, but he thought he would be fine as long as he didn't watch short videos or look at his phone. However, the online uproar he caused quickly reached his school. Because Xu Xin hid and didn't respond, netizens flocked to the school's official website to comment, criticizing the school for filtering out academic underachievers but not scumbags, and for producing a student who spread rumors and cyberbullied others. The school responded before Xu Xin, saying that it had investigated him and would take appropriate action if he violated school rules. Not content with that, netizens also went to dox Xu Xin's girlfriend's parents. Soon, the girlfriend's parents couldn't withstand the online pressure and said they wanted their daughter to break up with Xu Xin and have an abortion.
Qian Mingjun felt extremely pleased with the dramatic turn of events over the past few days and began to recount his experience incessantly.
Ren Jin listened silently while turning on his phone. After the boot screen flashed, a barrage of notifications appeared.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com