This malicious incident caused quite a stir, making headlines in multiple newspapers and becoming a hot topic of social discussion.
Since Elder Brother Xiao had some social status, unscrupulous media discovered during their investigation that one of the victims was actually from a wealthy family, and they extensively reported on this fact.
Whenever the topic of wealthy second-generation individuals comes up, it inevitably becomes a focal point of discussion.
Elder Brother Xiao's photos and personal profile... everything was exposed.
Good looks combined with a privileged family background was like a royal flush in the eyes of internet users, instantly attracting many female fans.
Where there are admirers, there are also skeptics. Some wondered if this indiscriminate attack was motivated by revenge against this wealthy heir, suggesting he had wronged someone who had no other means of retribution.
The victims who died or were injured in the car accident were seen as collateral damage.
Some argued that the perpetrator must have been driven to such extreme measures by Elder Brother Xiao's excessive behavior, claiming that no one would choose such drastic revenge unless they were desperate.
Speculation ran wild - from unpaid wages to sexual misconduct... all sorts of accusations emerged.
The brutal killer somehow transformed into a sympathetic victim in public opinion.
Elder Brother Xiao remained unconscious in intensive care after surgery, unaware that his reputation was being dragged through the mud.
Though he was unconscious, his parents and other relatives were very much aware of the situation.
Already devastated by their loved one's critical condition, the Xiao family was further infuriated by the disgusting speculation about Elder Brother Xiao online.
The Xiao family needed an outlet for their anger, and certain marketing accounts and unethical media outlets became their target.
The Xiao family's legal team gathered evidence and took all these unscrupulous media outlets to court.
Instead of pursuing defamation of character, they pressed criminal libel charges.
The Xiao family didn't want money - they wanted justice.
Unethical media often use sensationalism to attract attention, aiming to generate maximum traffic in minimal time.
In this era where traffic is king, many media outlets and self-publishers gained substantial traffic through such behavior and quickly monetized it.
With money in hand, they could disregard the actual truth of matters.
These unethical media had repeatedly harmed ordinary people's interests, but regular citizens had limited resources to defend their rights.
Even when they managed to fight back, it barely made waves.
Trading one's conscience for substantial profit seemed like an excellent deal to them.
However, the Xiao family wasn't ordinary. Their current position and accumulated wealth weren't built on kindness and mercy.
When the Xiao family struck with lightning speed, certain unethical media realized they had truly picked the wrong target.
But people must face consequences for their actions.
The Xiao family rejected all attempts at reconciliation, apology, or compensation - making certain people pay was all that mattered.
The internet was particularly lively during this period, first with various speculations about the Xiao family's eldest son, then with news of the Xiao family taking all unethical self-media to court.
Anyone involved in spreading rumors was caught - no exceptions.
They didn't let anyone off the hook, regardless of how few followers their accounts had.
The Xiao family's legal team showed remarkable impartiality in this matter.
Shi Li particularly enjoyed watching certain eloquent young ladies online criticize these unethical media outlets during this time, finding it quite entertaining.
While many unethical self-media outlets tried to profit from the tragedy through rumors, some conscientious ones analyzed the perpetrator's behavior through psychology, sociology, and other disciplines, based on publicly available information about the suspect and their background.
Shi Li read many of these analyses because she was curious about why this incident occurred.
She still couldn't understand why something that hadn't happened in her previous life occurred in this one.
However, no matter how many analysis videos she watched, Shi Li's confusion wasn't resolved - it only grew stronger.
The suspect came from an ordinary family with a normal life history, no major ups and downs that might have caused psychological issues, and no significant hardships so far - they were just an ordinary person.
Many experts said he didn't fit the profile of someone who would commit such an extreme act.
But he did it anyway, causing severe social impact.
Comparatively, people prefer to believe that perpetrators of indiscriminate killings must have mental issues.
Because they think no normal person would do such things.
While this drama was unfolding online, Qianpu Middle School started its new semester.
It was the second semester of sophomore year, with less than a year and a half until the college entrance examination.
On the first day, their class teacher brought good news about the winter camp that Shi Li and two others had attended after New Year's.
All three had achieved good results.
Because Shi Li and Rongrong had previously won several competition awards, they could now directly qualify for university admission.
Although Fu Huixing had also performed well at the winter camp, he didn't have other competition points from before.
His winter camp performance wasn't outstanding enough to secure direct admission to a top university like Shi Li.
The teacher gave him some advice about several upcoming competitions he could try entering this semester.
Meanwhile, Shi Li could now go home and take a break.
Rongrong also qualified for direct admission, but she had other ideas. The school offered material rewards to students who performed well in the college entrance exam and got into top universities, as an incentive for better performance.
Qianpu was always generous, offering material rewards substantial enough to cover four years of tuition and living expenses, with plenty to spare.
Rongrong calculated the difference between the bonus for direct admission and the reward for getting into Tsinghua or Peking University, then told the teacher she wanted to give up her direct admission and take the regular entrance exam.
The teacher was nearly scared to death - he'd never heard such an outrageous request.
Who would even think of such a thing?
The students in Class 1 were always straightforward with their teacher, and although Rongrong hadn't been in Class 1 for long, she had picked up this bad habit from her classmates.
She directly told the teacher her thoughts.
After hearing this bizarre reason, the teacher took three minutes to calm down before resisting the urge to grab a nearby broom and hit this troublesome child.
"Can you guarantee you'll get in if you take the entrance exam?"
"Have you calculated the time cost for this year and a half? Have you considered how much money you could earn tutoring other students during this time, compared to the reward money!"
The teacher scolded Rongrong, finally saying, "Wait here, I'll go apply to the leadership."
Although he had become friends with the principal through gossip, the teacher maintained appropriate boundaries in his daily work and didn't have the bad habit of running to top leadership for every issue.
He went to his direct superior, the grade director, to apply.
The application was quickly approved.
When the teacher brought back the news, Rongrong looked at him expectantly, "Teacher, about that tutoring opportunity..."
The teacher felt like he'd been outmaneuvered by this girl.
He knew Rongrong came from a poor family, and earning money through legitimate means wasn't shameful.
The teacher ended up introducing her to tutoring opportunities, hoping to help ease her financial burden somewhat.
When Shi Li's family learned about this, they were overjoyed. Though they hadn't made any grand announcements before everything was finalized, they held a small gathering at the old house to celebrate for Shi Li.
At the dinner table, Huang Jie looked at her niece and asked, "Why didn't you bring Chunsheng along?"
It was just a casual question - the young couple got along well, and Ji Chunsheng had even visited during New Year's. She thought Shi Ruan would bring her boyfriend home to meet the family this time.
Shi Ruan calmly picked up some food with her chopsticks and said matter-of-factly, "We broke up."
Shi Li: Huh?
