Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 566 The Many Facets of Life

She was just a child after all. Although Jia Wanlin learned how to open boxes online or under the influence of people with bad intentions, fortunately, she didn't learn it very well.

Or rather, without sufficient funding and resources, a simple online unboxing campaign cannot sweep across the entire internet. It cannot subject the victim to immense cyberbullying pressure, nor can it reach the point where everyone knows, discusses, and insults them.

Jia Wanlin learned about the box-opening method in a QQ group.

This QQ group, well, it's full of unreliable young people who are incredibly audacious and dare to boast about anything. Of course, under the encouragement of others, they've also done some outrageous things. Basically, it's all about malicious online comments and arguments, stirring up trouble between opposing genders, and so on.

Judging from the chat history of this QQ group, which has never been deleted, there weren't many unboxing incidents. After all, such things are quite troublesome to carry out, requiring posting on various forums or apps and generating comments to increase buzz. The members of this QQ group aren't wealthy, so even though there were a few unboxing incidents, they didn't cause any particularly serious consequences.

But... their unboxing attempts have never failed!

It's because of a simple truth: debunking rumors is much more difficult and complicated than spreading them, and the effort put in is disproportionate to the reward.

In short, these people may not be able to learn anything else, but they are becoming more and more proficient in mastering this kind of unpacking weapon. Thus, the incident occurred where Jia Wanlin complained in the group about being bullied, and the group members encouraged and helped her complete the unpacking.

Yes!

It wasn't just Jia Wanlin and Hao Junwen who committed this box-opening crime. Jia Wanlin had countless helpers in the QQ group, all enthusiastically offering suggestions and devising strategies, even writing copy and researching how to provoke emotions.

Hao Junwen thought he was Jia Wanlin's boyfriend, but in fact he was just a tool that Jia Wanlin had chosen through suggestions in the group chat, simply because his mother had access to more personal information.

In short, under the guidance of this group of idle scoundrels, Jia Wanlin completed the unboxing, and they helped spread the contents of the unboxing to various forums, websites, apps, QQ groups, and QQ spaces.

In addition, the rumors about the "opening the box" were spread among students in the school and other schools by Jia Wanlin and Hao Junwen. In short, in less than a day, the rumors have spread extremely widely across the country, especially among students in Zhangzhou City, the area where the rumors have spread the most. Chen Dan, whose box was opened, and her family have suffered severe online abuse and cyberbullying, as well as being severely pointed at and gossiped about in real life.

Zhang Ke informed the parents of the two children about the results and the spread of the rumors. After understanding Zhang Ke's meaning and realizing the extent of their children's troubles, both sets of parents were shocked.

Even Jia Wanlin's unreasonable mother now realized just how terrible this matter was. She wasn't afraid of trouble from the police, but she understood a very simple truth: a person driven to despair would never hesitate to seek revenge.

"Officer, please protect my Wanlin!"

Jia Wanlin's mother grabbed Sun Chang's hand and said urgently, "You've all seen it, my child was tricked! She's just naive, she was deceived into doing this! She... oh well! Anyway, things are already like this, right? How should we, the police, resolve this? My husband and I will definitely do as you say! We'll also pay the compensation we owe, and we'll just leave it at that, okay?"

Jia Wanlin's father nodded and said, "I'll have Wanlin apologize to that girl, a sincere apology! As for compensation, we'll pay whatever they ask for. But this really can't be blamed on our Wanlin. How could she understand all this messy stuff? She was first deceived, and then she didn't understand all the intricacies involved. After all, she's still a child, right? She only posted it in a few WeChat groups. You can't blame her for everything that spread! Whoever spread it should be held accountable, right? Look at your records, my child only posted it in three places. It's like someone swearing on the street and being overheard. How much responsibility can that be?"

Sun Chang laughed in exasperation.

"Hehe... You adults all like to argue and be unreasonable, so it's no wonder that children go astray! So in my opinion, the people who are really at fault are the two of you."

"What did you say?"

Jia Wanlin's mother raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! It's our fault! It has nothing to do with the child, it's our fault for not doing a good job in educating her!" Jia Wanlin's father pulled his wife aside, then quickly nodded and said, "In short, the child is still young, she doesn't understand and shouldn't bear any responsibility. Right? Let us parents take responsibility for anything! You see, this matter has really blown up a bit, why don't we just blame it all on me? Detention! Detention is fine, three days isn't enough, seven days is fine too, I'll accept it!"

Do you think the law is a joke?

Sun Chang shook her head, having lost all patience to continue talking to this eccentric couple. They might not be bad people, but their actions and their parenting of their daughter were seriously problematic.

There's no point in talking to this kind of person anymore, and the police station is not a place for reasoning or negotiation.

Sun Chang is currently only troubled by one very real problem: the nature of this unboxing incident is egregious. The rumors, slander, and exposure of personal privacy, coupled with cyberbullying, have caused harm to Chen Dan's family that Sun Chang dares not even think about.

However… the legal protection of minors prevented the police station from obtaining complete justice for the Chen family. Due to the age of the two individuals involved, criminal liability is obviously impossible. As for the subsequent administrative and civil liabilities…

To be honest, compared to the harm suffered by the Chen family, this punishment is nothing.

Furthermore, there is another important issue... In my country, civil compensation for the act of opening a box requires the victim to actively provide evidence and file an appeal.

In other words, the follow-up matters in this case can only be handled by the victim, Chen Dan, and her family by filing a lawsuit in court. The police station can help provide relevant evidence, but it cannot act as the main party in the case to file a public prosecution application with the court or the procuratorate.

What frustrates Sun Chang even more is that civil liability... can be settled privately.

Even if the Chen family is satisfied with the compensation due to the financial gain, this outcome will not deter or restrain such juvenile delinquency. To put it more seriously, it will embolden those who have engaged in similar behavior, perhaps even leading them to act with greater impunity while still young, fostering a sense of urgency and a desire to live for the moment.

Many serious crimes committed by minors often begin with this kind of mentality, leading them step by step into the abyss by stepping on the helplessness of the police.

"What did you say?"

Hao Junwen's father stared wide-eyed at Zhang Ke in disbelief.

"It's surprising, but the fact is your son will likely bear more responsibility than that girl. He's already fourteen, the age at which he's legally responsible for civil and administrative matters. And that girl…"

At this point, Zhang Ke turned to look at Jia Wanlin, who was being comforted and pampered by her parents.

"Why?! My son was bewitched by her, he's the most innocent one!"

Hao Junwen's father roared in anger.

"But the fact is, he did do something wrong, didn't he? Instead of worrying about the severity of the punishment, you should reflect on why you didn't teach your child properly! If you had given him the right guidance earlier and prevented him from doing wrong, this situation wouldn't have happened now."

Zhang Ke shook his head regretfully.

Hao Junwen's father clenched his fists; he desperately wanted to teach that damned little girl a lesson. But this was the police station, and he didn't dare.

Zhang Ke stopped there, raising his voice to call both sets of parents over.

"That's just how things are! The mistake has already been made and can't be changed. The responsibility you have to bear isn't a matter of whether you want to or not; the law clearly outlines it. However, I have a suggestion: proactively help the victim clarify the facts of the rumors and strive to gain their forgiveness as quickly as possible. This will benefit both you and your child. The wider the online rumors spread, the heavier the responsibility and punishment will be. But it's only just begun to spread. If you can quickly eliminate it and make people forget about it, things will be much simpler. Children may not understand, but adults can't! This is no longer just a matter of the child making a mistake; it's a matter of your joint responsibility as guardians. For example, Hao Junwen's parents, if this matter gets out of hand, you will definitely be detained. Whether it's seven days or fifteen, what will happen to your family? What will happen to your child? What will happen to what others think?"

"..."

Hao Junwen's parents didn't know what to say, and could only look angrily at Jia Wanlin's family.

Jia Wanlin's parents knew they were in the wrong and that this was not the time to start a fight, so they could only laugh awkwardly and indicate that they would do as Zhang Ke said.

Even if they doted on their daughter, they understood one thing: once their family was seen as having a criminal record, their reputation would be completely ruined. Aside from their jobs, their daughter would face even more prejudice and disdain in the outside world.

"That's exactly right! When minors make mistakes, their guardians should be severely punished! Who told them not to supervise them properly? If children were properly educated from a young age, from the very beginning when cultivating their moral values, how could any juvenile delinquency occur!"

On the way to Chen Liang's house, Sun Chang kept muttering to himself.

"It sounds simple, but it's not easy to do. Many times, it's not that parents are unwilling to teach their children, nor are they overly indulgent like that family; it's just that they are forced by life to not have the time," Zhang Ke said calmly while driving. "To put it bluntly, take police families like ours. We work more than ten hours a day and have to work night shifts. How can we take care of our children at home? Although children in such families are educated from a young age about patriotism and the honor of being a police family member, who can guarantee that they won't come into contact with inappropriate things outside? Especially in this internet age, everything is available, suitable for minors and unsuitable for minors, and they keep stuffing their phones with it. Even those so-called 'minor mode' can contain inappropriate pictures and even videos. How can we guarantee that the children won't go astray?"

At this point, Zhang Ke sighed and said, "Always blaming the problems of minors on them is actually the laziness of parents and society. To put it bluntly, many situations are deliberately created by adults. In this economic age, moral standards are easily blinded by money, and the responsibility is placed on the children. Of course, such a large country will always encounter all kinds of problems, it's just a matter of time."

"Phew... Now that you mention it, I'm almost afraid to have children. Children are so pitiful, having to face a malicious world created by adults right from birth."

Sun Chang suddenly shuddered, as if he had just thought of something.

"Giving birth?"

Zhang Ke glanced at Sun Chang's chest, which was bulging out of the seatbelt, and a smile crept across his lips.

"you wanna die!"

Realizing what had happened, Sun Chang's pretty face turned bright red, and she viciously reached out and pinched Zhang Ke's thigh hard.

"Haha... Stop fooling around, we're driving!"

"I told you not to be a pervert!"

"Haha, no! I was just looking at my girlfriend, what do you mean by being a pervert! Ouch...that really hurts...I'm sorry!"

"Humph!"

The two of them, playfully fighting, arrived near Chen Liang's house. Zheng Mingxing had already brought Mimi over to handle the situation. Only the instructor's persuasive skills could soothe the grieving hearts of this innocent family.

By this time, a large crowd had gathered at the entrance of Chen Liang's house, and amidst the discussions, one could faintly hear a woman wailing and crying inside.

This is probably what they call a sudden disaster.

Chen Liang's parents never imagined that their honest and hardworking family members, who lived their lives in the city, worked from dawn till dusk to earn money to support their family and raise their daughter, would suddenly become the target of gossip and criticism.

'Bitch!'

'Thief!'

'I knew he wasn't a good person!'

'Is the food they sell edible?'

'If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too!'

'Adults aren't good people, and neither are children!'

Suddenly, all sorts of insults came crashing down on them. The bewildered couple didn't realize what had happened until their daughter came running back crying.

But how do we resolve this?

When Chen Dan's father roared at the people outside the door, "My family isn't like this! My daughter isn't a bad child," it was to no avail. The people just murmured and walked away quickly. The family was at a loss and felt utterly hopeless.

Just as Chen Dan's father grabbed a kitchen knife and was about to go find the culprit, Zheng Mingxing led Lin Ge and Yuan Meijuan to the entrance of Chen Liang's shop.

The arrival of the police made the people pointing and whispering nearby even more excited, thinking they had found evidence that the Chen family were not good people.

However, to everyone's surprise, Zheng Mingxing didn't go inside either. Instead, he loudly declared at the door that the case had been filed and that the case of the Chen family being falsely accused would be dealt with resolutely to clear the victims' names and punish all those who spread rumors.

As soon as these words were spoken, the murmurs outside immediately ceased.

Although Lin Ge and Zheng Mingxing both knew that keeping quiet now didn't mean they would stay silent forever. Even with the police involved, conspiracy theories and irrational arguments would continue to subject the Chen family to suspicion and accusations.

But none of that matters now. The priority is to let the Chen family know that the police still have justice and will stand by their side.

"Officer! We've been wronged!"

Lin Ge squatted quietly in a corner of the room, watching Chen Dan's mother sit on the floor, wailing and crying, her face expressionless. Zheng Mingxing tried several times to pull her up, but he couldn't overcome the woman's strength.

She wasn't pretty, and she was overweight, but this was the price she and her husband had paid for years of hard work. With cooking fumes and steam obscuring their vision, working from four in the morning until night every day, how could they possibly be pretty?
Chen Dan's father squatted in the corner, puffing away on his cigarette, while his daughter had already gone into her room. Zheng Mingxing had no choice but to have Yuan Meijuan stay with Chen Dan's mother.

"We're from out of town, so it's understandable that we get bullied. But all these years we've worked so hard, never getting into arguments. Even when we're bullied, we just keep it all inside, endure it... Our only thought is that our daughter will be successful, that she'll go to a good university and find a good job, unlike us who work from dawn till dusk and are still looked down upon. Haha... Finally, our daughter is doing well, her grades are good, and her teachers like her. We finally have hope... But who would have thought that we'd still encounter something like this? It's a tragedy! I've told her countless times not to be so arrogant at school, to be more obedient! To be more obedient!"

Sobbing and pounding the ground, Chen Dan's mother cried out, "I told you not to argue with people! How did you still offend someone? What are we going to do now? You're so disobedient! You're trying to drive your father and me to our deaths!"

"Hey! Sister-in-law, don't say that! It's not like that. Chen Dan didn't do anything wrong. She's the victim. You can't blame her anymore!"

Zheng Mingxing quickly stopped Chen Dan's mother from continuing, then turned to Chen Dan's father and said, "Brother, please persuade your wife! How can you let her talk about the child like that? The child is innocent; she's the one who's been wronged the most!"

What can I say?

Chen Dan's father put down his cigarette and said expressionlessly, "A person lives for their reputation, a tree lives for its bark. Our family has lost all face, so what's the point of talking about being wronged? This whole thing has made it so hard for our family to survive, what's the use of talking about innocence?"

You can't say that!

Yuan Meijuan, her eyes red, looked up and said, "Chen Dan is your daughter! Your own flesh and blood! She was bullied, and you blame her for not being patient? How can you be patient? Can you solve problems by just enduring them? I don't think Chen Dan did anything wrong in this matter. She's just a teenager! She didn't want this to happen, but who can she blame now that it's happened? You not only don't help her but you also criticize her. You're forcing her to die!"

"..."

Chen Dan's father froze, and his wife, stunned, forgot to cry.

'boom! ’

Suddenly, a dull thud was heard as the wall was hit, and the expressions of the people outside changed drastically.

However, before the group could react, a series of banging sounds came from Chen Dan's room.

"Chen Dan!"

Zheng Mingxing jumped up first and quickly ran towards the room.

(End of this chapter)