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"This is Liu Huairou's brain," Xu Yiman said, pointing at Liu Huairou's head as she spoke to Jiang He. "She has developed a brain herniation that is pressing on the nerves inside her brain. On the other side of her brain, due to inertia, there is a counter-impact injury. To be precise, Liu Huairou died from closed head trauma."
Xu Yiman sighed and continued, "There are many distinguishing bruises and livor mortis on Liu Huairou. From the size and marks, they are consistent with trampling injuries. Clearly, Liu Huairou was trampled to death."
Jiang He and Xu Yiman could not imagine how Liu Huairou had been trampled to death or what she might have been thinking in her final moments. But she was dead—not at the hands of a so-called murderer, but beneath the feet of a crowd. It was evident that the police would find it difficult to identify who had killed her.
When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent.
When everyone is beating up a girl, no one thinks it's wrong. When people are part of a collective, they sometimes do things they themselves cannot accept just to fit in. Blindly seeking the truth is bullying in schools; it is what led to Liu Huairou being beaten to death.
"What should we do next?" Jiang He turned to look at Old Shao, who was sitting nearby.
Old Shao leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped around a teacup, watching the steam rise from it.
"Let's take a look at this livestream," Old Shao gestured to the two of them and said calmly.
Guan Deng pushed his computer forward, and on the screen appeared an image of a house.
It was an old and dilapidated house, roughly twenty square meters in size. The cement walls had cracks in places, exposing the red bricks underneath. The door was a wooden one that had lost its paint; it should have been green but now looked a dusty yellow. A reversed "Fu" character was pasted on the door, and the red couplets on either side had faded.
"Hello everyone, I'm Kiki, and this is Xiao Xuanmiao's home," a girl appeared on screen. "We contacted Xiao Xuanmiao and her mother yesterday, and they agreed to this livestream. Viewers can post questions in the comments, and we might ask them."
As soon as the livestream began, Jiang He noticed that there were already one million viewers—almost one-fifth of the entire population of Dragon City. People were highly concerned about this matter, especially since the case's female lead was a beautiful young girl.
Kiki knocked on the door and called out, "Is anyone inside? I'm Kiki, we arranged this yesterday."
After a moment, the door opened slightly, revealing a head peeking out.
Xiao Xuanmiao's face was flushed red like a bright apple. She opened the door wider and shyly said, "You can come in; my house is really messy. Let me tidy up a bit."
As Kiki entered, Xiao Xuanmiao's home came into view on the screen.
If one had to describe Xiao Xuanmiao's home in a word, it would be destitute. In the center of the room stood a stove with water boiling on it, and the area around the chimney was blackened from smoke. On the north wall was a dilapidated cabinet, while the east side held a bicycle along with a pile of coal and cardboard boxes.
Against the west wall was a double bed, where a person lay covered with thick blankets.
The camera panned around the room and finally focused on Xiao Xuanmiao's face.
Xiao Xuanmiao spoke up, "Lying in bed is my mother. She has been ill and can only stay in bed."
Kiki sighed, "From this room, we can see that Xiao Xuanmiao's family conditions are not good. Moreover, her mother is bedridden. If I may be so bold, what does your father do for a living?"
Xiao Xuanmiao's mother struggled to sit up but couldn't manage it.
"Mom, just lie down. There's no need to sit up," Xiao Xuanmiao said with a hint of annoyance. She pretended to scold her mother but helped her sit up gently.
Once her mother was propped up, Xiao Xuanmiao continued, "My mother fell ill when I was in fourth grade. A year later, my father left her and abandoned us to go elsewhere."
"I'm very sorry," Kiki said. "But how do you manage to live?"
Xiao Xuanmiao's expression turned somber as she replied slowly, "My father still sends some money every month; he used to support me until I turned eighteen."
"May I ask how much?" Kiki inquired further.
Xiao Xuanmiao nodded, "Five hundred yuan each month."
"Five hundred yuan?" Kiki's tone was somewhat exaggerated.
Xiao Xuanmiao smiled faintly, "It's enough for us to live on. We are very frugal; our water bill is just over ten yuan each month and the electricity bill is about the same. We spend three hundred yuan on groceries and I can still save a hundred yuan each month. Our school doesn't charge tuition fees; they know about my situation and waived my book fees."
"By the way, I heard your academic performance is quite good," Kiki added.
"Not that great," Xiao Xuanmiao said shyly. "I really am in Fast Class, and with my grades, I can get into Key High School."
"By the way, can I say a few more words about my dad?" Xiao Xuanmiao asked softly.
"Of course," Kiki replied.
Xiao Xuanmiao paused for a moment before continuing, "My dad has it tough too. He could have abandoned us and not cared at all, but he still sends me five hundred yuan every month. Without him, we might have starved long ago. My mom's medical treatment costs a lot—over a hundred thousand yuan—and I save a hundred yuan each month."
As she spoke, Xiao Xuanmiao extended her hands to look at her fingers and said, "If I save a hundred yuan a month, by the time I graduate from middle school, I'll have saved three thousand yuan. After graduation, I'll work and earn more money so I can help pay for my mom's treatment."
"But aren't you going to high school?" Kiki asked.
Xiao Xuanmiao lowered her head, her eyes reddening. "Going to high school costs a lot of money. My mom needs treatment, and I can't be that selfish. Even though I really want to go to high school and then college, I can't do that. I'm different from others; I know I'm different."
Tears began to flow from Xiao Xuanmiao's eyes.
Seeing her pitiful state, the audience's hearts seemed to shatter.
Kiki took out a tissue and gently wiped away Xiao Xuanmiao's tears. Her voice trembled as she said, "It's okay. As long as you study hard, we and many online friends can help you with your high school or college plans. You need to know that you are no different from anyone else; in fact, you are kinder and more hardworking than many. You deserve a better life."
"Really?" Xiao Xuanmiao's eyes widened. "Actually, I really want to keep studying, go to school, and do what I love."
"Let's ask a cheerful question: what hobbies or dreams do you have?" Kiki slowly inquired.
Xiao Xuanmiao sighed lightly and said, "For a long time, I've wanted to be an actress. When I was learning, I loved acting in front of the mirror, wanting to become one of those stars on TV. But when my mom got sick in third grade, I stopped daring to hope for any dreams. My biggest dream now is just for my mom to get better."
"What a filial girl," Kiki remarked. "I just saw in the live chat that many viewers want to donate money to your family. Some capable viewers can even contact hospitals for your mom's treatment without you having to worry about the costs. You just need to focus on studying hard and getting into an acting academy to fulfill your dream."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuanmiao's tears flowed again. "Thank you, thank you everyone! I don't know what to say."
"This is the help that kind people offer to other kind people," Kiki said. "Of course, what everyone is concerned about is the bullying incident that happened recently. How are things with those classmates who bullied you? Do you still have contact with them, and what do you think about it?"
Xiao Xuanmiao looked at the camera and replied earnestly, "They are all my classmates, and they usually treat me well. Although I don't know what I did wrong, it must be my fault that they bullied me. They have already received their due punishment; they were suspended and sent home. That punishment is quite severe."
"So I urge everyone not to insult them anymore. Some people have even threatened to kill them. To that person, I beg you not to do this, please don't kill anyone. If everyone in this world could be a little kinder, then the world would become a better place."
"Do you not hate these people?" Kiki asked.
Xiao Xuanmiao shook her head. "I have never hated them. I also hope the school can give them a chance to return to school. I will try to be friends with them and gradually change myself so that others will like me."
"This could be a blessing in disguise; good people get good rewards," Xu Yiman said. "If this incident hadn't happened, or if her mother's illness had no hope for recovery, she might have had to drop out of school after middle school."
Yuan Jun added from the side, "Many netizens want to donate money to Xiao Xuanmiao's family. There are almost a million people watching the live stream right now; if each person donates just one dollar, that would be enough."
"The question is, where did Xiao Xuanmiao get her clothes and shoes?" Jiang He suddenly interjected.
"What shoes and clothes?" Xu Yiman was confused.
"We need to find Ge Dongyun right away; this is indeed a crucial point," Old Shao said as he looked at Jiang He.
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