Chapter 295 – Punishment
Jiang Wenxu did not hesitate and immediately called the police.
It was better to leave this matter to the police to handle.
He also issued a notice right away, stating that Shi Xue had taken Zhou Yun’s place in attending university. Shi Xue was not a student at Beijing University, and Zhou Yun could return to her studies at the university. Everything that originally belonged to her would be given back to her.
Jiang Wenxu also mentioned that the school bore some responsibility for such incidents because they had not conducted proper screenings.
The school would make appropriate compensation to Zhou Yun.
Moreover, he stated that if such incidents were discovered, whether now or in the future, they would report it to the police and deal with it strictly, ensuring that no one who impersonated another to attend university would be let off.
When Shi Xue was caught, she had just packed her things, wrapped a cloth around the lower half of her face, and was planning to quietly leave through the back gate of the school.
It was her dorm mates who found her behavior suspicious and reported it to the counselor.
The counselor immediately informed the president.
The president, along with the police, caught Shi Xue at the back gate of the school just as she was about to escape.
Ultimately, Shi Xue was taken away.
The news of Shi Xue being taken away, along with Jiang Wenxu’s statement, quickly spread throughout the school.
Everyone understood that Shi Xue was the one who had impersonated another student to attend the university.
Perhaps seeing Shi Xue being taken away by the police made some guilty individuals break down. Before Jiang Wenxu could investigate further, they went straight to him and confessed that they had also taken someone else’s place at the university.
On that day, three people admitted to Jiang Wenxu what they had done.
Of course, these three were the ones who came forward voluntarily. Many others who still harbored a fluke mentality remained undiscovered.
So, on the third day, the investigation of the individuals on Jiang Wenxu’s list was finally completed.
The police came again, this time with several police cars and many officers.
They directly took the individuals away!
Jiang Wenxu had never expected there to be so many people involved.
However, a university spot, especially one at Beijing University, indeed had enough allure.
As the storm at Beijing University was about to settle, schools across the country were fervently conducting investigations into identity fraud for university admissions. There was not a single exception; almost every school had cases of students attending under false identities.
The school leaders, upon discovering such cases, immediately reported them to the police.
In the end, some schools found as many as thirteen or fourteen impostors. This number was both staggering and frightening.
The original students, who had their university spots taken away, must have felt utterly devastated.
Shi Xue, being the prime example and the catalyst for this issue, quickly faced disciplinary action from the authorities.
Since there was no existing law at the time that mandated imprisonment for identity fraud in university admissions, they could not incarcerate Shi Xue.
However, they could still punish her.
The punishments for Shi Xue were as follows:
First, her punishment would be publicly announced in the newspapers.
Second, Shi Xue would return to the rural area, and she would be permanently deprived of any means to return to the city, as well as the opportunity to participate in the college entrance exam and other exams.
Third, no state-owned enterprise would be allowed to employ Shi Xue.
When her punishment was announced in the newspapers, a photograph of Shi Xue was also published.
This meant that the moment the newspaper was released, people across the country would know who Shi Xue was and what she had done.
Although Shi Xue could not be imprisoned or subjected to other such punishments, she would have to stay in the countryside for the rest of her life. She would not be able to return to the city, participate in any exams, or even work in a factory.
Perhaps this punishment, for someone like Shi Xue, who was eager to return to the city and climb up the social ladder, was the most painful.
Indeed, this was the case.
When Shi Xue learned of these punishments and that she would be sent back to the Daba Production Brigade in the countryside, she was incredulous and filled with resentment.
“I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to go back!”
“Please, don’t send me back, I want to stay in the city, I don’t want to go back to that rural place.”
“…”
She had struggled so hard to escape from that place and had gone to great lengths to return to the city. Now, she was being sent back and told that she might have to stay at the Daba Production Brigade for the rest of her life. How could Shi Xue accept this?
She couldn’t accept it!
She struggled desperately, unwilling to go.
But no matter how much Shi Xue resisted and refused, the punishment was issued. Even if she didn’t want to go back, someone would forcefully send her back.
Of course, her story, along with the newspaper’s publication, became known to everyone in the country.
*
At the Qinghe Production Team, Zhou Yinsheng read the newspaper, unwilling to believe that the person mentioned was his beloved Shi Xue.
“How is it possible? Xuexue got into university on her own merit. How could she be…”
However, no matter how unwilling Zhou Yinsheng was to believe it, the truth was undeniable. The photo in the newspaper was of Shi Xue.
At that moment, Zhou Yinsheng’s romanticized view of Shi Xue shattered.
He completely regretted it.
He shouldn’t have gotten involved with Shi Xue. He should have settled down with Cai Shumin.
That way, he would have had a wife who was a university student.
If Cai Shumin had been helping him study back then, she might have even tutored him, and with her help, he might have gotten into university.
He was wrong, and now he regretted it!
Zhou Yinsheng stared at the newspaper photo of Shi Xue, his eyes reddening with anger.
“It’s all your fault. You seduced me, and that’s why I betrayed Minmin. My good life was ruined by you, you wretch.”
“Wretch, wretch!”
Already on the verge of madness due to his repeated failures and inability to focus on his studies, Zhou Yinsheng completely lost it.
He crumpled the newspaper into a ball, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it repeatedly.
It was as if he was not stomping on the newspaper but on Shi Xue herself.
“Crush you, crush you, Shi Xue, you wretch who destroyed my family, wretch…”
He cursed as he stomped, his eyes bloodshot, resembling a frenzied beast.
People passing by were shocked at the sight and quickly moved away.
Especially the elderly, who hurriedly pulled their children away, fearing that Zhou Yinsheng might go mad and hurt them.
*
At the Daba Production Brigade, Zhou Feng also saw the newspaper.
But when he read about the punishments for Shi Xue, he was delighted.
He knew his Axue would be coming back to him and would never leave again.
So, on the day Shi Xue was escorted back, Zhou Feng happily went to meet her.
Shi Xue did not give Zhou Feng a single friendly glance.
She had never had feelings for Zhou Feng, and now, having attended Beijing University and met far more outstanding men, she despised him even more. She no longer bothered to hide it.
Zhou Feng naturally noticed Shi Xue’s attitude.
His expression twisted for a moment, but then he quickly resumed his cheerful and enthusiastic demeanor.
“Axue, don’t worry. I will definitely treat you well.”
Shi Xue responded with a faint “hmm” and said nothing more, walking ahead of him.
Zhou Feng walked behind her, his expression twisting again for a moment. He thought to himself: Axue, this time, you’ll never leave again. Even in death, you must die in my arms!
Thinking this, Zhou Feng began to laugh foolishly, his laughter eerie and unsettling.
Zhou Feng knew that Shi Xue had flirted with several male classmates at Beijing University.
Zhou Feng might appear foolish, but he was not truly an idiot. Deep down, he was intensely selfish and obsessive.
Now, Shi Xue had fully triggered his obsessive tendencies.
Unfortunately, Shi Xue had no idea.
She still thought Zhou Feng was the same pushover he used to be, someone she could manipulate at will.
When she eventually witnessed Zhou Feng’s obsessive and deranged behavior, it would mark the beginning of Shi Xue’s difficult days ahead…
