Chapter 3, The Murder Case of the Past

One day, he encountered that young woman again. According to the eyewitnesses at the crime scene, he initially thought it was a couple arguing. He only heard the young man questioning the woman about why she hadn't come and why she had betrayed him. The woman first angrily scolded the young man a few times, then turned to leave. Suddenly, the young man pulled out a knife and violently stabbed the woman repeatedly from behind. Forensic examination revealed that there were more than 20 stab wounds, and the young woman died on the spot. The eyewitness quickly called the police, yet the assailant did not run away; he stood there motionless, wearing a strange smile on his face, which left the eyewitness feeling horrified and fearful every time they recalled the incident.

Thus, he began to fabricate everything frantically—scores, exam papers, rankings, teacher comments, and so on, all were false. Some may wonder, during the parent-teacher meetings held by the school, wouldn't this be exposed immediately? This child found various excuses to prevent his parents from attending the meetings, while on the school side, he told all sorts of lies to deceive the teachers. With so many students in a class, the teachers did not pay much attention and surprisingly believed him.

Later, one night while running, the boy unexpectedly encountered the victimized young woman. Perhaps because (it cannot be confirmed, it can only be said that it is possible) the woman inadvertently glanced at him, she caught the boy's attention. No one can say for sure what kind of gaze the woman had at that moment, but from the boy's later self-description, it can be inferred that, in his mind, it was a signal of seduction.

The boy comes from a modest family background. Since childhood, his parents have had high hopes for him, wishing that he could change his own and his family's fate through education. Therefore, they put immense pressure on him regarding his studies, which has resulted in significant stress for the boy. At some point, he began to tell lies to deceive his family, trying every means to make them believe that he was excelling academically and performing well, when in reality, the situation was not as perfect as he portrayed. Initially, he was quite anxious, fearing that his lies would be uncovered by his parents. However, his parents placed great trust in him, and upon hearing good news, they were very pleased.

In today's society, people generally experience significant mental stress, and most individuals have some minor psychological issues. However, these mental disorders are not as apparent as physical illnesses. When one has a cold, they may develop a fever; when suffering from arthritis, they may experience knee pain; and when feeling unwell, they will seek medical attention. Mental disorders do not present such obvious symptoms, and many people are unaware that they have a mental illness, or they may realize that something is amiss but do not recognize it as a mental disorder

However, at this moment, the boy had already begun to fall ill. He slowly started to believe in the lies he had fabricated—those false scores, false rankings, and false comments. Although they all originated from him, in the depths of his subconscious mind, he actually held an unwavering belief in them. In his heart, all of this had transformed into reality

After that, he did not know where he had bought a knife, carefully hiding it, and took it with him every time he went out for a run

Subsequently, the case entered the judicial trial process, and the boy's family requested a mental assessment. The authoritative judicial appraisal institution concluded that he was not a patient with a mental illness and was a person with full behavioral capacity. Later, the court took into account that the boy had just turned 18 at the time of the crime, was still a student, and had obtained the understanding of the victim's family (it is estimated that his parents had to go to great lengths to raise money and even kneel down). Ultimately, the boy who committed the murder was sentenced to death, with a two-year reprieve.

The high school student has just turned 18, and is in the throes of youthful awakening. However, he is also suffering from delusions, which leads him to run every day, hoping to frequently encounter that young woman. Remarkably, they almost meet every time. The young woman's running schedule is quite fixed, and the boy has grasped this pattern, so he deliberately goes for a run at that time each day to wait for her, even fantasizing that she is also intentionally waiting for him. Although they merely brush past each other each time and have never spoken a word, in the boy's heart, he has already regarded her as his lover, and each daily encounter is like a date. The young woman's running schedule is quite fixed, and the boy has grasped this pattern, so he deliberately goes for a run at that time each day to wait for her, even fantasizing that she is also intentionally waiting for him. Although they merely brush past each other each time and have never spoken a word, in the boy's heart, he has already regarded her as his lover, and each daily encounter is like a date.

According to the professor, after committing the crime, the high school students did not flee and quickly turned themselves in. When the police interrogated him, he openly confessed to his act of murder and continuously insulted the victim, calling her a whore and a worthless woman. The interrogators clearly sensed that there was something wrong with the boy's speech, so they invited a psychological expert, Professor M. Hetushu from our university, to talk with him. It was then discovered that this high school student suffered from severe delusions. Later, after the professor spoke with the child's teachers, parents, and eyewitnesses, the entire sequence of events was finally reconstructed.

Mr. Wang's case is actually a very typical and relatively common case

During my time in university, I once heard a professor discuss a case of delusional disorder.

This is a tragedy

A sense of hatred is beginning to take root in the heart of this boy

That was a sensational murder case that once caused a stir, at least in our second-tier city, many people still remember: a high school student brutally killed a young woman who was jogging at night

Later, the boy continued to run every day, actually waiting for that young woman. However, she had not appeared for many days, and it was unclear whether she had discovered the boy's strange behavior and was afraid to come, or if there were matters at home. Yet, in the boy's delusions, he imagined that this young woman had fallen in love with someone else, and in his mind, there were scenes of her secretly meeting with other men

The story of the suspicious person who thinks his axe has been stolen is found in elementary school textbooks. Take Mr. Wang as an example; when his mental knot has not been resolved, he perceives his wife as if she is cheating, where even a simple action or expression can arouse his suspicion, making it seem more and more likely. However, when the mental knot is untied and he no longer feels entangled, no matter how he observes his wife's behavior, it no longer appears as if she is cheating. This principle is understood by everyone, yet some people cannot navigate this mental hurdle.

Slowly, the boy became madly "in love" with this married woman, and every day he did nothing but eagerly await the arrival of the evening, just to see her again. One day, the woman did not come out for her run, and he actually waited for her at that spot all night without returning home. At this point, his parents had already noticed that something was off with their child, but they never expected that he had such serious psychological issues. They merely criticized and educated him about his behavior of staying out all night, and the matter ended there.

Many people attribute mental illnesses to personality traits, encouraging individuals to be optimistic, generous, and magnanimous, which is not incorrect. However, mental illness is a condition that requires timely and scientific guidance and treatment. When one is already afflicted, especially in cases where the condition is quite severe, relying solely on oneself is insufficient for resolution. If the condition worsens, it can even evolve into various mental disorders, making it very difficult to cure