Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 148 The Werther Effect
“It really is his. He’s such a grown man, yet he’s so forgetful. You can take this wallet to him later.” Wei Qingsong said, stuffing the ID card into the inner pocket.

But while it was easy to take the ID card out, it felt like something was stuck in the compartment when I tried to put it back in.

She frowned slightly, her slender fingers rummaging through the compartment for a while, then her brow relaxed: "So there was a photo inside."

She took out the photo, intending to insert her ID card first, and then put the photo in.

She glanced at it casually. The photo showed a girl with a high ponytail, a bright smile revealing a row of teeth, youthful and energetic.

"Oh, I never expected that Wen Ye would still have her photo." Shen Fu leaned closer for a look and then made a meaningful remark.

Wei Qingsong raised an eyebrow slightly and casually asked, "You know her too? Which family's daughter is she?"

Although the Wei family was a business and had a long-standing friendship with the Shen family, Wei Sihua was not a skilled social man and never paid much attention to cultivating relationships with higher-ups.

Wei Qingsong devoted her entire youth to Lu Jingming, showing no interest in anything else, so she was also unfamiliar with the powerful and influential circles in Tangzhou.

In contrast, Mayor Shen is adept at social interaction and has many powerful connections. As the mayor's daughter, Shen Fu naturally thrives in these circles.

Although Wen Ye had expressed his affection for Wei Qingsong many times before and had launched a fierce offensive, Wei Qingsong knew from the beginning that Wen Ye was just having a passing fancy and had no real feelings for her.

Wei Qingsong always believed that Wen Ye was essentially a philandering playboy.

Upon seeing this photo for the first time, Wei Qingsong instinctively guessed that this was one of Wen Ye's targets for seduction.

Besides Wei Qingsong, only Lu Jingming, who was carefully tending to the green plants, was in the reception room.

Shen Fu deliberately lowered her voice and whispered, "This girl is Wen Ye's first love, whom he has been in love with for many years. She is quite pretty, but her family background is only average compared to Wen Ye's."

"When Grandpa Wen found out about her, he tried his best to force her to break up with Wen Ye. She refused, and Grandpa Wen became furious. Overnight, her father's company went bankrupt, leaving him with tens of millions of yuan in debt. Unable to bear the pressure, her father committed suicide by jumping off a building, and her mother was also devastated and suffered a mental breakdown."

"She also has an older brother who was originally a brilliant student in the finance department of Tang University with a bright future. However, with just one word from Old Master Wen, no one in Tang City dared to hire him. Helpless, the brother and sister took their mother and left Tang City."

Speaking of this, Shen Fu couldn't help but sigh: "Society based on social status is really harmful. When our Shen family and the Wen family were to be married, Wen Ye, as the elder brother, should have been the first choice. But after that incident, Wen Ye was completely ruined. Old Master Wen didn't dare to force him anymore, so it was Wen Yu's turn."

After listening, Wei Qingsong frowned and pondered. She only knew that Wen Ye's first love had been forced to leave home and die, but she did not know the details.

Hearing this now, I truly realize how unpredictable life is and how treacherous people can be.

The old man Wen used ruthless methods to force the girl's father to his death, and after many twists and turns, the retribution finally fell on the innocent Wen Yu, which is truly regrettable.

Wei Qingsong seemed to be deep in thought, and couldn't help but take another look at the photo. She seemed to have gained a new understanding of Wen Ye, who was a womanizer and a womanizer.

Passionate, heartless, deeply affectionate—so many labels are combined in Wen Ye, yet they don't seem contradictory at all.

Humans are indeed contradictions themselves.

He was a pitiful man, with someone he loved but could not have, and now he was separated from his lover by a blood feud. No matter how much affection he had, it was all in vain.

Between him and the girl, there was a life lost, an insurmountable chasm, making it impossible to go back to the past.

However... she didn't feel anything from that fleeting glance, but now, upon closer inspection, she felt that the girl's eyebrows and eyes seemed familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

Thinking about it this way, Wei Qingsong found it funny herself. Why did she keep having this feeling lately? Everyone looked familiar to her.

Although Shen Fu harbored resentment towards Shen Tong, she ultimately still thought of him and turned to Lu Jingming: "Captain Lu, why are you still acting like a busybody? You should at least have someone handle this post, shouldn't you?"

Lu Jingming put down the spray bottle and asked her, "How do you plan to handle this?"

Shen Fu paused for a few seconds, her momentum waning: "I know the poster is a victim's family member, but at least we should make him delete the post and quell this false public opinion, right?"

Lu Jingming readily nodded: "Okay."

The city police quickly contacted the family of the victim in the gray scheme, briefly explained the situation, and also found the family member who posted the angry denunciation of the harmful online novel. After some earnest persuasion, they convinced him to delete the post.

Shen Fu was finally relieved: "That's great, thank you so much, Songsong. If the family member hadn't been willing to delete the post, then Shen Tong would have been in big trouble."

Words can sometimes be the sharpest weapon.

Wei Qingsong smiled faintly: "Why are you being so polite with me? Besides, even if Shen Tong doesn't pursue this matter, we will still persuade the family to delete it after they know about the post."

"Huh?" Shen Fu was a little confused. "Why?"

“The power of public opinion should not be underestimated. We are at a critical moment in the investigation of the case. Such negative public opinion will only bring about a greater crisis. The article also openly mentions the suicide rate among young people and many recent extreme events. This post is too popular and has a bad influence on the public.” Wei Qingsong explained briefly.

"In fact, some media outlets have already heard rumors and want to report on the case, but all their articles have been suppressed and are not allowed to be published."

Shen Fu still didn't understand, and pressed for an answer: "Why? Wouldn't making these examples public serve as a greater warning?"

“Media reports are a double-edged sword. The warning effect is only one of the functions of reporting. Too many such reports may cause the Werther effect,” Wei Qingsong explained patiently.

"The Werther effect?" Shen Fu was unfamiliar with this term and smiled awkwardly. "I only know 'The Sorrows of Young Werther'."

To everyone's surprise, Wei Qingsong nodded slightly: "That's right, it's that Witt."

As she spoke, she patiently explained further: "When 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' was first published, it caused a great sensation in the local area. It not only made Goethe famous, but also made Werther's image deeply rooted in people's hearts. However, Werther's suicide by gunshot also inspired many young men in society to follow suit, leading to a wave of imitation Werther's suicide throughout Europe. This is the Werther effect."

"Simply put, the Werther effect refers to the social psychological effect that the suicide of a celebrity can lead to a surge in the suicide rate in society, as many people follow suit."

(End of this chapter)