Soon she noticed that more and more students from the northeast were arriving in Peking. It was vaguely rumored that it was due to the continued retreats of the National army in that region, forcing these students to flee. In response, the Peking government decided to establish temporary schools and universities to meet the pressing needs for education and survival among these displaced youth.
It had been some time since she last visited Cui's room. This was because she had heard from a student at Peking University about that someone there resembled her Tao Ge. Grasping at this fragile thread of hope, she spent several days asking around at Peking University, trying to gather more information. Yet despite her efforts after a few days, the information she received remained frustratingly vague. Some insisted they had never met anyone like You Tao while others mentioned someone who might match the description. But whenever she tried to gather more details, her efforts led nowhere. The hope she had initially held was abruptly extinguished, as if doused with a bucket of cold water poured over her.
At the same time, she sensed the growing tension among the university students, especially those from the northeast. They appeared increasingly agitated during private discussions. Unclear about what was happening, she decided to visit Cui's room that evening.
Upon entering the room, she was surprised to find the room where was packed with students, not just from the northeastern but also from various provinces. She overheard a student A, passionately speaking:
"What Jian said last night is true. The government initially promised to meet the demands of displaced northeastern students, including the obligation to establish schools and universities for them. Now they are claiming financial shortages and location issues as excuses for not fulfilling their promise. It's clear that they have broken their words to you. You should organize yourselves, petition the government again, and negotiate with He Siyuan directly to secure your education and living arrangements."
Another student, B, interjected angrily:
"That's nonsense! This issue isn't about a lack of funds. Actually the money has been embezzled by the Department of Livelihood and Fang Buting."
Student A asked with concern:
"Fang Buting? The director of the Peking branch of the National Bank? Are you sure? Do you have any evidence?"
Student B hesitated and muttered:
"I heard it from a relative in Peking, but I don't really know the details. "
Student C offered a new idea:
"We could appeal to Li Zongren. He was just appointed Vice President so maybe he can help us resolve this issue."
After hearing the student B's claim, the student A fell into deep thought and became silence. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet.
Shen Hui, standing to the side, listened quietly to their conversation. Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, she quietly left and returned to her own room, closing the door behind her. Actually her father had written to her many times, each urging her to return home due to the increasingly worsening situation. With the war raging in the northeast and the tensions escalating in North China, she would have no way to return home if the conflict intensified. After much consideration, Shen Hui decided to follow her father's advice. She would leave for the south as soon as the semester ended and resume her studies once peace returned.
By June, new political shifts were underway. Major He Siyuan was said to have been dismissed and General Fu Zuoyi had been appointed Commander-in-chief of the North China Bandit Suppression Headquarters which was stationed in Peking. Chen Jicheng was appointed Deputy Commander-in-chief and Peking's Garrison Commander. Soon, their contrasting approaches to how to resolve the students' petitions became apparent: Fu Zuoyi advocated for appeasement while Chen Jicheng took a hardline stance. This divergence further inflamed the students' frustration, deepening their resentment toward the government's inaction. At the same time, it was reported that the Peking Municipal Senate had passed a resolution to "recruit all exiled Northeastern students for military service". This resolution was the final straw, sparking outrage among the students. So they decided to organize a protest on July 5, demanding to confront the Speaker Xu Huidong and Li Zongren, the Vice President.
Although Shen Hui was well aware of the rising tensions, she continued to attend classes as usual. However, she also decided to follow the crowd's choice and join the protest when the time came.
On the morning of July 5, Shen Hui woke up later than usual. When she went to Cui's room, she found that Cui had already left. So, she decided to make her way to the Peking Municipal Senate alone. Upon arrival, she saw the area already crowded with thousands of students. A powerful voice was delivering a passionate speech:
"Fellow Students! Although we have submitted our petition, Xu Huidong has been deliberately stalling and has yet to provide any response. Do you know why? Because the Peking Food Allocation Committee has been smuggling and embezzling the rations meant for us northeastern students, enriching themselves in the process. They conspire for personal gail, ignoring our fundamental needs for education and survival..."
Standing at the back of the crowd, Shen Hui couldn't see the speaker's face clearly. But the voice sounded so familiar, which was exactly like her Tao's. Distracted by this possibility, She barely paid attention to the speech and instead focused on pushing her way forward. Unfortunately, her small stature and lack of strength made it hard for her to make much progress. Before she could get halfway through the crowd, the speaker had disappeared into the crowd. Panic-stricken, she frantically looked around but couldn't find him so she turned to a nearby student and asked:
"Excuse me, do you know who was giving the speech just now?"
The student replied:
"I don't know him personally but I have seen him before. He is from Peking University. His name is Jian."
Hearing this, Shen Hui felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. It wasn't her Tao. Yet the voice had been so uncannily similar that she couldn't let it go. Reluctantly, she continued weaving through the crowd, hoping to find this "Jian" and confirm his identity.
By the time Shen Hui realized how much time had passed, it was already 2 or 3p.m. Exhausted and hungry, she followed the students marching toward Xu Huidong's residence in Dongjiaomin Lane. Peking Garrison Commander Chen Jicheng had quickly deployed a large contingent of police and military police to prevent the students from entering the area. Although Fu Zuoyi had issued strict orders to avoid harming the students or causing bloodshed, the police and military police used batons and rifle butts to forcibly disperse the students.
A sharp blow struck Shen Hui's head. A wave of pain exploded through her skull. Her vision blurred with bright spots, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. A female student nearby tried to comfort her and encourage her, but the pain was almost unbearable. Meanwhile, the students around her sat quietly on the ground, waiting anxiously for the results from the student representatives who had gone inside to negotiate. Soon, however, they realized they were surrounded. Chen Jicheng had deployed the Youth Army, who now stood with machine guns and fixed bayonets, creating a menacing display as if they were ready to shoot. Just then, the student representatives emerged from the gates, and the crowd surged forward to hear the results of the negotiation. The Youth Army tried to block them, leading to physical clashes.
Suddenly, a single gunshot shattered the commotion and the students instinctively dropped to the ground. Every time they tried to rise, the Youth Army fired at them again, forcing them to stay down. This terrifying cycle repeated until an order came to cease fire. The Youth Army withdrew. By then, the crowd had descended into chaos, with students fleeing in every direction.
Shen Hui followed the scattered crowd, her shoulder throbbing with pain. When she reached up to touch it, she was shocked to find her hand smeared with blood. Overcome with panic, she stumbled into a side alleyway, crossing through it to another empty street. At this point, her vision blurred, whether from tears or sweat, she couldn't make sure, but she pressed on, running blindly forward. Finally, as she turned into another alley, a shadowy figure appeared ahead of her. Her strength gave out. Overwhelmed and in pain, she collapsed onto the ground.