Emotional abuse has recently become the top topic on Chinese social media following the suicide of a young female university student.
The 22-year-old woman, given the pseudonym Bao Li, was a junior at Peking University’s law school. She had been dating a fellow student named Mou Linhan who regularly shamed her for her sexual experience and not being a virgin before they started dating.
Bao and Mou dated for over a year and over time Mou’s “emotional torture” of Bao became more and more severe.
According to the Southern Weekend, Mou asked Bao to tattoo the words “I am Mou Linhan’s dog” on her body, call him “master” in front of others, and take nude photos of herself so that he could share them online if she ever left him. He also asked her to get pregnant and then deliberately abort the unborn baby and undergo a sterilization operation.
“You have lost your most beautiful thing,” Mou once reportedly told Bao, referring to her virginity. While Bao shot back that her future was the most beautiful thing, over time, she became more and more despondent and depressed.
She tried to slit her wrists in June. A few months later, on October 9, she overdosed on pills. She has fallen into a coma and been declared brain dead by doctors.
In her final message to Mou, Bao wrote: “When I met you, I was such a shining star, but I am just a piece of garbage… Today I will offer you my apology.”
The viral story of her tragic suicide has now turned Mou into the most hated man on the Chinese internet. On Thursday, he presented his side of the story, telling reporters that he doesn’t believe he “emotionally tortured” Bao.
“I can’t say that I didn’t have anything to do with Bao’s suicide. She was my girlfriend and I didn’t take good enough care of her,” he said. “As her boyfriend, I have certain responsibilities.”
Mou added that he had already been questioned by police and that they had closed the case.
