CHINA – Suspecting his girlfriend was raped by a teacher, forced to “exchange” in art class, Zhu Wenwu nursed resentment and caused a tragedy that left four dead.
Zhu Wenwu, born in 1983, in July 2006, rented a house near a school to prepare for the master’s entrance exam and met Vijay, 22 years old. Vijay was studying vocational college, and enrolled in an art class in Hefei (Anhui) during winter break, so she stayed at her friend’s house, becoming Zhu Wenwu’s neighbor. After a short period of interaction, Zhu Wenwu and Vijay became lovers.
As their first love, Zhu Wenwu doted on his girlfriend. He had very serious views on relationships, always hoping that his first girlfriend would also be his future wife. However, conflicts quickly arose between them.
In February 2007, after a month of dating, the couple had their first sexual intercourse. Zhu Wenwu discovered that his girlfriend was no longer a virgin, which made him uncomfortable but he didn’t show any attitude in front of Vijay. Because of love, he tried to forget his girlfriend’s past, as long as she remained faithful to him.
However, Zhu Wenwu still harbored doubts in his heart. He noticed Vijay’s art teacher, Xia Weili, 44 years old, who had been running an art studio in Hefei since 2001. Xia Weili was a member of the Professional Art Education Committee of Anhui Province, nurturing many students who won prizes in national painting competitions. Vijay has been studying under Xia Weili since 2004.
Zhu Wenwu searched for information about Xia Weili online and heard that to achieve success, many beautiful girls were willing to exchange their bodies, which was considered an “unspoken rule”.
Thinking about Vijay’s recent remarkable progress in painting, and how Xia Weili was personally tutoring her, Zhu Wenwu suspected that there was more than just a simple teacher-student relationship between them. He had heard his girlfriend complain that Xia Weili was not kind, a “pervert”. Zhu Wenwu advised Vijay to find another art studio, but she always refused, saying she had misunderstood her teacher.
Later, Vijay said that teacher Xia Weili invited her to dinner, promising to let her teach new students in exchange for free tuition and a monthly allowance of 100 yuan for painting tools.
Zhu Wenwu suspected that Xia Weili had other intentions with Vijay, even considering it as evidence that Vijay was coerced by the teacher into an underground transaction. Thinking that Xia Weili was married with children yet fantasizing about other girls, Zhu Wenwu became furious. He questioned his girlfriend about Xia Weili, noticing her unnatural expression and avoidance in her eyes.
Because he was always worried about his girlfriend, Zhu Wenwu failed the master’s exam. Shortly after, Vijay moved to live in the art studio at Xia Weili’s suggestion, claiming it was to save money on rent. Since then, Vijay has been busy. Sometimes when Zhu Wenwu called her in the evening, he faintly heard a man’s voice.
Unable to bear his jealousy, Zhu Wenwu arranged to meet his girlfriend and directly asked her if she had an affair with Xia Weili. Vijay angrily denied it, but remained silent when questioned about her first time having sex. “Your friend said your first time having sex was in the art studio, is that true?” Zhu Wenwu asked. Vijay bowed her head without saying a word.
Convinced that his girlfriend was coerced according to the “unspoken rule,” Zhu Wenwu proposed breaking up and moving to Nanjing. But he still missed Vijay, he was not in the mood to work and was criticized by his superiors many times, leading to his resignation.
With lost love, unfinished studies, and unstable work, Zhu Wenwu believed his life deteriorated because of Xia Weili.
In November 2007, Zhu Wenwu returned to Hefei, wanting to reconnect with Vijay, but he couldn’t forget the past. When meeting Vijay, he asked her to kill Xia Weili to prove that they had no shady relationship. Terrified, Vijay fled to Zhejiang and became an art teacher to avoid Zhu Wenwu.
In May 2008, Zhu Wenwu secretly used Vijay’s social media account to post accusations against Xia Weili, claiming he was a “human-faced beast,” forcing her to exchange her body, providing specific times and locations as if they were real. He also posted on a large forum, accusing Xia Weili of deceiving many female students. Zhu Wenwu’s purpose was to destroy Xia Weili’s reputation. Although the posts were quickly deleted, Zhu Wenwu didn’t give up.
After the Lunar New Year in 2009, Zhu Wenwu continued spreading rumors online, defaming Xia Weili. Because he was solely focused on seeking revenge, Zhu Wenwu kept losing his job. Seeing his friends around him all having better careers than him, Zhu Wenwu grew increasingly resentful towards Xia Weili, believing that he couldn’t be happy as long as Xia Weili was alive.
On June 29, 2009, Zhu Wenwu was fired again. He went to drink alcohol to drown his sorrows, looking at pictures of Vijay while crying.
On July 9, 2009, Zhu Wenwu rented a room in a small hotel in Hefei. After two days of contemplation, he planned to kill Xia Weili. That evening, Zhu Wenwu bought a knife at the supermarket and wrapped it in a black plastic bag.
At 7 p.m. the next day, Zhu Wenwu went to the art studio, pretending to enroll his younger sister to seek advice from Xia Weili. Xia Weili’s wife led Zhu Wenwu into the office.
Not long after, Xia Weili walked in, approaching Zhu Wenwu. Waiting for the distance to shorten, Zhu Wenwu suddenly stood up, holding the knife, and stabbed Xia Weili in the chest. Xia Weili tried to push Zhu Wenwu away to run outside but was captured. Xia Weili’s wife and their 10-year-old grandson rushed forward to attack Zhu Wenwu, but they were both killed by him. Xia Weili’s 19-year-old daughter heard the commotion, and ran in, wielding a wooden stick to beat Zhu Wenwu and calling for help, but she was also stabbed.
After committing the crime, Zhu Wenwu panicked and dropped the knife, fleeing the scene but was quickly surrounded and apprehended by the police.
During interrogation, Zhu Wenwu confessed to the crime, recounting his grudge against Xia Weili. However, Vijay denied all accusations regarding the “unspoken rule”.
Before the police, Vijay described Zhu Wenwu as gentle but suspicious, and jealous, demanding that she report her whereabouts and activities at all times. She asserted that there was no shady relationship with Xia Weili and that the teacher knew about her family’s difficult circumstances, hence the assistance, not due to any transaction.
Vijay explained multiple times, but Zhu Wenwu didn’t believe her, even calling family and friends, claiming she was coerced by the teacher. The two often argued over this issue, making her feel exhausted, and leading her to agree to break up.
The massacre on July 10, 2009, shocked the nation. Upon learning that Zhu Wenwu had committed murder, Zhu Wenwu’s classmates from all over came to Hefei hoping to help him. In their eyes, Zhu Wenwu was a cheerful person, enthusiastic about helping others, not a ruthless cold-blooded killer. A close friend of Zhu Wenwu lamented, “You could save a month’s allowance to help a sick classmate but in the face of four lives, where did your kindness go?“
On August 25, 2009, Zhu Wenwu was sentenced to death and ordered to compensate the victims’ families with 1.17 million RMB. Zhu Wenwu appealed, but the court rejected the appeal.
On January 8, 2010, Zhu Wenwu was executed by lethal injection.
