That night, we received an email from the psychologist. It contained all the recordings of his afternoon conversation with Ma Qiaojun, which lasted for two hours.

Xiaotao and I listened carefully. They started off by speaking about some daily matters, while the middle of their conversation was related to his illness. Tang Zixin eased Ma Qiaojun into recalling his childhood trauma. When he was a child, Ma Qiaojun’s classmates at school would point at his nose and call him the son of a murderer. Despite the bullying, his teachers turned a blind eye. Going to school every day was no less painful than descending to hell!

Once, when he couldn't...