On April 13, Xu Menghua, a woman from Dancheng County, Zhoukou City, Henan Province, posted a public accusation on social media that she was owed money by Aquin (pseudonym), an employee of the local judicial bureau. Xu claimed that Aquin was also having an inappropriate affair with her husband, Liu Junjie. The two parties disagreed on whether there was an improper relationship between Aquin and Liu Junjie. Still, the fact that Liu Junjie borrowed roughly CNY 800,000 from Aquin from 2018 to 2022, along with Aquin’s gambling activities, was not in dispute, according to news obtained by Upstream News.
Liu Junjie admitted to having an affair with Aquin, but he stated that he was afraid his wife would find out and therefore deleted most of the messages with Aquin. Liu Junjie didn’t have any other evidence to show there was an inappropriate affair between him and Aquin. Nonetheless, he produced a WeChat record which showed that he had transferred CNY 19,999 to Aquin. Aquin, in turn, responded, “How shall I express my joy? Thank you for the flying kiss,” to which Liu Junjie replied, “It’s OK, I’m just happy.” Then Aquin responded, “You’re awesome, cool, and handsome.” Xu Menghua, Liu Junjie’s wife, claimed that Aquin repeatedly failed to repay the loan and that she had filed a lawsuit against her.
The case ignited widespread attention from the public as it exposed a conflict within the judiciary bureau, particularly the unethical behaviour of its staff members towards private individuals. However, it raises several questions regarding the use of social media and the role that such platforms have in public discourse, particularly in cases when the line between private and public is blurred.
Xu sought to expose Aquin’s actions on social media to “vindicate her rights.” However, it’s well-known that social media is not the ideal place to resolve disputes, particularly accusations of this nature. The court, which is the proper vehicle for settling such disputes, was neglected, while social media was used to address such a matter of sensitive nature. Besides, the limited evidence provided by the parties involved would hardly stand up in court.
This incident provides a valuable lesson for the public and the government regarding the appropriate use of social media. Social media has been extensively used as a mass communication tool to expose sensitive and controversial issues that regular media outlets cannot cover. However, it includes the legal system, which remains the best way to handle the case.
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