This report was written by reporter Qingshu Zhou in Changsha. A slightly yellowed Valentine's Day letter lies quietly in a corner of dormitory 418, Building 5, South Garden, Gulou Campus, Nanjing University. Seven years ago, a couple was suspected to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning while taking a bath together in their rented apartment.
The letter was written by "your sister-in-law" seven years ago on Valentine's Day, addressed to the "brothers of 418". The sister-in-law sent a box of chocolates to the brothers, hoping they would "carefully observe and report any changes" regarding her boyfriend, "Comrade Zhao Zhi Fu".
On the morning of September 9, Zhang Yonglong, who had just graduated from Nanjing University, posted a photo of the letter taken with his mobile phone on the school forum. By October 10, tens of thousands of people had read this romantic and playful letter, finding it "a little touching".
The letter was first discovered by Nanjing University student Zhu Lei. Zhu Lei, Zhang Yonglong, and three other students originally lived in another dormitory at Nanjing University. Recently, after Zhang Yonglong finished his third year of graduate school, two classmates moved into dormitory 418, Building 5. On the evening of August 8, Zhu Lei, Zhang Yonglong, and three others went to dormitory 418 to visit them.
While chatting, Zhu Lei casually flipped through some things and suddenly found a letter in the corner against the wall. After reading it, Zhu felt it was "quite touching", then passed it to Zhang Yonglong, saying, "Post it on the campus forum, it will definitely be popular."
This slightly yellowed letter was signed by "your sister-in-law". The sister-in-law said she generously sent the brothers a 240-gram box of chocolate. Dividing it up, each person could eat 48 grams. The sister-in-law specifically mentioned Zhao Zhi Fu, saying he was thin but ate a lot, so attention should be paid.
"Of course, the chocolate isn't free, right? What sister-in-law means is... mainly to have everyone supervise Comrade Zhao Zhi Fu, carefully observe his words and expressions, and immediately report any changes. And there will be rewards for reporting; specific reward measures will be announced at the next Valentine's Day..."
The letter also specifically attached a hotline number for reporting.
Netizens: Actually, happiness is like this
At 10:30 am on September 9, Zhang Yonglong posted the photos on Nanjing University's Xiaobaihe BBS and left three questions: Seven years have passed, can the people mentioned in the letter in dormitory 418 still remember these things? Has the girl who wrote the letter married Mr. Zhao? If the people mentioned in the letter see these handwritten words, will they feel sentimental?
By the evening of September 9, Nanjing University student "Professor Bod" forwarded the photos and story to his personal Weibo account.
As of 4:45 pm on October 10, the post on Nanjing University's internal forum had been clicked over 25,000 times; the Weibo of "Professor Bod", who only has hundreds of followers, had been forwarded 3,568 times.
Netizens kept expressing feelings about love and time, sending blessings. Netizen "Prince Yi" said, actually happiness is like this, wishing Zhao Zhi Fu and sister-in-law always stay happy.
Outcome: Thank you for your concern, we're fine
Seven years have passed, are Sister-in-law and Zhao Zhi Fu still together? This is the question netizens are most concerned about. To facilitate the "brothers of 418" reporting, the sister-in-law left a hotline number in the letter. An informed person said that the sister-in-law has not changed her number. He contacted the sister-in-law through the aforementioned number on the evening of September 9. At the time, the sister-in-law didn't answer the call but replied via text message: Thank you all for your concern, we're doing well.
"Chengbao Official Weibo" said on Weibo that Zhao Zhi Fu from the letter is a master's degree graduate in accounting from the class of 2003 at Nanjing University. The sister-in-law and Zhao have already gotten married and live in Huainan, Anhui, where Zhao Zhi Fu works at a local bank.
On the afternoon of October 10, the reporter tried multiple ways to contact the sister-in-law and Zhao Zhi Fu, but was unsuccessful.
Regarding this outcome, netizens expressed: They're incredibly happy; the evaluation of "Professor Bod" who forwarded this story to Weibo is: Perfect like a fairy tale, so touching; Chengbao Official Weibo commented: Those people, those things, those emotions, are still here today. Comments are welcome.