Behind a Wife-Killing Case Lies a Marriage That Could Not Be Undone

The case, which occurred in March 2024, received its first-instance verdict in July 2025: The defendant, diagnosed with depression and deemed to have been in an acute phase during the crime, was found to have limited criminal responsibility and was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. The victim’s family expressed strong dissatisfaction with the verdict, arguing that “depression” should not serve as grounds for exemption from liability in cases of heinous violent crimes.

I contacted the victim’s sister and travelled to the Shunde district of the city Foshan. I wanted to understand what lay behind this “dangerous relationship.” This was a marriage born of free love, yet from the moment the couple obtained their marriage certificate, the woman harbored doubts—the initial love was intense and attentive yet laced with lies. A clingy and distorted kind of affection bound them tightly together. The man was consumed by control and objectified her, while she fell into learned helplessness and was bound by habit and her own sense of morality. Often, she was lucid and rational while trapped within the relationship.

Through chat logs and case files, I have witnessed the woman’s struggles and sought to challenge the stereotype of “blind victims.” Before the crime, she recognized the need to end the relationship and resolved to divorce. She identified the danger, sent out warnings, sought help, and even reported him to the police, and yet still couldn’t escape her ultimate fate.

Through her friends, relatives, colleagues, and police statements, I have reconstructed the trajectory of the couple’s relationship, focusing on the escalation of the man’s controlling behavior and the victim's attempts to save herself. I have interviewed lawyers and psychologists to explore the boundaries of applying diminished criminal responsibility in homicide cases, to analyze gaps in existing intervention mechanisms, and to highlight the systemic challenges society faces when dealing with “domestic matters.”

To some extent, “harmony”—this traditional societal value regarding marriage—is not solely women’s responsibility. It functions like an invisible hand and binds everyone. Her parents and sister had shown concerns, but she avoided any conflict. Later, her parents felt that it would be simply sufficient for them to just get along. We discern a failure within societal and external systems. Intimate relationships have boundaries.

Ultimately, we seek to answer this: Why cannot a lucid, self-rescuing woman escape? When “depression” becomes a shield for heinous crimes, where lies the bottom line of justice? This report aims to pierce the surface of tragedy, while touching upon the deep entanglements of gender, morality, and institutions. It offers a mirror for women in similar situations and sounds an alarm for the society.

On March 8, 2024, the 26-year-old Chen Yongqi was murdered by her husband Yang Yudong. Just one week prior, she had resolved to divorce him. During negotiations between the two families, Yang Yudong requested a one-month cooling-off period, during which both parties agreed to refrain from any contact.

It was during this brief period that Chen Yongqi confided in a close friend about her disappointments in the marriage: She and Yang had fallen in love during college, where he initially showered her with attentive care. Over time, however, this evolved into increasingly intense control: He resented her interactions with other men, harassed her with frequent calls when she went out, and threatened suicide during arguments. After a long struggle, she finally resolved to leave the relationship.

On July 30, 2025, the Dongguan Intermediate People’s Court issued its first-instance verdict: Yang Yudong was convicted of intentional homicide and was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, along with lifelong deprivation of political rights. The verdict stated that forensic evaluation confirmed Yang suffered from depressive episodes and was in an active phase during the crime, thus of limited criminal responsibility. The Chen family filed an appeal with the procuratorate. On August 22, 2025, the Dongguan People’s Procuratorate dismissed the appeal request, concluding that the first-instance characterization of the crime and sentencing was accurate and appropriate, and thus decided not to pursue further prosecution.

Based on the verdict, extensive evidence, and accounts from all parties, this relationship spanning over five years proved far more complex than initially presented. Surprisingly, over a year later, much of this information came to light simultaneously for both Chen’s parents and us. In a sense, this was a dangerous relationship born of deception—for Chen Yongqi, violence eroded and destroyed her spirit under the guise of “love.” Yet for the most part, her pain and cries for help remained obscure until tragedy struck.

By Xie Ziyi

Edited by Wang Yiran

Video Editing by Wang Wanlin

1. “The Cooling-Off Period”

On March 7, 2024, Yang Yudong ordered three knives through a food delivery platform: a black folding fruit knife, a large utility knife, and a carving knife. He said, “I intended to use them all for suicide.”

Three days prior, in front of both sets of parents, he had agreed with his wife Chen Yongqi to enter a one-month cooling-off period: They pledged not to interfere with each other and planned to finalize their divorce at the civil affairs bureau on April 3, 2024.

But he did not want a divorce. They had obtained their marriage certificate in 2021, and Chen Yongqi had only informed her family afterward due to concerns about parental opposition. Chen’s mother said that her family didn’s hold Yang Yudong in high regard. In the Shunde district of Chen’s hometown of Foshan, they hadn’t held a wedding banquet, performed ancestral rites, nor had the groom’s family paid a dowry. The bride’s family didn’t recognize the marriage. “Since our daughter liked him, we just treated him as another member of the household.”

Earlier during the Spring Festival, the couple had erupted into numerous arguments. On February 6, 2024, Chen forwarded Yang a link about a wife-murder case with a note: “Men are terrifying. I don’t want to end up in the news.” Yang replied, “Get lost.”

A native of Huangchuan County, Henan Province, Yang Yudong often emphasized that he and Chen Yongqi had both worked in Guangzhou after college before renting an apartment and settling down in Foshan. He claimed to have sacrificed a lot.

Whenever Chen Yongqi went out, he would call her incessantly. Last year on the Little New Year’s Eve, when Chen Yongqi attended a friend’s wedding, Yang Yudong made 84 consecutive calls. Chen Yongqi didn’t answer, saying she was already on her way back. “What should I do with you?” Yang Yudong wrote in WeChat. “84 stabs, 84 slaps... I must cut you 84 times today.”

Chen Yongqi’s sister also recalled that before the wedding, when the bridesmaids went out for a meal, Yang Yudong insisted on tagging along. Even after everyone had already booked their rides, he still insisted on driving Chen Yongqi. Barely a minute after he left, Yang turned the car around, came back, and sat at the table where they had already placed their orders.

This level of control became increasingly unbearable for Chen Yongqi. Her sister sensed her discomfort. Chen Yongqi forced a wry smile at her friends, saying, “He’s just like this. Don’t mind him.”

For Chen Yongqi, the final straw came on March 1, 2024. After having hotpot with an old colleague, she suggested stopping by her mentor’s place.

“Mentor” Xu Mei was Chen Yongqi’s senior colleague during her time working in Guangzhou, as well as a trusted confidante whom she regarded as an older sister. The two hadn’t seen each other in two years. At Xu Mei’s place, they sipped tea and chatted. As they talked, Chen Yongqi began to cry. For the first time, Xu Mei learned that Chen Yongqi had gotten married, and that obtaining the marriage certificate felt more like a compromise—

“She (Chen Yongqi) said Yang Yudong wanted them to live and die together.” Yang Yudong’s temperament was erratic. When things were good, he was a very good partner. But whenever she “disobeyed,” he would punish her.

There was so much to talk about, so Xu Mei invited Chen Yongqi to stay the night.

That was when Yang Yudong called.

Yang Yudong messaged Chen on WeChat, “I hate it when you don’t come home at night.” Chen Yongqi replied, “It’s just us two girls. I don’t see the problem.”

That night, Yang Yudong called Chen Yongqi 13 times. At 8:25 p.m., he demanded “divorce” via WeChat; at 8:51 p.m., he ordered a kitchen knife through a food delivery platform.

At 3:00 a.m., Yang Yudong reported his wife missing to the police. Early on March 2, Chen Yongqi’s mother was startled awake by Yang Yudong knocking on her door. Desperate to find Chen Yongqi, he kept calling and messaging all her friends. Altogether, he made 107 calls to Chen Yongqi.

Chen Yongqi had resolved to divorce. She confessed to Yang Yudong: “Over five years of endless conflicts, arguments, broken promises, self-righteousness, even threats and insults have eroded my love. Yet I kept choosing forgiveness and compromise, terrified you’d lose control and go crazy. This relationship has left me utterly exhausted and afraid.” Her mentor Xu Mei also reminded her to inform her parents about this major decision.

On the phone, Chen Yongqi told her parents, “He’s been controlling me so harshly,” expressing her firm resolve to divorce.

On March 4, both families held divorce negotiations. Chen Yongqi and Yang Yudong sat on opposite sides. Chen Yongqi cried as she recounted how, during previous arguments, Yang Yudong had brandished a knife, threatened suicide, and said things like “I’ll kill you” and “I’ll kill your entire family.” In front of the elders, Yang Yudong denied these claims. However, when confronted about his controlling behavior, emotional instability, and harassment of relatives and friends, Yang Yudong remained silent. Later, he repeatedly stated that he loved his wife deeply and did not want a divorce.

Finally, he proposed a one-month cooling-off period.

On March 8, 2024, International Women’s Day, he waited for Chen Yongqi at her workplace and drove her away. The four knives he had previously purchased were all in the trunk, though none was the one he later used to kill her.

2. Love and Lies

To many, Chen Yongqi was a warm, caring young woman. With fair skin, a round face, and a ready smile, her eyes crinkled like an enamel doll. During school, she volunteered at orphanages; if friends skipped breakfast, she’d bring them home to eat before heading to class together.

The Chen family lived in the town of Xingtan in Shunde district. Chen’s father had driven trucks in his youth before leasing a fishpond to make a living from aquaculture. As the eldest daughter, Chen Yongqi shared a bed with her younger sister, Chen Yongqing, who was four years her junior. To her sister, she was like a second mother—presenting her with flowers and “sisterly love jewelry” during her coming-of-age ceremony.

The younger sister learned of her romance through social media. In 2019, Chen Yongqi’s WeChat Moments frequently featured photos with Yang Yudong. She mentioned they met at a campus event, describing Yang as thoughtful and generous—he once gifted her a Swarovski necklace named “Beating Heart.”

The first time her childhood friend heard about Yang Yudong, she knew he wasn’t Chen Yongqi’s type. After Yang pursued her for half a year, Chen said she was touched: every time she got her period, he’d make her brown sugar water; he’d check the weather forecast ahead of time to remember bringing her an umbrella; when they went out to eat, he’d pull out her chair and peel her shrimp.

Her sister later speculated, “Maybe she liked that feeling of being one in a million.”

After they got together, they were practically inseparable. Yang Yudong would pick her up after class and accompany her to her part-time job at a teahouse. A 2019 social media post documented their attendance at a book club meeting—the theme was “love.” Chen Yongqi said the best kind of love was “eternal companionship,” being by each other’s side through joy and sorrow; Yang Yudong said love meant tolerance and understanding.

During college, Yang Yudong drove a Nissan, which was worth over a hundred thousand yuan. He gave off an “extremely wealthy” impression, telling others he’d started a business and invested in a shrimp farm. In their relationship, he was generous with spending on Chen Yongqi, i.e. treating her to Häagen-Dazs ice cream.  Be it dining out or giving gifts, he appeared lavish toward her. 

During the summer of 2019, Chen Yongqi brought Yang Yudong home for the first time. Back then, Yang would blow-dry her hair and massage her feet daily, and he’d also volunteer to help with household chores. To her sister, Yang seemed completely devoted, “like he was glued to her.” But Chen’s father was a bit suspicious, feeling that Yang didn’t have his own life and worrying he might have ulterior motives.

Chen Yongqi's close friend Huizi once joined them for barbecue. Huizi recalled Yang being quiet but observant, giving off an air of deep calculation. She remembered that before graduation, a girl Yang had previously pursued warned Chen Yongqi that Yang’s “persona” was fake—he lacked the entrepreneurial background he claimed. When Chen confronted Yang with this accusation, he challenged her to a face-to-face confrontation and accused her of distrusting him.

That incident became the most intense argument of their campus romance. Later, Chen told Huizi she ultimately “chose to believe Xiao Dong (Yang Yudong).” Huizi sensed that Chen Yongqi was naive and easily swayed, while Yang Yudong was adept at putting her on the defensive. He frequently expressed deep resentment over her past relationships, fixating on minor details like holding hands or hugging— “just thinking about it makes me want to die”—which in turn made Chen Yongqi feel guilty.

During college, Yang Yudong promised to accompany Chen Yongqi back to Guangdong after graduation and throw her a wedding with a luxury car procession. Yet it wasn’t until 2021, just before they registered their marriage, that Chen Yongqi discovered his actual birth year was 1992—not 1995 as he had claimed—and that he had retaken the college entrance exam five times.

By then, they had already lived together in Guangzhou for over a year. Huizi recounted that after graduation, Yang Yudong and Chen Yongqi had “small arguments every other day and major ones every three days.” Chen Yongqi’s parents disapproved of the relationship, and she was reluctant to marry, which enraged Yang Yudong. Later, Chen Yongqi confided to friends that Yang Yudong frequently resorted to “going berserk”—sometimes wearing her down with persistent nagging, other times resorting to threats. To appease him, she secretly went to register their marriage.

During the 2023 Spring Festival, Chen Yongqi accompanied Yang Yudong back to his hometown in Henan. It was her first time spending the holiday away from her parents. After the long journey, she felt utterly disheartened.

Huizi recalled Chen Yongqi confiding that Yang Yudong’s family ran a tobacco and liquor shop, lacking the means to buy a home in Foshan. Given his parents’ financial situation, paying a down payment would require selling their current residence and forcing her to live with them afterward.

Chen Yongqi was overcome with immense regret. She blamed herself to her friend, saying that she was “ignorant, soft-hearted, and led by the nose.” Yet she was also terrified of divorce. “Marriage is a legal bond,” she said. “It’s not easily severed and severing it leaves an indelible stain.”

At home, Yang Yudong employed various tactics to “coax” her back: kneeling before her, slapping himself in apology, and relentlessly emphasizing the drawbacks of divorce. Huizi said, “Before Yongqi confided to me about these struggles, she had likely already processed them internally.”

Afterward, Yongqi’s younger sister recalled a conversation from that year. She had just started dating, and Chen Yongqi reminded her to “be discerning about people,” and added, “Don't mistake a man’s kindness for love.” She could sense her older sister’s dissatisfaction with her current marriage, for she sighed repeatedly as she spoke.

After getting married, Yang Yudong vanished from Chen Yongqi’s social media posts. She rarely told new friends she was already married.

3. “A Bird in a Cage”

Compared to dating, marriage was a more private space. Friends had expressed dislike for Yang Yudong, and her childhood friend urged her, “If this relationship is truly tormenting you, have a serious talk with him.” But breaking free proved far more difficult than imagined.

A friend of Chen Yongqi’s remarked, “It’s impossible to shake off Yang Yudong.” After graduation, Yang changed jobs frequently—working in sales, delivering food—and would follow Chen whenever she switched careers.

In 2022, Yang Yudong lost his job. He just stayed at home and played computer games all day long, leaving Chen Yongqi to take care of all their living expenses. Yongqi confided in Huizi with resignation, saying that even though Yang Yudong had deceived her, she accepted how it was between them—as long as he became more proactive and ambitious, she could still make their life work. Later that year, Chen Yongqi secured a position at a state-owned enterprise in Foshan, and they moved there.

After losing his job, Yang Yudong grew increasingly controlling toward Chen Yongqi. He forbade her from having male friends, often suspecting other men of harboring ulterior motives. Chen Yongqi returned to her hometown every weekend, and Yang Yudong followed her there. Once, when Chen Yongqi arranged to play badminton with friends from her village and chatted with a male friend during a break, Yang Yudong suddenly appeared in front of them.

Chen Yongqi’s WeChat signature read “The most important thing is to be happy.” She loved shopping with friends, exploring new places, and traveling. Yet Yang Yudong insisted on joining every outing, or else he would call incessantly. Former colleagues witnessed how she would meticulously report every detail of her activities—what she was browsing, eating, or seeing—during these calls. When the nagging became too much, she’d switch to Do Not Disturb mode or simply reply, “Stop calling” or “I'll be back soon.”

Her outings grew less frequent. Friends noted that after changing jobs, when they invited her to dinner, she’d say, “I need to go home to be with my partner.”

At home, their lives became deeply intertwined. After work, Yang Yudong would go home, shop for groceries, cook meals, and pick up her packages. When he was busy, Chen Yongqi would bring him boxed lunches from work. If they went out, they’d shop or play badminton. Whenever they argued, Yang Yudong would confront Chen Yongqi: “I've done so much for you, why are you still arguing with me?”

This was his go-to line. Later, when he found a sales job in Guangzhou, he’d say he went for the job with the four-hour commute so that she could sleep in longer.

Her cousin noticed Chen Yongqi had become less lively and enthusiastic about life after marriage. But she felt it wasn’t her place to pry into another couple’s affairs. Whenever she planned trips during holidays, she’d make a point to invite Chen Yongqi along. In May 2023, they travelled to South Korea together. Throughout the trip, Yang Yudong relentlessly contacted Chen Yongqi via video calls, voice messages, and phone calls in rapid succession. Her cousin couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t he have his own life?” Chen Yongqi replied, “If I hang up, he gets even harsher.” She had tried persuading him many times, but to no avail. “He doesn’t have any friends,” she added.

“We just gave him too much face. Our family was far too accommodating toward him.” Reflecting on these warning signs buried beneath the mundane routines, her younger sister had her regrets: If the family had recognized the danger sooner, they could have intervened earlier to end the marriage. “I truly can’t fathom how my sister endured it. I can’t imagine how many times she was brainwashed.”

The sister had witnessed Yang Yudong losing his temper several times, the most severe instance being when he threatened to drive the car into the river. She felt a deep sense of resentment. It was Chen Yongqi who advised her, “For my sake, don’t argue with him,” and specifically urged her not to tell their parents.

Her parents knew Yang Yudong was overly attached to their daughter. Chen Yongqi would say, “That’s just how he is. It’s no big deal.” Once, Chen’s father witnessed Yang Yudong yelling at his daughter. He asked her if Yang had ever hit her. Chen Yongqi denied it. Her father urged her to be careful, but she replied that in today’s society governed by law, no one would intentionally do another harm.

Chen Yongqi navigated between her “small family” and “extended family.” She was dutiful, occasionally giving her parents money from her salary—a practice Yang Yudong argued with her about, so she did it discreetly. Simultaneously, she hoped Yang Yudong would present himself well at her parents’ place and take initiative in household chores—something she’d been taught since childhood as a family member’s duty. Yet Yang Yudong rarely participated, as he felt disrespected to do as Chen Yongqi told him. 

As an out-of-town son-in-law, Yang Yudong’s sensitivity often put Chen Yongqi in awkward situations. He was a sturdy man with a round face, thick eyebrows, and drooping eyes. When he clamped his mouth shut and fell silent, he looked like he had something on his mind. He didn’t speak Cantonese and rarely communicated with Chen’s family, still addressing his in-laws as “uncle” and “aunt.” Their frequent arguments centered on household chores and Yang Yudong’s pride. He insisted that “a son-in-law is a guest and shouldn’t do chores,” while Chen Yongqi tried to reason with him: “This not only makes people talk about you in a negative way but also makes me look bad.”

To ease tensions, after she received last year’s bonus, Chen Yongqi transferred some money to Yang Yudong: “It’s your time to shine.” She instructed him how to allocate the funds: 4,000 yuan to be put in red envelopes for herself, her parents, and her grandmother, plus an additional 2,000 yuan set aside for Yang Yudong's parents.

Perhaps realizing Yang Yudong was unlikely to change, Chen Yongqi gradually shifted her focus inward. She confided in her childhood friend that she no longer wanted to be weighed down by a man’s lack of ambition. She resolved to improve herself and pursue certifications— “to become better.” This came during a meal where each made a wish. “She spoke with that ‘I-will-make-this-happen’ tone,” her friend recalled. By 2023, Chen Yongqi had already earned her assistant economist certification.

Shortly after the 2024 Spring Festival, Chen Yongqi’s younger sister heard her mention divorce for the first time. The sisters were sitting in the living room chatting with their cousins when Chen Yongqi revealed that during arguments, Yang Yudong had threatened their family. Considering his imposing build—weighing over 220 pounds—they feared he might actually harm their parents. They tacitly agreed not to tell the elders yet. Chen Yongqi sought a gentle way to end the marriage. As they whispered, Yang Yudong lay snoring on the nearby sofa.

Xu Mei still vividly remembered the night of March 1 last year. Chen Yongqi told her she didn’t want children because she saw no hope in this marriage; she feared deeper ties would make it harder to break free later. Xu Mei had never seen her so vulnerable. As they slept back-to-back, she could feel Chen Yongqi’s sobs.

The next day, in her divorce statement to Yang Yudong, Chen Yongqi wrote “I’m like a caged bird to you—you treat me well when I’m obedient and happy, but when I slip from your grasp, you become utterly deranged and even threaten my life. I’ve endured this for far too long.”

4. The Final Conversation

Many recalled how different Chen Yongqi seemed in those final days.

On Sunday, March 3, 2024, her supervisor received an unexpected leave request from Chen Yongqi. Diligent at work, she typically arranged similar absences two weeks in advance. This sudden two-day leave “wasn’t like her at all.” When her supervisor called to inquire, Chen explained she needed to handle urgent family matters out of town.

The next day during divorce negotiations, her parents witnessed their daughter display “hysterical behavior” for the first time. Chen Yongqi refused to speak with Yang Yudong alone and refused to sit with him. Tears streaming down her face, she insisted, “We must get divorced.” Her parents were furious upon hearing her account and realized for the first time how much she had endured. At that moment, Yang Yudong’s mother promised to keep a close eye on him and prevent him from harassing Chen Yongqi again.

During the days Chen Yongqi stayed at home, Xu Mei sensed her low spirits and spent time with her after work. Her cousin also invited her out for tea and heart-to-heart talks, encouraging her to rebuild an independent life. Considering the need to separate and to avoid Yang Yudong, her cousin suggested that she should rent an apartment a subway stop before the company building where she lived. 

With a half-day off for Women’s Day, they planned to view apartments at noon together. But after lunch, her cousin never saw her again—

Yang Yudong said he was waiting for her at her workplace, claiming, “I need to talk to her properly, or I’ll kill myself.” Fearing he might do something reckless at her workplace and worried about the negative impact, Chen Yongqi got into his car. Later, he drove the car from Chancheng District of Foshan onto the expressway.

Starting at noon, Chen Yongqi’s phone went unanswered. About an hour later, her cousin received a WeChat message: “Help me! I'm being hurt at Shunde Station in Lunjiao.” The language was somewhat incoherent, and her cousin realized the situation was critical. Chen Yongqi shared her location, which showed the town of Longjiang in Shunde. Her cousin immediately called the police.

In her WeChat message, Chen Yongqi said Yang Yudong had dragged her away and that he had a knife on him.

At 2:58 p.m., Chen Yongqi messaged that she had calmed Yang Yudong down. Shortly after, Yang Yudong called via voice call, saying he and Chen Yongqi were “out taking a walk.” He handed the phone to Chen Yongqi, who said they would return soon. Her cousin could tell Chen Yongqi’s tone was calm at that moment.

Knowing Yang Yudong had a knife, the cousin felt uneasy and waited at the police station. Officers from Chancheng District coordinated with expressway patrols to track them. But after that, the cousin lost all contact with them.

According to Yang Yudong’s later confession, after getting on the expressway, he called his mother to say he’d found Chen Yongqi. His mother urged him to come home. After exiting the expressway, he showed Chen Yongqi the four knives in the trunk to reassure her that he would do her no harm, and she threw the knives all away. He then reentered the expressway. At this point, he received a call from the Chancheng police asking why he had abducted Chen Yongqi. He replied, “I just wanted to talk to her alone.” After seizing Chen Yongqi’s phone and viewing her WeChat chat history, his emotions escalated.

Inside the car, he begged Chen Yongqi not to divorce him, but she insisted on proceeding. Yang Yudong then retrieved a black folding fruit knife from the rear floor mat—explaining it was taken from his father-in-law’s home earlier to cut ropes. He placed the knife against his neck, threatening suicide. Chen Yongqi lunged to grab the knife, demanding he put it down and declaring, “I would rather die than not divorce you.”

Yang Yudong confessed that hearing this statement, he could not contain himself anymore. He climbed into the passenger seat, began beating Chen Yongqi, and choked her.

The car finally came to a stop on Lane 1, Xintang New Road, Xintang Village of Dalingshan, Dongguan City—a small residential alley. At 4:34 p.m., Chen Yongqi escaped from the vehicle. Yang Yudong pursued her, picked up a brick from the ground, and struck her violently several times. Evidence photos from the scene showed bloodstains on bricks beneath a nearby lychee tree. Yang dragged her back to the rear seat. As he returned to the driver’s seat, Chen Yongqi escaped the vehicle again.

At 4:46 p.m., Chen Yongqi walked into the middle of the road attempting to flag down a vehicle, but none stopped.

Two minutes later, Yang Yudong began deliberately ramming into her with his car. During the first collision, Chen Yongqi took cover behind an electric pole, the impact bending the white pole. Chen continued fleeing toward a scrap collection station, where blue metal fencing lined the roadside. Yang Yudong then turned the vehicle around, accelerated forward, and rammed into the metal fences, forcing them open. He pressed the accelerator again.

Chen Yongqi was struck and fled into the scrap yard. Yang Yudong got out of the car to pursue her, his hands and chest stained with her blood.

According to accounts by an eyewitness who rushed to the scrap yard after hearing strange sounds, the witness asked Yang Yudong what he was doing. Yang Yudong replied, “A couple’s fight.” The witness intended to intervene but had only reached the entrance of the prefabricated house when he saw Yang Yudong stabbing Chen Yongqi in the chest with a knife. The knife had been on the coffee table inside the room. Chen Yongqi was lying on the sofa, too weak to resist. Yang Yudong stabbed her twice more and then turned to glare at him. Terrified, the witness fled and promptly called the police.

At 4:53 p.m., Yang Yudong, who had returned to his car intending to flee, was intercepted by the police. This occurred just four minutes after he had exited the vehicle to pursue Chen Yongqi.

That afternoon, the cousin waited at the police station. It wasn’t until around 9 or 10 p.m., after her statements were taken, that she learned Chen Yongqi had been murdered.

5. The Truth

Her younger sister, Chen Yongqing, rushed home from school after receiving the call. She could never forget how her father, who had seemed calm and composed, broke down sobbing the moment he entered the morgue to identify the body. After the murder, Chen Yongqing discovered a tablet in her sister’s former rental apartment. She knew it wasn’t her sister’s. Opening the device, she froze in shock and then felt furious upon seeing the search history. “My whole body was shaking.”

March 5:

How to dissolve a marriage without a marriage certificate?

If you don’t proceed within a month after signing the divorce agreement, is it considered divorced?

Do very few second marriages end happily?

Can women find happiness in a second marriage?

March 6:

Neck arteries

How is the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan Medical University?

Which hospital in Guangzhou has a good psychology department?

Are mentally unstable individuals held accountable for crimes?

How many years of sentence for killing someone by self-defense?

March 7:

What type of cephalosporin is typically used for suicide?

How much force is needed to break a neck?

What are the consequences for a husband who kills his wife?

How long does it take for a knife to pierce the heart?

Chen Yongqing took away the tablet and handed it over to the judicial authorities. According to the forensic autopsy report, excluding abrasions caused by friction against the ground, Chen Yongqi’s body bore over 100 lacerations, wounds, and cuts from knife injuries across her entire body, including the head, face, neck, chest, abdomen, and limbs.

On July 30 that year, the Dongguan Intermediate People’s Court issued its first-instance verdict: Yang Yudong was convicted of intentional homicide and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, with political rights revoked for life. The verdict stated that forensic evaluation confirmed Yang suffered from depressive episodes and was in an active phase during the crime, thus of limited criminal responsibility.

More “truths” emerged gradually after the tragedy unfolded: According to the verdict, Yang Yudong’s sister suffered from moderate depression and mild anxiety, while his father also had mental health issues. His mother testified that during his unemployment, Yang had confided about feeling overwhelmed and fearing his wife would leave him. She had mailed him fluvoxamine maleate tablets previously prescribed to their daughter at the hospital.

On March 4, 2024, the day both families negotiated divorce, Yang Yudong told his mother he needed to see a psychiatrist. On March 6, they registered at the psychiatric outpatient clinic of Jinan University Affiliated First Hospital, but Yang walked out midway through the assessment. On March 10, investigative authorities sent him to Dongguan Seventh People’s Hospital for examination, where he was diagnosed with a mental disorder.

Yang’s mother expressed deep sorrow, still referring to Chen Yongqi as “my daughter.” She attempted to visit and apologize but was turned away.

Chen Yongqing said her family rejected the verdict and filed an appeal with the procuratorate. Chen’s mother became emotionally distraught afterward and injured her leg. She said: “All the promises were lies, which were never kept. She (Yongqi) often came back but never spoke to me... Only after my daughter was gone did I learn what kind of life she was living. I thought that murderer had treated my daughter well.”

On August 22, 2025, the Dongguan People’s Procuratorate dismissed the appeal. The procuratorate determined that the first-instance characterization of the crime was accurate and the sentencing appropriate, deciding not to pursue further prosecution. Currently, Yang Yudong has filed an appeal, while the Chen family has lodged a civil suit attached to the criminal case. The case has entered the second-instance phase.

“The boundary between love and control is often blurred. To identify dangerous signals in intimate relationships, a crucial factor is the level of comfort the individual feels,” says Qiu Yuwei, a psychological counselor who has long studied violence in intimate relationships and has followed this case.

In her analysis, based on Yang Yudong’s early behavior, his “thoughtfulness” toward his partner stemmed more from narcissistic needs—such as conforming to societal expectations of “pampering a girlfriend,” or controlling her to keep her under his influence, even taking issues with her past romantic history. None of this reflected genuine respect for her feelings.

It is worth noting that psychological violence also constitutes domestic violence. On November 25, 2023, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Supreme People’s Court released a series of typical cases against domestic violence. In judicial practice, psychological violence encompasses frequent verbal abuse, intimidation, as well as persistent insults, defamation, threats, and harassment.

Qiu Yuwei emphasizes that preventing such potential dangers was more crucial than intervening after the fact. Victims trapped in a “sugar-coated shell” often struggle to recognize their situation. At this point, vigilance and support from family and friends can help them acknowledge what they are experiencing. Simultaneously, victims can call professional helplines. Relevant organizations can provide feedback from a third-party perspective and connect them to additional resources, such as recommending books, contacting women’s federations, anti-domestic violence groups, or the police. Community neighborhood committees can also play a practical, supportive role.

Her younger sister, Chen Yongqing, still keeps a purple folded letter. It was a letter her sister wrote to the family years ago: In 2014, she wrote to her parents, thanking them for their hard work in running the household and hoping her father wouldn’t argue with her mother. In 2016, she told her sister that their parents had always been a safe haven and that she shouldn’t bear everything all by herself.

Her childhood friend vividly recalls that on the morning of the murder, Chen Yongqi had called to announce she was finally divorcing Yang. “She said it was painful and hard to let go, but it was the right thing to do,” the friend shared. Chen also mentioned she wanted to give her a small handmade bag and planned to go hiking together more often.

Her cousin still remembers how, after the negotiations ended, while they were drinking tea and chatting, Yang Yudong kept sending messages. Chen Yongqi glanced at her phone helplessly and said, “Don’t mention that guy. We don’t speak ill of others.” She mentioned that after renting a new place, she planned to get a pet cat, and once her sister graduated, she could come stay for a few days.

According to the original agreement, she would be divorced in another month, and the new life she had longed for would finally begin.

(Chen Yongqi, Chen Yongqing, Yang Yudong, Xu Mei, and Huizi are pseudonyms.)