A love triangle involving a middle-aged teacher and her two young students seems like something that could take place only on screen. When it occurs in reality, it can have a far more tragic ending than what any movie can offer.

    THE 18th birthday marks the start of adulthood, during which a person learns to make rational decisions and do the right things. But for Meng Chao, a Senior Three student in Guiyang No. 6 Middle School, Guizhou Province, his first decision as an adult was to kill a person.

That person was his classmate and former friend. They shared a lover — their 45-year-old teacher.

Meng executed his plan Sept. 27, 2007, the day after his 18th birthday. He used a 30-centimeter-long knife to kill He Xiaoli (name changed), whom he perceived as an obstacle between himself and his lover Wang Yongli.

The story began in the fall of 2006 when Meng, a Senior Two student, was transferred to Wang’s class. Wang was a divorced middle-aged teacher of Chinese with “a young heart and a willingness to help,” according to some students in the class.

With more than 20 years of teaching experience, she had won many awards for her work and was liked by many students who would turn to her for help when facing difficulties.

Her enthusiasm also attracted Meng.

One day, Meng called Wang and apologized for not obeying class rules. That was their first phone call, during which they found they shared many interests in common.

Meng’s parents divorced when he was 3. He lived with his father. The care shown by his teacher gave him a taste of maternal love, which he had not experienced in a long time.

He called Wang more frequently. They talked about many more topics outside of school. “Wang became the person I trusted the most. I lost mother’s love when I was young. Wang gave me a feeling that she were my mother,” Meng said.

He decided not to conceal his love and sent a text message to Wang, saying he was missing her. To his joyful surprise, he received a message from her reciprocating his feeling. Meng was very excited.

Their relationship surged in the next few weeks. Meng lied to his father and went to Wang’s home for “extra lessons.” It was in Wang’s home that they had sex for the first time. Wang told Meng that she had for the first time in her life experienced true love and that her love for Meng would last “one day longer than eternity.”

Meng went to Wang’s home more frequently, and accompanied her to her parents’ home. Sometimes he even went to pick up Wang’s son, two years his junior, from school.

While very much in love, Meng, however, was feeling guilty about the affair. But his greatest source of strife was his one-time friend He Xiaoli.

He was Meng’s classmate. They used to be good friends.

Meng said that he had heard his classmates talk about the “special relationship” between Wang and He.

Born into a well-off family, He too claimed to be lacking in parental love. “He said his parents didn’t care about him at all but my mother did,” Wang’s son told the police.

Wang admitted that she and He were in love. “He is my boyfriend and I’m his girlfriend. Our love began in March 2006,” she told the police.

Sometimes He even skipped classes to visit Wang’s home and make love to her.

Text messages showed that Wang also made the “one day longer than eternity” pledge to He, who, in turn, promised “tomorrow I will love you more than today.”

The lovestruck couple, however, began to encounter an obstacle in June, 2007, when Wang started an affair with Meng.

Since then, hatred dominated He’s life. He flew into a rage easily, sometimes even brandishing a knife and threatening to commit suicide.

“What a short distance between love and hate,” He wrote in a text message sent to Wang.

The rift between Meng and He became wider after the three met unexpectedly in Wang’s home.

He kept a key to Wang’s home. One morning, He opened the door, only to find Meng there with Wang, who was in a nightgown. He left after saying “Sorry to bother you two.”

After that, Wang did her best to make sure her two lovers did not meet. If He was at her house, Wang would call Meng and ask him to stay away. Meng would hide near Wang’s home and wait for He to leave. After He left, Wang would call Meng and ask him to come over.

After Meng repeatedly protested to Wang about her relationship with He, she asked him to keep a distance while continuing to see He.

Classmates soon noticed both boys had changed.

“Meng Chao was very optimistic. He liked playing basketball with us. But later he began sitting alone in a daze,” classmates recalled.

The same thing happened to He. “Sometimes, he would hit the table or kick the chair after receiving a call or text message. He even tore books into pieces and smiled in an odd way,” classmates said.

Sept. 26, 2007, was Meng’s 18th birthday.

Meng celebrated the birthday with his classmates and got drunk. When they returned to the classroom, he suddenly tried to choke He to death but was stopped by their classmates.

That evening, he received a T-shirt and a necklace from Wang as presents. “She was very nice to me that evening. She said she loved me and she was happy while staying with me,” Meng said to the police.

Then she started to complain about He, who she claimed was pestering her. “She said her heart belonged to me. She said we could be together after He left her,” Meng recalled. That night Meng couldn’t sleep.

The next day, Meng went to He’s home. He was alone at home.

After a bitter quarrel with He, who humiliated Meng and threatened to kill him and his family, Meng asked for a glass of water.

When He turned around, Meng took out a knife from his bag and stabbed He in the back. Meng then stabbed him three more times, in the chest and stomach.

In the next few days, Meng thought about confessing his crime. “I told Wang that I was the killer. She wasn’t surprised at all. I wanted to confess to the police, but she said she couldn’t live without me,” Meng told the police.

On Sept. 30, Meng was detained. On Nov. 1, he was arrested. On Feb. 22, 2008, he was charged with murder.

(Wu Tong)

Wang Yongli expelled from Party

Wang Yongli was expelled from the Party and fired by her school Feb. 27.

Guiyang education authorities approved the decision of Guiyang No. 6 Middle School to fire Wang from the Party as she had violated Party discipline.

On the same day, Guiyang education authorities also stripped Wang of her teaching qualifications.

Meng Chao was charged with murder Feb. 22. The court will hand down a sentence this month.

(Wang Yuanyuan)