Public anger has continued to boil over due to a high-profile incident involving Li Guanfeng, formerly known as Li Tianyi, who is accused of participating in a gang rape in Beijing.

Li is the 17-year-old son of a renowned Chinese military vocalist. A rumor which claimed that the families of both Li and the victim had reached a reconciliation agreement and that the victim would drop the charges against Li has been forwarded thousands of times online.

Netizens are speculating that this is another case in which power is above the law, as Li's family may be trying to exert an unfair influence on the case. The Beijing police have denied such reports, and some lawyers have pointed out that in criminal cases such as a gang rape case, it is not up to an individual but the procurator as whether or not to drop a charge against someone. Currently, the case is still under investigation and hasn't come to the prosecution process.

The public's concern over the case comes after people have witnessed a number of cases that involve the second generation of powerful families, who show arrogance and feel they can challenge the law simply because of their status.

In 2010, the 22-year-old son of a deputy police chief of Baoding, Hebei Province, triggered a national outcry after he knocked down and killed a university student while drunk driving and then fled the scene. He even shouted to people before leaving, "My father is Li Gang" in an attempt to show his status.

Although the young man was sentenced to a six-year prison sentence, the public couldn't help but think that his brazen arrogance came from the shield offered by his father who must have helped his family members or others hide their wrongdoings and escape from the law.

The Chinese public has gotten used to hearing stories of officials abusing their power as if they are above the law. Gradually, the public has lost confidence in the country's legal system.

The public already believes that Li did commit crimes in the gang rape case, as his name had already become notorious in 2011 when he drove a BMW without a license and assaulted a couple in Beijing.

With such beliefs and their mistrust of the legal system, when the speculation of a reconciliation deal came out, the public hoped that by forwarding such news and expressing their concerns the notion "all are equal before the law" would not be a myth in China and those who commit crimes will be punished.