“If I had spoken up earlier, maybe there wouldn't have been so many victims after me.” one woman told me. “I keep thinking—was it because he succeeded that time with me that he became even more reckless afterward?”

What struck me most was their shared sense of guilt - a feeling that sets this case apart from many other #MeToo stories. Not only have they endured the trauma of rape, but they also carry the heartbreaking burden of "What if I had stopped him"

I’m deeply grateful to have earned the trust of four brave Chinese women who shared their stories with me. We spoke about how they were drugged and assaulted by Zou, why they hesitated to report to the police at the time, and what led them to come forward now.