It’s the same all over again.

Ye Mian took a deep breath, and for the first time in her gentle life, she uttered a rare curse.

Damn.

She truly wanted to question that madman.

Why?

Jiang Chen had tried so hard. He barely had time to sleep, finally escaped from that place, and yet he was dragged back again and again by disgusting people and events, tortured without end.

The night air was desolate, so dry it made one anxious. At Wen University, everyone knew those few privileged young men. Even Jiang Chen had once been the envy of many.

This uproar felt like a carnival for slanderers.

Envy had turned to jealousy.

They couldn't wait to crush him into dust.

Some claimed Jiang Chen had chopped off his father’s finger.

Some said he spent his father’s disability pension on expensive clothes.

Others spread rumors that he sold the family house to buy a Mercedes.

But Ye Mian knew the truth—the reason Jiang Chen could decide about that house was because it belonged to his mother, registered under his name.

The avenue trees swayed gently in the autumn wind. Ye Mian watched coldly as the rumors grew more absurd, her gaze as icy as snow.

She gritted her teeth and typed a message: "That's not true."

But new messages quickly drowned it out.

No one wanted to hear words that contradicted the tide of gossip.

—

The car stopped at the gates of Wen University.

People still lingered, but Jiang Chen and his group were long gone.

Ye Mian spotted a classmate in the crowd, someone she had exchanged greetings with before, and hurried over to ask, "Do you know where Jiang Chen went?"

The boy was momentarily distracted—Ye Mian’s makeup tonight was stunning—but he kindly pointed the way. "He’s in the teacher’s office."

Ye Mian nodded softly. "Thank you," she said, and quickly headed toward the academic building.

This night's events had happened before, in the previous life she never knew.

She walked down the long campus path, step by step hoping to get closer to Jiang Chen.

She wondered if Jiang Chen was feeling miserable.

He must be.

Who could remain calm when faced with such circumstances?

As she reached the academic building, a sudden scream erupted from a nearby student.

She had just looked up when a dark figure fell from the top floor window.

Below was cold, unforgiving concrete.

Bang—

Ye Mian watched as the shadow crashed to the ground, unable to distinguish between the crack of bones and the tearing of flesh.

The figure landed with a twisted, unnatural posture, tumbled, and lay still.

A brilliant red spread across the ground.

It was only four meters away from Ye Mian.

The students nearby were stunned, scattering in panic, shouting as they fled.

"Someone jumped! Someone jumped!"

The bold edged closer, checked for breath, then ran off too.

"Dead! Someone’s dead!"

The shrill voices pierced Ye Mian’s ears, but she stood rooted to the spot.

She wasn’t particularly frightened—her previous profession had made her all too familiar with the photos of the dead.

But she couldn’t look away.

That figure was none other than Jiang Chen’s father.

Her pupils contracted, unable to believe what had just happened—how had it come to this, how could he have jumped?

Where was Jiang Chen...?

Her phone rang at that moment. She stared blankly at the caller ID.

—Jiang Chen.

Amidst the jarring scene, she answered and held the phone to her ear.

Jiang Chen’s uniquely cold, subdued voice echoed through the night.

"Ye Mian, don’t look."

Don’t look at what? Ye Mian’s mind stalled.

"Go back to your dorm and rest."

She heard the sudden rush of wind on his end, loud and urgent.

Mechanically, she looked up to see Jiang Chen standing by the window his father had jumped from.

He held his phone, his gaze fixed on Ye Mian, his posture upright and composed, his eyes so emotionless they seemed almost indifferent—as if the body below was nothing but a pile of rotten flesh.

Someone had called the police.

The school was near the station, and police cars streamed onto campus. Jiang Chen was as calm as ever. "Ye Mian, please, just listen. Okay?"

After the police finished taking statements, they cordoned off the scene and told Ye Mian to step back.

Jiang Chen watched as she numbly moved to the side, and only when she could no longer see the corpse did he end the call, silently standing there.

He met Ye Mian’s gaze one last time. Then the police entered. The leader raised his baton, looking at the lone young man in the restroom. "What are you doing here? What’s your relationship to the jumper?"

The boy smiled slightly. "He was my father."

The two officers behind exchanged glances. The boy’s composure was unnerving, but as the only person in the room with the jumper, he couldn’t be ruled out as a suspect.

"Come with us for now. We’ll talk later."

Jiang Chen nodded and cooperated.

The room was full of silent police officers.

Autumn was already a mournful season.

Students gathered outside the police tape, watching in terror.

—

Ye Mian stood at the front, watching Jiang Chen being led out.

No one spoke.

Jiang Chen stood beneath the lights, looking in Ye Mian’s direction. Only after seeing the girl’s clean shoes and the hem of her skirt did he finally get into the police car.

He sat inside, unconcerned about what would happen next.

All he wished was that the wind wouldn’t carry the filthy blood onto her white dress.

...

Ye Mian wept. "Jiang Chen."

She believed in him, but her heart ached unbearably. She remembered Aunt Zhang saying that Jiang Chen had witnessed his mother’s suicide as a child.

Now, he had witnessed his father’s death.

How could he bear it all?

He hadn’t even glanced at the body.

The police car drove away, and officers remained stationed at the school—the incident was far too serious.

School leaders rushed in from home, teachers wore pained expressions.

Someone they had just seen moments ago was gone in an instant.

Jiang Chen had been their pride, the provincial top scorer, but now he’d been taken away by the police—the implications were clear.

No one knew what had happened.

Seeing this, Ye Mian wiped her tears and calmed herself.

She ran out and hailed a taxi, heading to the city police bureau.

When she arrived, the officers told her she couldn’t see him.

She knew the rules and sat quietly on the iron bench in the lobby, waiting.

She refused to leave, so she waited all night.

It was especially cold that night, and rain fell in the second half.

A female officer saw her, sighed, poured her a cup of hot water, and comforted her, saying things might not be as bad as they seemed—she should go home.

Ye Mian’s hands trembled, but she shook her head.

The officer had no choice but to bring out a jacket and drape it over Ye Mian’s legs.

Ye Mian thanked her politely, staying calm—this was only the investigation stage, there were cameras everywhere, and if necessary, the medical examiner.

As long as Jiang Chen was innocent, nothing would happen.

She only wanted to be a little closer to him.

She hoped he would come out soon, and that she would be the first thing he saw.

Rather than this cold, indifferent world.

Thank you to my dear Seven for twenty tickets and tips. I’ll be updating more these days, so please vote! Tomorrow we’ll be featured. Recommendations are so important—if things go cold, I may have to start over.

(End of chapter)