“Phew…”
Chu Jiang dropped onto the ground and gulped in air.
Although he was stronger than an ordinary person, after what he’d just been through, he’d completely lost feeling in his arm.
“Are you all right?” Xiao Cheng asked with concern.
“I’m fine…”
Chu Jiang waved a hand, then looked over at Wang Shiqi.
Wang Shiqi’s eyes were vacant, her face ashen.
Supported by Li Yu, she sat on the ground mechanically, unresponsive to everything around her.
Seeing her like that, Xiao Cheng sighed inwardly.
He turned to Li Yu and said, “Ask her what happened. Why did she feel there was no way out except to jump?”
“All right.”
Li Yu crouched down and asked gently, “Miss, if something’s wrong, you can tell us. We’ll do everything we can to help.”
Wang Shiqi didn’t answer. She just stared blankly at the ground.
“You…”
Li Yu was about to ask again when Wang Shiqi cut him off.
“It’s no use…”
Her voice was hoarse and despairing.
“No one can help me… No one…”
Slowly, she raised her head and looked at Chu Jiang.
“Thank you for saving me…”
“But… I really don’t want to live…”
As soon as she’d said it, Wang Shiqi wrenched herself free of Li Yu and charged toward the rooftop’s edge!
“Watch out!”
Li Yu’s pupils contracted.
“Shit!”
Chu Jiang couldn’t help swearing.
Why was this girl so determined to throw her life away?
He’d just pulled her back from the brink, and now she was trying to go right back?
This was…
This was just beyond words!
Wang Shiqi was about to reach the edge of the rooftop.
In the blink of an eye, Chu Jiang lunged forward and grabbed her arm, hauling her back with all his strength.
“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Wang Shiqi struggled desperately, screaming herself hoarse.
“Calm down!” Chu Jiang held on tight, afraid she might do something reckless again.
“Miss, whatever’s troubling you, tell us. We’ll help you sort it out!” Seeing that Wang Shiqi had been stopped, Xiao Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to talk her down.
“Let go of me!”
“You’re all awful!”
“Why did you save me?”
Wang Shiqi completely broke down. Pointing at Chu Jiang and the firefighters, she wept as tears streamed down her face.
“My classmates pick on me and shut me out. Nobody does anything…”
“I want to die, and you keep stopping me…”
“Why won’t you let me die?”
She sobbed, her voice hoarse, her eyes full of despair and pain.
“You saved me today. What about tomorrow?”
“I can just jump again tomorrow!”
“I’ve had enough!”
“I really have had enough!”
Chu Jiang glanced at his watch.
The hands pointed mercilessly to 9:10.
His heart sank.
Damn it—he was late!
Today was the day he was supposed to report to Zhangshantou Police Station.
What would it look like if he was late on his very first day?
Chu Jiang felt helpless.
He sighed and turned back to Wang Shiqi.
She was still distraught, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
Chu Jiang furrowed his brows. He knew this was no time to worry about being late.
Saving her came first!
He took a deep breath, forced down his anxiety, and walked over to her.
“Miss, take a moment to calm down, okay?”
Chu Jiang tried to keep his voice gentle.
He crouched down so they were eye to eye.
“You said your classmates pick on you and exclude you, right?”
Wang Shiqi looked up at Chu Jiang through tear-filled eyes.
She nodded faintly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure this gets sorted out,” Chu Jiang said earnestly.
“I won’t let anyone bully you, and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Wang Shiqi froze.
She looked up at Chu Jiang, her eyes blurred with tears, and asked in a trembling voice, “R-really?”
“You really… will help me?”
Chu Jiang nodded solemnly.
“I promise.”
He spoke slowly and firmly, each word carrying conviction.
“As long as I’m here, no one can bully you.”
Wang Shiqi stared at Chu Jiang. Her tears kept falling, but a glimmer gradually returned to her eyes.
She gazed into his, as if searching for some sign that he was lying.
But all she saw was sincerity and resolve.
“But… but they…”
Her voice still trembled. The bullying and isolation she’d suffered for so long had clearly left deep scars.
“There are so many of them… I…”
She lowered her head, unable to meet Chu Jiang’s eyes.
“Don’t be afraid,” Chu Jiang said again.
“I’m here.”
He reached out and gently wiped the tears from Wang Shiqi’s face.
“Trust me, okay?”
Wang Shiqi looked up at Chu Jiang’s caring, encouraging eyes, and warmth welled up inside her.
It was a warmth she hadn’t felt in a long time.
She nodded slowly, her voice still faint.
“Mm…”
“I believe you…”
As Wang Shiqi gradually calmed down, Chu Jiang let out a relieved breath.
“But you… you’re nothing to me. Why would you help me?” She bit her lip, her voice trembling.
“How can you guarantee you’ll put a stop to the bullying?”
“You’re just making empty promises!”
Wang Shiqi suddenly grew agitated again, tears welling in her eyes.
“Unless…”
She lifted her head and looked Chu Jiang straight in the eye.
“Unless you be my boyfriend, I won’t believe you can help me!”
“Otherwise, I’ll still jump!”
“Life’s not worth living anyway!”
Chu Jiang froze.
“B-be your boyfriend?”
He stammered, his voice full of surprise and confusion.
“What… what does that have to do with anything?”
Chu Jiang felt utterly at a loss.
This girl’s thought process was bizarre!
One moment she was desperate to die, and now she was making such an outrageous demand?
“Exactly!”
Wang Shiqi was completely serious; she wasn’t joking at all.
She stared intently at Chu Jiang.
“Only if you’re my boyfriend can I believe you’ll protect me and stop those people from bullying me!”
She bit her lip, her voice firm.
“Otherwise, I’ll still jump!”
Chu Jiang was completely dumbfounded.
He’d never imagined that trying to save someone out of the goodness of his heart could land him in this kind of mess.
What was this?
Emotional blackmail?
Or… a scam?
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Looking at Wang Shiqi’s tear-streaked face, Chu Jiang felt torn.
Should he say yes?
As if!
He was a decent man. How could he just agree to such an absurd demand?
What kind of situation was this?
He’d only wanted to save someone—how had he ended up getting dragged into it himself?
“Miss, don’t get worked up. Let’s talk this through.”
Chu Jiang tried to calm Wang Shiqi down.
“We can talk about the boyfriend thing later.”