Chapter 5: Sunset, Afterglow, Man, Teaching Building...
’That’s right. I should have died back when I was three. Then Dad wouldn’t have gotten into that accident trying to save me, Mom wouldn’t have gotten cancer from overwork, and Grandma wouldn’t have had to give up her golden years just to raise me. Maybe my very existence is a mistake!’
"SOB... SNIFFLE... SOB..."
"WEE-WOO... WEE-WOO..."
...
Just then, the sounds of fire trucks, rescue vehicles, and ambulances all arriving at once echoed from the school grounds not far away.
At the same time, a loud "BANG! BANG! BANG!" came from the rooftop door, which Su Qinghe had locked from the inside.
She knew it was time to end it.
Any later, and she might not get the chance, even if she wanted to.
The hazy look in Su Qinghe’s eyes began to turn resolute.
"Dad, Mom, Grandma... if there’s a next life, I hope I’m not your daughter and granddaughter..."
she murmured softly.
After speaking, a smile of relief touched the corners of Su Qinghe’s lips.
She turned her head to look around, deciding to take one last look at this beautiful world that didn’t belong to her.
The gentle breeze, the setting sun, the afterglow, the man, the school building...
Huh?
’Hold on a sec!’
’Wait, a man?’
Su Qinghe thought she had seen wrong. She stared again, only to see a handsome boy sitting not far away, contentedly munching on spicy gluten strips from a large bag he was holding.
Seeing the girl staring at him with wide eyes, the young man winked at her and said:
"Want some spicy gluten?"
Su Qinghe: "..."
Su Qinghe stared, completely baffled, at the boy in front of her who was waving the spicy gluten strips at her.
’When did he get here?’
’She clearly remembered locking the door from the inside when she came up!’
That’s right!
The boy was none other than Gu Yifan, who had come up to the rooftop to enjoy the view after wandering aimlessly around campus.
In fact, Gu Yifan had been on the rooftop for a while.
And it was Gu Yifan who had unlocked the rooftop door; otherwise, Su Qinghe wouldn’t have been able to get in at all.
Gu Yifan had already noticed Su Qinghe when she came up.
But Su Qinghe was so lost in her own world that she hadn’t noticed him.
At the time, Gu Yifan had just assumed she was like him—coming up to the roof to see the sights and feel the breeze—so he didn’t pay her much mind.
But after Su Qinghe came up, she walked straight over, climbed over the railing, and sat down on the very edge of the rooftop.
’She’s that bold?’
Su Qinghe’s action stunned Gu Yifan for a moment.
But Gu Yifan didn’t say anything. ’What if I speak up, startle her, and she falls? That would be impossible to explain.’
So, he sat to one side, eating his spicy gluten strips and silently watching the girl.
This continued until the girl suddenly stood up and muttered to herself, "Dad, Mom, Grandma... if there’s a next life, I hope I’m not your daughter and granddaughter..."
Seeing this, Gu Yifan knew things were serious.
’What’s going on?’
’Is she going to jump?’
Gu Yifan wracked his brain, trying to recall any memories from his past life about a student jumping off a building on this particular day.
’After all, an event this big... he should definitely remember it!’
After thinking for a long while...
He finally remembered!
That’s it!
The school beauty’s suicide attempt!
In his past life, on this very day, he had been caught after confessing his feelings to Han Ning. At the 100-day pledge rally, instead of following the school leaders’ orders to perform a public self-criticism, he had once again made a grand, public confession to Han Ning in front of the entire school.
The result, naturally, was that the school immediately notified his parents, and his mom dragged him home right then and there.
After that day, he was suspended from school for a week, and then his mom arranged for him to transfer.
As for the school beauty’s suicide attempt, he only heard about it from his best friend, Wang Zibo.
At the time, the incident with the school beauty at Mountain City First Middle School had caused a massive uproar; everyone was talking about it.
But under the weight of his own series of setbacks back then, Gu Yifan was in no mood to care about any of that.
To think that after being reborn, he would run right into it himself!
"Su Qinghe..."
Gu Yifan muttered the name under his breath.
He sized up Su Qinghe with some curiosity as she sat by the railing. Bathed in the sunset’s afterglow, she seemed to be covered in a thin, golden veil. Her eyelashes, catching the light, fluttered with every blink, making her look like a maiden who had stepped right out of an old master’s oil painting.
Her simple, plain school uniform couldn’t hide a beauty that was fresh yet down-to-earth. Her naturally gentle and graceful aura instinctively made one want to protect her.
To be honest, she was indeed devastatingly pure and beautiful.
Though both were considered school beauties, her beauty was different from Han Ning’s.
How to put it...
Su Qinghe’s beauty was tangible, within reach. To use a term from a later era, she was "down-to-earth" beautiful. She was likely the idealized first love in the hearts of many boys.
Han Ning’s beauty, on the other hand, was more ethereal and untouchable. She could be admired from afar but not approached, like a proud, lofty little princess. She had a natural air of distance, so even when she was right in front of you, you’d always feel a sense of inferiority that kept you from moving forward.
After all, as the girl who was on par with Han Ning as a school beauty, Gu Yifan naturally knew a bit about this "pauper school beauty" in his past life.
It’s just that back then, his mind was completely preoccupied with his childhood sweetheart, Han Ning. There was no room for anyone else in his eyes.
Indeed!
’My past self really was the ultimate simp, wasn’t I!’
Gu Yifan shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.
He looked up at Su Qinghe again and muttered to himself, "So young and so beautiful. It’d be a real shame if she actually killed herself."
’Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda!’
Having died in a car accident himself, Gu Yifan knew better than anyone the kind of pain that most people could never understand.
Thinking of this, Gu Yifan instantly made up his mind.
He stood up, planning to sneak over and pull Su Qinghe back when she wasn’t looking.
But unexpectedly, at that very moment, Su Qinghe happened to turn and look in his direction.
Their eyes met.
And so, the scene from the beginning unfolded.
Now, Gu Yifan and Su Qinghe were staring blankly at each other.
Especially after Gu Yifan’s line, "Want some spicy gluten?"
The whole scene was bizarrely awkward.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of the door being battered grew louder.
Meanwhile, the fire and rescue team had reached the base of the building and were urgently setting up a rescue air cushion.
"Want some?"
After a long moment of silence, Gu Yifan again shook the bag of spicy gluten in his hand and spoke.
"No..."
Su Qinghe was about to subconsciously refuse, but before she could finish, Gu Yifan was already in front of her.
"Have some. It tastes pretty good!"
Su Qinghe froze. Before she could even react, Gu Yifan had already shoved the entire bag of spicy gluten into her hands.
"..."
At the same time, with Gu Yifan’s appearance, the crowd of onlookers below also spotted him.
"Huh???"
"Who is that guy????"
Everyone was dumbfounded by Gu Yifan’s sudden appearance.
"Holy crap..."
"Xiaoning’er, look! Isn’t that Gu Yifan?"
In the crowd, a girl with black-framed glasses tugged on Han Ning, who was beside her, and said in surprise.
Han Ning: "..."