Chapter 6: Han Ning: Gu Yifan is Going to Jump Off a Building Because of Me?
Han Ning was also a bit surprised. She couldn’t help but frown.
She recognized the man standing next to Su Qinghe on the roof. It was indeed Gu Yifan, the boy she’d grown up with.
After spending so much time together, she couldn’t be more familiar with him.
’What is he doing up there?’
’Could it be? Did he decide to jump because I rejected his confession?’
A flurry of thoughts raced through Han Ning’s mind.
’My feelings for Gu Yifan are complicated.’
’We’ve known each other since we were five, in the senior class of kindergarten. You could say we grew up together.’
’From kindergarten onward, we went to school together and came home together. I never had to carry my own schoolbag; it was always on Gu Yifan’s back.’
’He was like my little sidekick, carrying my bag to school and waiting for me after school so we could go home together. We were practically inseparable, and I’d gotten used to having him around.’
’And Gu Yifan had always been so good to me—almost excessively so. He’d always think of me whenever there was something delicious to eat or fun to do. Whatever I wanted, he would find a way to get it for me.’
’But everything started to change when I was fifteen.’
’That year, I had just started middle school. As usual, Gu Yifan went to the same one. He even begged his parents to pull some strings and get him moved into my class.’
’Back then, Gu Yifan was still the same. Every morning, he’d ride his bike to my house to wait for me, and we’d go to and from school together.’
’We were still inseparable.’
’But this was middle school. Everyone was hitting puberty and starting to grow up. With us stuck together like glue all day, it wasn’t long before rumors and gossip started to spread.’
’At first, I found those people annoying but didn’t pay them much mind. Still, I unconsciously started to put some distance between myself and Gu Yifan.’
’The year I really started to find him annoying was our last year of middle school, the year of the high school entrance exams.’
’Maybe because the exams were approaching, a lot of students with poor grades who felt hopeless started to give up and look for trouble.’
’There was this troublemaker from the class next door who stuffed a love letter in my desk. After I rejected him, he kept harassing me, even blocking the entrance to the girls’ bathroom during breaks. But he never did anything too out of line, so there was nothing I could do about it.’
’I figured it was better to avoid trouble, and once the exams were over, we’d never see each other again. So, I didn’t tell Gu Yifan about it at first. He had no idea.’
’But during that time, I was really on edge!’
’I’d often lose my temper with Gu Yifan for no reason, but every time, he’d just stand there silently beside me like a punching bag.’
’That just made me even more agitated!’
’After I’d rejected that guy time and time again, someone eventually told Gu Yifan what was happening.’
’That day, for the first time ever, he didn’t walk home with me. He told me to go on ahead by myself.’
’The next day, I found out that he had gotten into a fight with that guy.’
’They said the two of them were beaten bloody, and even the school security guards couldn’t pull them apart.’
’The fight had serious consequences. Gu Yifan was almost expelled. In the end, his parents had to come and beg the school, and he got off with just a major demerit.’
’I hate it when people fight, and I hate it when people lie to me!’
’So I stormed into the hospital and demanded to know why he had lied to me and why he had to go and fight that guy.’
’Gu Yifan didn’t say a word. He just gave me a goofy grin.’
’Seeing him grin at me like that, I just exploded. I really let him have it!’
’Seeing me so angry, Gu Yifan didn’t get mad. He just kept trying to coax me and please me, begging me not to be angry.’
’But the more he acted like that, the more annoying I found him!’
’But we had grown up together, after all. The incident passed, and the entrance exams were over.’
’We both got into Mountain City First Middle School, and things between us went back to normal. We were back to going to school and coming home together.’
’But high school brought even more drama than middle school.’
’Right from the start of our first year, boys were constantly writing me love letters, and some even confessed to me in person.’
’But every time, Gu Yifan would chase them off in one way or another.’
’He did stop getting into fights, though, since he knew I hated it.’
’However, because we were together almost every day, everyone in our class and the whole school thought we were a couple.’
’It was so annoying!’
’Childhood sweethearts, a perfect match... I hated hearing all of it!’
’But Gu Yifan would just chuckle happily whenever he heard those things.’
’That just made me even more agitated!’
’Gu Yifan and I are just good friends, okay?!’
’At most, it’s like we’re a brother and sister!’
’I never once thought about him in *that* way!’
’From that point on, I started finding him more and more annoying, and my attitude toward him got worse and worse.’
’But I never expected him to lose his mind like this. A while ago, he suddenly started saying he liked me, and this morning, he even barged into the school’s broadcasting room to confess to me over the speakers in front of the entire school!’
’Childish!’
’That kind of behavior is so incredibly childish!’
’After all these years, I never thought he was this kind of person.’
’So, naturally, I rejected him without a shred of mercy and said a lot of very harsh things to him.’
...
"Xiaoning’er, Xiaoning’er..."
Just then, the sound of her best friend’s voice pulled Han Ning back from her thoughts.
"What’s wrong?" she asked her friend instinctively.
"He’s... he’s going to fall!!!"
"Xiaoning’er, look! What is Gu Yifan doing?! He’s going to get himself killed!!!"
Wu Xiaoyan shouted, grabbing Han Ning’s arm with a panicked expression.
Han Ning followed her friend’s finger and looked up at the roof.
Gu Yifan and Su Qinghe were both sitting on the edge of the rooftop. But just as she looked, that idiot Gu Yifan stood up and started walking along the parapet like it was a balance beam, his arms spread wide in a death-defying stunt.
"He’s insane!" Han Ning muttered, her eyes wide.
’No!’
’I have to stop him!’
’If he really jumps and kills himself because of me, how could I ever face his parents?!’
With that thought, she ducked under the police tape and sprinted toward the school building.
"Hey, Xiaoning’er, where are you going?"
"Wait for me!"
Seeing her best friend rush into the building, Wu Xiaoyan grew anxious and hurried after her.
"Hey, you two! What are you doing!"
"It’s dangerous!"
"Someone, stop them!"
The rescue personnel had noticed their actions and shouted at them to stop.
Meanwhile, up on the roof, just as Han Ning was rushing upstairs, Gu Yifan stopped walking. He turned his head, gave Su Qinghe a slight smile, and said, "Watch closely. I’m going to jump!"
With that, he pretended to leap off the edge.
Su Qinghe never expected Gu Yifan to be so reckless. Her eyes flew open, and she screamed, "No...!"