After Lu Zhanlei finished shouting, the rooftop went dead silent, with only the sound of the wind howling. Lu Nanyang stared at him, shocked and speechless.
Just then, the firefighter behind him lunged forward, grabbed him forcefully, and pulled him away from the rooftop’s edge.
The scene was captured by countless onlookers below, many filming with their phones or for social media. There were cries of surprise and praise from the crowd.
However, Lu Zhanlei struggled violently, throwing punches and kicks at the firefighter with full force. One elbow landed hard somewhere, causing the firefighter to grimace and loosen his grip, giving Lu Zhanlei the chance to break free.
It was clear the firefighter was holding back out of concern for Lu Zhanlei’s identity, afraid to hurt him — which gave Lu Zhanlei a chance to resist.
Feeling like he had regained the upper hand, Lu Zhanlei spread his arms and shouted angrily at Lu Nanyang.
“F*** you, Lu Nanyang! You and them are all in this together! Want me to die right now? I’ll do it! Then you’ll be the murderer who killed the Lu family’s only heir!”
At that moment, Xie Quan — who had been silent all along — suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Lu Zhanlei by the collar, and slapped him hard across the face.
The slap was loud and heavy, the crisp sound echoing across the rooftop. Blood immediately welled at the corner of Lu Zhanlei’s mouth. For a moment, everyone was stunned.
Especially Lu Zhanlei.
He stood there in a daze, staring wide-eyed at Xie Quan, as if unable to believe that someone outside the Lu family had just slapped him in front of everyone.
“Don’t talk about death like it’s a joke,” Xie Quan said coldly. His icy gaze pinned Lu Zhanlei in place like a nail. “Do you think your life belongs only to you? Have you thought about the consequences of this whole scene you’re causing?”
Lu Zhanlei’s mouth hung open for a long time, unable to close. Eventually, he covered the slapped side of his face with his hand, his expression twisted in rage. “Who the hell are you?! Just some f***ing sidepiece of Lu Nanyang’s and you dare lecture me?! Keep pushing me and I’ll—”
Before he could finish, Xie Quan shoved him hard.
Gasps erupted from the crowd below. Even the firefighters on the rooftop were caught off guard.
“Hey!”
Lu Zhanlei stumbled back two steps, his heel hitting the edge railing. His knees buckled in fear, and he frantically grabbed the railing to keep from falling.
“Go ahead, jump,” Xie Quan said, his voice calm. “You’re so eager to throw yourself off, do it now. Everyone’s watching. If you don’t jump, how will you maintain the dignity of the great young master of the Lu family? If you’re too scared, I’ll help you.”
His eyes were cold as Arctic ice — pure, ancient, and murderous. The hostility in them was so raw it would strike fear into anyone who looked directly at him.
“I’ll tell you exactly what will happen if you jump,” Xie Quan said lightly. “The moment your first foot leaves the ledge, your body will lose balance. In that split second, your survival instincts will overwhelm you with terror. You’ll fall at fifteen meters per second. Your bladder will lose control. You’ll piss and shit yourself before you hit the ground.”
Lu Zhanlei’s mind went blank. He instinctively clutched the railing tighter, his knuckles turning white.
Xie Quan took step after step toward Lu Zhanlei, his tone still as calm as if he were reading from a textbook.
“The fall will happen quickly—you won’t have time to regret it. Once you hit the ground, your liver, kidneys, intestines… all the organs in your chest cavity will be smashed into a pile of mush from the impact. Every bone that hits the ground will be shattered. Bone fragments will stab into your lungs, your abdomen—”
“Stop talking!” Lu Zhanlei let out a miserable scream. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he tried to stand, swaying unsteadily, but his foot slipped and his knee hit the ground with a thud.
The firefighters seized the opportunity and rushed forward. By then, Lu Zhanlei had completely lost the ability to resist.
Xie Quan watched him coldly as Lu Zhanlei was carried away from the rooftop by the firefighters.
As the situation gradually settled down, the onlookers began dispersing while talking among themselves. A police officer, scolding Lu Zhanlei, waved at Xie Quan and Lu Nanyang. “Why are you still standing there? Go, go, go—let’s talk downstairs!”
Amid the policeman’s grumbling, Xie Quan looked at Lu Nanyang, who had been staring blankly at the spot where Lu Zhanlei had stood, even though there was no one there now.
“Lu Nanyang.” Xie Quan touched his arm, and only then did Lu Nanyang come back to his senses, slowly shifting his gaze over.
“Let’s go.” Xie Quan didn’t say anything more and pulled him by the hand to go downstairs.
As they exited the office building, Wen Fei and the others suddenly surrounded them, bombarding them with questions.
“You two disappeared just now—turns out you went up to the rooftop!”
“Lu Zhanlei’s gone mad, hasn’t he?”
“I just saw Dr. Xie slap him. Damn, that was badass. Are you guys okay?”
“We’re fine,” Xie Quan replied simply. “He’s been saved and is with the police. If you’re curious, go ask him yourself.”
The group instinctively turned to look in that direction, but Xie Quan had already pulled Lu Nanyang along and headed straight for the side of the road. He raised his hand to hail a taxi. By the time the three dormmates realized what was happening, he and Lu Nanyang were already inside the cab.
The door closed, and the cramped interior of the taxi shut out the noise from outside like its own little world. Only the driver turned his head and asked where they were going.
After giving the destination, the taxi smoothly pulled away from that place of chaos. Buildings on both sides receded, and pedestrians on the sidewalk moved at a leisurely pace, unaware of what had just happened nearby.
Lu Nanyang sat loosely, barely on the seat, his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, his eyes hidden beneath drooping strands of hair.
Suddenly, a hand covered the back of his and held it.
“Nanyang, stop thinking. Look at me,” Xie Quan said softly.
Lu Nanyang looked up instinctively, and before he could register any thought, his lips were suddenly captured.
He was pushed backward until his head hit the car window with a muffled thud. Xie Quan pried his lips open without hesitation, sweeping through every inch with his tongue before biting down gently, half-inviting and half-demanding a response.
Warmth wrapped around Lu Nanyang, and he felt like a thin sheet of ice slowly melting away. his hand reached out unconsciously, his fingers brushing the short hair at the back of Xie Quan’s head, then slowly trailing down to stroke his neck.
They were still in a moving taxi.
The driver could clearly see their movements through the rearview mirror.
This thought briefly surfaced in Lu Nanyang’s dazed mind—but he didn’t want to stop.
At that moment, he suddenly didn’t want to care what others might think. He didn’t want to keep sacrificing himself just to make some irrelevant stranger comfortable. He didn’t want to be someone’s son or someone’s older brother anymore.
He just wanted to follow his instincts—to do what he most wanted to do, to kiss the person he loved the most.
Lu Nanyang didn’t even know who ended up paying the fare or how they got home. All he knew was that the moment the apartment door shut behind them, the entire world vanished—leaving only Xie Quan before him.
Everything felt maddening.
The sound of breathing, the dull thuds of soles hitting the floor, the rustle of fabric, the wet sounds of kissing.
In the chaos, Xie Quan’s glasses fell to the floor with a crisp clink. He didn’t even have time to see if the lenses had cracked before Lu Nanyang had him pinned and pushed onto the couch.
The usually gentle, obedient puppy had turned into a wolf pup, tracing kisses down from the side of his neck like he was trying to memorize the taste of his prey.
Not a single button on Xie Quan’s shirt was spared. Then the wolf pup seemed to lock onto something, lowering his head—his fluffy hair brushing against Xie Quan’s chin.
Xie Quan couldn’t hold back a sharp inhale.
It felt like ants crawling up his spine straight into his brain, dopamine joyfully secreting in every hidden corner.
The body doesn’t understand shame—it only responds honestly. Lu Nanyang realized this quickly and reached out to explore further.
Then his hand suddenly froze.
Beneath the rough denim, he hadn’t felt any fabric.
A flush rose on Xie Quan’s cheeks, his chest rising and falling faster, making that flush all the more enticing.
“You’re not wearing…” Lu Nanyang’s voice was hoarse.
Xie Quan tilted his head back to look at him, the pale curve of his neck forming a swan-like arc. His gray eyes narrowed lazily.
“I originally thought we’d be home quickly today… The rubbing made it a little sore.”
Lu Nanyang’s breath almost stopped. Xie Quan smiled as he cupped his face and kissed him gently, then turned, using the back of the sofa for support as he slowly kneeled.
The muscles in his back were well-defined, and his shoulder blades seemed to stretch forward like they were ready to take flight, followed by the smooth curves of his waist and thighs.
Xie Quan lazily propped himself up with his elbows on the sofa cushion.
His fingers spread, then closed.
“I’ve been waiting for you for so long, Lu Nanyang,” Xie Quan’s voice had a seductive rasp to it. “Hurry up.”
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Author’s Note:
Inspired by the Xiaohongshu post “Criminal Investigation Knowledge Encyclopedia – What Jumping from a Building Really Feels Like.”
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