Lu Zhanlei’s voice was extremely loud. With the wind sweeping across the rooftop, everyone down below could hear him loud and clear.
Just seeing someone try to jump off a building was already sensational. The fact that it was that infamous young master of the Lu family made it the gossip event of the year.
Before long, people had whipped out phones and cameras, filming the scene like crazy.
The moment Xie Quan heard that name, he felt like every ridiculous joke in the world couldn’t compare to how absurd this moment was.
Lu Zhanlei? Trying to jump?
The same Lu Zhanlei who’d brought a whole gang to beat up Lu Nanyang earlier?
If he was the type to commit suicide, then all the world’s depressed people could instantly be cured.
This was downtown, near a university. Police and firefighters arrived quickly, cordoning off the building—some officers rushed upstairs to intervene while others worked on dispersing the crowd.
“What are you all standing here for?” A uniformed officer began shoving people back. “No photos! No filming! Put your phones away!”
The crowd shuffled back. Lu Nanyang and Xie Quan got caught in the middle. Just as Lu Nanyang stood frozen in place, nearly getting his foot stepped on, Xie Quan reached out and pulled him aside in time.
On the rooftop, Lu Zhanlei was still shouting, showing no sign of stopping.
“Lu Nanyang, did you hear me? Change your surname back! Remove your name from our household registry! Otherwise, I’ll jump off this building right here, in front of everyone in Yuncheng!”
The crowd below erupted in commotion, and even the police struggled to hold people back.
Lu Nanyang kept his head down the entire time, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He felt like he could only exhale but not inhale—his vision was going dark in waves.
Xie Quan grabbed Lu Nanyang’s wrist and yanked him forcefully toward himself. “Don’t look anymore. Let’s go. We’re going home.”
But Lu Nanyang’s feet felt nailed to the ground. No matter how hard Xie Quan pulled, he refused to budge.
“Lu Nanyang!” Xie Quan raised his voice.
“Lu Zhanlei is doing this because of me…” Lu Nanyang’s voice was hoarse. “I can’t leave. I have to try and talk him down…”
“Are you stupid?!” Xie Quan yanked him hard. “Do you really think he actually wants to jump? He just wants attention, wants to make a huge scene!”
“But it’s still because of me!” Lu Nanyang looked anguished. “This whole mess happened because of me. I can’t just ignore him…”
Xie Quan shook off his hand, suppressed anger simmering in his gray eyes. “I’ve never asked before—what exactly happened between you and Lu Zhanlei? How did things blow up like this?”
Lu Nanyang closed his eyes. The sounds of the crowd, the camera shutters, the police shouting—all of it turned into meaningless noise in his ears. He was silent for a while before he spoke.
“Lu Zhanlei had a fight with his parents.”
“What?” Xie Quan looked confused.
Lu Zhanlei fighting with the Lu couple—what the hell did that have to do with Lu Nanyang?
How long had it been since he last returned to the Lu family? And now they were blaming him for this?
“It started when Mrs. Lu was hospitalized. She called me once—probably wanted me to come visit. I didn’t go.” Lu Nanyang’s gaze dropped. “Lu Zhanlei was already with them. They didn’t really need me. But Lu Zhanlei seemed to think I was being unfilial, that I didn’t deserve to be part of the Lu family.”
Up on the rooftop, Lu Zhanlei continued to scream, his main demand clear: he wanted Lu Nanyang to change his surname, remove himself from the Lu family registry, and get out of their lives.
Soon, police officers and firefighters reached the rooftop and began trying to talk him down from a distance.
“Bring Lu Nanyang up here!” Lu Zhanlei shouted louder. “Or get Lu Hongzhen! Tell him to come! Isn’t he the one who likes that adopted kid so much? Let that picked-up stray be his son then! What the hell do you need me for?!”
A police officer tried to calm him. “You’re all one family. Can’t this be talked out properly? Don’t do anything rash—just come down—”
“Don’t come any closer!” Lu Zhanlei kicked hard at the low barrier along the edge of the rooftop and yelled at the police, “One more step and I’ll jump! Get those people up here, and I’ll come down!”
“Okay, okay… don’t get worked up. Just stay right there, don’t move. We’ll get in touch right away, alright?”
…
Lu Nanyang turned to head toward the office building, but Xie Quan grabbed him.
“Lu Nanyang!”
“Don’t stop me. I have to go!” Lu Nanyang raised his voice. “Do you have any idea what will happen if Lu Hongzhen sees this mess?”
“Nanyang, I’m not saying I’ll stop you,” Xie Quan said calmly but firmly, still holding his hand. “I’m saying—I’m going with you.”
Lu Nanyang looked at Xie Quan as he caught his breath. For a moment, only the sound of their breathing and the pounding of his heart echoed in his chest.
“…Alright.” he grasped Xie Quan’s hand in return and led him toward the office building.
As expected, they were stopped by police at the entrance.
“Hey, hey, hold it.” One officer waved them away. “Don’t you see what’s happening up there? Stay back.”
“I’m Lu Nanyang,” he said calmly. “Let me go up and talk to my brother.”
The officer was stunned for a moment, then looked troubled. He shook his head and tried to push Lu Nanyang away. “Just leave it to us. If you go up and agitate him even more…”
“What do you mean ‘agitate’?” Xie Quan asked sharply but steadily. “Officer, you’ve been doing this job for years—can’t you tell the difference between someone who really wants to die and someone just trying to make a scene? Do you honestly think Lu Zhanlei wants to jump? What would he even gain from that?”
The officer’s resolve visibly wavered, but he still shook his head. “No, we can’t take that chance. Even if there’s the slightest risk, we can’t just ignore it. That’s a human life.”
“Exactly why you should let us go up,” Xie Quan said coolly. “Even if—worst-case scenario—Lu Zhanlei really wants to end his life, what you’re doing now, not letting him see the person he’s demanding, will only make him more agitated, more unstable. We’ll follow right behind you. If he reacts badly when he sees Lu Nanyang, you can immediately pull us back. Isn’t that fair?”
The officer looked even more conflicted now, clearly torn. Then, Lu Nanyang, who had been silent, lifted his head and spoke in a quiet, gentle voice—so soft it seemed to float from his throat.
“Please let me go up. Lu Zhanlei… is too important. To me, and to the Lu family.”
Maybe it was that line that hit the officer in the heart. He sighed and picked up his walkie-talkie.
“I’ll report this to the team upstairs. This isn’t a decision I can make alone.”
Xie Quan nodded as the officer turned away to say a few words into the device. Then, he looked back at them and opened the gate. “Go ahead.”
The stairwell of the office building was unexpectedly dark. A few small windows up high let in very little sunlight. A faint damp moldy smell mixed with dust wafted into their noses. The shouting from the rooftop grew clearer as they climbed.
“…How many times do I have to say it?! If I don’t see them, I’m jumping! You think I’m bluffing, huh? Try me! If Lu Hongzhen doesn’t show up today, I swear—!”
Lu Nanyang stepped onto the final stair. His vision suddenly opened up. Cold wind swept across the rooftop, and the sun was hidden right behind the wildly gesturing Lu Zhanlei.
“I’m here. Is that okay, Zhanlei?” Lu Nanyang said calmly.
Lu Zhanlei suddenly went silent, as if someone had pressed a mute button. Even the police officer who had been trying to calm him down was momentarily stunned. The previously chaotic rooftop fell into an eerie silence.
Then Lu Zhanlei sneered, breaking the silence.
“You got here pretty fast. Did you hear everything I just said?”
“I heard it,” Lu Nanyang replied. “You want me to change my surname, remove my registration from the household, and leave the Lu family.”
Xie Quan furrowed his brows, tightening his grip on Lu Nanyang’s wrist, but the latter remained completely unbothered.
Lu Zhanlei laughed and said, “Not bad, your ears work. So what’s your answer?”
Lu Nanyang pressed his lips together, his gaze cold and sharp as he calmly met Lu Zhanlei’s eyes, putting pressure on him that made Lu Zhanlei feel uneasy and guilty.
“No,” Lu Nanyang said firmly, enunciating each word clearly.
Lu Zhanlei’s head buzzed like a firecracker suddenly exploding. “What did you say? Didn’t you understand me? I said if I don’t see you leave the Lu family today, I’ll jump off this roof! And none of you will get away with it!”
Even the nearby police officer began to panic and reached out to push Lu Nanyang back. “Hey, you—”
“Let him finish,” Xie Quan said firmly, grabbing the officer’s arm.
“Lu Zhanlei, if you want me to leave the Lu family, fine. But from now on, you’re the only son left in this family,” Lu Nanyang said, stepping forward. “If you keep fighting with them, creating conflict, even threatening suicide, I can’t leave in peace.”
“Bullshit!” Lu Zhanlei roared. “You’ve got the nerve to lecture me with this righteous crap?! How many times have you come home these past years? How many times have you visited Mom and Dad? What makes you better than me?!”
While Lu Zhanlei was completely focused on Lu Nanyang, a firefighter signaled to Lu Nanyang to keep him talking, while slowly creeping up behind Lu Zhanlei.
“I’m not their biological child, but you are,” Lu Nanyang insisted. “You should be doing better than me. The Lu family needs you more. As long as you promise not to fight with them anymore, I’ll agree to your demands.”
“Bullshit!” Lu Zhanlei’s eyes turned red as he became increasingly emotional. “You think I’m really their biological kid? You’re the real one! At home, all they talk about is when you’re coming back! If only Lu Nanyang were here! When will you be as good as your brother Lu Nanyang… Lu Nanyang this, Lu Nanyang that — in their eyes, I’m nothing! All they care about is you!”
