Chapter 2: A Tribute to the Legendary Heavyweight Champion
Life isn’t always filled with dramatic novel plots.
For the majority of people, life is likely to be boring and repetitive, and it’s the media and the internet that give folks a little space for daily daydreaming.
Like when Lin Tian saw someone sitting on a railing, his first thought was not about s*icide at all.
In fact, he even joked around a bit with the person.
But after going back inside and recalling all the details, the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.
If it was a joke, why hand over a cello?
No, dude.
Are you serious?!
Lin Tian closed his laptop screen, took a deep breath, and sank into deep thought.
When it comes to the issue of taking one’s life, Lin Tian has always been quite open-minded.
Life has always been a solo act for each individual, and everyone has their own destiny; respecting others’ destinies is also a way of respecting yourself.
s*icide among teenage girls usually boils down to two reasons.
Either it’s for attention.
Or they genuinely want to find relief.
If it’s the attention-seeking type who intentionally chooses a crowded spot to check out, thinking someone will come to save them and thinking their act is “super cool”…
Lin Tian figured it would be better if they just went ahead and did it.
Ideally, the crowd would just stand there, munching on seeds and heckling, ensuring the jumper couldn’t possibly survive.
After all, the meaning of life for such people seems to be to anger everyone as much as possible while alive, then making everyone laugh and feel relieved when they eventually kick the bucket, achieving that sweet “set up for the punchline” effect.
But the girl Lin Tian had just encountered clearly was not one of those types.
After he expressed, “Don’t d*e in front of my house,” she politely moved to another spot.
Someone who genuinely wants to d*e isn’t going to burden others.
Lin Tian took another sip of coffee and suddenly realized—
The coffee he was holding was made by Grandpa Gan just a couple of days ago to celebrate his decent midterm exam scores. Lin Tian doesn’t really like coffee but had been sipping it from the fridge out of respect for Gan’s kind gesture.
If that girl really turned out to be Grandpa Gan’s granddaughter, and he let her go—
Lin Tian would feel guilty for the rest of his life.
Thinking this through, he immediately got up and pushed the door open.
Going up one floor, he found that the door to the rooftop was indeed open, with the lock lying on the ground.
Uh-oh!
Lin Tian cursed inwardly.
He dashed out onto the rooftop. The moon hung high, and water puddles dotted the ground from the rain.
He looked around but didn’t spot anyone.
Please don’t tell me she’s gone to pay tribute to the legendary heavyweight champion in LA?!
Just as Lin Tian was wallowing in frustration…
A voice came from behind him:
“What are you doing?”
Turning around, he saw the girl standing right in front of him.
Tilting her head, she looked at him with a blank expression.
“Is there something up?”
Lin Tian blinked, trying to calm himself down.
“I came to see if you jumped or not.”
“Are you here to collect my body?”
“…” Lin Tian was momentarily flabbergasted by her train of thought.
Right, I’m just here waiting for you to jump so I can get in there and taste the action while it’s hot!
So, does that mean you’re not planning on jumping anymore?
“Not really. I just wanted to tell you that jumping to your d*ath actually hurts a lot.”
“Have you tried it?”
“I have a friend who fell from a helicopter; he used to be the best pilot around.”
“Oh.”
The girl bit her finger, “But weren’t we just joking about this?”
“Just now,” of course referred to their earlier conversation on the sixth floor.
Now it was Lin Tian’s turn to be bewildered.
“Then what about you?”
“I was looking for my lost kitten.”
As she said this, they heard a rustling next to Lin Tian’s feet. He looked down to see a small white kitten gently brushing against his leg.
Looks like she really is looking for a cat.
The girl squatted down and waved her hand gently. The kitten dashed over and nestled into her arms.
What a well-behaved little furball, licking her palm like a pro.
Phew.
With a sigh of relief, Lin Tian relaxed.
As long as she’s okay, it was worth the trip.
He lifted his head. Beneath the clear night sky, the moonlight bathed the quiet rooftop. He noticed that the weather tonight was quite nice.
Just as Lin Tian was about to turn around—
A notification appeared in front of him.
[Detected an eligible partner for binding, recommending to the host—]
[Name: Gan Yan Yu]
[Successfully binding the system’s recommended target grants a starter pack.]
“Gan Yan Yu?”
Lin Tian couldn’t help but read it out loud.
The girl in front of him looked a bit surprised:
“You know my name?”
“Your grandpa mentioned it once,” Lin Tian replied quickly.
For some reason, after hearing this, Gan Yan Yu’s gaze dimmed as she looked away.
[Binding Conditions:
1. Have the other party stay overnight at your house.
2. Extract the other party’s bodily fluids for an intelligent health check.]
[Time limit: 24 hours]
Bodily fluids? Overnight stay??
Lin Tian could never have imagined how he was supposed to get this girl, whom he’d only exchanged a few words with, to spend the night at his place and then extract her bodily fluids!
No way!
It’d be more suitable to let her jump and then drag her corpse home—much more plausible than this!
Though he’d have to sleep in the fridge.
“~”
Just then, sweet music floated through the air.
Lin Tian turned.
Gan Yan Yu was sitting on the doorstep, one hand on the violin while the other gently drew the bow across the strings.
What the heck? Why are we suddenly busting out a concert here?
Sure, with this night sky and beautiful girl playing on the rooftop, the vibe is definitely something.
But when the atmosphere feels off, it turns into something quite eerie!
Lin Tian couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally.
But let’s not kid ourselves.
It was a gentle piece.
The unique, deep, and emotive timbre of the cello resonated through the night, bringing a peaceful and beautiful sensation.
Looks like she has been playing since childhood.
If she digs deeper into this talent, her future is limitless!
After finishing a segment, Gan Yan Yu set down the bow, swept her hair behind her ear, and looked up at the young man.
“This piece was taught to me by my grandpa.”
“Your grandpa knows music?”
“He does, but he doesn’t play anymore.”
At this point, a spark of curiosity flashed in Gan Yan Yu’s warm brown eyes,
“Are you very close to him?”
“He took good care of me,” Lin Tian answered modestly.
“What’s your name?”
“Lin Tian.”
“Lin Tian.”
Looking at the boy before her, a sense of intrigue bubbled up in Gan Yan Yu.
From the odd conversation earlier to his impulsive dash onto the rooftop, she felt this boy was a bit of an enigma.
He seemed like an interesting guy.
And a good person.
But right now, this good guy was placing a bit of a burden on her.
Ever since Lin Tian barged in, her mind had become a muddled mess.
Gan Yan Yu stroked the kitten in her arms softly and said,
“Well, Lin Tian, it’s getting late; you should head back.”
“And you?”
“I’ll just enjoy the breeze for a bit longer.”
“Let me keep you company then.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Gan Yan Yu’s face.
Lin Tian wasn’t being dumb.
He wasn’t going to easily buy her story about looking for a cat. His instincts told him there was more to it than that.
He couldn’t guarantee that the moment he turned to leave, she wouldn’t just jump right off the roof.
Lin Tian had it all figured out.
For the sake of this rare chance to bind with the system and to make sure the girl was safe,
Lin Tian had to take Gan Yan Yu home tonight.
Even if it meant resorting to some harsh measures!
Knock her out, tie her up with some computer cables, and collect those precious bodily fluids.
As long as he took her home, what she wanted to do tonight wouldn’t be up to her anymore.
Gan Yan Yu looked at Lin Tian, and Lin Tian looked back at her.
The air hung thick with tension for a moment.
It felt like a game of poker was happening right there.
The evening breeze blew, and the girl’s long black hair danced around, brushing her moonlit face.
Finally,
Gan Yan Yu let out a light sigh:
“Does your house have a bathroom?”
“Yeah.”
What kind of question is that? Who doesn’t have one?
“Then could I…”
Gan Yan Yu placed the kitten on the ground, turned her back toward him.
Her blue-and-white uniform and sweatpants were stained, a large patch of dirt clinging to them.
“Can I borrow your bathroom to take a shower?”
Huh? Is she really just walking right up to me?
(End of Chapter)
