"......" Shen Nian seemed reluctant to bring up that matter, so Jiang Lingling silently closed her mouth and didn't say anything more.
After wandering around for about two hours, everyone had their hands full of shopping bags as they chatted and walked towards the elevators.
The mall they visited was extremely upscale, a towering 400 meters high with 88 floors that housed a combination of five-star hotels, high-end shopping centers, and top-tier office buildings.
Even the elevators exuded an atmosphere of luxury and opulence.
Aside from the entrance side, the other three sides were made of transparent glass, allowing passengers to gaze out at the city as the elevator ascended.
"There's a restaurant on the 88th floor that's particularly famous for their sky dining experience."
"I saw it mentioned in the travel guide! I heard their Italian meat sauce pasta is absolutely exquisite!"
With just the few of them in the elevator, everyone excitedly discussed where they would have lunch, pressing the button to close the doors and selecting the 88th floor. The elevator began its ascent.
Shen Nian, who had entered first, stood in the corner. She rarely joined such conversations, holding a bag in her left hand and her phone in her right.
Given the high floor, even just riding the elevator required some time, so she could only pass the time by looking at her phone.
"Hey? What's that person doing sitting there?"
Someone spoke up, and then Shen Nian was tapped.
Shen Nian looked up at He Ying, who had tapped her, and said, "What?"
"That." He Ying pointed upwards at the building across from the glass, where a person could be seen sitting on the windowsill.
"Could it be that they're going to jump?"
From the looks of it, it really seemed that way.
Upon seeing the person sitting on the windowsill, Shen Nian's pupils constricted abruptly, and her face instantly turned pale.
The bag and phone in her hands dropped to the floor as she stumbled back two steps, stepping on Jiang Lingling's foot.
"Ouch." Jiang Lingling was in pain from the stepping, and quickly tried to support Shen Nian. "Nian-jie, what's wrong with you?"
"......" Shen Nian stood there rigidly, as if she had been struck dumb.
"Nian-jie?"
Before Jiang Lingling could say anything more, Shen Nian suddenly came to her senses and lunged towards the glass, crashing to the floor of the elevator and frantically pounding on the glass.
"Quick, save her... quick, save her... save her quickly!"
"Save someone! Save someone!"
"Hurry, someone save her!"
Shen Nian's screams pierced the air, startling everyone in the elevator. Jiang Lingling tried to help Shen Nian up, but was pushed away.
Shen Nian was acting like she had gone mad, incessantly shouting until her voice became hoarse.
Save her, save her.
The elevator moved swiftly, initially looking up at the person but then leveling with her, clearly revealing that it was a young woman, no more than twenty years old, sitting there.
They only crossed paths for a second before the elevator continued ascending.
The young woman sat on the windowsill, her legs dangling in the air, without any safety precautions.
The next second, she leaned forward and plummeted down.
An image of Lu Lingrui flashed before Shen Nian's eyes, and as the young woman jumped, Shen Nian completely broke down.
Clutching her head, she let out a piercing scream.
"Aahhhhhh!"
.....................
The incident of someone jumping quickly caused a major uproar. Within half an hour, police cars had arrived and barricades were set up.
Footage from local videos showed people at the scene uploading clips.
Apparently, the young woman who jumped was only 20 years old, and it seemed like she had gotten into an argument with her parents, leading her to impulsively jump from the building in a moment of despair.
Her parents were utterly devastated - her mother had fainted on the spot, and her father wept uncontrollably.
It was truly lamentable. At such a young age, she had ended her life over a quarrel with her parents.
He Ying silently put away her phone and carefully glanced at the distressed Shen Nian beside her.
Shen Nian sat on the bench, hugging her knees, her hair slightly disheveled, appearing dazed and lost.
In their impression, Shen Nian was usually quiet and distant but gentle. Despite her youth, she was exceptionally composed and never put on airs. Everyone present had received help from Shen Nian at some point.
This was the first time they had seen Shen Nian in such a state of distress.
Everyone was extremely worried, especially Li Nan and Jiang Lingling, who respectively held a towel and a glass of water, looking at Shen Nian with concern.
"Shen Nian..." He Ying tentatively called out to her. "Are you okay?"
"......" Shen Nian remained silent.
He Ying closed her mouth and whispered to the person beside her, "Do you think she knew that young woman?"
Otherwise, why would she have reacted so intensely?
The person next to her shook their head in bewilderment. "I don't know."
It was the first time they had seen Shen Nian so distraught, and not knowing what had happened or the relationship between Shen Nian and the young woman, they didn't know how to console her.
Everyone was extremely anxious, wanting to comfort Shen Nian but unsure how to do so.
"...I didn't know her."
After some time, Shen Nian finally spoke, her voice soft and hoarse - likely from the earlier screaming that had strained her throat.
Hearing Shen Nian speak up, everyone quickly turned their attention to her.
"Nian-jie, are you alright? You gave us such a fright," Jiang Lingling said, her eyes reddened with worry.
"Yes," Li Nan chimed in, using a clean towel to wipe Shen Nian's hands as she gently comforted her. "Were you just shocked by someone jumping? It's okay now."
Shen Nian lowered her head listlessly, silently watching Li Nan wipe her hands as she spoke in a hoarse voice.
"I had a very important friend."
"......"
"She died."
"She was eighteen when she died."
The others wore expressions of realization.
Shen Nian murmured, her eyes growing increasingly red. "She committed suicide by jumping off a building. On the way to find her before she died, I didn't even get to see her one last time."
As she spoke, Shen Nian laughed bitterly, her eyes brimming with tears.
"She sent me one last text message before she died, telling me to be happy..."
She said she didn't blame me...
Foolish, foolish Lu Lingrui.
Why didn't she blame me?
Why shouldn't she blame me...
"......" The others listened in solemn silence, finally understanding why Shen Nian had reacted so intensely.
Losing an extremely important friend at such a young age, to suicide no less - any of them would have struggled to bear such a burden.
Jiang Lingling had previously heard Shen Nian mention a friend who had passed away.
But she didn't know there was so much behind it.
Jiang Lingling took Shen Nian's hand and crouched down, saying earnestly:
"Sister Nian, although I don't know the sister you mentioned, she must have been very kind to you. Not being able to see her one last time is a pity, but perhaps this was her final act of tenderness towards you. She didn't want you to see her wounded and battered. She wanted you to remember her as always beautiful."
Shen Nian looked up at Jiang Lingling's face and momentarily saw Lu Lingrui.
She smiled through her tears, and cried through her smiles.
She nodded.
"Perhaps so."
Perhaps Lu Lingrui's final act of tenderness towards her was to spare her that sight.
If she had witnessed Lu Lingrui's death before her eyes back then, she would have broken down long ago, unable to carry on until now.
[The day before yesterday, I: I want something sweet.
Yesterday, I: I want something sweet.
Today, I: I want... never mind, let's do half and half.]
