Jiang Cheng's voice was very low, as if he didn't want the people nearby to hear. Gu Fei nodded and made a sound of acknowledgement, but if he was going to carry him downstairs, not only the nearby police officers and older women, even Li Baoguo over there would probably be able to see.

Also...the bite mark Jiang Cheng had on his inner thigh had just been done, and it was still red and swollen. He couldn't carry him now, it would rub against the bite mark. He hesitated for a moment, and also said in a low voice, "Carrying you on my back would rub against your bite mark, right? I can...hold you and bring you downstairs?"

"Stop farting around." Although Jiang Cheng was still speaking very softly, his refusal was very firm.

"Alright then." Gu Fei sighed, grabbed Jiang Cheng's arm and pulled it over his own shoulder, put his arm around his waist, leaned to the side slightly, and with a big effort, nearly lifted Jiang Cheng off the ground. He dragged him and started going downstairs.

Going down normal stairs while carrying someone like this wouldn't be an issue, but the stairs up to this old building's rooftop were metal stairs, carrying someone down wouldn't be a problem either, but doing this single-handedly while holding Jiang Cheng would be quite difficult.

He could feel Jiang Cheng's entire body was limp, this was probably not just because of his fear of heights, but also the shocking disappointment in Li Baoguo.

He had no choice but to hold onto the railing with one hand, and hold Jiang Cheng with the other. Basically just using the strength of one hand and one leg to bring Jiang Cheng downstairs. On the last step his arm even started hurting, he nearly threw Jiang Cheng onto the ground.

After letting go, Jiang Cheng leaned against the wall and slowly squatted down.

On the rooftop, Li Baoguo was still yelling, mixed in with Li Qian's crying, as well as the police officers' endless persuasion. Although he couldn't hear the content clearly, he could still make out the suppression and irritation from the tone.

"Let's go downstairs?" Gu Fei bent down with his hands on his knees looking at him.

"Okay," Jiang Cheng took two deep breaths with a frown, and stood up. He pressed on his stomach again, "Fuck, I want to vomit."

"Then vomit," Gu Fei said.

"Let's be civilized, the steel factory is my home," Jiang Cheng glanced at him, "Love it and take care of it together."

Gu Fei laughed and squeezed his shoulder, "Then let's go downstairs and find a trash can to vomit in."

Jiang Cheng didn't speak, he closed his eyes and tried to calm down again, but the chaos from the rooftop seemed to prevent him from calming down. He sighed and lowered his head, holding onto the railing as he walked downstairs.

Gu Fei followed behind him, listening as the sounds from the rooftop gradually grew softer.

After walking downstairs just two flights, an angry roar came from below: "If you want to die then just die! Squatting there trying to scare who?! Sicko!"

Jiang Cheng's footsteps paused. On the 5th floor, one household had their door open, the person inside was looking out the window watching the commotion. As soon as this yell traveled upstairs, these people immediately became excited, "His good-for-nothing son is here, now things are going to get lively!"

Gu Fei gave Jiang Cheng a light push from behind, "Let's go."

Jiang Cheng turned around and continued walking downstairs, he walked a bit slowly, maybe because once he went downstairs he would run into Li Hui, and these unpleasant people just kept on appearing one after another.

"Let's go eat something later," Gu Fei chatted from behind, "Let's go to Wang Xu's place and eat stuffed pancakes, we haven't gone to eat there in a long time."

"Okay," Jiang Cheng responded, "But at this time they probably don't have donkey meat anymore, I really like eating donkey meat."

"We can eat..." Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng's back, "the pork loin one, you said last time the loin was pretty good to eat too right? Let's eat it."

"Okay." Jiang Cheng nodded.

The closer they got to the first floor, outside Li Baoguo's home, the louder Li Hui's voice became. In all these years knowing Li Hui, Gu Fei had never heard him yell so vigorously before. Arguing with Li Baoguo with such fervor was as if they had been lifelong enemies.

Even Li Baoguo seemed to have gained a second wind, his coughing stopped, and he wasn't wheezing either. He yelled loudly and resonantly, his sharp voice continuously echoing in the stairwell, they couldn't even make out what curses they were yelling anymore.

The police and neighborhood committee members certainly regretted calling him over now, but it was Li Baoguo's request to meet him, if they didn't meet then he'd scold continuously and not come down, and now that they'd met he was still continuously yelling curses, who knew when he'd come down. It was a difficult situation either way that was hard to deal with.

The only one who probably felt happy about this farce were the crowds there to watch the show.

The people here, their lives proceeded on these intersecting crisscrossing streets like an chessboard. Every intersection ultimately loops back to the starting point, over and over again. Perhaps even generations repeated the same paths, no longer needing to look ahead, just able to walk the repeated route to the end of their days.

The people below craning their necks looking up, the people leaning out of windows looking down, the people listening closely with their doors shut, most of their moods lost any semblance of hope long ago, or never had it at all. They wouldn't even think about it. Their only joy was probably watching the chaos and suffering around them.

When someone's life is more chaotic than their own, when someone is more anguished than themselves, that is the greatest joy.

Gu Fei didn't know how today's ridiculous affair would end. Li Hui's unprecedented firmness, last time Li Baoguo slashed someone with a knife, he was cursing while going to grab the knife, and hit Li Baoguo in the process. But today he showed no intention of giving in, arguing vigorously with Li Baoguo from several floors away, seeming energetic and spirited, it was like they were having an awe-inspiring poetry reading match.

Perhaps it was because this time Li Baoguo's actions were related to his illness, and illness was related to money. For the these local specialties of the steel factory, this was an extremely serious matter.

One that deserved an enormous argument.

"I really don't know," Jiang Cheng said softly, "how they can live like this, with this kind of attitude, for decades, their whole lives."

"You don't need to know," Gu Fei said. "You don't need to live like this either. Just live your own life, there are so many kinds of people in this world, diversity of the species can surely be maintained."

Jiang Cheng looked back at him, "Like you."

"Right," Gu Fei smiled, "I'm just one kind, and you are too."

"I quite like your kind," Jiang Cheng said.

"I also quite like your kind," Gu Fei said. "And for me, you're also a rare find I never expected I could pick up."

Jiang Cheng laughed and his footsteps seemed to lighten up a bit going downstairs.

But when they got to the first floor, outside Li Baoguo's home, Jiang Cheng still paused for a moment, because Li Hui was standing at the bottom of the stairs. His curses could be heard echoing through the stairwell, the buzzing resonance made even Gu Fei's eardrums feel uncomfortable.

"Ungrateful child, that's what you are! And don't say I'm muddled! You have no right!" Li Hui pointed upstairs and yelled, "And don't fucking say what I did to you! What did I do to you! It's all retribution coming back to you!"

Jiang Cheng didn't continue walking forward, and Gu Fei also stopped behind him, leaning against the stair railing listening to Li Hui's angry roars outside. The people around were also half-heartedly persuading him, but these persuasions were like air to Li Hui, and occasionally some sentences would touch his sore spots.

The crowd who originally came to watch the show were also slowly starting to break character, Li Hui and Li Baoguo's emotions were getting a little too agitated, madly rushing in the direction of losing control.

"Li Hui, say a little less," an older lady pulled Li Hui's arm, "I'll say something not nice to hear, your dad doesn't have much longer to live, even if he wants to curse you he can't curse you much longer. Why must you..."

"It'd be better if he just died now!" Li Hui flung his arm, pointing upstairs, "All I've seen is you disgracing and shaming our family, beating people and cursing people! What the fuck are you still living for!"

"Stop it! Stop it already! Enough! Isn't it enough?!" Li Qian's hoarse voice screamed out from upstairs suddenly, sharp and hopeless, "What do you even want?!"

"He wants me dead!" Li Baoguo's voice sounded like thunder.

Before Li Hui and Li Qian could speak again, the stairwell abruptly erupted with horrified screams from above and below at the same time.

Following that, Gu Fei heard the sound of what seemed like a cement bag hitting the ground outside. A muffled but enormous bang that made people's breathing and heartbeat seem to momentarily stop.

At the same time as this shocking sound, a small black shadow flew past the stairwell entrance, when it hit the ground, Gu Fei could see it was a shoe.

The nonstop piercing screams around them, the chaotic yelling, and women and children's cries bursting out with extreme horror, in the span of a few short seconds it was as if all space was filled, leaving nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.

After a brief blankness, Gu Fei rushed forward and hugged Jiang Cheng, using his hand to cover his eyes.

Jiang Cheng's entire body was rigid, but he was strangely compliant, like a robot that had its power switched off. As Gu Fei half pushed and half hugged Jiang Cheng out of the stairwell, Jiang Cheng just mechanically moved along with him, without sound, without any struggle or resistance.  

The people around were in chaos, Gu Fei didn't look in the direction of Li Baoguo's final leap. He quietly watched the suffocated lives of the people here, but didn't want to see the end of a life again.

Experiencing something like this once in a lifetime was already more than he ever wanted to witness a second time.

In the chaos no one noticed Jiang Cheng being led away from the scene. Li Hui downstairs had gone silent, but the screams and cries of Li Qian on the rooftop could still be heard, carrying indescribable emotions, continuously screaming out, one after another.

As if singing an ode to the bravest moment in Li Baoguo's life.

Gu Fei didn't know where to take Jiang Cheng, everywhere they could go belonged here, belonged to a place suffused with the aura of "people like Li Baoguo".

He didn't know Jiang Cheng's current state, and also couldn't judge what his reaction would be a few minutes later when he calmed down. In the end, he could only pull Jiang Cheng back into the shop.

On the way they encountered many people running over towards Li Baoguo's home, they gave curious and thrilled looks when rushing past. After all, the living were not as exciting as the dead.

Everyone lived like this, but not everyone died the same way.

Gu Fei pushed Jiang Cheng into the small room in the shop, then turned around and closed the shop door. His mom was supposed to be watching the shop today, but she wasn't here right now, he didn't know if she went to watch the excitement or went to meet up with a lover.

After closing the shop door, Gu Fei turned around and Jiang Cheng had already rushed out from the small room, running towards the backyard.

When Gu Fei followed him to the bathroom, Jiang Cheng was already inside vomiting intensely, leaning against the wall with his hands visibly shaking.

Gu Fei went back into the shop and grabbed two bottles of water, returning to the bathroom. Jiang Cheng was still vomiting, but nothing was coming out anymore, just continuously dry heaving.

He silently stood behind Jiang Cheng and waited until the vomiting motions stopped before speaking, "Want some water?"

Jiang Cheng didn't speak, just reached a hand back towards him.

Gu Fei unscrewed the cap, put the bottle in his hand.

"Wait for me outside," Jiang Cheng tilted his head and drank a few gulps, spitting it out, "I'm fine."

"There's another bottle here," Gu Fei loosened the cap on the other bottle and left it by the sink.

"Okay." Jiang Cheng continued drinking water with his head tilted back.

Gu Fei went back out to the yard, stood in a daze for a while then lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth.

After smoking about half the cigarette, he finally felt a little calmer. No matter what kind of person Li Baoguo was, and no matter what he had done, in the end Li Baoguo chose to end his life in this way - for everyone, including the crowds who enjoyed watching a lively spectacle, it was a shock difficult to digest at the moment.

Only then did Gu Fei feel the searing pain on his collarbone again.

He didn't know if the pain on Jiang Cheng's inner thighs had come back. He saw Jiang Cheng vomited with his legs apart...of course, normally no one would stand with their legs together while throwing up...

Gu Fei inexplicably felt like laughing for a moment, he silently laughed with his head tilted back for a good while before stopping.

After finishing the cigarette, Jiang Cheng walked out from the bathroom, his steps were a little unsteady, but the expression on his face was quite calm.

"Feeling better?" Gu Fei asked.

"Threw up all the bitter bile," Jiang Cheng frowned, bending over to press on his stomach, "Uncomfortable."

"Go lie down inside?" Gu Fei asked again.

"Can't lie down," Jiang Cheng walked into the shop, using his foot to pull over a small stool to sit on, "Right now I just want to sit curled up like this."

"Then stay curled up." Gu Fei also grabbed a small stool and sat across from him.

Jiang Cheng rested his elbows on his knees, spacing out for a while, "Li Baoguo jumped off the building?"

"...Yes," Gu Fei hesitated for a couple seconds before answering.

Jiang Cheng didn't speak, extending his hand towards him.

"Want water?" Gu Fei looked at his hand and asked, then still scratched his palm a little after asking, "Or want to eat?"

"Cigarette," Jiang Cheng glanced at him, "Thought you could read me better?"

"Got lost." Gu Fei took out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, leaving them in Jiang Cheng's hand.

"Li Baoguo jumped off the building, huh," Jiang Cheng lit the cigarette and took a deep inhale, staring at the glowing cigarette tip.

"Yes," Gu Fei watched him.

"I...feel a little upset," Jiang Cheng frowned, biting his lip.

"Not just you," Gu Fei sighed, "I feel pretty awful too."

"Tell me," Jiang Cheng looked up at him, "When I left, did he see it?"

Gu Fei didn't speak. Facing the unusually calm Jiang Cheng, he suddenly didn't quite dare to respond casually.

"I said I never wanted to hear anything about him again," Jiang Cheng said. "Did he hear it?"

"Brother Cheng," Gu Fei moved his stool forward a bit, "This has nothing to do with you."

"Yeah, I know," Jiang Cheng nodded, "I know, but my first reaction is still this. Was it something I did, something I said..."

"No, neither," Gu Fei interrupted him.

"You know," Jiang Cheng paused for a while, frowning, "Sometimes people are like this. I say these things, I ask you so much, just wanting someone to tell me this outcome isn't caused by me, wanting to separate myself from this disaster."

"This isn't the same," Gu Fei looked at him. "You're very clear yourself, you don't need someone else to tell you, you're clear this has nothing to do with you."

Jiang Cheng stared at him for a very long time before smiling lightly, "Yes."

"Eat something," Gu Fei said, "Or take a nap, pick one?"

"Eat first then sleep," Jiang Cheng said, "You have instant noodles here right, cook me a bowl."

"Okay, add an egg?" Gu Fei asked.

"Add one," Jiang Cheng said.

Gu Fei got up to grab instant noodles and went to the kitchen. Normally when he ate instant noodles himself he would just pour hot water in and be done with it. Sometimes when lazy he would even eat it dry.

But right now even if Jiang Cheng told him to run to Wang Xu's place and buy some pan-fried buns, he would do it.

Boil water, put in noodles, add egg, cook for a while, then he hesitated again. He stood in the doorway and asked, "For the egg, boiled all the way, runny, or scrambled?"

Jiang Cheng sat on the small stool in the same position as before, didn't answer him and seemed to not have heard him say anything.

Gu Fei waited for a few seconds, "I'll just do boiled then."

After turning around and walking back to the kitchen, Jiang Cheng's lazy voice finally drifted over, "Runny."

Gu Fei ran back to the kitchen and poked the egg with chopsticks. He found that although it wasn't fully cooked, it wasn't runny either. So he cracked another egg into the pan and carefully watched it, cooking a runny one.

Jiang Cheng wouldn't eat the fully cooked one, so he could eat that himself.

He went back to the shop, set up the small table, and placed the cooked noodles in front of Jiang Cheng. Just as he was about to go grab another pair of chopsticks to eat that fully cooked egg, Jiang Cheng picked up his chopsticks and halved the fully cooked egg to take a look, then put half of it in his mouth.

"...Didn't you want a runny one?" Gu Fei was stunned for a moment.

"Did I say that?" Jiang Cheng asked as he ate, glancing at him. "I never eat runny eggs, it's like watery shit."

Gu Fei had originally thought about just eating the runny egg himself, but immediately gave up on hearing this. He sat down at the table.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"I'm not hungry," Gu Fei said.

"Oh," Jiang Cheng said while slowly eating. He first ate the other fully cooked egg, then didn't eat the noodles. Instead, he ate the soft-boiled egg as well.

"....Didn't you say it was like runny shit?" Gu Fei was a little speechless.

"Did I say that?" Jiang Cheng pushed the bowl in front of him, "Seems like I did. I'll eat the shit for you, you eat the noodles."

"Damn," Gu Fei laughed, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I didn't really want to eat in the first place," Jiang Cheng squeezed his brow, "I just wanted to hear you busy yourself for a while, so I can feel more at ease."

"Would watching me eat noodles make you feel even more at ease?" Gu Fei asked.

Jiang Cheng nodded.

Gu Fei lowered his head and started eating the noodles. The taste was pretty good.

Author's note: Continuing tonight.

The author who is about to fall asleep with her face on the keyboard won't say anything else.