Chapter 27 Part 2

The white paper drifted onto the coffee table.

Father Li said no more and silently picked up his rice bowl.

"Dad," Li Zan said softly again, "you should go back. You're not used to it here, and you need to take care of Grandpa and Grandma. I'll be fine."

Father Li tried to persuade him, "Why don't you come back to Jiang City with me? We can have the leaders transfer you to a civilian post there."

Li Zan said, "I don't want to go back."

Father Li knew. There were too many acquaintances in their hometown.

"Ah Zan..."

"Hmm?"

"If there's something on your mind, can you tell your dad about it?"

Li Zan looked up and smiled faintly. "There's nothing. You should go home early. You don't need to watch over me."

Looking at his son, Father Li felt a pang in his heart: Perhaps because his wife passed away too early, leading to a lack of an emotional female role model in the child's life, or perhaps his own gentle and forbearing personality was the only reference for his son's growth, Li Zan had never been good at expressing his inner feelings since he was a child. Joy, love, sadness, despair—everything was met with mild calmness and a smile.

When he was very happy, his smile was restrained; when he was in great pain, his tears were silent.

The liveliest he'd ever been was when he was messing around with a bunch of grunts in the army, able to reveal the deepest pride and steel in his bones, but now...

"Ah Zan..." Father Li was about to say more, but Li Zan suddenly turned his head to look at the TV.

The television was broadcasting a news report:

"...our country's renowned war correspondent Song Ran has won the gold medal at the Holland International News Award with her news photograph 'Candy'. This is the first time a Chinese journalist has received this award. The Holland International News Award is one of the most important awards in the world of news media, second only to the Pulitzer Prize in prestige. Many media critics believe that 'Candy' is very likely to win this year's Pulitzer crown..."

On the screen was "Candy" and Song Ran's ID photo.

The ID photo must have been taken two years ago when Song Ran first started her job. The young woman in the picture had long hair, a fair face, a shy smile, and big, bright eyes.

Li Zan suddenly remembered seeing her at the airport that night. She had cut her hair short, and it was messy from the wind.

He put down his spoon, walked to the coffee table, picked up his phone, opened his contacts, and tapped on the starred number.

He was mentally composing words of congratulations when he looked up and saw himself in the mirror—he had taken off his scarf, and there was a long scar on his neck.

Suddenly, the sound of the wind outside the window stopped, and the sound from the television also disappeared.

The world was very quiet.

He looked back at the swaying branches outside the glass window, at his father who was eating, at the silent image on the TV screen. He felt as if he were standing inside a vacuum bell jar.

He looked down at his phone and exited the contacts list.

Li Zan bent down to place his phone back on the coffee table, but he caught sight of the white paper the instructor had left. A few work locations were written on it, and one of them was Baixi Road.

...

That morning, when Song Ran went out, she saw that it was snowing outside. The flakes were dampening the flagstones of the green stone lane one by one.

It was truly strange this year; it had been snowing the entire winter. The snowflakes had been falling from before the new year to after.

On the walk to the bus stop, a few high school students ran past her happily, laughing, "It's snowing again! I wonder if making a wish will work?"

Song Ran overheard them unintentionally. She thought for a moment; she didn't have any wishes.

She took a bus to the TV station. The entire day was calm, and she methodically handled the complicated matters at hand.

After the Spring Festival, the new year had just begun. It seemed the whole society was filled with joy. There was no bad news, no hot topics, only entertainment news scrolling across the screens.

The news department was unusually idle.

Song Ran suddenly realized that the world was only peaceful when reporters had nothing to do.

Wasn't that a kind of irony?

When she got off work at six, the sky was dimly dark.

The snow was still falling, fluttering and swirling around the passing vehicles and pedestrians.

Song Ran stood at the bus stop waiting for the bus. A snowflake landed on her face, chillingly cold. She suddenly remembered the sentence she had heard in the lane that morning.

She did have a wish, actually.

She wanted to see someone.

Even if it was just watching him from a distance, without speaking, that would be good enough.

The snow was still drifting down.

Song Ran rested her head against the icy-cold glass of the bus window, absent-mindedly gazing at the snowy streetscape outside.

They had only gone two stops when a large crowd appeared ahead. It looked like someone was about to jump from a building.

The bus was just pulling into the station, and all the passengers crowded by the windows to watch the commotion.

Song Ran immediately got off the bus, pulled her camera from her backpack, and rushed over.

Heavy snow danced in the air, and the ground was wet and muddy.

The crowd by the roadside was dense. Passing vehicles also stopped to watch, causing a complete standstill.

Song Ran looked up. A woman was sitting on the roof of a seven or eight-story shopping mall.

"That girl's going to jump. They say her husband ran off with his mistress."

"These days, it's rare for a man not to cheat!"

"In such heavy snow, how pitiful."

"What problem does jumping solve? The ones who'll be heartbroken are her own parents."

Song Ran pushed through the crowd. Inside, a police cordon was set up to keep people away. Song Ran took out her press pass and requested to go up to film. After checking her credentials, the police officer agreed and let her into the mall.

A cold wind howled on the rooftop.

On the spacious rooftop stood seven or eight police officers, coordinators, and auxiliary police, all trying to persuade and comfort the woman sitting on the ledge.

Afraid her presence would startle the woman, Song Ran hid her camera on the windowsill inside the stairwell, hiding herself there as well. Her position was at a perfect 'L' angle to the jumping point, allowing for a clear shot.

"Just think, if you jump, that man might not feel the slightest bit of guilt. It would be exactly what he wants. In the end, who will be heartbroken? Your parents, right?" A young police officer was consoling her.

A firefighter next to him added, "...And there are people like us who care about you. It's snowing so heavily, and we've been standing here with you for an hour. Miss, some people aren't worth it. If you can't swallow this anger, come down and live a good life from now on. That's the best way to prove them wrong."

The police officers tried to persuade her earnestly, taking turns.

Only one auxiliary officer, with his back to Song Ran, hadn't said a single word. He stood motionless in place like a statue, yet he also seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to do something.

"Don't jump!" suddenly, someone from downstairs shouted. "It's not worth it!"

"Don't jump!"

More faint voices drifted up.

The young officer said, "Listen, so many strangers who don't even know you are concerned about you. It's snowing so hard, it's so cold, and everyone is staying here, worrying about you..."

The woman finally lowered her head and began to sob.

"Come on down, it's dinnertime. You must be frozen. How about we treat you to some hot pot?"

As Song Ran listened, she unconsciously glanced again at the auxiliary officer with his back to her.

He was very tall, and even through his thick coat, she could tell he had a lean build. He stood a few steps away from the woman and hadn't moved from start to finish, his concentration extraordinary. Judging from his posture, he must have been staring at the woman on the ledge the entire time.

Amidst the chorus of comforting words, the woman finally turned around and lifted her leg to get down.

The ledge was covered in snow. The spot where she had been sitting, the snow had melted and then frozen into ice. As the woman lifted her foot, she slipped, and her body suddenly pitched backward off the building.

A gasp went through the crowd above and below!

But in that instant, the auxiliary officer with his back to Song Ran suddenly sprang into action, lunging towards the railing and grabbing the woman's down jacket hood.

Song Ran's heart leaped into her throat as she watched, and she instantly zoomed in with her camera.

The auxiliary officer clung to the railing with one hand and the woman with the other, half his body hanging off the building. His colleagues swarmed forward and quickly pulled them both back.

Song Ran rushed onto the rooftop, clutching her camera.

The woman was sobbing uncontrollably, wrapped in a thick army coat by the police officers as they helped her downstairs.

Song Ran craned her neck, trying to find the auxiliary officer who had just grabbed the woman through the crowd of people.

His back was to her. He was gently shaking his hand. He turned around.

Their eyes met, and both of them froze.

Through the swirling snow, Song Ran looked at Li Zan, then at the auxiliary police uniform he was wearing, her face a picture of confusion.

Li Zan was about to say something when a police officer called him, "Ah Zan."

"I'll come find you downstairs in a bit," Li Zan said.

Song Ran nodded.

The person had been saved. Li Zan took the rescue registration form to find the mall's manager for a signature. After getting the signature, he went downstairs. As he was putting the form back in the police car, he overheard a conversation behind a nearby fire truck.