South City, mental hospital.
Jiang Jing stood at the hospital entrance, distinctly aware of how different it was from other hospitals. This was his first time visiting such a place.
Jiang Jing tried hard to recall her name, her appearance, but found no impression in his mind.
If he hadn’t had someone investigate, Jiang Jing could hardly imagine that someone would go insane because of him.
Jiang Jing didn’t know which ward Jiang Fang was in, so he could only inquire at the front desk.
"I’m a classmate of Jiang Fang. I just found out she’s here, but I forgot to ask for the specific room number, so may I trouble you?" Jiang Jing politely inquired, feeling guilty even as he referred to himself as Jiang Fang’s classmate. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
If it weren’t for him, Jiang Fang’s life should be as splendid as a flower, instead of being here in a mental hospital.
"Room 304 in that building across from us," the receptionist replied.
Jiang Jing said gratefully, casting a glance at the building across. Every window was barred with wire mesh, and even without going inside, just looking at those sealed windows from outside, he felt a weight on his chest.
A scream suddenly pierced the air. Before Jiang Jing could react to what was happening, he saw a figure on the rooftop of the building across, falling down like a kite with a broken string.
A loud "thump" echoed as the heavy object hit the ground, followed by screams erupting all around.
"Someone jumped, someone jumped!"
Immediately, the hospital was in an uproar.
It was the first time in Jiang Jing’s life that he had witnessed such a gruesome scene, his face turning pale with fear.
The scene was chaotic, and the police quickly arrived on the scene.
Jiang Jing searched around but couldn’t find Jian Fang. Eventually, as he was leaving, he overheard the police asking the hospital staff about the situation. When he heard the name Jian Fang, he stood there as if struck by lightning, stunned and motionless.
After a long time, Jiang Jing came to his senses and asked the staff which "Jiang" and which "Fang" it was, and how old she was.
Jiang Jing’s odd behavior caught the police’s attention.
Only then did Jiang Jing clarify his purpose for being there. The police, not paying much attention to him, carefully examined the scene. It turned out to be the hospital’s negligence that allowed a patient to escape. The lock on the rooftop door showed signs of tampering, particularly according to the medical staff who said Jiang Fang had sneaked up to the rooftop several times before.
Jiang Jing was in a daze; he had only caught a glimpse of Jiang Fang earlier and hadn’t seen her clearly.
Jiang Jing sat continuously under the big tree in the corner of the hospital’s entrance, covering his face with his hand, endlessly wondering if he had come one step earlier, would Jiang Fang not have died?
How could it be such a coincidence?
A thought surfaced in Jiang Jing’s mind, but he quickly and forcefully dismissed it.
Jiang Jing calmed his emotions, thinking he should do something. Even though it was already too late, he still wanted to do something to make Jiang Fang’s parents, her family, have better, more comfortable days in the future.
Nearby, Gu Mingzhu’s car sped along the road. As she approached the hospital, she stopped. Looking at the hospital so close, she wondered, does Jiang Jing’s sudden visit to see Jiang Fang mean he knows something?
She needed to remain calm, Gu Mingzhu, you must stay calm.
Gu Mingzhu took a deep breath, telling herself to stay calm in such moments, lowering her gaze, and thinking hard about how to handle this.