Chapter 38: Certain Death?

When Liu Wei turned to jump down from the low wall, her foot suddenly slipped, and her body was thrown backwards—head down, feet up—plummeting toward the ground below the dormitory building.

“Oh my god!”

“No—!”

“Liu Wei, be careful…”

This sudden accident drew startled cries not only from Mo Ke, Zhao Ya, and the others on the rooftop, but also from the crowd gathered below, who had come to see what was happening. No one had expected such a dramatic twist just as the moment seemed filled with joy.

Was Liu Wei destined to meet her end after all?

Mo Ke and Zhao Ya wanted to rush to her aid, but they were simply too far away—there was no time!

In that moment, everyone was seized by despair, all hope vanishing. But then, Li Sicheng darted out like a leopard, racing to the spot where Liu Wei was falling. With astonishing speed, he reached for her ankle, trying to catch her.

Witnessing this, hearts that had sunk into hopelessness surged with a glimmer of possibility once more.

“Go for it!”

“Li, you must catch her!”

“Hurry, just a little more!”

Everyone shouted encouragement. Unable to help physically, they poured their hope and energy into their voices, urging Li Sicheng on.

Li Sicheng’s reflexes were extraordinary; he reacted at the very instant Liu Wei slipped. Yet, even with such speed, he was a fraction too late. His outstretched hand missed her ankle by just a few fingers’ breadth.

“It’s over… This time, it’s truly over!”

Despair settled over the crowd again. Hope had come and gone as swiftly as a passing breeze.

Everyone was certain Liu Wei was doomed, with not the faintest chance of survival. Even Liu Wei herself believed so.

As she fell past the dormitory windows, a sudden clarity struck her. She realized, just as Li Sicheng had said, that what she had done was foolish and thoughtless.

She awakened to regret, but it was too late.

“Dad, Mom, I’m sorry. Your daughter can no longer stay by your side… If there is a next life, I hope I can be your daughter again. Then, I swear I won’t make you worry, won’t make you angry, won’t break your hearts…”

Liu Wei closed her eyes in despair, waiting for death to claim her.

At that moment, everyone else had given up.

No… not everyone!

There was still one person who hadn’t surrendered. One person still fighting, refusing to accept fate—Li Sicheng!

When his hand failed to catch her ankle, he didn’t hesitate or freeze. Instead, he vaulted over the low wall without delay, leaping down after her.

“Ah—another person has jumped!”

“Li, what are you doing?”

“Heavens, what’s happening? Why are both of them jumping?”

Nobody could have foreseen this. Not even the most imaginative could have guessed Li Sicheng would make such a shocking move—jumping after Liu Wei.

Liu Wei had already abandoned the idea of jumping; her fall was accidental. Why would Li Sicheng throw himself down as well? This was not a game—he wasn’t bungee jumping at an amusement park, where thrill comes without danger!

No one could understand Li Sicheng.

Nor did anyone notice the thick nylon rope clutched tightly in Li Sicheng’s left hand.

It was as thick as a thumb, used by students to hang bedding out to dry on the rooftop. One end was tied to a steel bar, the other draped over a bamboo pole. As soon as Li Sicheng realized the accident was happening, he’d leapt up, grabbed the rope from the bamboo pole, and snatched it into his hand.

With the rope as his safeguard, he dared to chase Liu Wei down the building.

Due to the momentum, Li Sicheng fell faster than Liu Wei. In a flash, he caught up, shot out his right hand, and grabbed her ankle.

Eyes closed, awaiting death, Liu Wei felt something strange on her ankle. She opened her eyes and saw Li Sicheng, utterly stunned. “Why did you jump?”

“To save you,” Li Sicheng replied, grinning.

The spectators above and below were pale and trembling with fear, but Li Sicheng showed not a hint of terror—he was even smiling. Such courage was beyond ordinary.

Save me?

Liu Wei’s mouth hung open.

She couldn’t understand why Li Sicheng, a stranger, would risk his life to save her. Nor could she grasp how, after jumping, he could save her at all.

“I’ve dragged you down with me…” Liu Wei tried to apologize, but just as she spoke, her body suddenly jerked, and the falling stopped. She hung suspended in midair, gently swaying.

What was happening?

In her astonishment and confusion, Liu Wei saw the nylon rope gripped in Li Sicheng’s hand.

Suddenly, she understood.

She had believed herself doomed, but now, against all odds, fate had taken a turn. Tears streamed down her face.

Meanwhile, the crowd below noticed the rope and shouted in excitement.

“A rope! The guy saving her is holding a rope!”

“Incredible—he dared to jump with only a rope for safety. That kind of courage is truly admirable!”

“Hey, you on the rooftop! Why are you standing there? Hurry up, grab the rope and pull them up!”

Hearing the shouts, Mo Ke, Zhao Ya, and the dormitory supervisor finally noticed the taut nylon rope. They rushed over, determined to work together and haul Li Sicheng and Liu Wei back up.

But no one had anticipated that the end of the rope tied to the steel bar was not a tight knot. It was fine for hanging bedding, but it could never hold the weight of two falling people. With a sharp sound, the knot unraveled under the immense strain, and the rope began to drop toward the ground.

“Oh no, the knot’s come undone!”

“Heavens, it’s truly over now!”

“How could this happen?”

Those on the rooftop were stunned once again.

One expects many setbacks in a good deed, but no one thought that even saving a life would be fraught with such unexpected dangers.

This time, no one believed Li Sicheng and Liu Wei could be saved.

It seemed even fate had abandoned them…

But Li Sicheng refused to accept that.

He wanted to live! Not only for himself, but to save Liu Wei as well!

In truth, the moment the knot unraveled, he sensed something was wrong with the rope and acted swiftly in response…