An Unexpected Encounter【Ⅴ】意外邂逅

A Tale of Compassion and Redemption

On that day, as the sun set in the distance, I rushed to the rooftop of the school. You looked anxious, but still as adorable as ever. In the distance, a tearful young man stood on the edge of the building.

"Hello, can I sit near you for a while?"

"Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll jump."

"Well, I'll just say a few words and then leave."

I slowly sat near the young man who was contemplating jumping off the building. We remained silent for a few minutes.

"My mother suffers from schizophrenia due to the hardships of the Cultural Revolution. She used to be incredibly gentle, but for no reason, she would scold me and beat me, regardless of whether I did something wrong or aced an exam.

When I was 13, I stood on the rooftop of the tallest building in our village, intending to end my life. My elder brother, just like me now, sat beside me and said,

'I understand how you feel. Don't die today. Let me accompany you for a few days, and then we can die together. Besides, this building is only three stories high, and jumping might not kill you, but it will surely hurt.'

In the following years, due to poverty at home, he was too busy making a living and had no time to be with me.

Later, when I was 19, my elder brother and I both fell in love with an older woman. Eventually, she chose to marry one of my elder brother’s affluent friends. Heartbroken, I once again contemplated jumping off a building. This time, a university classmate of mine sat beside me and said,

‘Since you allowed me to sit next to you, it proves that you are still waiting. Perhaps you are waiting for your mother or someone you love. Ultimately, you are waiting for someone who cares about you, and that person is me.’

Look into my eyes, believe me. I have experienced the same pain as you. If you choose not to die today, you can change this world.”

The young man contemplating suicide slowly locked eyes with me, tears streaming down his face. We gazed at each other for what felt like an eternity, maybe a minute, maybe a century. In that moment, there was only the sound of the wind.

Eventually, the sound of the wind faded away, and I approached him slowly. He climbed down, and the rooftop was filled with the sounds of our shared tears.