On June 3, 2024, at 10:10 AM, students below the senior year of high school headed to the playground for their morning exercise session.
During times like these, Tong Yang would usually use the 25-minute break to quickly complete a math test.
"Shiyu, that guy from Class 3 is here again."
One of the rich girl's lackeys hurried into the classroom, accidentally bumping into Tong Yang's elbow as she passed by, leaving a long streak across her test paper.
Tong Yang frowned but decided not to make a fuss—after all, the rich girl had given her 250 yuan just two days ago. She moved on to the next problem.
Chu Shiyu scrunched up her delicate face. "Is he insane? What does he want now?"
"Shiyu, come out for a second!"
A boy with thick glasses stood by the window at the back of the classroom. His face was dotted with freckles, and his cheeks flushed red as he called out.
Chu Shiyu rolled her eyes and turned away, muttering to her lackeys, "I’ll give you 200 yuan to get rid of him."
"Ugh, he’s so weird. I don’t even want to talk to him."
"Same… Those freckles are disgusting."
Chu Shiyu slumped onto her desk, covering her face with a book, about to scold her useless followers when a pale hand suddenly appeared in front of her. She blinked in surprise and looked up to see Tong Yang staring at her with an eager grin.
"200 yuan, and I’ll make him leave."
Chu Shiyu froze. "Huh?"
"Shiyu, I bought you milk tea…"
Hearing the boy’s voice, Chu Shiyu shuddered and immediately pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket, slapping two red bills into Tong Yang’s hand.
Tong Yang pocketed the money and strode toward the back of the room, tossing over her shoulder, "Wait here."
She knocked on the window frame. "Hey, the college entrance exams are coming up. Chu Shiyu’s under a lot of stress right now. Could you leave her alone until after the exams? Whatever it is, it can wait."
The boy’s face burned even redder as he fidgeted. "S-sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. She’s way smarter than me—I wasn’t trying to bother her or… or make her like me or anything…"
Tong Yang patted the money in her pocket, satisfied. "Don’t worry, she’s not mad. Just head back for now."
The boy nodded shyly. "Can you at least give her the milk tea for me?"
"Sure. Bye."
With just a few words, she sent him on his way. Returning to Chu Shiyu, she plopped the drink onto her desk. "Mission accomplished, Your Highness. Feel free to hire me again."
The lackeys gaped at Tong Yang like she’d lost her mind. Clearly, this girl was desperate enough to do anything for cash.
"Shiyu, want me to throw that away for you?"
"So gross. Does he even own a mirror? How dare he chase after you?"
"I heard his family’s dirt poor. Even his uniform’s a hand-me-down. He probably stinks too."
"Who knows what he put in that drink? So creepy."
"And he said he wants to go to the same university as Shiyu? Delusional. Everyone knows Class 3 is the worst. Dream on."
"Thank god the exams are almost here. Can you imagine being stuck with that freak any longer?"
……
The lackeys sneered without restraint. Tong Yang returned to her seat, only to catch a familiar figure lingering outside the window. She paused, then glanced back at Chu Shiyu’s group.
Though Chu Shiyu hadn’t joined in the mockery, she still tossed the milk tea into the trash amid their jeers.
Tong Yang shrugged. Not her problem.
During lunch break, Tong Yang carried a stack of chemistry tests to the rooftop, settling against the wall to work.
Time slipped by until the rusty door creaked open.
Without looking up, Tong Yang muttered, "Here for the view?"
The footsteps halted. A hoarse voice replied, "What are you doing here?"
She finally glanced over—it was the glasses-wearing boy from earlier. His eyes were red-rimmed, his whole demeanor defeated. At this point, she wouldn’t be surprised if he jumped right then and there.
"Working on a test. Isn’t it obvious?" she countered.
The boy pressed his lips together and turned to leave.
"Don’t go. This is the only rooftop door you can jimmy open. If you’re planning to jump, just pretend I’m not here. This height’ll kill you instantly. Anywhere else, and you might end up paralyzed instead. That’d suck." Her tone was casual, as if discussing the weather.
The boy stiffened, tears suddenly spilling over. Broken sobs escaped his throat.
Tong Yang returned to her test, unfazed. "Liking someone isn’t wrong. But clinging to them when they clearly don’t like you back? That’s on you."
"Still, it’s not a death-worthy offense."
The boy didn’t respond, just kept crying.
She tuned him out, her pen moving steadily across the paper.
Eventually, his sobs grew ragged, hiccups interrupting his words. "Th-thank you…"
Tong Yang arched a brow. "For what? You cried on your own and stopped on your own. I didn’t do anything."
Though his eyes were still puffy, his expression had lightened. "Tong Yang… have you ever wanted to die? I just… it’s not fair. Why are some people born rich or talented, while I’m stuck being poor, mocked, wearing hand-me-downs…"
"No," she answered flatly. "Why would I?"
"I wish I could be like you…"
"Then work for it."
Finishing the last problem, she admired her densely filled answer sheet. "Done. You leaving? I’m the one who picked this lock. Want me to relock it so you can pick it again later?"
The boy managed a weak laugh. "Sorry. I… I think crying helped."
Tong Yang nodded. After a beat, she added, "I made a set of predicted exam questions for math. Want to buy it?"
He hesitated. "How much?"
She eyed him. "How much do you have?"
Flushing, he pulled out a few crumpled bills. "Only seven yuan."
She plucked five from his hand. "Five, then. No guarantees on accuracy."
"Thanks…"
Tong Yang pocketed the cash, mentally calculating whether her recent earnings would cover her younger sibling’s meals this month.
"I’m heading out. Lock up after yourself. Come find me this afternoon for the questions."
"Got it."
Tong Yang stretched lazily as she left the rooftop. As the saying goes, good advice falls on deaf ears—she had simply found a new spot to work on her practice exams while earning a little extra cash. The rest wasn’t her concern.
After lunch, just before first period, a boy came to Tong Yang to collect the mock test papers.
Chu Shiyu instinctively stiffened when she saw the boy appear, only relaxing when she realized he was there for Tong Yang.
Tong Yang had no interest in whatever was going on between them. She handed him the papers and returned to her seat.
During the fourth-period self-study session, the class teacher left them to review on their own, and Tong Yang continued working through her test papers as usual.
After school, she headed toward the cafeteria but paused when startled gasps erupted around her.
"Ah—!!"
"Someone’s going to jump!"
"Look out! Move back!"
"Oh my god!"
Tong Yang’s steps faltered. She tilted her head up and saw a figure sitting on the ledge of the rooftop balcony, their back to the crowd.
The person’s shoulders trembled before they leaned backward—amid the rising screams—and plummeted like a stone. With a sickening thud, their body struck the ground just two meters away from Tong Yang. Blood splattered across her clothes, even flecking her face with thick, sticky droplets.
Tong Yang stood frozen, eyes wide, staring at the twisted limbs before her. Blood pooled beneath the body like a river, spreading outward. The legs were bent at an impossible angle, shattered bone piercing through torn flesh. The neck was nearly severed, held only by a thin strip of skin. Broken shards of glasses had impaled the boy’s eyeballs, and a mix of blood and grime streaked his face.
Screams of horror filled the air, but Tong Yang remained silent, taking in the gruesome scene. There was no question—the boy was dead on impact.
After a few seconds, she stripped off her school jacket, stepped forward, and draped it over the boy’s upper body. Then a hand grabbed her arm, yanking her several steps back.
"Tong Yang, are you okay? Don’t look—don’t be scared..."
But Tong Yang seemed deaf to the voices around her. Her gaze locked onto the rooftop.
The incident at Third High School on June 3, 2024—labeled a suicide by jumping—needed correction.
This wasn’t a suicide.
It was a murder.
She had seen it. The boy had been pushed. A pair of hands had shoved him off.
