The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 43

Suspicion – 13

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"There's no chance for that shower..." Gu Yanta hung up the phone and said to Lu Zheng, "Bai Xiaoting took advantage of the shift change between Yu Tiantian and Ma Qin, using the excuse of going to the toilet, she escaped by jumping out of the hospital's second-floor window."

"Got it, let's search near the hospital first. She's just a young woman, and without money on her, she can't have gone far," Lu Zheng replied.

"Why can't anyone in that dormitory settle down? What could possibly be so serious as to make them act like this?" Gu Yanta said helplessly.

"Everyone's been through adolescence, a lot of people get trapped by adolescent worries," Lu Zheng said, closing his eyes. "Honestly, once that phase is over, when you look back, what seemed like a monumental issue at the time turns out to be nothing at all."

Gu Yanta rolled down the car window and let out a long sigh. The events of the past few days had left him feeling overwhelmed. A group of vibrant female university students, in the prime of their lives, had been struck by one misfortune after another. Of the two survivors, one was still in a coma, and the other was a prime suspect. What on earth had caused this string of tragedies? Gu Yanta was utterly clueless. The inner world of young women was something he didn't understand, and he couldn't fathom what could drive events to this extent.

The two of them drove towards the hospital. On the way, they passed the Sichuan North River. As night fell, the riverside took on a romantic air. The promenade along the river was dotted with lights, a favourite spot for young couples on dates. Pairs of lovers strolled hand in hand by the water, enjoying the summer evening breeze and whispering sweet nothings.

Just as their car reached the bridge crossing the river, Gu Yanta noticed that traffic ahead was at a complete standstill. Logically speaking, rush hour was long over, and the main roads they'd taken earlier had been clear, so why was it so congested here?

Gu Yanta was craning his neck to see what was happening when the middle-aged man in the driver's seat of a Mercedes next to them spoke up. "Don't bother looking, mate, someone's trying to commit suicide up ahead, we're not getting through anytime soon. This bridge over the river is really fucking cursed, with two people jumping off in one day!"

In the passenger seat sat a young woman who grumbled, "If they're going to jump, just jump. If they don't want to live, they should find a quiet place to die on their own instead of making such a big scene and inconveniencing others. People like that have no sense of public decency."

"Calm down, sweetheart. There's nothing we can do about it."

"How can I not be calm? If we're any later, the shop will close, and that limited-edition bag I've been waiting two months for will be gone..." she pouted.

Gu Yanta gave a bitter smile. What kind of mindset do people have nowadays? A human life mattered less to her than a handbag! Suddenly, a thought struck him like lightning! The bridge was just a ten-minute walk from Ren'ai Hospital, could the person trying to jump be...

"Let's go!" Gu Yanta shouted to Lu Zheng. "It might be Bai Xiaoting up ahead!"

Lu Zheng had reached the same conclusion as Gu Yanta, and he bolted from the passenger seat.

"Hey, hey, are these two people crazy? No need to abandon the car just because of a traffic jam, what's the point of fucking blocking the middle of the bridge?" the Mercedes driver yelled angrily.

The two of them sprinted through the middle of the traffic, prompting a chorus of honking horns and complaints from the other drivers. But they didn't care. The only thing that mattered now was stopping Bai Xiaoting from jumping off the bridge.

The bridge spanned over two thousand metres, and they had only run halfway when Lu Zheng ran out of breath. Gu Yanta grabbed his arm and teased, "See, what did I say? You don't eat properly, and you don't exercise, admit it already!"

Lu Zheng gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Gu Yanta secretly laughed in his heart, With your physique, you still want to be a top? I think you'd better forget it!

Before long, he saw that a dense crowd had gathered, three or four rows deep, to watch the commotion. Gu Yanta knew they were in the right place.

From a distance, he could see a girl in a blue-and-white hospital gown standing on the edge of the bridge. With her slender figure and long hair, blown messily across her face by the wind, who could it be if not Bai Xiaoting?!

Lu Zheng, being nimbler, broke through the onlookers first, while Gu Yanta fell behind.

The crowd buzzed with speculation. Some thought she was emotionally frustrated, others guessed she was terminally ill. But none of them offered any words of comfort. Instead, a few young men were jeering, grinning mischievously.

"Jump ah! Hurry up and jump!"

"That's right, wasting so much of our time and then not jumping, how's that reasonable?"

Gu Yanta punched the man square in the face "Can you fucking talk properly? If you can't, shut up!"

"What the fuck? What's it to you what I say?" The man, clutching his face, was just about to retaliate when he was put on the ground by another punch from Gu Yanta.

Gu Yanta pulled out his badge, "Look closely, police, if you want to complain, note down my badge number!"

The surrounding crowd heard that a police officer was present and promptly stepped aside, and only then was Gu Yanta able to squeeze in.

Bai Xiaoting turned back and spotted Lu Zheng standing silently nearby. Tears streamed down her face as she screamed, "Don't come any closer, if you do, I'll jump!"

"I won't come closer, I'll just stand here and talk to you."

"Bai Xiaoting, you are so irrational, have you thought about your mother? " 

Bai Xiaoting's body visibly trembled, and she wordlessly bit her lip.

"When your mother heard something had happened to you, she rushed here at the first opportunity. She was still wearing a rubber apron from the fish market. But knowing you'd feel embarrassed, she deliberately changed into clean clothes before going to see you," Lu Zheng spoke in a calm tone, revealing no hint of agitation.

"She raised you all by herself, got up early and worked hard to put you through school, are you doing her justice? If you die, everything will be over, but how is your mother supposed to go on? Don't you feel even a little guilty towards her?!" 

Bai Xiaoting froze. Seizing the moment when her focus wavered, Gu Yanta rushed forward and pulled her down from the edge of the bridge in one swift motion.

"Let go of me! Let me go!" Bai Xiaoting struggled desperately. "I killed someone! I don't want to live any more!"

"!!!" As soon as these words came out, Gu Yanta froze, no one expected the case to take a turn so quickly.

"Wuuwuu..." Bai Xiaoting, unable to resist, broke down into sobs, covering her face with her hands.

Gu Yanta picked Bai Xiaoting up in his arms, carried her back to the car, and placed her gently in the back seat. Bai Xiaoting had stopped wailing and was just sobbing silently.

"Let's go back and talk about what's going on, no matter what, you can't seek death." Gu Yanta said softly. "You're still so young, even if you've done something wrong, there's still a chance to make amends. But if you lose your life, everything will be irreparable."

Bai Xiaoting nodded silently.

The three of them drove to the hospital and finally settled Bai Xiaoting down.

"Let her calm down for now," Lu Zheng said to Gu Yanta in the hospital corridor. "If we try to question her right away, we won't get anything out of her."

Gu Yanta nodded. Turning to Tiantian and Ma Qin, he instructed, "We must take responsibility for her personal safety, we cannot let something like this happen a second time!"

"Yes, Boss!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: January 20, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 18, 2025 by Angel