Chapter 53: Death

Chapter 53: Death

Gu Jiabei is set to attend an intensive Olympiad mathematics training session, and upon its conclusion, he will directly proceed to participate in the preliminary competition.

On the day he left, it was sudden, so sudden that Yun He didn't even get to see him before he received a message from Gu Jiabei informing him that he had already departed.

Yun He inquired about how long it might take for Gu Jiabei to return, to which Gu Jiabei simply replied that it was uncertain.

Yun He felt a sense of emptiness and occasional unease in his heart, which he believed was probably due to Zheng Han's matters that made him particularly tense and sensitive at the moment.

Yun He's daily routine is to be by Zheng Han's side as much as possible, accompanying him through meals, bathroom visits, and enduring the difficult times together.

Zhang Penghui would always make some mean jokes in the classroom, which were nothing more than obscene words such as men's butts. He would also deliberately blow a hooligan whistle or laugh meanly when passing in front of Zheng Han, butJust don't conflict with Yun He head-on.

Yun He had promised Zheng Han not to provoke those people, trying to let Zheng Han pass the last days of school as low-key as possible, but heaven knows how much he wanted to swing his fist and charge up every time he saw Zhang Peng's face.

Later, Zheng Han's father came to the school. He had finally finished his work and found time to return. That day, Zheng Han's father spent the entire afternoon in the teacher's office. Zheng Han was restless and uneasy the whole afternoon, constantly nibbling on his own fingernails with his mouth. Yun He felt that he was genuinely afraid and nervous.

Before long, Zheng Han was called to the office. Before leaving, Zheng Han said to Yun He, "Yun He, I'm scared..."

"He's your father, don't be afraid," Yun He reassured him.

"No... you don't understand him..." Zheng Han's hands began to tremble slightly. He took a deep breath and said, "Yun He, I think my father will make me transfer schools... He is such a person who values face..."

"Will you listen to him? Will you leave?"

"I'm not sure... Perhaps it might... Yun He, regardless of the circumstances, I'm genuinely glad to be desk partners with you."

Zheng Han revealed a shy yet radiant smile to Yun He, a smile that was both heart-wrenching and incredibly resilient.

On that day, Zheng Han stood in the backlight, as if he had grown a pair of wings behind him.

Yun He couldn't comprehend why such a cautious, introverted, gentle, and kind little angel had to endure all this unjust treatment. Was it solely because of the connection between affection for another person and their gender?

Zheng Han waved to Yun He and then left the classroom.

Later, after school, as classmates gradually departed, Yun He remained behind.

Gu Jiabei was, in any case, not in the city, so Yun He found himself returning home to idle away his time. Thus, he sat alone in his classroom seat for a long while, until the bustling crowds in the campus had thinned down to just a few scattered students, and the sun's lingering rays began to blanket the entire playground. Only then did he leisurely gather his belongings, preparing to depart.

Yun He stepped out of the academic building, his shadow stretched long by the setting sun. No sooner had he left the building than his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he found a message from an unknown number.

"Isn't it time for your relationship with Gu Jiabei to come to light?" Yun He stared at the glaring message, his pupils constricting abruptly.

"Who are you?" Yun He halted, his breathing involuntarily intensifying.

Simultaneously, his phone received a photo. He quickly opened it and saw a snapshot taken one evening after school, capturing the moment when Gu Jiabei, cycling back home, turned around to kiss Yun He.

The lighting was poor that night, and the photo was taken from a distance, making it difficult to discern their faces clearly. But Yun He knew that anyone familiar with both him and Gu Jiabei could still identify them based on their silhouettes.

"What do you want to do?" Yun He's hands began to grow cold and tremble. The sudden appearance of this photo was undoubtedly a bomb for him, because he had been clearly witnessing the ordeals that Zheng Han had been through these past few days.

Yun He's immediate reaction was to ensure that Gu Jiabei would not be implicated in any way.

Yun He stood still, waiting for a long time, until finally, the next message arrived.

"Wait for me to decide on the time and place, and then I'll inform you. Remember to bring Gu Jiabei. I want to see both of you kneeling before me."

Yun He had just finished reading the message and was still digesting its content when he was startled by a sudden dark shadow plummeting from the sky, accompanied by a muffled thud.

There were still a few students left in the school, and they were also startled. Then, a scream pierced through the crowd, "Ahhhhhh!!! Dead body!!"

The crowd suddenly erupted into chaos, voices cacophonous, but Yun He was oblivious. His gaze was fixated on the ground just meters away, where a person lay. Blood was pouring profusely from that person's head, forming a crimson tide that relentlessly crept toward Yun He's feet, as if engulfing everything in its path.

Yun He's phone and backpack slipped from his grasp, landing on the ground unnoticed. His eyes were fixated on the figure lying there, unable to utter a sound. The deep crimson blood seeped into his vision, and the pale face, now submerged in the pool of blood, caused his entire body to tremble uncontrollably.

Yun He yearned to step closer to the figure, but he had no control over his body; his limbs were numb, rendering him motionless like a sealed statue standing frozen in place.

"Zheng Han!!" A heart-wrenching cry echoed through the air as a middle-aged man stumbled out of the teaching building and fell to his knees in the pool of blood: "Zheng Han!! Zheng Han!!"

The middle-aged man's hair was disheveled, and tears and snot flowed uncontrollably down his face. With trembling hands, he gently lifted his son's head, hands now stained with blood. "Son! My foolish son!!"

Zheng Han has tragically passed away after falling from a building...

Later, a police car arrived, and the homeroom teacher rushed over as well, watching as Zheng Han's body was covered with a white sheet and taken away.

The sky had turned completely dark. The frightened students were gathered and comforted by the school before being sent home, but Yun He remained standing in the same spot, unwilling to leave. His homeroom teacher stood beside him for a long time, offering support.

"Return, Yun He," the homeroom teacher said, his voice trembling as though he had aged significantly in an instant.

Yun He remained silent, utterly still.

"Go back…" The class teacher placed a hand on Yun He's shoulder and gave it a gentle pat.

After a long while, Yun He murmured hesitantly, "Zheng Han... why..."

Why did Zheng Han fall from the building? Was it suicide? Or an accident? Was it because of his homosexuality? Didn't he say he would hold on? Why? What exactly happened?!

"The specific details will be investigated by the police, and the school authorities will also..." The class teacher couldn't continue; any further words would be mere empty and meaningless platitudes.

On that day, Yun He was unaware of how he made his way back home. Upon arriving, he rushed straight to the bathroom and clung to the toilet, vomiting for what seemed like an eternity. He was so weak that his legs could no longer support him, and tears streamed continuously down his face. Yun He looked down at his shoes, feeling as if they were stained with Zheng Han's blood. He grabbed a shoe brush and scrubbed and scraped at his shoes with all his might, venting his frustration, even though the shoes were clean. Yet, he felt they could never be clean again.

Yun He sat limply on the bathroom floor, his pants and shoes completely soaked. His hands were trembling incessantly, and his lips were quivering as well. Tears streamed down his face in large drops, and his mind had lost the ability to think.

The last smile of Zheng Han kept recurring before his eyes, only to be replaced by the pale face lying in a pool of blood after the fall, with those unclosed eyes seemingly staring at him. The two faces kept interchanging incessantly, making Yun He feel as if he was going mad.

Tormented, he was at a loss. In a sudden moment, he thought of Gu Jiabei and, with unsteady steps, pulled himself up from the ground to rush into the living room. Fumbling through his backpack, he retrieved his phone and, with trembling fingers, dialed Gu Jiabei's number. However, the call went unanswered.

He kept dialing, only to hear the repeated message, "The subscriber you are trying to reach is currently switched off."

Yun He was utterly panicked. He slapped the schoolbag on the dining table to the ground, causing textbooks to scatter everywhere. A yellow envelope leisurely landed atop the pile of books.

"Yun He, Personal" The elegant handwriting on the envelope was instantly recognizable to Yun He; it was Zheng Han's script!

Zheng Han left him a letter!

Yun He's mind slowly came to life, belatedly realizing the situation. He knelt on the ground and picked up the letter, which seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, too heavy for his hands to bear.

Yun He:

This is my first time writing a letter to someone, I've never even written one to my own brother, hehe, you're the first friend to receive a letter from me – doesn't that make you happy?

Alright, I admit it, apart from you and my brother, I don't have any other friends.

I actually envy you; you're good-looking, excel in your studies, and have a pleasant personality. I know many people at school have a crush on you, unlike me, who just sits quietly at my desk, buried in books. But I have my brother's affection, so I don't feel unhappy.

My brother treats me incredibly well. He doesn't find me dull because of my introversion, nor does he mock me for being timid. My parents are always busy, it's my brother who's always there for me. He celebrates my birthdays with me, helps me with homework, tells me jokes as we fall asleep, and accompanies me in doing anything I desire.

But such a wonderful person as my brother has been dragged into trouble because of me. I'm not afraid of gossip from others, I only fear hurting my brother.

Actually, that kiss in the photograph was my first and only one with my brother. That day was so perfect that I still grin foolishly whenever I recall it. But I can't understand why they would take such a precious memory of mine, something so beautiful, and trample on it at will. Just because we're both males? But no one has ever treated me as kindly as my brother did since we were kids. Does it really matter if the person who treats me well is male or female?

Yun He, I don't comprehend. I've never harmed them, yet why do they have the right to hurt me and my brother as they please?

But I won't hold any grudges against them, for they haven't walked in my shoes and can't grasp my feelings. I won't blame anyone; I'm simply confused.

Yun He, my father is going to school tomorrow. I won't be able to hide this from him anymore. Knowing his temperament, he might make me transfer schools or even move out of this city. It's possible that after school tomorrow, I'll never see you again. I don't want to say goodbye in person, for I fear I won't be able to hold back my tears. You're, after my brother, the kindest person to me, and there aren't many like that. Hence, every such person is invaluable to me.

Brother said that when we grow up and have control over our lives, our reunion might be even more beautiful.

I trust everything my brother says, Yun He. Therefore, I don't want to bid you farewell. What I'd like to tell you is this: let's meet again when we've grown into better versions of ourselves. By then, I'll probably be holding hands with my brother when we come to see you, and I hope that the person standing by your side remains the one you desire.

I wish for you to be able to stay with the one you love without having to go through what I've experienced.

Ah, also, I truly don't have other friends to boast to, so I can only share my affection with you. I genuinely adore my brother more than anything, to the point that I'll never forget him in this lifetime, and I can't imagine being with anyone else. Thinking of him warms my heart. I'll wait for my brother's return; he always keeps his promises, and I trust him. Hehe...

Lastly, I want to thank you, Yun He, for accompanying me through this challenging period. You're an angel sent from above, and regardless of where I am in the future, I'll forever bless you.

Wishing the dashing Yun He eternal happiness and good health, with the ability to always be with the one you love.

The signature is Zheng Han.

Yun He's tears, like detached kites, soaked the letter, blurring the ink. His chest throbbed fiercely, and with great effort, he forced himself to engage his mind, to comprehend the revelations before him.

The timing of this letter suggests it was written by Zheng Han last night. In the letter, there is no indication of suicidal tendencies; instead, it is filled with optimism and resilience. So why... why does today's scene unfold in such a manner...?

And his elder brother... What does it mean to say he'll wait for his brother's return... Where has his brother gone...

"Zheng Han..." Yun He clutched the letter to his chest, his voice choked with tears: "You... you foolish... blockhead..."