Chapter 178 Come to the rooftop? The kind where you push someone off.

When Shi Nianzhi woke up, her hands and feet were tied up, and she was surrounded by an unfinished building, which looked very desolate.

There was no shelter from the wind on the roof, and it was very windy late at night.

A single lamp, in such a desolate place, seemed somewhat eerie.

"woke up."

Gu Zichu emerged from the darkness and stood under the lamp. He reached out and dragged Shi Nianzhi toward the edge of the rooftop.

Because it was an unfinished building, there wasn't even a railing. Shi Nianzhi was pulled to the edge. He glanced down and, through the dim light, could see the abandoned scene below in the pitch-black sky.

It is terrifying.

Are you scared?

After asking the question, Gu Zichu laughed heartily again.

Shi Nianzhi closed her eyes and forced herself to speak calmly, "You've fallen for Lu Bing's trick."

Gu Zichu remained silent for a moment.

Shi Nianzhi sat on this edge, his hands bound. The wind was strong, and he had the illusion that a gust of wind could blow him off at any moment.

“Lu Bing hates Lu Jiunian, and the thing that causes Lu Jiunian the most pain is my death. If you push me off here today, you won’t survive either. You’ve been used as a pawn.”

"Live? I never intended to live when I started this."

Are you willing to be used by others?

Gu Zichu squatted down, and he met Shi Nianzhi's gaze. Suddenly, he smiled frivolously and coldly, "Are you scared?"

Shi Nianzhi met his gaze without fear, "What am I afraid of?"

“I don’t love Lu Jiunian, so there aren’t as many dramatic scenes as in novels and TV dramas. I only hate you and want you to die. Now, with this gentle push, you’ll fall and never live again.”

Shi Nianzhi's words revealed no fear, but rather a calmness: "You are still very young, with so many years left in your life. Do you think it's worth risking your life for hating me these past few years?"

"Have you forgotten? I should have died long ago. Gu Zichu, whose condition worsened due to lack of funds for surgery, should have died three years ago!"

"But you are alive and well now."

"Oh----"

Gu Zichu gazed at the pitch-black night scene. He sat in front of Shi Nianzhi, using his foot to brace against Shi Nianzhi's leg.

His movements were so dangerous, as if he was about to kick Shi Nianzhi down at any moment.

“I can no longer live a good life. You are the one who drove me to this path.”

Gu Zichu's eyes reddened, and he stared at Shi Nianzhi with hatred, saying, "You want me to go to jail, you want to watch me linger in this world. But why? Gu Zijian! Why do we look like that man, and have similar blood in our veins, yet you are living a life of endless glory while I have to live like a rat in the street!"

"You once had everything I had. You should think carefully about why you squandered such a good hand! Is it really just because your identity was fake that you've ended up like this?"

"Otherwise what?!"

Gu Zichu suddenly raised his voice and questioned Nianzhi, "It's because I'm fake that no matter how careful and cautious I am, I will still lose what I gain! Fate is so unfair. It gives you everything. Even if I accidentally possess it, it's still yours, and I will always give you what's yours."

"You've been too calculating. If you had left Shi Nianzhi a way out back then, there wouldn't be a Gu Zijian today."

"What do you know?! What have you seen? You think you've seen the evils of this world just because you knelt and kowtowed in the snow and had money thrown in your face? Do you know what it's like to have your medication stopped because you can't afford the bills in the hospital? Do you know what it's like to lie in a dilapidated, cramped rented room, watching the long night, afraid to sleep, afraid that if I fall asleep, I won't see the sun rise tomorrow? If you experienced my life from childhood to adulthood, you would know why I have become the way I am today, and why I would rather die than live that kind of life again!"

A life without hope and light is like a mouse stealing in the dark, living a life devoid of dignity in this world.

Gu Zichu closed his eyes and sneered, "I have nothing left, what am I afraid of? At least I can take you with me in death, then I'll have no regrets! You don't know how much I hate you, how much I envy and resent you. You have everything—love, family, friendship. You're like me on the other side of this world. I suffer on this side, while you enjoy wealth and glory on the other! Tell me, what reason do you have not to die with me! Ah, my good brother?!"

Shi Nianzhi's neck was gripped tightly by him, leaving him suspended in mid-air. If he wasn't careful or if Gu Zi exerted even the slightest bit of force, he would be in danger.

Shi Nianzhi fell and smashed into a pulp.

Gu Zichu grabbed Shi Nianzhi by the neck and looked to the side at the sky just beginning to dawn. "Look, a new day has begun. How wonderful."

Shi Nianzhi's voice was hoarse from being choked. He looked at Gu Zichu and asked, "Do you really have nothing left in this world? Has no one ever warmed your heart?"

"No!"

"And what about your mother? What about your uncle? What about the boy who once loved you?"

"there is none left......"

Looking at the scene before him, Gu Zichu seemed to recall something, his eyes reddening and tears streaming down his face.

He added, "When I was tempted to kill my mother and uncle, I extinguished the last bit of warmth this world had for me with my own hands. Die, Gu Zijian!"

Gu Zichu was truly ruthless and cruel. He pushed Shi Nianzhi down forcefully and released his grip.

Shi Nianzhi's hands, which had been struggling behind his back, had a large chunk of flesh scraped off by the rough hemp rope. Ignoring the pain, the moment his hands broke free of the rope, Shi Nianzhi reacted quickly and reached out to grab the edge of the rooftop.

He strained his fingers, veins bulging, and after the sudden feeling of falling subsided, Shi Nianzhi gritted his teeth and maintained that posture.

At the same time, the rooftop door was finally pushed open, and Lu Jiunian and Gu Dongxuan arrived with a group of police officers.

Gu Dongxuan went to the old house to look for Shi Nianzhi but couldn't find her. He thought Lu Jiunian had kidnapped Shi Nianzhi and went to Lu Jiunian to ask for her back.

The two only realized something was wrong when they met.

Fortunately, both sides were very powerful and quickly found clues and tracked them down.

When Lu Jiunian opened the door and did not see Shi Nianzhi, his pupils suddenly contracted, especially when he saw the bloodstains on the ground in the morning light.

His whole heart felt like it was being gripped by a pair of large hands.

Lu Jiunian rushed towards Gu Zichu immediately, "What did you do to him?"

Gu Zichu took a half-step back without leaving a trace, and stomped hard on Shi Nianzhi's fingers with the sole of his shoe.

Because he was afraid the police would shoot, he raised his hands with a forced smile and said, "They pushed me down, just a second before you arrived."

Shi Nianzhi had used all his strength and energy to keep himself from falling; he was covered in cold sweat, and his face and neck were red from the effort.

He no longer had the strength to shout, let alone with Gu Zichu stepping on his fingers. Shi Nianzhi could only grit his teeth and grip the edge even tighter to keep himself from falling.

Because I bit too hard, my mouth was filled with the taste of blood.

When Gu Zichu saw Lu Jiunian running over, he leaned back as if he had no regrets. His decisive action made it seem as if he was tired of living.

As he fell, he grabbed Shi Nianzhi's leg.

"I said, I'd take you with me even if I died!"

The excruciating pain from stepping on her finger suddenly vanished. Before Shi Nianzhi could even catch her breath, Gu Zichu abruptly grabbed her and pulled her down.

His fingers were digging into the edge; he was already nearing the end of his life, how could he possibly carry the weight of another person?

Pulled by Gu Zichu, Shi Nianzhi's fingers lost their grip on the edge, leaving several bloody marks, and she fell downwards with Gu Zichu.

"Read it!"

Lu Jiunian spotted the blood-soaked hand with lightning speed and lunged forward without thinking, grabbing Shi Nianzhi's arm tightly.

He fell downwards, but luckily someone grabbed his leg from behind.

"Nianzhi, hold on, I'll pull you up."

When Lu Jiunian touched it, all he felt was a sticky patch of blood. From Shi Nianzhi's wrist to her forearm, there was a finger-length piece of skin that looked as if the flesh had been scraped off along with it.

It looked painful, and Lu Jiunian felt heartbroken, but no matter how much it hurt, she had no choice but to hold him tightly like that.

He couldn't just watch him die.

When Gu Zichu saw that Lu Jiunian had grabbed Shi Nianzhi, he sneered, grabbed Shi Nianzhi's leg, and swayed his body forcefully in the air.

He wanted to die with Shi Nianzhi, and wouldn't mind having Lu Jiunian as well.

His hands were already slippery from the blood, and Shi Nianzhi was slender, so Lu Jiunian had to grit his teeth and squeeze hard. He felt as if he was squeezing Shi Nianzhi's bones through her flesh.

"If this continues, your hand will be ruined if you're pulled up like this. Nianzhi, he didn't pull your other leg. Think of a way to get Gu Zichu down and kill him!"

Lu Jiunian's voice was so cold that Gu Zichu swayed even more violently.

“Death? Letting him die is too easy for him. Isn’t he most afraid of going to jail, most afraid of living a life without light? I’m going to let him live, let him live in the world he fears most. Death is not difficult, living is the greatest pain for him. I want him to live his whole life in regret.”

Shi Nianzhi looked up and spoke to Lu Jiunian in a weak and feeble voice.

Gu Zichu was still shaking vigorously down there, as if he had fallen into a near-death frenzy, disregarding everything and going completely mad.

It was as if they were determined to drag Shi Nianzhi down with their lives!

Shi Nianzhi lowered her head and looked at Gu Zichu, "You may not know this yet, but your mother has confessed to everything. She took all the blame herself."

"What do you mean?"

Gu Zichu seemed not to have figured it out yet.

By the time he realized what was happening, he was already sitting on the rooftop, handcuffed by the police.

Lu Jiunian nervously and worriedly hugged Shi Nianzhi as they prepared to leave.

Gu Zichu lunged forward as if he had gone mad, grabbing Shi Nianzhi's blood-soaked wrist. "What did you say? What do you mean?!"

Lu Jiunian was furious and kicked Gu Zichu in the stomach, sending Gu Zichu flying a long way.

Shi Nianzhi looked weakly at Gu Zichu, "In other words, you could have avoided going to jail, but now, that's not the case."