There's no medicine for regret. Wan Hai only then remembered the old saying: "Do not do to others what you do not want done to you."
He hoped the footsteps in the Red Mansion were just a fluke, not heading towards the basement.
But he was wrong. The footsteps grew closer and louder, clearly heading for the basement.
Even worse, judging by the sound, there was more than one person!
Wan Hai finally felt the despair deep within his soul. All his hopes and dreams collapsed in an instant!
Two bright emergency lights swept down, and Wan Hai suddenly started, accelerating, rushing past the other person before he could react.
He bumped into someone. A thin man, his windbreaker tightly wrapped around him, his eyes sunken and his mouth tightly pursed. The emergency light quickly swept across his face. In the remaining glow, Wan Hai could clearly see the person he had bumped into—Xiao Jing.
Wanhai knew Xiao Jing, the mysterious librarian at Nanjiang Medical College. He had heard all sorts of terrifying stories about him—rumors circulated about him, saying he was supposedly dead, lying in the hospital morgue for two days before miraculously coming back to life.
Xiao Jing always had an indescribable aura about him. Some said it was the aura of death, and that anyone who approached him would be unlucky. Several women at Nanjiang Medical College once worked part-time in the library, but none lasted a month. They were extremely secretive about their experiences, and the mention of Xiao Jing turned pale and terrified, some even refusing to visit the library again.
Wanhai was younger and stronger, after all. He forcefully pushed Xiao Jing aside and escaped through the opening he had made.
Xiao Jing had accompanied Fang Yuan's homeroom teacher, Qin Yue, to the Red Building basement.
It turned out that it was already late when Xiao Jing returned to the library after finishing her work. He thought Fang Yuan had been through so much recently and worried she hadn't recovered yet, so he called girls' dormitory 441 to check on her. His call went unanswered. The girls in dormitory 441 were watching Zhang Yimou's latest blockbuster, "House of Flying Daggers," with Qin Yue and her boyfriend, He Jianhui. Fang Yuan was trapped in the basement of the Red Mansion.
Xiao Jing felt uneasy when no one answered her phone. She called Qin Yue, and they both realized Fang Yuan was indeed missing. Fang Yuan had no relatives or friends in Nanjiang City. In the middle of the night, where else could she go but back to her dormitory? Qin Yue and the other girls, fearing Fang Yuan might have met with further misfortune, rushed back and, along with Xiao Jing, searched separately, but their efforts were fruitless.
They couldn't bring themselves to call the police or alert the school. After all, Fang Yuan was already a grown-up. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if she had simply gone out for a leisurely stroll?
Just as they were at their wit's end, Su Ya suddenly blurted out, "Fang Yuan was trapped in the Red Building's basement last time. Could she be trapped there again this time?"
Indeed, if there weren't many places in Nanjiang Medical College where someone could be trapped alive, the Red Building's basement was one of them. Xiao Jing and Qin Yue borrowed an emergency light and, with the intention of taking a closer look, went to investigate. Unexpectedly, they actually saved Fang Yuan's life.
Xiao Jing stumbled after being bumped by Wan Hai. By the time he regained his balance, Wan Hai had already run out and disappeared.
Qin Yue supported Xiao Jing, looking in the direction where Wan Hai had disappeared and asked, "Did you see who it was?"
Xiao Jing nodded. "Yes, I did. It was a student."
"Do you know him?"
"I don't know his name, but I recognized him." Xiao Jing pushed Qin Yue's hand away. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Qin Yue felt a little embarrassed. Xiao Jing was still that bad-tempered person, disliking people approaching or sympathizing with him. Fortunately, the light in the Red Mansion corridor was dim, so Xiao Jing didn't notice her expression.
"Student? Why is he here at this time?"
"I don't know either. Wait here, I'll go down and take a look."
After saying that, Xiao Jing walked down the stairs and coughed a few times—he could smell the strong smell of gasoline.
Then, he heard Fang Yuan's cry for help: "Help!"
"Fang Yuan? Is that Fang Yuan?"
Fang Yuan saw Xiao Jing and nearly burst into tears. "Teacher Xiao, come and save me! Be careful, this place is covered in gasoline. Don't light a fire!"
Xiao Jing asked Qin Yue to report the incident to the school security guards on duty. They brought a huge pair of pliers, which cut through the chains, opened the gate, and rescued the three people.
Fang Yuan was fine, merely frightened. Only then did she feel the aftermath and burst into tears. Li Rong was in a terrible state, suffering from severe head bleeding and going into shock. Tang Tianyu was no better. Facing the semi-crazed Li Rong, he dared not fight back, but only dodged and defended himself, fearing he might accidentally hasten Li Rong's death. As a result, he himself was cut several times and couldn't even stand, covered in blood.
Li Rong and Tang Tianyu were both taken to the affiliated hospital of Nanjiang Medical College. Security officers asked Fang Yuan if she wanted to go as well, but she politely declined.
Just as everyone was frantically busy, someone suddenly pointed at the roof of the Red Building and screamed, "Someone's about to jump!"
The person attempting to jump was Wan Hai!
Several security guards rushed to the rooftop, but couldn't get close to him—as soon as the guards approached, Wan Hai would jump!
The security guards tried to persuade him, but he refused to listen. He demanded a condition: to see Fang Yuan.
Just now, he had wanted to burn Fang Yuan alive, and now he wanted to see her! The girls all urged Fang Yuan to ignore him and let him jump, saying he deserved it.
Initially, Fang Yuan didn't want to see Wan Hai. The smug, sinister look on his face as he trapped her in the basement made her feel cold and sick, like seeing a poisonous snake.
But after calming down, she decided to go see him.
She wanted to hear what Wanhai would say in the end.
Wanhai sat alone on the edge of the roof, ready to jump at any moment. The nearest security guard was ten meters away. If he had deliberately decided to jump, there was no way they could have saved him.
He faced Fang Yuan, a hint of pride on his face. "I knew you would come."
"Really?" Fang Yuan stopped about seven or eight meters away. She didn't want to be dragged down with him. "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."
Wanhai looked up at the dimly lit sky and sighed softly. "The weather is really bad today. Even the moon won't come out."
"I'm not here to listen to your nonsense. What do you want from me? If not, I'm leaving." Fang Yuan turned to leave.
"Don't go! Talk to me, okay? I'm leaving this world soon." Wanhai's tone was particularly sad.
"Then, can you answer a few questions for me?" Fang Yuan asked tentatively. This was the real reason she had come up.
"Ask."
"Tell me, why do you want to kill me?" Fang Yuan had asked this question in the basement. Wan Hai hadn't answered, citing the time limit. She had figured it out: Wan Hai's motive for killing her was the crux of the matter.
Wan Hai blinked, a hint of cunning in his voice. "Because I have to kill you to save myself. Is that an okay answer?"
He had to kill himself to save him? Wan Hai was avoiding the main point!
Fang Yuan was a little angry. Wan Hai was so treacherous. "What kind of answer is that?"
"This is the answer. If you don't want to hear it, you don't have to."
"What about Xu Yan? How did she die?"
Xu Yan's death was also a mystery. The police said she committed suicide, but Fang Yuan refused to believe it.
Speaking of Xu Yan, Wan Hai felt a touch of sadness. "Xu Yan's death is my only regret. After all, she was the only girl who fell in love with me. This was her fate, and no one could resist it."
Fate? Fang Yuan didn't believe it. "Did she really commit suicide?"
"I guess so."
"If it's true, it's true. If it's not, it's not true. How can it be true?"
Wan Hai didn't want to answer her anymore. He asked quietly, "What time is it now?"
Fang Yuan asked the security guard behind her and replied, "It's almost twelve o'clock."
"Twelve o'clock? It's so fast! One day is about to end and a new one is about to begin. This world is really beautiful. It's a pity that I have to leave."
Hearing Wan Hai's heartfelt feelings, Fang Yuan Fang Yuan felt compassion and advised him, "Wait! Wanhai, wake up! Stop doing stupid things! You said it yourself: Cheng Li committed suicide, and Xu Yan also committed suicide. Li Rong is not dead and is still being treated. Everything is over. Turn yourself in to the police. There's still time to turn back!"
"You're wrong!" Wanhai suddenly stood up and looked directly at Fang Yuan. "Remember what I said. This is just the beginning. No one can escape fate!"
With that, he cast a deep gaze at the gray sky and leaped from the roof!