Chapter 167 The Whole Story

Tan Jingya asked in surprise, "You two know each other?"

"Do you think that's likely?" Han Bin retorted.

"That's true, it shouldn't be such a coincidence," Tan Jingya thought to herself. Fortunately, they didn't know each other; otherwise, she would have joined in cursing the scumbag.

"Tap, tap..." A series of footsteps echoed as a few people in police uniforms walked up to the rooftop.

"Which police substation are you officers from?" Han Bin asked.

"Changchenglu Police Substation," the leading man replied.

"I'm Han Bin from the Criminal Investigation Team of Yuhua Branch, and this is Officer Tan from the Public Relations Section of the Municipal Bureau. We came here on some business and just happened to encounter this situation," Han Bin introduced. This was not within the jurisdiction of the Yuhua Branch.

"I'm Sergeant Zhao Zikan from the Changchenglu Police Substation." The leading man extended his right hand and shook hands with Han Bin.

"Sergeant Zhao, since you're here, I'll leave the scene to you," Han Bin said.

"What's this woman's name, and why is she trying to jump off the building?" Zhao Zikan pressed on.

"She's very emotional and uncooperative with questioning. She curses any handsome man she sees as a scumbag. It's probably some emotional setback," Han Bin guessed.

"Alright, thank you both for your hard work," Zhao Zikan dropped those words and, without asking further, led his men onto the rooftop.

"What are we going to do now?" Tan Jingya felt rather depressed. She couldn't get involved here, and nobody was paying attention to her.

"Assist them, of course." Han Bin shrugged. Even though this wasn't his jurisdiction, a police officer wouldn't just turn around and leave to pick up women when ordinary citizens were in danger.

Tan Jingya nodded and stood with Han Bin at the rooftop entrance, observing the situation above. Zhao Zikan had already begun communicating with the woman threatening to jump.

The two of them were standing very close, and Han Bin could faintly catch a whiff of an alluring bodily fragrance.

Suddenly, a shout came from the rooftop: "Bah! Another scumbag, all you know how to do is make empty promises. Put your hand on your heart and tell me, can you keep the conditions you agreed to?"

Tan Jingya glanced at Han Bin and said with a straight face, "It seems being called a scumbag isn't because you're handsome."

Han Bin pretended not to hear and directly ignored her remark.

"All of you get down, I don't want to talk to men," the woman shouted.

"Miss, you must have grievances if you're trying to jump. If you don't state your demands, how can we help you?" Zhao Zikan said helplessly.

"Bring a female police officer; I don't believe men's sweet talk," the woman yelled.

"Don't worry, I'll call a female officer right now," Zhao Zikan placated.

"Get down right now! If you don't get down, I'll jump," the woman stood up again and threatened.

"No, don't jump, we're leaving right now." Seeing her unstable emotional state, Zhao Zikan retreated with his officers.

Once off the rooftop, Zhao Zikan ordered, "Call Chen Juan and tell her to get over here immediately. The woman trying to jump is far too defensive against male officers; communication is impossible."

"Sergeant, Chen Juan is on her day off today."

"Then find another female officer. She's not the only woman in the station," Zhao Zikan instructed.

"Sergeant Zhao, I'm from the Public Relations Section of the Municipal Bureau. Do you think I'll do?" Tan Jingya volunteered, eager to try.

Zhao Zikan turned his head and looked at Tan Jingya. She was young, pretty, and fashionable, which actually made him a bit uneasy. What if they sent up some vase who didn't say the right words and ended up provoking the woman even more?

Zhao Zikan looked back at Han Bin, conveying a clear question in his gaze.

Han Bin gave a wry smile. It was his first time meeting Tan Jingya today; whether this young woman was just a pretty face or genuinely capable, he had no idea.

"Sergeant Zhao, the woman is still standing on the outer ledge. We can't just stand here and watch; let me give it a try," Tan Jingya said, puffing out her chest.

Zhao Zikan was in his thirties and tended to overthink things. "That woman is somewhat deranged, and you're so gentle and delicate. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle her."

Although Tan Jingya was in the Public Relations Section, she was still a police academy graduate, and she certainly didn't want to be underestimated. "I can do it."

Zhao Zikan didn't have a better option at the moment, and they couldn't just leave the woman alone on the rooftop. "Officer Tan, please be careful."

Tan Jingya nodded, coiled her dark braid upward, and secured it with a black hair clip, looking neat, sharp, and graceful.

She took a deep breath and walked onto the rooftop.

Han Bin exchanged a word with Zhao Zikan and followed Tan Jingya up.

"Why are you following me up here?" Tan Jingya asked, somewhat surprised.

"To assist you. If she really jumps, you won't be able to hold her by yourself," Han Bin said.

If Tian Li had been here, Han Bin wouldn't have followed. He trusted Tian Li's abilities as a qualified criminal investigator who could ensure her own safety. However, Han Bin didn't have that level of trust in Tan Jingya yet.

Tan Jingya and Han Bin walked onto the rooftop one after the other.

"Why are you back again?" the woman questioned.

"I'm a police officer too. Whatever demands you have, you can tell me," Tan Jingya said.

The woman pointed at Han Bin and demanded, "Didn't I say no men are allowed up here? Why did you come up too?"

"This is my girlfriend. I was worried leaving her up here alone," Han Bin said, extending his right hand to pat Tan Jingya's shoulder.

Tan Jingya: "..."

"Nonsense! Didn't you just say you were a police officer? How could she be your girlfriend?" The woman looked skeptical.

"Police officers aren't supposed to stay single forever, right? The two of us were out on a date by the sea and happened to run into this situation, so we came over to help," Han Bin explained.

"I don't believe anything a man says," the woman snorted, pointing at Tan Jingya beside her. "Tell me, is he your boyfriend?"

If lives weren't on the line, Tan Jingya would have really loved to ask: Are you a plant hired by Han Bin?

With no time to dwell on it, Tan Jingya simply said, "Yes."

"Can I trust you?" The woman's tone calmed down slightly.

"I am a police officer and also a woman; I won't lie to you." Tan Jingya's voice was pleasant and soothing to the ear.

"If even women are liars, who else in this world can be trusted? I might as well just jump right now," the woman said with a sob.

Afraid the woman wouldn't believe her, Tan Jingya wrapped her arm around Han Bin's and said, "I'm not lying to you, the two of us really are on a date."

"You shouldn't trust men too much either, they're unreliable," the woman remarked.

Han Bin: "..."

If not for his sense of duty, he really would have wanted to turn around and go back downstairs.

"Big sister, it's too dangerous up there, won't you come down and talk?" Tan Jingya persuaded.

"Who's your big sister? I'm only twenty years old!" The woman burst into tears, as if those words had caused her even deeper pain.

"My mistake, wipe your tears." Tan Jingya pulled a tissue from her pocket and tried to approach the woman.

"Step away, let me cry for a while!" The woman stood up again.

"I won't come over. Sit down and talk, you can tell me whatever demands you have," Tan Jingya quickly urged.

"Call that scumbag Lu Feihang over here! I want to see him and make him apologize to me in person."

"What's your name?"

"Luo Cuishan."

"What's Lu Feihang's phone number?"

"1345XXXXXX." Luo Cuishan rattled off the number, angrily adding, "The scumbag blocked me, he's simply inhuman!"

Standing outside the door, Zhao Zikan jotted down the boyfriend's number and went off to make the call.

"Is Lu Feihang your boyfriend?" Tan Jingya asked.

Luo Cuishan glared. "He's my husband."

"You guys are married?"

"So what if we aren't? He always called me his wife. Most of the money I earned every month went toward supporting his studies. Who would have thought that the moment he graduated, he'd dump me? He even said I was uncultured, that I burped when I ate and farted in front of him! I've always been like this, why didn't he say anything earlier? Tell me, isn't he an absolute scumbag?" Luo Cuishan aggrievedly complained.

"He's certainly in the wrong, but you shouldn't use his mistakes to punish yourself," Tan Jingya said.

"You should keep your guard up too, don't let men spend your money," Luo Cuishan warned.

Tan Jingya didn't know whether to laugh or cry. You're about to jump off a building, yet you're still worrying about my personal life.

"Luo Cuishan, not all men spend women's money. When I get my bonus, I worry about not having enough places to spend it," Han Bin felt it necessary to clarify, otherwise things between him and Tan Jingya might be dead in the water before they even started.

"There are still good men in this world. If you feel Lu Feihang isn't right for you, you can find someone better," Tan Jingya comforted.

"It's easy for you to talk when it's not your back aching. You're so pretty, of course it's easy for you to find someone."

Luo Cuishan wasn't buying it and continued, "I never went to school myself, so I just wanted to find a college student for a boyfriend. I really poured a lot into this just to stay with him, do you think it was easy for me?"

Zhao Zikan poked his head around and signaled Han Bin with a glance.

Han Bin walked over.

Zhao Zikan lowered his voice, "Lu Feihang is out of town, he can't make it."

"Sergeant Zhao, how do you want to handle this?" Han Bin asked.

"Find an opening and pull her down," Zhao Zikan said.

"Get me two bottles of mineral water," Han Bin suggested.

"Alright," Zhao Zikan replied, pulling his head back.

Han Bin returned to the rooftop, walked up to Tan Jingya, and whispered a few words to her.

Luo Cuishan pointed a finger at Han Bin. "What kind of shady scheme are you two plotting, pacing back and forth?"

Tan Jingya cleverly improvised, "He was afraid I was thirsty, so he went to get me a bottle of water."

Luo Cuishan sighed. "Lu Feihang used to be very attentive to me too."

"How did you two meet?" Tan Jingya asked instinctively.

"The first time we met was right here at the Blue Whale Mall," Luo Cuishan began reminiscing.

"I remember that day he was wearing a gray vest, looking terribly uncool. He treated me to a bowl of noodles, and they were even plain noodles..." Luo Cuishan cried and laughed at the same time:

"Even though he was poor, he was especially attentive to me back then, and he always liked to ask if I was thirsty..."

Han Bin: "..."

He felt like Luo Cuishan's appearance was purposefully designed to sabotage the two of them.

Today's date was destined not to be a fond memory.

After a long monologue detailing her love story with Lu Feihang, Luo Cuishan asked accusingly, "When is that scumbag coming?"

"He should be here soon." Tan Jingya didn't want to lie to her, but for the sake of safety, she had no other choice.

"Half an hour. If he doesn't show up, I'm jumping off this place," Luo Cuishan said with a firm expression.

"Why are you so foolish? Why punish yourself for someone else's mistakes?" Tan Jingya sighed.

"I have no other choice, I really gave so much for him." Luo Cuishan's eyes were red; she had cried all her tears dry.

"As long as you're alive, there's still hope," Tan Jingya urged.

"Once you're dead, that's it, it saves all the trouble," Luo Cuishan muttered.

"It's only three stories high. You won't die from the fall, you'll probably just break your arms and legs, and Lu Feihang will only look down on you even more," Han Bin interjected bluntly.

Tan Jingya: "..."

Luo Cuishan froze, glanced down at the ground below, and then burst into loud tears. Han Bin's words hit her hard:

"Wuu wuu..."

"Don't listen to him, he's a criminal investigator, he deals with suspects all day, he doesn't know how to say nice things," Tan Jingya gently consoled.

"Wuu wuu... Am I a criminal suspect now too?" Luo Cuishan cried even harder.

It was clear that Han Bin's words had taken effect. She swung her legs back inside the railing, seeming to have lost the desire to jump.

Just as Han Bin had said, jumping wouldn't kill her, but she'd suffer for it, and it would only make the scumbag laugh at her.

However, she couldn't just climb down on her own. There were so many people watching and gossiping below the mall, with quite a few egging her on to jump. She was caught riding a tiger and unable to dismount; going down like this would cause her to lose too much face.

She couldn't jump, so she had to be rescued.

After a standoff of some time, Han Bin came back with two bottles of mineral water and handed one to Tan Jingya. "Have some water."

"Thanks." Having talked for so long, Tan Jingya's throat was dry. She unscrewed the cap and took a few sips.

Luo Cuishan swallowed hard, wearing an envious expression. Her own throat was parched and her lips cracked; she had been stuck on the rooftop for three hours before the suicide threat.

Han Bin pretended to unscrew the other bottle of mineral water. Luo Cuishan licked her lips, thinking to herself: *As expected of a scumbag, he doesn't even want to give me a bottle.*

"Hey, are there only two bottles?" Tan Jingya asked.

"That's right," Han Bin nodded.

"Why don't you hold off on drinking yours and give this bottle to Luo Cuishan?" Tan Jingya suggested.

Han Bin shook the water bottle and asked, "Luo Cuishan, are you thirsty?"

Luo Cuishan turned her head away, refusing to look at Han Bin.

Tan Jingya took the water bottle and walked toward Luo Cuishan, saying softly as she approached, "Cuishan, have some water. Your lips are cracked, it won't look pretty."

"Just throw it over."

"I have bad aim, I might end up throwing it down to the street." Tan Jingya said.

Luo Cuishan stopped talking, seemingly acquiescing to Tan Jingya's approach.

When she reached her, Tan Jingya handed the bottle over. "Cuishan, water for you."

Luo Cuishan hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward to reach for the mineral water.

The instant she grabbed it, Tan Jingya swiftly seized her arm and yanked her down from the retaining wall.

"Ah... let me go! I want to jump, don't save me!" Luo Cuishan screamed loudly.

Everyone down below the mall could hear her clearly.

It caused another commotion.

Luo Cuishan fell to the ground, trying to push Tan Jingya away so she could climb back up the wall.

Luo Cuishan was relatively strong, and it was hard for Tan Jingya to control her.

At that moment, Han Bin stepped forward, grabbed Luo Cuishan's shoulders, pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and with a double click, cuffed her directly, pulling her up from the ground.

"Let me go! Why are you cuffing me?" Luo Cuishan struggled, but Han Bin's strength was too great; she couldn't resist him at all.

"Luo Cuishan, to prevent you from harming yourself and the people around you, I am taking you under control for the moment to let you calm down. I hope you understand," Han Bin said sternly.

Tan Jingya was momentarily stunned, wondering if things could even be handled this way.