"Lin Chen!" The policeman's exclamation, the screams of the crowd below, mingled with the howling wind, instantly filled his ears.
The weightless sensation of rapid descent enveloped him; the world spun before his eyes. He saw the library's weathered exterior walls rising rapidly before him, saw the cold, hard ground drawing ever closer…
Is this how it ends?
Just before the truth is about to be revealed?
No!
He still has family to save! He still has injustice to redress! He still has music… he hasn't finished singing "Mountain Question"!
A powerful will to survive compels him to muster his last strength, flailing his arms in vain, trying to grab onto something.
Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps his unintentional struggle had an effect, but his trajectory was slightly altered—
"Crack! Bang—!" His body first slammed heavily against the large, decorative concrete awning extending from the library building, producing a sickening cracking sound and a dull thud! The immense impact instantly knocked him unconscious; blood gushed from his mouth, nose, and multiple wounds, staining the gray concrete red.
Then, his body rolled off the edge of the awning, plummeting again, finally landing on the edge of the emergency-inflated fire-fighting air cushion below! Although this cushioned most of the impact, the initial impact and the second fall had already caused fatal injuries.
The crowd gasped even louder, and police and paramedics rushed to the scene.
On the rooftop, the policeman who had been manipulated into pushing Lin Chen was deathly pale, muttering, "I...I didn't mean to..."
Lu Tianyu, held down by the other officers, looked at the chaotic scene below, a barely perceptible, cold, eerie, yet satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"An accidental fall after drinking..." he murmured to himself, his voice so soft only he could hear, "This ending is perfect."
The sirens, the calls for help, the commotion... all the sounds quickly faded from Lin Chen's ears, the world sinking into an endless, cold darkness.
The fall was inevitable.
But would the truth, along with his "accident," be buried?
The news of Lin Chen's fall was like a bucket of cold water poured into a pot of oil already boiling over from the arrest of Xingyao Entertainment's top executives, instantly causing an uproar. Public opinion online underwent a bizarre tearing and reshaping in a very short time.
Initially, there was shock and sympathy.
"Oh my god! Lin Chen fell from a building?!"
"They were confronting each other on the rooftop during the day, and he fell at night? What a coincidence!"
"It must be Xingyao's people who killed him to cover it up!"
"Lu Tianyu was just arrested, and then Lin Chen had this accident. It's terrifying to think about!"
"I hope he's alright! He must hold on!"
Various speculations, doubts, and condemnations of Xingyao Entertainment and Lu Tianyu flooded the media. Su Yuqing's media outlet also released in-depth investigative reports, revealing some of Xingyao Entertainment's alleged money laundering, illegal detention, and mental control of artists. Lin Chen's image as a key victim and witness gradually became clearer, further fueling public anger.
However, this public opinion surge did not last long.
Less than forty-eight hours after the incident, while Lin Chen was still in the intensive care unit (ICU) in critical condition, the police released their first official statement.
The report briefly described the incident: During the arrest of suspect Lu Tianyu (legal representative of Xingyao Entertainment), police discovered another related person, Lin Chen, on the rooftop of the city library. While securing the scene and removing the suspect, an officer lost his balance due to Lu Tianyu's sudden struggle and accidentally knocked Lin Chen, who was near the edge of the rooftop, off the platform. Lin Chen was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment, and the officer involved will be dealt with according to regulations. Preliminary investigation indicates that this was an accident.
"Accident."
These four words serve as a cold, definitive conclusion.