The wind was fierce at the top floor…

Though it was only four storeys, the estate had been built grand and tall—it couldn’t be compared to an ordinary residential building’s “fourth floor.”

Fu Miaoxue stood at the edge of the rooftop, her legs trembling.

Bai Youwei looked at her sidelong: “Afraid of heights?”

Fu Miaoxue snapped: “I’m afraid of landing half-dead—not dying, not living either!”

Bai Youwei gave a cold little smile. “Rest assured. From this height, the fall will definitely kill you.”

Fu Miaoxue gritted her teeth and took half a step back. “…You jump first!”

“Absolutely not.” Bai Youwei refused. “How do I know you’ll actually jump after me? The friend’s invitation card is only one. If I go through, I won’t be able to come back in!”

“Then what if I jump and you don’t follow?!” Fu Miaoxue argued. “Won’t I be the one losing out?!”

Bai Youwei shouted at her: “Why the hell would I stay here?! If you’re dead, what reason do I have to hang around—so your bodyguards can rough me up?!”

Fu Miaoxue bit her lip, torn, and looked down at her feet. “…Bai Youwei, you’re sure we’re in a dream, aren’t you?”

Bai Youwei: “If we weren’t in a dream, how could I possibly have become friends with someone like you? What kind of masochist do you take me for?!”

Fu Miaoxue: “That’s… a fair point…”

Too frightened to jump, she gazed down at the tiles and greenery shrinking below. The side of her face grew, without warning, fragile and pale—like a leaf caught by the wind, liable to fall at any moment.

Fu Miaoxue said softly: “If this weren’t a dream, I couldn’t possibly have a friend… Bai Youwei, you don’t know—I’ve lived here since I was six. The number of times I’ve gone outside I could count on one hand, because I’m my grandfather’s only granddaughter. My grandfather’s business was very large, and he had many enemies. My parents were kidnapped by his enemies and murdered, their ears and tongues cut off and sent to my grandfather. My other aunts and uncles also died, each one more horribly than the last. Grandfather was afraid something would happen to me too, so he brought me to live in this estate. That was over ten years ago now…”

“Save the sob story.” Bai Youwei said impatiently. “Do you think living on the outside automatically means you’d have friends? Friends are a luxury. After I was in a car accident at twelve, I never encountered such a thing as a friend again. Old classmates did come to visit me, but the pitying look in their eyes was utterly boring. And there was this inexplicable sense of superiority they carried—it was nauseating.”

Fu Miaoxue glanced at her, trying to regain some dignity. “Then I had it better than you. At least I once had two friends. One was the butler’s son, and the other was an orphan my grandfather brought in from outside—sent to keep me company. No one dared pity me, and no one dared flaunt their superiority in front of me.”

“And then?” Bai Youwei said sarcastically. “I’m guessing neither of them came to a good end.”

Fu Miaoxue pursed her lips, lowering her gaze to the tips of her shoes. “The butler’s son was used by someone to almost get me kidnapped. The butler dealt with him personally afterward. As for the orphan… she said she wanted to go see the outside world, and that she’d bring me back a gift when she returned. I agreed to let her go—but she never came back.”

“Your grandfather must have taken care of her.” Bai Youwei said with certainty.

Fu Miaoxue curved her lips slightly. “Perhaps. Grandfather always has his reasons for what he does.”

Bai Youwei said: “Are you going to jump or not?”

Fu Miaoxue hesitated. “Is someone really waiting for me outside?”

“Yes, yes, yes—how many times do you need to ask?! There is someone waiting for you outside! He’s desperately in love with you! If you don’t come out soon, he’ll die of heartbreak!” Bai Youwei said with growing agitation. “Hurry up and jump! Once you jump, you’ll see him!”

Fu Miaoxue looked down below. “Alright… then I’ll jump…”

Bai Youwei nodded. “Yes, go ahead and jump.”

“I can’t—I’m still scared…” Fu Miaoxue suddenly seized her hand. “Let’s jump together!”

Bai Youwei’s eyes went wide. Before she could even curse out loud, she was dragged off the edge by Fu Miaoxue!—

—