Chapter 191: Jumping off the Building

Beijing, thirty-one former "uncrowned kings" walked out of the court in a daze, especially Fang Kongwei. In terms of reputation compensation, it wasn't just Jiangzhou Winery, but also Zhou Andong's personal reputation, totaling more than 170,000.

Fang Kongwei was like a walking corpse, walking aimlessly on the street alone. I don't know how long he walked, but he really couldn't walk anymore, so he stood on the side of the road, looking up at an eight-story building opposite.

The noon sun was very dazzling, making him unable to open his eyes, slightly squinting, and just standing there motionless. Many people passing by him were very curious and stood beside him, looking in the direction of his gaze, and finally left cursing.

"If I jump down from the roof, what would it feel like?" Fang Kongwei muttered, stepped across the road, entered the building, found the fire escape, and climbed to the roof.

He had been fired. Now that he lost the lawsuit and his reporter's card was revoked, it meant the end of his career. He also had to pay more than 170,000 in reputation damages, which completely made him lose the courage to live.

Fang Kongwei moved his feet bit by bit, came to the edge of the roof, and looked down. Cars were coming and going, people were crossing, full of the prosperity of the city, but all this had nothing to do with him, because he was going to end his life.

"Dad, Mom, Wife, Daughter, I'm sorry for you."

Fang Kongwei muttered softly, his mind recalling the bits and pieces from childhood to adulthood, marriage and childbirth, and tears streamed down his face.

"Mom, look, there's a person standing on the roof." A seven or eight-year-old girl pointed at the roof of the building opposite.

Hearing her daughter's words, the mother looked up, and her face changed. The person on the roof was swaying, as if because he had been standing for too long, he was physically exhausted and could fall at any time.

"Someone is jumping off the building!" The mother shouted.

The people around stopped and looked up. An aunt was anxious and shouted at the roof: "Young man, whatever it is, let's come down and discuss it properly. Don't think about it."

"Right, right!" Another woman also shouted, "Come down quickly, it's too dangerous to stand there."

A man said: "It's useless to shout like this, hurry up and find a phone booth to call the police."

"I have a brick phone!" A middle-aged woman with big wavy hair, wearing a dress and dressed fashionably, took out a brick phone from her bag and quickly dialed the police.

The crowd gathered more and more. Some were shouting to persuade, some were watching the excitement regardless of themselves, and some were maintaining order, because there were too many people, which had affected traffic.

The police came quickly, pulled up a cordon, and several people rushed into the building.

Guan Shengjie didn't go to the newspaper office in the afternoon but went to eat with a few friends. It was past three o'clock after eating, and others wanted to go to the karaoke dance hall to play, but he still had to organize tomorrow's news draft, so he didn't go.

Because the restaurant was not far from home, he didn't take a car but walked back. He was about to arrive home when he suddenly found that there were people everywhere in front.

As a news person, his professional sensitivity made him immediately realize that something had happened. He immediately quickened his pace and walked forward. When he got close, it turned out that someone was jumping off the building. He looked up, hmm? Why does it look so familiar?

Fang Kongwei's reputation in the circle was not small. Guan Shengjie didn't have any friendship with him, but he often saw him in some interview occasions, so even if the distance was a bit far, he finally recognized him.

"Fang Kongwei?"

Guan Shengjie immediately understood why this guy was jumping off the building, and hurriedly pushed away the crowd blocking the front to squeeze in.

"Let me through, let me through."

"What are you squeezing for?" A young man glared at Guan Shengjie with dissatisfaction.

Guan Shengjie shouted: "Sorry, sorry, the one jumping off the building is my friend, let me go

After all, human life was at stake. If a friend of the person jumping came, perhaps they could persuade him to come down. Everyone retreated to both sides, clearing a path.

Guan Shengjie ran to the police cordon, took out his credentials from his body, and handed them to the police officer: "Comrade, I'm a reporter. The person jumping from the building above is my friend. Let me go up and persuade him."

The police officer took the reporter's ID and glanced at it: "Hurry in then. Persuade him well. What kind of insurmountable obstacle could there be? You're a grown man, acting like this, seeking death—who are you doing justice to?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Guan Shengjie took back his reporter's ID, ran into the building, took the elevator to the top floor, and then found the fire escape to reach the roof.

"What are you doing here?" A police officer saw Guan Shengjie and barked with a stern face.

Guan Shengjie took out his reporter's ID again: "These are my credentials. The one jumping is my friend."

The police officer looked at them, softened his tone, and said: "Hurry over then. He won't listen to reason; our mouths are dry from talking, and he hasn't said a word. Plus, his physical strength is already a bit overdrawn; there's a possibility he could fall at any moment."

"Okay!" Guan Shengjie put his reporter's ID into his pocket and walked over quickly, "Fang Kongwei!"

Hearing someone call his name, Fang Kongwei's body trembled slightly. He slowly turned his head back, and seeing it was Guan Shengjie, he smiled miserably: "Guan Shengjie, perfect. You can get your first-hand news now."

"Bullshit!" Guan Shengjie cursed, "What's so unbearable that you have to jump off a building? Think about your wife and children, and your parents. You might feel relieved if you jump, but how will they live?"

At the thought of his parents, wife, and children, Fang Kongwei's tears began to fall again, pitter-patter.

"Only if I jump here will they have a good life. Otherwise, carrying a debt of 170,000, even if they eat cornmeal buns with me for a lifetime, they'll never pay it off."

"You're jumping off a building just because of this? Are you still a man, damn it? Can't you have a little backbone?" Guan Shengjie pointed at Fang Kongwei, "I have a good relationship with Zhou Andong, the director of Jiangzhou Winery. Wait for me; I'll go contact him and see if he can reduce some of the compensation."

Fang Kongwei's eyes lit up, finally showing a glimmer of the will to live: "Really?"

"At a time like this, do I have any reason to lie to you?" Guan Shengjie turned and walked toward the fire escape exit, "Stand further inside. Don't let him agree to reduce the compensation only for you to accidentally fall off and die for nothing."

Guan Shengjie quickly went downstairs, exited the building, and shouted to the dense crowd: "Who has a brick phone? Lend it to me to use."

"I do!" It was that stylishly dressed middle-aged woman again. She took a brick phone out of her bag and handed it to Guan Shengjie.

At this moment, the bell for the end of the workday at the winery had just rung. Zhou Andong and Jiang Xiaobai were just about to leave when the phone on the desk rang.

Zhou Andong picked up the phone: "Hello, I am Zhou Andong."

"Dongzi, it's me, Guan Shengjie. Listen to me..."

Zhou Andong held the phone, listening, and a smile appeared on his face, "Brother Jie, you tell him: compensate me one yuan, and publish an apology in the newspaper for seven consecutive days, and that will be enough."

Guan Shengjie couldn't believe his ears: "Are you saying one yuan?"

"That's right!" The smile on Zhou Andong's face grew brighter, "You heard me right, it's just one yuan."