When Lin Chuxia arrived at the clothing mall, a large crowd had already gathered below.
The police officers had arrived and were maintaining order.
People stood downstairs, unanimously looking up at the rooftop.
"Itâs strange, isnât it? Why do people always choose the rooftop of Xiyang Clothing Mall to jump from?"
"Thatâs true. I still remember a few years ago, someone went to the rooftop to jump because he regretted divorcing his wife and went up there to threaten his wife to remarry him."
"I remember that. In the end, he didnât jump even if he was allowed to. He was such a coward, thinking he could threaten his wife by jumping. Who knew she wouldnât buy it? Then the police took him away for disturbing public order."
"Thatâs the thing. Whatâs happening today? Itâs a man again, isnât it the same guy?"
"You could say Xiyang Clothing Mall has bad feng shui. Why do such things keep happening?"
"Thatâs not correct. I think Xiyang Clothing Mall has great feng shui. Among all the malls in our city, only Xia Yang Mall is the busiest every day. People come where the crowd is, to create a scene. If they really wanted to die, would they need to jump? Drinking a bottle of pesticide and not even an immortal could save them. Why make such a fuss?"
"Youâre absolutely right. Heâs been standing up there for a while but doesnât dare to jump. Itâs just posturing."
"Youâre only half right. Didnât you see he was holding a child in his arms? I heard he kidnapped someone elseâs child to threaten people."
"My goodness, really? Whose child is that? How unlucky!"
"I heard the childâs grandma was playing with the child nearby. This madman suddenly appeared and ran away with the child. How could the grandma possibly catch up with a grown man?"
"What a sin, and the Xiyang Clothing Mall too. People went up to their roof before to jump, didnât the mall management take any action? If you ask me, they should just seal off the rooftop so no one can get up there. Look, here we are again."
"You really canât blame Xiyang Clothing Mall for this. My niece works as a salesgirl there. The rooftop used to be a terrace, and staff could go up there to rest. After that incident, the door to the terrace was locked. I heard this time the man had it planned and damaged the lock."
"Such a person is really frightening and evil. The police mustnât let him go..."
.........
"Make way, make way, let me through..."
Listening to the chatter, Lin Chuxia was so anxious that tears were about to fall.
At this moment, a large hand grabbed her wrist, and she saw Qin Yang coming from another direction, looking anxious.
At the moment she saw the man, Lin Chuxia couldnât hold back, "Qin Yang, he took Qi Qi away, up on the rooftop..."
Qin Yang nodded, "I know, letâs go up first. As long as we donât see him, he wonât act hastily."
Though he said so, both of them felt heavy-hearted, and Lin Chuxiaâs hand was even trembling slightly.
They climbed the four stories at once, barely taking a breath.
The rooftop was already crowded. Seeing the man at the edge holding a crying child, Lin Chuxia couldnât help but shout, "Li Guangyuan, if you have something, come at me. Put the child down."
Li Guangyuan saw Lin Chuxia, then Qin Yang beside her, and his face twisted a bit.
"Really fickle, arenât you? Even at a time like this, youâre with another man. Seems you donât care much about this child."
He pulled the child closer to him, watching the child cry with interest.
Lin Chuxia took two steps forward, but a police officer stopped her, "Donât rush, heâs agitated now and has the child. You canât provoke him."
Zhuang Jingshu had already come to Lin Chuxiaâs side, tears streaming down her face, "Xiaxia, Iâm sorry. Itâs my fault I didnât take good care of Qi Qi..."
Lin Chuxia patted her arm comfortingly. This couldnât be blamed on her mother.
Qi Qi was raised by her mother since infancy. She treasures the child more than life itself.
The bond between her and Qi Qi was even deeper than between the childâs parents.
Li Guangyuan noticed Lin Chuxiaâs movements and looked over, "If we were to jump down from here and die, would we go back to that time? Weâd also have a lovely child then, just like her. Iâve looked closely. This child looks like you, Chuxia. Did you know? Iâve fantasized countless times about what our child would look like. Too bad itâs a girl; a boy would have been better."
"Alright, Iâm coming over now. You wanted to try, didnât you? Then letâs try it."
As Lin Chuxia spoke, she started to move forward. Qin Yang worriedly grabbed her arm.
Lin Chuxia gave him a reassuring look.
Li Guangyuan suddenly laughed, "I suggest you stay there, Lin Chuxia. No one knows you better than me in this world. I donât think I could outsmart you. When you come over, I might not even have a chance to say a word."
He spoke as he lifted the child to his other side.
He was sitting on the ledge by the edge, and with this move, little Qi Qi was suspended in mid-air.
Seeing her mother arrive, Qi Qi cried even harder, twisting her small body towards her mother.
This action made the situation more dangerous. If Li Guangyuan lost his grip, the child would fall.
The four-and-a-half-story building was a commercial one, at least twenty meters high.
Falling from such a height would lead to catastrophic consequences.
"I wonât come over. Bring the child back, Li Guangyuan. Donât hurt the child. Say what you want. Iâll agree to anything I can do."
Li Guangyuan suddenly burst out laughing, "Really? Seems Iâve played the right move today. In the past life, nothing could strike you; now, in this life, you have a weakness."
He turned his gaze to Qin Yang, "Lin Chuxia, I want you to divorce Qin Yang and marry me, and weâll start fresh. I promise to treat you well. Can you do that?"
Lin Chuxia looked at him without speaking.
Li Guangyuan laughed again, "See? You said youâd agree to anything, yet here you are. Canât do it? Seems this child isnât that important to you, at least not more than that man."
Li Guangyuan lifted the child again.
Lin Chuxiaâs pupils contracted, "Li Guangyuan, is there any point to this? You know even if I marry you, I wonât be happy with you."