Liu Yifeng initially didn't want to pay attention, as the woman seemed to hold a hostile attitude towards him. He figured if he approached to greet her, she might just ignore him.
However, Yaoyao saw him too and ran over with a smile, greeting him, "Hello, Uncle. Why isn't Tongtong with you?"
Liu Yifeng smiled and said, "Tongtong is outside learning calligraphy. Do you need something from Tongtong, Yaoyao?"
"No, I just haven't seen him for a couple of days and missed him." Yaoyao was a very simple little girl and spoke whatever came to her mind.
But as soon as she finished speaking, Xu Muqing called her over, "Yaoyao, come here!"
Yaoyao seemed a little afraid of her mother, so she waved goodbye to Liu Yifeng, "Goodbye, Uncle!"
"Goodbye, Yaoyao!" Liu Yifeng also waved and watched Yaoyao leave.
His gaze unconsciously fell on Xu Muqing, who happened to be looking at him as well.
Out of politeness, he nodded at Xu Muqing, acknowledging her.
However, Xu Muqing turned her face away, pretending not to see his response.
Liu Yifeng wasn't surprised by her reaction, so he didn't take it to heart.
He then planned to pay and leave.
Leaving the supermarket, he needed to take the escalator down to the first floor.
But shortly after descending the stairs, screams suddenly erupted from the crowd, "Whose child is this? She's going to fall! Someone, quick!"
Liu Yifeng looked up and was shocked by what he saw.
Yaoyao, trying to grab a hydrogen balloon floating in the air, had half of her body leaning out over the railing. One more tilt, and she would fall.
Yaoyao didn't seem to realize the danger, her hand still reaching out. As the balloon flew higher, Yaoyao's body leaned further out, at any moment risking a fall.
Everyone held their breath, afraid to startle the little girl and cause her to fall.
Xu Muqing remembered she had left something in the supermarket and told Yaoyao to wait by the door, saying she'd be out soon.
Who knew that the moment she stepped out of the supermarket, she witnessed this incredibly perilous scene, scaring her so much that she almost fell backward, but someone timely supported her.
She dared not speak loudly, only softly pleaded, "Yaoyao, come down, it's dangerous!"
Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she spoke.
She walked slowly towards Yaoyao, hoping to grab her in time.
However, upon hearing her mother's voice, Yaoyao happily turned her head, showing off the hydrogen balloon she had caught, "Mommy, look, the balloon almost flew away, but I caught it!" After saying that, she excitedly let go of the hand that was holding the railing, wanting her mother to pick her up.
But because she let go, her balance was lost, and she plunged downwards, falling from the third floor.
Seeing this, Xu Muqing could no longer bear it and fainted on the spot.
Other customers also screamed in terror, some even closing their eyes, unable to watch the gruesome scene that was about to unfold.
Many children's eyes were also covered by their parents.
At that moment, everyone was certain that Tongtong would not survive, as falling from such a height onto the hard tiles below.
If her head hit first, it could be instantly shattered.
But at this critical juncture, a figure flashed through the crowd and appeared at the spot where Yaoyao was about to fall, opening his arms.
This person was none other than Liu Yifeng.
As he watched Yaoyao about to fall, without much thought, he threw what he was holding onto the ground and sprinted towards her.
By the time he reached the area where Yaoyao was about to land, she was already falling at an extremely high speed. He opened his arms and caught Yaoyao just in time.
Under the immense impact, Liu Yifeng was thrown backward, landing directly on the ground. Yaoyao was on his chest, her eyes wide open, filled with terror.
Liu Yifeng's arms felt numb, and his head felt dazed from hitting the back.
But seeing that Yaoyao was unharmed, he finally felt at ease.
Seeing this, others quickly pulled Yaoyao off Liu Yifeng and helped him up, "Young man, are you alright?" an elderly woman asked with concern.
Liu Yifeng tried to move his hands. Thankfully, they could move, so it seemed there were no fractures. He then shook his head.
At this moment, a shaken Yaoyao burst into tears, "Uncle, I'm scared!"
"Shh, Yaoyao, it's okay now. Uncle is here," Liu Yifeng comforted her, enduring the pain in his back.
Although Yaoyao was about the same age as Tongtong and weighed less than thirty catties, falling from the third floor of the mall, the impact was no less than a hundred catties of weight hitting Liu Yifeng, which could be fatal.
Thinking about it now, Liu Yifeng still felt a lingering fear.
If it were just him, dying would be one thing, but he had Tongtong and his father. Leaving like this would be too irresponsible.
Under his comfort, Yaoyao stopped crying and hugged Liu Yifeng's leg, "Uncle, thank you for saving me!"
"You're welcome, but you must never do something so dangerous again," Liu Yifeng said, patting Yaoyao's head.
He then looked around, not seeing Yaoyao's mother anywhere.
How did this woman take care of her child, allowing her to do such a dangerous thing outside by herself?
If he hadn't saved Yaoyao in time, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
At this moment, the mall manager and several staff members rushed over.
"Sir, are you alright?" the manager asked with concern.
Liu Yifeng smiled and shook his head, "I'm fine!"
"That's good to hear. You've truly helped our mall a great deal. I express my sincere gratitude!" He then shook Liu Yifeng's hand.
"After all, it was a matter of life and death, and I couldn't just stand by and do nothing," Liu Yifeng said.
"Regardless, if it weren't for you, this little girl would have been in trouble, and our mall would bear inescapable responsibility. Come, let's go to the office to discuss, we must thank you properly!"
Others also chimed in.
"Indeed, you should be thanked properly. If it weren't for this young man, this little girl would likely have lost her life.
The mall paying money is a small matter, but if there were a death, who would dare to shop here again?
"Exactly, this young man is too heroic, he's simply a great hero. With such a person, everyone would usually stay far away, but he alone rushed forward without hesitation, rescuing the little girl in time and preventing a tragedy."
"Uncle, you're amazing! I want to learn from you in the future!" a little boy said to Liu Yifeng.
...
Everyone spoke one after another, all praising Liu Yifeng.
Everyone looked at Liu Yifeng with respect and admiration.
This made Liu Yifeng a bit embarrassed; it was just a subconscious reaction, and he hadn't thought that much about it.
The manager, without further ado, took Liu Yifeng's hand and prepared to lead him to the office.
"Ouch!" Liu Yifeng gasped in pain. It didn't hurt as much when untouched, but as soon as it was touched, his hand throbbed with pain. The residual pain was quite severe.
The manager, startled, quickly withdrew his hand, "Sir, I'm so sorry, I... I didn't mean to."