What's your feeling at the beginning? The aloof lawyer is crying!

After experiencing a series of incidents that made his parents sad and himself regretful, Lin Ruize has really restrained himself in school, just like a little beast that used to run wild but now learns to be docile and restrained. He has deeply imprinted the solemn promise he made to his parents in his heart, like an inscription engraved on a stone tablet, and he dares not forget it at any time. Every morning when he steps into the campus, he will silently warn himself in his heart that he must devote all his energy to the ocean of learning knowledge without reservation, and always use strict standards to restrain his once restless heart.

During the break that day, the sun was like a golden thread, shining through the gaps between the leaves, and gently falling on the winding paths of the campus. The dots of light intertwined together, forming a dreamy, glittering patchwork of light and shadow. Lin Ruize carefully held a thick stack of homework in both hands. The weight of the homework made his arms a little sore, but his steps were still firm and steady, and he was hurried along the path towards the teacher's office. When he passed the slightly remote corner of the playground, a noisy and explosive noise suddenly drilled into his ears like a discordant undercurrent. His steps, which were originally focused on moving forward, suddenly stopped, as if he was cast under a spell. He frowned slightly, a trace of doubt and alertness flashed in his eyes, and then he slowly looked in the direction where the sound came from.

I saw a group of male students from the next class, like a group of aggressive hooligans, half-surrounding a female classmate Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan was thin and frail, as if a breeze could easily blow her down. Her eyes were wide open, full of fear and helplessness, just like a deer lost in the dark forest and stared at by a ferocious beast. Her pitiful appearance made people feel pity. Her hands were like vines tightly wrapped around the tree trunk, holding the schoolbag tightly, her knuckles slightly white due to the force, and her body was shaking slightly involuntarily, as if she was doing her best to resist the malice and threats coming towards her.

The male student from the next class, who was leading the group, was as tall and sturdy as a little giant. Standing there, he gave people a strong sense of oppression. On his broad face, there was a disgusting arrogant smile at this time, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, revealing a trace of disdain and contempt. He crossed his arms across his chest, and his strong arms seemed like two small hills. He stood arrogantly in front of the female classmate, like an insurmountable barrier, ruthlessly blocking her way. The other male classmates were like a group of chirping sparrows, making a fuss on the side. They all had malicious and gloating smiles on their faces, and their eyes flashed with the malice of youth and ignorance. When Lin Ruize saw this scene, his heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible big hand. He knew very well in his heart that such a tense scene must indicate that something terrible is about to happen. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but none of them were about retreating. So, without any hesitation, he walked forward with firm and powerful steps like a brave and fearless little soldier, and resolutely stood in front of the trembling body of the female classmate like an indestructible wall full of justice and courage.

The male student who was in the lead originally thought that he could carry out his "evil deeds" smoothly, but he didn't expect that Cheng Yaojin would show up halfway. When he saw Lin Ruize suddenly appear without any warning, he was stunned at first, and then his brows were tightly wrinkled into a deep "chuan" character, and a trace of obvious displeasure and anger flashed in his eyes, as if his "good deeds" were destroyed for no reason. His hands, which were originally crossed over his chest, slowly dropped down and hung on both sides of his body, and his fingers unconsciously bent slightly, as if he was accumulating strength. Then, he began to look up and down at Lin Ruize carefully in a condescending and provocative manner, and his eyes were like examining a clown who overestimated his own abilities. Then, he squeezed out a sentence from his teeth with disdain: "You kid, don't meddle in other people's business here, this is not your place, if you know what's good for you, get out of here quickly." When Lin Ruize heard this, the anger in his heart "swooshed" and rose up, but he still tried to suppress it. He slowly raised his head and looked into the other person's eyes firmly. The mischief and teasing in his eyes were no longer there. Instead, there was an unprecedented determination and courage, like a burning flame jumping in his eyes. His hands were unconsciously clenched into two powerful fists, as if silently declaring his determination not to back down.

However, the group of male students were obviously not intimidated by Lin Ruize's courage and determination. They still went their own way, and their arrogance did not diminish at all. Seeing Lin Ruize's unyielding appearance, the leading male student first sneered, and the laughter was full of ridicule and disdain, and then suddenly stretched out his strong and powerful hand, like a powerful pair of pliers, with full strength, and pushed Lin Ruize hard. The defenseless Lin Ruize was like a fragile leaf, and was instantly knocked to the ground by this sudden powerful force. His back hit the hard and cold ground heavily, and a sharp pain like an electric shock quickly spread throughout his body like a surging tide, but he clenched his teeth and refused to let out a groan. His originally neat school uniform became dirty due to the dust on the ground the moment he fell. His hair was also messy due to the impact. His glasses hung crookedly on the bridge of his nose, making his vision a little blurry.

When the group of male classmates saw Lin Ruize fall to the ground in a mess, they not only did not feel any guilt or pity, but instead quickly surrounded him like a group of wolves smelling blood. One of the male classmates had a ferocious face and a cruel pleasure in his eyes. He suddenly raised his foot and kicked Lin Ruize hard, while cursing viciously: "You want to be a hero and save the beauty, but you don't even look at your own weight. You are simply overestimating your own abilities." Lin Ruize curled up on the ground like a wounded little hedgehog, holding his head tightly with both hands and curling up as much as possible. Although his heart was full of fear, afraid that the rain-like punches and kicks would cause him more serious injuries, his mind was always echoing with his parents' stern warnings about fighting, so he endured the double pain of body and mind and never fought back. His eyes were tightly closed, his eyebrows were twisted into a knot, and the painful expression on his face was clearly visible. Beads of sweat as big as beans kept rolling down his forehead like beads with broken strings, wetting the small piece of ground under him.

Jiang Yan witnessed this cruel and heartbreaking scene from the side, her face pale with fear, tears bursting out like a flood. Her cry seemed particularly miserable and helpless in this empty and silent corner of the playground, as if it was an extremely sad elegy, echoing in the air for a long time. Lin Ruize told himself silently over and over again in his heart that he must hold on, he must get through it, and he must not let things get worse, even if he has to endure more pain. The group of male classmates pushed and shoved him several times, and seeing that he was always like a silent statue, with no sign of fighting back, they gradually felt bored, and turned away unwillingly while cursing and saying all kinds of ugly words.

When their figures completely disappeared at the end of the playground, Lin Ruize slowly breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly and arduously climbed up from the ground, and every movement was accompanied by a piercing pain. He looked down and saw that his knee had been scraped open, and bright red blood was slowly oozing out of the wound. His palms were also rubbed with blood marks due to the friction on the ground, which looked shocking. But he just frowned slightly, as if these injuries were just insignificant troubles to him. He ignored the pain and dragged his limping steps, step by step, firmly walking to the female classmate.

His eyes were full of concern and worry, and he asked in a slightly hoarse but still gentle voice: "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Jiang Yan heard his voice and slowly raised her head. Her eyes were filled with a complex expression of gratitude and guilt. She said with a hint of tears: "Lin Ruize, thank you. You were injured to save me. I... I really don't know how to repay you." Lin Ruize looked at her tearful appearance, forced a smile, and comforted her: "I'm fine, as long as you are not injured, this is what I should do."

Lin Ruize endured the pain from his wound and walked slowly home. His steps were weak and heavy. Every time he took a step, his injured knee felt a piercing pain, causing his body to tremble slightly. He bent his waist, as if this could alleviate some of the pain. His once energetic figure now looked so embarrassed and exhausted. Along the way, he carefully avoided the crowd and took the secluded paths. He looked back vigilantly from time to time, fearing that his classmates or acquaintances would see him like this. His eyes were full of worry and anxiety, like a frightened bird after being injured.

When he got downstairs, he stopped at the door for a while, breathing heavily, trying to calm his panic. He tidied his clothes with trembling hands, patted the dust off his clothes, and pulled the corners of his clothes hard to cover the blood on his body. Then, he opened the door quietly and slipped in like a thief. But he didn't expect that as soon as he entered the door, he saw Lin Wanyi and Jiang Tingyan sitting in the living room.

Lin Wanyi saw her son's embarrassed look at a glance, and her brows immediately wrinkled into a knot. Jiang Tingyan's face also became very ugly. Lin Wanyi hurriedly got up and walked quickly to Lin Ruize. At this time, Lin Ruize lowered his head, and his hair on his forehead was soaked with sweat, drooping on his forehead in strands. His eyes dodged and he didn't dare to look at his mother. Lin Wanyi asked anxiously: "What's wrong with you? Have you got into trouble again?" There was obvious worry and dissatisfaction in her voice.

Lin Ruize lowered his head and whispered in a low voice, "Mom, it's not what you think. I passed by the corner of the playground during the break at school, and saw several boys from the next class surrounding a girl from our class. The girl was so scared that her body was shaking and her eyes were full of fear. I couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so I rushed over and stood in front of her." As he spoke, he rubbed the ground with his toes nervously, his fingers tightly clutching the corner of his clothes.

Jiang Tingyan frowned even more tightly and asked seriously: "Then why did they make you like this?"

Lin Ruize raised his head slightly, with a hint of stubbornness in his eyes, and his lips trembled slightly, as if he was trying to suppress the grievance and pain in his heart. "They told me not to meddle in other people's business, but how could I watch girls being bullied? I told them that bullying girls is wrong, and I must intervene. Then the tall boy who led the group pushed me down all of a sudden, and I fell to the ground, and my back hurt badly." As he spoke, he unconsciously reached out and touched his back, with a painful expression on his face, "They also surrounded me and kicked me, and I was scared at the time, but I thought of your instructions to me after I got into trouble before, saying that I couldn't fight, so I gritted my teeth and endured it, and didn't fight back." His eyes were slightly red, and tears were rolling in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to fall.

Lin Wanyi and Jiang Tingyan were stunned when they heard this. They didn't expect their son was injured because of being a hero saving a beautiful girl. Lin Wanyi's eyes were instantly filled with heartache. She gently pulled Lin Ruize's hand, looked at his injured knee and palm, tears welled up in her eyes, and said, "You silly boy, why didn't you fight back? Or you could call the teacher quickly, why can't you just stand there and get beaten? What if you get hurt?"

Jiang Tingyan also came over. He gently patted Lin Ruize's shoulder. Although his face was still a little serious, his tone had softened a lot: "Son, it's good that you want to protect your classmates, but you also have to learn to protect yourself. Next time you encounter such a situation, don't be so reckless. You can shout loudly to attract the attention of the classmates or teachers around you, instead of just trying to handle it alone."

Lin Ruize raised his head, looked at his parents, and said seriously: "I know, Mom and Dad. At that time, I just thought that I couldn't let them bully that girl. I promised you that I would not cause trouble again, so I didn't dare to fight back. I was afraid that if I did, I would cause trouble for you again like before."

Lin Wanyi pulled Lin Ruize to sit on the sofa with concern, and turned to get the medicine box. While carefully treating Lin Ruize's wound, she kept muttering: "You kid, you made your mother very worried. No matter what you do in the future, you must consider your own safety first, understand? Mom would rather you not be so brave than see you get hurt."

Jiang Tingyan nodded and said, "Forget it this time, but next time you encounter something like this, you should use your brain more. We don't want you to fight, but you can't let yourself get hurt in vain. Being brave is a good thing, but it is equally important to deal with problems wisely."

Lin Ruize nodded obediently, feeling warm in his heart. Although the wound still hurt, he knew that his parents loved and cared about him. Since then, Lin Ruize has gradually learned to strike a better balance between bravery and recklessness, and the relationship between him and his parents has become closer and deeper through such experiences.

(End of this chapter)