Chapter 3: Ambition and Aspirations

I unconsciously clenched my fists and suddenly shouted two words at that group of scoundrels: "Stop!"

I am not foolish; I understand the consequences of letting go. From the very beginning, I anticipated my fate. I cannot escape, nor do I wish to. After all, if I were to escape unscathed, this group of thugs would surely seek revenge on Xiaoyue, and that would only harm her. Therefore, once I confirm that Xiaoyue has safely returned to campus, I slowly move the shard of glass away from my neck, which is concealed by my long bangs, and while doing so, I calmly address the pack of wolves before me: "I apologize; I simply do not want to see so many men bullying a single girl. If you are feeling pent up, then take it out on me; I am willing to bear it!"

At this moment, the forcibly pulled Xiaoyue turned back to look at me, her face streaming with tears. I could not discern whether her tears were due to her own helplessness or sympathy for me. All I knew was that they gave me strength. No matter how insignificant I might be, I could not lack courage. In that instant, I seemed to suddenly possess the spirit of a man. Gathering all my strength, I picked up the shattered glass pieces from the ground, stood up abruptly, and charged at that group of ruffians like a mad dog

I endured in silence, bearing the blows and insults. The golden retriever grew more vigorous with each strike, continuing until I knelt on the ground. Only then did he bend down, contemptuously patting my face, and sneered, "Have you softened? Disabled, do you still dare to meddle, huh?"

I am not lacking in self-awareness, but I truly cannot tolerate seeing Xiao Yue being bullied. She has been trafficked before, and her spirit is already very sensitive and fragile. If she is subjected to further provocation, no matter how strong she is, she will go mad.

Xiao Yue cried even harder than before. I could read from her fearful eyes that she was afraid I would act recklessly, and even more afraid that something would happen to me. She hesitated to leave and anxiously shouted at me: "What will you do if I leave?"

The onlookers beside me all displayed expressions of disbelief, unable to comprehend how a mere boy, still wet behind the ears, dared to confront those individuals. To be honest, at that moment, I truly wanted to back down. However, upon meeting Xiao Yue's eyes, filled with joy and anticipation, I found myself uncontrollably gathering strength. Under the gaze of the crowd, I walked towards that group while saying, "Could you do me a favor and let that girl go!"

After speaking, I turned my gaze to the young girl who had come with Xiao Yue, urging her to quickly take Xiao Yue away. The young girl, who had been stunned with fear, finally came to her senses and forcefully pulled Xiao Yue away. Perhaps she was afraid that I might actually do something foolish, or perhaps she feared that the group of thugs would change their minds and capture her again. In the end, Xiao Yue was reluctantly taken away by her classmate, looking back three times.

The Xiaoyue I see now has changed somewhat since the last time. Dressed in camouflage, she appears so spirited. After undergoing military training, her face has shed its simple youthful innocence, revealing a different kind of strong charm. In contrast to the girl beside her, who looks as stunned as if she had just escaped from an African coal mine, Xiaoyue's beauty stands out even more. However, perhaps it is precisely because her beauty is so striking that it has attracted the entanglements of those ruffians

After he finished speaking, the other thugs also glared at me, their fierce gazes capable of killing me. Even my boss, frightened, whispered behind me: "Xiao Ge, don't do anything reckless"

My roar was like a great bell, the two words resonating powerfully broke through the crowd and reached the ears of those burly ruffians. When all eyes were finally focused on me, I suddenly realized, it was over, I had acted recklessly

How could I, someone worse than a dog, act as a hero? Yet, the words have already escaped my lips, and I cannot take them back. There is no way; I can only stand tall, with righteous indignation, staring at that group of wolves and tigers, hoping to sway them with my righteous gaze. Clearly, this thought of mine is too naive; they were not intimidated by me, but rather surprised. One burly, bare-chested man glared at me with his bull-like eyes and shouted, "What’s the matter, kid? Do you want to meddle in affairs that don’t concern you?"

Having spoken, I gently closed my eyes, filled with the lofty aspirations of a dying warrior

I ignored him and focused solely on the little Yue who had been released by the ruffians, shouting at her: "You leave here first!"

I forced a smile and said softly, "If hitting me can relieve your anger, then go ahead and take your frustrations out on me. I beg you, spare that girl!"

I swallowed hard and shouted louder through their laughter: "Let her go, I can pay for your medical expenses!"

As I watched her being dragged away by those people, I remained unmoved. I felt a deep pain for her, yet I was powerless to save her. I had profoundly experienced the cost of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress; it was the price of losing a leg and having my family shattered. Moreover, those thugs, bare-chested, each bore tattoos that made them appear fiercer than real tigers. Not to mention me, a cripple, even the many able-bodied bystanders outside the restaurant did not dare to step forward to speak on her behalf.

The other bystanders suddenly realized something was amiss and hurriedly turned their heads. In the moment they displayed expressions of terror, I had already exerted all my strength to unleash an angry roar: "Let that girl go, or I will kill him!"

I gritted my teeth against the excruciating pain from my limp leg and quickly darted behind a thug wearing a tank top with long bangs. I was certain that this silent figure, who had been smoking quietly the whole time, was the leader of this gang.

Seeing them still shouting, I couldn't help but grip the shard of glass tighter, pressing it into the skin beneath my long bangs. Bright red blood flowed down his neck, past his collarbone, and onto his hetushu .com .com. Immediately, with red eyes, I shouted again, "I said, let that girl go!"

Regardless of the outcome, at least I can now see the fearful expressions on the faces of those who have acted as accomplices. Xiao Yue has left, yet I have not relaxed my grip in the slightest. They are all afraid, afraid that this madman might truly deal with their leader. Even Liu Hai, the squad leader, has softened his tone; he no longer dares to threaten me and instead speaks with a hint of pleading, asking me to let him go, saying that everything can be negotiated. They were just joking with that girl and had no malicious intent.

I lay limply on the ground, struggling to lift my head, opening my eyes blurred by blood, and looked towards that group of thugs. I had thought that they would vent their anger on me and let Xiao Yue go, but I was wrong; they still forcibly dragged Xiao Yue away. I understood that this group of scoundrels clearly valued Xiao Yue's beauty, using the excuse of their brother being hurt by her to brazenly take her away for their own gain

Upon hearing this, the golden retriever immediately straightened up and took a deep breath. This time, he was completely enraged, grabbing the beer bottle from the table and smashing it down hard onto my head. The bottle shattered, and I fell down. Only then did the golden retriever leave, cursing under his breath.

Faced with their assault, Xiao Yue seemed to lose all reason, her eyes bursting with boundless fury. Fortunately, Xiao Yue was unharmed; rather, one of the ruffians appeared to be injured. The scene before her was evident; it was clear that those ruffians had been drinking too much and had harassed Xiao Yue. With her strong sense of vigilance, Xiao Yue had struck one of the ruffians on the head with a beer bottle.

The hoarse roar pierced through everyone's eardrums, and the group of thugs who had just been so arrogant suddenly panicked. They all shouted, begging me to let their leader go, or else they would skin me alive. Although their bravado remained, I could clearly sense a lack of confidence in their voices. I understood the principle of capturing the leader first; with a trump card in hand, I feared no one.

The soft fears the hard, the hard fears the reckless; I, this reckless madman, truly frightened everyone present. Not to mention that group of golden-haired and red-haired individuals, even the usually calm one with long bangs broke into a cold sweat. He quickly signaled his underling to release Xiao Yue, while simultaneously threatening me: "Little brother, don't act recklessly. If you let me go, we can let this matter rest. Otherwise, you will pay with your life!"

As the long-haired individual heard the noise and prepared to turn around, one of my hands had already grasped his hair, while the other hand silently pressed a shard of glass against his neck. In my excitement, I lost control of my strength, and the shard pierced his neck, causing it to bleed.

I seemed to be transported back in time to the day of my brother's wedding, various emotions surged within me once again. I was moved by her pleading gaze, and a sense of righteous indignation arose within me. The collapse of my emotions shattered the walls of my defenses. I forgot the painful price I had once paid, forgot my current situation; all I knew was that this girl, who shared my suffering, must not be harmed.

I gritted my teeth and said firmly, "I have a way to escape, you should leave quickly! Hurry!"

Perhaps others cannot understand how a girl could be so fierce, but I know clearly that Xiaoyue was once abducted by human traffickers. This has left a significant shadow in her heart, and without a sense of security, she is likely to lose her rationality when faced with such situations. However, no matter how much Xiaoyue resists, she is ultimately a weak woman and cannot withstand those shameless thugs!

At this moment, all laughter abruptly ceased; they were completely infuriated by me, especially the golden retriever, who without a word delivered a resounding slap to my face, causing me to stumble and fall onto the table.

This golden retriever might think that I have undermined his authority on hetushu.com, and wants to assert his dominance over me. After slapping me, he came over to punch and kick me, all the while cursing: "I damn well let you take the lead, and you don't know your place, you damn cripple. Do you really think my brother's head is just an object? You think saying a few words and paying some money will settle this?"

As soon as the Golden Retriever finished speaking, the sharp and piercing laughter of his brothers erupted.

It was only when Xiaoyue's face, filled with worry and gratitude, disappeared from my sight that I felt a sense of relief, and a smile involuntarily appeared at the corners of my mouth. This was a smile of liberation, a smile that signified a complete transformation. Throughout my life, regardless of how biased my parents were or how they scolded and punished me, I never offered any resistance. Even when bullied and mocked by classmates, I did not dare to retort. I had always been submissive. Yet today, at this very moment, I have taken the first step of courage. I dare to confront others, I dare to risk my life to fight against dark forces, and I have finally discovered the true spirit of manhood within myself.

I found myself in the role of an observer, watching everything unfold before my eyes. However, just as Xiao Yue was ruthlessly dragged to the entrance of the restaurant, she suddenly caught sight of me in the crowd while struggling desperately. In an instant, she became quiet, as serene as she used to be in my home. I could clearly see that in her eyes, which were fixed on me, there was surprise, fear, helplessness, and a profound plea.

I was fine as long as I didn't walk, but once I did, everyone knew I was a cripple. In an instant, those thugs burst into laughter as if they had discovered a great joke. One thug with dyed golden hair laughed while menacingly approaching me, grabbing my collar and harshly saying: "You damn cripple, what do you think you are? You think you can just say 'let it go' and it will be over? That bitch broke my brother's head, do you think you can solve it with just a word? You better get as far away from me as you can, or I'll break your other leg!"