A buzz of discussion erupted on the train, and the old woman, crying, tried to push her way over.
The young man struggled desperately to break free from Li Zhi and escape, but Li Zhi’s hand was clamped around him like a vise. He couldn’t get away.
The young man grew frantic. He pulled a dagger from his pocket and glared at Li Zhi, his eyes cold and sinister.
"Let go, or I’ll waste you."
He was truly out of options and had to resort to threatening Li Zhi.
Truth be told, he had committed cris on this train many tis before and had never been caught. His skills were good; usually, his victims wouldn’t even notice their money was gone. But today, he ran into this old woman. She kept patting the spot where her money was, which let him know she had cash. But because of that sa habit, right after he stole it and before he could slip away, she checked for her money again, found it missing, and cried out. If she had been just a mont later, he would have been gone, and no one would have known it was him.
Gu’er’s eyes narrowed. The thief had actually pulled a knife. She glanced at the small table in the train car, looking for anything she could grab to use as a weapon. She had to help.
But before Gu’er could even reach for sothing, Li Zhi had already reacted.
"Waste ? If I let soone like you waste , I might as well be dead."
As Li Zhi spoke, he didn’t wait for the thief to make a move. He swiftly twisted the thief’s arm behind his back. The thief cried out, "AHH!" Li Zhi’s other hand wasn’t idle; he grabbed the thief’s other arm and forced it back too.
The thief’s dagger clattered to the floor. Both of his arms were now pinned behind his back by Li Zhi. He struggled but couldn’t break free. Just as Li Zhi was about to haul the thief up, he caught sight of another man rushing toward him out of the corner of his eye.
Li Zhi didn’t panic. He knew that thieves rarely worked alone and usually had accomplices as lookouts or backup. He had been on guard for this the whole ti.
As the other man approached, Li Zhi didn’t hesitate for a second, kicking out with his foot.
The man never expected Li Zhi to be so fast. Caught off guard, he took the kick right in the stomach and doubled over in pain.
"Both of you, stay put! Or just wait and see how I deal with you at the station."
After kicking the man, Li Zhi shouted loudly.
By now, everyone on the train knew these two were really thieves. After all, who else would carry a dagger around?
A few enthusiastic passengers surged forward and grabbed the accomplice Li Zhi had kicked.
So of them started throwing punches, hitting the thieves wherever they could, on their heads or their backsides, shouting that they were going to beat them to death.
The thieves scread pitifully, "OWW, OWW!"
Gu’er watched all this in disbelief. ’Li Zhi’s moves are just too slick! The thief pulled his knife, and before I could even grab sothing, he had already been subdued.’
’Back then, I just didn’t run into anyone with skills like Li Zhi’s. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been the one who had to do the stabbing.’
"Alright, alright, don’t beat them up too badly! It’s still illegal to injure them."
Li Zhi shouted again.
Just then, the train conductor and transit police arrived, and the crowd parted to let them through.
"What’s going on here?"
the transit police officer asked.
Without a word, Li Zhi took out his work ID. The officer took one look, nodded hastily, and gave Li Zhi a salute.
"So he’s a police officer! No wonder he caught the thief so skillfully."
"Yeah, yeah, it’s a good thing we had an officer on this train. Otherwise, the thief would’ve gotten away."
"What a great comrade! Does anyone know which police departnt he’s from? We should write him a letter of comndation."
The way the passengers on the train looked at Li Zhi had changed, now filled with reverence.
The old woman ca up and grabbed Li Zhi’s hands, her eyes filled with tears and her lips trembling, unable to find the right words to say.
"Alright, let’s handle this first. Let’s see if they still have the money they stole."
Li Zhi, on the other hand, was quite calm.
Then, Li Zhi went with the conductor and transit police to deal with the matter, escorting the thieves and leading the victims who had lost their money.
Gu’er didn’t follow. There were too many people, and she didn’t want to push through the crowd.
She sat waiting in her seat. Many people were looking at her, knowing that she was with Li Zhi.
"Young lady, is that your boyfriend? He’s wonderful! He has such an honorable look about him, and he gets rid of pests for us common folk. He’s a good man. You’re a lucky girl."
An old man sitting across from Gu’er gave her a thumbs-up.
"Sir, he’s my classmate, not my boyfriend."
Gu’er explained, a little embarrassed.
"A classmate? Well, classmates can beco a couple! What a great young man. This old auntie thinks you two are a good match. You can’t go wrong with a man like that."
a middle-aged woman chid in.
Gu’er stopped trying to explain. None of them knew the real situation, and the more she explained, the ssier it would get. So, she just kept quiet.
When everything was sorted out, Li Zhi returned, helping the old woman. Several other victims followed behind them, thanking Li Zhi profusely.
After Li Zhi helped the old woman back to her seat, he turned and sat down next to Gu’er.
Gu’er stared at him.
"What is it? Is there sothing on my face, or do you also think I’m heroic and mighty and want to praise ?"
Li Zhi felt a little uncomfortable under Gu’er’s gaze.
Gu’er let out a puff of laughter.
"Yes, yes, you’re the most heroic and mighty of them all."
She said the words, but inwardly, she was feeling quite emotional. ’To be honest, I never expected Li Zhi to intervene. In my mind, I always thought he was a sowhat selfish person. Before doing anything, he would first weigh the pros and cons, only acting if it was to his advantage. Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother.’
’Even his interest in , his desire to pursue , was because of my father’s connections. If I were just so girl from a village, he might like a little, but he would never marry , because I would be of no help to him at all.’
’But today, he did sothing that completely surprised . There was no benefit for him in catching the thief. A few words of thanks are useless to him. As for being a police officer, he won’t be one for much longer anyway. As a public official, he isn’t allowed to run a business. After this trip, he probably won’t be an officer anymore. So comndations and thanks are all useless to him.’
’And yet, despite there being nothing in it for him, he still acted. He caught the thief and helped the victims get their money back.’
His actions made Gu’er see him in a completely new light, giving her a much deeper understanding of him.
’I’ve always considered myself a fairly kind person,’ Gu’er thought. ’In a situation like this, I would have sympathized with the old woman and might have even offered her so money. But I probably wouldn’t have tried to catch the thief, because I’d feel that if I got involved, I couldn’t guarantee my own safety.’
’I don’t have such noble ideals as sacrificing myself for others. I believe most people don’t. When sothing happens, people prioritize their own safety first. They’ll only help if their own safety isn’t at risk.’
’But today, soone I always thought was selfish stepped up and took action. Human nature...’ The thought made Gu’er sigh with emotion.
"Don’t praise , and don’t look at like that. I’m afraid I’ll get the wrong idea. When that kid Sun Jiaming sees it, he’ll probably want to beat up."
Li Zhi said jokingly.
"Oh, shut up."
Gu’er couldn’t help but smile. After this incident, her opinion of Li Zhi had changed drastically.
——————
Thank you to Flirty Eyes and Traveling Mom for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for your support.
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