Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Chivalry
Gu Chi left with Tuanzi.
They walked to the roadside, ready to hail a cab.
Tuanzi was very quiet, and while Gu Chi felt heartache, he wanted to take this opportunity to educate her.
"Miaomiao, do you understand now that some people aren’t worth saving?"
The little girl looked up and saw that clear and handsome face filled with gloom.
Everyone thought that the boy from the past had walked out of the shadow, becoming a gentle and considerate person.
But gentleness is just a mask; sometimes, smilingly refusing to help doesn’t cause resentment.
Gu Chi didn’t smile and looked directly at his sister, as if seeing another version of himself, a big fool with too much passion.
"Some people, even if you help them, can coldly watch you get hurt. Others, you help them, and they’ll stand with the wrongdoers to scold you. Perhaps they might even secretly mock your kindness and courage, calling you a fool."
Tuanzi blinked and tilted her head, "Are you saying the police officers are fools?"
The gloomy aura paused, and Gu Chi frowned, "What are you talking about?"
Tuanzi pointed to the police station not far away.
"Miaomiao heard it, in the resting room next door, someone was scolding a police officer because that officer arrested his son for stealing."
She stretched out her chubby hand, counting, "And two men were scolding a policewoman because their argument disturbed others at night, and since the neighborhood committee couldn’t resolve it, someone called the police, yet they scolded the officer responsible for solving the issue."
Tuanzi counted and spoke in an innocent tone, "Brother Gu Chi, do you think Miaomiao is silly? Many people are just as silly."
Gu Chi was left speechless. After all, it’s true; grassroots police often do thankless tasks. It’s their duty, but many people criticize their work without knowing they often work under high pressure.
It’s even more so for detectives, many of whom die suddenly at their posts due to intense workloads, with some jumping in to mourn, saying the upper levels exploit them, and that their lack of proper rest is the fault of the higher-ups.
Those complaining about their low work efficiency are the same ones who hypocritically say they should have rested well after they’re gone.
Outsiders don’t know the full process of handling a case, nor how many cases a detective handles simultaneously. They jump to conclusions eagerly, their voices used by the media to apply pressure, and those people end up burning out faster, falling at their posts and becoming a topic for many, and a source of viewership for media outlets.
Again and again, it never changes.
"Wait, the two matters are different."
Gu Chi endeavored not to be led astray by his sister.
"I admire them, but it’s their job. You’re just a kid who needs to go to kindergarten."
Tuanzi shook her head, "But Miaomiao is a hero!"
She patted her chest, "The martial artist mustn’t forget ’chivalry.’ This is Miaomiao’s chivalry. If Miaomiao doesn’t do this, then Miaomiao isn’t a heroine."
Gu Chi was about to say ’Then just don’t be a heroine,’ when he heard Tuanzi pitifully say, "Then Miaomiao would lose her purpose."
The young painter paused, his dark eyes staring at the little girl in front of him.
He heard his sister’s soft voice, seemingly close yet as if drifting from the horizon.
"Miaomiao has family, so she will protect herself and won’t make her loving family sad. But when Miaomiao first learned martial arts, it was not just for fitness, but for her sense of justice; that’s the reason Miaomiao has always strived. If those helped end up scolding Miaomiao, then let them, because Miaomiao won’t help them a second time. But what about others who are waiting for help? Should they pay for the ungrateful ones?"
Gu Chi said in a daze, "It’s not the same..."
"How is it different?"
Gu Chi couldn’t answer, he wavered.
At this moment, a small hand appeared in his palm. He looked down and saw his sister looking up at him, showing a soft smile.
"Brother Gu Chi, do you regret it?"
"?"
"Regret standing up to help those three people back then?"
Gu Chi said nothing.
Tuanzi rephrased, "If time went back to the past, without memories of the future, at that alley entrance, faced with that situation, would you stand up?"
It was beyond doubt that he would.
Because then, Gu Chi was a person cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He would never let others bully his friends.
Tuanzi gave a gentle tug.
"Bend down."
Gu Chi instinctively complied.
With a "pa," two little paws patted his face, like a kitten stretching out its pads, gently tapping him.
Tuanzi rubbed his face.
"Back then, Brother Gu Chi was right to help them. If in future encounters Brother Gu Chi doesn’t help, that’s also okay. No one can demand that you must help others. Not helping others doesn’t mean you’re a bad person."
Tuanzi concluded, "So, whether it’s the past Brother Gu Chi or the present one, Miaomiao really likes him."
"Bang!" It was as if fireworks exploded in his heart.
Gu Chi stared at her.
"Is it okay not to help others?"
"Of course, protecting yourself is most important."
Tuanzi said with a cheerful smile, "But if you really encounter similar situations, who knows what Brother Gu Chi will do? Let’s not talk about future matters."
Gu Chi’s heart suddenly settled.
He also reached out and rubbed his sister’s cheek.
"If time rewound and you had memories of the future, knowing the old lady saved would blame you, would you still save her?"
Tuanzi nodded without hesitation.
"Because Miaomiao is not just saving her, you know."
Even if that old lady says that her son would eventually call an ambulance, expecting someone who can lay hands on his mother to have a conscience is less likely than hoping a rooster lays an egg.
"Such a person could harm his own mother, meaning others might also become victims. If that’s the case, it’s better to have him arrested now since his crime is a fact."
Tuanzi intensified the face rubbing, her brows curved in delight.
Gu Chi rubbed her face too.
If someone passed by, they would see a handsome guy bent over, rubbing cheeks with a little girl.
The scene was comical yet heartwarming.
Gu Chi recalled his sister’s previous demeanor.
"Then why were you so unhappy before? You seemed so demoralized."
"They scolded Miaomiao, can’t Miaomiao feel sad?"
Tuanzi widened her eyes and said indignantly, "Miaomiao should have scolded back!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, feeling like she missed a big opportunity. She should have grabbed the sister’s phone then and loudly criticized the old lady.
Tuanzi pulled back her hand, rolled up her sleeves, ready to go back and argue.
She stormed off like an angry little bun.