228 Bare minimum
“Yoona, where were you?” Mrs Bai asked her daughter. “We have been calling you for so long. Child, why was your phone switched off? Do you know how scared mom and dad were?”
Yoona hugged her mother and cried pitifully.
When Mr Bai came out, he was confused to see his daughter crying and a tall boy standing away from her.
“What happened, sweetheart?” Mr Bai asked his daughter.
Yoona explained the story in a trembling voice. She also told them how Gu Shangyan helped her walk her home in case they misunderstood him.
“How dare they hurt my daughter, “Mrs Bai raged.
“I will call the police. This matter can’t be left like this. What if they tried to hurt more girls?” Mr Bai said. He didn’t want any other girl or his girl to face this situation once again.
“Good sir, I captured the pictures of those boys harassing her, “Gu Shangyan moved forward and passed his phone to the man. “If you want, I can even go to the police station with you.”
Mr Bai and Mrs Bai had a good impression of the boy. They nodded their heads and asked him if it would be appropriate for him to go with them now.
Gu Shangyan immediately agreed. It would be better if someone would finally make a complaint against those jerks. He couldn’t imagine someone doing something the same to his sister. Although he was calm and mature all the time, he knew that if someone even touched An Xiulan’s hair inappropriately, he would commit murder.
The four of them didn’t go inside and left for the police station from there. Mr Bai and Mrs Bai filed a police complaint. Gu Shangyan provided them with the evidence and Yoona narrated how she was harassed.
Since they had clear pictures of the boy harassing her and they even got footage from the nearby store where they found out that Yoona wasn’t the only girl, those jerks were harassing, an arrest warrant was made and a search party was prepared to look for those boys.
In just an hour, those boys were found drunk and they were now locked up in a police locker.
Sometimes, we just have to raise a voice against evil. We always claim that no one helped girls in need and maybe because of this claim, the girls stopped raising their voices. There are still responsible and righteous people left in the world to help the victims and oppressed. Yoona was just one case. She didn’t hide the truth from her parents and her parents didn’t leave this matter. They raised their voice and so those oppressors were behind the bars right now.
“Thank you so much, young boy, “Mr Bai smiled at the boy gratefully. “If it wasn’t for you, my daughter wouldn’t have gotten justice. You are a hero. I don’t know how to repay your kindness.”
Gu Shangyan only smiled. “I am no hero, sir. I just helped someone in need. And please don’t say you want to repay my kindness. What I did was the bare minimum. It was my duty as well as my responsibility as a citizen.”
“At least let us drop you at home, “Mrs Bai said in a soft voice as she hugged her silent daughter.
“I have texted my parents. They will be here anytime, “Gu Shangyan replied. “You live on the other side of the city. It would be time-consuming. Plus, your daughter needs you now.”
Mr and Mrs Bai didn’t want to leave immediately but Yoona didn’t look good. She was shaking and trying to suppress her tears. They were about to enter their car when a Rolls Royce stopped at the exit of the police station and a very anxious couple came out.
“Shangyan, are you okay?” An Qinyan asked anxiously. She looked at him for any injuries and when she didn’t find one, she sighed in relief.
“Champ, we were really scared when you didn’t come home on time and then asked us to come to the police station, “Gu Yanxi said as he hugged the boy. “Next time you come to the police station, please give us a little context in text, alright?”
“Auntie. Uncle. I’m sorry for making you worry, “Gu Shangyan sincerely apologised.
“Will you tell us what happened?” An Qinyan asked.
Gu Shangyan narrated the entire story and from the expressions of both of them, he didn’t know why but they looked immensely proud right now.
“I’m proud to call you my son, “An Qinyan patted his back. “You did well. Come, today you can buy anything you want. You stepped on the first step of being a good man and we can’t be happier.”
“Yes, Yanyan is right, “Gu Yanxi nodded his head.
Gu Shangyan smiled but shook his head. “I don’t want anything in return. Taking anything in return would make me feel guilty. I didn’t help her to be a hero and please stop treating me as some kind of hero. What I did was bare minimum.”
An Qinyan and Gu Yanxi were so touched by his words. “Come, let’s have dinner out today. You may not feel like a hero. I just want to appreciate your uncle raising such a good boy.”
“And you can’t say no. My Yanyan is finally appreciating me, “Gu Yanxi didn’t forget to flirt with his wife.
Sometimes parents don’t have to do much but just remind their children how proud they are of their kindness and righteous attitude. All parents are proud of their good marks but a child feels special when his kindness is appreciated.
Gu Shangyan felt like that child right now. He felt special and touched when his Uncle and Auntie brought him to his favourite restaurant and smiled at everyone and appreciated how their son had done a good deed today and how proud they were right now. He felt shy for sure but he felt touched and loved.
Looking at the good food in front of him, he closed his eyes and prayed for that girl who would be haunted by the bad memories of this day. He just prayed to God to bless her with bravery and immense strength.
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A/N: You know what? These characters make me feel something so deep and special. An Qinyan was right. Gu Shangyan pretended to be calm and indifferent all the time but he had the most tender heart too. Who doesn’t love a coldy ML but such a tender attitude towards his family is cherry on the top, isn’t it?
I hope we see more people like Gu Shangyan.