jdhmnovel Chapter 128 The situations are different, but in reality, they are the same.
Chapter 128 The situations are different, but in reality, they are the same.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the campus in a warm orange-yellow hue. The bell rang softly for the end of the last class in the afternoon, and students began to pack their bags one after another, ending their day of classes.
Yuan Bao quickly tidied up his books, turned his head, and whispered to Mengmeng beside him, "Mengmeng, the teacher won't be teaching tonight. I'm going home now. See you tomorrow."
Mengmeng nodded in agreement, and Yuan Bao, carrying his schoolbag, walked briskly out of the classroom.
After leaving the school gate, Yuan Bao strolled slowly along the familiar street, a gentle breeze carrying a hint of evening coolness.
After walking for about ten minutes, as we passed through a small alley, a sudden burst of noisy shouting and cursing came from the side.
Yuan Bao paused for a moment, his curiosity instantly piqued, and his gossip-loving nature kicked in.
A hint of excitement flashed in her eyes as she cautiously and quickly approached the alley, her footsteps extremely light, as if afraid of disturbing the people inside.
"Ding! A new main quest has been released. Please help the lost and misguided youth regain his confidence and get out of his predicament."
Upon hearing about the triggered mission, Yuan Bao became even more eager. As she approached, she could make out the scene in the alley by the dim light.
A figure came into view, and the figure seemed somewhat familiar.
Upon closer inspection, she realized it was her male classmate from junior high school – Deng Jinjun.
Yuan Bao's thoughts drifted back to his junior high school days.
At that time, in the real world, she was a girl who didn't care much about her studies because she was being deliberately targeted by Yuan Xiaogu, while Deng Jinjun had a pretty good relationship with her.
Deng Jinjun came from a well-off family and was very talented in mathematics. Although his grades were not top-notch, they were still passable.
Later, when news came that his parents were getting a divorce, he seemed like a completely different person.
He became rebellious and unruly, causing trouble and fighting at school all day long, and his grades plummeted, often resulting in his parents being called in.
At this moment, Deng Jinjun was standing in the middle of the alley, facing several young men with exaggeratedly dyed hair, who were cursing and arguing as if they were arguing about something.
Yuan Bao's heart tightened. She knew that Deng Jinjun's current state and involvement in such a conflict could not be good.
She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should step forward to mediate the fight or turn around and leave to find an adult for help. Just then, one of the young men suddenly reached out and pushed Deng Jinjun, who stumbled and almost fell.
Yuan Bao gritted her teeth, deciding she couldn't stand idly by any longer. She took a deep breath and shouted, "What are you doing!" With that, she strode into the alley.
Yuan Bao called out and entered the alley. The men, who had been on the verge of exchanging blows, all turned to look at her. When Deng Jinjun saw that it was Yuan Bao, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly turned his head away, feigning composure.
"Who are you? Mind your own business!" The blond-haired youth leading the group frowned and shouted at Yuan Bao with a look of impatience.
Yuan Bao took a deep breath, preparing to act at any moment, and said, "I'm his classmate. You can talk things out, don't fight." As she spoke, she secretly gave Deng Jinjun a wink, signaling him to find a chance to escape.
Just then, footsteps suddenly came from the other end of the alley. It turned out to be a few elderly men and women passing by.
Seeing this, the blond youth felt a little guilty. He glared at Deng Jinjun fiercely and spat, "You're lucky today, kid!" After saying that, he hurriedly left with his men.
Deng Jinjun's tense body instantly relaxed. He lowered his head, not daring to look Yuan Bao in the eye, and muttered, "Why did you come here? Mind your own business."
Yuan Bao stepped forward, looked at Deng Jinjun's disheveled appearance, and said with heartache, "How can I not care? We are old classmates. I heard about your family's situation, but you can't go on like this."
Upon hearing this, Deng Jinjun suddenly became agitated: "What do you know! Ever since they started their reckless divorce, I feel like I've lost everything. My studies, my life, everything is a mess!" As he spoke, his eyes gradually reddened.
Yuan Bao gently patted Deng Jinjun on the shoulder and said earnestly, "I know you're suffering, but giving up on yourself like this will only make those who care about you feel worse. Why don't we think of a way together to solve the current problem?"
Deng Jinjun raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion, but he still nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Yuan Bao breathed a sigh of relief. She decided to first help Deng Jinjun resolve his conflict with those thugs, and then slowly persuade him to get back on the right track.
The two walked out of the alley, and Yuan Bao asked Deng Jinjun about the reason for the conflict with those people.
It turns out that Deng Jinjun found a part-time job through some small advertisements in order to earn some pocket money, but he did not expect to fall into a scam and be threatened by these people to demand so-called "compensation".
Yuan Bao frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "We can't just accept this defeat. I'll go with you to the police station tomorrow and let them handle it." Deng Jinjun hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed.
In the days that followed, Yuan Bao accompanied Deng Jinjun to the police station and cooperated with the police investigation.
During the time Yuan Bao was dealing with Deng Jinjun's troubles, he gradually learned more about his family situation.
As expected, Deng Jinjun's parents ultimately failed to save their marriage and went their separate ways.
His mother left the family, and Deng Jinjun chose to live with his father.
However, the father was always busy and rarely home, leaving only his elderly and frail grandmother to keep him company.
To make matters worse, people around Deng Jinjun kept gossiping, saying that his father was having an affair with another woman and that he would soon have a stepmother. They even added fuel to the fire by saying, "With a stepmother, you'll have a stepfather."
These words were like sharp knives, piercing Deng Jinjun's heart, making his already fragile heart even more riddled with holes, and making him even more rebellious.
Deng Jinjun longed to change the status quo, yearned for independence, and no longer wanted to be bound by these troublesome matters.
So when those small advertisements promising easy money appeared in front of him, he was tempted, hoping to get out of his predicament, but he never expected to fall into the trap of scammers.
That day, Yuan Bao and Deng Jinjun sat on a bench by the street. Seeing Deng Jinjun's still dejected appearance, Yuan Bao decided to have another good talk with him.
“Deng Jinjun,” Yuan Bao said softly, “you were in the same class as Luo Yijun, right? You two were the two best in the class, and you got along pretty well, right? You must have heard about what happened to him.”
Upon hearing this name, Deng Jinjun paused slightly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes—a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy.
He nodded slightly, his voice low: "Yes, he's doing very well in his studies now, and he's won quite a few awards."
Yuan Bao looked at him and said earnestly, "Look, Luo Yijun also experienced much more difficult and dangerous situations than you, but he did not give up and persevered."
We can't give up on ourselves just because of our family's misfortunes. You have your own strengths; you're so good at math. As long as you work hard, you'll definitely have a bright future.
Deng Jinjun shook his head with a wry smile: "I'm different from him. I can't concentrate on studying at all right now. My house is a mess, and I really can't focus."
"Although you have experienced different things, they are actually the same! It's like being put to great things by Heaven, and you must first endure hardship... It's like going through a tribulation. Once you get through it, you will grow. I believe that as long as you are willing, you can definitely cheer up. And think about your grandma. She loves you so much and definitely wants to see you get better and better."
Upon hearing his grandmother's name, Deng Jinjun's eyes reddened. He slowly lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
Yuan Bao didn't urge him, but simply stayed quietly by his side.