Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Chen Zhibin's father had passed away when he was a kid. It was his mother who brought him up. The Chen family was from the countryside, where most people were uneducated and illiterate. In order to support her family, his mother worked as a cleaner in Nanjiang City. Every day, she worked very hard to support Chen Zhibin and herself with a meager salary.

In order to reduce the burden on his mother's shoulder as well as to improve the financial condition of his family, Chen Zhibin joined the military right after high school graduation. He was blessed with an excellent physique and talents. The leaders saw him as a potential soldier when he first joined the army, so they valued him very much and began a special training regime for him.

A few days ago, Chen Zhibin suddenly received a call from the hospital. His mother had been involved in a serious car accident and was sent to the hospital. She had not regained consciousness after staying coma for many days now.

The hospital had issued several medical crisis notices after Chen Zhibin rushed home from the base. He also learned the truth about his mother's accident. She had been hit by some rich kids in Nanjiang City who were drunk. According to the witnesses' testimonies, after the perpetrator had hit his mother, he reversed his car, crushing her for the second time when he saw her struggling. At the same time, the witnesses had heard the perpetrator shout that he intended to kill her because he didn't want the crippled poor person to come back and haunt him for compensation later on. Fortunately, a few bystanders had witnessed the horrifying scene and quickly stopped him.

After the news broke out, the perpetrator surrendered a scapegoat to face the charges. When Chen Zhibin confronted him, he even beat Chen Zhibin and threatened to kill him if he persisted.

The Chen family was just one of many poverty-stricken folks in Nanjiang City with three no's—no influence, no connection, and no money. The perpetrator paid a sum of money to the hospital and never appeared again.

This was just the beginning. The most annoying part was the perpetrator's ill-intentioned scheme. It was uncertain how the perpetrator had manipulated the case, but he made the witness change their testimony and claimed that the accident had occurred because Chen Zhibin's mother was actually a scammer who tried to get compensation by staging the accident. Eventually, the scapegoat was released two days later and the case was left hanging.

"So, is that why Chen Zhibin doesn't want to return to the base?" Jiang Yao asked. She speculated that the military had sent Lu Xingzhi, the sergeant, to knock sense into Chen Zhibin's head because they had spent money and effort into training an elite soldier.

Just after her own question, Jiang Yao shook her head reflexively. This was not as simple as she thought. "The military has the intention to intervene in this matter, am I right?"

Lu Xingzhi nodded. "Of course."

The nature of this case was too horrid and atrocious. As soldiers of the nation, they protected every citizen with their sweat and blood, but their families were bullied to this extent. Who could surrender to such a tragic incident?

It was also the reason why Lu Xingzhi had rushed to Nanjiang City overnight. He came to persuade Chen Zhibin and also to watch him.

"Judging from the way he reported to the base through the phone call, it is very likely that he is seeking revenge for his mother," Lu Xingzhi said, "it will be fine if his mother recovers, but if she doesn't, I'm afraid that Chen Zhibin will lose his mind."

The military was concerned about the possibility of Chen Zhibin's extreme retaliation. He was an elite soldier that was specially trained by the army. With his skillset, if he planned to execute a series of retaliation moves on the society or people, no one could stop him, not even if they sent a team of police to watch him 24/7.

If Chen Zhibin resorted to such action, it would not only be the loss to the military, but also of his life and future.

"I'm heading to the police station now, wait for me here. I'll be back before noon, let's have lunch together then." Lu Xingzhi paused for a while and frowned. "Are you okay being alone in the hotel? Will you be afraid? What about I send you back to your dorm first? I'll pick you up after I'm done."