Super Soldier in the City

The people of Zhang Family each went off to attend to their own affairs; friends and relatives gradually arrived, and comrades were also on their way. Li Yifei, Zheng Mingrui, and Zhang Tianxing sat in the empty space behind the house, near a pile of firewood. Originally, someone was invited to chop wood, but Li Yifei sent them away. The three sat there, chatting while chopping wood, and Zhang Tianxing, having undergone a change in mindset, confided in the two of them about the truth.

Only then did Li Yifei and Zheng Mingrui come to understand what exactly had happened to Zhang Tianxing after he was discharged from the army that led to such a significant change in him.

Zhang Tianxing was discharged due to injury. The compensation he received wasn’t small, but it was less than what Li Yifei managed to secure, as some of it was intercepted. The money wasn’t the main issue—Zhang Tianxing was in good health, and the army treatments were timely, so he recovered quite well.

When he returned home, he definitely didn’t become who he is now. After some time, Zhang Tianxing seemed not too different from a normal person at all. After retiring, Zhang Tianxing chose to go to the city to find a job, even though he received a compensation of three hundred thousand. If that money was just saved, eventually, it would be spent, so earning more was necessary.

At that time, Zhang Tianxing was still very down but didn’t feel overly lost. The army actually had arranged post-discharge work for him, but when Zhang Tianxing went to look for it, he discovered that the position was already taken, so he had no choice but to give up.

After finding a job, it wasn’t long before Zhang Tianxing met a girl. According to Zhang Tianxing, she was as beautiful as a fairy. Speaking of this, Li Yifei and Zheng Mingrui both smiled kindly, after which Zhang Tianxing smiled helplessly, saying, "The girl’s family is an ordinary one. Of course, it’s much better than mine; there should be a significant gap. Both parents are intellectuals; the mother is a teacher, and the father is a civil servant."

After graduating from college, the girl tried to pass the graduate school entrance exam for a year but didn’t succeed, so she started looking for a job, coincidentally entering the same company as Zhang Tianxing. This company was a cross-province firm with good prospects, although Zhang Tianxing was only hired as a security guard.

Recalling the time they met, Zhang Tianxing couldn’t help but reveal a joyful smile. He talked about how very happy he was at the time, although it wasn’t a clichéd hero-saving-the-beauty kind of moment; their acquaintance was merely because the girl was too busy with work those days and forgot to have breakfast. The girl had stomachache problems and even low blood sugar. At the time, Zhang Tianxing happened to be holding a Chinese pancake, noticed her squatting in the stairwell looking very pained, and went over to ask. Learning that the girl hadn’t eaten breakfast, he directly offered the Chinese pancake to her to eat.

The girl was initially very embarrassed but eventually accepted the food under persuasion. After eating, she said thank you and returned to work, but Zhang Tianxing remembered it. He told the captain and went out to buy a box of medicine for stomach aches, soon delivering it to the girl’s desk.

Thus, the goodwill began to build up. The girl was quite surprised, thanked him again, and the medicine brought relief to her stomach.

At the end of the day, the girl suggested inviting Zhang Tianxing to dinner, saying it was to thank him. Zhang Tianxing was unwilling to let the girl pay for dinner, vehemently shaking his head, and finally, they decided to split the bill and stopped to have a buffet meal together, spending fifty yuan each and eating to their heart’s content.

Of course, in the end, when it came time to pay, Zhang Tianxing’s streak of male chauvinism kicked in, and he rushed to pay. The girl felt quite embarrassed, added Zhang Tianxing’s WeChat, went home, and insisted on sending a red packet over.

Thus, the two came to know each other, and the girl learned that Zhang Tianxing was a discharged soldier, which greatly increased her affection, as she admired military men. In their conversations, Zhang Tianxing could feel the girl’s interest in military stories, which made him quite happy. At that time, he was at a low point in life, returning from the army to become a security guard. Zhang Tianxing just felt that his bleak life had taken on a bit of a new direction.

In the years in the army, except for missions, training, and life-and-death tests, Zhang Tianxing hadn’t experienced much involving women, especially since he didn’t have the personality like Li Yifei and the others. Strictly speaking, Zhang Tianxing was still a virgin.

The girl was eight years younger than Zhang Tianxing, and at first glance, there was a generation gap between them, but with the girl’s proactive approach, Zhang Tianxing instead found their conversations increasingly joyful. When he opened up, Zhang Tianxing also shared some stories from his army days with the girl.

Generally, women with an interest in the military find such stories even more attractive, and the girl listened with stars in her eyes. The two gradually began to engage more deeply, and until now, the story was still pleasantly unfolding; Li Yifei and Zheng Mingrui also found it enjoyable to hear.

However, a hint of sadness appeared on Zhang Tianxing’s face. He sighed lightly and continued to narrate his story.

The girl’s past emotional experiences were unknown to Zhang Tianxing, but he was definitely experiencing first love at thirty; it was like an old fire burning, consuming him quickly. Even at that point, Zhang Tianxing hadn’t professed his feelings, nor had the girl. They merely harbored an ambiguous fondness, going about their work normally during the day and scheduling meals or strolls after work. In general, that period was very happy, and Zhang Tianxing’s gloominess from being discharged due to injuries was greatly alleviated.

Crucially, the girl’s pure nature made Zhang Tianxing feel extremely comfortable, warming the sense of being out of place post-work. The girl never treated him differently due to his low educational background, older age, or even slightly hindered legs.

Then, the girl’s birthday came around. She hadn’t mentioned it to Zhang Tianxing; he had remembered it from previous conversations, so Zhang Tianxing withdrew ten thousand yuan, planning to give her a nice gift. After all, he was a Flying Hawk Squad member, and the allowances were no small sum, similar to Li Yifei; if not spent lightly, they were actually higher than the injury compensation.

Of course, it was impossible not to spend, especially with these people gathering together, relaxing after missions. Organizing and hosting meals were common, yet ten thousand yuan wasn’t a major issue, even though Zhang Tianxing’s monthly salary was only two thousand yuan at the time.

Knowing the girl liked crystal, he specially ordered one, costing over eight thousand yuan.

The day before her birthday, a man showed up at the company, causing some unpleasantness. Zhang Tianxing knew this man was the girl’s ex-boyfriend from college; they dated for a year before breaking up, the reason unknown. However, Zhang Tianxing knew now—the man had cheated, prompting the girl to break up, and he persistently harassed her afterwards, even coming to the company.

Hearing this made Zhang Tianxing uncomfortable. The saying "good break-up should be amicable" had issues if it involved lingering entanglements, especially if you were at fault yourself. However, before he could intervene, the girl walked over, grabbed his arm, and entwined it with hers, telling the man that this was her boyfriend and their relationship was very strong, so he shouldn’t bother them anymore.

The man was indeed struck with blow, impulsively wanting to confront Zhang Tianxing, but colleagues around held the man back. Otherwise... Zhang Tianxing didn’t think he would suffer.

Eventually, the man left angrily, but the matter had stirred up. Zhang Tianxing and the girl were called in by their superior because the company had a policy against office romances. After receiving criticism, Zhang Tianxing voluntarily resigned, asking the girl to stay. The girl vehemently opposed after knowing this, saying that since she was just an intern, losing this job wasn’t a big deal. However, Zhang Tianxing couldn’t afford to lose his livelihood.

Zhang Tianxing quickly assured her he had money, but the girl was unwilling and suggested leaving her job. In the end, after much reasoning, he comforted and eased the girl, letting her calm down. That evening, after dinner, they walked along the street together. Losing the job wasn’t a big deal for Zhang Tianxing; the Flying Hawk Squad was back from service, even retired before time. He wasn’t content just being a security guard— with his skills, he could surely earn a living. At this moment, Zhang Tianxing felt invigorated and strongly confident.

Thinking about the girl’s birthday tomorrow, Zhang Tianxing had this strong urge for the day to arrive quickly. He not only prepared the gift but also some things he wanted to say to her. Appearance-wise, the girl was undoubtedly beautiful and her allure deeply fascinated Zhang Tianxing. Yet, their statuses were imbalanced—a Flying Hawk Squad member like him wouldn’t just capture the interest of regular salary families, even big families might have recruited him. But alas, he was retired due to injury.

This aspect lessened his confidence greatly, but still... one should always try. If he missed the right person, Zhang Tianxing felt he wouldn’t forgive himself either.

The girl hadn’t mentioned her birthday; she felt uneasy about it. Despite knowing each other for such a time, going out for meals and such, the brother-like soldier would always rush to pay the bill, regardless of her insistence on AA, mutual respect.

The next day, Zhang Tianxing was already resigned, with his month’s salary settled. He tidied himself up, specially changing into a smart outfit. Even though his leg was still unsteady, he did his utmost to control his body and look like a normal person.

Back then, his body hadn’t fully recovered, his legs were still not agile, but definitely not like now. Hearing this, Li Yifei and Zheng Mingrui instinctively sensed something must have happened, otherwise, how could Zhang Tianxing become like this?

A twist indeed occurred. When Zhang Tianxing, carrying the custom-made gift and ordered flowers and cake, timed everything to arrive outside the company, he learned that the girl had gone out for business.

Zhang Tianxing felt awkward. He indeed hadn’t told the girl anything in advance, only probing through their chats that she would be working normally, hoping to surprise her after work, but there was a deviation. Texting the girl to ask where she was intending to go, he received no reply. Zhang Tianxing was at a loss for where to wait and could only sit at the company entrance waiting.