Hello, Comrade. I'm Here to Marry You!

Su Zhaozhao also felt that she was being a little unreasonable.

His profession meant he was bound to get hurt from time to time.

But with Xie Huaizheng’s assurance, she tried her best not to worry so much.

"Okay... In any case, just do your best. I know you don’t get hurt on purpose. I’m just worried about you."

Seeing Su Zhaozhao like this, Xie Huaizheng’s heart melted completely.

He knew he was truly different from how he used to be.

In the past, he had no one to worry about and could risk his life as he pleased.

But now, with Su Zhaozhao behind him, he would think of her while on missions.

So, he had to do his best to ensure everyone’s safety.

And he had to try even harder to keep himself safe.

However, the thought of that matter weighed heavily on Xie Huaizheng’s mind. ’If she finds out I’m not her fiancé, will she still stay with me?’

They had met and fallen in love because of a mistake, but Xie Huaizheng, for one, had no regrets.

After all, he didn’t even know the man she was betrothed to. Even if that person really appeared before him, he probably wouldn’t like him.

Then again, he hadn’t liked Su Zhaozhao at first, either.

But later, as they spent more time together, he had gradually given her his heart.

’What if she finds out the truth and doesn’t want to be with me anymore?’

’No, I won’t let that happen.’

At this thought, Xie Huaizheng’s hands, wrapped around Su Zhaozhao’s waist, began to tighten.

He was holding her so tightly she could barely breathe.

Su Zhaozhao sensed Xie Huaizheng’s strange mood. She carefully remained still, afraid to move and also afraid of hurting him.

"Don’t hug me so tight. You might press on your wound," Su Zhaozhao said cautiously.

"I’m not afraid." Xie Huaizheng buried his head in the crook of Su Zhaozhao’s neck, inhaling her jasmine scent, and felt his anxious heart begin to calm.

’Can’t think about it. I shouldn’t think about it. Just pretend nothing has happened.’

"Huai Zheng, what’s wrong? I feel like you’re in a bad mood. Did something happen?" Su Zhaozhao noticed Xie Huaizheng seemed anxious, as if he were afraid she would disappear.

"I just haven’t seen you in too long. I miss you," Xie Huaizheng said in a hoarse voice. "Zhaozhao, did you miss me during this time?"

Su Zhaozhao didn’t doubt his words for a second. She immediately went along with him, saying, "Of course! I missed you a lot. I’ve been praying every day for you to finish your mission quickly."

Her head rested against Xie Huaizheng’s chest. Listening to the strong, powerful beat of his heart, she felt she could finally get a peaceful night’s sleep.

She hadn’t told Xie Huaizheng that, because she had been so worried about him, she’d been having nightmares about him for the past few days. They were terrifying.

As for Xie Huaizheng, he looked down at the top of Su Zhaozhao’s fluffy head. She relied on him so much; she loved him deeply.

He had already made up his mind to hide this matter to the very end, determined not to let Su Zhaozhao find out.

He was willing to be the bad guy because he couldn’t bear the thought of Su Zhaozhao leaving him.

He thought back to how Su Zhaozhao had wanted to marry him from the very beginning.

’If she hadn’t mistaken me for someone else back then, she probably wouldn’t have liked me, right?’

And what about that fiancé of hers?

Xie Huaizheng felt he needed to investigate and find out who this person was.

At this thought, Xie Huaizheng suddenly remembered Xie Huaizhen.

His eyes couldn’t help but narrow.

When he had looked into Xie Huaizhen before, he had discovered that their circumstances were quite similar in many respects.

Combined with the similarity in their names, and the fact that Su Zhaozhao had initially forgotten her fiancé’s name, only identifying him after hearing someone call out his name...

It could only mean that she had a vague impression of her fiancé’s name, that it sounded very similar to his own, which was why Su Zhaozhao had made the mistake.

That meant there was a high probability that the other person was Xie Huaizhen.

’I’ll have to wait until I get to West State to investigate this further.’

Thinking of the strange expressions Xie Huaizhen always had whenever he was around Su Zhaozhao, Xie Huaizheng felt it was a real possibility.

But why hadn’t Xie Huaizhen told Su Zhaozhao the truth?

But that didn’t matter anymore.

He most likely wouldn’t let Xie Huaizhen tell Su Zhaozhao the truth.

"Alright," Su Zhaozhao pushed Xie Huaizheng away. "We shouldn’t stay in the room this long. Grandpa and Grandma are waiting to talk to you."

Xie Huaizheng nodded and took the things out of his backpack.

He had brought tea, liquor, and cigarettes.

All were considered high-end goods for this era.

Since they were elders, Xie Huaizheng had also specifically bought a box of American ginseng.

For his first visit, he had chosen expensive gifts.

Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at the gifts Xie Huaizheng had brought.

"These gifts are really quite valuable. You didn’t have to buy such nice things. You should save your money. The thought is what counts."

Su Zhaozhao knew that Xie Huaizheng’s family wasn’t wealthy; they had just gone bankrupt.

Now that he had spent so much on these gifts, wouldn’t he be left with very little money?

Hearing this, Xie Huaizheng smiled and said, "Money can always be earned again. But for our first meeting, I want to leave a good impression on your elders."

Su Zhaozhao smiled.

The two of them went out into the living room.

Xu Yingmin immediately pulled Xie Huaizheng aside to chat, first asking about his family background, how many people were in his family, and what his parents did for a living.

Worried about blowing his cover, Xie Huaizheng glanced at Su Zhaozhao as he answered.

Based on how Su Zhaozhao had previously described her fiancé, he figured the man’s family had likely fallen on hard times and didn’t have much money.

So, he answered accordingly.

"My parents have simple jobs, just enough to get by. My grandfather and Zhaozhao’s grandfather were comrades-in-arms."

When it came to lying through his teeth, no one was better than Xie Huaizheng.

Sure enough, the old couple didn’t suspect a thing, and neither did Su Zhaozhao.

She was even worried that if they grilled him about his family history, it would bring up painful memories for him, so she helped change the subject.

"Alright, there’s not much to talk about with family background. Huai Zheng is exceptionally capable on his own. He’s a battalion commander in the Northwest Military Region. He’s amazing!"

Hearing this, Li Chunhong shook her head with a smile. "Oh, Zhaozhao. It’s obvious you really like Huai Zheng. ’A daughter married is like water poured out,’ as they say."

She was doing everything she could to speak up for Xie Huaizheng.

Before Xie Huaizheng arrived, Su Zhaozhao had specifically told them about his family situation and asked them not to interrogate him about it to his face.

They had only brought it up casually, and Su Zhaozhao was already jumping to his defense.

Being teased like this didn’t make Su Zhaozhao shy. Instead, she leaned into Xie Huaizheng’s embrace and said, "Of course I am. Otherwise, my dad and stepmom would skin me alive."

"Okay, okay, you all can chat. I’m going to the kitchen to start cooking." Su Zhaozhao stood up and headed for the kitchen.

Li Chunhong also said, "I’ll help you. I also told your first and second uncles. They want to come see your husband, too."

As they spoke, the two women left the living room.

Only Xu Yingmin and Xie Huaizheng were left.