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

The table was laden with dishes, and Li Chunhong had even bought a roast duck from outside.

Su Zhaozhao’s eldest and youngest uncles had also come with their families.

As soon as they saw Xie Huaizheng, they pulled him over to sit with them, eager to drink and chat.

Xie Huaizheng didn’t refuse. He had a few days of leave anyway, so having a little to drink today wouldn’t be a problem.

Su Zhaozhao sat on Xie Huaizheng’s other side and reminded him, "Don’t drink too much. You’re injured."

"Don’t worry, I’ll just have a couple of glasses."

Xie Huaizheng raised his glass and clinked it against Xu Zhenguo’s and Xu Yiheng’s. The men drank and chatted.

Xu Zhenguo was talkative and kept asking Xie Huaizheng questions, all of which Xie Huaizheng answered openly.

However, when they asked about his family situation, Xie Huaizheng was rather vague.

’I can’t let the cat out of the bag. I can’t make them suspicious.’

His answers were so impeccable that no one suspected a thing.

On the contrary, they were all deeply impressed that he had become a battalion commander at such a young age and was so well-spoken.

Even the ever-suspicious Xu Yiheng was put at ease by Xie Huaizheng.

’It seems my niece didn’t choose the wrong man.’

Xu Wenqing leaned close to Su Zhaozhao’s ear and said, "Your boyfriend is so handsome, Zhaozhao. My parents are nagging me to start dating too. Why don’t you have your man introduce me to a soldier?"

Xu Ziyang, who was listening nearby, couldn’t help but scoff. "He’s just good-looking. Probably all show and no go."

Xu Wenqing clicked her tongue. "The man’s a soldier, a battalion commander at that. He’s got the looks, he’s got the build, and he has a limitless future. And what are you?"

Hearing Xu Wenqing’s passive-aggressive tone, Xu Ziyang frowned. "Me?"

He was left speechless by Xu Wenqing’s retort.

But he had to admit, even as he said it, that he truly felt Xie Huaizheng was superior to him.

’The guy can’t be that much older than me, so how does he seem so mature?’

’He’s so natural and poised when talking to my parents and the others, like a real, respectable adult.’

Xu Ziyang felt he wasn’t like that at all.

He suddenly thought of Xu Jiaxin. ’Xu Jiaxin probably likes me a little, too.’

’In the future, if I go to her house to meet her and her parents, will I seem too childish acting like this?’

Just thinking about it made Xu Ziyang a little dejected.

’Looks like I need to learn a thing or two from Xie Huaizheng. At the very least, I need to work on my speaking skills!’

At the dinner table, Xie Huaizheng became the focus of everyone’s gossip, but he had a response for every question.

Xie Huaizheng didn’t drink much, but both Xu Zhenguo and Xu Yiheng had a lot to drink. Xu Zhenguo, in particular, was flushed bright red.

He reached out and patted Xie Huaizheng on the shoulder.

"None of us expected you and Zhaozhao to get married so quickly. But since you’re married now, I hope you two will live a good life together. You seem like a decent young man. I don’t care what your family situation is, but you personally—you have to treat our Zhaozhao with all your heart. That girl has been through a lot. If she has to suffer with you, we won’t let you off the hook!"

As his shoulder was being patted, Xie Huaizheng nodded with a solemn expression. "I consider Zhaozhao more important than my own life. Eldest Uncle, I give you my word."

As he said this, his gaze turned to Su Zhaozhao.

Hearing Xu Zhenguo’s words, a wave of warmth washed over Su Zhaozhao, and she was deeply moved.

’Even though this is another world, my family in this Otherworldly place has been so, so good to me.’

And now, with Xie Huaizheng looking into her eyes as he said those words, Su Zhaozhao felt her own eyes begin to moisten.

She wasn’t usually one to cry easily, but at this very moment, she was overcome with an inexplicable urge to weep.

Xie Huaizheng also noticed her sad expression, and he couldn’t help but smile as he reached out and took her hand.

He leaned close to Su Zhaozhao’s ear and whispered, "I’m not kidding."

"I know." Su Zhaozhao smiled at Xie Huaizheng. Of course she knew he wasn’t kidding.

She picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and placed it in his bowl. "You should eat more meat. You’ve been working so hard on your mission recently, you probably haven’t been eating much, have you? Eat some meat to regain your strength."

’No,’ Xie Huaizheng thought, lowering his gaze to the meat in his bowl. ’Su Zhaozhao still doesn’t know.’

’Because she doesn’t know she has the wrong person, and she doesn’t know that I’ve already figured it out.’

’Is their relationship built on that childhood engagement, or is it because Su Zhaozhao genuinely likes him?’

’The pain of losing Su Zhaozhao would be unbearable.’

’He couldn’t risk it until he was absolutely certain she wouldn’t leave him after finding out the truth.’

’He knows that by not being honest right now, he’s being a liar. But there’s nothing he can do.’

’He just doesn’t have the courage. He can only hope that Su Zhaozhao will be able to forgive him when she learns the truth.’

After dinner, they chatted for a while longer before people started to leave one after another.

As everyone headed home, Xu Ziyang’s initial dislike of Xie Huaizheng had turned into admiration.

He even said to Xie Huaizheng, "This must be your first time in Jiang City, right? How about we go out and look around tomorrow?"

Even though he had already shown Xu Jiaxin around, he had a warm and hospitable personality and didn’t mind taking Xie Huaizheng on another tour.

Listening to him, Su Zhaozhao knew he was the type to have harsh words but a soft heart.

’He was just complaining about him non-stop, but now, face-to-face with the man himself, he’s being overly polite.’

’I never thought someone like Xu Ziyang would actually back down.’

Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but want to laugh.

After everyone had left, Su Zhaozhao and Xie Huaizheng washed up and returned to their room.

The room wasn’t large to begin with, and now with Xie Huaizheng in it, it felt even more crowded.

But Su Zhaozhao didn’t mind. In fact, she found it very cozy.

Li Chunhong was worried Xie Huaizheng wouldn’t sleep well and asked if he wanted to sleep in the other guest room, but Xie Huaizheng refused.

The moment the door closed, Su Zhaozhao told Xie Huaizheng to take off his shirt.

Xie Huaizheng couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile. "So impatient?"

The words had barely left his mouth when Su Zhaozhao shot him a glare. "I want to check your wound."

"It’s really fine," Xie Huaizheng sighed. "If it were really that serious, would I be this energetic?"

Su Zhaozhao looked at the man’s smiling face.

He was always like this. But he didn’t realize his lips were now even paler than before.

It was a clear symptom of excessive blood loss, yet he stubbornly refused to admit it.

Su Zhaozhao was getting exasperated.

She reached out and poked Xie Huaizheng’s shoulder. "Stop being a smart-aleck and take it off."

Xie Huaizheng didn’t argue further. He pulled off his short-sleeved shirt, revealing his lean, muscular torso.

The gauze bandage on it was wrapped tightly. He had just showered, and a fresh, clean scent lingered in the air.

But clearly, he had been very careful while showering, as the gauze wasn’t wet at all.

Su Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. She had been worried that if the wound got wet, it would get infected.