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

Su Zhaozhao was still in a daze. ’Hasn’t Xie Huaizheng’s family already gone bankrupt? Is a favor from him really that valuable?’

Meanwhile, Xu Jiaming’s expression had turned ugly, and a sinister glint appeared in his eyes.

’Is Xie Huaizheng fucking declaring his sovereignty?’

’Every other word out of his mouth is "my fiancée," "my future wife."’

’I don’t need him to tell me. I already know.’

’Does Xie Huaizheng really need to keep emphasizing it over and over again?’

A thought occurred to Xu Jiaming, and he smiled. "Speaking of which, Zhaozhao’s parents sold their daughter to me. Does your engagement even count anymore?"

Su Zhaozhao froze. She never imagined Xu Jiaming would bring this up.

’But it’s true,’ she thought. ’He paid three hundred yuan right then and there, which is why they let me go with him so readily.’

’Still, this doesn’t seem like his style.’

Xie Huaizheng didn’t let go of Su Zhaozhao. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his side.

His arm was firm and powerful. She could feel his grip tighten slightly, yet he seemed afraid to use too much force.

It was as if he feared she would disappear the moment he let go.

But he was also afraid of hurting her by holding on too tight.

Su Zhaozhao reached out and took his arm, looking up at him. "Don’t be scared. Don’t be nervous."

"How much was the debt? I’ll pay you back, Young Master Xu," Xie Huaizheng said.

’So he already knows who I am.’

Xu Jiaming let out a laugh, his gaze falling on Su Zhaozhao. He saw her eyes, full of worry, darting toward Xie Huaizheng again and again.

Xu Jiaming felt a pang of jealousy.

’This girl... I saved her, I’ve been so good to her, and for what?’

’She only has eyes for Xie Huaizheng.’

’Why? Why can’t she spare a single glance for me?’

"Zhaozhao, are you sure you won’t come to Shencheng City with me? It’s a bustling city, much prettier than West State. There are so many beautiful clothes and pieces of jewelry," Xu Jiaming said, a smile returning to his light-colored eyes as he gazed tenderly at Su Zhaozhao.

This was his usual self: gentle, placid, and harmless.

Paired with his frail, handsome features, he was like a greenhouse flower, inspiring affection and pity.

Su Zhaozhao shook her head. "Xu Jiaming, you’ll find a girl who’s a better match for you."

"My family is very wealthy, too. We own many companies and factories. If you’re with me, you won’t have to work so hard..."

"Xu Jiaming," Su Zhaozhao called out, quickly cutting him off. She was worried he was about to mention that she’d been selling things to make money.

"I just feel like someone like me isn’t good enough for you, so please, don’t overthink it, okay? I know you’re not short on female companions. There are even more beautiful women in Shencheng City."

Xu Jiaming gazed at Su Zhaozhao, continuing to coax her.

Xie Huaizheng spoke up as well. "Xu Jiaming, Zhaozhao’s right. You’re surrounded by women, aren’t you? Your mother alone has found you plenty of potential matches."

"But I don’t like them," Xu Jiaming scoffed. "And you? Are you saying you have few women around you?"

Watching Xu Jiaming and Xie Huaizheng trade barbs, Su Zhaozhao felt a headache coming on.

"Stop arguing, you two. I’m hungry."

’Sigh. I never meant for two men to be fighting over me. This is so embarrassing.’

Unexpectedly, the moment the words left her mouth, both men immediately turned to look at her.

"Zhaozhao, what do you want to eat?" Xie Huaizheng asked, ruffling her hair.

"The doctor said you’ve just started to recover, so you should still eat something light," Xu Jiaming told Su Zhaozhao.

「Twenty minutes later.」

Su Zhaozhao was sitting in a small diner not far from the hospital.

Looking at the plain congee in front of her, then at the two men beside her, her head began to throb.

"Zhaozhao, just a moment. The owner’s already cooking," Xu Jiaming said. He had pulled out ten yuan as soon as they arrived, handing it to the owner and asking him to make dishes suitable for a recovering patient like Su Zhaozhao.

’So this is what they call the superpower of money,’ Su Zhaozhao thought.

"Xu Jiaming, thank you on Zhaozhao’s behalf." Xie Huaizheng took twenty yuan from his pocket and slapped it down in front of Xu Jiaming.

His expression was blank, his gaze cold.

"No need. This is my treat for Zhaozhao." Xu Jiaming forced a smile at Xie Huaizheng, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

After a pause, Xu Jiaming added, "I’ll treat you as well, I suppose."

He pushed the money back toward Xie Huaizheng.

’These two men are so childish,’ Su Zhaozhao thought. ’Are they really fighting over me?’

’If they have money to burn, they could just give it to me.’

Su Zhaozhao’s eyes fell on the money on the table.

Xie Huaizheng noticed her gaze. A slight smile touched his lips, and he placed the money in her hand.

"Here, Zhaozhao. It’s yours. Spend it however you like."

"Wow, thank you, my dear fiancé." Su Zhaozhao smiled sweetly at Xie Huaizheng.

’I have to do this,’ she thought. ’I don’t want Xu Jiaming to waste his time on me.’

’Xu Jiaming is supposed to like the female lead, not me.’

’I’ve already selfishly chosen to keep the male lead for myself. The female lead can surely pick from the other suitors.’

’They’re all quite excellent.’

Seeing the girl’s adorable smile, Xie Huaizheng couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her cheek.

This public display of affection left a bitter taste in Xu Jiaming’s mouth.

’I don’t have the right to be like that with Su Zhaozhao.’

’It’s enough to make anyone jealous!’

Xu Jiaming lowered his gaze, hiding his disappointment.

Soon, all the dishes were brought to the table.

Thanks to Xu Jiaming’s earlier instructions, the dishes were all light, but they looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful.

The owner said cheerfully, "Enjoy your meal. Just let me know if you need anything else."

Su Zhaozhao then remembered what she wanted to ask. "By the way, my dad and my stepmother... where did they go? They didn’t end up going to Shencheng City, did they?"

’Xu Jiaming gave them such a large sum of money back then—a full three hundred yuan. That was several years’ salary for an ordinary person in this era.’

’I saw how Zhang Fengxia’s eyes practically bulged out of her head.’

’With that kind of money, they probably wouldn’t have gone to Shencheng City, right?’

At this, Xie Huaizheng glanced at Xu Jiaming and said, "They were arrested by the police."

He didn’t tell Su Zhaozhao that Xu Jiaming had been ruthless. ’Xu Jiaming is quite vicious, just as you’d expect from the heir to the Xu Family. He looks like a gentle, refined man on the surface, but he does such cruel things behind the scenes.’

Xu Jiaming also smiled at Su Zhaozhao. "Zhaozhao, I was the one who called the police. Don’t worry, they won’t be getting out anytime soon."

’A crime like this can be considered serious, or not so serious. As long as it’s approached from the right angle, they won’t be getting out for at least five years. I’ve already contacted the best lawyers.’

"In any case, thank you for this," Su Zhaozhao said, thanking Xu Jiaming once again.

Xu Jiaming placed a piece of egg in Su Zhaozhao’s bowl. "A ’thank you’ is not what I want to hear from you."

’What he wants is for me to promise myself to him, isn’t it?’

Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but sigh.