Chapter 128: He Didn’t Sleep All Night
Xu Jiaming found Su Zhaozhao’s sigh utterly endearing.
He chuckled softly.
"Zhaozhao, think it over. How about I give you three days? Consider me. What do you say?"
"My sister is a great person, and aren’t you two friends? If you go to Shencheng City, you can do whatever you want. Jiaxin will be there with you, so you won’t be lonely."
Xu Jiaming also believed that a beautiful girl like Su Zhaozhao belonged in a big city, where she should be nurtured.
Not in the Northwest, a desolate wasteland of sand and wind.
’A delicate flower like her would only wither in such an environment, wouldn’t she?’
He appreciated all the beauty in the world, and he loved all things perfect.
He couldn’t bear to imagine how Su Zhaozhao could possibly survive in a place like this.
It was such a waste.
Xie Huaizheng’s dark eyes narrowed. He had reached his limit.
"Xu Jiaming, I’ve already submitted my marriage application with Zhaozhao. The approval should come through in the next few days. Do you have any idea that, legally speaking, your behavior constitutes the crime of undermining a military marriage?"
He hadn’t wanted to bring this up before, only because Xu Jiaming had saved Su Zhaozhao.
He didn’t want to make things so formal and severe.
But Xu Jiaming seemed to be pushing his luck.
Hearing Xie Huaizheng’s words, Xu Jiaming couldn’t help but smirk. "Then why don’t you have me arrested?"
The muscles in Xie Huaizheng’s taut face twitched. ’Is Xu Jiaming a madman?’
Su Zhaozhao was also left speechless. She then said to Xu Jiaming, "Xu Jiaming, stop joking. I’m Huai Zheng’s fiancée, and I’m going to marry him."
As Xu Jiaming listened to Su Zhaozhao, the smile on his face faded.
He could have competed with Xie Huaizheng, but Su Zhaozhao liked Xie Huaizheng.
And because of that, there was nothing he could do.
After they finished eating, Su Zhaozhao said to Xie Huaizheng, "Let’s go back."
’But how are we going to get back?’
’By train again?’
Just as she was wondering, a vehicle pulled up in front of them.
Xiao Yuanming poked his head out of the driver’s seat and said to Su Zhaozhao, "Zhaozhao, this is wonderful! We can finally relax now that we know you’re safe."
None of them had gotten much sleep last night.
Especially the Camp Commander. He was going crazy.
He glanced at Xie Huaizheng. The man’s expression seemed normal enough, but Xiao Yuanming could sense his fatigue.
You couldn’t tell Xie Huaizheng was tired unless you looked very closely.
He was exceptionally good at hiding his feelings, making it difficult for others to read him.
But Xiao Yuanming had been on several missions with him and knew him well. He could tell Xie Huaizheng was exhausted right now.
"Get in." Xie Huaizheng opened the car door for Su Zhaozhao, and after she was in, he followed her.
Xu Jiaming tried to follow them, but Xie Huaizheng said to Xiao Yuanming, "Lock the doors."
Xiao Yuanming quickly locked the doors.
Xu Jiaming was stunned for a moment, then sneered. "Camp Commander Xie, you’re quite petty, aren’t you? Can’t I just get a ride back with you?"
"You should be heading back to Shencheng City, not coming with us." After saying this, Xie Huaizheng told Xiao Yuanming, "Drive."
The car quickly drove off. Xu Jiaming stood rooted to the spot, watching it disappear. The gentle expression on his face vanished completely.
In its place was an icy coldness.
’As expected,’ he thought. ’I can’t hold on to anything I like. Not a single thing.’
He thought back to the intimate contact he’d had with Su Zhaozhao yesterday. The light scent of jasmine that clung to her still seemed to linger in the air.
It was a lovely scent, one he found truly unforgettable.
’Too bad. Was that the last time I’ll ever get to smell that fragrance?’
As the car drove away, Su Zhaozhao poked Xie Huaizheng’s side. "Don’t be angry anymore."
"I’m not angry."
The man’s voice was stiff and devoid of emotion, but Su Zhaozhao could hear the hint of a sulk in it.
Like a big dog vying for attention.
Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but laugh. "I was just thanking him for saving me. You’re the one who’s my fiancé."
’Still,’ she thought, ’I know that repaying a favor to Xu Jiaming won’t be easy.’
’When I thanked him, he asked me to marry him. That’s a debt I can’t repay.’
Hearing Su Zhaozhao’s words, Xie Huaizheng finally seemed to relax.
He rested his head on her shoulder. "Don’t worry. The favor you owe him is a favor I owe him. It’s the same if I’m the one to repay it."
He seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, his voice laced with reassurance.
Su Zhaozhao wasn’t as flustered as she had been initially.
"Speaking of which, don’t try to act tough. If it’s too much, we can figure something else out. Your training is already hard enough. I don’t want you to exhaust yourself just to repay his favor."
’A favor from the Xie Family... what kind of favor would that be?’
Su Zhaozhao didn’t know, but she worried that Xie Huaizheng had decided this on his own and would end up shouldering the entire burden himself. That would be exhausting.
"Mm, don’t worry, Zhaozhao. I’m a little tired. I’m going to get some sleep," Xie Huaizheng said in a low voice.
Su Zhaozhao turned her head and looked at the man’s short, black buzz cut. It looked sharp and spiky, like a hedgehog.
’I kind of want to touch it.’
Soon, she heard the sound of Xie Huaizheng’s steady breathing.
’He really is tired.’
She reached out and carefully touched his hair. It was quite prickly.
Xiao Yuanming, driving in the front, whispered to Su Zhaozhao, "Brother Zheng was probably up all night looking for you."
Xiao Yuanming felt that he had completely misunderstood Xie Huaizheng at first.
Xie Huaizheng cared so much for Su Zhaozhao, yet he had held a prejudice against him just because he had seemed cold to her at the start.
But time and again, Xiao Yuanming had seen that Xie Huaizheng was truly and sincerely devoted to Su Zhaozhao.
Su Zhaozhao hummed in agreement. "I know."
When she saw him today, his eyes were bloodshot, and his complexion wasn’t as good as usual.
She knew at a glance that Xie Huaizheng must have been up all night.
Looking for her.
’Honestly, I’m always getting into trouble and making Xie Huaizheng worry.’
’I should go into the city less often in the future,’ she thought. ’I’ve decided to sell something different.’
’I’ll raise the unit price and focus on the military spouses in the family compound as my customers.’
Su Zhaozhao felt they would most likely enjoy her products as well.
After more than an hour of driving, they finally arrived back at the guesthouse.
Not long after the car came to a stop, Xie Huaizheng woke up.
When he first woke, there was a moment of confusion in his eyes.
But he quickly became fully alert.
"We’re here," Su Zhaozhao told him.
Xie Huaizheng turned to look at her. "I haven’t slept enough."
"The barracks are too noisy. I probably won’t be able to sleep."
It was already noon. Training would be over, and the others would be heading back to rest.
Hearing this, Su Zhaozhao thought for a moment before asking, "In that case, why don’t you sleep at my place?"
’My room is pretty quiet, especially since there’s no one in the rooms on either side of me lately. I can’t hear a thing.’
Xie Huaizheng’s lips curved into a smile. "Okay."