Chapter 105: Leave It All to Me
The scent of him filled her mouth, an unstoppable force storming her senses.
Su Zhaozhao’s eyelashes fluttered. Her eyes were wide as she stared at his handsome face, half-hidden in shadow. All she could make out was a sharp, striking silhouette.
His other hand cupped the back of her neck before sliding up to stroke her hair.
Su Zhaozhao felt like she was about to be kissed into oblivion by Xie Huaizheng.
’This man is an incredible kisser,’ she thought. All she could do was press one hand against his chest, clutching his shirt to keep from slumping down, her strength failing her.
She tried to awkwardly kiss him back until his kiss left her dizzy and dazed.
Xie Huaizheng felt as if he’d been bewitched. When it came to Su Zhaozhao, no amount of kissing was ever enough.
He wanted to meld her into his very being, to devour her whole.
Her light, elegant jasmine scent, which in that moment, Xie Huaizheng found utterly intoxicating.
He couldn’t get enough of it. He wished he could take her with him everywhere.
A near-manic desire swirled like an ocean in the depths of his eyes.
But in the end, Xie Huaizheng managed to restrain himself.
He released Su Zhaozhao.
Su Zhaozhao sagged against him, limp and breathless. He held her pliant body and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Looks like you need to work out more."
"Even if I could, I’d never be in your league. Xie Huaizheng, just give me a break," Su Zhaozhao said with a sigh.
’Xie Huaizheng’s stamina is on another level. Even if I did get stronger, he’d just get even stronger. How could I possibly compare?’
Xie Huaizheng laughed, stroking Su Zhaozhao’s head.
Her hair was soft and silky, making him feel like he was petting a sleek, glossy little cat.
"You seemed pretty nervous when you were being questioned just now," Xie Huaizheng asked her softly.
The reason he had pulled Su Zhaozhao away right after dinner was that he could see she was flustered by Li Jian Country’s questions.
"I was."
"Why? When you first came here looking for me, didn’t you say your parents knew?"
At this point, Su Zhaozhao felt she couldn’t hide it from Xie Huaizheng any longer.
"They knew I left, but they didn’t know I came to find you. They were the ones who told me to break off the engagement with your family..."
As Su Zhaozhao spoke, she lowered her gaze, not daring to look at Xie Huaizheng.
’Even though I wasn’t the one who broke it off, I still feel like I’ve let Xie Huaizheng down.’
’After all, the engagement was broken off in the original owner’s name.’
Hearing Su Zhaozhao’s words, Xie Huaizheng furrowed his brow. "I never knew your family tried to break off our engagement. So, don’t worry about it."
He didn’t know who in his family Su Zhaozhao’s parents had spoken to, but it was likely his family didn’t know either.
Otherwise, knowing his grandfather’s temper, the old man wouldn’t have tried so hard to push them together when he last called home.
His grandfather had an even shorter fuse than him.
He would never tolerate such a thing.
Su Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him say that.
But the doubts in her heart only grew stronger.
’This is different from the novel. The plot is diverging more and more.’
’I clearly remember the novel saying that the villainess’s family breaking off the engagement caused the male lead immense pain.’
’They broke off the engagement right after the male lead’s family ran into trouble. It was like kicking them when they were down.’
’That’s why the villainess’s family ended up as cannon fodder later on.’
’But now, Xie Huaizheng is saying he never knew about the engagement being broken, and he doesn’t seem to care about it at all.’
’Even if he didn’t know then, he should be angry now that he does, right?’
’Does this mean I don’t have to worry about his parents holding it against me...?’
’But something still feels off.’
"Are you hiding something else from me?" Xie Huaizheng squeezed her hand and asked in a low voice.
His question interrupted Su Zhaozhao’s train of thought.
Su Zhaozhao looked up at Xie Huaizheng. ’Since we’re getting married,’ she thought, ’I should probably tell him what I did right after I transmigrated here.’
’Otherwise, if I fail the political background check because of it, it’ll be a huge mess.’
"Yes... Actually, I didn’t just run away from home to find you. I also took money from my family, and I brought my late mother’s belongings with me."
After saying this, she grew nervous. Xie Huaizheng was a soldier, a man of strong principles.
’Will he think I’m a thief?’
’That’s why I was afraid to say anything before.’
But to her surprise, when Xie Huaizheng heard her confession, he only sighed.
"Zhaozhao, you’ve suffered."
Su Zhaozhao’s eyelashes trembled, and a poignant warmth spread through her chest.
’He cares more about me than what I did.’
By now, Xie Huaizheng was already leading her away. "Your life must not have been easy before, huh?" he said.
"It was... alright."
’After all, I ran away not long after I transmigrated here.’
’If I hadn’t, I would have been sold off to be some pervert’s wife.’
’So strictly speaking, I haven’t really suffered that much.’
’The original owner of this body was the one who suffered.’
But Xie Huaizheng didn’t know any of this. He could only imagine what Su Zhaozhao’s life had been like all these years.
Her life must have taken a turn for the worse after her mother passed away, right?
She had a stepmother and a younger brother.
He remembered how she looked when she first arrived—so thin she looked like a gust of wind could knock her over. It was clear she had suffered a great deal over the years.
Otherwise, she never would have sought refuge with a fiancé she barely even knew.
"I’ll handle all of this. Even if your parents don’t approve of our marriage, they have no right to interfere. You’re an adult. You can make your own decisions about who you marry."
Su Zhaozhao nodded. "But what if they come here and cause a scene?"
"I won’t let them get here."
In the darkness, the man’s pitch-black eyes were deep and intense, a cold glint in their depths.
But she knew that coldness wasn’t directed at her, but at her good-for-nothing father and stepmother.
’He seems furious about this. Probably because he thinks I had a hard time before, right?’
His sympathy for her made her a little happy.
"Okay. That’s a relief."
At this, Su Zhaozhao thought of something else. "Oh, right. I think you should still tell your parents about this... We can forget about my parents, but your parents and your grandfather should know beforehand."
"Are you worried they won’t accept you?" Xie Huaizheng chuckled, reaching out to pinch Su Zhaozhao’s cheek.
Su Zhaozhao nodded. "Yes."
’I’m afraid they’ll find out about my family trying to break off the engagement, get angry, and refuse to accept me.’
"Alright. I’ll call them tomorrow. Don’t worry. I will clear away any and all obstacles to our marriage."
Su Zhaozhao was touched. At first, she had only been looking for a safe haven, but now, she was genuinely being moved by Xie Huaizheng.
"Okay. I trust that Camp Commander Xie will protect me."
The young woman tilted her face up, a sweet smile gracing her lips. Her eyes sparkled, as bright and clear as the moon, and Xie Huaizheng found himself a little overwhelmed by her gaze.
So he pulled her back into a dark corner for a few more kisses.
「Meanwhile.」
Li Jian Country was calling Xie Guanghua.
"Guanghua, I’ve met your daughter-in-law," Li Jian Country said. "She’s a beautiful and sweet young lady."
’It’s a shame my own son is still so young,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I’d love to have a girl like that for a daughter-in-law.’
"You met her? What’s she like? And how is she getting along with that boy, Huai Zheng?" Ever since Li Jian Country had told him Xie Huaizheng was getting married, Xie Guanghua had been a mix of happy and worried.