Chapter 116: He Lost the Bet
Back then, Xie Huaizheng had been practically dying of insecurity.
Now, looking back, he realized what a bastard he’d been. He hadn’t trusted his own girl at all.
Su Zhaozhao, held in his embrace, then asked, "So, do you still want to marry me?"
"Of course," Xie Huaizheng said. "If I don’t marry you, who would I marry?"
"Then what are we going to do about this? Does Uncle Li hold it against me?"
Xie Huaizheng recalled how angry and disappointed Li Jian Country had looked after his investigation. "No," he said, "he just told me to come and get things straight with you. Don’t overthink it."
"You’re the one who was overthinking," Su Zhaozhao said irritably.
"Okay, okay, you’re right. It’s all my fault." Xie Huaizheng didn’t know how to soothe Su Zhaozhao.
It was the first time he’d ever dealt with something like this, and he’d even made his beloved girl cry.
’How could I be such a bastard?’
After a while, Su Zhaozhao calmed down and pulled away from his embrace.
With the soft warmth of her body gone from his arms, Xie Huaizheng suddenly felt a pang of emptiness.
"He investigated my family, so he must know about my situation at home, right?"
Xie Huaizheng nodded. "Yes."
"My dad and my stepmother will definitely do everything they can to stop me from getting married."
"That’s true, but Zhaozhao, you’re an adult now. You have the right to decide who you marry. Their objections are meaningless."
Su Zhaozhao listened to him and nodded. "I know, but they’ll slander me, and a lot of you will believe them. Besides, I have a feeling they’ll definitely come looking for me."
’After all, they took a hundred-yuan bride price from that pervert.’
’Just how much is a hundred yuan worth?’
’In this era, a person could only earn about two or three hundred yuan a year.’
’To cough up a hundred yuan for a bride price just like that showed how desperate the man was to get his hands on her.’
’Of course, the novel said that he only coveted the original owner’s beauty. After seeing her just once, he couldn’t forget her.’
’The original owner’s stepmother knew his family was rich, so she seized the chance to extort a hundred-yuan bride price and basically gift-wrapped the original owner and sent her over.’
’In the end, the original owner was tortured to death.’
’The bride price was a factor, of course. The man felt that since he’d spent a hundred yuan, the original owner was his property.’
’He tormented her in all sorts of ways, which led to her being literally played with until she died.’
’After her death, the original owner’s stepmother even went back to the man and demanded a huge sum of money.’
’The poor original owner... just like that, she was reduced to cannon fodder.’
"Only I and Uncle Li know about this. No one else will find out. As for Uncle Li, I’ll talk to him. He’s met you, and he has a very good impression of you."
At this, Xie Huaizheng paused. "It’s just... I called my mom yesterday. She said she wants to meet you. She said that you need to go to Beijing and meet them before we can get married."
Su Zhaozhao’s eyes widened. "Why?"
’I originally thought that since it was an arranged childhood betrothal and our families knew each other well, Xie Huaizheng’s parents wouldn’t stop us from marrying—as long as they didn’t hold the broken engagement against me.’
’But now, they’re saying they have to meet me before we can get married.’
’I’m starting to get nervous all over again.’
’I have absolutely no experience with this kind of thing—meeting the parents.’
"My mom said she’s worried I tricked you. She thinks you’re young and is afraid you’ll grow up and regret it later."
Xie Huaizheng took Su Zhaozhao’s hand and led her into the shade of a nearby tree to continue their conversation.
The afternoon sun was still scorching hot here.
They had only been walking for a short while, but he noticed Su Zhaozhao’s cheeks were already flushed from the sun.
’This girl’s skin was so fair and delicate; she really wasn’t suited for spending so much time in the sun.’
’He didn’t know how she had managed to hold on for this long in a place like the Northwest.’
’He had known from the very first day that she didn’t belong here.’
’And yet, she had managed to tough it out.’
’He had already applied for a house, but it still needed to be furnished and aired out, which would take some time.’
’For now, he could only ask Su Zhaozhao to put up with staying at the guesthouse.’
"Your mom has a point," Su Zhaozhao said after a moment’s thought.
’If I remember correctly, the male lead’s family was actually quite nice. His parents were both gentle, well-mannered people. His mother, especially, seemed to be the same type of person as Zhang Jingshu.’
’Zhang Jingshu is good friends with his mom, and if I go there, I might see Aunt Zhang. It seems I really don’t need to worry too much.’
"But Zhaozhao, the train to Beijing takes several days. It’s too grueling. I’ve decided to tell my mom that if she wants to meet you, she can come to the Northwest Military Region herself."
Su Zhaozhao was stunned by his words.
"But... isn’t it improper to have an elder come all the way here to see me?"
’Who ever heard of meeting the parents by having them come to your doorstep?’
But Xie Huaizheng just waved his hand. "It’s fine. The main thing is that it’s more convenient for us to register our marriage here. If we go to Beijing, we’ll just have to come back to register anyway. It’s a hassle."
Su Zhaozhao thought about it and realized he had a point.
’Going all the way there and back... It felt like this whole thing should be dealt with sooner rather than later.’
’Best not to let things drag on, or new problems might arise.’
Su Zhaozhao and Xie Huaizheng chatted for a little while longer before he had to return to his training.
"You should head back. If you’ve got nothing else to do, you can wander around the area. I’ll come find you tonight."
Su Zhaozhao nodded, and they parted ways.
Before he left, Xie Huaizheng pulled her into another hug, leaning down to kiss her lips. He didn’t let her go until she was breathless.
The man’s eyes were dark and unreadable as he gently caressed her swollen lips. "Zhaozhao," he said, "I’m truly sorry about what happened today."
Su Zhaozhao knew that a man with his kind of personality rarely admitted he was wrong.
But today, he had apologized to her several times. And from the look on his face, she could tell he was genuinely remorseful.
Su Zhaozhao’s anger faded. She knew his judgment had simply been clouded by his concern for her.
Besides, his apology was sincere.
So, Su Zhaozhao said, "It’s okay, I forgive you. Go to your training. You don’t have to worry about me."
"Then... don’t leave me," Xie Huaizheng said, still sounding a little insecure.
Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but laugh. ’He was worried about *that*?’
"I’m not going to run off."
With that, they separated.
Su Zhaozhao turned and looked at the guesthouse in the distance, and her thoughts turned to Xu Jiaming.
She frowned. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like going back anymore.
’If I go back, I’ll definitely run into Xu Jiaming.’
’But avoiding him isn’t a solution. Things have to be settled.’
After some deliberation, Su Zhaozhao headed upstairs anyway.
Sure enough, Xu Jiaming was still standing in front of her door.
He stood there perfectly still, like a mannequin.
It wasn’t until he heard her footsteps that he turned his head to look at her. "You’re back, Zhaozhao."
A faint smile played on his lips.
But when his gaze fell upon Su Zhaozhao’s lips, he faltered.
In that instant, a vicious hostility flared within his once-gentle eyes.
Su Zhaozhao felt the air around her turn frigid, but she paid it no mind and walked toward Xu Jiaming.
"You lost the bet. So, Xu Jiaming, go home. Stop thinking about me. I’m getting married."
Xu Jiaming’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then, he began to laugh. "So it’s true..."