Chapter 103: I Want to Hide You Away
In truth, the moment Su Zhaozhao appeared before him, Xie Huaizheng felt his eyes light up.
He was used to seeing her in plain, elegant clothes.
Suddenly seeing Su Zhaozhao in a little pink dress, he was instantly struck by a wave of sweet, youthful energy. It was like a splash of bright color that illuminated his entire world.
The dress, from its design to its tailoring, fit Su Zhaozhao’s figure perfectly. It draped well, and the sheer pink outer layer she wore over it added a delicate touch.
On her, it looked ethereal and possessed a classical charm.
Her figure was so fine, her face so beautiful.
Even in a crowd, she would be the first one you’d notice.
Hearing Xie Huaizheng’s words, Su Zhaozhao’s eyes immediately curved into crescents as a brilliant smile spread across her face. "You think I look good like this too, don’t you?"
"You do. So good that I want to hide you away," Xie Huaizheng said, taking Su Zhaozhao’s hand and pulling her forward.
He also took everything from Su Zhaozhao’s hands to carry himself, wondering if she had gotten tired walking all this way with so much stuff.
"Stingy," Su Zhaozhao teased, but she tightened her grip on his hand. "Camp Commander Xie, you’re a bit possessive, you know."
The girl’s soft, sweet voice was like a handful of cotton candy sprinkled over Xie Huaizheng’s heart, causing his Adam’s apple to bob.
’I really want to take her somewhere private and force her to do some shameful things.’
’But I’m afraid if that happened, I’d just bully her until she cried.’
His hand caressed the girl’s wrist, easily encircling it.
Her skin was so delicate it felt as if it would break with the slightest bit of force.
His dark, unreadable gaze roamed over Su Zhaozhao.
But in the end, Xie Huaizheng suppressed those inner desires.
’I should wait until it’s just the two of us.’
Li Jian Country’s residence was also in the military compound, but because of his high rank, he had his own private, detached courtyard home.
It was just behind the main military family housing area.
Su Zhaozhao had never been here before, and as she followed Xie Huaizheng, she found it all quite novel. "Oh, so there are houses back here?"
It was quieter here, and the properties were quite large. Each detached house came with its own small yard.
In front of the house Xie Huaizheng led Su Zhaozhao to, there was a flower bed. One side was planted with all sorts of flowers and plants, while the other had some green vegetables. Everything was well-tended and looked full of life.
"This is really nice. It has such a good feel to it," Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but sigh. As expected, a chairman’s accommodations were on a different level from ordinary people.
Seeing the envious look on Su Zhaozhao’s face, Xie Huaizheng couldn’t resist pinching her cheek. "That envious, are you?"
"Of course! A whole house to yourself, with a yard, too. Who wouldn’t be envious?"
"Then I’ll work hard and try to get you into a house like this sooner."
"You don’t have to push yourself so hard. I think living in the communal building is fine, too." Su Zhaozhao thought that if they were to live in a nice house, she could earn the money herself; there was no need for Xie Huaizheng to work himself to the bone.
After all, his work was already very hard, and he still carried emotional trauma.
But he always pretended to be strong, and it made her heart ache just watching him.
As they were talking, the door opened and a woman in a red top and black trousers walked out.
She had a round, gentle face and large eyes. The smile on her face gave her a particularly kind and approachable air.
"Huai Zheng, you’re here."
Her gaze then fell on Su Zhaozhao. "Is this your girlfriend?"
"Yes, Aunt Ning. This is Su Zhaozhao," Xie Huaizheng said, pulling Su Zhaozhao’s hand forward as he introduced her to Wang Anning.
Then he introduced Wang Anning to Su Zhaozhao.
Su Zhaozhao followed Xie Huaizheng’s lead and greeted Wang Anning as well.
Looking at this well-behaved and beautiful girl, Wang Anning felt her heart simply melt.
’Oh, if only I had such an adorable daughter.’
’Unfortunately, her own daughter was nothing but a headache.’
"This is a gift Zhaozhao specially bought in West State for you and Uncle Li," Xie Huaizheng said.
"Oh my, Zhaozhao, you’re too kind! Just coming for dinner is enough. You shouldn’t have spent money, how embarrassing." Wang Anning hadn’t expected Su Zhaozhao to bring a gift. After taking it, she felt a little abashed.
’This packaging looks quite high-end; it must have cost a lot.’
"Zhaozhao, since this is our first meeting, I’ll accept the gift. But from now on, you really mustn’t bring any more. Our family doesn’t accept gifts from anyone," Wang Anning said, then looked at Xie Huaizheng. "Why didn’t you explain this to your girlfriend?"
Xie Huaizheng was helpless. "I told her, but she wouldn’t listen. She felt she had to bring something for her first visit."
"That’s right, Aunt Ning. Please don’t blame him. It was my own idea."
They were, after all, Xie Huaizheng’s elders—and likely the only elders in the Northwest he was close to.
How could she possibly show up empty-handed?
Her upbringing had taught her that such behavior was incredibly rude.
But she also realized now that given the Chairman’s special status, it was indeed inappropriate for him to casually accept gifts.
"Come in, quickly. The nanny just finished preparing the meal; we can eat now," Wang Anning said, ushering them inside.
Su Zhaozhao followed Xie Huaizheng into the house, observing her surroundings.
A leader’s home was certainly different. Although it also looked simple, compared to Zhou Xiaoyun’s place, it was much more spacious and the furniture was more complete.
Plus, they had a nanny to take care of the house.
Su Zhaozhao saw that several dishes were already set on the dining table.
Just then, another man came down from upstairs. He had a square jaw, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a stern expression.
But when he saw Xie Huaizheng and her, a smile appeared on his face. "You’re here."
"Yes."
Xie Huaizheng looked at Su Zhaozhao. "This is Chairman Li, the one I told you about. You can just call him Uncle like I do."
So, Su Zhaozhao greeted Li Jian Country, "Hello, Uncle."
Looking at the beautiful girl before him, Li Jian Country’s eyes narrowed slightly in appraisal.
’He finally understood why Xie Huaizheng had gone from being uninterested in Su Zhaozhao at the beginning to now deciding to marry her. She really is a fine girl. At the very least, as a man who’d met countless people, his first impression was that this girl was quite good. She was truly good-looking, with a pretty face and a sweet, well-behaved smile. A good personality, too. Her voice was soft and gentle, carrying the unique feel of the Jiangnan Water Village. She stood out even more than the girls in the song and dance troupe. Even a tough guy like Xie Huaizheng couldn’t resist a beautiful woman. It seems I can call Old Xie and tell him about this. How interesting. This arranged childhood engagement... at first, he thought it was probably unreliable, but now, seeing Xie Huaizheng and Su Zhaozhao standing together, they truly looked like a perfect couple.’
"Alright, don’t just stand there. Come and eat," Wang Anning called, leading them to the dining room.
The spread on the table was lavish. There were even braised pork ribs, sweet-scented osmanthus fish, and cured pork with stewed bamboo shoots—all specialties of Jiang City.
"Zhaozhao, I know you’re from Jiang City, so I specifically asked the nanny to make some Jiang City specialties. How is it? To your liking?"
"Thank you, Aunt Ning. They look wonderful. The color, aroma, and flavor are all perfect. It makes me feel like I’m back home," Su Zhaozhao said, sitting next to Xie Huaizheng and giving Wang Anning a sweet smile.
Xie Huaizheng’s brows furrowed. He knew Su Zhaozhao was acting.