Chapter 233: Coming to Find Him

Just then, the phone rang.

Xie Huaizheng answered. Huang Jiqin’s voice came from the other end. "Hello?"

"It’s me," Xie Huaizheng said.

"Huai Zheng!" Upon hearing it was Xie Huaizheng, Huang Jiqin’s tone immediately grew more serious. "Um, have you told Zhaozhao?"

She had been reflecting these past few days. ’Why did I subconsciously assume Su Zhaozhao was a scammer?’

’My son is so clever. Who could possibly fool him? If anything, he was probably the one who had coaxed the young lady.’

’How could I have been so awful as to doubt Su Zhaozhao!’

And now, something even more troubling had happened.

"I haven’t told her yet." Xie Huaizheng let out a long breath. "What if she doesn’t want me anymore after I tell her?"

Or worse, what if Su Zhaozhao, just like him, didn’t know how to face it and started giving him the cold shoulder?

He couldn’t even stand it when she spoke a few extra words to someone else.

Let alone the thought of her actually ignoring him.

Just thinking about it made Xie Huaizheng’s insides twist into knots.

"Oh, you have to tell her quickly, Huai Zheng! That Shu Xue heard about this, and she said she’s going to find you to clear things up in person."

Xie Huaizheng: "???"

"Stop her. Don’t let her come," he said coldly.

’I haven’t even sorted out my own mess here, and now someone else wants to come stir up trouble?’

’As if things aren’t already a big enough mess?’

"I tried to stop her, I tried to reason with her, but she just keeps saying you’re her betrothed from childhood. She said she’s known since she was a little girl and has always thought about marrying you. She didn’t expect this to happen, and she just wants to come see you both so she can finally give up on the idea."

Xie Huaizheng pressed his thin lips together, a cold, sharp glint in his eyes.

Just then, a voice came from nearby. "Huai Zheng, who are you on the phone with?"

Xie Huaizheng snapped back to reality. Su Zhaozhao had finished her shower and changed into a light yellow pajama set printed with lots of cute little bears.

Fresh from her shower, her cheeks were flushed a lovely pink from the steam.

His expression changed instantly, his gaze softening as he looked at Su Zhaozhao.

"Our mom," Xie Huaizheng said.

Huang Jiqin heard the voice on the other end and quickly said, "Alright, alright, find a chance to clear the air with Zhaozhao soon. I won’t disturb you two any longer."

After he hung up, the mental preparation Xie Huaizheng had built up vanished completely.

Su Zhaozhao walked up to him and looked up at Xie Huaizheng. "What’s wrong? You seem to be in a really bad mood."

’Did something happen with his family?’

Su Zhaozhao didn’t dare to guess, but she recalled that the last time Huang Jiqin had called to chat, she could sense that Huang Jiqin had been in low spirits.

Now, putting that together with this call...

’It’s hard to say.’

Seeing Su Zhaozhao’s worried expression, Xie Huaizheng took her hand and sat down on the nearby sofa.

"Zhaozhao, I..."

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn’t get them out.

Sometimes, Xie Huaizheng really hated himself. He used to say and do whatever he wanted without a second thought.

If he offended people, he offended people. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to it.

But now, maybe because he was so anxious about Su Zhaozhao, he couldn’t even get a single sentence out properly.

Seeing Xie Huaizheng look like he wanted to say something but couldn’t, Su Zhaozhao grew anxious as well.

She cupped his face in her hands, staring into his eyes. "What is it? What exactly happened? Did something happen with your mom?"

Ever since they left Jiang City, she’d had a feeling that Xie Huaizheng was hiding something.

Before, when he was unwilling to talk, she decided to wait for him to come around. But now, she could clearly sense he was stuck.

’Looks like I’ll have to press him a little.’

Xie Huaizheng closed his eyes for a moment. Finally, he said, "My mom said a relative is coming to visit me."

The moment he said it, Xie Huaizheng wanted to punch himself.

’I’m a grown man. How can I be so hesitant and indecisive? This is ridiculous.’

’Maybe I should give myself another deadline. I’ll lay all my cards on the table with Su Zhaozhao within three days!’

Su Zhaozhao paused for a second. "A relative is coming to visit you?"

’What kind of relative?’

’It couldn’t be Xie Huaizheng’s brothers or sisters, could it?’

Xie Huaizheng cleared his throat. "Yes, a distant relative. I don’t want her to come."

"Then just say no. It’s such a long way to travel, and there’s not much to do around here anyway."

"That’s what I just told my mom," Xie Huaizheng said calmly.

Xie Huaizheng tried hard to hide his emotions, and Su Zhaozhao didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss.

"Never mind, let’s not talk about this. Time for bed." With that, Xie Huaizheng put his arm around Su Zhaozhao and led her back to the bedroom.

He had been all set to tell her, but Huang Jiqin’s phone call had thrown his thoughts into disarray.

Now he didn’t know how to bring it up.

’I’ll just tell her tomorrow. If I tell her now, what if she can’t sleep?’

’I’ve already worn her out enough today. I can’t let her have a bad night’s sleep on top of it.’

The next day, when Su Zhaozhao woke up, Xie Huaizheng was already gone.

She sat up in bed, stretched, and let out a sigh.

’It feels like there’s a bit of distance between me and Xie Huaizheng now.’

’I can’t seem to get close to him, and I don’t know what’s on his mind.’

’What is he really thinking about?’

After getting up and eating breakfast, Su Zhaozhao decided to go for a stroll. She hadn’t been back for a while and found herself feeling a strange sense of nostalgia for this place.

’Is it because this is the place I’ve stayed the longest since I transmigrated into the book?’

Jiang City was very similar to where she lived in her original world, but it didn’t feel as familiar or welcoming as this place.

She changed into a light blue plaid shirt and a long white skirt.

She needed to go to the market to buy some groceries. After being away for so long, there was nothing left in the fridge.

She could take some things out of her dimensional space, but she still needed to buy a few items at the market to round things out.

At this time of day, there were quite a few people downstairs in the military compound, especially the military wives with their children, who would be playing in the courtyard.

When Zhao Shuqin saw Su Zhaozhao, she greeted her cheerfully. "Zhaozhao, heading out?"

Su Zhaozhao nodded.

Looking at the child in front of her, she couldn’t help but smile. "Wow, he’s gotten so big!"

"Kids grow up so fast. They look different every day. What about you? When are you and Camp Commander Xie going to have a little one?"

Su Zhaozhao smiled sheepishly. "It’s not time for that yet. It’s still too early for us."

"You and Camp Commander Xie are both so good-looking. I can’t even imagine how beautiful your child would be."

"Haha, I suppose so."

After chatting with Zhao Shuqin, Su Zhaozhao set off for the market. It was a bit of a walk.

West State was even drier in the autumn.

Thankfully, she had put on face cream and sunscreen before leaving, so her skin didn’t feel too dry.

As she was walking, a voice called out from the side, "Su Zhaozhao!"

Su Zhaozhao turned and saw Gu Qingran. She was surprised. ’Why hasn’t she left yet?’

She had thought Gu Qingran would only be staying for a few days.