Hello, Comrade. I'm Here to Marry You!

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Is This the Legendary Male Lead?

"Well now, what a coincidence. Your fiancé is right here!" Xiao Yuanming said, looking at Xie Huaizheng. "Battalion Commander, when did you get a fiancée and not tell us? That’s not very brotherly of you."

’And this fiancée is gorgeous. She even dared to take on a murderer. Tsk, she’s no ordinary girl.’

Su Zhaozhao carefully sized up Xie Huaizheng. ’So this is the fabled male lead?’

’He really is handsome. Beneath his dark green short-sleeved shirt, his muscles were taut, his shoulders broad, and his waist narrow.’

’And his ass was firm, too...’

’And those legs, encased in black trousers, seemed to go on forever.’

’Standing in front of him, I must look like a little kid.’

Su Zhaozhao soon realized the man’s eyes were on her, staring down from his superior height.

His eyes were pitch-black and deep. They looked weary, but a sharp glint was hidden within them.

He was leaning lazily against the window, another cigarette dangling from his lips. This one was unlit, likely just to curb a craving, giving him a somewhat roguish air.

Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

’But then again, what do I have to feel guilty about?’

’That was all on the original owner of this body, not me!’

A week ago, Su Zhaozhao had woken up to find she had become the villainous supporting character in a period novel—the one who broke off her engagement with the male lead.

The male lead’s family had gone bankrupt, and he was just a soldier stationed in some remote region. The villainess’s family, afraid of being dragged down with them, immediately broke off the childhood engagement and even humiliated the male lead’s family in the process.

Immediately afterward, the villainess was married off to a wealthy family in Jiang City, an arrangement made by her stepmother.

But the rich man had depraved tastes. Seeing how beautiful the villainess was, he tormented her day in and day out, eventually torturing her to death.

Meanwhile, after three years of obscurity in the army, the male lead suddenly distinguished himself, earning great merits and achievements.

He then met the novel’s true female lead. He went on to become a high-ranking officer, while she became a wealthy businesswoman. They lived a rich and fulfilling life together.

Su Zhaozhao had arrived right at the moment the villainess broke off the engagement. Her stepmother had promptly accepted a one-hundred-yuan bride price, ready to sell her off.

To avoid the original owner’s tragic fate, Su Zhaozhao immediately used her dimensional space to grab the money her mother had left behind and decisively made a run for it.

But in this unfamiliar world, Su Zhaozhao had no idea what to do. Her only option was to find the male lead and cling to him for support.

After all, she had read enough novels to know a thing or two.

In the world of a novel, offending the protagonists never ends well.

The villainess’s bad luck stemmed from one fundamental mistake: she had offended the male lead.

It would be better to repair her relationship with him first and then take things one step at a time.

’It’s just... this male lead in front of me doesn’t seem to match the novel’s description of his personality, does he?’

’In the novel, the man was taciturn and cold as ice, but he was a sweetheart deep down.’

’But the man before me seems a bit roguish.’

’And he’s already a battalion commander?’

’A rank like battalion commander... that shouldn’t be low enough to make the villainess’s family so desperate to call off the engagement, right?’

’But then again, maybe it was just a plot device. The author might have intentionally designed the villainess’s family to be completely brainless.’

The novel Su Zhaozhao had read was from the female protagonist’s perspective. By the time she met the male lead, he was already a regimental commander.

With this in mind, Su Zhaozhao flashed Xie Huaizheng a sweet smile.

She walked up to Xie Huaizheng and extended her hand. "Hello, Comrade Xie Huaizheng. I’m your fiancée, Su Zhaozhao."

To her surprise, Xie Huaizheng just scoffed. "What fiancée? I don’t have one."

Su Zhaozhao’s smile froze, and she drew back her hand.

’He’s not the male lead?’

’Impossible! When I listened to the audiobook, I’m sure this was the male lead’s name!’

’Is it because he’s holding a grudge for being dumped by the villainess?’

So, Su Zhaozhao said in a placating tone, "Our grandfathers arranged our marriage when they were young. They even said that when I grew up, I should come to Beijing to visit you."

Su Zhaozhao tried her best to recall some details.

She had the original owner’s memories, but unfortunately, since the original owner was just a supporting character, most of them were blank.

She had only met the male lead once or twice during their childhood.

"You were really cute as a kid, with a round little face. You’ve changed so much now—you’re even more handsome!" Truthfully, Xie Huaizheng was exactly Su Zhaozhao’s type.

’Handsome, with a great body... what woman wouldn’t swoon?’

"Battalion Commander, she must be your fiancée, right? Why don’t you two take a moment to catch up?" Xiao Yuanming couldn’t help chiming in. ’She even knows these little details, how could she not be the one?’

’Their battalion commander was just too clueless when it came to romance. The girl is gorgeous, and she came all the way from Jiang City to find him—that’s a two-day, two-night train ride.’

’She just ran into a murderer and nearly died.’

’If she were my fiancée, I would’ve pulled her into my arms to comfort her ages ago.’

Xie Huaizheng said nothing. He turned and left, leaving Su Zhaozhao to give her statement.

Watching Xie Huaizheng’s departing back, Su Zhaozhao let out a sigh of relief.

’Looks like Xie Huaizheng isn’t that angry after all. Thank goodness. There’s still hope for this.’

When the train reached the next station, Xie Huaizheng hopped off to have a smoke.

He took a deep drag, and the billowing smoke obscured his handsome face.

’What the hell,’ he thought. The old man had just written him a letter, saying he was already twenty-five and not getting any younger. It was time he found a girl, got married, and had kids.

’He mentioned that an old comrade’s granddaughter was his childhood fiancée, that they’d even met as kids. The old man wanted to play matchmaker and told him to make himself presentable so he wouldn’t scare the poor girl.’

Xie Huaizheng hadn’t thought anything of it.

But he never expected that the very next moment, a young woman claiming to be his fiancée would appear right in front of him.

’The girl looked so frail and delicate. With those slender arms and legs, he felt he could snap them with the slightest pressure.’

’And yet, she had been utterly ruthless, breaking that man’s most vital part.’

’This was the girl his grandfather described? The one who supposedly couldn’t even lift a bag of rice and was afraid of her own shadow?’

At this moment, Xie Huaizheng felt extremely conflicted.

He had no plans to get married.

At least, not for the next few years.

Xie Huaizheng put out his cigarette. Just as he was about to board the train, he turned and saw Su Zhaozhao standing by the door.

The girl was dressed simply in a white, front-fastened, short-sleeved blouse and dark brown trousers.

Her hair was in a single thick braid, draped over her left shoulder.

The sky was overcast and the green train car looked drab, but her presence was a splash of color. Fair, soft, and delicately beautiful, she seemed to add a touch of brilliance to the world.

Seeing him look her way, Su Zhaozhao held out a box to him. "These are red bean cakes I brought from home. Would you like to try one?"

Xie Huaizheng’s gaze fell to the box in Su Zhaozhao’s hands.

The girl’s fingers were long, slender, and fair. Her nails were neatly trimmed with a pinkish hue, looking so tender they seemed dewy.

Xie Huaizheng could tell she was trying to get on his good side.

He took the box from her hands, then said, "You should turn around and go back home from here."

Su Zhaozhao froze, then immediately said, "No, I want to stay with you."

"Don’t you know what kind of place the Northwest is? It’s no place for you."

’This girl was so delicate, practically glowing with the good life. The Jiangnan Water Village of Jiang City had clearly nurtured her well. How could she ever be suited for a place like the Northwest?’

Su Zhaozhao grew a little worried. ’The male lead is still angry.’

"It wasn’t me who wanted to call off the engagement, it was my stepmother! She can’t stand to see me marry someone decent." Growing anxious, Su Zhaozhao couldn’t stop herself from grabbing Xie Huaizheng’s arm.

Call off the engagement? Xie Huaizheng was surprised. His grandfather had never mentioned that part.