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

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Helping Him Apply Medicine

Xie Huaizheng was completely caught off guard when Su Zhaozhao suddenly tried to lift his shirt.

The moment he realized what was happening, he clamped a hand down on the fabric.

His brow furrowed, a dark look in his eyes. "Are you insane?" he snapped.

’A man and woman alone in a room, and she’s trying to take my shirt off? If anyone saw this, there’d be no way to explain it.’

"I’m just worried about you. I want to see if you’re hurt anywhere."

Su Zhaozhao looked at him, her expression full of concern.

’But just now... I think I saw his abs. And yep, they’re just as defined as I imagined.’

Hard, chiseled muscles, like a wall of steel.

But before she could get a good look, Xie Huaizheng had already pulled his shirt back down.

Xie Huaizheng chuckled. "Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine."

"But I saw you bleeding just now! Let me see," Su Zhaozhao insisted, leaning in to tug at his shirt again.

Xie Huaizheng backed away, but Su Zhaozhao advanced, her hands still reaching for him.

At his limit, Xie Huaizheng grabbed her by the wrist.

The girl’s wrist was so slender he could easily wrap one hand around it.

He had only meant to stop her, but she stumbled and fell right into his arms.

Her hand was still clutching the hem of his shirt in a death grip.

Just then, the door was pushed open. "Brother Zheng, I heard you were back."

Xiao Yuanming appeared in the doorway, only to see the scene inside.

A girl was nestled in the man’s arms, and the man himself turned to glare at him, his gaze so icy it could kill.

Xiao Yuanming immediately backed away. "Sorry, sorry! Didn’t mean to interrupt!"

SLAM—

Xiao Yuanming slammed the door shut.

He turned and let out a long breath. ’Whoops. I didn’t realize... The door was unlocked, so I thought I could just walk in.’

’Ahem. I never expected the Battalion Commander and his fiancée to move so fast!’

’I thought he didn’t even like Su Zhaozhao, but now...’

’It’s true what they say... even a hero can’t resist a beautiful woman.’

’I mean, how could any man not fall for a girl as pretty and cute as Zhaozhao?’

Once the door was shut, Xie Huaizheng pushed Su Zhaozhao away, his lips a thin, tight line. "Stop messing around."

"I just want to see your wound. Let me put some medicine on it," Su Zhaozhao said. "I know how, I’ve learned before. You have to believe me."

Xie Huaizheng glanced at the medicine bottles in Su Zhaozhao’s hands. He didn’t recognize any of them, but the hemostatic powder she’d given him last time had been remarkably effective.

He had been on a mission and gotten injured. He’d remembered the medicine Su Zhaozhao had given him to carry—it was so small, he’d kept it on him.

He had sprinkled the powder on the wound.

The bleeding, which had been steady, stopped instantly.

Xie Huaizheng had never seen any medicine stop bleeding so effectively.

Now, looking at the medicines she held, he wasn’t so resistant.

"I can do it myself."

"Are you getting shy? Xie Huaizheng, I never thought a grown man like you would be more thin-skinned than a young girl," Su Zhaozhao teased.

Her eyes were sparkling with mirth, shining like stars.

Xie Huaizheng hadn’t expected her to tease him so openly, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Being teased by a girl made the tips of his ears burn, but his expression remained glacial.

"Su Zhaozhao, have you lost your mind? Compared to you, I admit, my skin isn’t thick enough," Xie Huaizheng retorted sarcastically.

’Then again, what normal girl would ask a man to take off his shirt?’

"Right, right, I’m your fiancée. I’m going to see it sooner or later anyway. Now hurry up, I’m not joking! You’re bleeding more and more!"

Even though Xie Huaizheng was wearing a black t-shirt, Su Zhaozhao could see a damp patch spreading on his side. A faint, coppery scent of blood also hung in the air.

Xie Huaizheng felt it too.

Without another word, Su Zhaozhao lifted his shirt. "You don’t have to take it all off. Just let me treat this one spot, okay? This is my fault. You’re bleeding because of me."

Su Zhaozhao’s tone had turned serious, full of sincerity and regret. Xie Huaizheng froze.

He felt as if refusing her help would be some kind of unforgivable sin.

Xie Huaizheng relaxed his grip, no longer trying to stop her.

Su Zhaozhao lifted his shirt and looked at the wound. Sure enough, blood was seeping from it.

She sighed, feeling a bit sheepish.

’I’m surprisingly strong, to have actually hurt him like this.’

She pulled Xie Huaizheng over to a nearby chair and began to cut away the gauze on his wound with a pair of scissors.

Xie Huaizheng raised an eyebrow. He was surprised to see how professional she seemed.

"How did you get this wound?"

Once the gauze was off, the wound was revealed to be quite large and deep, as if it had been made by a sharp blade.

It had been stitched up, but it still looked frightening.

"Someone stabbed me," Xie Huaizheng said.

They had been undercover when one of his comrades was exposed. To create a diversion, he’d struck first, taking on five men by himself.

Even for someone as skilled as him, it was impossible to escape unscathed.

The wound looked severe, but since it had already been treated, it wasn’t as gruesome as it had been initially.

Su Zhaozhao set to work treating his wound.

She had dealt with plenty of criminals in the past.

She’d even had to act as a negotiator in hostage situations to talk down the perpetrators.

She was no stranger to bloody scenes.

It was fine when the negotiations succeeded, but sometimes they failed, and the perpetrators would harm the hostages right in front of her.

To better handle such situations, she had specifically studied first aid.

So she knew a fair bit about treating trauma wounds.

Su Zhaozhao first disinfected the area with povidone-iodine before applying her medicinal powder.

"This might sting a little. Brace yourself," Su Zhaozhao warned him.

She didn’t look up, so she didn’t see Xie Huaizheng’s lowered gaze fixed on her, unblinking.

A glint of light flickered in his otherwise cold eyes, which were as deep as an ancient, dark well.

Xie Huaizheng had never imagined he would let a girl treat his wounds.

He could have easily taken care of this wound himself.

Yet he was allowing Su Zhaozhao to do it.

’It’s probably because I saw that overwhelmingly guilty look on her face. I subconsciously felt that letting her do this might ease some of that guilt.’

At that thought, Xie Huaizheng irritably pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. ’It seems I’m getting soft.’

Finally, Su Zhaozhao finished bandaging his wound with fresh gauze.

"Alright, all done!" Su Zhaozhao announced.

’The medicine from my space is top-notch,’ Su Zhaozhao thought. ’His wound should heal up in no time.’

Now that she was done treating the wound, Su Zhaozhao finally had a moment to admire his abs. The muscles were indeed hard and chiseled, his skin bronze, the lines of his torso sleek and powerful. It made her want to reach out and touch him.

But his skin was also covered in scars of all kinds—not just from knives, but from gunshots as well...

Su Zhaozhao’s brow furrowed.

’Are they really that bad?’

’Looks like the male lead has had a tough time getting this far.’

The next second, Xie Huaizheng’s mocking voice cut through her thoughts. "What? Like what you see? Can’t even tear your eyes away?"