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

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Persuasion

Su Zhaozhao watched as Wen Xiaoqi gradually calmed down, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, how about tonight? We can find a place and have dinner together."

A conversation over dinner would be better than a talk arranged for the sole purpose of talking.

That kind of atmosphere makes people relax in spite of themselves.

’I’ll ask Xie Huaizheng to come,’ Su Zhaozhao thought. ’He can get the man Wen Xiaoqi knows to come out, and then the two of them can talk things over.’

’But I still need to talk to Xie Huaizheng about this.’

Soothed by Su Zhaozhao’s words, Wen Xiaoqi’s mood improved considerably.

"By the way, Zhaozhao, are you also here to find your partner?"

After all, for young women like them to travel all this way, it was almost always to find a partner and rarely for any other reason.

"That’s right. I’m here to find my fiancé," Su Zhaozhao said with a grin.

"He’s my fiancé, too. We had a childhood betrothal and grew up together. My father even paid for his education. I never expected that after he came here to be a teacher, he would completely turn his back on us."

"Our hometown is a small village just over five hundred kilometers from here, but he rarely comes home. He’s probably afraid of seeing us." A note of sadness crept back into Wen Xiaoqi’s voice as she spoke.

"In any case, you need to find him and get a clear answer. If he’s not willing, then you should ask for the money back," Su Zhaozhao said.

"Ask for the money back?" Wen Xiaoqi’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course. Wasn’t that your family’s money? If you’re not going to have the man, you should at least have the money, right?" Su Zhaozhao said. "Girl, think about it. What good are men? They get old and ugly, expect you to wait on them like a maid, and then they still find things to complain about. Am I right? But if you have money, you can find as many men as you want."

Wen Xiaoqi’s eyes widened in fright. "You can’t... You can’t just say things like that. Be careful..."

Su Zhaozhao knew what she was being careful about. After all, in this era, relationships between men and women were still a sensitive topic.

You couldn’t just mess around.

But she was only trying to comfort Wen Xiaoqi.

"I know, I’m just saying. You’re so young, and there are plenty of boys waiting for you. Why give up an entire spring for one wilted flower?"

Wen Xiaoqi pursed her lips, then broke into a smile. She had to admit, what Su Zhaozhao said made a lot of sense.

’This woman... she looks about my age, but she’s so much more mature, and she’s much better at handling problems.’

Wen Xiaoqi felt that listening to Su Zhaozhao was definitely the right thing to do.

Later, Su Zhaozhao waited until Xie Huaizheng came to find her.

When Xie Huaizheng saw the girl following Su Zhaozhao, he raised an eyebrow. "What’s this about?"

’I’ve been gone for half a day, and now Su Zhaozhao has a new girl with her. A complete stranger, too.’

"Her name is Wen Xiaoqi. She’s here looking for her partner, who’s a teacher at the military district’s elementary school," Su Zhaozhao explained. "But the guy refuses to see her. So, can you pull some strings and get him to meet with Qiaoqi?"

"I can do that," Xie Huaizheng said. "What’s his name?"

Wen Xiaoqi said, "Zhou Chengguo."

As she spoke, she sized up Xie Huaizheng. ’This soldier has such an imposing presence. He’s so tall, well-built, and very handsome.’

’Is this Su Zhaozhao’s fiancé?’

’They make a good pair.’

’But... he’s a little scary.’

When Xie Huaizheng’s dark eyes swept over her, Wen Xiaoqi instinctively looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.

’Su Zhaozhao seems so gentle and sweet. I never thought her fiancé would be this intimidating.’

’But she doesn’t seem to be afraid of him at all.’

So, the three of them went to the entrance of the military district’s elementary school. Xie Huaizheng had a word with the sentry at the gate, and upon seeing it was him, the sentry let them in.

"The teachers should have just finished their classes. They’ll be in the staff office," Xie Huaizheng said.

Su Zhaozhao looked at Wen Xiaoqi. "Let’s go together."

’I’m worried Wen Xiaoqi won’t be able to handle it alone.’

Wen Xiaoqi nodded. She was very nervous, too.

Xie Huaizheng hadn’t planned on going. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and was about to light one.

But then Su Zhaozhao called out to him, "You should come with us."

Xie Huaizheng furrowed his brow. "You want me to go? To intimidate him?"

Xie Huaizheng scoffed.

Su Zhaozhao nodded. She hadn’t expected Xie Huaizheng to be so sharp and know exactly what she was thinking.

"Look at you. You’re so tall and you look so menacing. If you just stand in front of him, he’ll probably be too embarrassed to refuse having dinner with us."

"What’s it got to do with me? I already got you inside."

Xie Huaizheng wasn’t sure what the relationship was between Su Zhaozhao and this Wen Xiaoqi.

’Xiao Yuanming never told me Su Zhaozhao had made a new friend.’

Su Zhaozhao pulled Xie Huaizheng aside. "Do you know how I met her?" she asked him. "She was at the guest house, about to jump off the balcony because that guy refused to see her. It took a lot of convincing, but I talked her down. I just want them to meet, sit down, and have a proper meal. What do you say? Can we go to the state-owned restaurant for dinner later? That way, the two of them can have a good talk."

Su Zhaozhao gripped Xie Huaizheng’s arm. Afraid that Wen Xiaoqi might overhear, she leaned in very close to him.

She kept her voice low as she spoke.

They were so close now that when Xie Huaizheng lowered his gaze, he could see Su Zhaozhao’s exquisite, beautiful eyes.

’He could almost imagine how Su Zhaozhao had talked the girl down. She definitely wouldn’t have taken the conventional approach.’

"Fine. I’ll go in with you."

Xie Huaizheng put the cigarette pack back in his pocket and let Su Zhaozhao pull him toward the office.

Su Zhaozhao also took Wen Xiaoqi’s hand. "Qiaoqi, let’s go. He and I will go with you to give you courage."

Wen Xiaoqi looked at Xie Huaizheng, then back at Su Zhaozhao, her heart filled with envy.

’Even though Su Zhaozhao’s fiancé looks so intimidating, he’s really good to her.’

’Meanwhile, my childhood sweetheart seems gentle, but he’s actually so heartless.’

’Otherwise, he wouldn’t have refused to go home after becoming a teacher here.’

The thought of seeing him in a few moments made her incredibly nervous.

She didn’t know what kind of disgusted expression he would make.

But then she turned her head and saw Su Zhaozhao’s big, dark eyes and the brilliant smile on her face.

In that instant, Wen Xiaoqi felt a new surge of courage.

"Qiaoqi, don’t be scared. You were brave enough to stand on a balcony and think about jumping just now. This is just meeting one man. What’s there to be afraid of?" Su Zhaozhao encouraged her.

Wen Xiaoqi nodded. "Zhaozhao, you’re right!"

The three of them walked into the office.

There were several people sitting inside.

Having just finished their classes, they were packing up their things or organizing lesson plans.

Some were also chatting idly.

As Wen Xiaoqi stepped inside, her eyes immediately found Zhou Chengguo.

Zhou Chengguo was sitting by the window, wearing a light blue shirt and gold-rimmed glasses. He looked very scholarly and handsome.

Her eyes instantly lit up. "Chengguo!"