Chapter 239: Xie Huaizhen Also Looks Down on You

Su Zhaozhao turned her head and saw Xie Huaizhen.

The man, dressed in a military uniform, stood not far away. His handsome, jade-like face held a sharp, cold expression.

There was no telling how long he’d been standing there, but she could feel that he had most likely overheard everything they had just said.

That was why he looked so furious now.

But Su Zhaozhao was angry too.

’This is just ridiculous,’ she thought. ’First Gu Qingran, now Xie Huaizhen—they’re both so strange!’

’Were these really the main characters from the period romance novel she used to love?’ Su Zhaozhao found it incredible. ’Did I actually like characters like these?’

She coughed, clearing her throat so she wouldn’t sound too vulnerable when she spoke.

She first looked at Gu Qingran. "If you like him, then fight for him. If you can’t win him over, that’s on you for not being clever enough. Why are you blaming everyone else? Even if it weren’t for Su Zhaozhao, there would be a Zhang Zhaozhao or a Zhou Zhaozhao. Besides, I’m already married. If you’re still going to blame me for this, you’re hopeless. If I were Xie Huaizhen, I wouldn’t give you the time of day."

Gu Qingran’s face flushed beet red at her words. Gritting her teeth, she pointed a finger at Su Zhaozhao. "You... you..."

But after sputtering for a moment, she couldn’t get another word out.

Su Zhaozhao then turned to Xie Huaizhen, her expression just as stern. "You recognized me a long time ago. Why didn’t you tell me?"

The man, who had been angry just a moment ago, was stunned by her words.

’How... how could she blame *him*?’

Before he could respond, Su Zhaozhao pressed on, "Have you been treating me like a circus monkey all this time? We’ve run into each other several times, but you refused to tell me your name. You must have seen that I didn’t recognize you at all."

Su Zhaozhao didn’t hold back, letting loose a torrent of accusations.

’No matter what, I have to get the upper hand.’

She recalled how, from their very first interaction, Xie Huaizhen had always looked at her with such hostility.

And yet, knowing full well she hadn’t recognized him, he never said a word. He just stood there hating her all by himself. ’Even the most dedicated hater isn’t as terrifying as him.’

"How can you turn this around on me?" Xie Huaizhen’s lips thinned into a tight line as he retorted. "When your stepmother called off the engagement, my mother was so furious she fell ill and was confined to her bed. If I had brought it up myself, wouldn’t you just have humiliated me all over again?"

’Under those circumstances, how could he have possibly revealed his identity to her? It was out of the question!’

"But you knew it was my stepmother! She was never good to me, and neither was my father. I’ve already sent them to prison."

After she finished, she looked at Xie Huaizhen with disappointed eyes. "If you had just opened your mouth and talked to me properly back then, we wouldn’t have ended up like this."

Xie Huaizhen’s face instantly turned pale. It was true. Having spent time with Su Zhaozhao recently, he knew she wasn’t the kind of person who would curse his family and kick them while they were down.

She had gone out of her way to help Zhou Chengguo’s fiancée, even though the woman had no money and Su Zhaozhao had to cover the costs herself.

He had also heard that she had helped many, many other people.

How could *this* Su Zhaozhao be the same woman who would supposedly abandon him the moment she saw his family had fallen into poverty?

Now, with Su Zhaozhao pointing it out, Xie Huaizhen finally realized that he had been wrong—terribly wrong.

"I... Zhaozhao, I’m sorry. It was my fault back then..." Xie Huaizhen hesitated for a moment before finally apologizing to Su Zhaozhao.

He had indeed hated her for a time. Even after finding out she was with Xie Huaizheng, his first thought had been to hope that Xie Huaizheng would see her true colors and leave her.

But now, after hearing what she had to say, it dawned on him. He really had been wrong!

He had always pictured Su Zhaozhao as the one who had initiated the breakup and insulted him.

But what if that wasn’t her?

After all, she hadn’t even been there.

Seeing Xie Huaizhen sinking into guilt, Su Zhaozhao seized the opportunity. "I was at fault, too. I should have tried to stop my stepmother from hurting your family like that. I wasn’t brave enough to stand up, and as a result, your mother couldn’t take the shock and fell ill."

"Now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s not hold any grudges against each other anymore, okay? I hope you find your own happiness."

As Su Zhaozhao spoke, her gaze fell on Gu Qingran.

’Even though I don’t like Gu Qingran right now, she *is* the female lead of this book.’

’The male and female leads should just get together, and the story will have its happy ending.’

’Even though I didn’t end up with the male lead, I’m with Xie Huaizheng, and I think that’s pretty great, too.’

’If I had recognized Xie Huaizhen back then, he hated me so much that the chances of winning him over would have been slim to none.’

After saying her piece, Su Zhaozhao didn’t wait for Xie Huaizhen’s reply. She just grabbed Li Tiantian and started to leave.

She just wanted to get away quickly before things got even more complicated.

Xie Huaizhen’s eyes followed Su Zhaozhao. He opened his mouth to say something, but she had already hurried back toward the military compound, as if afraid he would try to stop her.

For some reason, even after clearing the air with Su Zhaozhao, Xie Huaizhen didn’t feel any sense of relief.

He still felt uneasy, but it wasn’t the old resentment toward her. It was a different, stifling feeling that settled in his chest.

’So, does this mean that Su Zhaozhao could have been with him, but he ruined their chance?’

An inexplicable pain twisted in Xie Huaizhen’s gut.

But just as he was trying to figure out what to say to her, she had fled as if terrified of what he might say.

’She still doesn’t like me...’

’Even though she hadn’t been the one to kick him while he was down, she didn’t like him either.’

’But if he had recognized her from the start and called out her name, would things between them be different now?’

’Back then, it seemed Su Zhaozhao wasn’t with Xie Huaizheng yet.’

’Wait a minute, why did Su Zhaozhao end up with Xie Huaizheng?’

Xie Huaizhen frowned. Their names were so similar, and they were both from Beijing.

’Could it be that, in the beginning, Su Zhaozhao mistook Xie Huaizheng for him?’

’Was she looking for me, but got the name wrong and found Xie Huaizheng instead?’

As this realization hit him, Xie Huaizhen’s brow furrowed deeply.

"Deputy Battalion Commander Xie, you heard her. Zhaozhao said she hopes you find happiness. She’s already married. There’s no longer any possibility between you two."

Gu Qingran interrupted his thoughts. She smiled at Xie Huaizhen, her eyes full of hope.

However, she could sense that Xie Huaizhen was in a low mood, so she couldn’t let her own happiness show too obviously.

"So, would you be willing... to give things a try with me? Deputy Battalion Commander Xie, I really, really like you."

Hearing her words, Xie Huaizhen shot her a sidelong, emotionless glance. "I don’t know what your motive is, but I don’t like you. You keep trying to get close to me, but I’m afraid you’re just going to be disappointed."