I've Got This Cannon Fodder Trope Covered!

Chapter 137

Wei Hanzhang felt satisfied in her heart, though she still huffed and said, "Don't you think I'm being spoiled and willful, jealous and domineering?"

"I've known what kind of person you are for a long time," Xiao Junzhan said with a soft laugh. "Ranran, you can be even more possessive if you'd like. Just don't ever be so magnanimous as to give me away."

He adored her fierce protectiveness, regretting only that he hadn't been there to witness it in person.

Jealous?

Without true affection, where would jealousy even come from?

Xiao Junzhan himself had experienced the sting of jealousy and knew all too well that such feelings could only arise from deep love.

The more you care, the harder it is to accept that the person you cherish once held feelings for someone else.

If today, she had shown indifference to everything, it would have only stoked his anger.

Wei Hanzhang wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. Whatever subtle dissatisfaction she had felt moments ago was now completely soothed by his tender words.

How could she have found such a perfect match for her heart?

She truly liked him so much...

"Liu Wanning came today as well," she murmured, her face buried in his chest. Her voice sounded muffled. "She said she's waited for you for many years, that she's almost unmarriageable now, and begged me to bring her into the Eastern Palace..."

The arm around her shoulders tightened slightly. Xiao Junzhan asked in a low voice, "Did you agree?"

"Do I look that foolish to you?" Wei Hanzhang pinched his waist and tilted her head to look up at him. "Come to think of it, she's undeniably beautiful and deeply infatuated with you. Why are you so heartless toward her?"

Xiao Junzhan gave her an exasperated look. "Who's heartless now?"

"..." Wei Hanzhang avoided answering, instead pressing, "Tell me, why don't you like her?"

His gaze deepened as he stared at her for a long moment. "Why should I like her? There are countless beautiful women in this world—should I like them all?"

Wei Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, finding his response both reasonable and satisfying.

Thinking about how this unattainable "flower on a high peak" had been plucked by her, she couldn't help feeling a little smug. Tilting her head, she teased, "Then why do you like me so much?"

Xiao Junzhan was noncommittal, replying indifferently, "Maybe it's because you're likable."

"Exactly!" Wei Hanzhang took it as a compliment and began rambling. "I've been likable since I was a child. At my maternal grandparents' house, all the elders adored me. And then..."

Then there was Gu Yunran. Despite being a headstrong boy by nature, he had instinctively learned how to please her. When he grew older, he watched over her like a hawk, afraid she might glance at someone else.

During her fifteen years in Xu Prefecture, she had never suffered a single grievance. Half of her spoiled temperament was thanks to Gu Yunran's indulgence.

Who would've thought that they would end up as strangers, bound to different marriages?

Wei Hanzhang felt a faint tightness in her chest. Life's unpredictability, she thought, was epitomized by their story.

Her voice trailed off, and Xiao Junzhan, sensing her distraction, lowered his gaze. In a soft tone, he asked, "Ranran, what are you thinking about?"

"...I was thinking about how fate works in mysterious ways," Wei Hanzhang said. "That day, I went to the Cao family's estate to dig up some wine buried years ago, and I ended up meeting you."

That wine had been buried in their childhood—Gu Yunran digging the hole while she filled it in. It had unexpectedly become the "matchmaker" between her and Xiao Boqian.

In just a few months, Gu Yunran had married someone else, and she had become the officially proclaimed Crown Princess.

Xiao Junzhan smiled faintly but said nothing. He reached for her shoulders, pressing her against the window frame, and kissed her.

He should've done this sooner—sealed her lips before she could utter such infuriating words.

He already knew everything. The Dark Guard Division had thoroughly investigated her life in Xu Prefecture, leaving no detail uncovered. He knew exactly how that jar of wine had ended up buried in the Cao family's estate.

Not just that—he also knew about their bickering, how Gu Yunran would coax her, and how she had earnestly taught him her likes and dislikes, her boundaries.

Xiao Junzhan was nothing if not perceptive. He could even discern how, from the very beginning, his Ranran had treated that man as her future husband.

Even their final argument and the cause of their falling out had been detailed in the dossier placed on his desk.

His Ranran... had once cared deeply about another man taking concubines.

Suppressing the murderous jealousy bubbling in his chest, Xiao Junzhan held the girl in his arms, kissing her deeply, with a mix of tenderness and dominance.

Wei Hanzhang was startled by the sudden kiss, but she quickly responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him have his way.

Only when both of them were breathless and slightly disheveled did he finally release her.

Looking down at the girl in his arms, her cheeks flushed and her gaze shimmering, Xiao Junzhan suddenly asked, "Ranran, do you feel regret about marrying me?"

What kind of question was that?

Wei Hanzhang tightened her hold around his neck and glared at him playfully. "If I said I regretted it, would you let me pick another husband?"

Xiao Junzhan fell silent. Wei Hanzhang didn't back down, and after a long staring match, he finally said, "No."

"...?" His serious expression made Wei Hanzhang burst into laughter. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Then why ask?"

"You're right, Ranran. I shouldn't have asked," Xiao Junzhan said with a smile. "No matter what, you're mine."

Who would dare to take her from him?

His smile deepened as he scooped her up, carrying her to the bed. Holding her chin with one hand, he gazed into her eyes, satisfied to see his reflection in her pupils. He teased, "It's been a whole day since we've seen each other. Ranran, take a good look at me."

With her chin held firmly, Wei Hanzhang could only raise her head to meet his eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment before she muttered, "Why are you like this?"

Even if he was incredibly handsome, this wasn't how one should flaunt their looks!

Xiao Junzhan kissed her again, then pulled her into his arms, his tone unusually soft. "Fine, don't look. Let me hold you for a while."

Nestled in his embrace, Wei Hanzhang began to sense something was off.

...It seemed like he was jealous again, though she couldn't pinpoint why.

Was this man made of jealousy?

She replayed their earlier conversation in her mind but couldn't figure out what had triggered his sulking. Seeing his silent and slightly brooding demeanor, she felt a pang of sympathy and lightly poked his waist, murmuring, "I don't regret it."

Xiao Junzhan froze for a moment. His hand on the back of her neck tightened slightly, gently squeezing, but he remained silent.

Encouraged, Wei Hanzhang continued to reassure him. "Brother Boqian, don't overthink things. I like you so much. How could marrying you ever be something I regret?"

His hand stilled for a moment but didn't let go.

Seeing he was still unresponsive, Wei Hanzhang scooted closer into his embrace and added, "Today, Liu Wanning spoke to me privately. She wants to be your concubine. Do you know how I turned her down?"

The hand on her neck paused. Xiao Junzhan finally broke his silence. "What did Ranran say?"