Aunt Gu glanced at Qin Hao, and then directly told him about Gu En's situation.
Qin Hao's nonchalant attitude gradually disappeared as his mother spoke.
"Mom, is what you just said true? Gu En is back? But how is that possible? He... he clearly already..."
Aunt Gu rolled her eyes. "Do you think I would joke about something like this?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao shook his head without hesitation. Although his mother was a bit unreliable, she wasn't the type to joke about such things, but he still couldn't accept it!
How could he believe that someone who had been dead for so many years had suddenly come back to life?
Aunt Gu: "That's why I'm keeping you here this time. Your dad and I will drive back tomorrow morning to see what's going on with Gu En. It's best to get rid of him now before your brother finds out, so he doesn't find out later..."
Qin Hao understood what his mother meant by what she hadn't said.
If his brother finds out about Gu En's existence, where will Xia Ran find a place?
Between Gu En and Xia Ran, he chose Xia Ran without hesitation!
Chapter 113 Grandpa Xia Discovers the Truth
"Anyway, you're staying here. Don't let your brother and the others go back. We'll go back once we've sorted things out. Also, keep an eye out for anyone calling your brother. I'm worried that Gu En might find your brother's phone number somewhere and call him. If that happens, there really won't be any way to help him."
Qin Hao knew the seriousness of the matter, so he dared not refuse.
"Mom and Dad, don't worry, I will definitely keep an eye on my brother. But are you sure you can keep my brother from finding out about Gu En? If he finds out, he will be very angry."
They had all witnessed Gu Zheng's special treatment of Gu En since they were young.
Qin Shi's expression was also very serious. "You just need to keep a close eye on your brother. Your mother and I will take care of the rest."
Although he somewhat disagreed with his wife's approach, it seemed there was no better solution at the moment.
Xia Ran and the others spent a lot of time buying groceries, but when they came back, Grandpa Xia's face was beaming with an unstoppable smile.
You can imagine how happy Grandpa Xia was.
Indeed, his grandson came back to visit him during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he also gained a beautiful great-grandson. Although the child was born, taking him out still garnered a lot of envy from Grandpa Xia.
That evening's meal was prepared by Xia Ran and Aunt Gu, with Qin Hao and his father Qin Shi helping out.
Gu Zheng played chess with Grandpa Xia, and of course, Gu Chen was watching from the side.
Dinner was plentiful, and Grandpa Xia was very happy, even having a small glass of wine.
After dinner, it was time for the final moon-viewing activity. A table was set up in the courtyard with sliced mooncakes, fruit, tea, and drinks, and of course, snails.
Eating snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a local custom in Xia Ran's area. The fragrant and spicy snails, paired with a refreshing drink, are a very enjoyable experience.
Before going to bed, Aunt Gu told Grandpa Xia that they would be going back first thing tomorrow morning.
As for Gu Zheng, Aunt Gu's excuse was that she hadn't seen a friend in a long time, so she rushed over to see her, because her friend was going abroad again in a couple of days.
Aunt Gu specifically instructed Gu Zheng to stay here and keep Xia Ran company, saying there was no rush to go back.
Even if Aunt Gu hadn't said anything, Gu Zheng's idea was to stay here with Xia Ran and spend a few more days with Grandpa Xia, since Xia Ran didn't know when she would be able to return after this departure.
That night, after Grandpa Xia fell asleep, Xia Ran sneaked into Gu Zheng's room and slept with him.
The next morning.
Aunt Gu and Qin Shi got up at five o'clock. After washing up, they left. This was something they had agreed on the night before, because they were afraid of getting stuck in traffic if it was too late.
Grandpa Xia originally said he would get up to see them off, but Aunt Gu said that family members didn't need to, and after much persuasion, she finally stopped Grandpa Xia from getting up so early to see them off.
At 5:30, Gu Zheng prepared to carry Xia Ran back to her own room, just like the day before.
Grandpa Xia, who usually gets up a little after six o'clock, couldn't fall asleep today for some reason. He checked the time and it was already 5:30, so he could get up.
Gu Zheng carried Xia Ran out carefully, just like yesterday, and kept his footsteps very light.
But things often turn out in a dramatic way. When Gu Zheng carried Xia Ran out, they happened to run into Grandpa Xia opening the door.
Grandpa Xia stood there, looking at Gu Zheng holding Xia Ran in front of him, his eyes filled with shock and even disbelief.
Gu Zheng's body stiffened as well. He had just come out to take a look and, not seeing that Grandpa Xia had gotten up, went back to carry Xia Ran out.
This was the first time Gu Zheng had felt at a loss, unsure of what to do.
Seeing Grandpa Xia's expression change in an instant, he felt a growing sense of unease.
"grandfather……"
Gu Zheng called out "Grandpa Xia," and it was this call that brought Grandpa Xia back to his senses.
After he came to his senses, he staggered back two steps.
Recalling how Xia Ran and Gu Zheng got along, and the things Yu Chao said when they met yesterday, Grandpa Xia seemed to understand everything at once.
"When did it start?" Grandpa Xia's voice trembled, whether from anger or something else, it was hard to tell.
"It's been a long time, more than seven months." Gu Zheng no longer hid it from Grandpa Xia, mainly because he had no way to conceal the situation now.
When Grandpa Xia heard that it had been more than seven months, his expression darkened even more, which meant that the two had already been together since Xia Ran last came back.
Gu Zheng's conversation with Grandpa Xia slowly woke Xia Ran up in Gu Zheng's arms.
"Zheng, what's wrong?"
When Xia Ran opened his eyes and saw Gu Zheng holding him, he subconsciously asked a question, and he didn't even notice that his grandfather was there.
Gu Zheng glanced down at Xia Ran, sighed softly, and said in a low voice,
"Grandpa is here."
"What?" Xia Ran asked instinctively, unable to believe it.
Gu Zheng nodded to Xia Ran, then looked at Grandpa Xia.
Xia Ran froze, her face turning pale in an instant.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing, instead whispering,
"Let me down."
Gu Zheng had no choice but to put Xia Ran down. Xia Ran kept her head down and didn't dare to look at Grandpa Xia.
Grandpa Xia had already understood everything from Xia Ran's earlier remark about "A-Zheng".
"Xia Ran, what exactly happened!" Grandpa Xia roared.
His face flushed red with anger, and he coughed violently as soon as he finished speaking.
Xia Ran couldn't care less about anything else and could only rush over to help Grandpa Xia.
"Grandpa, don't be angry, listen to me."
"What did you say? Xia Ran, you think you're all grown up now? You actually kept such a big thing from me!"
Grandpa Xia pushed Xia Ran away directly, and because he was too strong, he himself staggered a step from the force of the impact.
"Grandpa!" Xia Ran forcefully supported her grandfather. "Don't be angry, let me explain it to you slowly, okay?"
Xia Ran was also very scared, especially when he saw Grandpa Xia's face.
He had considered telling his grandfather, but he hadn't expected things to happen so quickly and so unexpectedly.
Of course, Gu Zheng couldn't let Xia Ran face it alone, so he also went to stand in front of Grandpa Xia.
"Grandpa, we were in the wrong. Please let us explain."
"Don't come near me!" Grandpa Xia, who used to like Gu Zheng so much, now dislikes him.
Chapter 114 A Divorce is Necessary
Gu Zheng frowned, looking at Xia Ran with some confusion.
Xia Ran glanced at Gu Zheng, sighed softly, but said nothing. She simply continued speaking to Grandpa Xia.
"Grandpa, if you want to know what really happened between me and Gu Zheng, please calm down and listen to me, okay? Grandpa, I beg you, please don't get so agitated, okay? You know you have a heart condition."
Xia Ran's tone was almost pleading.
Grandpa Xia looked at Xia Ran with a complex mix of emotions in his eyes. Finally, he closed his eyes tightly and spoke.
"You'd better tell me exactly what happened, or don't blame me for disowning you."
Grandpa's words startled Xia Ran. He pursed his lips and then silently helped Grandpa Xia to sit on the sofa in the living room.
Despite the loud voices of the group, Qin Hao in Xia Ran's room did not wake up, so only Xia Ran, Gu Zheng, and Grandpa Xia were in the living room.
After Grandpa Xia sat down on the sofa, his face turned terribly dark, and Xia Ran even saw that Grandpa Xia's fists were clenched tightly.
Xia Ran placed her hand on Grandpa Xia's fist, glanced at Gu Zheng, and then told Grandpa Xia that she and Gu Zheng had gotten married.
Grandpa Xia originally thought the two were just together, but he never expected that they were already married.
If Grandpa Xia was angry just now, he is now extremely angry and furious.
"Good! Very good! Xia Ran, it seems you don't respect me as your grandfather! You actually got married secretly without telling me! Very good! Very good!"
As Grandpa Xia spoke, he broke into another fit of violent coughing.
Xia Ran could only quickly pat Grandpa Xia's back.
"That's not how it is, Grandpa. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept it, so I kept it from you. Actually, we've already discussed telling you. Grandpa, Gu Zheng is a good person, and my aunt and uncle are also very good to me. Don't worry, okay?"
"Impossible!" Grandpa Xia's tone remained resolute. "Xia Ran, I've told you, you can't be with men. Did you just ignore me?"
Xia Ran pursed her lips. "Grandpa, feelings are hard to explain. I like Gu Zheng not because he is a man or a woman, but simply because he is Gu Zheng."
He had long known that his grandfather wouldn't easily let him be with Gu Zheng, so he answered Grandpa Xia's question frankly.
He thought that Grandpa Xia would understand him if he said that, but to his surprise, Grandpa Xia's face became even uglier after hearing what he said.
"No! We're not right for each other, we have to break up immediately!"
Gu Zheng, who had been standing in the background, looked much calmer after hearing these words.
“Grandpa, whether it’s suitable or not is up to Xia Ran and me to decide. Although you are my grandfather, you don’t have the right to stop us from being together. I don’t know why you don’t want me to be with Xia Ran, but Xia Ran is already married to me, and that’s something that can’t be changed.”
"Grandpa, I promise I will treat Xia Ran well. This is something we agreed on when we got married. No matter what, I will treat him well."
Upon hearing Gu Zheng's words, Grandpa Xia revealed a sarcastic sneer for the first time.