"It's alright, please sit down first, I'll go make a bowl for Xiao En."
After saying a few words, Gu Zheng went into the kitchen.
Xia Ran stood there, slightly stunned. He and A Zheng had been married for so long, yet he had no idea that A Zheng could make noodles.
Aunt Gu looked at Xia Ran with concern.
"Xiao Ran, are you... alright? It's okay, he won't eat it, but Auntie will. Auntie loves your cooking the most."
“Baby loves it too…” Gu Chen, who had been silent in Xia Ran’s arms, spoke up and kissed Xia Ran on the cheek after he finished speaking.
"Daddy...don't feel unwell, baby is eating...eating a lot..."
After being coaxed by Aunt Gu and the child's soft, sweet words, Xia Ran calmed down.
Yes, it's normal that Gu Encai wasn't very familiar with him since it was the first time they met.
Besides, isn't it normal for Ah Zheng to be good to his younger brother?
And just like that, Xia Ran managed to cheer herself up again.
Gu En gritted her teeth in anger as she watched this scene.
This child should be calling him "Little Dad" now, so why should someone else take his place?
"That's right, our Xiao Chen is so great. She even knows how hard her dad works and wants to eat lots of food."
Aunt Gu glanced at Gu En triumphantly. Indeed, in this family, apart from Gu Zheng who couldn't see through Gu En, everyone else was on Xia Ran's side.
Gu En gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and remained silent. He would wait a few more days until he got Xia Ran away, and then he would slowly make the child acknowledge him, since he was the child's biological father.
This is what Qin Hao saw when he returned. After so many years, seeing Gu En again, Qin Hao still couldn't help but feel a little incredulous.
Even though he had been 'dead' for six years, his sudden reappearance still seemed unbelievable to him.
"Come here!" Aunt Gu glared at Qin Hao when she saw that his gaze was still fixed on Gu En.
Qin Hao touched his nose and silently sat down next to his mother.
He was self-aware enough to know that he had to stand by Xia Ran's side in this family.
When Gu En saw Qin Hao's actions, his eyes darkened, but a smile appeared on his face.
"Qin Hao, it's been a long time."
Qin Hao: "...Long time no see."
Qin Hao responded in a low voice, but before he could finish speaking, his mother slapped him on the head.
"You brat! Did I tell you to speak?"
"Mom..." Qin Hao called out to his mother, tears welling up in his eyes.
Aunt Gu rolled her eyes and didn't say anything.
Gu En: "Auntie, do you... really not want me to come back? I... I didn't want to come back either, but Brother Zheng... he insisted that I come back. I'm sorry, I..."
"Stop pretending," Aunt Gu couldn't help but say. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to..."
Chapter 137 Why are you ignoring me?
"Wife." Qin Hao's father stopped Aunt Gu from saying what she was about to say.
Aunt Gu gritted her teeth and endured it, but simply turned her head away.
Well, Xia Ran is still here, so she can't say anything more. Otherwise, she wouldn't bother giving Gu En any face.
If Xia Ran were to find out Gu En's true identity, the world would truly descend into chaos.
Xia Ran couldn't hide his confusion. He was increasingly feeling that Aunt Gu and the others didn't seem to like Gu En anymore. Why was that?
Although Xia Ran was puzzled, he didn't ask at this moment. He just felt that Gu En's return was very different from what he had imagined.
Soon, Gu Zheng came out with a bowl of clear soup noodles, and Xia Ran subconsciously followed his gaze.
However, after Gu Zheng briefly glanced at Xia Ran when he first came out, he immediately focused his gaze on Gu En.
"Okay, go ahead and eat. You still need to take your medicine after you finish eating."
Gu Zheng placed the noodles in front of Gu En, his tone unusually gentle and familiar.
Xia Ran's smile gradually faded. He took a deep breath and composed himself.
Gu Chen saw that his little dad had stopped smiling and his brows had furrowed. He raised his hand and touched Xia Ran's face.
"Daddy...eat, baby is hungry."
"Okay." Xia Ran smiled, then looked at Gu Zheng and the others.
"Ah Zheng, Aunt and Uncle, isn't it time for dinner?"
Aunt Gu: "Of course you should eat it! Hurry up, you made it yourself, so you have to eat it quickly."
Gu Zheng glanced at Xia Ran, nodded slightly, and then looked away.
But this one action made Xia Ran pause for a moment.
He felt that Gu Zheng now reminded him of when he and Gu Zheng had just gotten married, and that Gu Zheng had been just as cold to him back then.
"Little Daddy..." Gu Chen called out softly in confusion, pulling Xia Ran back to reality.
Xia Ran smiled down at the child, then composed herself. What was wrong with him today? Why was he thinking about all sorts of random things? Ah Zheng was just being nice to his younger brother; why was he being so jealous?
Gu Zheng also looked up and watched Xia Ran carefully serving food to the child, and a sense of annoyance welled up in his heart.
After dinner, Gu Zheng was about to help Gu En into the room. Xia Ran, carrying the child, also wanted to follow, but after taking only a few steps, Gu En spoke up.
"Excuse me, Xia Ran, I... I have something I want to say to Brother Zheng. Could you please not follow us?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran froze on the spot. Gu Zheng thought that Gu En really had something to say to him, so he also spoke up.
"Xia Ran, why don't you take the child back to the room to take a bath first? I'll help Xiao En back to the room."
“…Okay.” Xia Ran tried her best to make her smile look natural.
Gu En lowered his head, concealing the smugness in his eyes.
Seeing this scene, Qin Hao couldn't help but sigh. He walked to Xia Ran's side, patted her shoulder casually, and said,
"Xia Ran, don't overthink it. That's just Gu En's personality. Just ignore him."
If his brother hadn't warned him not to speak carelessly, he would have told Xia Ran everything long ago.
Xia Ran looked at Qin Hao, "Qin Hao, are you free? I have something I'd like to ask you."
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao immediately tensed up, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.
"What...do you want to ask?"
Could it be that he wants to ask about Gu En? But he promised his brother he couldn't tell.
Qin Hao looked at his parents sitting on the sofa, but the couple didn't even notice him.
"It's just a small matter, is that alright?" Xia Ran said.
Faced with Xia Ran's expectant gaze, Qin Hao simply couldn't refuse, so in the end he could only nod.
After Xia Ran comforted Gu Chen and had his aunt take him to take a bath, she went to the pavilion in the back garden with Qin Hao.
Qin Hao followed Xia Ran's footsteps, feeling inexplicably nervous and uneasy.
"Xia Ran, you can just ask me anything. There's no need to come out of the house, is there?"
Xia Ran looked at Qin Hao, touched her nose, and said,
"Mainly, the questions I asked might not be appropriate to ask at home."
Qin Hao, who was already very nervous, froze even more after hearing this, and could only wait anxiously for Xia Ran's next question.
"Actually, what I want to ask is, why do you all seem to dislike Xiao En?"
Xia Ran had thought about this question for a long time before finally deciding to ask it.
He had originally intended to ask Gu Zheng, but for some reason, after seeing Gu Zheng's attitude towards Gu En, he subconsciously decided not to ask.
He didn't dare ask Aunt Gu and the others, so he could only ask Qin Hao.
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao inwardly groaned, "As expected!"
"Actually, no, it's just... how should I put it, I really can't answer this question for you. If you really want to know, you should ask my brother."
"Well, I have other things to do, so I'll head back to my room now."
After saying that, Qin Hao ran away as if his feet were greased.
But his action only made Xia Ran more puzzled.
If Xia Ran only suspected that Aunt Gu and the others didn't like Gu En before asking Qin Hao, then after seeing Qin Hao's reaction, Xia Ran was now very certain.
But isn't Gu En Gu Zheng's younger brother? Why don't Aunt Gu and the others like him?
Xia Ran returned to her room with doubts. Aunt Gu had already helped Gu Chen take a bath. After saying a few words to him, she left.
Not long after Aunt Gu left, Gu Zheng came in.
"Ah Zheng." Xia Ran's eyes lit up when she saw Gu Zheng. "How is Xiao En doing?"
Looking into Xia Ran's bright eyes, Gu Zheng felt a complex mix of emotions.
"Zheng, what's wrong? Why are you staring at me blankly all day? Is something wrong with me?"
"No." Gu Zheng came back to his senses. "I came here to take a shower. I'll probably be sleeping at Xiao En's place for the next few days. He injured his leg, and I'm worried it will be inconvenient for him to get up in the middle of the night."
Xia Ran paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Well... that makes sense. It's really inconvenient for him to live alone now."
It's unclear whether Xia Ran was responding to Gu Zheng or comforting himself.
Gu Zheng nodded and prepared to go into the bathroom, but Xia Ran grabbed his hand, looking at him nervously and asking,
"Zheng, did I do something wrong today? Why are you... not paying much attention to me?"
Chapter 138 I can't wait