Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng immediately looked up at Qin Hao, who immediately cowered at the sight of that look.
"Hey, hey, alright, alright, I'll think of a way, okay?"
After saying something in a low voice, Qin Hao prepared to find a house for Gu Zheng. However, Gu Zheng was quite shrewd and knew to buy a house next to Xia Ran's house, which was indeed much more convenient.
"Xia Ran still feels very sorry for the child. With the child around, I can always get close to Xia Ran."
Gu Zheng said something, but it was unclear whether he was speaking to Qin Hao or to himself.
Qin Hao nodded, neither denying it nor leaving.
After finishing his breakfast in the car, Gu Zheng kept staring intently at Xia Ran's house.
He Xiu, who had already gone inside, received very good treatment. Looking at the child being held in Xia Ran's arms, He Xiu nodded and said...
“I was originally planning to come and see the child, since he was so frightened yesterday, but it seems he's doing well after you comforted him and looks alright.”
Xia Ran smiled and said, "It's nothing. The child was just a little frightened. He'll be fine after a nap."
"Of course, you've been coaxing him all night, how could he not be better?" Dazhuang muttered, pouring He Xiu a glass of water.
When He Xiu took it, his fingers seemed to brush against Da Zhuang's hand unintentionally, but Da Zhuang didn't notice at all.
"It didn't take long to soothe the child; he fell asleep quickly," Xia Ran couldn't help but defend her child.
After listening, Da Zhuang clicked his tongue twice and couldn't help but say,
"Xia Ran, Xia Ran, I had no idea you were like this after becoming a father. This is truly an eye-opening experience."
"Ahem..." Xia Ran couldn't help but cough lightly, and couldn't help but touch her nose. "Give me some face in front of the child."
Seeing Xia Ran like this, Da Zhuang sighed inwardly. Today, Xia Ran was the most relaxed and happiest he had seen since he came here.
However, thinking of Gu Zheng outside the door, his expression softened considerably, and he said,
"There's someone waiting outside. I don't know if they came early this morning."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran's expression softened; he had guessed who was outside the door.
He Xiu raised an eyebrow. "He didn't just wait here this morning; he spent the whole night in that car. Tsk tsk tsk... I never expected that Gu Zheng, who is known for his coldness, could be so affectionate."
"Big Daddy!" Gu Chen, who was in Xia Ran's arms, widened his eyes instantly. After speaking, he glanced at Xia Ran cautiously, as if afraid that Xia Ran would be angry.
Seeing the child's cautious demeanor, Xia Ran felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
My child used to be so careful around him, how could he have changed so much in such a short time? What has he been through all this time?
Upon hearing He Xiu's words, Da Zhuang immediately snorted coldly and said,
"Hmph, he was the biggest scumbag before, and now he's trying to play the role of a devoted lover? Doesn't that just prove the saying 'a whore who wants to maintain a virtuous image'?"
As soon as Dazhuang said that, the child in Xia Ran's arms turned pale.
Xia Ran subconsciously looked at Da Zhuang.
"Alright, Dazhuang, stop talking. The child is still here."
Upon hearing Xia Ran's words, Da Zhuang stiffened. Seeing the child's bewildered expression, he felt a pang of regret; he had simply forgotten for a moment.
Of course, she was mostly angry at Gu Zheng, after all, Gu Zheng was just too disgusting.
"Ahem... well, I was just saying it casually, Xiao Chen, don't overthink it. Uncle didn't mean anything else."
He Xiu couldn't help but laugh; it was a rare sight to see Da Zhuang like this.
"What are you laughing at?" Da Zhuang, enraged, glared at He Xiu.
He Xiu quickly suppressed his smile and said,
"I'm not talking nonsense, I just couldn't help but laugh."
Xia Ran smiled gently as she looked at the two of them, then turned to the child in her arms and said softly,
"Baby, do you want to go find your big daddy?"
Gu Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded under Xia Ran's encouraging gaze.
"Yes, Daddy will worry..."
Xia Ran immediately understood Gu Chen's words, then looked at He Xiu and asked,
"Dr. He, could you take the child out for a bit?"
He Xiu: "Of course."
Xia Ran wanted to give the child to He Xiu, but the child clung tightly to Xia Ran's clothes, crying out,
"No, little daddy, are you... are you planning to abandon me again? I... I won't go see big daddy, okay? Please... please don't abandon me..."
The child's words brought tears to the eyes of everyone present, especially Xia Ran.
"Alright, Xiao Chen, how could your stepfather be that kind of person? Don't you trust your stepfather anymore? Your stepfather just wants you to go out and let your stepfather know you're safe, and then have Uncle He Xiu take you back."
"Daddy promises not to let you leave. Daddy will wait for you to come back here, okay?"
Gu Chen looked at Xia Ran with hesitation, and after a long while, he nodded.
"Then...then I'll just go out for a little while, I'll be right back, Daddy, you have to wait for me, okay?"
"Okay, go ahead, your little dad will be waiting for you." Xia Ran patted Gu Chen's head.
He Xiu tried to pick up the child, but the child unexpectedly dodged away.
"No need to carry me, I can walk by myself."
He Xiu paused for a moment, then took the child and went outside.
This kid, I didn't expect him to actually have such a unique personality.
He was incredibly clingy in front of Xia Ran, but now he acted like a little adult in front of them, being exceptionally sensible.
After He Xiu took the child out, Da Zhuang's expression turned serious, and he sat down next to Xia Ran.
"That Gu Zheng seems to be relentless in achieving his goal; he seems determined to wait for you there forever."
Xia Ran: "Don't worry about him. In a few days, once the child's emotions have stabilized, I'll have a good talk with him, and then we'll leave. We'll travel for a few months and when we come back, they'll have forgotten everything."
"Okay, whatever you say." Dazhuang didn't argue. Anyway, he planned to eat, drink, and have fun for the next few months, no matter where he was.
Gu Zheng had been watching Xia Ran's house from the front door. When he saw the door open, he sat up straight instantly. When he saw He Xiu coming out with the child, he immediately got out of the car.
Chapter 228 Chenchen, the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
When the child saw Gu Zheng, he ran over.
Although he doesn't usually cling to Gu Zheng, he has no shortage of affection for him.
"Big Daddy..." Gu Chen hugged Gu Zheng's leg, "How...are you?"
He hadn't forgotten that his eldest uncle was sick and hospitalized; his uncle said that his eldest uncle wasn't fully recovered yet.
Gu Zheng picked up the child, nodded to He Xiu, and then looked at the child and asked,
"Big Daddy's fine, why did you come out? Is Little Daddy angry with you?"
"No." Gu Chen shook his head. "My stepfather told me to come out and let you know I'm safe. He's not angry with me."
"Daddy, I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to run away. I know I was wrong, and I promise I won't run away again next time."
As he spoke, Gu Chen's eyes welled up with tears again. He knew that what he did back then was wrong; he shouldn't have run away alone without thinking.
Just like what the stepfather said, what if we can never see him again?
Yesterday's incident was caused by his negligence, which led to the child suffering so much. How could Gu Zheng bear to blame the child now?
"Daddy isn't blaming you, it was Daddy's fault, but please don't run away alone again, okay?"
"Okay, I understand. It can only mean he'll never do it again." Gu Chen hugged Gu Zheng's neck and lowered his head to rub against him.
He had never been so close to Gu Zheng before; this was the first time. One can imagine how frightened he was by what happened yesterday.
Gu Zheng's eyes softened a bit. "Tell your eldest father what your younger father said to you?"
Gu Chen nodded and stammered out some words. Although they were broken and intermittent, Gu Zheng still understood them.
It seemed that Xia Ran hadn't told the child about leaving yet, and he breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the child was still with Xia Ran, he didn't need to worry.
Gu Zheng glanced at He Xiu, who was watching the show with amusement, and his brows furrowed instantly. He said coldly,
What are you still doing here?
His disdain was undisguised; after all, he had things to tell the children, and it was rather inconvenient for He Xiu, a grown man, to stand there.
“I can’t leave.” He Xiu said with a mocking smile. “I promised Xia Ran I’d bring the child out, so of course I’ll take the child back with me, unless…”
“Unless you don’t want your child to come back with you and you want to take your child with you, then I’ll turn around and leave right now.”
As soon as He Xiu finished speaking, Gu Chen immediately spoke up.
"I'm not going back! I want to find my little dad! I'm not going back!"
As if afraid that Gu Zheng would not agree, her voice was trembling with tears.
Gu Zheng subconsciously lifted the child up slightly and replied,
"Don't worry, I won't let you leave your stepfather. But your elder father has something to tell you, okay?"
The child nodded, sobbing. Gu Zheng glanced at He Xiu, then took the child into the car.
After getting into the car, they closed the door immediately, so He Xiu couldn't hear the father and son talking at all.
Even though He Xiu couldn't hear it, he could roughly guess what was being said.
The father and son stayed in the car for half an hour, and Xia Ran at home also became a little restless.
Dazhuang glanced at Xia Ran and said,
"Don't worry, if he wants to get back together with you, he definitely won't stop the child from coming."
Xia Ran paused for a moment, her face filled with indescribable struggle and complexity.
“It’s not that I’m worried about not letting the child come back. If Gu Zheng can persuade the child not to come back, I think that would be exactly what I’m thinking.”
“But…but the child is very attached to me now, and I’m afraid that if Gu Zheng forces the child to leave, the child won’t be able to handle it.”
Xia Ran did not deny what Da Zhuang said, but after his conversation with Gu Zheng last night, he felt that there was a high chance that Gu Zheng would not let the child come back.