The icy river water rushed into her ears and nose, and Xia Ran vaguely saw that someone else had jumped in as well. Then, lights suddenly came on around her, and several other people continued to fall into the water.
The moment he was submerged by the river, Xia Ran's survival instinct made him struggle frantically, but he was wearing a sweater, which became heavy after being soaked in water. He was falling straight down, and the river was still flowing, so it seemed like he was being swept downstream.
He gradually lost consciousness, but in his last moments, he saw someone swimming towards him. In the blur, Xia Ran seemed to return to a few years ago, to the first time she saw Gu Zheng.
Xia Ran lost consciousness.
The man with the scar on his face on the shore was clearly caught off guard by this scene. He immediately called on some people around him to start calling an ambulance and then sent people down to rescue the person.
If he fails to save the two of them this time, he will probably have to take the blame.
When he looked back at Gu En, he found that Gu En was in a daze, staring at the river in disbelief.
"Is this the result you wanted?" the man asked Gu En. "Seeing them both jump for each other, potentially dying, is this what you wanted?"
Gu En stared blankly at the river, his mind filled with disbelief. After a long while, he murmured to himself,
"Why? Why would they do this? Does Gu Zheng like Xia Ran that much? Would he jump into the river for her?"
The man paused for a moment after hearing this, before speaking.
"Isn't his affection for Xia Ran obvious enough? Even if you really use the child to threaten him into marrying you, what's the point of having a man who doesn't love you? Are you just going to live off that money and fame? Gu En, do you really want that kind of life?"
"And that child, do you hate him that much? You won't even give him a chance to live? If your father had thought like that back then, do you think you'd be who you are today?"
Chapter 407 Still Unaware of His Mistake
Xia Ran was startled. He glanced at the man, then at the river.
“Gu En, didn’t you tell me that your father sacrificed himself to save Gu Zheng? But have you ever thought about what kind of feelings he had afterward when he asked Gu Zheng’s family to take care of you? What do you think it was? It was because he loved you. He was your father, and he needed to be responsible for you.”
"Yes, you don't like that child, and the child's birth caused you a lot of unhappiness and pain, so you can choose not to take responsibility for that child. But you have no right to deprive him of his right to live, nor do you have the right to stop others from loving him."
“Gu En, wake up! What’s the point of you going on like this? The river is so big now, do you think we can still save him? You keep saying you like Gu Zheng, but did you jump in after him? Gu Zheng never mentioned loving Xia Ran much, but he jumped in without hesitation. Gu En, do you see that? That’s the difference.”
The man thought that saying this would make Gu En change her mind and realize her mistake. He thought that Gu En shouldn't be a really heartless person.
He was waiting to hear Gu En's next words and reaction, while others were still on the river conducting rescue operations.
After a long while, Gu Encai, who was looking at the river, suddenly laughed, looked at the man, and said in a somewhat sarcastic tone,
“I don’t think I did anything wrong. What did I do wrong? If he loved Xia Ran, why didn’t he jump? Did I force them to jump? No, they jumped willingly.”
The man was still somewhat shocked by Gu En's answer.
"You...are you really that heartless? The child fell down, didn't you feel any heartache or worry at all?"
"Why should I feel sorry or worried? I wanted him dead in the first place. If it weren't for him, my life would never be like this. I did nothing wrong. If Gu Zheng and Xia Ran are really dead, then you should report me to the police. I will be waiting at home. I don't need you to take the blame. I can bear the consequences of my own actions, but I never thought I was wrong."
After he finished speaking, he turned and left without even glancing at the river.
The man watched his retreating figure, momentarily at a loss for words, but he didn't chase after him.
He knew that Gu En would definitely go back if she said she would wait at home. What he needed to do now was to find Gu Zheng and Xia Ran first, otherwise neither he nor Gu En would survive.
His life was already like this; he didn't care whether he had a way to survive or not. But Gu En was different. Gu En could have other ways of living. If Gu Zheng and Xia Ran really got into trouble, he would be the one to take the blame.
Their plan today failed, but Gu En felt no regret and no remorse.
When Xia Ran woke up, she felt dizzy and her body was very tired.
"Hmm..." He groaned in discomfort, his eyelids feeling so heavy that he couldn't open them no matter how hard he tried.
Didn't he remember jumping into the river with Xiao Chen? So, was he rescued or dead?
If I'm saved, why are my eyelids so heavy that I can't open them? If I'm dead, it seems like I can hear people talking in my ears?
"Gu Zheng, I'm wondering why Xia Ran has had so many misfortunes since she's been with you? She even has to be hospitalized right before the New Year. Did you tell her grandfather about this? It's so late at night, her grandfather must be worried."
Xia Ran recognized the voice as He Xiu's. Then came Gu Zheng's voice.
"Is he alright? It's been almost two hours and he still hasn't woken up. Didn't you say he'd wake up soon?"
"I did say I'd wake up soon, but it's only been two hours. Even if it's quick, it can't be that punctual. You should call the old man first, otherwise he'll start to worry."
"Big Daddy, why isn't Little Daddy awake yet?" Gu Chen's voice rang out, and Xia Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he still can't open his eyes, he feels relieved when he hears his child's voice, knowing that the child is alright.
And it seems that he didn't die, but was rescued and is now in the hospital where He Xiu works.
But just like Gu Zheng said, he can't wake up and can't call his grandfather to let him know he's safe. His grandfather would definitely worry if he didn't go back for so long.
"It's alright, your stepfather is just tired and sleepy. He'll wake up soon. Don't disturb him, just sit next to him," Gu Zheng comforted Gu Chen.
"Never mind, you call the old man. I'll take the child out to get something to eat. Look how pale the child's lips are. It's a good thing it's my night shift today."
As He Xiu spoke, Gu Chen initially refused, but He Xiu persuaded him, saying that if Gu Chen didn't eat, he wouldn't be able to take care of Xia Ran when she woke up. Gu Chen was convinced and went out with him.
Gu Zheng should be the only one left in the room.
Xia Ran overheard Gu Zheng making a phone call, and she realized it was to his grandfather.
Xia Ran was a little puzzled. Where did Gu Zheng get his grandfather's phone number? This question only flashed through Xia Ran's mind for a moment before she was quickly interrupted by her next consideration.
If Grandpa knew that he spent the night with Gu Zheng, he would definitely overthink it, right?
Xia Ran's head, which was already feeling a bit dizzy, was now throbbing even more.
How should I explain this to my grandfather after he wakes up?
He couldn't hear what his grandfather was saying; he could only hear Gu Zheng speaking.
"Grandpa, it's me, Gu Zheng. Aran has something to do today and is taking care of the children with me, so we can't go back tonight."
"Okay, I understand, Grandpa. Thank you."
Xia Ran only heard those two sentences from Gu Zheng before he felt Gu Zheng hang up the phone. He wanted to hear more, but soon a wave of fatigue and drowsiness washed over him, and his consciousness gradually faded.
Gu Zheng hung up the phone and looked at Xia Ran sleeping soundly, his eyes filled with worry.
Although He Xiu said that Xia Ran was rescued in time and was fine, and would wake up after a nap, he still couldn't help but worry. If something really happened to Xia Ran, he would never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life.
When Xia Ran regained consciousness again, she was fully awake; she could move her body and open her eyes.
"Little Daddy!"
A cheerful voice rang out from the side, and Xia Ran subconsciously looked over, only to find Gu Chen sitting on the edge of the bed looking at him.
He smiled at Gu Chen, then sat up. After taking a nap, he seemed to feel less unwell.
"Xiao Chen, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Huh?" Gu Chen looked confused. "Little Dad, why are you asking me if I'm okay? I'm perfectly fine, nothing's wrong at all. It's just that yesterday Dad said you weren't feeling well and asked someone to take me to see you. Then that uncle gave me a glass of milk and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I saw you lying in this hospital bed."
"Little Daddy, are you feeling unwell? Otherwise, why did it take you so long to wake up? I was worried, I was scared."
As Gu Chen spoke, he threw himself into Xia Ran's arms, while Xia Ran looked puzzled but still held Gu Chen in her arms.
"Baby, did you just say that Big Daddy said Little Daddy was too busy and sent an uncle to take you away? You woke up yesterday and saw Little Daddy sleeping here?"
"Yes." Gu Chen nodded heavily, his red eyes still swollen.
Xia Ran's expression darkened slightly. If things were really as the child said, then what about what happened last night?
Fortunately, judging from Gu Chen's words, he was completely unaware of what happened last night; otherwise, the child's young heart would have been in great distress.
"Little Daddy, what's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?" Gu Chen looked at Xia Ran's pale face with concern. "Don't be afraid, I'll go find a doctor right away. Big Daddy said that once you wake up, I should go find him or a doctor."
Gu Chen tried to get out of Xia Ran's arms, but Xia Ran stopped him.
"Little Daddy is fine. He was just thinking about something. Little Daddy is fine."
"No, Daddy, don't be afraid. I'll go find a doctor for you right away. Be a good boy/girl."
Ignoring everything, Gu Chen got out of Xia Ran's arms and ran barefoot towards the door.
Xia Ran wanted to follow him down, but she saw Gu Chen being stopped by someone as soon as he reached the door.
"Why are you running? Why aren't you wearing shoes?"
"Big Daddy, quickly call the doctor, Little Daddy is awake!" Gu Chen was picked up by Gu Zheng.
Upon hearing Gu Chen's words, Gu Zheng walked towards the hospital bed and found that Xia Ran was indeed awake. He carried the child over.
"Aran, how are you? Are you alright? Is there anything bothering you?" Gu Zheng asked as he pressed the mobile on the bedside table.
Xia Ran stared coldly at Gu Zheng. He no longer trusted Gu Zheng. What happened last night still bothered him, and he even distrusted and doubted him.
Moreover, judging from the way Gu Zheng is holding Gu Chen now, it doesn't seem like he didn't want Gu Chen as he said last night.
So what exactly happened last night?
Gu Zheng could tell from Xia Ran's expression that she was still upset about what happened last night.
"The child said he asked you to have someone take him away," Xia Ran questioned Gu Zheng.
"Yes, but things are complicated. I originally planned to explain it to you after I thought about it, but then that happened and it got delayed. I'll tell you after the doctor has examined you and you've had breakfast."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran suddenly laughed.
"So, you knew about everything that happened yesterday?"
"Yes," Gu Zheng could only admit.
Xia Ran wanted to say something more, but the doctor came in to examine him, so he had to stop talking.
He Xiu worked the night shift yesterday, so he had already finished get off work by this time. The doctor who examined him was someone he didn't recognize.
The doctor said that although he had drowned, he was rescued in time and was not seriously injured. He just developed a fever from the cold river water in the middle of winter, but he was fine after receiving an IV drip last night and will be discharged soon.
After the doctor left, Xia Ran wanted Gu Zheng to explain things to him. He was currently burning with anger, resentment, and, most of all, disappointment.
But before Xia Ran could ask, Qin Hao came over with something – breakfast.
When Qin Hao saw them, he didn't notice that the atmosphere between them was any different, and even jokingly assumed that Gu Zheng and Xia Ran had made up.
"Come on, this is homemade breakfast. Eat it while it's still warm. But why did you suddenly develop a fever?"
As Qin Hao spoke, he placed the items on the cabinet next to him.
Xia Ran looked at Qin Hao and said, "Qin Hao, do me a favor and take the child out for breakfast. We have something to talk about."
His tone was very calm and even indifferent, which made Qin Hao realize that something was wrong between the two of them.
He looked at Gu Zheng, who nodded to him, and then he reached out and hugged Gu Zheng.