"No!" Xia Ran's voice instantly rose, and then Xia Ran subconsciously looked at Gu Chen who was sleeping next to her.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Gu Chen was still fast asleep.
He looked up at Gu Zheng again, opened his mouth, and then spoke softly.
“We can’t bring Grandpa over. Grandpa… I… I haven’t told Grandpa about us yet, so we can’t let him come.”
After Xia Ran finished speaking, Gu Zheng's expression turned noticeably colder.
He sat opposite Xia Ran, looked at her, and asked...
"You don't want Grandpa to know about our relationship?"
He was feeling very uncomfortable. He had already planned to spend his life with Xia Ran, but now Xia Ran didn't want their relationship to be made public.
"Of course not!" Xia Ran quickly shook his head. If Gu Chen hadn't been there, he probably would have shouted it out loud again.
"Of course I want everyone to know about our relationship, but you don't know how much my grandfather opposes me being with a man. He's getting old, and I... I'm afraid he won't be able to accept it all at once..."
He didn't need to say anything more; Gu Zheng already knew what he meant.
But... knowing it is one thing, feeling uncomfortable in one's heart is another.
For a moment, Gu Zheng fell silent, because he knew that Xia Ran absolutely had to go back.
But if Xia Ran goes back, Gu Chen will probably cause a ruckus again.
"What about Xiao Chen? If you go back, Xiao Chen will probably make a huge fuss."
He would never say that he also felt a little reluctant to part with it.
This is their first Mid-Autumn Festival since they got married, and of course he wanted to spend it with Xia Ran.
But he would never say those words out loud.
“Xiao Chen…” Xia Ran paused for a moment, “With Aunt and the others around, Xiao Chen should be fine. I’ll have a good talk with Xiao Chen before we go back tomorrow.”
Actually, Xia Ran wasn't sure himself when he said this, but he had no other choice.
Gu Zheng looked at Xia Ran, but ultimately said nothing, only asking,
"How are you going to get home tomorrow? Have the family driver take you."
"No need, no need for a driver. I've already booked a high-speed rail ticket for 3 PM. I can just take the high-speed rail back."
Xia Ran rejected Gu Zheng's suggestion.
It's too much trouble for the driver to take him back and forth; it's better to let him take the high-speed train home by himself, which is more convenient and faster.
Upon hearing Xia Ran's words, Gu Zheng's expression darkened once more.
"Since you've already made preparations to go back, what difference does it make whether you ask me or not?"
Xia Ran was stunned for a moment when Gu Zheng said that, and at the same time felt a little guilty.
He was indeed prepared to go back regardless of whether Gu Zhengtong agreed or not.
"Ah Zheng, don't be angry. I... I can't let Grandpa spend the Mid-Autumn Festival alone at home. Don't worry, I'll be back soon, in four days at most."
Xia Ran tugged at Gu Zheng's clothes and softened her tone as she spoke.
When he heard Xia Ran mention four days, Gu Zheng's expression darkened even more. He thought Xia Ran would only be gone for two days at most.
But seeing Xia Ran's pleading expression, he couldn't bring himself to say the words he was about to utter. He could only say "Go to sleep" before lying down on the other side of the bed.
Xia Ran could tell at a glance that Gu Zheng was angry. He was anxious, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only lie down.
The two slept on opposite sides of the bed, with Gu Chen sleeping between them.
Xia Ran thought that Gu Zheng would be fine when he woke up the next day, but the next day, Xia Ran still clearly noticed that Gu Zheng's complexion was different from usual.
He felt a little sad and guilty, and for a moment he didn't even feel like eating breakfast.
At the dinner table, Aunt Gu and the others clearly noticed that something was wrong between the two.
Xia Ran always had a smile on her face. Although Gu Zheng wasn't good at joking, he would put food on Xia Ran's plate, and the atmosphere between the two was obviously sweet.
But the atmosphere here is very strange.
Aunt Gu put down her chopsticks, looked at Xia Ran and Gu Zheng, and asked,
"Gu Zheng, Xiao Ran, what's wrong with you two? Did you have a fight? Xiao Ran, tell your aunt if Gu Zheng bullied you, and your aunt will stand up for you."
Xia Ran subconsciously looked up at Aunt Gu and said,
"No, Auntie, Zheng didn't bully me. It's...it's my own fault."
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but glance at Gu Zheng next to him.
But Gu Zheng acted as if he hadn't heard them talking and continued eating his breakfast.
Xia Ran felt even more upset.
Ah Zheng was still angry as expected.
Qin Hao said, as if he didn't want to miss out on something great.
"Xia Ran, if my brother bullies you, please don't cover for him. Tell us and we'll all stand up for you."
Xia Ran shook his head again, but finally decided to be honest. After all, he was leaving that afternoon, so he had to tell him.
"Actually, it's because it's Mid-Autumn Festival and I'm going home this afternoon, but... I... I haven't told my grandpa about Ah Zheng yet. My grandpa... doesn't like me being with men."
Xia Ran was still very nervous when she said these words.
After all, he had already married Gu Zheng, but his family still hadn't agreed.
If it were him, he probably wouldn't feel good either.
Aunt Gu and the others were also stunned when they heard Xia Ran's words, as they knew nothing about this matter.
Aunt Gu glanced at Qin Hao beside her. Qin Hao jumped and quickly said...
"Mom, don't look at me. I don't know what happened either. My brother didn't tell me."
After Qin Hao finished speaking, he quickly looked at Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng then put down his chopsticks and looked up, but instead of looking at anyone else, he looked directly at Xia Ran and said,
"Don't overthink it, just eat your food. After you finish eating, I'll take you to the high-speed rail station this afternoon. Also, you need to comfort Xiao Chen here."
He had no intention of answering what Aunt Gu and the others were saying.
Xia Ran paused, then smiled at Gu Zheng, feeling relieved.
However, when he saw Aunt Gu and the others' reactions, his heart tightened again. Would his aunt and the others be angry?
Xia Ran opened his mouth to explain, but Gu Zheng spoke up before he could.
"I'll tell you what to do, you eat."
Hearing Gu Zheng's words, Xia Ran could only nod.
Chapter 100 Xia Ran's Decision
Gu Chen sat in the high chair next to Xia Ran, glanced at her blankly, and then continued to eat what was in front of him.
He needs to eat well; his stepfather says he likes children who eat well.
While Xia Ran was eating, Gu Zheng began to explain, and even brought up the time when he and Gu Chen went to see Xia Ran.
Xia Ran didn't dare to look up, afraid of seeing the anger in Aunt Gu's eyes.
However, Aunt Gu and the others reacted differently than Xia Ran had expected.
After hearing Gu Zheng's words, Aunt Gu could only laugh and scold him, saying,
"Is this the reason you two had such a falling out? What's the big deal? We can just go back with Xiaoran to celebrate the holiday, can't we?"
"Speaking of which, we haven't met our future father-in-law yet. Although he doesn't know about our relationship yet, we still need to show him the proper etiquette. That way, he won't be too angry when he finds out the truth."
Xia Ran, who had been keeping her head down, immediately raised it upon hearing Aunt Gu's words and excitedly said,
"No, Auntie, we can't go back. We can't let Grandpa know. If he finds out, the consequences will be dire!"
Xia Ran was very nervous. Although his aunt and the others were not angry, he still didn't dare to let them go back with him.
Because he grew up with his grandfather, he knew very well how much his grandfather opposed him being with men.
Aunt Gu continued to smile at him and said,
"You silly child, I haven't even said anything yet. What I mean is that we're not going as in-laws. We're going as your colleague's family, like A-Zheng did last time. We can just say we're going on vacation, right?"
"Otherwise, if you go back, we won't be able to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival properly. Not to mention that A-Zheng will be unhappy, you won't even be able to handle Xiao-Chen. What will you do if he starts crying and making a fuss?"
“But…” Xia Ran was still hesitant. He looked at Gu Zheng, but found that Gu Zheng did not intend to speak, and even seemed to agree with what Aunt Gu said.
Seeing Xia Ran hesitate, Aunt Gu understood that things weren't hopeless, so she continued,
“If we visit a few more times and get to know Grandpa better, we can deepen our relationship. When he finds out about what happened between you two, he might not be so angry because your relationship has improved.”
"And..." Aunt Gu looked at Xiao Chen, who was eating obediently beside her, and said,
"Chen baby, if your stepfather goes to your grandfather's house tomorrow and you stay at home with your stepfather and great-aunt, would you be willing?"
Hearing someone call his name, Gu Chen looked up.
After listening to Aunt Gu's words, confusion appeared in his eyes, and soon his eyes turned red, and tears streamed down his face.
His appearance was so pitiful that Xia Ran's heart ached instantly.
"Xiao Chen, don't cry. Your dad is only going back for a few days. He'll be back soon. Be a good boy and listen to your great-uncle and great-aunt at home, okay?"
"Wah..." Gu Chen burst into tears unexpectedly, "Waaah... Daddy... don't... don't abandon Xiao Chen, waaah... Xiao Chen will be good..."
Seeing Gu Chen like this, Xia Ran felt a pang of heartache and immediately picked him up, comforting him as she spoke.
"No, how could Daddy not want you? Daddy just has to go back for a bit, he'll be back soon, okay? When Daddy comes back, he'll take you to the amusement park, okay?"
Xia Ran originally planned to have breakfast before slowly talking to Gu Chen, but she didn't expect that Aunt Gu would say it directly.
"Waaah...no...I want Daddy...no...don't leave Xiao Chen..."
Seeing this, Aunt Gu intensified her attack and said,
"Xiao Ran, don't worry, we won't give ourselves away. You don't want Xiao Chen to keep crying like this, do you? He'll cry himself sick even if he's not sick."