Xia Ran paused for a moment, then looked up at Gu Zheng.
He had liked this man for many years; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was love at first sight, a love that lasted a lifetime.
But he now realizes that it was all just a joke he made on himself all along.
Gu En, who had been watching everything from the top of the stairs, felt a sudden surge of panic when she heard Gu Zheng call out "Xia Hou".
"Brother Zheng..." he suddenly called out to Gu Zheng, but this time Gu Zheng did not look at Gu En, but kept looking at Xia Ran.
Hearing Gu En's voice, Xia Ran felt as if she could hear those words again: "You're just a substitute, you're just a mistress enjoying what belongs to me."
No, he's not a mistress, he's not. He didn't know. If he had known, he definitely wouldn't have married Gu Zheng, he definitely wouldn't.
Gu Zheng: "Xia Ran, I..."
Gu Zheng wanted to speak, but Xia Ran interrupted him directly.
"Gu Zheng, do you know how long it's been since you called me Xia Ran? Or do you know that you started calling me Xia Ran again as soon as Gu En came back?"
"Do you know... what I was thinking? I was thinking how lucky I was to be able to marry you. You have no idea how happy and excited I was when you told Grandpa that you would take good care of me. You have no idea, you have no idea..."
Xia Ran muttered to herself, then closed her eyes tightly, picked up the pen, and wrote his name on the divorce agreement without hesitation.
But as he wrote his name, it felt as if a piece of his heart had been forcibly scraped away, the pain sending chills down his spine.
The person he had loved for so many years treated him as a substitute, and the family he trusted had been lying to him all along, treating him like a joke and a fool.
He's so stupid. It was so obvious, why couldn't he see it?
Gu Zheng clearly had no chance of liking him, yet he arrogantly thought he could move Gu Zheng's heart. He thought...
Never mind, what he thought was just a joke in other people's eyes.
Gu Zheng had been watching Xia Ran the whole time, and when he saw her sign her name without hesitation, it felt like a piece of his heart was missing...
He opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.
He couldn't bring himself to say sorry or anything like that anymore.
"The rest is all I'm making up for. I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
"No need." Xia Ran refused outright, turning around to hand the document to Gu Zheng with a hint of sarcasm on his face.
"Compensation? Compensation for what? My wages as a nanny these past few days? Or the cost of a stand-in? Gu Zheng, do you know how disgusting this compensation is to me?"
Xia Ran was in so much pain that she couldn't even cry anymore. Gu En, who was standing on the stairs, finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xia Ran finally sign the divorce agreement.
"Xia Ran, don't talk about Brother Zheng like that. He had no choice. He didn't do it on purpose. I apologize to you on his behalf."
"Gu En, shut up!" Aunt Gu glared at Gu En. "Haven't you been targeting Xiao Ran all along? Now you've finally succeeded. Stop pretending, or don't blame me for being rude to you."
Gu Zheng was originally looking at Xia Ran, but after hearing what Aunt Gu said to Gu En, he directly refuted Aunt Gu.
"Auntie, didn't I tell you not to treat Xiao En like this? What do these things have to do with him?"
Gu Zheng's words caused Xia Ran, who was standing, to sway uncontrollably once again.
So it turns out that Gu Zheng was being so obvious all along; he was just deceiving himself.
"I've already signed the divorce papers. You don't need to pretend anymore. I'm going to pack my things and leave right away."
He shoved the divorce papers into Gu Zheng's arms without even asking whether Gu Zheng accepted them.
Finally, the document fell to the ground, and Gu Zheng's attention returned to Xia Ran. He looked at the divorce agreement and suddenly felt a pang of panic, and the words just slipped out of his mouth.
"You don't need to rush to leave. No one here will kick you out. If you insist on leaving, I'll send you off. I've reserved a few houses for you to stay in."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran laughed, her eyes filled with sorrow.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I can't accept it."
After he finished speaking, he lifted his foot to leave. As for the things, he didn't want them at all; getting them tainted by the atmosphere of this place would only make his heart ache more.
But when he looked down, he saw the bowl that Gu Chen had smashed on the ground, and the fruit scattered all over the floor.
He felt a wave of dizziness, and Gu Chen's repeated calls of "Little Daddy" kept echoing in his mind. He raised his hand to cover his chest, his body swayed, and finally he fell straight down.
If Gu Zheng hadn't caught him in time, who knows what might have happened.
"Xia Ran!" Gu Zheng's voice trembled slightly.
"Xiao Ran!" Aunt Gu immediately went to check if Xia Ran was injured.
However, Xia Ran's face was now deathly pale, devoid of any color. In particular, Gu Zheng's approach made him subconsciously feel a sense of fear.
"Don't touch me!" Xia Ran pushed Gu Zheng away with a burst of strength she didn't know she came from. "Don't touch me! No one here should touch me!"
He screamed with all his might. He didn't know why, but he felt terrified whenever these people got close to him, and his body would even tremble unconsciously.
However, because he pushed Gu Zheng away, Xia Ran inevitably fell. Fortunately, he managed to cover his head with his hands in time, so apart from the severe pain in his already sprained foot, he was fine in other parts of his body.
"Xia Ran!"
"Xiao Ran!"
Gu Zheng and Aunt Gu called out at the same time, but as soon as they finished calling Xia Ran's name, Xia Ran started gagging.
"Don't call me! Ugh... Don't call me! Stay away from me! Stay away from me... Ugh..."
Xia Ran sat on the ground, hugging his knees tightly, still retching. He looked at Gu Zheng and the others in front of him, his eyes revealing deep wariness, and... disgust...
Gu Zheng saw all of Xia Ran's emotions and was stunned.
Xia Ran's emotions were very strange.
Seeing this scene, Aunt Gu's tears welled up again. She wanted to hug Xia Ran and apologize to her, but Qin Hao, who had been silent all along, held her hand.
"Mom, don't go near Xia Ran! Xia Ran is... he's probably not quite right in the head right now."
"What do you mean?" Aunt Gu looked up at Qin Hao, stunned. "What did you mean by what you just said?"
Chapter 158 is chaotic... and painful.
Qin Hao glanced at Xia Ran and said with a bitter expression,
“Xia Ran… he’s probably having an emotional breakdown. I… I heard a friend tell me something about a friend of a friend of mine. That person also couldn’t accept the sudden death of their loved one.”
"He completely broke down, became extremely resistant to everything, and his body kept exhibiting mechanical gagging reactions. I... I think Xia Ran is a lot like that... If we get any closer to him, it will only make him break down even more..."
Xia Ran just stared blankly at them, muttering to himself about telling them not to come near him.
After hearing Qin Hao's words, there was nothing left for the people present not to understand.
Because they understood, everyone's eyes showed disbelief, distress, and guilt.
Except for Gu En, who was standing on the stairs watching them.
He was the happiest person after hearing Qin Hao's words. He hoped that Xia Ran would completely break down so that he could be at ease.
Gu Zheng stared blankly at Xia Ran, who was hugging her knees with her hands, looking somewhat dazed.
Did he... ruin Xia Ran's life?
"Waaah..." Aunt Gu could no longer hold back her tears and cried out. Qin Hao's father hugged her tightly, his eyes also reddening.
"What do we do now? We can't get close. Do you know if he has any close friends here? Let them come and take Xiaoran to see a doctor, otherwise something bad will really happen."
Upon hearing Qin Hao's father's words, the group fell silent, realizing that they seemed unaware of whether Xia Ran had any close friends or acquaintances here.
The only person Qin Hao could think of was Yu Chao.
“I know someone, but I don’t have his contact information. However, I roughly know where he is, so I’ll go find him.”
He remembered that Yu Chao's doctor friend was a psychologist, and Xia Ran needed a psychologist in her current condition.
But just as Qin Hao was about to turn around and leave, Xia Ran's phone rang.
The sudden ringing of the bell startled everyone, and Xia Ran's eyes slowly regained their clarity.
He glanced at Gu Zheng and the others, but the meaning in his eyes was hard to decipher.
"The phone, I need to answer the phone..." Xia Ran muttered to herself, then quickly picked up the phone.
Gu Zheng and his aunt didn't dare to say much. They could only stare intently at Xia Ran, as if afraid that saying another word would make Xia Ran even more devastated.
"Hey Xia Ran, where are you? Are you free now? I've arrived in City A. I changed my ticket. How about that? Surprised? You'd better treat me to a good meal this time, no, two meals."
The familiar chatterbox came through the phone, and Xia Ran's eyes gradually cleared.
"Dazhuang, can you come pick me up right now? I... I feel a little unwell, and I can't move. Can you come pick me up? Please come pick me up..."
Xia Ran's tone was full of pleading. Da Zhuang was his best friend and brother. He wouldn't have been able to say such a thing if it were anyone else.
Xia Ran muttered to herself, repeatedly asking, "Can you come and pick me up?" Her eyes, which had finally regained some clarity, gradually began to look blank again.
"Xia Ran? What's wrong? Where are you? Did something happen to you? Don't be afraid, tell me your address, I'll be right there, Xia Ran? Xia Ran?"
On the phone, Dazhuang kept calling Xia Ran's name, but Xia Ran seemed not to hear him, repeatedly asking, "Can you come pick me up?"
Aunt Gu and the others gritted their teeth tightly, because they would burst into tears if they opened their mouths.
Upon seeing this, Qin Hao immediately squatted down and gave an address into the phone.
"I'm also Xia Ran's friend. Please come over quickly. His condition is not good, and we can't get close to him right now."
After Qin Hao finished speaking, the person on the other end of the phone said, "I'll be right there," and then hung up.
The phone suddenly went silent. Xia Ran was stunned for a moment, but when he saw Qin Hao so close to him, he became very excited again.
"Don't come near me! Please! Don't come near me! I don't want to be a substitute! Stay away from me, please, I was wrong, I was wrong, I shouldn't have disobeyed Grandpa, I was wrong..."
Xia Ran hugged her knees with both hands, tears streaming down her face. Her words were incoherent, but they all conveyed a very clear message.
That means he regrets it; he regrets marrying Gu Zheng.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng felt a sudden pain in his chest. He looked at Xia Ran and forcefully closed his eyes.
No matter how many times he apologizes, it's useless now.
Aunt Gu immediately yelled at Gu Zheng.
"Are you satisfied now, Gu Zheng? You've ruined Xia Ran's life! If anything happens to Xia Ran, I wonder how you'll live the rest of your life!"
Gu Zheng was shocked. What could possibly happen to Xia Ran? How could anything happen to her? It's just a divorce. How did Xia Ran end up like this?
"The child." Gu Zheng suddenly thought of Gu Chen. "Go and bring the child over. Xia Ran loves the child so much. Seeing the child might calm her down."