Gu Zheng and Gu Chen were both good-looking to begin with, and their outstanding temperament made people passing by in the corridor unable to help but turn their heads to look at them.
However, Gu Zheng's expression and demeanor were so cold that they could only steal a glance and dared not look any longer.
Gu Zheng sat by the door for a full hour before the door to that private room was finally opened.
The first person to come out was Yu Chao, followed by an unfamiliar middle-aged man and a man who looked like a secretary. The two of them exchanged a few words, and then Xia Ran came out.
Gu Zheng glanced at those people before turning his gaze to Xia Ran.
For some reason, Xia Ran seemed a little different today.
Even though they had just met that morning, Xia Ran gave Gu Zheng a different feeling than she had that morning.
Xia Ran's eyes seemed to be shining, and the smile in them was genuine.
After saying a few words of farewell to his partner, Yu Chao watched the person leave. When he looked up, he saw Gu Zheng and Gu Chen.
Yu Chao was taken aback and subconsciously turned to look at Xia Ran.
“Xiao Ran…”
"Huh? What's wrong?" Xia Ran looked at Yu Chao with some confusion, noticing that his expression was off.
He hasn't seen Gu Zheng and the others yet.
Chapter 211 Lingering Feelings
Yu Chao looked at Xia Ran with a complicated expression, without saying a word, but turned to look at the position of Gu Zheng and the others behind him.
Xia Ran subconsciously looked over and immediately saw Gu Zheng and Gu Chen staring at him expectantly.
Xia Ran stiffened, then looked at Yu Chao as if nothing had happened and said,
"What's wrong? Nothing's wrong. Now that things are settled, shouldn't we go back?"
Upon hearing Xia Ran's words, Yu Chao knew what was going on, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, he had been quite worried that Xia Ran would do something to Gu Zheng...
Although Xia Ran and Gu Zheng are divorced, what if Xia Ran still has feelings for Gu Zheng? After all, the way Xia Ran looked at Gu Zheng back then was so affectionate.
"Yes, let's go back first." Yu Chao had originally planned to have dinner with Xia Ran here before leaving, since they had been talking about business the whole time and hadn't had time to chat.
But now that he's seen Gu Zheng, he doesn't want to stay here any longer.
Gu Chen had been staring longingly at Xia Ran. He really wanted to go over, but then he remembered his great-father's instructions, so he could only stand there, too afraid to move.
"Then I'll go get the things first." Yu Chao turned and went into the private room.
Xia Ran nodded, a smile always on her face.
This smile immediately caused the anger that Gu Zheng had been suppressing to surge out.
He hadn't even considered the fact that he and Xia Ran were divorced, and simply got up and walked over.
"What were you doing in there with him?" Gu Zheng walked up to Xia Ran and questioned her directly. "Why were you with him? Didn't you say you were just ordinary friends?"
When Gu Chen saw that his father had gone over, he quickly ran over as well, calling out to Xia Ran with a look of anticipation but also a bit of caution.
"Little Daddy..."
Hearing this cautious tone, Xia Ran couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart. The child had reverted to being so timid. It had taken him so long to get the child lively again.
Xia Ran steadied himself, his expression unchanged. Just as he was about to speak, Yu Chao came out of the private room.
Seeing Gu Zheng staring at Xia Ran, he felt a little uncomfortable and spoke up directly.
"Xiao Ran, what do they want from you? Aren't you divorced?"
Previously, Gu Zheng and Xia Ran had a different relationship, so his attitude towards them was naturally different. But now that Gu Zheng and Xia Ran have no relationship, he doesn't need to have a good attitude towards Gu Zheng anymore.
Before, it was because he wanted to fulfill Xia Ran's wishes, but now it's different; he wants to fulfill both himself and Xia Ran's wishes.
Gu Zheng, already filled with anger, became even angrier after hearing Qin Hao's words. However, he remembered that he couldn't lose his temper with Xia Ran or make her angry, so he simply asked with a hint of rage,
"You actually told him even this?"
How long have they been divorced? They've already told others so quickly.
Xia Ran found Gu Zheng's words somewhat amusing. Qin Hao, who had gone to the restroom and returned to find Gu Zheng and his son missing, also came out and overheard Gu Zheng's words. For a moment, he didn't know what to say and could only nod at Xia Ran.
"Heh... Why can't I tell others?" Xia Ran laughed directly, with a hint of sarcasm. "Isn't this my private matter? Who I tell is none of your business. Don't forget, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. What I do and say is none of your business."
After saying this, Xia Ran felt a sense of relief, but when he saw the incredulous look on Gu Zheng's face, he felt extremely ironic.
He never knew that Gu Zheng would go to such lengths for the sake of the child.
"Also, you don't need to put yourself through this for the sake of the child by saying these things to me. If you want the child to get better, I believe Gu En can do it too. His affection for you is genuine."
Gu Zheng quickly realized what was going on, "Gu En? What does he have to do with me? I have nothing to do with him anymore. Ranran, the only person I love is you."
Xia Ran had been waiting for these words for a long time, but now that he heard them, he felt no joy at all, because he didn't believe them.
"Gu Zheng, stop deceiving yourself. I've never forgotten how you treated me. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
"That's true, someone as busy as you wouldn't remember so many things. But I can tell you that I don't like you anymore, not at all. I hope you won't bother me anymore."
After saying that, Xia Ran was about to leave, but Xuan Yuan Cheng stopped her again.
"Not wanting to bother you? Is your life all about him? Didn't you say you were just friends? What's the point of this now? Or were you lying to me back then?"
Gu Zheng was gripping Xia Ran's shoulders, and because he was so angry, he was holding her very tightly, so much so that Xia Ran even felt a little pain.
Gu Zheng looked at Yu Chao with icy eyes, but Yu Chao didn't seem to care at all. Instead, he spoke directly.
"So what if it is? You're divorced, which means Xiaoran and you have nothing to do with each other anymore. Why can't he have a different life?"
Yu Chao's words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire of Gu Zheng's impending rage.
"Shut up! This is between Xia Ran and me, it has nothing to do with you!"
Gu Jia was currently itching to beat Yu Chao up, but he also knew that if he actually did, his relationship with Xia Ran would become even more strained.
Xia Ran pushed Gu Zheng's hand away and looked at Gu Zheng coldly.
"Then let me tell you, this is my business, and it has nothing to do with you."
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng was stunned for a moment, his face showing a pained expression of disbelief, and he spoke with difficulty.
"Ranran, you...you weren't like this before. Can't you give me a chance? Didn't you always say that no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes? Can't you give me a chance now?"
"Little Daddy," Gu Chen couldn't help but call out to Xia Ran, "You told the baby before that as long as he knows his mistakes and can correct them, he's a good child, so why don't you give Big Daddy a chance? He already knows he was wrong."
Xia Ran glanced down at Gu Chen before looking up at Gu Zheng, her voice still devoid of any emotion.
"I used to think you were perfect because I liked you back then, but I don't like you anymore. All those good things you did before are just irony to me now."
Chapter 212 I really don't like him anymore
"Yes, it is true that admitting one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue. So I'm telling you formally now, no matter what, the past is the past, but I don't like you anymore, so everything I said before was a lie. Do you understand?"
Xia Ran walked past Gu Zheng to leave, but Gu Zheng didn't stop her. Instead, he was thinking about what Xia Ran had just said.
Does Xia Ran really not like him anymore?
But Da Zhuang, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but call out Xia Ran's name.
"Xia Ran, please listen to us, okay? We really didn't know Gu En came to see you back then. My brother was in a car accident and his life was hanging in the balance in the hospital. How could we possibly let Gu En come to see you?"
"Besides, my brother had already made things clear with Gu En before Gu En came to find you. What happened before was indeed my brother's fault, but he really likes you. Before, he didn't understand what liking someone meant, but now he understands. All he wants is you, so please give him a chance, okay?"
Xia Ran paused for a moment. Just when Qin Hao and the others thought Xia Ran would agree, what Xia Ran said made them feel utterly hopeless once again.
"No, it doesn't matter how he feels about me now, because what he did wasn't fake, and I don't care anymore, because I don't want to like him anymore, and I don't like him anymore. Liking him is just too painful."
“I don’t just have myself, I also have my family, so I don’t want to go through that painful, almost devastating experience again.”
This time, Xia Ran left without hesitation after finishing her speech, and Yu Chao followed suit. He didn't say anything while Xia Ran was speaking, because it was a matter between Xia Ran and Gu Zheng, and it would be inappropriate for him to interfere.
"Little Daddy!" Gu Chen couldn't help but call out, but Qin Hao hugged him tightly.
"Xiao Chen, be good, we're not going."
Although Qin Hao also felt sorry for Gu Chen, he understood that Xia Ran was right. If it were him, he wouldn't have chosen to come a second time.
Gu Zheng stood there, his head slightly lowered, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. The only thing that could be seen was the faint aura of sadness surrounding him.
"Brother..." Qin Hao called out with some concern, "Let's go back to the private room first."
There will definitely be people coming and going here later, and it won't be good if someone sees us.
Upon hearing Qin Hao's words, Gu Zheng remained silent, simply turning and leaving without even returning to the private room to sit in his wheelchair.
Right now, his mind is filled with what Xia Ran just said.
He initially thought that Xia Ran's statement that she didn't like him was a lie, just something she said in anger. After all, Xia Ran had liked him for so many years, how could she suddenly stop liking him?
But now it seems that it is true. Xia Ran said that liking him was painful and tiring, so does Xia Ran really not like him?
Gu Zheng walked out in a daze, his heart aching, a pain just like when his parents died at the same time, causing him unbearable suffering.
Seeing Gu Zheng's expression, Qin Hao quickly called out.
"Brother, sit in the wheelchair first. Did you forget that the doctor said you can't stand for long periods of time?"
Qin Hao called out to Gu Zheng as he went back to the private room to push the wheelchair. By the time he brought the wheelchair out, Gu Zheng was gone, and Gu Chen was silently shedding tears, almost crying his eyes out.
Qin Hao sighed heavily, feeling utterly exhausted. In the end, he could only take the child and push the wheelchair to find Gu Zheng.
Meanwhile, Xia Ran, who had left, was also wandering aimlessly down the street. Yu Chao followed him at a leisurely pace, just two steps behind him, without saying a word or disturbing him.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Xia Ran suddenly spoke up.
"Senior, will you laugh at me? Will you think I'm stupid?"
"No." Yu Chao walked up to Xia Ran and walked alongside her when he heard her speak.
Xia Ran chuckled lightly, "You don't even know what happened, yet you say I'm not stupid? Isn't that a bit too decisive?"
“No.” Yu Chao shook his head slightly. “Although I don’t know what happened between you, I don’t think liking or loving someone is stupid.”
"Maybe that Gu Zheng isn't worth your liking or love, but he's someone you genuinely liked. I think he's the one you told me about before, the one you already liked."
"When I asked you if you had a boyfriend, you only said no, but then you said you had liked someone for many years. So what you liked back then was your entire youth, a path that everyone has to go through. How could that be stupid?"
These are Yu Chao's true feelings. If liking someone means being stupid, then can his feelings for Xia Ran also be called stupid?