Grandpa Xia didn't want to talk to Xia Ran like that, but he was afraid that Xia Ran would make the same mistake again.
Xia Ran: "Grandpa, don't worry, I won't be foolish again. If all else fails, I'll have Gu Zheng take the child away. I believe that after this incident, Gu Zheng will know how to take good care of the child."
Grandpa Xia: "Okay, as long as you know what to do, that's fine. It's one thing for you to be soft-hearted about the child, but reality is another. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Grandpa." Xia Ran nodded, pursing her lips.
Grandpa Xia sighed, got up, and went back to his room.
Shortly after Grandpa Xia returned to his room, there was a knock on the door.
Xia Ran thought for a moment and guessed that it must be Gu Zheng who had come.
Normally, he wouldn't bother with it, but now he needs to talk to Gu Zheng about the child.
After opening the door, the person outside was indeed Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xia Ran. He had been very afraid that Xia Ran would not open the door for him.
"Ranran, I..."
"Come in first," Xia Ran said coldly, her tone utterly indifferent.
Chapter 224 Heartache and Reality
Gu Zheng was stunned for a moment, but soon his heart was filled with immense joy.
Does Ranran's current state mean she's really going to forgive him, just as Qin Hao said?
At the thought of this, Gu Zheng's heart began to pound, and his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Okay, I'm coming in now."
Gu Zheng quickly followed him inside, closing the door behind him.
Xia Ran sat in the living room, her expression remaining calm and indifferent.
Gu Zheng, who was full of hope that Xia Ran would forgive him, did not notice Xia Ran's indifference.
Or perhaps he saw through Xia Ran's indifference, but he was just deceiving himself.
"Ranran, where's the child? How is he now?" Gu Zheng sat down opposite Xia Ran.
Actually, he would have preferred to sit next to Xia Ran, but he was afraid that Xia Ran would be angry, so he could only sit opposite her.
Xia Ran: "They've already gone to sleep."
His tone remained cold and indifferent.
"That's good." Gu Zheng said. Originally, Gu Zheng had a lot to say to Xia Ran, but now, looking at Xia Ran's indifferent face, he couldn't say anything.
However, he still needed to talk to Xia Ran about the child's kidnapping, not only for the child's sake, but also so that he could have a few more words with Xia Ran.
“Those people have already been taken to the hospital. They said they don’t know the child. Someone gave them 150,000 yuan to take the child to a certain place, but they don’t know who that person is.”
"Because that person always contacted them by phone, but when the police checked that phone number just now, they found that it was used by an elderly man in his seventies, but that man had passed away a month ago."
When Gu Zheng spoke of these matters, his tone became extremely cold. The people involved had acted very discreetly, and he couldn't find their exact location or any clues yet.
Xia Ran listened to Gu Zheng talk about these things with a blank expression. He didn't say anything because he knew Gu Zheng would handle these matters.
From the moment he divorced Gu Zheng, he never imagined that one day he would sit down and chat with Gu Zheng face to face like this.
Although it was something she was forced to do for the sake of the child, Xia Ran still felt very strange about it.
However, Xia Ran is now completely able to control his emotions, and he can face whatever Gu Zheng says with equanimity.
After Gu Zheng finished speaking, he realized that Xia Ran hadn't said a word, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"Let's talk," Xia Ran suddenly said, her gaze also turning to Gu Zheng, who had been keeping his head down.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng felt a sudden surge of panic, even a bad premonition, but all he could do was nod.
Xia Ran: "I never thought the child would have such deep feelings for me. I was thinking if you could let me raise the child for two years, and then let him go back when he's a little older and less attached to me."
“But I think this is a bit unrealistic. After all, that’s your child. I have no right or qualification to do that. So let’s have the child stay here for two days. Once he’s calmed down, you can take him away.”
"Children are simple-minded and their memories are constantly being updated. If he doesn't see me for a while, he will forget me. It's best if you take the time to spend with him properly for a period of time, then his personality will change."
This was the decision Xia Ran had just made. He had even planned that after Gu Zheng took the child away, he would take his grandfather to live somewhere else for a while, so that the child wouldn't be able to find him and would naturally forget about him.
Grandpa is right. It's heartbreaking, but reality is reality.
As Xia Ran finished speaking, Gu Zheng's expression gradually froze.
His mind went blank; he hadn't expected Xia Ran to bring this up with him.
"So, you mean you're still not going to accept us? You don't intend to forgive me?"
"Heh..." Xia Ran couldn't help but laugh, but it was a sarcastic laugh.
"When did I say I would forgive you? Besides, I don't think it has anything to do with whether I forgive you or not. There's no question of forgiveness between us. As for you two, I don't have that much influence. What if I get labeled a mistress again?"
"Why would I be foolish enough to repeat the same mistake I've already made?"
Gu Zheng felt increasingly panicked. "Ranran, are you bothered by Gu En's matter? I've already told you, I have nothing to do with Gu En anymore. I've made him leave, so you don't need to worry anymore."
"Ranran, please forgive me?" Gu Zheng looked at Xia Ran with pleading eyes. "I can't live without you. I really like you. I only realized that I had fallen in love with you a long time ago after you left. I just didn't understand my own heart."
"Ranran, please give me another chance? I know I was wrong, I really regret it."
Gu Zheng immediately got up and sat down next to Xia Ran, but Xia Ran subconsciously moved away.
Gu Zheng's expression froze for a moment, but Xia Ran didn't feel anything was wrong at all.
"No need, I don't like you anymore, Gu Zheng. I mean it. It's too unreliable and too uncertain to like you."
He looked directly at Gu Zheng, his eyes filled with an unprecedented seriousness.
"At first, you liked Gu En, so you used me as a substitute. Later, Gu En came back and I left, but you kicked Gu En away without hesitation and said you liked me. Who knows if you will fall in love with someone else in the future?"
“I used to really like you, but liking someone doesn’t last forever. At least I really don’t like you anymore. This time I went to find the child not because I still care about you, but because I was worried about the child. It has nothing to do with you.”
Xia Ran's eyes were open and honest, and Gu Zheng felt a pang in his heart. He had thought that Xia Ran was going to forgive him, but now he realized that Xia Ran just wanted to tell him that she no longer liked him.
Gu Zheng wanted to say it was impossible; how could Xia Ran not like him?
But faced with Xia Ran's open and honest gaze, he couldn't say anything, because he really couldn't see a trace of affection for him in Xia Ran's eyes.
"I've said everything I needed to say." Xia Ran stood up. "If you're willing, you can let the child stay with me for a couple more days. If you're not willing, you can take the child away now. Please make a decision quickly, I need to sleep."
Chapter 225 I Can't Live Without You
Gu Zheng looked at Xia Ran, having prepared a whole host of words of apology and persuasion, but faced with Xia Ran's indifferent gaze, he could only manage a bitter smile.
"Your child can't live without you, so keep him by your side for now."
After speaking, Gu Zheng glanced at Xia and then left. His back looked somewhat lonely and desolate, and even filled with an overwhelming sadness.
Xia Ran paused for a moment before clearing her mind of all the jumbled thoughts.
What does this have to do with him?
Xia Ran touched her heart, then locked the door and went back to her room.
He only saw Dazhuang at the door of the room. Dazhuang looked hesitant and wanted to say something, obviously knowing about Xia Ran's conversation with Gu Zheng.
Xia Ran winked at Da Zhuang and said with a smile,
"It's okay, go back to sleep. By the way, how about we go on a trip in a couple of days?"
Dazhuang understood what was going on after thinking about it, and immediately nodded in agreement.
"Sure, I have plenty of time anyway, let's go shopping."
After talking with Xia Ran, Da Zhuang went back to his room.
When Xia Ran returned to his room, he saw that Gu Chen was still fast asleep, but was still clutching his clothes. His eyes softened.
Xia Ran chuckled helplessly. He took a shower and then lay in bed with his child. He felt an unprecedented sense of peace.
No, it should be said that this is the most peaceful time since the divorce.
Gu Zheng, who was outside the door, didn't go back at all. He went back to his car, told the driver to go back, and waited in the car himself.
He had no intention of going back; instead, he thought he would wait here. It was more reassuring for him to stay here than to go back to the hotel.
He was smoking, and the smoke swirled around his face, obscuring his expression.
But all he could think about was Xia Ran telling him so calmly that she no longer liked him.
"Is this what they call reaping what they sowed?" Gu Zheng muttered to himself before closing his eyes.
Xia Ran felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown, and now he finally understood it.
However, his pain was incomparable to Xia Ran's. The more Gu Zheng felt this pain, the more regretful and guilty he felt.
Why couldn't he see it clearly back then?
The next day, Xia Ran slept until he naturally woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the child sitting there, looking at him expectantly.
Xia Ran was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what had happened and remembered what had happened yesterday.
He reached out and pulled the child into his arms, speaking softly.
"Why isn't the baby sleeping? Sleep a little longer."
"I'm afraid to sleep," Gu Chen said pitifully, nestled in Xia Ran's arms. "I'm afraid that if I fall asleep, my little daddy will disappear."
Hearing this, Xia Ran felt another pang of pain in her heart.
"Xiao Chen, can your daddy tell you something?" Xia Ran still felt a chill when he thought about what happened yesterday, and he felt he had to teach the child a lesson.
Gu Chen nestled in Xia Ran's arms, his eyes showing hesitation and fear.
"Little Daddy, do you...do you not want me anymore?"
As soon as she said that, the child's eyes welled up with tears. Xia Ran felt helpless and heartbroken.
"How could that be? Your dad just wanted to ask you why you came out alone yesterday? Didn't Uncle Qin Hao tell you to stay in the hotel?"
Qin Hao had told Xia Ran everything that happened yesterday, so Xia Ran knew about it.
"I'm not blaming you, I just want to ask you why you went alone? Didn't I tell you before that you shouldn't go out alone? It's very dangerous."