"Originally... Grandpa was moved by me and agreed to my relationship with Gu Zheng, but unexpectedly, something happened later, which caused Grandpa..."
Xia Ran couldn't bring himself to say the rest of the words. He thought he could just ignore the memory that was buried deep inside him.
But now I realize that it's not true; bringing it up again is like tearing open a wound that's finally starting to heal.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about it anymore." Lin Ziming saw Xia Ran's mood. "Then I'll go make some preparations. I'll make sure you see Gu En, but I have to go with you. Just in case Gu En does something, at least we'll be prepared."
"Okay." Xia Ran smiled and let bygones be bygones. "Then I'll go talk to Grandpa."
"Okay, then I'll go and arrange things first, and then I'll go see Grandpa after I'm done."
Lin Ziming stood up, intending to mention that his father was coming soon, but ultimately said nothing.
Forget it, let's deal with Xia Ran's matter first, and we can talk about his father's matter later.
Xia Ran quickly told her grandfather that she was going out to eat with Lin Ziming. Her grandfather had always wanted Xia Ran to go out more so that she wouldn't have to stay with him all the time, so he readily agreed.
Lin Ziming's kindness to them always made him a little worried.
Fortunately, Lin Ziming said he only wanted to become family with them, so it seems he doesn't have any other ideas.
He needs to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible so that the family reunion banquet can be held sooner.
Xia Ran waited for Lin Ziming at the hospital entrance. Lin Ziming had just texted him saying he was coming over now, so he told him to wait at the entrance.
Xia Ran waited for a few minutes before Lin Ziming's car stopped in front of her, and she got into the passenger seat.
Lin Ziming: "I've taken care of everything, don't worry. I've also had all the online messages and traces erased. Even if someone tries to investigate what Gu En has done, they won't be able to find out."
However, Lin Ziming's action later caused some unnecessary misunderstandings.
Of course, that's a story for another time!
Xia Ran: "Okay, thank you, Brother Ziming."
"Why are you being so polite? Besides, I haven't told you yet that the people guarding Gu En weren't removed by me. They just left on their own when I was about to remove them. I don't know why."
Xia Ran paused for a moment, "That's fine too, it saves some trouble."
"Indeed, it saved a lot of trouble." Lin Ziming glanced at Xia Ran and found her looking out the window, as if lost in thought.
He looked away, no longer glancing at Xia Ran, letting her think about her own thoughts.
Gu En's place was some distance from the hospital, and with the added traffic and waiting at traffic lights, it took nearly forty minutes to get to Gu En's neighborhood.
“I also had someone check, and this residential complex is also under Gu Zheng’s name, so…”
Although he was reluctant to make Xia Ran suffer, Lin Ziming knew that he had to accept all the pain in order to get through it quickly.
Moreover, that Gu Zheng doesn't seem to be a good person either.
Xia Ran's expression didn't change upon hearing this.
"So what? This house belongs to him and has nothing to do with me. Some things are in the past and that's it."
Lin Ziming breathed a sigh of relief, patted Xia Ran on the shoulder, and said,
"It's good that you can figure it out. I was just trying to comfort you because I didn't want you to be upset."
"I'm not that fragile. The most difficult period is over," Xia Ran said nonchalantly.
However, upon hearing this, Lin Ziming recalled the information he had seen about Xia Ran in the hospital's records.
The file recorded that Xia Ran had visited a psychiatrist at the hospital, and she had booked an appointment with He Xiu.
So, was that the most difficult time for Xia Ran?
Maybe so, otherwise how could it have gotten so serious that someone had to go to the psychiatric department?
Chapter 352 Xia Ran questions Gu En
The two took the elevator to Gu En's floor, and Xia Ran pressed the doorbell without hesitation.
Lin Ziming didn't say anything, just stayed by his side.
Gu En, who was inside the house, frowned immediately when she heard the doorbell ring.
The person has already left, so who would come here now?
Gu En never expected Gu Zheng to come. For him now, his determination to take revenge on Xia Ran had surpassed his determination to be with Gu Zheng.
Perhaps because she was lost in thought, Gu En didn't see who it was through the peephole at all, so when she saw Xia Ran standing at the door, her face was still showing surprise.
"Oh, what brings you here? But I'm curious, how did you know this address?"
Gu En wore a mocking expression. He had been in a bad mood lately, and Xia Ran had deliberately come to let him vent.
Lin Ziming's eyes turned cold the moment he saw Gu En's expression.
However, since Xia Ran didn't say anything, he could only remain silent as well.
Xia Ran stared blankly at Gu En, the insults she had been told were still fresh in her mind.
Suppressing her inner turmoil, Xia Ran spoke in a cold voice.
"Don't you know why I came here?"
Gu En's expression faltered for a moment, a sense of tension welling up from the bottom of his heart, but he quickly suppressed it.
Impossible. That was done so secretly, Xia Ran couldn't possibly know.
"Isn't that a joke? You've come to my house, come to see me, and you're asking me if I know what you're doing here? Xia Ran, let me tell you, I don't have that much time to waste on you. You'd better get out of here right now."
After Gu En finished speaking, he was about to close the door, and his original intention to ridicule Xia Ran disappeared.
The main concern was what Xia Ran had asked him earlier.
"What? Are you feeling guilty?" Xia Ran quickly blocked the door.
"Xia Ran! Don't push your luck!" Gu En said through gritted teeth, her tension and fear growing stronger.
Could it be that they actually know?
"Heh..." Lin Ziming couldn't help but laugh. "You're asking for it? This is the first time I've ever heard someone say that about me. Aren't you the one who's asking for it?"
“We originally wanted to talk to you nicely. If you knew you were wrong and apologized, that would have been fine. But now it seems there’s no need for that. You don’t seem to realize your mistake.”
Lin Ziming's words were obviously false. How could he possibly just let Gu En say an apology and be done with it?
But since Xia Ran is here now, that's all he can say, because there are some dark things he feels he doesn't need to let Xia Ran know.
Gu En finally acknowledged Lin Ziming's existence.
"Who are you? What do you want? Let me tell you, you're trespassing! I'm calling the police, and do you know who my brother is? My brother is Gu Zheng, the famous Gu Group! If you dare do anything to me, he won't let you off the hook!"
"Xia Ran, you know how good my brother is to me. If you dare to do anything reckless, he will be very angry."
Gu En was threatening Xia Ran because Xia Ran was unaware that he and Gu Zheng had strained their relationship.
However, Xia Ran's expression remained unchanged in the face of his threat.
"So what if I know? Even if he were here today, there are still some things I want to ask you."
Upon hearing Gu En's words, Lin Ziming clicked his tongue in disdain and said,
"I thought it was someone else, but it's just Gu Zheng. But you don't think that since I've come here with Xia Ran, I wouldn't know who Gu Zheng is, do you?"
Gu En glanced at the two of them and quickly calmed herself down.
He was just too worried, which is why he blurted out those things in a panic.
He refused to believe that Xia Ran would dare to do anything to him in this day and age.
Xia Ran had no idea what Gu En was thinking. He pushed the door open forcefully and went straight in.
With Lin Ziming's help, Gu En was no match for Xia Ran.
Lin Ziming followed Xia Ran inside, and Gu En closed the door behind them before going in.
After Xia Ran went in, she sat down directly on the sofa. Lin Ziming looked at Xia Ran like this and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Although Xia Ran usually appears to be very kind and gentle, she remains quite composed when faced with truly important matters.
Lin Ziming wasn't in a hurry and simply sat down next to Xia Ran.
As Lin Ziming sat down, he gave Xia Ran a look, and Xia Ran shook her head slightly, indicating that she could handle it.
When Gu En came in, he saw the two of them looking at each other, and in his opinion, it looked like they were exchanging glances.
A glint flashed quickly in his eyes. If Xia Ran and this man were really a couple, wouldn't that prove that Gu Zheng had absolutely no hope?
The thought of Gu Zheng's attitude towards Xia Ran filled him with intense hatred!
It's all because of Xia Ran. If it weren't for Xia Ran, how could he and Gu Zheng have ended up like this!
"Heh... Xia Ran, I didn't expect you to have a boyfriend so soon." Gu En sat down directly on the single sofa, her words filled with sarcasm.
"Back then you seemed so affectionate towards Brother Zheng, but how long has it been? You couldn't resist the loneliness and found someone else?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Ziming's eyes immediately turned cold, and he was about to speak when Xia Ran interrupted him with a look.
Lin Ziming could only hold back and wait to see what the person in front of him would say.
"But that makes sense. You were just a substitute for me back then. Zheng-ge wouldn't have any real feelings for you. It's right that you moved on from that marriage so quickly. After all, if you keep thinking about Zheng-ge, you're just humiliating yourself!"
Lin Ziming, who was originally looking to see what else Gu En could say, was stunned when he heard this.
He had long noticed that Gu En and Xia Ran looked alike, especially their eyes. He even had someone secretly investigate whether Xia Ran and Gu En were related.
But I couldn't find the result, and then I heard about this today.
Although Lin Ziming was shocked, he reacted quickly. He looked at Xia Ran and found that her face was even colder than before, but she did not seem to be upset or sad.
He felt a slight sense of relief.
"Is that so?" To Gu En's surprise, Xia Ran's voice was very calm.
"You're saying I'm just a substitute? So what? Even if I was a substitute, I still had him openly and honestly, and for a time I was the legitimate Mrs. Gu."
"But what about you? What do you have? You have nothing, and Gu Zheng has already told me that he has nothing to do with you anymore, so what are you gloating about?"
Chapter 353 Mind
Gu En was so taken aback by Xia Ran's words that she didn't know how to respond.