"Mm." Xia Ran smiled at He Hao. He thought the family was very nice and gave off a very warm feeling.
Feng Ming watched his wife's actions with genuine admiration and couldn't help but whisper in He Hao's ear,
"Honey, you're amazing! You got to be my friend so quickly."
"Of course, don't you know who I am?" He Haowei raised his chin slightly, showing no embarrassment at all.
Feng Ming couldn't help but adore He Hao's proud and smug little face.
It's a pity there are too many people here, otherwise I could have kissed him.
The three-legged race started quickly, and there were all sorts of cheers and shouts of encouragement all around.
Xia Ran would occasionally discuss things with the children, and Gu Zheng, who was standing nearby, tried to talk to them a couple of times, but Xia Ran ignored him each time. Over time, Gu Zheng could only watch from the sidelines.
Soon, it was Xia Ran and the others' turn.
Xia Ran had just finished encouraging Gu Chen when she noticed a hand resting on her shoulder.
He subconsciously turned his head to look, but before he could speak, Gu Zheng spoke first.
"It's easier to walk with your arm around someone's shoulder like this. It reduces the risk of falling and tripping, and it also helps with balance."
What could Xia Ran say after hearing this? She could only acquiesce.
At the teacher's command, Xia Ran and the others began to act.
Xia Ran had initially thought that something unexpected might happen to them, so she had been very cautious and nervous.
But to their surprise, things went very smoothly, and according to the time the teacher mentioned, they were the fastest so far.
When they reached the finish line, Xia Ran was still in disbelief.
"Ranran, you're great." Gu Zheng looked at Xia Ran affectionately, his tone just like when Xia Ran was coaxing Gu Chen.
Xia Ran paused, her smile freezing on her face.
"Big Daddy, why aren't you praising me? You're only praising Little Daddy! And Little Daddy, Big Daddy is praising you, why aren't you responding?"
Gu Chen's gaze darted back and forth between the two fathers. On the surface, he seemed bewildered, with the blank look of a child, but his words carried a deeper meaning, unintentionally forcing Xia Ran and Gu Zheng to speak.
For the first time, Gu Zheng felt an urge to give his son a big kiss; it couldn't be more wonderful.
"I'm sorry, Daddy forgot to praise you earlier. You were great too."
Gu Zheng patted Gu Chen's head, then looked at Xia Ran.
Not only him, but even Gu Chen was staring longingly at Xia Ran.
Under the gazes of those two, Xia Ran could only grit her teeth and answer.
"Our Xiao Chen is also amazing. Okay, enough of that. Let's look at Xiao Hao and the others. Their competition is about to start. As his good friend, shouldn't you encourage and cheer them on?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen's gaze fell upon Feng Ming and his family of three, who were about to begin their competition.
Should I... cheer them on?
"Of course you should." Xia Ran squatted down to look Gu Chen in the eye. "As his good friend, you definitely have to cheer him on. If you don't, he'll be sad."
"But... what should I do?" Gu Chen asked, looking somewhat lost.
Although he is much more lively now and looks no different from a normal person, he hasn't really interacted with other people much, so he still doesn't really understand these things.
Xia Ran felt a pang in her heart, knowing what Gu Chen meant by this.
"Just call Xiaohao by his name, and then add 'Go for it!' like he did when he cheered us on. Or, you can do what your dad does, okay?"
Gu Chen nodded, then looked at Feng Nianhao and found that Feng Nianhao was looking at him.
"Go, Xiao Hao!"
Xia Ran shouted to Feng Nianhao and the others, and made a cheering gesture.
Gu Chen glanced at them, then expressionlessly gave Feng Nianhao and the others a thumbs-up and shouted,
"Go, Fatty!"
"Okay! We'll do our best! Thank you, Xiao Chen!" Feng Nianhao was genuinely happy about Gu Chen's encouragement, and even Feng Ming and He Hao smiled at them.
However, Xia Ran could only respond with an awkward smile. He never expected that Gu Chen would directly call him Little Fatty.
Fortunately, the other person's father wasn't angry or bothered, otherwise he and He Hao would probably have become enemies before they even became friends.
Gu Zheng had already bent down and squatted down with Gu Chenping. He found Gu Chenping's words somewhat strange, but he still felt a sense of satisfaction that only a father could have.
Gu Chen's growth to this level is something he never dared to imagine before meeting Xia Ran, but now he dares to do it.
And all of this is because of Xia Ran.
Gu Zheng couldn't help but grasp Xia Ran's hand.
Xia Ran was startled by this sudden action. He glanced at the people around him and whispered,
"Let go right now, Gu Zheng, don't force me to lose all face in front of the child!"
Gu Zheng was taken aback. He thought that Xia Ran's initiative in speaking to him earlier meant she had softened her stance, but it seemed he had been mistaken; Xia Ran still hadn't forgiven him.
Indeed, how could Xia Ran forgive him so easily? However, Xia Ran finally took the initiative to talk to him today, which is a good sign.
Therefore, Gu Zheng had no choice but to let go.
As soon as he was free, Xia Ran became more vigilant and held Gu Chen in his arms. This way, he could keep Gu Chen wrapped around his arms in case Gu Zheng grabbed him again.
Seeing Xia Ran's guarded demeanor, Gu Zheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
When will he and Xia Ran be able to go back to how they were before?
On the other side, the Feng family father and son had also reached the finish line in the race, and time was running out, but they were still five seconds behind Xia Ran and the others.
Chapter 372 is great.
In other words, Xia Ran and his group are the fastest so far.
There are five groups left. If none of these five groups are faster than Xia Ran and his group, then Xia Ran and his group will win the three-legged race.
Feng Nianhao and his group came directly to find Xia Ran and the others, but the chubby boy's eyes were only on Gu Chen.
"Gu Chen, Gu Chen, wasn't I great just now? I was so good because of your encouragement!"
Feng Nianhao, his chubby little hands resting on Gu Chen's shoulders, had his eyes crinkled with laughter.
Gu Chen wasn't used to being supported so affectionately by others, but he remembered what his stepfather had said: they were good friends, so he could only endure it.
"Um."
"Hey, Gu Chen, don't be so cold. Aren't you happy for me even though I'm so amazing?" Feng Nianhao pouted, clearly dissatisfied with Gu Chen's indifferent reaction.
Gu Chen frowned, not knowing what to say, but Feng Ming simply ruffled Feng Nianhao's hair.
"What nonsense are you talking about? How is he being aloof? He's just being composed, okay? What kind of behavior is it for you to keep babbling like this?"
Although his words were full of disdain, his eyes were full of doting affection.
The chubby boy was clearly used to being treated this way, so he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he grinned and said...
"It will definitely look like what you like! But Daddy, don't keep patting my head, or I won't grow tall!"
Xia Ran couldn't help but smile as she looked at the family.
He Hao happened to see his smile, and vaguely felt that it did resemble someone.
His eyes flickered slightly, and his gaze fell on Xia Ran's ears again. Just as Feng Ming had said, they did indeed look somewhat familiar.
"Xia Ran, it's my birthday in a couple of days. Would you and your family be willing to come over for dinner? I don't know why, but I feel a special connection with you the moment I see you, as if I've met you somewhere before. If I weren't sure that today is the first time we've met, I would think we've known each other for a long time."
He Hao said with a smile, drawing everyone's attention.
Xia Ran was at a loss. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to go, especially not with Gu Zheng.
But before he could speak, Gu Zheng, who was standing next to him, nodded in agreement.
"Can."
Xia Ran subconsciously looked at Gu Zheng, but before he could speak, He Hao smiled and said it was fine.
"That would be wonderful. I'll definitely treat you to a good time. This is the first time I've ever invited friends over. I hope you'll do me the honor."
"And my chubby son really likes your Xiao Chen, and he really wants to invite Xiao Chen to our house, right, Xiao Hao?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Feng Nianhao nodded vigorously. "Uncle Xia, can you take Gu Chen to my house? I really, really like him."
With the child's expectations on one side and He Hao's gaze on the other, plus Gu Zheng's earlier agreement, he could only nod silently.
"Yay! That's great! Thank you, Uncle Xia!" Feng Nianhao was overjoyed.
Xia Ran smiled, suppressing her unease. Oh well, it wasn't the first time.
"Alright, alright, let's focus on the game so we don't miss anything exciting later!"
He Hao spoke at the opportune moment, successfully drawing everyone's attention to the competition.
Gu Zheng couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth. He was really lucky today. He could go to the Feng family with Ranran in two days.
However, what He Hao had just said made him somewhat suspicious.
He remembered that the last time they met at the kindergarten gate, Feng Ming had told Xia Ran that Xia Ran looked like an old friend.
Although He Hao had said Xia Ran sounded familiar in a joking tone, he still felt that something was a little off.
Gu Zheng glanced at Feng Ming, only to find that Feng Ming's gaze was actually fixed on Xia Ran.
He subconsciously frowned, but Feng Ming noticed him at that moment. Instead of being flustered or guilty, Feng Ming smiled at Gu Zheng in a generous manner.
Gu Zheng's initial anger seemed to vanish upon seeing Feng Ming's smile.
If Feng Ming really had feelings for Xia Ran, why would he smile at him like that?
But no matter what, his doubts remained. Now that he thought about it seriously, Feng Ming and his partner He Hao seemed to be too enthusiastic towards Xia Ran.
The three-legged race ended quickly, and Xia Ran and his friends were actually the champions!
Xia Ran was unusually happy with Gu Chen, and even Gu Zheng smiled slightly.
The joy of this family of three is palpable to everyone.
After the activity, there was a half-hour break, so they spent the time chatting with Feng Ming and his family.