Actually, the tickle Gu Zheng gave her was really itchy, the kind of tickle that went straight to her heart, which is why Xia Ran's voice became so soft and weak.
Gu Zheng, who already had some other thoughts in mind, started thinking about all sorts of random things after hearing Xia Ran's tone of voice, and even felt a little thirsty.
But thinking of Gu Chen sleeping between them, he could only helplessly extinguish the fire in his heart and whispered,
"Go to sleep."
Xia Ran isn't stupid; how could she not know what Gu Zheng was thinking?
However, he also took into account Gu Chen, who was sleeping between the two of them.
"In a couple of days..."
He hadn't slept with Gu Chen for a whole day, and if he didn't sleep with Gu Chen today, Gu Chen would probably cry.
In the darkness, Gu Zheng sighed softly without speaking, but Xia Ran understood and remained silent as well.
The next morning, Xia Ran was awakened by the rustling sound of someone getting dressed.
However, he wasn't fully awake; he opened his eyes half-asleep and saw a large figure seemingly changing clothes with its back to them.
The smooth lines of his back seemed to bear several scratch marks.
Xia Ran knew it was Gu Zheng, and muttered under her breath.
"Remember to eat breakfast before going to work. Don't go hungry, or it will be bad for your stomach."
He's recently taken to sleeping in late, so he really doesn't want to get up now.
Gu Zheng, who was getting dressed with his back to Xia Ran, gave a soft "hmm" and said...
"You can continue sleeping."
Xia Ran was indeed still asleep, and closed her eyes again after hearing Gu Zheng's words.
When Gu Zheng turned around after changing his clothes, he saw the sleeping faces of the two children embracing each other, and his eyes couldn't help but soften.
And deep down, a decision gradually formed in my mind.
Xia Ran felt as if someone kissed him on the forehead while he was half asleep and half awake, but he thought it was a dream, so he didn't open his eyes except for a slight smile.
Xia Ran and Gu Chen woke up around nine o'clock, by which time Gu Zheng had already gone to the company.
When Xia Ran led Qin Shi and Aunt Gu downstairs after they had washed up and changed, they saw Qin Shi and Aunt Gu sitting on the sofa watching TV.
Seeing them come downstairs, Aunt Gu immediately stood up and said with a smile,
"You're awake? I'll go to the kitchen and get breakfast. I made it myself today, Xiao Ran, you should try your aunt's cooking."
"That's right, Xiao Ran, you should definitely try your aunt's cooking," Qin Shi said with a smile.
Hearing their words, Xia Ran's face immediately turned red with embarrassment.
"Aunt and Uncle, I'm so sorry, I... I slept in late today."
Xia Ran lowered his head with some guilt. He had completely forgotten about Aunt Gu and the others when he slept in late today, and only remembered that they had returned when he woke up just now.
Xia Ran was initially quite nervous and anxious, after all, he had gone to bed so late.
But to his surprise, Aunt Gu and the others were not unhappy at all; instead, they all smiled and brought him breakfast.
Aunt Gu walked straight up to Xia Ran, tapped her forehead, and said reproachfully,
"Why are you apologizing, child? It's normal to sleep in late. Go sit over there, I'll get you breakfast."
After Aunt Gu finished speaking, she walked towards the kitchen. Qin Shi, of course, did not sit down either, and followed behind Aunt Gu.
Indeed, just as Qin Shi said, Aunt's cooking skills were quite good; at least Xia Ran and Gu Chen ate until they were stuffed.
Gu Zheng and Qin Hao had already gone to the company.
After finishing their meal, with nothing to do, Aunt Gu suggested going out for a stroll. Xia Ran naturally agreed, so in the end, Aunt Gu, Qin Shi, Xia Ran, and Gu Chen went out together.
They went to shopping malls because Aunt Gu wanted to buy clothes and shoes for Xia Ran and Gu Chen.
Moreover, they all bought brand-name products, the kind that could be delivered directly to their door.
Xia Ran tried to stop Aunt Gu from the very beginning, but while Aunt Gu verbally agreed, she didn't slow down her card-swiping speed at all.
Anyway, Aunt Gu bought everything that she thought was suitable for Xia Ran and Gu Chen.
Xia Ran couldn't persuade her, and Qin Hao kept trying to persuade her as well, so in the end Xia Ran simply stopped talking and could only let Aunt Gu go and buy it.
Because this mall offers direct home delivery, even if you end up buying a lot of things, they don't actually carry anything with them.
Of course, we also ate lunch outside.
It was during lunch that Xia Ran discovered that Gu Zheng had sent him several messages.
At 8:30: 'Are you awake?'
At nine o'clock: 'Have you had breakfast?'
10:30: 'Did Gu Chen listen to me?'
11:30: 'Have you had lunch yet?'
Five minutes ago: 'Why aren't you replying to my messages?'
After reading this information, Xia Ran was dumbfounded.
This was the first time he had ever seen Gu Zheng send him these messages, which truly shocked and surprised him.
He heard from his former roommate that people in love are like this: they think about each other all the time and send all sorts of silly messages.
The message Gu Zheng sent instantly made Xia Ran feel like she was in a relationship.
Xia Ran desperately suppressed the smile on her lips and answered each question one by one.
"Sorry, Zheng, I haven't checked my phone, so I didn't see your message. I woke up around 9:00 and had breakfast, which my aunt made; it was delicious. I'm out shopping with my aunt and uncle now, and we're about to have lunch. Have you eaten yet?"
After Xia Ran replied, he planned to talk to Aunt Gu and the others, because he didn't expect Gu Zheng to reply so quickly. However, almost the next second after he sent the message, the other side's message stream came back.
'I'm about to eat. If I see anything I like while shopping, I'll buy it.'
Seeing Gu Zheng's reply, Xia Ran felt a sweet warmth in her heart and immediately sent him a reply.
However, Gu Zheng did not reply promptly this time.
Chapter 71 Overthinking
Xia Ran knew that Gu Zheng was very busy at the company, so she didn't think much of it.
But after the meal, Aunt Gu and the others ran into an acquaintance and left together.
Of course, Xia Ran didn't go with them. Aunt Gu originally wanted Xia Ran to go with them, but Xia Ran didn't want to go, so she simply took Gu Chen and prepared to go back.
Just as they were about to go back, Yu Chao called.
"Senior? Now? Sure, I'll take the child there now. Send me the address."
"No need, no need, I can go by myself, there's no need to trouble you to come over. Okay, then."
Xia Ran hung up the phone with Yu Chao, then walked to the entrance of the pedestrian street to wait for Yu Chao.
Yu Chao arrived very quickly, in about fifteen minutes.
He was momentarily dazed when he saw Xia Ran and the child standing there waiting for him.
But it only lasted for a moment, and he quickly came to his senses.
"Senior, I'm so sorry to have troubled you to pick us up."
Xia Ran said somewhat embarrassedly.
He originally needed Yu Chao's help with something, but now he's even bothering Yu Chao to come pick him up.
Yu Chao smiled and said,
"There's no need to thank me. It's just on the way anyway. I haven't seen my friend in a long time, so this is a good opportunity to visit him."
Hearing this, Xia Ran just smiled. No matter what, the other person was just trying to help him.
"Senior, this is my first time taking Xiao Chen there. Should we bring something? Would it be inappropriate to come empty-handed?"
Yu Chao: "No need, I brought some fruit with me, I can give it to him later. Let's get in the car and go find him now. He is very punctual, and I'm afraid he will feel uncomfortable if he waits too long."
Thinking of that person, Yu Chao felt somewhat helpless. He couldn't understand how he had become good friends with that person back then.
Upon hearing Yu Chao's words, Xia Ran immediately took the child and got into the car.
Gu Chen, upon seeing Yu Chao, immediately pouted and remained silent, clearly displeased.
Without his father around, he can't fight off the bad guys by himself!
Xia Ran had no idea what Gu Chen was thinking. After getting into the car, she started chatting with Yu Chao.
The two were happy when they talked about the past, but Gu Chen, who was in Xia Ran's arms, remained silent with a blank expression.
Yu Chao brought them to a high-end apartment building, which they couldn't enter without a key card, so Yu Chao had to call someone to come down and pick them up.
While waiting for others to come down, Xia Ran noticed Gu Chen's mood and asked him with some confusion,
"What's wrong, Xiao Chen? Why haven't you said anything?"
When Xia Ran asked him, Gu Chen didn't answer, but just lowered his head and played with his fingers.
He felt that his stepfather stopped caring for him after encountering bad people.
In the past, his stepfather would have noticed his unhappiness very quickly, but now it's taken him so long to notice.
Gu Chen's appearance made Xia Ran a little worried. Just as he was about to ask more questions, Yu Chao in the driver's seat spoke up.
"Xiao Ran, could it be that he knows he's going to see a doctor and is too scared to speak?"
Xia Ran was taken aback, and then she felt that it might actually be possible.
He hadn't formally told the child that he was going to see a doctor, but Gu Chen must have guessed it from his conversation with his senior.
Xia Ran couldn't help but feel that she had been somewhat irresponsible when she thought about this.
"Xiao Chen, do you want to listen to what your little daddy has to say?" Xia Ran looked down at Gu Chen gently.
Gu Chen hesitated for a moment before raising his head to meet Xia Ran's gaze.
Xia Ran breathed a sigh of relief; as long as he was still willing to talk to her, that was fine.