"Will you be good to him? How good? Do you like Xia Ran?"
Grandpa Xia stared directly at Gu Zheng, his scrutinizing gaze evident.
Gu Zheng paused slightly when Grandpa Xia looked at him like that, and then answered directly.
"Why would I marry him if I didn't like him?"
Gu Zheng knew that Xia Ran would not tell Grandpa Xia the real reason they got married, so he could only lie without batting an eye.
And Xia Ran did not expose Gu Zheng.
Regardless of what Ah Zheng's purpose was for him at the time, perhaps he really just wanted someone to keep an eye on Xiao Chen.
But now he could sense that Gu Zheng liked him.
Upon hearing Gu Zheng's answer, Grandpa Xia's eyes glazed over for a moment, but then grew even colder.
"That's just your nonsense, Xia Ran. Let me tell you this: if you still want me as your grandfather, then divorce Gu Zheng. If you stay with Gu Zheng, then don't tolerate me as your grandfather anymore."
After Grandpa Xia finished speaking, he glanced at Xia Ran, then turned around and went back to his room.
It seemed that in that instant, even Grandpa Xia's back looked much older.
Xia Ran was taken aback by her grandfather's strong reaction and was momentarily stunned.
Xia Ran didn't come to her senses until Grandpa Xia went back to his room and closed the door.
Gu Zheng's brows furrowed even more deeply because of Grandpa Xia's words.
Looking at Xia Ran's expression, he immediately took her hand and whispered,
"Don't be afraid, it's okay. Grandpa is probably just too angry. I'll explain things to him slowly once he calms down and help him accept us."
Xia Ran's expression was also not good. To be honest, what Grandpa Xia said just now really frightened him.
Whether it's his grandfather or Gu Zheng, they are the people he loves most, and he can't lose either of them.
But Ah Zheng is right. Grandpa loves him so much. What he said just now was probably just said in anger. He'll be fine afterward.
"Yes, I know. Don't worry, Grandpa was probably just saying it in anger. He loves me so much, he definitely won't be really angry. I'll talk to him properly after he calms down."
Although that's what she said, Xia Ran was still very flustered.
His grandfather always doted on him and wouldn't usually say something so serious.
But now that Gu Zheng is here, he has no choice but to try to calm Gu Zheng down.
Gu Zheng naturally noticed Xia Ran's absent-mindedness, patted Xia Ran's head, and said,
"It's still early, go back to sleep."
Xia Ran shook her head. "No need, I can't sleep. You go to sleep."
He's in no mood to sleep right now.
Since Xia Ran wasn't sleeping, Gu Zheng couldn't go to sleep either, so he could only stay with Xia Ran in the living room and wait.
Grandpa Xia, back in his room, sat dejectedly on the bed.
"How could this happen? Why would such a good child choose this path? Why..."
Grandpa Xia murmured to himself, his eyes slowly turning red, his emotions clearly filled with deep sorrow.
Thinking about Xia Ran's reaction just now, he gradually fell into memories.
The more he recalled it, the more pained he became, and the more determined he became to prevent Xia Ran and Gu Zheng from being together.
The path he had walked, Xia Ran must not follow again; that path was far too painful.
Grandpa Xia stayed in his room and wouldn't come out, which made Xia Ran increasingly anxious.
Chapter 115 Grandpa Xia's Resoluteness
"No, I need to go see Grandpa. He hasn't come out for so long, he must be overthinking things. Besides, he hasn't eaten breakfast in so long, his stomach won't be able to handle it."
It's already past nine o'clock. Xia Ran thought his grandfather would come out in an hour or two at most, but it's been three or four hours already, and he really can't wait any longer.
Gu Zheng, holding Gu Chen in his arms, frowned and nodded when he heard Xia Ran's words.
He hadn't expected Grandpa Xia's reaction to be so strong.
Xia Ran went straight to Grandpa Xia's room and tried to open the door to go in, but to her surprise, Grandpa Xia had locked the door from the inside.
He didn't come to open the door earlier because he wanted to give his grandfather some time to calm down.
"Grandpa, open the door! Why are you closing the door? Please don't do this! Don't scare me!" Xia Ran pounded on the door, her face filled with anxiety.
Grandpa Xia was still sitting on the edge of the bed in the room, his eyes looking out the window without any of their usual sparkle.
Hearing Xia Ran's words, he slowly got up and walked to the door, saying to the person outside,
"I'll say it again: if you get a divorce right away, I'll leave. If you don't get a divorce, your whole family will move out of my house, and I'll pretend I never had a grandson like you."
Grandpa Xia's tone was very firm, without the slightest trace of joking.
Xia Ran certainly understood this as well, and it was precisely because he understood that he found it hard to accept, even hard to believe.
"Grandpa, how can you really bear to abandon me, the grandson you've raised for over twenty years?"
Xia Ran's voice was already choked with emotion. At this point, he knew that his grandfather was determined to make him divorce. His only option now was to play the victim and soften his grandfather's heart.
"You're willing to get married without even asking for my opinion, the grandfather who raised you for over twenty years. What do I have to be reluctant about? Anyway, I've made my point clear: either get a divorce, or leave my home."
After saying that, Grandpa Xia didn't say anything more. He walked directly to the bedside and coughed violently after a few steps. Xia Ran, who was outside the door, felt her heart clench.
"Grandpa!" Xia Ran pounded on the door, but Grandpa Xia ignored him and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes wearily.
Outside the door, Gu Zheng placed Gu Chen, whom he was holding, into Xia Ran's arms.
“You hold the child, I’ll kick the door open, and then I’ll talk to Grandpa properly. I’m sure I can calm him down.”
"No, that won't do," Xia Ran stopped Gu Zheng. "If you kick the door open now, Grandpa will be even angrier."
Gu Zheng looked at Xia Ran and said, "If we don't kick the door open, Grandpa will not only be angry, but he's been inside for so long without eating or drinking, and something could easily happen to him."
In particular, he had just heard Grandpa Xia cough, which was clearly not as strong as it usually was.
However, Gu Zheng did not intend to tell Xia Ran about this, fearing that Xia Ran would be even more worried.
Hearing Gu Zheng's words, Xia Ran stopped trying to stop him. Indeed, if Grandpa continued to refuse food and water like this, it would be easy for him to run into problems, especially since Grandpa also had a stomach ailment.
After receiving Xia Ran's permission, Gu Zheng took a few steps back and then kicked the door.
Gu Zheng was trained, and his kick opened the door completely.
Of course, the sound it makes is also very loud.
Grandpa Xia, who was in the room, sat up on the bed after hearing the noise.
Xia Ran, who rushed in as soon as the door was kicked open, felt indescribably sad when she saw Grandpa Xia's unpleasant expression.
"Grandpa, if you're angry, you're angry, but why are you playing with your health like this? What will I do if something happens to you?"
Xia Ran walked to the bedside and sat down, then placed Gu Chen directly on the bed.
Gu Chen placed his chubby hand on Grandpa Xia's hand and called out softly,
"Great-grandfather".
Gu Chen's feelings for Grandpa Xia have grown stronger over the past two days, thanks not only to Grandpa Xia's affection for him but also to the advice and instructions given by Xia Ran and Gu Zheng.
Xia Ran and Gu Zheng kept telling Gu Chen to coax Grandpa Xia properly, otherwise Daddy and Daddy wouldn't be able to be together.
Although Gu Chen was young, he understood what it meant to not be together, so he showed great affection for Grandpa Xia.
Grandpa Xia's emotions became even more complicated after Gu Chen called out to him like that. He glanced at Gu Chen, then pulled his hand away and said coldly,
"Don't call me great-grandfather, I'm not your great-grandfather."
His words surprised not only Xia Ran and Gu Zheng, but also Gu Chen.
Gu Chen didn't understand why his great-grandfather, who usually doted on him, no longer liked him.
He looked at Xia Ran with a bewildered expression. Although he didn't say anything, Xia Ran understood what Gu Chen's gaze meant.
He raised his hand and patted Gu Chen's head, saying,
"Xiao Chen, it's okay. Great-Grandpa is in a bad mood. Your daddy has something to talk to him about. Why don't you and your daddy go out first?"
After Xia Ran finished speaking, she looked at Gu Zheng and said, "Zheng, take Xiao Chen out first. I need to talk to Grandpa."
Grandpa was already against his marriage to Gu Zheng, and if Gu Zheng and the others were here, it would probably only make Grandpa angrier. So the best way was for him to talk to Grandpa alone.
He believed that his grandfather, who had been so good to him and loved him so much, would surely understand him.
But this time, Xia Ran was wrong. It was true that Grandpa Xia loved him very much, but the matter of marrying a man had crossed Grandpa Xia's bottom line.
Gu Zheng understood what Xia Ran meant, nodded, picked up Gu Chen, and walked out.
It's true that Gu Zheng kicked the door open, but it wasn't broken, only the lock was. So Gu Zheng closed the door behind him when he left.
The room next to Grandpa Xia's is Xia Ran's room, and Qin Hao is currently staying in Xia Ran's room.
Gu Zheng's kicking of the door woke him up. When he came out after changing his clothes, he saw Gu Zheng carrying Gu Chen out of Grandpa Xia's room.
Gu Zheng's face was expressionless, but Qin Hao could still see a hint of helplessness and a bad mood on his face.
Not only Gu Zheng, but even little Gu Chen was different. He didn't act like usual when he was in Gu Zheng's arms, and he looked listless.
Although Gu Chen doesn't usually talk much to anyone other than Xia Ran, since Qin Hao came back, Gu Chen has been noticeably different, even though he doesn't speak. He seems to be in good spirits even when he's not talking.
But now he looks very unhappy and displeased.
If it were just one person, it would be fine, but now that both father and son are like this, Qin Hao couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Chapter 116 No Making a Scene
"Brother, what's wrong? Why do you both look so upset? And why did you two come out of Grandpa's room? Did something happen to Grandpa? Where's Xia Ran?"
Qin Hao asked a series of questions, and Gu Zheng glanced at him expressionlessly and said,
“Come out and say it.”
Qin Hao also sensed something was wrong, so after hearing Gu Zheng's words, he didn't say anything and simply followed Gu Zheng out.