Gu En sat in the passenger seat, a look of reminiscence in her eyes.
“Brother Zheng, do you remember when you took me to ride in an off-road vehicle? I had so much fun back then. You even said you would teach me, but it seems I can’t learn now.”
After Gu En finished speaking, she sighed with some disappointment, while Gu Zheng, who was driving, frowned.
"Why can't you learn it? If you want to learn, you can go back and learn."
“But…” Gu En hesitated, “But you’re different now. You’re married, so you definitely won’t have time to teach me.”
Gu Zheng: "What does my teaching you have to do with my marriage? Don't worry, I'll teach you when we get back."
"Really? Thank you, Brother Zheng, you're so kind."
Gu En's tone was filled with joy, which softened Gu Zheng's expression as well.
In any case, the best thing is that Xiao En is back now.
Chapter 126 Xia Ran's Suspicion
Gu En looked at Gu Zheng's profile, then glanced at the time, her eyes flickering slightly.
He didn't want Gu Zheng to go back and spend time with Xia Ran anymore, not even for one night.
So after finding a hotel and booking a room, Gu En stopped Gu Zheng from leaving.
"Brother Zheng, could you... have a late-night snack with me here before going back? I haven't eaten anything all day, and... it's been so long since I've eaten with you."
As Gu En spoke, her eyes reddened, making Gu Zheng, who had initially wanted to refuse, feel a little reluctant.
"And Brother Zheng, I have so many things I want to tell you about these past years. Can we just have one night? I promise I won't do this again when we get back. I just wanted to tell you about my life these past years. If it's really inconvenient, then forget it."
Gu En's tears began to fall, and Gu Zheng, who already felt somewhat indebted to Gu En, couldn't bear it any longer.
"Okay, I promise you. There's nothing inconvenient about it. Would you like to eat out or have it delivered?"
"Let's eat here, I'll order takeout!"
Gu En's face lit up with joy, and Gu Zheng, watching this, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Xiao En has probably had a very difficult time these past few years, otherwise why would she be willing to order takeout?
Before, I really liked having him take me out to eat.
The takeout arrived quickly. Gu En had already prepared his phone's camera, and as the delivery person knocked on the door and Gu Zheng went to open it, he quickly took a picture with his phone.
He was so fast that Gu Zheng didn't notice him at all.
Meanwhile, Xia Ran at home was waiting for Gu Zheng.
Although Gu Zheng told him not to wait, he was still a little worried about Gu Zheng being away in this unfamiliar place for so long.
But he had already sent Gu Zheng several messages, and Gu Zheng hadn't replied. He was about to call him.
But if Gu Zheng makes a phone call, will his friends laugh at him?
Xia Ran sighed, glanced at the time (a little past one o'clock), and decided to wait a little longer; perhaps she had been playing with her friends for too long.
Meanwhile, at the hotel, Gu En looked at the large stain on Gu Zheng's clothes, her face showing a guilty expression that looked like she was about to cry.
"I'm sorry, Brother Zheng, I didn't mean to. Why don't you take your clothes off and I'll help you wash them? They'll definitely be dry by tomorrow."
"It's okay, I'll go wash up." Gu Zheng raised his hand and touched Gu En's head. "Don't blame yourself, Xiao En. I don't like you like this. I hope the Xiao En I used to be can come back."
If it were the old Xiao En, he would have laughed out loud if she had gotten his clothes dirty, instead of being so careful like he is now.
However, when he thought about what Gu En had told him about his experiences over the past few years, he understood.
It's all his fault. If he had searched more diligently back then, he might have been able to find Xiao En.
"Brother Zheng...you...you're not angry with me anymore?" Gu En's tears kept falling.
Looking at Gu En like this, Gu Zheng couldn't hide the heartache in his eyes.
"Why would I be angry with you? It was all because of me back then. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have become like this."
"No, no, Brother Zheng, everything back then was my own choice. I was just afraid that after so many years apart, you wouldn't care about me anymore."
Gu En immediately threw herself into Gu Zheng's arms, hugging his waist tightly.
Gu Zheng stiffened for a moment, then put his arm around Gu En's shoulder and whispered,
"How could that be? You'll always be my brother, and this house will always be your home."
Gu En buried her face in Gu Zheng's arms, her lips curling into an undisguised smug smile.
"But... I don't want to go back. I'm afraid I'll cause you trouble. I... I promised my aunt and the others that I would leave you."
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng frowned and said,
"Don't worry, come back home. I'm in charge here. I'll talk to your aunt. I'm here for you."
"Thank you, Zheng-ge." Gu En looked up and let go of Gu Zheng. "You should go to the bathroom and wash yourself. This is a drink stain, and it's uncomfortable to have it sticking to your body."
Gu Zheng nodded and walked towards the bathroom. Gu En looked at the closed bathroom door, unable to hide the smugness in her eyes.
It was at this moment that Gu Zheng's phone vibrated.
When Gu En picked it up and saw that the note was for Xia Ran, her smugness instantly turned into jealousy.
Why? Why can Xia Ran monopolize his Zheng-ge? Gu Zheng is his, and can only be his!
Gu En glanced at Gu Zheng, who was taking a shower in the bathroom, a strange look flashing across her eyes, before answering the call.
"Hey, Zheng, when are you coming back?"
As soon as Xia Ran saw the call was answered, she immediately asked a question.
Upon hearing this, Gu En gritted her teeth even more, took a deep breath, and then spoke.
"Brother Zheng is taking a shower. May I ask what you need him for?"
Xia Ran was stunned for a moment after hearing Gu En's words.
"Who are you? Isn't this Gu Zheng's phone?"
After hearing this, Gu En paused deliberately for a moment, and then hung up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Gu En's lips curled into a smug smile. He didn't believe that Xia Ran wouldn't have any doubts or overthinking.
Xia Ran stared blankly at his phone. He hadn't misread it; he had called Gu Zheng, so why was someone else answering?
And he even called him "Brother Zheng"? And said Gu Zheng was taking a shower?
What exactly happened? Didn't Gu Zheng go out with his friends?
Xia Ran's expression changed. Could it be that Brother Zheng was lying to him?
No, Gu Zheng wouldn't lie to him. How could that be? No way, he must be overthinking it!
Although Xia Ran tried to comfort herself, her expression was far from pleasant.
When Gu Zheng came out, he wasn't wearing any clothes, just a pair of pants.
When he saw that Gu En was holding his phone, he subconsciously asked a question.
"What's wrong? Did someone call?"
"Yes." Tears welled up in Gu En's eyes. "Xia Ran called just now, and I answered it instinctively. But then I was afraid he would find out, so I hung up immediately."
“Brother Zheng, I also mentioned that you were taking a shower. I’m afraid he might misunderstand. Do you want to call him and explain?”
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng nodded, picked up his phone, and called Xia Ran.
When Xia Ran received Gu Zheng's call, she seemed even more nervous.
"Hey, Zheng," Xia Ran called out impatiently, "Where are you now? When are you coming back? It's already very late."
Xia Ran had been trying to control her emotions, but the tone of her voice still betrayed a hint of grievance.
Gu Zheng glanced at Gu En and spoke.
"I'm not going home to sleep tonight."
Chapter 127 Gu Zheng Feels Guilty
Gu Zheng's words stunned Xia Ran, and she forgot to reply for a moment.
Thinking back to the first phone call she made, Xia Ran felt a very bad premonition.
"Xia Ran?" Gu Zheng called out, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Xia Ran snapped out of her daze. "N-nothing, it's just that you haven't come back to sleep. Is it far? Should I come pick you up?"
"No need, I have some things to do. I'll go back tomorrow morning. I'll hang up now."
After Gu Zheng finished speaking, he hung up the phone immediately. He was afraid that if Xia Ran asked any more questions, he would...
Gu En had been watching Gu Zheng closely and naturally noticed the emotions in his eyes. He lowered his eyes, concealing his feelings, and said in a low voice,
"Brother Zheng, why don't you go back? I'm fine. I'll tell you everything later. Don't let me ruin your relationship."
Gu Zheng had just hung up the phone when he heard Gu En's words, and his brows furrowed even more tightly.
"Don't talk nonsense. What impact does this have? Don't worry, he's a good person and won't overthink it. He's just a little worried about me. Tell me everything that happened before tonight."
"When I get back, I'll have someone investigate and catch those people to avenge us."
"Brother Zheng..." Gu En's eyes welled up with tears again, "Thank you, Brother Zheng."
Gu Zheng patted Gu En's head, urging him to continue speaking, completely forgetting about Xia Ran.
Qin Hao had gotten up to drink water because he was thirsty from playing games, but he was surprised to find that the light was still on in Xia Ran's room.
He knew Gu Zheng had gone out; could it be that he hadn't returned by now?
After thinking for a moment, Qin Hao went over and knocked on the door.
Xia Ran, who had been staring blankly at her phone, went straight to open the door when she heard the knock.
Qin Hao: "Xia Ran, my brother hasn't come back yet?"
Xia Ran shook her head and said,
"Not yet. He said he won't be coming home tonight because a friend has something to do."