For some reason, Xia Ran felt a feeling that was hard to describe.
And why does Gu En seem so familiar to him? Have he seen him somewhere before?
When Gu Zheng saw Xia Ran come out, he felt a momentary panic, but it quickly disappeared.
Gu En glanced at Xia Ran, then his gaze fell on Gu Chen in his arms.
The moment he saw the child, a very complex emotion welled up inside him.
Although the child was his biological son, he didn't like him because the child's existence made him never forget the humiliation of that day.
But he can't show his dislike for the child now, because he still needs the child to maintain his foothold in the Gu family.
But even though he didn't like the child, he would often think about him.
Xia Ran was quite curious about Gu En. Although she felt that he looked somewhat familiar at first glance, she didn't think much of it. She was just a little puzzled by the way Gu En kept staring at Gu Chen.
"Hello, you must be Xiao En? My name is Xia Ran, and this is Xiao Chen. Your brother has told you about us, right?"
Xia Ran smiled at Gu Enyang. This was A Zheng's younger brother, and also his own brother. He could tell that A Zheng cared a lot about this younger brother, so he would care about him just as much.
Hearing this, Gu En snapped out of his daze and found Xia Ran's smile somewhat irritating.
"Hello Xia Ran, I am Gu En."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Gu, who was standing nearby, raised an eyebrow and slowly said,
"You child, how can you be so insensible as to call Xia Ran by his name? He's married to Gu Zheng, you should call him brother-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran looked a little embarrassed.
"It's okay, you can call me whatever you want, it's just a name, as long as Xiao En likes it."
Aunt Gu: "How can that be? Rules are rules."
Gu En clenched her teeth, but her face looked pitiful.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Auntie...I...I'm not used to it yet..."
Gu Zheng, who had been silent until now, spoke up after hearing this.
"It's okay, if you're not used to it, just don't call him. He won't mind."
Xia Ran, who hadn't thought much of it at first, couldn't help but glance at Gu Zheng after hearing these words, but quickly looked away.
Gu En: "Okay, I'll listen to Brother Zheng. I'll change how I address you once I get used to it."
As for when he'll get used to it, that's up to him.
Xia Ran smiled and said, "Either is fine."
Aunt Gu, watching from the side, wanted nothing more than to bite Gu En. She used to think Gu En was just dishonest, but now she realized that it was not just dishonest, it was downright disgusting.
"Is your name Xiao Chen?" Gu En's gaze fell on Gu Chen. "My name is Gu En, I'm your...uncle. I like you a lot. Can you come over and let me hug you?"
Gu En paused deliberately, letting Gu Zheng see the vulnerability and pain in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran picked up Gu Chen and went over to him.
"Xiao Chen, this is your uncle. He's your eldest uncle's younger brother. Hurry up and greet him."
Actually, Gu Chen's condition has been much better than before. Usually, he would call out to people if Xia Ran asked him to, but now, for some reason, he is unwilling to speak.
Xia Ran's eyes revealed a mixture of helplessness and confusion.
"Xiao Chen, baby, what's wrong with you today? Why aren't you listening to your dad? This is your uncle, you should learn to greet him."
Gu Chen remained silent, simply holding Xia Ran's neck tightly and burying his face in the crook of her neck, filled with dependence.
Looking at the child's attitude towards Xia Ran, and listening to Xia Ran calling himself "Little Dad" repeatedly, Gu En couldn't be more jealous.
But for the sake of the future, he had no choice but to endure it.
"Xiao Chen, don't you like your uncle?" Gu En looked hurt and then turned to Gu Zheng, asking.
"Brother Zheng, does Xiao Chen not like me? It's all your fault. I clearly said I would buy Xiao Chen a gift that day, but you insisted that Xiao Chen has a lot of toys and doesn't lack anything, and you wouldn't let me buy it."
His words startled Xia Ran. Yes, it turned out that Gu Zheng already knew about his brother's return a few days ago.
No, maybe he knew before he got home, but why didn't Zheng tell him beforehand? Why did he only tell him the day before he was to bring him back? Was it because he didn't trust him?
Gu Zheng frowned as he looked at Gu Chen in Xia Ran's arms, and said in a somewhat unpleasant tone,
"Gu Chen, what are you doing? Didn't you hear what your stepfather said? This is your uncle, quickly greet him."
If it were anyone else, Gu Zheng wouldn't force Gu Chen to call out, but the person in front of him was Gu En.
Gu Zheng's sudden change in tone startled Gu Chen, who was in Xia Ran's arms, and his body stiffened.
Xia Ran felt a sudden surge of tension upon sensing this.
"Xiao Chen, don't be afraid. Your big dad didn't mean anything by it, and he didn't mean to be mean to you. Don't be afraid."
Xia Ran coaxed Gu Chen, then looked at Gu Zheng and said,
"Zheng, don't speak so loudly, you'll scare Xiao Chen."
"Gu Zheng!" Aunt Gu couldn't help but call out, "Watch your words!"
Gu Zheng looked at Xia Ran, pursed his lips, but ultimately said nothing.
Gu En took it all in. He tugged at Gu Zheng's hand and whispered,
"Brother Zheng, don't be like this. Xiao Chen is probably not used to my presence yet. It will get better after a while. Let's take it slow."
“Yes.” Xia Ran echoed, “You know Xiao Chen’s situation. Being so harsh on him will make him feel bad.”
Gu En concealed her thoughts. "Brother Zheng, let's eat first. I'm hungry."
Gu Zheng agreed, and when he realized Qin Hao hadn't returned, he immediately called Qin Hao.
Xia Ran learned from Gu Zheng and Qin Hao's conversation that Qin Hao was unwilling to come back, but Gu Zheng insisted on forcing Qin Hao to return.
After hanging up the phone with Qin Hao, Gu Zheng helped Gu En into the dining room, barely glancing at Xia Ran...
Chapter 136 Self-comfort
Xia Ran watched Gu Zheng help Gu En inside, feeling a dull ache in his heart, but he quickly scolded himself inwardly.
What on earth is he thinking?! That's Zheng's younger brother! His own brother! Isn't it normal for two brothers to have a good relationship? Especially since they haven't seen each other for so many years!
"Let's go eat. Xiao Chen, you have to eat a lot, okay?"
Xia Ran bounced Gu Chen in his arms, then smiled and carried the child into the dining room.
Aunt Gu's eyes reddened as she watched.
Qin Hao's father put his arm around the person's shoulder and said,
"Don't overthink it. It's come to this now, just bear with it."
To be honest, he didn't like Gu En either. He publicly agreed to leave, but secretly went to see Gu Zheng.
If Gu Zheng were unreasonable, he might have already fallen out with the couple.
But when it comes to matters of the heart, outsiders like them have no way of interfering.
In the dining room, Uncle Wang instructed the servants to bring up all the food and even set the table himself.
Xia Ran discovered that everything he had made was placed in front of him, while Gu En's was in front of him with something the maid had just made.
Xia Ran was a little confused, but she didn't think much of it.
"By the way, Uncle Wang, could you ask them to take out the soup I'm simmering in that clay pot for me? It's specially made for Xiao En, and it's perfect for him to drink while he's recovering."
Uncle Wang responded and went into the kitchen.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng couldn't help but look at Xia Ran.
Xia Ran still had a smile on her face, but Gu Zheng's heart was filled with indescribable complex emotions and guilt.
If Xia Ran knew Xiao En's true identity, would Xia Ran still treat Xiao En well as she does now? Or would she be angry?
Xia Ran always notices Gu Zheng's gaze immediately.
Just like now, he subconsciously looked up at Gu Zheng, and when he found Gu Zheng staring at him intently, he couldn't help but smile.
Gu En saw all of this and felt extremely resentful.
He reached out and tugged at the hem of Gu Zheng's clothes, and said...
"Brother Zheng, I want to eat your clear soup noodles. The doctor said I can't eat these things right now."
Xia Ran was taken aback by these words, and then said,
"Xiao En, these dishes are not heaty, they are all quite light. I checked online, and these are the ones you can eat."
Gu En looked at him with a faint smile on her face.
"But the doctor said you can't eat it. Do you think you know more about it online than the doctor? And there's chicken soup too? Don't you know chicken soup is actually quite oily?"
"I..." Xia Ran opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't say anything, and just subconsciously looked at Gu Zheng.
Meeting Xia Ran's gaze, Gu Zheng pursed his lips and looked at Gu En, saying...
"If you don't want chicken soup, then have some pork ribs. They have steamed pork ribs and some sliced meat..."
"Gu En, don't go too far. Eat it or not, it's up to you. Xiao Ran got up early this morning to prepare this. Don't nitpick."
Aunt Gu, unable to contain herself any longer, retorted, giving Gu En a warning look.
"Auntie, it's alright." Xia Ran reassured Aunt Gu after regaining her senses.
Gu En looked hurt. "But Auntie... the doctor said it's really not okay to eat it."
It's not true that he can't eat it, after all, he still knows his limits with his legs, but he just doesn't want to eat what Xia Ran made, and he still wants to eat what Gu Zheng made.
"Then I'll make you a bowl of noodles. Ah Zheng doesn't know how."
Xia Ran didn't want to see the group arguing, so he wanted to make noodles for Gu En, but as soon as he stood up, Gu En spoke up again.
"No need, you don't know my taste. I just want to eat what Brother Zheng makes. He knows my taste better. Besides, who says Brother Zheng can't cook noodles? He used to make noodles for me all the time."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran gave Gu En a deep look. Even if he was stupid, he could tell that Gu En didn't like him anymore.
“Ah Zheng…” Xia Ran glanced at Gu Zheng, “I…”