He never knew that Ah Zheng could be so long-winded or talkative.
The two doctors left medicine for Xia Ran and Gu En respectively, gave them some instructions, and then left.
"Little Daddy".
Suddenly, a small figure slowly descended the stairs.
"Xiao Chen, slow down." Xia Ran looked up and saw Gu Chen coming down the stairs.
The child was small and walked slowly, so Xia Ran instinctively stood up and walked towards the child.
But as soon as he moved, his leg started to hurt terribly.
"Okay, Xiaoran! Don't move, I'll go get the baby."
Aunt Gu held Xia Ran down and went to take the child herself.
Although the child can now go down the stairs by himself, there's still some lingering concern.
Gu Zheng also looked at Xia Ran and said disapprovingly,
"Didn't the doctor tell you to rest and not move around? Why didn't you listen?"
Xia Ran looked a little embarrassed. "I forgot just now."
He was worried that the child might fall while walking down the stairs alone.
After Aunt Gu brought the child over, the child instinctively tried to rush into Xia Ran's arms, but Aunt Gu stopped him.
"Xiao Chen, be good. Don't rush into Daddy's arms like that. Look, Daddy is hurt. If you rush into him like that, it will hurt him even more, okay?"
Gu Chen looked at Xia Ran with a confused expression, stared at her bandaged hand for a while, and then began to silently shed tears with red eyes.
Seeing Xiao Chen's reddened eyes, Xia Ran felt a pang of heartache.
"Xiao Chen, don't worry, Daddy's fine. It'll be better in a couple of days. Be good, don't cry. Have you forgotten what Daddy said? A real man shouldn't cry so easily, understand?"
"I...I know, little...little daddy, Xiao Chen will blow on it for you, it doesn't hurt anymore."
Gu Chen, his eyes reddening, blew on Xia Ran's hand. The warm breeze felt incredibly comfortable as it brushed against her arm.
Not only did my hands stop hurting, but my heart also felt warm and sweet.
Look, look, his son is so sensible.
"Yes, yes, yes, Daddy doesn't feel pain anymore. Xiao Chen is so well-behaved and sensible, how could Daddy possibly feel pain?"
Xia Ran touched Gu Chen's head with her uninjured hand, and Gu Chen even rubbed his head against Xia Ran's hand.
Gu En felt a mixture of hatred and bitterness as he watched this scene of fatherly love and son affection.
Why? Why? This is his son!
"Xiao Chen," Gu En called out to Gu Chen, "Uncle also fell and hurt himself. Could you come over and blow on his arm to help him?"
Chapter 143 The Tough Xia Ran
Gu En smiled, his face deliberately revealing envy and anticipation.
Watching Gu En's expression, Gu Zheng sighed inwardly, feeling even more guilty towards her.
Gu Chen completely ignored Gu En, as if he hadn't heard what Gu En said. He was only focused on blowing on Xia Ran's arm, his eyes filled with his beloved little dad.
Gu En's smile faded, and his eyes reddened. He turned to look at Gu Zheng and asked,
"Brother Zheng, does Xiao Chen... hate me? Why won't he even talk to me?"
"Nothing of the sort, don't overthink it." Gu Zheng comforted Gu En, then looked at Gu Chen, his tone somewhat stern.
"Xiao Chen, didn't you hear your uncle calling you? Hurry up and come over."
Gu Chen stiffened, then snuggled closer to Xia Ran, ignoring Gu Zheng.
Xia Ran had originally wanted Gu Chen to praise Gu En, but after hearing Gu Zheng's words, he felt a little uncomfortable.
"Zheng, why are you speaking so harshly? You're scaring the child."
Xia Ran pulled the child into her arms, her eyes showing a hint of dissatisfaction as she looked at Gu Zheng.
Ah Zheng would never have treated the child like this before, but why has he been so harsh on the child these past two days?
Upon hearing Xia Ran's words, Gu Zheng paused for a moment, and when he looked at Gu Chen, who had his back to him, a look of annoyance appeared in his eyes.
He sighed and was about to speak when Gu En spoke up again.
"Xia Ran, you can't spoil the child like this. He's almost six years old and should be more sensible by now. After all, he's different from other children. The family will need him to support them in the future, so he can't be lacking in manners and etiquette."
"Look at him now? He won't even respond when his elders talk to him, what kind of person is he..."
"Bullshit!" Aunt Gu, who had been holding back her words, couldn't help but swear. "Gu En, Xiao Chen is a child of the Gu family. How he is raised is none of your business!"
Xia Ran was unwilling to back down regarding the child, especially since he now felt that Gu En was always targeting him.
“Xiao En, you may not understand the child’s situation, so you don’t understand, but I just want the child to be well and happy. I hope you can understand.”
Gu En was seething with hatred inside, but her face showed an expression of extreme distress.
"I...I'm sorry, Xia Ran, I didn't mean it. I was just trying to do what's best for the child. After all, you haven't been home for long, so you don't understand what's going on in this family. You don't know what it's like for children in wealthy families..."
“Yes, I don’t understand.” Xia Ran interrupted Gu En directly, “But all I know is that Xiao Chen is my child, I am his father, and I need to be responsible for his life.”
"No matter what, children must be happy first before they can become sensible."
This was a rare display of strength from Xia Ran in front of Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng was stunned by Xia Ran's appearance, but what Gu En said next made him feel more dissatisfied with Xia Ran.
“I…I didn’t mean anything by it.” Gu En’s voice was full of disappointment. “I know I have no right, but…I was just doing this for the child’s sake. I know I haven’t been home for too long, so…I have no right to speak…”
"Xiao En," Gu Zheng interrupted Gu En, "you are a member of the family, how come you don't have the right to speak? If you don't have the right, then who does?"
Xia Ran was stunned by Gu Zheng's words. What did A-Zheng mean by that?
Aunt Gu was so angry upon hearing this that she couldn't even speak.
“Xia Ran, Xiao En just got back. Be careful what you say to him. Besides, Xiao En is right. You can’t keep spoiling the child like this.”
This was the first time Gu Zheng had spoken to Xia Ran like this, and Xia Ran's heart felt like it was being pricked by needles, a slight, tingling pain.
He stared blankly at Gu Zheng, his lips twitching several times, but he couldn't utter a word; all he could feel when he opened his mouth was bitterness.
He didn't understand why the person who had been so kind to him before had changed like this after Gu En came back.
It changed and made him feel somewhat unfamiliar with it, making him constantly want to doubt something.
Faced with Xia Ran's gaze, Gu Zheng's guilt seemed to be magnified infinitely, and he didn't even dare to look Xia Ran in the eye.
He didn't know why he felt guilty.
"Bad! Big Daddy is bad! Xiao Chen hates Big Daddy! Big Daddy is bad!"
Gu Chen's sudden voice interrupted their eye contact, and his words made Gu Zheng feel even more guilty.
“Xiao Chen…” Gu Zheng wanted to say something, but Gu Chen had already turned his back to Gu Zheng and carefully lay down on Xia Ran’s lap.
"Don't be sad, Daddy. Xiao Chen... stay with Daddy."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran took a deep breath and reached out to pat Gu Chen's head.
"Don't be afraid, Xiao Chen. Daddy isn't upset. Be good, Xiao Chen, don't cry, or Daddy will feel sorry for you."
Gu En didn't want to see this scene again. He reached out and tugged at Gu Zheng's clothes, whispering,
"Brother Zheng, I want to go back to my room to rest. Could you help me back?"
"Okay, go back and get some sleep." Gu Zheng turned his gaze away from Xia Ran and the others, and helped Gu En back to his room.
Xia Ran watched the two figures leave, feeling inexplicably sad. If she didn't know they were brothers, she would have really suspected them.
Are these two really brothers? Why do they seem so different to him?
Is it really possible for someone to change so much because of their younger brother?
Gu En started crying as soon as she got back to her room.
"Brother Zheng, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just didn't want to spoil the child. I didn't expect to make Aunt and the others so angry. Maybe it was a mistake for me to come back."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Zheng frowned, a hint of heartache in his eyes.
"The child is just not familiar with you yet, so we'll let you spend more time together in a couple of days. It was the same when Xia Ran first came here."
"Really?" Gu En looked at Gu Zheng. "By the way... Brother Zheng, when did you tell Xia Ran about the divorce? I... I have something else I'm not sure if I should say..."
Upon hearing the word "divorce," Gu Zheng's expression stiffened.
"Didn't we say it would take a week? It's only been a day. We should at least wait until he's fully recovered before we talk about it."
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say." Gu En lowered her head. "But, Brother Zheng, there's something else I need to tell you, about falling down the stairs earlier..."
Gu En said something in a low voice, and then Gu Zheng's face turned ugly.
Are you telling the truth?
"Brother Zheng, I didn't want to tell you this, but..."
"I understand. You get some sleep first, I'll go talk to him."
Gu Zheng turned and left, while Gu En on the bed revealed a smug look.
How could he let Xia Ran get a divorce so easily? He should at least have some fun before the divorce.
Chapter 144 Gu Zheng questions Xia Ran
Gu Zheng left the room with a somber expression, intending to go find Xia Ran.
But when he saw that Aunt Gu and the others were in the living room, he stopped in his tracks.
This is a matter between him and Xia Ran, and he needs to find out what happened first.
Xia Ran was talking to Gu Chen and the others when she caught a glimpse of Gu Zheng out of the corner of her eye, and her eyes lit up.
When Gu Zheng saw Xia Ran's change, his expression paused slightly.
He noticed that no matter where Xia Ran was or what she was doing, her eyes would light up whenever she saw him.