"Ranran, when we go to kindergarten later, could you please not be so cold to me? People will notice something's wrong, and that will have a bad influence on the child."
He was driving, his voice still carrying a hint of pleading and expectation.
Xia Ran paused for a moment, but still did not answer.
Gu Zheng was somewhat disappointed, but he was still unwilling to give up.
"Ranran, I know you're angry, I know you're sad, but... can you give me a chance? At least don't be angry with me today, just for the sake of the child, okay?"
"Shut up!" Xia Ran said, unable to bear it any longer.
I don't know what's wrong with Gu Zheng today. What's with this aggrieved and pleading tone?
Gu Chen sat obediently in his seat, not daring to say a word.
He could tell that his stepfather was angry, but his stepfather kept talking.
However, when Gu Zheng heard Xia Ran's somewhat angry words, the smile on his face couldn't help but deepen.
He still liked Xia Ran the way she was, even if she scolded or hit him, as long as she didn't act indifferent and silent towards him, because that would make him feel that Xia Ran really didn't care about him anymore.
Chapter 370 Affection
"Okay, okay, I'll shut up, but you must remember not to be so cold to me, or people will gossip about the child."
Gu Zheng answered quickly, and his tone was so different from his usual image that Xia Ran felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Gu Zheng felt a little regretful when he saw that Xia Ran didn't say anything more. It was a rare opportunity to be alone with Xia Ran, and they had talked for so long.
But it's alright, they have a whole day today.
Gu Chen vaguely sensed the emotions between the two fathers. Although it seemed like the two fathers had been arguing, he wasn't afraid at all. It felt like they were arguing, but not quite.
There were many people coming and going at the kindergarten gate, and each family was dressed in the same uniform, wearing matching parent-child outfits they had bought.
Then there were all sorts of luxury cars, a dazzling array that made one's head spin.
Xia Ran led Gu Chen out of the car, with Gu Zheng following closely behind.
But after the family of three got out of the car, Gu Zheng forcibly grabbed Xia Ran's other hand.
"What are you doing?" Xia Ran struggled instinctively.
"Ranran, don't move. I see that all the parents are holding hands. If we don't hold hands, it will seem very different."
Gu Zheng spoke softly to Xia Ran, but his grip on her hand did not loosen at all.
Xia Ran looked around at the people, and indeed, just as Gu Zheng had said, the parents and children were all holding hands.
He pursed his lips, trying to ignore the sensation in his hands. Well, since he'd already come this far, he should be mentally prepared for anything.
Gu Chen: "Little Daddy, don't be angry. Let Big Daddy hold your hand. Look, all the other children's parents are holding their hands."
The child's soft, sweet voice immediately melted Xia Ran's heart. She looked down at the child, smiled, and said...
"Okay, today Daddy will listen to Xiao Chen in everything and will make sure Xiao Chen doesn't lose face in front of the other children at kindergarten."
"Ranran, will you listen to everything I say today too?" Gu Zheng interjected at the opportune moment, but Xia Ran completely ignored him and didn't even glance at Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng wasn't disappointed, since he had already achieved his goal for the day.
"Gu Chen, Gu Chen, why are you here so early today?"
Suddenly, a childish voice came from behind them.
Xia Ran and the others subconsciously turned around and immediately saw the chubby boy from that day.
There were two men with the chubby boy. One of them was the one he had seen that day, who seemed to be the chubby boy's eldest father. So, was the other, slightly shorter man, the chubby boy's youngest father?
The two really look like a perfect match, especially since the family's matching outfits are somewhat similar to school uniforms, with blue and white jackets that make them look particularly youthful and energetic.
Xia Ran's gaze lingered on Feng Ming for a moment. He didn't know why, but he felt a deep sense of familiarity with this man.
However, he quickly looked away.
"Hello, uncles."
The chubby boy walked up to Xia Ran and the others, stopped, bowed slightly in greeting, and called out to Xia Ran and Gu Zheng.
Xia Ran burst out laughing when she saw the chubby boy acting like a little gentleman.
"Hello, Xiao Hao."
"Oh, Uncle, do you remember my name?" Little Feng Nianhao's eyes widened in surprise.
"Of course I remember, Xiao Chen told me." Xia Ran really wanted to reach out and pat the little fat boy's head, but with Gu Zheng holding his other hand and Gu Chen holding his other hand, he could only give up the idea.
"Really? Xiao Chen, you really told your stepfather my name? Does that mean we're good friends now?"
The chubby boy put his arm around Gu Chen's shoulder, his eyes shining.
Gu Chen frowned as he looked at the chubby boy in front of him, unsure how to answer the question.
Xia Ran watched this scene with amusement and said,
"Xiao Chen, they've asked you, why aren't you answering?"
Hearing Xia Ran's words, Gu Chen pursed his lips and then nodded slightly to Feng Nianhao.
"Yes, we're good friends now."
Actually, he didn't want to be friends with this chubby little boy, but with his stepfather standing there, he didn't dare say no.
"Yay! That's great!" The chubby boy was overjoyed that Gu Chen was willing to be his good friend, and he even turned around to tell his fathers, who had arrived late, the good news.
"Big Daddy, Little Daddy, Xiao Chen is willing to be my best friend! He really is willing to be my best friend!"
Gu Chen found it hard to understand Feng Nianhao's excited state.
Is being good friends with him really that enjoyable? He really couldn't understand it.
"Really? Then you must be good friends with him and not bully him."
The man whom Feng Nianhao called "Little Daddy" walked over and said, his gaze lingering on Xia Ran for a moment before he introduced himself with a smile.
"Hello, I am Feng Nianhao's stepfather, my name is He Hao."
"Hello, my name is Xia Ran, and I'm Gu Chen's stepfather." Xia Ran introduced herself to He Hao.
"I don't think I need to introduce myself, since this isn't the first time we've met."
Gu Zheng smiled at Xia Ran, and then nodded to Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng nodded in response.
"Mr. Feng, Mrs. Feng."
"Oh, no, no, please don't call me Madam. It makes me very uncomfortable. Just call me He Hao. Mr. Gu, I've heard so much about you."
"Same here, Mr. He, I've long admired your name." Gu Zheng said calmly.
It's impossible for him to call Gu Hehao by his full name, so calling him "Young Master He" is just right.
He Nian shrugged slightly, knowing what Gu Zheng meant by "I've long admired your name."
It's just that little thing between him and Feng Ming; it's been going on and on in this circle for ages.
But so many years have passed, and he's long since gotten used to it.
"Hey! Daddy, stop chatting, let's go inside quickly, the activities are about to start!" Feng Nianhao said anxiously, clearly unhappy that the adults were still talking.
He Hao chuckled helplessly, "Alright, I know you're anxious. Let's go, let's go, let's go inside."
The chubby boy chuckled and went straight to hold his two fathers' hands, while also calling out to Gu Chen and the others.
"Gu Chen! Gu Chen! Let's hurry up! Otherwise, the parent-child activity will start soon!"
"Hmm." Gu Chen hummed softly, then looked up at Xia Ran. "Little Daddy, shall we go in?"
"Of course we're going in. What's the point of coming here if we're not going in?" Xia Ran said, then looked at Gu Zheng. "Let go of my hand. We're already here. There's no need to hold it anymore."
Gu Zheng paused for a moment, but finally reluctantly let go.
"Ranran, I..."
However, before Gu Zheng could finish speaking, Xia Ran had already taken Gu Chen into the kindergarten.
Gu Zheng could only follow, and looking at Feng Ming and He Hao walking side by side ahead, a look of envy flashed in his eyes.
However, Feng Ming and He Hao, who were walking ahead, were actually whispering to each other.
"Is this the Xia Ran you mentioned who looks a lot like Mom?" He Hao asked Feng Ming in a low voice. "But why do I feel like she doesn't look quite like Mom? She doesn't look like her at all."
Feng Ming: "If you look closely, his eyebrows and eyes do resemble mine a little, and his ears also look somewhat like mine and my father's. But I asked around, and he has family, so he shouldn't be my brother."
"But didn't you say he looks a little bit like him? Why don't you look him up? Maybe it really is him?"
"Check? How can I check? He's Gu Zheng's partner now. If I check, Gu Zheng might find out. If it turns out he's not, wouldn't that be awkward? It might even make Gu Zheng mind, which wouldn't be good."
He Hao thought for a moment, "Then we can first build a good relationship with Xia Ran, and then we can ask her questions and investigate slowly. Although Xia Ran has family, how do you know that family member is her biological child?"
"We've been searching for so many years, and we've finally found this clue. Are you really going to let it go?"
In fact, he knew that Feng Ming was reluctant not to investigate. After all, it had taken so long to find a clue. If Feng Ming really didn't want to investigate, he definitely wouldn't have told him.
Feng Ming turned his head to look at He Hao and said indulgently,
"You know me best."
"Nonsense." He Hao rolled his eyes. "Don't you think about it? Who else would want you besides me? Let me tell you, if you hadn't pursued me for so long back then, I would never have ended up with you."
"Yes, yes, my wife is right. I'm so glad I found her. I will definitely cherish her."
"Hmph." He Hao snorted lightly, "Since you're so sensible, leave the task of building a good relationship with Xia Ran to me."
"Okay, I'll give my wife a foot bath when we get home tonight." Feng Ming's fawning expression made He Hao unable to hold back his laughter.
Parent-child activities, as the name suggests, are activities that parents and children complete together.
The first thing they had to do was have breakfast together. Even though they had already eaten at home, Xia Ran and the others still wanted to eat together.
Breakfast consisted of carrot buns, soy milk, three pieces of water chestnut cake, and a small dish of strawberries.
Gu Chen sat between his two fathers, and a rare smile appeared on his face—a smile he never showed at kindergarten.
However, because they had eaten at home before, they couldn't eat much of this breakfast.