"I don't know either. I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me."
Xia Ran was somewhat puzzled, but she didn't ask any further questions. However, she was still somewhat preoccupied with what Gu Chen had just said.
If this really is what Gu Zheng said, why not let him take care of the child?
Xia Ran's first reaction was that Gu Zheng was definitely lying and just wanted to trick him into going out.
But then he thought, no, no matter how much of a scoundrel Gu Zheng is, he wouldn't bring up his own son, would he?
Xia Ran was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Gu Chen starting to pry at his wrist.
"Little Daddy, why aren't you wearing the red string and little bell?"
Xia Ran paused for a moment, then said, "Little Daddy... doesn't want to wear it."
"Why don't you want to wear it?" Gu Chen's eyes reddened. "Little Daddy, do you not want to wear it anymore? Don't you like Xiao Chen anymore?"
Xia Ran hadn't expected Gu Chen to overthink so much from just one sentence, and quickly said...
"No, no, how could Daddy not like you? Daddy just... just didn't want to wear it just now, but he can wear it now."
Her resistance to wearing the same red string as Gu Zheng ultimately couldn't overcome her heartache for her child.
"Really?" Gu Chen looked at Xia Ran with expectant eyes.
"Of course it's true. Look, why don't you put it on now, little dad?" Xia Ran took out the red string from her pocket and put it on.
Actually, the red rope looks quite nice on Xia Ran's fair wrist.
To be honest, when Xia Ran was a teenager, he also fantasized about wearing these things with someone he liked. By then, he had already met Gu Zheng.
But now that he's wearing this thing, he's not particularly happy; he just feels a little sad, but what he feels even more deeply is irony.
"Wow, Daddy, you look so good in this."
"Does it look good?" Xia Ran shook her arm and found that it did indeed look quite good.
"Yes, yes, it's beautiful! You can ask Great-Grandpa if you don't believe me, it really is beautiful!"
Gu Chen turned his head to look at Grandpa Xia. Grandpa Xia always had a faint smile on his face, and now he nodded in response to Gu Chen's question.
"Yes, yes, they look great, very beautiful. They look good on all of you."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran smiled but didn't say anything more.
Oh well, it's just a red string, what does it represent anyway? Let's just say I'm wearing the same one.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng and Qin Hao had already arrived at the agreed-upon coffee shop.
They had already missed the deadline, so when they arrived, Lin Ziming was already waiting there.
Gu Zheng walked over and sat down expressionlessly, and Qin Hao naturally followed suit.
“Mr. Gu, you were the one who invited me, but now you're late. Isn't that a bit inappropriate? Besides, you didn't seem to tell me you were bringing someone with you, did you? If I had known you were bringing someone, I should have brought one more.”
Seeing the two sit down, Lin Ziming smiled and said something.
Gu Zheng remained expressionless, so Qin Hao had no choice but to speak.
"Mr. Lin, it's been a long time. Your visit was purely accidental; I just ran into you on the street."
Qin Hao said with a faint smile, but there was little smile in his eyes.
Lin Yi saw through it but didn't say anything, he simply said,
"Okay, then I'd like to know what you wanted to talk to me about this time?"
"I want to know what you're thinking about being around Xia Ran," Gu Zheng said directly. "After all, you've neglected managing such a large company overseas. It would be unreasonable to say you have no thoughts about it."
Lin paused for a moment, but his expression remained unchanged.
"What is Mr. Gu saying? I don't understand. I'm just a small doctor. How can I be as successful as Mr. Gu, who also has such a large company to manage?"
"Really? Even now you still won't admit it? I didn't come here unprepared. Your information is indeed not available in the underworld, but I can still find some information about your father."
"You should know that Xia Ran and you are not the same kind of people. Your continued presence by his side will only put him in danger, and I will absolutely not allow you to continue to stay by his side."
Chapter 382 Investigation
"Tsk..." Lin Ziming chuckled lightly, "Why do you think I would hurt Xia Ran? I think you're more likely to put Xia Ran in danger than I am."
Now that things have come to this point, Lin Ziming is no longer hiding anything.
Actually, when his father came back, he had thought that Gu Zheng would find out one day, but he didn't expect that Gu Zheng would find out so quickly.
"After all, look, it's you who's making Xia Ran sad now, not me. On the contrary, my existence has made the old man quite happy."
Lin Ziming slowly picked up his coffee and took a sip. When it came to being infuriating, he figured he was definitely better than that taciturn Gu Zheng, right?
"Is that so?" Gu Zheng sneered. "Lin Ziming, I'm here to warn you. Xia Ran is my man, and you'd better not have any other illusions about him."
"Furthermore, what exactly do you want to do by approaching Xia Ran?"
Gu Zheng thought about it all night yesterday but still couldn't figure out what Lin Ziming's purpose was in approaching Xia Ran.
Lin Ziming just smiled and remained silent. No matter how harsh Gu Zheng's tone was when he asked him questions, he didn't get angry.
Instead, he thought about what his father had told him yesterday. Now he believed that Gu Zheng truly couldn't let go of Xia Ran.
Looking at the two of them, Qin Hao couldn't help but rub his temples and said,
"Actually, Mr. Lin, we don't mean anything by it. We just want to know why you approached Xia Ran. You know your own identity. What will happen if you stay by Xia Ran's side for a long time?"
"Most importantly, Xia Ran is my brother's lover. They're divorced now, but who can say they can't get back together? You don't seem to like Xia Ran, do you?"
Qin Hao's subsequent words were also a guess. He mainly felt that if Lin Ziming really liked Xia Ran, how could he have remained unmoved after Gu Zheng had said so much?
Lin Ziming looked at Qin Hao, his expression remaining unchanged.
"Whether I like Xia Ran or not is my business, and what you think is your business. Besides, since I dare to stay by Xia Ran's side, I can guarantee that they will be fine."
“Mr. Gu, I don’t think you’re in a position to interfere in my and Xia Ran’s affairs right now.” He looked at Gu Zheng and said, “You know you’re divorced now. As for whether you’ll remarry, I really don’t know. But we’ll talk about it when that time comes.”
“I thought you’d be qualified to say those things to me then, and I would listen, but right now… I’m sorry, but you really don’t seem to have the right to interfere. After all, you’re divorced, and most importantly, Xia Ran doesn’t like you anymore.”
Lin Ziming knew that Gu Zheng didn't want others to mention his divorce from Xia Ran, but he insisted on saying it anyway, just to spite Gu Zheng.
If even he can't pass the test, then he really doesn't think it's a good thing for Gu Zheng and Xia Ran to get back together.
"I told you! You'd better not meddle in other people's business!" Gu Zheng stood up with a cold face, reached across the table and grabbed Lin Ziming by the collar.
Lin Ziming maintained a faint smile throughout.
"Brother, don't be impulsive, sit down and talk it over." Qin Hao stood up and tried to persuade Gu Zheng, even grabbing Gu Zheng's hand to make him let go.
It wasn't that he wanted to stop his brother; it was mainly because they were in public.
Gu Zheng's hand, gripping Lin Ziming's collar, was bulging with veins, but Lin Ziming remained calm and composed, simply speaking in a low voice.
"If I were Xia Ran, I probably wouldn't like someone like you either, because being with someone like you is too mentally exhausting."
"None of your business!" Gu Zheng swore for the first time.
If he hadn't still had a sliver of reason left, he would have punched Lin Ziming twice already.
Qin Hao was also shocked when he heard Gu Zheng's words. Damn, he had never heard his brother swear or curse before. After all, if his brother really disliked someone, he would just ignore them.
However, after the initial shock, Qin Hao began to persuade Gu Zheng to let go. This time, Gu Zheng did let go quickly, but his gaze towards Lin Ziming grew even colder.
Lin Ziming smoothed out his clothes. Actually, he was also a little surprised. He didn't expect Gu Zheng to swear.
But how should I put it, after the initial surprise, he just found it somewhat amusing.
It's hard to believe that Gu Zheng has such deep feelings for Xia Ran, but it's a pity that it's too late now, since Gu Zheng hurt Xia Ran so deeply in the past.
"Alright, since you have nothing more to say, I'm leaving too." Lin Ziming prepared to depart.
Qin Hao frowned. "Mr. Lin, my brother and I are here to ask you some questions politely. If you don't listen, don't blame us for turning our backs on you. After all, in this place, the Gu family isn't just all talk.
"I'm ready anytime," Lin Ziming said, standing up. "And let me remind you again, if you want to question or criticize my relationship with Xia Ran, then wait until you're qualified before you come and talk to me."
Of course, Lin Ziming's last sentence was directed at Gu Zheng.
On the surface, she was angry at Gu Zheng, but in reality, she was also indirectly encouraging Gu Zheng to get back together with Xia Ran so that he would have the right to question her later.
Oh no, even if Gu Zheng and Xia Ran really do get back together in the future, his identity seems to be Gu Zheng's brother-in-law, right? So it seems that Gu Zheng has no right to question him.
Lin Ziming left the coffee shop in a good mood, leaving the bill for Gu Zheng.
After Lin Ziming left, Gu Zheng remained silent, and Qin Hao, standing beside him, didn't know what to say.
He never expected things to turn out this way. He had thought that Lin Ziming would panic after they discovered his identity, but Lin Ziming didn't. Instead, he seemed completely unconcerned, which left them at a loss as to how to proceed.
"Have someone investigate whether Lin Ziming's father and the old man have any connection. If not, then investigate the man the old man dated when he was young and see if he has any relationship with the Lin family."
Gu Zheng suddenly spoke, his emotions unusually calm, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to say those words.
But Qin Hao was taken aback by Gu Zheng's words.
"Brother, you...you just said that Grandpa had a relationship with a man when he was young? This...this can't be something you made up, can it?"
"Do I look like I'm talking nonsense?"
"I..." Qin Hao looked at the serious expression on Gu Zheng's face and dared not speak.
"No one else knows about this, so you'd better not tell anyone," Gu Zheng said.
Qin Hao nodded subconsciously, "I understand, I'll have someone investigate."
Gu Zheng looked out the window. He was probably too angry to think things through when Lin Ziming was there.
However, after Lin Ziming left, he had more.
Just as Qin Hao said, Lin Ziming doesn't like Xia Ran.
This wasn't Gu Zheng's guess, but rather his intuition as a man.
He and Lin Ziming are both men. You might not see it when they're angry, but you'll see it when they think about it carefully afterwards.
Lin Ziming didn't have any affection for Xia Ran. Although he was very close to Xia Ran, it could only be said that Lin Ziming's feelings for Xia Ran were not love.
He knew perfectly well about Xia Ran's family situation and that it was impossible for him to have any relationship with her, except for the old man's ex-girlfriend at the time, and...
Gu Zheng suddenly seemed to have thought of something.
"Also, check the relationship between Xia Ran's mother and grandmother."