Xia Ran looked at Gu Zheng and said, "I've already said it, our relationship is completely over. I'm being nice to the child now not because of his relationship with you, but simply because I like him."
"I know, but I can't bear to lose you. It was all my fault before. Please give me a chance, and I'll make amends for my past mistakes, okay?"
Gu Zheng knew this was a rare opportunity, so he didn't care that they were still at the bar entrance and directly confessed his feelings to Xia Ran.
Xia Ran didn't want to get entangled with Gu Zheng like this, and simply said,
"Are you still picking up the child? If not, I'll leave now and you can take him to my house."
After hesitating for a long time, Gu Zheng didn't bring up the previous topic again, but instead spoke directly to Xia Ran.
“Then let’s go pick up the child. If it takes too long, the child will definitely cry until their voice is hoarse.”
He led the way, taking Xia Ran to his car, where someone was already waiting. Upon seeing them approach, that person respectfully greeted Gu Zheng as "President."
Xia Ran could roughly guess the person's identity as soon as she heard him; he was just one of Gu Zheng's subordinates.
However, this person clearly did not recognize Xia Ran, so he simply nodded to her as a form of address.
Xia Ran nodded politely to the person and got into the car. Gu Zheng followed suit and got in as well.
Xia Ran was reluctant to sit in such a small space with Gu Zheng, but he couldn't say anything now, so he could only stay as close to the car window as possible and remain silent.
Gu Zheng noticed Xia Ran's actions and felt a pang of disappointment and sadness. He wondered when Xia Ran would forgive him.
The driver quickly drove towards the Gu family's house. At first, he was fine, but as they got closer and closer to the Gu family's house, looking at the increasingly familiar scenery outside the car window, he felt a growing sense of unease and pain in his heart.
These discomforts and pains were beyond his control, and they made him feel extremely depressed.
Xia Ran knew that these emotions were wrong, so she kept controlling them.
He couldn't let himself get caught up in those emotions, or the consequences would be dire. He Xiu had said that his most important task now was to adjust his mood and not repeat the mistakes that led him to the hospital.
However, the suppressed emotions were completely uncontrollable when he arrived at Gu Zheng's door. He had to clench his fists tightly to prevent himself from jumping out of the car and escaping from this place.
"Go and bring the child out; I don't have much time left."
Xia Ran himself might not have realized that his voice was trembling slightly, but Gu Zheng could hear it.
He looked at Xia Ran with a complex mix of emotions, both complicated and heartbroken, but he dared not ask, fearing the answer would only cause her more pain. He simply said...
"Okay, I'll go get the child. You just wait here. It'll be quick."
After saying that, Gu Zheng got out of the car.
After Gu Zheng left, Xia Ran loosened her clenched fist slightly.
The driver in the driver's seat was also curious about Xia Ran, but ultimately didn't ask.
After all, this was Gu Zheng's private matter, and it would be overstepping his bounds for an employee to ask about it.
Gu Zheng quickly brought the child out, followed by Uncle Wang and Aunt Gu.
Xia Ran felt very uncomfortable upon seeing the group, but she still tried her best to maintain her composure.
Gu Zheng put Gu Chen directly into the car. As soon as Gu Chen saw Xia Ran, he hugged Xia Ran's neck tightly and whimpered.
"Waaah... Daddy, I thought you didn't want me anymore, waaah..."
Xia Ran felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this and quickly comforted the child.
"How could that be? Daddy wouldn't abandon Xiao Chen. Look, isn't Daddy here to pick you up now?"
The driver was shocked when he heard the words "little father" and realized Xia Ran's identity.
Uncle Wang and Aunt Gu looked at Xia Ran through the car window, and the intense look in their eyes made Xia Ran feel a little uncomfortable.
"Xiao Ran, you're back, why don't you come in and sit down?" Aunt Gu asked.
"No need, I just came to pick up the child. I have other things to do, so I'll leave first. If you miss the child, have Qin Hao call me, or... you can come to my house to see him."
Chapter 389 There's Still a Long Way to Go
Xia Ran seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying the last sentence.
Actually, after hearing what Gu Zheng said in the bar, he didn't seem to hate him as much anymore.
Aunt Gu and Uncle Wang immediately became excited upon hearing this, and Aunt Gu nodded vigorously.
"Okay, okay, then we'll trouble you to take care of the child. We'll come to see you when we miss the child. And you must tell your aunt if anything happens, okay?"
Xia Ran nodded slightly, and then said,
"I'm going back now, my grandpa is still waiting for me."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Gu quickly closed the car door. Gu Zheng wanted to get in the car, but Xia Ran told the driver to let's go, which meant Gu Zheng didn't have time to get in.
Aunt Gu and Uncle Wang watched Xia Ran and the others' car leave, completely unaware of Gu Zheng's expression beside them.
"Auntie, why did you close the door so quickly?" Gu Zheng asked helplessly.
Aunt Gu then turned to look at him, but instead of answering Gu Zheng's question, she asked,
"Gu Zheng, have you and Xiao Ran made up? He seems different from before."
"It wasn't exactly a reconciliation, we just had a long talk. It will probably take some time before things return to how they were before."
Aunt Gu sighed upon hearing this, and said with some regret,
"Since Xiao Ran was willing to come over, I thought you two had made up."
“Miss, don’t worry. Xiao Ran isn’t so resistant anymore. We can visit him more often and build a relationship with the old man. Things will get better gradually,” Uncle Wang said from the side.
Aunt Gu was delighted to hear this. "Yes, that's right. He used to be so unwilling to let us get close, he didn't even want to see us. But now it's different. He even invited us, which means he's not so resistant to us anymore."
"Oh, I'm finally feeling a bit better these days. I need to ask someone out for a walk to calm myself down."
She quickly went inside, which shows how excited she was.
Only Gu Zheng and Uncle Wang remained at the main gate. Uncle Wang said to Gu Zheng,
“Young Master, you reek of alcohol, you should go back and take a shower and get some sleep. There’s plenty of time. Judging from Xia Ran’s behavior just now, you still have a chance. But this time you have to treat her well, or Uncle Wang won’t help you.”
"Uncle Wang, come with me." Gu Zheng said and went inside. Uncle Wang was a little confused, but he still followed Gu Zheng back to his room.
"Uncle Wang, close the door," Gu Zheng said. Uncle Wang did as he was told, not only closing the door but also locking it.
"Young Master, what's wrong?"
Having known Gu Zheng for so many years, Uncle Wang had long understood him. Gu Zheng's current mood clearly indicated that he had something important to tell him.
Gu Zheng took out a cigarette from the drawer and started smoking. Uncle Wang immediately objected.
"Young Master, you should smoke less; it's bad for your health."
Gu Zheng took a drag of his cigarette and gave Uncle Wang a perfunctory "hmm." Actually, he rarely smoked; he only smoked when he was particularly troubled.
“Uncle Wang, Ranran already knows about the child’s background. That’s why he suddenly asked me to bring the child back. But after talking to him, I realized he doesn’t mind the child’s background. On the contrary, I could see a deeper heartache for the child in his eyes.”
Gu Zheng chuckled lightly as he said this, a hint of pride in his eyes.
This is the person he loves; she's always so kind.
However, Gu Zheng also knew that this was not only because of Xia Ran's kindness, but also because of Xia Ran's love for children.
Human emotions are a strange thing; they simply cannot be explained in words.
"What?" Uncle Wang was startled and instinctively lowered his voice. "How...how did you know?"
Gu Zheng, who had just been smiling, suddenly turned grim after hearing what Wang Bo said.
"Gu En did a paternity test with the child at some point and went to Xia Ran to tell her. He even threatened me that I either had to marry him or give the child back to him."
"What? No, no, neither getting married nor giving the child back to him is acceptable. This child is your son now, he belongs to the family, and you absolutely cannot give him back."
Wang Bo's tone was very excited, as if he was afraid that Gu Zheng would agree to any of Gu En's requests.
"Uncle Wang, don't worry, I won't agree to any of Gu En's requests. Since he dared to tell me these things, then don't blame me for being ruthless towards him."
Seeing the cold expression on Gu Zheng's face, Wang Bo paused for a moment and said,
"Young Master, some things need to be considered carefully. You can't do anything illegal."
Gu Zheng glanced at Uncle Wang but didn't say anything. However, Uncle Wang, seeing the look in Gu Zheng's eyes, already had a rough idea of what was going on.
"Young Master, you..."
“Uncle Wang, I know what I'm doing. I called you over so you could keep a close eye on my aunt and the others and make sure they don't hear anything they shouldn't.”
Gu Zheng was afraid that Gu En would go to Aunt Gu's house like she did to Xia Ran, and then the house would be in real chaos.
Uncle Wang understood this principle and nodded quickly.
"Young Master, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on things at home and with the Old Miss. But Young Master, you have to deal with Gu En thoroughly. Otherwise, his constant interference won't be good for anyone."
"I know, you can go out first." Gu Zheng had already made up his mind, but he needed some time to prepare.
Uncle Wang nodded in agreement and left the room.
After Wang Bo left, Gu Zheng checked the time, then took a shower and planned to take a nap before continuing.
He wasn't so agitated anymore, after all, he had noticed that Xia Ran's emotions had changed, and with the child with them, nothing bad would happen.
When Xia Ran returned with her child, everyone was still there, but they had already finished eating.
They were quite surprised to see Xia Ran return with the child. Xia Ran seemed a little uncomfortable, but she pretended to be nonchalant.
When Xia Ran returned, she had already soothed the child, so apart from some redness in the eyes, the child seemed fine and even obediently called out "Great-Grandpa".
Grandpa Xia didn't bother to ask any questions and immediately beckoned Gu Chen over.
"Come, come, good child, come to your great-grandfather's side. Your great-grandfather has missed you so much."
Gu Chen hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but finally looked up and glanced at Xia Ran. Xia Ran nodded to him before he walked towards Grandpa Xia.
"Poor thing, your eyes are so red, it really breaks my heart. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
Great-grandfather stroked Gu Chen's head, his face full of heartache.
Gu Chen: "I've already eaten the egg tarts that my dad bought, so I'm not hungry anymore."
"You only ate egg tarts? You didn't eat anything else?"
"Um."
Seeing Gu Chen nod, Grandpa Xia felt even more distressed. He immediately glared at Xia Ran and said,