"No. I promise, absolutely not." Gu Zheng said confidently, afraid that Xia Ran might go back on her word.
"Aran, let's live a good life together from now on, and never be apart again."
Xia Ran gave a soft "hmm" and leaned against Gu Zheng.
His grandfather's passing made him realize the importance of cherishing what he has. The world moves too fast, and everything and everyone changes in an instant. Perhaps one day the two of them will be forced to separate. It's better to seize the moment and cherish the present.
"Oh, right, there's also the Feng family." Xia Ran brought this up, as he had indeed been thinking about the Feng family these past few days. Even now, he still didn't know how to face them.
“Take it slow, they won’t force you. If you can accept it, then accept it. If you can’t, we’ll talk about it later. Just treat each other like good friends and get along the same way. With me here, no one will make you do anything you don’t want to do,” Gu Zheng said softly.
Xia Ran sighed softly, "To be honest, I never thought that I was not Grandpa's biological grandson. But I wasn't too sad after finding out. After all, Grandpa's kindness and love for me were real, and whether I am his biological grandson or not, these things will not change."
"Also, I never thought I would have parents and family. It feels really strange. How should I put it? I think I accept them, but if you ask me to call them Mom and Dad, I... really can't do it."
"I understand, then we won't call it that."
"Okay, what about you? When are you going back?"
After talking with Gu Zheng, I finally felt less agitated, and I started to have some ideas about things.
"You really want me to go back?" Gu Zheng looked down at Xia Ran, his tone still carrying a hint of hurt.
Although she was about to get back together with Gu Zheng, Xia Ran still felt a little uncomfortable hearing Gu Zheng's tone again, as if something was off.
"What does this have to do with whether I want to or not? I'm just asking. After all, you can't just abandon the company, can you?"
"The company isn't important. If you want to stay here, I'll stay with you. I can also move the company here."
Gu Zheng had already thought about this issue. For him, the company could be located anywhere.
Xia Ran's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
"Of course, and the company now has Qin Hao. Qin Hao and Lin Yi are married, and the two of them can manage the company well. It's just a bit tiring, but they don't have any children, so I don't think it's a problem for them to work hard."
I wonder if Qin Hao and Lin Yi will be amused and annoyed by Gu Zheng's words.
Xia Ran looked at Gu Zheng seriously and realized that Gu Zheng really didn't seem to be joking. Her heart was instantly filled with emotion, and her chest felt throbbing.
"For me, where I am is not important; what matters is the people I meet there. Gu Zheng, let's go back after the New Year. We can come back occasionally and visit Liucheng sometimes. It'll be kind of you to accompany me to these three places."
“After I go back, I want to try to get along with the Feng family. It wasn’t easy for them to find me all these years. No matter what, they gave birth to me. If it weren’t for them, how would I exist?”
Gu Zheng, of course, did not refute Xia Ran's words.
"Okay, I'll go wherever you want to go. When Xiao Chen turns eighteen, I'll let him take over my position. I can accompany you wherever you go."
Xia Ran was both amused and exasperated. "Xiao Chen is only six years old."
“That’s not much of a difference in years. I took over the company when I was fifteen, and he’s eighteen now. The extra three years are enough to prove my love for him.”
Xia Ran was speechless for a moment and didn't say anything more, but leaned against Gu Zheng with peace of mind.
The moon slowly climbed to its highest point, and Xia Ran began to feel drowsy. The two of them had already finished their beer.
Gu Zheng noticed that Xia Ran's eyelids were drooping from sleep, and said softly,
"Aran, go back to your room and sleep."
"Okay, okay..." Xia Ran responded in a drawn-out voice, but did not get up. Instead, she raised her hands and wrapped them around Gu Zheng's neck, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Gu Zheng was stunned for a moment, then a doting smile appeared on his lips as he picked Xia Ran up in his arms.
"Ah Zheng..." Xia Ran snuggled against Gu Zheng's chest, still half asleep, "After everything that's happened, I still want to say thank you. Thank you, God, for letting me meet you..."
After saying this, Xia Ran had already fallen into a deep sleep. Gu Zheng looked down, shook his head helplessly, and whispered,
"Isn't your use of 'thank you' a bit inappropriate?"
But Xia Ran was destined to be unable to answer him. Carrying Xia Ran inside, Gu Zheng hesitated between Xia Ran's room and his own room. After three seconds, Gu Zheng decisively carried her to his own room.
Gu Chen is already six years old; it's time for him to sleep alone.
The next morning, everyone was awakened by a loud crying sound. Xia Ran, who had gone to bed late, was still a little groggy. But the rest of the family quickly got up and found the source of the crying.
Dazhuang and the others didn't even put on their coats; they ran out in their pajamas.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Dazhuang rushed out and found Gu Chen standing at the door of the room in his pajamas, crying his heart out, his face covered in tears.
Dazhuang immediately picked him up, feeling sorry for him.
"Xiao Chen, what's wrong? Why are you crying so sadly this morning? Are you feeling unwell? And where's your dad? Why isn't he here?"
Dazhuang glanced into the room and found it empty. Xia Ran wasn't there? But wasn't Xia Ran sleeping with the child?
Gu Chen cried uncontrollably in Da Zhuang's arms.
"Waaah... Uncle, Daddy's gone! I want Daddy! I want Daddy! Waaah..."
Lin Ziming and his father, who had just arrived after hearing the commotion, overheard their child's words and asked in unison,
"Where did Xiao Ran go? Wasn't he sleeping with the child? And what about Gu Zheng?"
"I don't know either," Dazhuang said while comforting the child. "There was no one in the room. When I came over, the child was standing at the door crying uncontrollably."
Gu Zheng, who was about to leave the room across the hall, heard this and suddenly didn't know whether he should go out or not.
Xia Ran was a little dazed at first, but now he was completely awake. He sat up in bed and hurriedly got out of bed.
"The child is crying, is it Xiao Chen?" Xia Ran didn't even bother to check which room she was in before rushing over to open the door and leave. She even muttered a disgruntled comment as she passed Gu Zheng.
"What are you still standing here for? Can't you hear the child crying so sadly?"
Gu Zheng tried to stop Xia Ran from leaving, but it was too late.
So when Dazhuang and the others were discussing where Xia Ran had gone, they saw Xia Ran come out of Gu Zheng's room.
Xia Ran looked at the people at the door, then at the two doors to the room, and seemed to understand something.
And so did Dazhuang and the others. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
"Waaah... Daddy, I want Daddy to hold me. Daddy, don't leave me, don't leave me like Great-Grandpa did, I'm scared, waaaah..."
Gu Chen cried even harder when he saw Xia Ran. Xia Ran also realized what was happening and could only walk over and hug Gu Chen, ignoring the probing looks from Da Zhuang and the others.
Just then, Gu Zheng came out of the room behind Xia Ran, making the already subtle atmosphere even more indescribable.
Chapter 439 is so heartbreaking.
"Ahem..." Mr. Lin coughed lightly, "Well... if you two want to live together, it's not impossible, we're not stopping you, are we? But you have to tell us in advance so the child knows, look how scared you've made the child."
“That’s right, that’s right.” Dazhuang quickly chimed in, “If you had told me in advance, I could have slept with Xiaochen. Look at this child, crying so hard this morning, it’s heartbreaking.”
"No, I..." Xia Ran wanted to explain, but looking at Da Zhuang and the others' eyes and expressions, he suddenly didn't know what to say.
"Alright, alright," Lin Ziming said. "It's still early, everyone go back to sleep. Besides, no one's wearing clothes, be careful not to catch a cold."
Dazhuang and Lin's father readily agreed and went back to their respective rooms. However, before returning to his room, Dazhuang patted Xia Ran on the shoulder with a mysterious smile on his face.
Xia Ran's face immediately flushed.
Soon, only the three of them remained at the doorway. Xia Ran, holding the child, turned around and glared at Gu Zheng.
"What exactly is going on?"
Gu Zheng's face was full of helplessness. "Yesterday, you fell asleep while we were chatting, and I had to carry you back. I wanted to take you to your room, but I was afraid of waking the child, so I had to bring you to my room."
Looking at Gu Zheng's innocent-looking face, Xia Ran was half-convinced.
"Is everything you're saying true?"
"Of course. Don't tell me you can't remember anything about yesterday?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran tried hard to recall what happened last night. It seemed... it seemed that he and Gu Zheng had really fallen asleep while chatting. He had never been that sleepy before.
And at the end, did he say something to Gu Zheng?
Did I say something to you later?
Gu Zheng chuckled and nodded, "Yes, you said you were very fortunate to have met me, and you said you would stay with me for the rest of your life, the next life, and the life after that."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran's expression immediately became very uncomfortable.
"Impossible! I would never say that! You must be lying!"
After Xia Ran finished speaking, she carried the child into the room and tucked the child into the quilt.
Gu Zheng followed Xia Ran and the others into the room. Even though there was a distance between them, he still saw the tips of Xia Ran's bright red ears.
His eyes were full of pleasure, especially when he thought of Xia Ran's words, which were tinged with embarrassment and anger, he couldn't help but chuckle.
But he held back; if he laughed out loud, Xia Ran would probably get really angry.
Xia Ran had no time to pay attention to Gu Zheng's thoughts; he was currently covering Gu Chen tightly with the blanket.
"Next time you go out, make sure you wear warm clothes. What if you catch a cold in this cold weather? Your dad will be worried about you."
"I'm scared." Gu Chen's eyes were so red they were almost as red as a little rabbit's. "I'm scared that my stepfather will disappear like my great-grandfather. Then will I not have a stepfather anymore? I'm scared..."
As Gu Chen spoke, tears began to fall again, and Xia Ran felt heartbroken watching him.
"We're sorry, it's our fault. We shouldn't have left you to sleep alone in the room. Little Daddy knows he was wrong. Little Daddy promises you, he won't leave you, and he doesn't want to end up like Great-Grandpa, okay?"
With tears streaming down his face, Gu Chen asked uncertainly,
"Really? You won't abandon Xiao Chen like Great-Grandpa did?"
"Really, don't worry." Xia Ran also got into bed and hugged the child, knowing that the grandfather's passing had also dealt a great blow to the child's heart.
The little guy hadn't shown much emotion, and he assumed it was because the little guy didn't have a deep understanding of death.
But it wasn't until this moment that he realized it wasn't true; the child had actually been on his mind all along.
In the past, if the child couldn't see him after waking up, he would go out of the room to look for him, and at most his eyes would get a little red. That was back then. Now, he takes care of the child every day, and the child feels very safe. If he can't see him, he will look for him, but his eyes won't get red.
But today, she cried so heartbreakingly, you can imagine how scared and upset she was, and how much psychological trauma she suffered.
"Okay." Gu Chen nestled obediently in Xia Ran's arms, and even peeked at Gu Zheng, as if to make sure Gu Zheng was there.
Gu Zheng also overheard the conversation between the father and son and was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that his child would suffer such a deep psychological trauma.
Xia Ran comforted the child for a while and talked to the child about some things related to death. He tried to tell the child in a very tactful tone that death is not the end of a person's life and that the shadow in the child's heart should not continue to exist.
Although the child may not understand the process, he just wanted to make the child feel better.
The child was indeed confused after hearing this, but his mood did seem to have improved considerably.