Gu Zheng shoved Xia Ran away like a madman, his furious expression leaving Xia Ran stunned.
"I'm sorry, Zheng, I didn't mean to. I'll pick it up for you right away, and I'll buy you another picture frame later."
Xia Ran kept apologizing, then squatted down to pick up the photo frame, but as soon as his hand touched it, Gu Zheng pushed him away, and Xia Ran's hand was cut.
"go out."
Gu Zheng spoke in an icy tone, and Xia Ran, feeling a sharp pain in her hand, instinctively put her hand behind her back.
"Ah Zheng, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I just wanted to take a look."
Didn't you hear me tell you to get out?
This time, Gu Zheng's voice was even colder than before. Xia Ran looked at Gu Zheng picking up the lenses, pursed her lips, said sorry, and then left.
He had just left when the study door was slammed shut from the inside. Xia Ran felt a pang of sadness, but also a deep sense of guilt. He had only wanted to take a look, but he hadn't expected to end up breaking it.
Looking down at his still-bleeding palm, he turned and went down to the living room to tend to his wound.
"Ouch, Second Young Master, what happened to your hand? How did you get hurt?"
When Uncle Gu, who was holding Gu Chen in the living room, saw Xia Ran's bleeding palm, he was startled.
Because Xia Ran is a man, it's not appropriate to call him the young mistress, so he can only be called the second young master.
"Uncle Gu, I'm fine, but do you have any band-aids or rubbing alcohol at home?"
"Yes, yes, I'll go get it right away."
Uncle Gu put Gu Chen on the sofa, then went to the cabinet to find some band-aids. Xia Ran endured the pain in her palm and sat on the sofa, hugging Gu Chen with her other uninjured hand.
Gu Chen, meanwhile, kept staring at Xia Ran's injured right hand. Unfortunately, Xia Ran, who was lost in his own thoughts, didn't notice until Uncle Gu touched his wound with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, which brought him back to his senses.
"Uncle Gu, I'd like to ask, who is the boy in the photo frame on A-Zheng's desk in his study who is in the picture with A-Zheng?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Bo paused for a moment, then asked casually,
Why did you suddenly ask that?
"No, I just accidentally broke the picture frame. Ah Zheng seems very angry."
"What? You broke it?"
Uncle Gu's tone suddenly became very agitated, which made Xia Ran even more puzzled.
"Yes, so Uncle Gu, who is that person inside? I want to find out before I buy another one."
Uncle Gu's eyes darted around before he lowered his head to treat Xia Ran's wounds.
“That… was our family’s former young master, but he passed away four years ago. It’s a taboo subject for the eldest young master, so you’d better not mention it.”
"Young Master? Is he Ah Zheng's younger brother and Xiao Chen's uncle?"
Uncle Gu paused again before finally humming in agreement.
"Yes, but Second Young Master, you must remember not to mention that photo frame or the deceased Young Master again."
"Okay, I understand. Don't worry, Uncle Gu, I won't bring it up again. I'll buy a new frame online later."
Uncle Gu hummed in agreement. By this time, he had already treated the wound on Xia Ran's palm and put on a band-aid.
He turned and put the medicine box away, letting out a soft sigh as he did so. Yes, he was the young master's younger brother, but not Xiao Chen's uncle; he was Xiao Chen's…
Xia Ran breathed a sigh of relief. He had actually thought it was Gu Zheng's first love, since Gu Zheng was so nervous. Luckily, it was his younger brother.
But how come the time of his younger brother's death is the same as the time when Ah Zheng told him about Xiao Chen's mother's death? It's actually four years ago.
Also, he seemed to find Gu Zheng's younger brother very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
He was still wondering when a slight breeze suddenly blew through his palm. He looked down and Xia Ran was completely stunned.
--
A note from the author:
Chapter 3 You've Been Naughty
“Xiao Chen…”
At this moment, Gu Chen was actually looking down, blowing on Xia Ran's injured palm, but his face remained expressionless.
Xia Ran's heart trembled slightly. He finally understood why those children were so excited when they saw another child taking its first steps.
He had previously taught Xiao Chen to whimper when she was in pain, and Xiao Chen actually remembered it.
Gu Chen looked up at him, then lowered his head again and continued playing. He excitedly took out his phone to record a video, then picked up Xiao Chen and ran upstairs. Gu Zheng would be very happy to see this.
He pounded on the door, but only a cold "Get out!" came from inside the study.
Xia Ran froze for a moment before lowering his hand. How could he forget that A-Zheng was feeling sad right now?
"Baby, shall we wait here for your big daddy to come out?"
The child in her arms naturally wouldn't answer him. Xia Ran smiled slightly, then sat down at the door with the child in her arms, intending to wait for Gu Zheng to come out.
But by the time Gu Chen fell asleep and Xia Ran was also drowsy, Gu Zheng still hadn't come out.
Half asleep, Xia Ran lay down, placed Gu Chen on his stomach, and fell asleep on the floor with him in her arms.
The study door was finally opened. When Zheng, whose face was frosty, saw the scene at the door, his eyes flickered slightly, but he still bent down to pick up the two of them.
"Mmm... baby, be good, Daddy will hold you while you sleep."
Xia Ran thought it was Gu Chen making a fuss. Gu Zheng carried her into the room, and looking at Xia Ran's face, he couldn't help but linger on it with his long, slender hands and touch it.
Even though that person is gone, being able to see this face is a kind of comfort.
When Xia Ran woke up again, it was already dark. Only an orange desk lamp was on, and Gu Chen was sitting obediently beside her, playing with Xia Ran's fingers.
Gu Chen is becoming more and more dependent on Xia Ran.
"Baby is so good, Daddy will give you a kiss. I wish you could call me Daddy."
Xia Ran gave Gu Chen a big kiss on the cheek, then carried him downstairs.
What he didn't notice was that after he finished speaking, Gu Chen looked up at him.
Gu Zheng was sitting on the sofa in the living room. Even though he was already married, Xia Ran was still attracted to him.
He was momentarily distracted. Gu Zheng, seeing them come down, stood up and said calmly,
"Let's eat."
It's a little past 7 p.m. now, about time for dinner.
Xia Ran was taken aback, then nodded frantically and followed Gu Zheng to the dining room, his heart filled with secret joy. He felt that Gu Zheng's attitude towards him had softened a lot.
This was Xia Ran's first time eating with Gu Zheng, and he was so nervous that his whole body was tense. But after seeing Gu Chen, he gradually relaxed and started feeding Gu Chen with the bowl and chopsticks.
Gu Zheng glanced at her and lowered his head. Perhaps he could treat Xia Ran a little better, just for Gu Chen's sake.
"Baby, you're being naughty. Not eating carrots isn't good. You won't be pretty when you grow up, and Daddy won't like a picky eater."
Xia Ran was feeding Gu Chen carrots, but Gu Chen pursed his lips and refused to eat them. He had heard Uncle Gu say that Gu Chen didn't like carrots.
Perhaps it was Xia Ran's comment about not liking picky eaters that had an effect, but Gu Chen, who had been very resistant just moments before, opened his mouth.
"Baby, you're so good! Daddy loves you so much!"
Xia Ran praised him with a beaming smile. Gu Zheng, who was picking up food and about to skip the carrots, inexplicably reached for the carrots in the dish after hearing Xia Ran's words.
When the carrots were imported, Gu Zheng frowned deeply, as he, like Gu Chen, disliked carrots.
Xia Ran turned around to serve food to Gu Chen and happened to see this scene. Her eyes instantly filled with smiles.
“Zheng, you can’t be a picky eater either, otherwise the baby will follow your example. You need to set a good example for him, that will be good for the baby.”
"Um."
Xia Ran finished feeding Gu Chen before picking up his chopsticks himself, truly treating Gu Chen like his own son.
He put a piece of carrot on Gu Zheng's plate.
"Zheng, eating more carrots is good for your health."
Gu Zheng frowned, his eyes revealing undisguised disdain. When he looked up, he found that Xia Ran and Gu Chen were both looking at him.
Gu Chen's small change made him pause for a moment, then he ate the carrot with a blank expression, seemingly not disliking it as much as he thought.
"Baby, look how great Daddy is! He bravely ate the carrot. Can you have another bite too?"
Xia Ran tried to put the carrot near Gu Chen's mouth. Gu Chen looked up at him and finally opened his mouth.
Gu Zheng tightened his grip on the chopsticks, his gaze falling on Xia Ran, who gave him a smug smile.
"Ah Zheng, spend more time with Xiao Chen whenever you have time in the future; that's better for him."
Because his childhood experiences were similar to Gu Chen's, he naturally understood Gu Chen's feelings.
This time, Gu Zheng nodded without hesitation. If Xiao Chen could not be cured, how could he face that person?
Because it was the weekend, Gu Zheng didn't go to the company, so Xia Ran and Gu Chen did a jigsaw puzzle on the carpet. Xia Ran did most of the talking, while Gu Chen only occasionally looked up at her.
Gu Chen watched this scene and felt a very complicated feeling. Xia Ran and that person were so different.
Just then, Xia Ran's phone rang. He turned around to pick it up, and his expression froze for a moment when he saw who the number was.
"Ah Zheng, keep an eye on Xiao Chen, I'm going to take this call."
Xia Ran hurriedly left the living room with her phone in hand. Gu Zheng frowned slightly, wondering what call had made Xia Ran so nervous.
Xia Ran, in the garden, answered the phone cautiously yet pretending to be relaxed.
"Hey, Grandpa."
"Xiao Ran, it's me. Your grandpa fell and was hospitalized this morning while watering the flowers."
"What? Auntie, you said my grandpa fell and was hospitalized?"
Xia Ran asked in shock, "The person who called me is the nanny they've had for decades."
"Yes, he doesn't want me to tell you yet, but Xiao Ran, you should still come back."
"I understand, Auntie. I'll be right back."
Xia Ran's eyes reddened, and he felt very sad. The reason he answered the phone so carefully was because he hadn't told his grandfather that he had married a man. If his grandfather found out, he would definitely be in big trouble.