"Why are you more attached to your dad now that you've started kindergarten? Before, you were afraid he would get tired and wouldn't let him hold you."
Gu Chen pouted, but upon hearing this, he hugged Xia Ran's arm even tighter.
"Little Daddy, I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have cried. I promised you, but Little Daddy, I will never do it again..."
He just couldn't help himself today.
"It's okay, you can cry in front of your stepfather," Xia Ran said. "So now, are you willing to tell your stepfather what happened?"
"If someone really bullies you, your dad will definitely help you get justice and make them apologize to you."
Xia Ran never imagined that Gu Chen had gotten into a fight with someone else, because he knew Gu Chen well; Gu Chen was definitely not the kind of person who would actively cause trouble.
Gu Chen sniffed and spoke in a low voice.
"Yesterday, the teacher assigned homework: to bring a photo of a father and mother, or two fathers, two mothers and a baby, back to kindergarten, and then draw the fathers and mothers in the photo ourselves."
“I… I can’t find a picture of me, you, and Daddy. I don’t dare ask you because I’m afraid you’ll be sad or angry. So I couldn’t hand in my homework. Then the other kids at kindergarten laughed at me, saying I was lying and that I don’t actually have two dads.”
"I...I was very angry, so I started fighting with them. There were three of them, and I couldn't beat them..."
When Gu Chen talked about how he couldn't win, the tears he had managed to hold back welled up again, but he still managed to hold them back.
Xia Ran felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart after hearing the child's words.
“Baby…” He suddenly didn’t know what to say.
It turns out the child knew about what happened between him and Gu Zheng, which led to this situation.
Gu Chen: "Daddy, I'm sorry. I'll never fight or cry again. Please don't be angry with me, okay?"
Seeing Gu Chen's cautious manner, Xia Ran suppressed the bitterness in her heart.
"No, Dad isn't angry at all. On the contrary, he's proud of Xiao Chen. There were three of them, and you were all alone, but you weren't afraid of them. That takes a lot of courage."
"But Xiao Chen, you must remember that next time some kids bully you, you must not fight them, because you will lose out. You can tell the teacher, or come back and tell your dad, okay?"
Gu Chen nodded, "I understand, Little Daddy. So, Little Daddy, could you and Big Daddy take a picture with me?"
Chapter 341 Family Portrait
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran stiffened, somewhat reluctant to answer the child's question.
To be honest, he definitely wouldn't want to.
But now, looking into his child's expectant eyes, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"Little Daddy?"
"Xiao Chen, where's your dad..." Xia Ran carefully chose her words, "Your dad has a way to get you a family photo. And you'll be attending an event at kindergarten, right? Then the other kids will see me and know you didn't say anything, right?"
Gu Chen nodded blankly, "But we still need the photos, because we still need to do the homework assigned by the teacher."
"Okay." Xia Ran agreed. "When you get back, have your eldest dad take a picture, and then I'll hold you and take another one. Then your younger dad will definitely be able to give you a perfect family photo, okay?"
"Huh?" Gu Chen's face was full of confusion. "But isn't a family photo supposed to be taken together? Taking one photo of each person doesn't count as a family photo."
Xia Ran smiled confidently, "You don't need to worry about that. Your little dad has a way of handling it. Just trust him."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen could only nod, but he was also somewhat puzzled and regretful.
It's such a pity that we can't have the older dad take pictures with the younger dad together.
Xia Ran rubbed the child's chest, intending to give the child another dose of inspirational wisdom.
"Xiao Chen, sometimes we don't need to care about what some people say. As long as you know what's going on, that's enough. We don't need to care about what other people think, okay?"
“Like what happened at the kindergarten this time, they were indeed wrong, but we shouldn’t cry because of what they said. Of course, Daddy knows you’re upset, but there’s no need to be upset. Let’s be braver next time, okay?”
"Okay." Gu Chen nodded vigorously. "I understand, Daddy. I promise I will never cry again. I will be strong."
"Great job!" Xia Ran leaned down and kissed the child on the cheek.
When Aunt Gu returned, Xia Ran asked her to take a picture of him and the child. The picture was taken in the rest area, with the setting sun behind them, and it looked absolutely beautiful.
Xia Ran was afraid that Gu Chen wouldn't be able to explain it clearly when he got back, so she repeated it to Aunt Gu again.
"Auntie... Auntie." Xia Ran quickly corrected herself, "Xiao Chen said their kindergarten needs a family photo. When you get back, ask Gu Zheng to take a standing solo photo with a white background behind you. Send it to me and I can have it photoshopped."
Aunt Gu was already feeling very upset when she heard Xia Ran address her as "Auntie".
Now, hearing that Xia Ran would rather have a composite photo taken than take a picture with Gu Zheng, the pain is even deeper.
"But... if it's synthesized, won't there be any traces? What if someone notices? Then the child won't be able to explain it to the teacher."
Aunt Gu still wanted to try to help Gu Zheng, even if it was just for a photo opportunity.
“No, it won’t.” Xia Ran said with great certainty. “I have a friend who is very knowledgeable in this area. We’ve tried it before, and even most professionals can’t tell the difference unless they are very experienced.”
Xia Ran was referring to Yu Wu. Back when they were in school, one classmate was absent from a group photo, and Yu Wu helped Photoshop him in. At that time, you really couldn't tell at all.
Hearing this, Aunt Gu had no choice but to accept it.
"Okay, I'll have him take the picture when I get back. I'll have him change into some more casual clothes and smile more, so it won't be so easy for people to spot him."
Xia Ran nodded and said nothing more.
He also added Aunt Gu on WeChat, and now that he's added her back, things don't seem so bad anymore.
So much time has passed, it seems he can now face it with a smile.
The child was very clingy today and refused to leave him no matter what he said.
In the end, Xia Ran had to coax Gu Chen for a long time, telling him to go back and urge Gu Zheng to take the photos, before Gu Chen agreed to go back.
Xia Ran felt a pang of emotion as she looked at the child's reluctant expression.
He has to admit that he feels a little unaccustomed to his child not being by his side all the time these days.
But he also knew that children always need their own space, and all he could do was appear when the children needed him.
Just like today.
As soon as Gu Chen got into the car, he couldn't wait to ask his aunt to call Gu Zheng and ask him to come back.
The phone rang for a long time before being answered, which shows how busy the person on the other end was.
"Hello." Gu Zheng's cold voice rang out.
"Big Dad, it's me. When can you come back? We need to take a family photo. Little Dad asked me to come back and keep an eye on you."
Gu Chen finished speaking in one breath, afraid that rambling on for too long would interfere with Gu Zheng's work.
These were things Xia Ran taught Gu Chen when she called Gu Zheng before she divorced him, and Gu Chen has always remembered them.
Gu Zheng was stunned by what the child said. He had been listening to his assistant's work report while looking down at his documents, so he immediately raised his hand to tell his assistant to stop.
"Xiao Chen, what did you just say? What family photo? What do you mean your stepfather asked you to come and supervise me?"
His voice was filled with anticipation.
After leaving the hospital, he came straight to the company, intending to numb himself with work.
However, as soon as he arrived at the company, he heard that something had happened, so he had been busy dealing with it. He did not expect that the Lin family from abroad would actually extend their reach into China and even intercept two of their company's collaborations.
Gu Chen stammered out the story, and although it was somewhat vague, Gu Zheng understood it, and felt a pang of disappointment.
He had initially thought that Xia Ran was going to forgive him.
Aunt Gu, who was listening nearby, chimed in at the right moment.
"Xia Ran means that you take a photo alone, and he will have a professional composite it so that the child can take it to kindergarten. I've already sounded out Xia Ran, and he doesn't want to take a photo with you."
Gu Zheng gave a faint "hmm," his heart feeling numb with pain.
"I'll take the photos here and bring them back. I have a lot of things to do at the company, so I won't go back."
All he wants to do now is find out about the Lin family. He doesn't know if he's overthinking it, but he always feels that Lin Ziming at the hospital is connected to the Lin family.
Not only did they share the same surname, Lin, but they also appeared around Xia Ran during the same period. These coincidences made him suspicious.
Gu Chen's eyes suddenly widened. "No! I promised my stepfather I'd watch over you myself. You have to come back."
Chapter 342 Loss
Aunt Gu: "You should come back. I'll show you the photo Xia Ran took with the child. Change your clothes so it looks more realistic and doesn't seem too out of place."
"Anyway, there's already so much to do, so a little longer won't make a difference. If we really can't get away, we can just leave it all to Qin Hao to handle. He has nothing to do anyway, and he's just bored all day long."
Qin Hao, who was working at the company: "..." He probably wasn't their biological son.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng remained silent for a moment, but finally agreed.
Gu Chen hung up the phone, his eyes clearly showing disappointment, and Gu's aunt couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
But before she could offer any words of comfort, Gu Chen spoke first.
"Grandma, do you think my stepfather and stepfather will ever get back together? I'm so afraid I'll lose one of them."
The child was listless, but he has made great progress in kindergarten these past few days. He seems to understand many things on his own, and he is much more mature than he appears on the surface.
Aunt Gu felt even more sorry for him. "You must remember what your stepfather said. No matter what, both of your fathers will love you. As for other things, you are just a child, so don't think too much about them, or your great-aunt will be heartbroken."
“But if they don’t get married again, my stepfather will eventually marry someone else, and then he will have other children, and I won’t be able to go to him like I am now.”
Gu Chen seemed to have already imagined the scene, and his eyes welled up with tears again, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"No, it won't happen." Aunt Gu stroked the child's head. "You have to trust your stepfather."
She didn't seem very confident, because what the child had just said was true.
If Xia Ran and Gu Zheng never get back together, then one day Xia Ran will be with someone else, and someone will eventually appear to replace Gu Zheng.
But she couldn't let her child know these things, lest the child feel even more upset.
She blinked, trying to quell the heat in her eyes. If only Gu En hadn't appeared.
Even now, when she thinks of Gu En, Aunt Gu still feels a burning hatred in her teeth.
Gu Zheng returned an hour after his aunt brought Gu Chen home, accompanied by Qin Hao.
Aunt Gu's eyes widened as soon as she saw Qin Hao, and she asked,
"Why are you back? What about the company now that you're back?"