Gu Chen knew what his father meant as soon as he saw his expression; his lips were tightly pursed, and a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes.
"Gu Chen, why aren't you saying anything? Haven't you bought clothes for your family yet?" Little Feng Nianhao asked Gu Chen again, puzzled.
Gu Chen didn't speak, but just looked at Gu Zheng, who didn't know how to respond.
Feng Ming knew what Gu Zheng meant just by looking at him. He grabbed the fat boy by the back of his collar and said to Gu Zheng,
"Here's the thing, the kindergarten's parent-child activity tomorrow requires us to wear matching outfits. Perhaps Mr. Gu is too busy and didn't see the message the teacher sent in the group chat, but you can go back and ask Mrs. Gu, maybe he's already bought some."
Gu Zheng finally understood and nodded to Feng Ming.
Thank you.
After saying that, she took Gu Chen's hand and left.
"Hey hey hey... Gu Chen, you still..." Feng Nianhao wanted to chase after Gu Chen, but because his father was holding him by the collar, he couldn't move at all.
"Alright, let's go home. Your little dad is still waiting at home. If he doesn't see you come back, your bottom will probably be in trouble again."
Feng Ming grabbed him by the collar and led him away, leaving Feng Nianhao with no choice but to follow.
"Wow, no way! Daddy won't get angry or spank me! Besides, I still have so many things I haven't asked Gu Chen! I don't even know what he's going to wear tomorrow!"
"Why are you asking so many questions? It's not like you're the one wearing it. If you really want to know, you can see it tomorrow, right?"
The father and son got into the car while talking, and Gu Zheng also took Gu Chen back to the car.
Unlike Feng Nianhao's loud screams, Gu Chen remained calm throughout, which made him all the more pitiful.
Gu Zheng glanced at the silent child in the back seat through the rearview mirror, his lips moved, and he said...
"I'm sorry, I've been quite busy these past few days. I only knew that the parent-child activity was tomorrow, and I didn't check what the teachers in the group were saying."
Gu Chen remained silent, clearly somewhat angry at Gu Zheng's actions.
Gu Zheng continued, "Let's go buy some clothes now, and then we can take them to your stepfather to show him. It'll be a surprise for him, okay?"
He's become much more patient with his children now; he would never have spoken to them like that before.
Upon hearing Gu Zheng's words, Gu Chen finally looked up and glanced at Gu Zheng.
"good."
Matching outfits for parents and children are everywhere these days, and the father and son quickly chose one.
Gu Chen personally chose these clothes, so when he went to find Xia Ran, he held them tightly in his arms, cherishing them dearly.
but………
"Dad, this doesn't seem to be the way to the hospital," Gu Chen asked, looking at the scenery rushing past the car window with a puzzled expression.
He had been to the hospital many times before, so he knew the route by heart, but this one was clearly different from the route he had taken before.
Gu Zheng didn't hide the fact that Gu Chenxia's grandfather had been discharged from the hospital; he told the child directly.
"My great-grandfather has been discharged from the hospital, so he is no longer in the hospital."
Gu Chen was taken aback. "When was Great-Grandpa discharged from the hospital?"
Gu Zheng: "Just this morning."
Gu Chen didn't ask any more questions, but a faint sense of disappointment flashed across his eyes.
The younger father never told his great-grandfather that he was being discharged from the hospital today. Does this mean that the younger father simply didn't want him to know that his great-grandfather was being discharged today?
"Big Dad, how did you know that Little Dad and Great Grandpa were discharged from the hospital today? Did he tell you?"
"No, I asked the doctor at the hospital," Gu Zheng replied directly.
"Then... how did you know where your stepfather and the others are living now? Did your stepfather tell you to take me there, right?"
The child's tone was full of expectation, and Gu Zheng finally noticed something was wrong with the child.
Reflecting on the child's question, he understood.
For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.
"Big Daddy, it was Little Daddy who asked you to take me there, right?" Gu Chen asked again, his voice choked with emotion.
Gu Zheng hummed in agreement. "Yes, he said he was too busy to tell you, so he asked me to take you there today."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen smiled.
“I knew it, my stepfather would never forget me.”
Gu Zheng didn't respond, because he didn't know what to say.
When Gu Chen arrived at Xia Ran's residential area, he did not feel the excitement he usually did.
Gu Zheng held his hand with one hand and carried a bag of clothes in the other, looking puzzled as Gu Chen suddenly stopped.
"Why have you stopped?"
Gu Chen looked up at Gu Zheng, "Big Daddy, what you just said is all true, right? Little Daddy asked you to pick me up, right? Little Daddy also gave you this address, right?"
Faced with the child's three questions, Gu Zheng nodded against his will.
"Didn't I already say that in the car? Don't you believe me?"
"No," Gu Chen shook his head vigorously, "I'm just a little scared."
"Don't be afraid, your little dad will always love you." Gu Zheng led the child into the elevator. His reassuring words put the child at ease, and a smile appeared on his face.
Gu Zheng looked down at the child, hoping that Xia Ran wouldn't expose his lie later.
otherwise……
Following the address he found, Gu Zheng rang the doorbell in front of a door.
Mr. Lin and Grandpa Xia were still playing chess in the living room when Mr. Lin stood up after hearing the doorbell.
"It must be Ziming. I'll go open the door."
But when he opened the door and saw the large and small building outside, surprise flashed in Mr. Lin's eyes.
He knew Gu Zheng.
As for the child that Gu Zheng is holding hands with, that should be Gu Zheng's son.
He looked the two of them up and down. They were indeed quite good-looking, but the older one was a bad person. He didn't appreciate Xiao Ran, who was such a good person.
When Gu Chen saw that it was neither his stepfather nor his familiar great-grandfather who opened the door, he immediately looked up at Gu Zheng.
"Big Daddy?"
Gu Chen wasn't the only one with doubts; Gu Zheng was too. He had already memorized the address, so he was certain he hadn't gone to the wrong place.
"Hello, may I ask if Xia Ran lives here?" Gu Zheng asked casually.
Mr. Lin wanted to say no, but before he could speak, Grandpa Xia's voice came from the living room.
"Xiaolin, isn't Ziming here? Why isn't he coming in?"
Upon hearing Grandpa Xia's voice, Gu Zheng knew he had come to the right place. As for who the person in front of him was, he would have to have someone investigate.
Gu Chen broke free from Gu Zheng's hand as soon as he heard Grandpa Xia's voice and rushed into the living room like a cannonball.
"Great-Grandpa, it's me, I'm back."
Grandpa Xia looked at Gu Chen as he entered from outside, paused for a moment, then smiled and said,
"Oh, Xiao Chen is back! Kindergarten let out so early today?"
"Yes, the kindergarten had a picnic today, so I left a little early. Great-Grandpa, how are you? Are you feeling better?"
"Much better." Grandpa Xia pulled the child to sit down beside him.
But Gu Chen didn't want to sit down at all. He looked around, searching for Xia Ran.
"Great-Grandpa, where is my little dad? I haven't seen him all day, I miss him."
Grandpa Xia pointed to the room and said, "Your little dad is sleeping. He must be tired. Why don't you sit here with your great-grandpa for a while? Don't disturb your little dad."
"But..." Gu Chen hesitated, "But I really miss my stepfather and great-grandfather. Can I sneak in for a peek? I won't disturb my stepfather, okay?"
Seeing the child's expectant look, Grandpa Xia couldn't refuse and could only nod.
"Then be quiet, don't wake your stepfather."
"Okay!" Gu Chen quickly ran to the door of the room, but his footsteps immediately slowed down when he got there. He opened the door and sneaked in like a little mouse.
Grandpa Xia sighed silently when he saw this.
He knew without even thinking who brought the child.
Gu Zheng, standing at the door, looked at the man blocking his way and not letting him in, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
"Get out of the way."
Mr. Lin: "Why should I? As far as I know, this is not your home."
"My wife and children are inside."
Upon hearing Gu Zheng's words, Lin's father chuckled and said,
"As far as I know, Xiao Ran has already divorced you, and it was you who initiated it. What? Now you regret it and want to get back together? Do you treat our Xiao Ran like a toy, something you can take when you want and discard when you don't?"
"Let me tell you, there are plenty of people who like our Xiao Ran, we don't need you. Go away, don't get in my way, you're an eyesore."
Don't let Lin's father's serious and taciturn face fool you; he can be quite sharp-tongued when it comes to roasting people.
Gu Zheng looked coldly at the man in front of him who kept calling him "my Xiao Ran," and searched his memory to find that he didn't recognize the person at all.
But judging from the tone of his voice, this person seemed to have a very good relationship with Xia Ran and the others.
Could they be relatives?
That was all Gu Zheng could think of. When he spoke again, his tone was much gentler.
"Xia Ran and I are divorced, and it was my fault. I was blind back then, but I know I was wrong now and I want to get back together with him. I hope you can let me in; I want to see him."
Hearing Gu Zheng's submissive attitude, Lin's father snorted heavily.
"Can you solve everything by simply saying 'I was wrong back then'? Can you erase all the hurt and pain that our Xiaoran suffered? Or can you try to empathize with her and experience it for yourself?"
Gu Zheng was speechless, but Lin's father had no intention of letting him off so easily.
"If you can't empathize, then don't get in my way. Your son is only someone Xiaoran likes; otherwise, do you think I would let him in? In short, if you want to get through this door, forget about it. Not only will Xiaoran disagree, but we also disagree!"