"Gu En is gone," Gu Zheng said. "He most likely won't be coming back."
"What's the meaning?"
Xia Ran was a little confused. Gu Zheng then told him about meeting that man and Gu En leaving a note before leaving.
After listening, Xia Ran didn't know how to feel. It seemed like it should be like this, but it also seemed like it shouldn't be like this.
"Do you have time? I'd like to tell you about the child's origins."
Xia Ran wanted to say no, but she just couldn't resist her curiosity.
"I'll go tell Grandpa."
"good."
As Gu Zheng watched Xia Ran turn and enter the living room, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up. It seemed that Xia Ran was really softening.
When Xia Ran told her grandfather that she was going out for a while, she inevitably received another meaningful look from him.
Xia Ran was in a hurry to go out and hear about the child, so she didn't bother to explain to her grandfather.
Just like last time, Gu Zheng left the door open and the light on. When Xia Ran went in, she was worried that her grandfather or the child might come over, so she closed the door behind her.
However, Gu Zheng was not in the living room. Xia Ran glanced around and heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom, so Gu Zheng must be taking a shower.
Xia Ran paused for a moment, then sat down on the sofa. He looked around the living room and found that there were very few things, just some furniture. It looked like a hotel, without any sense of life.
He sat there for five minutes before the bathroom door opened. Xia Ran glanced over instinctively and saw Gu Zheng come out wearing a bathrobe.
Gu Zheng had also washed his hair, and water was still dripping from his forehead. Xia Ran clearly saw that Gu Zheng's eyes lit up when he saw him.
Xia Ran felt a little strange, but her expression remained unchanged.
"Aran." Gu Zheng called out, and Xia Ran didn't want to answer him, but she nodded anyway.
Gu Zheng sat down opposite Xia Ran. The two remained silent, with Gu Zheng staring intently at Xia Ran, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Go ahead and tell me, I need to go back and cook later."
Gu Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "This matter is, in a way, my fault. That's why I've been indulging Gu En all along, and I've always felt guilty towards her."
He paused again, took out a cigarette from the side, and Xia Ran frowned subconsciously when she saw it, but he still didn't stop her.
Gu Zheng happened to see Xia Ran's frown, so he didn't light the cigarette, but just held it in his mouth.
"More than six years ago, because I was young and too ambitious, I acquired a company. The reason was that the owner of that company wanted to scheme against me. I later devised a plan to bankrupt him, but I only found the evidence. His company had many loopholes in the first place."
“I thought that would be the end of it, but I didn’t expect that the man’s son would hold a grudge against me. After his father was punished as he deserved it, he blamed me for everything. That day, he contacted a woman I knew at the time and sent me a message, saying that he had some of my mother’s things.”
"That thing was supposed to be a silver earring that my mother had lost before. The earring wasn't worth much, but it was left by my mother's great-grandmother, so it had a very special meaning for my mother. I had my phone on the table when Gu En saw it, and I don't know why he went there by himself."
"When I realized something was wrong and rushed over, Gu En..." Gu Zheng seemed unable to continue. He wanted the taste of tobacco, but Xia Ran didn't like smoking, so he simply bit the cigarette open and let the taste spread in his mouth.
Xia Ran didn't interrupt Gu Zheng, but looking at Gu Zheng's expression, he could roughly guess that the situation must have been very bad at the time, otherwise Gu Zheng wouldn't have been holding a grudge until now.
“When I arrived, Gu En was in a room... There were eight men and one woman in the room at the same time. Gu En was covered in bruises and had a mental breakdown. Later I found out that those people wanted to set me up so that I would have a relationship with that woman and ruin my reputation, but they didn’t expect Gu En to come.”
Chapter 409 Grandpa Xia's Strangeness
“There was a woman there who didn’t recognize Gu En and thought Gu En was me, so the two of them were forced to have sex. After it was over, the man saw Gu En and realized it wasn’t me, so he was filled with hatred and went to find several men to have sex with. Gu En… he also suffered a lot of inhuman torture. Later, Gu En went insane and stayed in the hospital for seven or eight months.”
"Then, after Gu En was discharged from the hospital, that woman came with a newborn child. I personally had a paternity test done, and it turned out to be Gu En's child, so we kept the baby. The woman said her health didn't allow her to have the child, so she gave birth to it."
"But the birth of this child also caused Gu En's hard-won stable emotions to collapse again. So he ran away from home. Later, the people I sent out to look for him did not disappear. After a long time, they found a body. At that time, the body was wearing a bracelet on its wrist. The bracelet was Gu En's. I didn't think much of it and assumed it was Gu En, so I thought Gu En was dead."
"So, Ran, my feelings for Gu En aren't what you think. It's just... because of guilt. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have suffered those inhuman torments. I've lived for over twenty years and have never felt so guilty towards anyone. Plus, Gu En and I grew up together, so my feelings for him are a little different."
Xia Ran never imagined that the child would come about this way, nor did she expect that Gu En was so unwilling to have a child.
He remained silent, unsure of what to say for a moment. After a long while, he finally said, "I understand," and then got up to leave.
Gu Zheng watched Xia Ran get up, and then he stood up and walked to the door.
"Aran, can you give me another chance? This time, Gu En won't show up and disturb our lives again."
He looked at Xia Ran expectantly, hoping she would agree to his request.
But Xia Ran just looked at him and said, "No."
A look of disappointment flashed in Gu Zheng's eyes. Before he could say anything, Xia Ran went into the opposite door and closed it directly.
Xia Ran leaned against the door and sighed. He rubbed his face and turned to go into the living room. He found that Gu Chen and his grandfather were not there, which made him a little confused.
"Grandpa? Xiao Chen? Where are you?"
"Little Daddy." Gu Chen ran out of the kitchen, his sleeves rolled up, as if he was doing something.
"What's wrong? Where's Great-Grandpa? What are you all doing?"
"Great-grandfather is cooking, and I'm helping him."
"Huh? Great-Grandpa is cooking?" Xia Ran went straight into the kitchen. "What are you cooking? Didn't you say you'd cook when I got back? What if the old man falls again and gets hurt?"
Gu Chen followed him inside, a hint of worry on his face.
"Little Daddy, I'm sorry, it was my fault for not keeping an eye on Great-Grandpa. I promise I won't let Great-Grandpa into the kitchen next time."
"Don't be afraid, Xiao Chen. Your dad didn't scold you. This has nothing to do with you. It's your great-grandfather who's being unreasonable. Your dad will talk to him!"
While Xia Ran was going to see her grandfather, she didn't forget to comfort Gu Chen.
When Xia Ran entered the kitchen, she saw her grandfather making soup, rice cooking in the rice cooker, and chopped vegetables on the cutting board.
"Grandpa! What are you doing! Didn't I tell you not to cook? Didn't I tell you to rest properly? Why won't you listen? What am I supposed to do if something really happens to your health?"
Xia Ran helped the old man leave, but the old man still didn't want to move.
"Are you worried that Grandpa can't take care of himself? Don't worry, Grandpa can still cook perfectly well. How long has it been since you've had Grandpa's cooking? Grandpa just wants you to have one more meal cooked by Grandpa, so what? Who knows when Grandpa will be gone, and then you won't be able to eat it anymore!"
"Grandpa!" Xia Ran was startled by the old man's words. "Grandpa, can you please stop talking nonsense! Are you deliberately trying to make me feel bad?"
The old man spoke with a smile, not feeling that there was anything wrong with what he said, or perhaps he had no more taboos at this point.
"Alright, alright, Grandpa won't make you feel bad anymore. Hurry up and cook the dishes. As for Grandpa's soup, Grandpa will make it himself. If you don't let me do something, Grandpa will feel even more bored."
"Are you sure you can do it?" Xia Ran was still a little worried.
"Of course, no problem!" Grandpa Xia glared at Xia Ran and walked to the soup pot on his own.
Xia Ran glanced at his grandfather and could only nod helplessly. Then he looked down at the child at his feet, who looked up and smiled at him.
Xia Ran couldn't help but bend down and kiss the child. "My little darling! Why don't you go outside and sit down to watch TV? Daddy will make you something delicious today!"
"No, I don't want to go out. You and Great-Grandpa are busy, I'll stay here with you."
Gu Chen sat down on a small stool by the door. Xia Ran didn't refuse the child's company, but instead took out a cucumber from the refrigerator for the child.
"Then you can sit here and eat for a while. Your dad can cook some dishes and then we can have dinner."
"Mmm! Thank you for your hard work, Daddy and Great-Grandpa!" Gu Chen obediently held the cucumber, looking bewildered.
Xia Ran and the old man's hearts softened when they saw this scene, especially Xia Ran, who now felt as if the child was finally his.
The old man made a pork trotter and peanut soup, and the rice was already cooked. Some vegetables were also chopped.
Xia Ran took a look and felt somewhat puzzled.
"Grandpa, aren't you preparing a bit too much food? Can the three of us eat all of this?"
"Not much, not much. There's just one tomato and egg stir-fry that you like, one sweet and sour pork ribs that Xiao Chen likes, one green bean and pork stir-fry, and one stir-fried baby bok choy. That's all. How is that too much?"
"Isn't this much? And it's quite a lot. There's also a pot of soup. How much can the three of them, grandfather and grandson, eat?"
"Oh, what business is it of my business whether I can eat it or not? I want to eat it, so just make it for me. If you don't want to make it, I can do it myself."
The old man glared at him, and Xia Ran had no choice but to quit.
"Okay, okay, I'll do it. I'll cook it. I'll cook it as long as you want."
The most time-consuming dish among these is sweet and sour pork ribs, so Xia Ran made that first. The other three dishes were quite simple to cook.
The stir-fried baby bok choy was cooked last, and by the time the vegetables were done, Grandpa's soup was also ready.
"Grandpa, the dishes are ready now. Why don't you and the child go outside and sit down? I'll take the dishes out."
"No, you go out first. I have things to do here. Go take a shower and change your clothes before you come to eat."
Grandpa pushed Xia Ran out directly, leaving Xia Ran completely bewildered by the old man's action.
"Grandpa, what's wrong with you today? Why do you seem so strange? And I've already prepared the food, why can't we eat first? I don't want to take a shower, I want to eat first, otherwise the food will get cold."
"It's cold? Okay, go wait in the living room first. Give me five minutes, and we can eat in five minutes."
"Grandpa, what exactly are you trying to do?" Xia Ran was genuinely puzzled by the old man's actions. However, the old man had always been very adamant with him, so she could only go to the living room to wait.
"Little Dad, what's wrong with Great-Grandpa?" Gu Chen also felt that Great-Grandpa was acting strangely.
Xia Ran picked up the child. "I don't know what's wrong with him either. Let's wait and see what he needs to do. Didn't he say he'd have five minutes? So let's wait."
"Uh-huh!"
Grandpa said it would take five minutes, and it really did come out in five minutes. But what puzzled Xia Ran was that Grandpa was also holding a three-layer insulated lunchbox.
This insulated lunchbox was the one Lin Ziming used to bring food to his grandfather. His grandfather had left it unused after being discharged from the hospital, so why is it being taken out again now?
"Ahem... This is my business, it has nothing to do with you," the old man said, then beckoned to Gu Chen, "Xiao Chen, come here, take these dishes to your great-uncle."
Xia Ran and Gu Chen were both stunned when they heard Grandpa Xia's words.
"Grandpa, what are you doing? Don't take it! Why are you taking food for others?"
"Am I giving this to someone else? Don't worry about it. It's not like you're the one taking it. What are you afraid of? Xiao Chen, come here, let me take it to your big dad."
Gu Chen didn't know what to do, so he could only call out "Great-Grandpa" and then look at Xia Ran.
Xia Ran's face turned serious. "Don't take it! I said you can't take it. Grandpa, do you know what you're doing? Do you know who you're giving food to? Don't you know my relationship with Gu Zheng right now?"
The old man pulled Gu Chen to his side, then handed the lunchbox to Gu Chen and said,
"Sweetie, go get it for your big dad. Grandpa's here, nothing's wrong."
"Great-grandfather..." Gu Chen was still a little worried. He kept glancing at Xia Ran. Xia Ran was so angry that she went over and blocked the doorway.
"I told you, you're not allowed to go!"
"Xia Ran!" The old man called out Xia Ran's name directly. Xia Ran looked at the old man, then at Gu Chen who was staring at him, and finally silently stepped aside.