See? Ah Zheng is definitely starting to have feelings for him, otherwise he wouldn't be so jealous.
When Gu Zheng met Xia Ran's gaze, he immediately lowered his eyelids. Xia Ran inexplicably wanted to laugh, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"You silly child, what's so funny? It's perfectly normal for men to marry and women to marry when they're of age. Besides, you're not young anymore, you're already in your twenties, it's time for you to get married and have children."
“Look at Ah Zheng, how many years older is he than you? This kid is already so big. I’m getting old, I’m really afraid I won’t live to see that day.”
"Pah, pah, pah, Grandpa, what nonsense are you talking about? You'll definitely live to be a hundred years old. And if you really like children, why not just make Xiao Chen your great-grandson? You'd be getting a great-grandson all by yourself, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Xia Ran spoke with a smile, but he was actually quite nervous inside. Although he was joking and laughing with his grandfather, he had his own thoughts on the matter.
That means he needs to gradually get his grandfather to accept Xiao Chen.
Hearing Xia Ran's words, Gu Chen's heart stirred, and he looked up at Xia Ran as well.
"That won't do. This is someone else's child. Even if I wanted to, they might not agree."
"If Grandpa doesn't mind, then yes. I'd be happy to have another person who loves Xiao Chen."
Gu Zheng suddenly spoke up, and Xia Ran was stunned for a moment. He looked at Gu Zheng with some surprise, as he was surprised that Gu Zheng would say such a thing.
"Is...this really okay?"
To be honest, Grandpa Xia was a little tempted. He didn't know why, but he just liked Xiao Chen very much from the first moment he saw him.
"Um."
"Grandpa, look, Zheng has already agreed, so don't refuse anymore. If you wait for me to give you a great-grandchild, it might be a bit difficult."
Xia Ran said this half-jokingly, but she was actually giving Grandpa Xia a heads-up.
--
A note from the author:
Chapter 10 Xia Ran is forced to go on a blind date
"What's so difficult about it? As long as you settle down and find someone to marry and have children, it's all easy, isn't it? If it really doesn't work out, Grandpa will introduce you to someone. Do you remember Grandpa Sun from before? I met his granddaughter a while ago. She's very pretty and has a great personality. Why don't you two meet?"
"What? Grandpa, I don't want to! What era are we living in? You're still going on blind dates? No way!"
Xia Ran became excited upon hearing Grandpa Xia's words, and even Gu Zheng, who was standing next to her, changed his expression slightly.
"What do you mean by 'what era'? What's with this blind date? That girl is very nice. Okay, it's settled then. I'll call your grandpa Sun later and let you two young people meet."
"Grandpa, I already said no!"
"What do you mean 'no'? Don't you even consider me your grandfather? I'm so old, and you've never even had a girlfriend. How can I, your grandfather, be at ease?"
As he spoke, Grandpa Xia's eyes began to redden. Xia Ran felt helpless when she saw this. Grandpa was at it again, always resorting to crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.
"Grandpa, please don't do this."
"What do you mean 'stop'? Okay, stop talking. I've made up my mind. That's it. I'll call your Grandpa Sun later. Look, Zheng is about your age, and his kids are all grown up. Zheng, don't you think Ranran should get married too?"
Grandpa Xia's tone suddenly shifted to Gu Zheng, who paused before speaking in a somewhat sarcastic tone,
"It's definitely time for me to get married."
"Look, look, Ah Zheng has said so. Okay, it's decided then. I'll call your Grandpa Sun right away."
"grandfather!"
Xia Ran called out helplessly and with a headache, but Grandpa Xia ignored him completely and went straight to his room, clearly having made up his mind.
Xia Ran watched his grandfather's retreating figure until it disappeared from sight, then turned to Gu Zheng beside him and said with dissatisfaction,
"Ah Zheng, why did you agree with Grandpa just now? You knew perfectly well what he was saying!"
"Really? I see you'd be quite keen on it."
Isn't it a good thing that they can't tell Grandpa about their relationship?
"I didn't!"
Xia Ran puffed out his cheeks. He should have been angry, but then, for some reason, he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Zheng, are you jealous? Are you upset that I didn't tell Grandpa about our marriage?"
Do you think I would?
Gu Zheng remained expressionless and asked a question in a cold tone, though his heart had already tightened imperceptibly.
Xia Ran's smile froze for a moment, then she smiled again.
"Whether you think it or not, that's what I think. Don't worry, we're already married, it's impossible for me to be with anyone else."
"You can try it and see what happens. Don't forget what we said before we got married."
Before they got married, they had a prenuptial agreement, which contained an unequal clause that stipulated that if anyone wanted to end the marriage, it had to be Gu Zheng who initiated the proceedings, and Xia Ran had no right to do so.
Xia Ran pursed her lips and said,
"No way! I'm not stupid, why would I want to divorce you?"
Saying those words was already Xia Ran's best effort. Actually, he was shy too, but given A Zheng's reserved nature, if he didn't take the initiative, the two of them probably would never be able to open their hearts to each other.
Gu Zheng snorted coldly, but didn't say anything more.
Since the two of them hadn't brought any clothes, Xia Ran took them to buy clothes after lunch. He would be staying at home for a few more days, as he didn't dare leave his grandfather's side because of his bad hand.
Gu Zheng also made it clear that whenever Xia Ran returned, he and his son would return as well.
Yesterday's clothes are dry today, so Gu Zheng doesn't need to wear Xia Ran's sportswear to buy clothes anymore.
Although this is a small county town, it has all the brand-name clothes you'd expect, just not as high-end as the designer clothes Gu Zheng usually wears.
"Ah Zheng, you can buy one of these clothes to wear for now."
Xia Ran had already brought Gu Zheng and Gu Chen to the largest commercial street here. Gu Zheng gave a faint "hmm" and didn't complain much.
Xia Ran breathed a sigh of relief; he knew how picky Gu Zheng was.
Because Gu Zheng had given Xia Ran a card before, Xia Ran paid for the clothes while Gu Zheng held the child.
For Gu Zheng, it was only natural for Xia Ran to buy him clothes.
"Xia Ran?"
Just as the two finished buying clothes and were about to get off the elevator, a somewhat uncertain voice sounded behind them.
Xia Ran turned around and saw a man about his age who looked quite familiar to him.
"You are... Yu Chao?"
"Yes, it's me. I didn't expect to see you here."
The man, Yu Chao, was quite pleased to see that Xia Ran recognized him.
"Didn't you go abroad to study? When did you come back?"
Yu Chao was Xia Ran's deskmate in junior high school, but he went abroad during high school.
"This is my hometown, after all, so of course I had to come back. By the way, who are these two?"
"Oh, his name is Gu Zheng, he's my wife, and this is my son, Gu Chen."
Xia Ran made no attempt to conceal Gu Zheng and Gu Chen's identities; in fact, she spoke with a hint of pride when revealing their identities.
Yu Chao and Gu Zheng immediately understood, but Yu Chao's eyes seemed a little strange, while Gu Zheng snorted inwardly, thinking that Xia Ran was quite capable.
"I didn't expect you to get married after all these years! Do you have time? How about we grab lunch together? It's been so long, it's time we got together."
Xia Ran didn't immediately agree. Instead, she looked up at Gu Zheng beside her. Gu Zheng, with a cold expression, didn't look at Xia Ran but spoke to Chao instead.
"I'm really sorry, we're busy."
Gu Zheng's tone was as cold as ever, but this time he put his arm around Xia Ran's shoulder and took her down the elevator.
Xia Ran was already completely bewildered by Gu Zheng's arm around his shoulder and didn't know how to react. He just let Gu Zheng lead him and completely forgot about Yu Chao behind him.
Yu Chao watched this scene with an expression that was hard to decipher.
Xia Ran didn't realize what was happening until she got off the elevator.
"Ah Zheng, why did you bring me down here? I haven't said goodbye to Yu Chao yet."
The slightly reproachful tone immediately turned Gu Zheng's face extremely cold.
"If you can't bear to part with him, then you can go up now."
--
A note from the author:
Chapter 11 Jealousy
Gu Zheng's tone clearly indicated jealousy, but he himself was unaware of it.
But Xia Ran saw it at a glance.
"Zheng, do you not like me being with Yu Chao? Don't worry, I don't like him. He's just a classmate of mine."
"You're overthinking it. I just won't allow you to use my wife's name to get entangled with other people. Don't forget who you are."
Gu Zheng's voice was cold, and Xia Ran's expression froze on the spot, while Gu Zheng had already taken the bag of clothes he had bought and walked forward.
Xia Ran felt inexplicably aggrieved for some reason.
"Daddy..."
Suddenly, Gu Chen, who was in Xia Ran's arms, called out softly, which successfully cheered Xia Ran up.
Gu Chen rarely called out to anyone; his voice was soft and gentle, and Xia Ran immediately felt that Gu Chen was trying to comfort him.
"Baby is so good, unlike your dad, who always says one thing but means another."
Xia Ran rubbed her face against Gu Chen's face; he had understood in that instant.
Before they got married, Gu Zheng had said he would never like him, but now he was anxious. He needed to be patient and wait until Gu Zheng was willing to admit that he liked him.
Gu Chen tilted his head in confusion, and suddenly said something that made Xia Ran extremely excited.
"Big Daddy, you're bad..."