Gu Zheng looked somewhat uncomfortable, but still spoke up.
"Take me to that hot pot restaurant you had with your friends and classmates before. I... want to try it too."
Actually, he noticed the instant his eyes lit up when Xia Ran mentioned hot pot at the operating room door.
Perhaps after marrying him, Xia Ran never ate it again.
So, subconsciously, he couldn't help but want to bring Xia Ran to eat here once.
Hearing Gu Zheng's words, Xia Ran's heart was suddenly filled with a sweet emotion.
Although Ah Zheng always appears cold on the surface, he has always been trying to be good to him in his own way!
Chapter 92 The Panic in My Heart
"But do you like hot pot?" Xia Ran was very tempted, after all, he hadn't had hot pot for a very long time.
But even though she really wanted to eat it, Xia Ran still wanted to put Gu Zheng's opinion first.
Gu Zheng paused upon hearing this, sighed silently in his heart, and then said,
"You can try it if you don't like it. I've never eaten it before, so I don't know if I'll like it or not. There are always some things you have to try for the first time."
Just like how he feels about Xia Ran now, there are some things that you always have to try.
Even if it's because of Gu Chen, he will try to treat Xia Ran better, and even, as his aunt said, slowly learn to like Xia Ran.
However, Xia Ran interpreted Gu Zheng's words as meaning that Gu Zheng wanted to learn how to eat hot pot because of him.
In an instant, Xia Ran felt a sweet warmth well up inside him. He intertwined his fingers with Gu Zheng's, looked up at him with a beaming smile, and said,
"Okay, let's go eat. I'll tell you, I'll make a really delicious sauce for you later. I guarantee you'll like it!"
Gu Zheng squeezed Xia Ran's hand and whispered an "okay".
At this moment, Gu Zheng felt an unprecedented calm.
Even though it's past dinner time, the hot pot restaurant is still packed with people.
Xia Ran wanted to have a private room because of Gu Zheng's habits, but Gu Zheng stopped him, saying that they could just eat outside.
Also, from their conversation, the waiter said that there were no private rooms available, so in the end they ate in the main hall.
The waiter brought over a high chair for children.
This was Gu Chen's first time eating in such a large group of people. His eyes darted around curiously, and Xia Ran couldn't help but chuckle, saying...
"Does the baby like it here?"
Gu Chen tilted his head, his eyes darting back and forth between Gu Zheng and Xia Ran, before nodding emphatically and saying in a childish voice,
"The young dad likes it!"
He only said this one sentence, but Xia Ran understood.
Gu Chen meant that his stepfather liked him, and so did he.
Xia Ran couldn't resist reaching out and patting Gu Chen's head, saying with a smile,
"You little rascal, how come I never noticed before that you had such a sweet tongue?"
After speaking, Xia Ran glanced at Gu Zheng and said teasingly,
"Your eldest father is such a quiet person, how come you have such a sweet tongue? Hmm?"
Gu Chen didn't understand what Xia Ran meant, he just kept smiling at her.
Gu Zheng, however, had a slight flicker in his eyes after hearing Xia Ran's words.
Gu Chen is indeed unlike him, after all...
But it looks a lot like that person.
However, Gu Zheng simply shook his head helplessly at Xia Ran and said,
"Let's eat quickly, or it will be too late to get back."
After Gu Zheng said that, Xia Ran didn't think too much about it. He picked up the tablet and started adding soup base. He knew that Gu Zheng could eat a little spicy food, so he could too.
So he ordered a mildly spicy hot pot and a tomato soup base that he could drink.
The tomato soup base was for Gu Chen.
"Zheng, is there anything you'd like to eat?"
After ordering the soup base, Xia Ran looked up at Gu Zheng and asked for his opinion.
Gu Zheng shook his head slightly. "I've never eaten these before. You can order whatever you like. I'm not picky."
"Really not a picky eater?" Xia Ran's lips suddenly curled into a meaningful smile. "Then how about I order more vegetables? Eating vegetables late at night won't make you fat."
Ah Zheng and Xiao Chen hate eating green vegetables the most.
As expected, Gu Zheng's expression changed slightly after hearing Xia Ran's words.
Xia Ran burst out laughing the moment she saw Gu Zheng's expression.
"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I'll order some for you, I guarantee you'll like it."
After speaking, Xia Ran lowered her head and started ordering.
We ordered sliced beef, sliced lamb, tripe, honeycomb tripe, crab sticks, and all sorts of other meats, and only two vegetables at the end.
When the hot pot was served, Gu Chen twitched his nose and his eyes lit up instantly.
Xia Ran chuckled softly, then started cooking the vegetables for the two of them.
Although it was Gu Zheng and Gu Chen's first time eating hot pot, Xia Ran could still tell that they liked it.
After leaving the hot pot restaurant, Gu Zheng was about to take Xia Ran back home.
Their car was parked in the open-air parking lot in front of the hot pot restaurant.
There was a note stuck in the driver's side door handle. When Gu Zheng saw it, he thought it was a ticket or an advertisement.
He originally intended to just throw it away, but when he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the words on the note out of the corner of his eye, he froze, as if the blood in his body had been frozen, leaving him completely at a loss.
Xia Ran was about to get into the car, but when he saw Gu Zheng's actions, he stopped and asked,
"Zheng, what's wrong? What kind of paper is that in your hand?"
Gu Zheng subconsciously clenched the note in his hand, making sure Xia Ran couldn't see it at all.
"It's nothing." Gu Zheng lowered his head to open the door, not daring to look at Xia Ran at all. "Get in the car, it's getting late, let's go home."
Xia Ran has never doubted Gu Zheng's words, and she still does now.
Xia Ran got into the car with the child in her arms and noticed that Gu Zheng was acting strangely.
Because Gu Zheng almost crashed into the guardrail several times while driving, or almost ran a red light.
Xia Ran hugged Gu Chen tightly and said,
"Zheng, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Otherwise, it would be one thing if you didn't look well, but why did you look like this while driving?
Upon hearing Xia Ran's voice, Gu Zheng's expression froze, then he straightened up and said in a low voice,
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about something. Hold Xiao Chen tight, it'll be alright."
After Gu Zheng said that, he didn't make any mistakes on the way home, and Xia Ran's heart gradually relaxed.
However, when it was time to get off the bus, Gu Zheng did not get off with him.
"Ah Zheng, why aren't you getting off the bus?"
Gu Zheng, in the driver's seat, gripped the steering wheel tightly before looking up at Gu Zheng outside the car window and saying,
"There are still some important things to do at the company. I need to go over there now. You go in first. Also, don't wait for me tonight. I might not be back that early."
After saying that, Gu Zheng reversed his car and drove away without giving Xia Ran a chance to reply.
Watching Gu Zheng's car drive away, Xia Ran stood frozen in place, holding Gu Zheng, a sudden sense of panic rising in her heart for some unknown reason.
"Young Master Ran? Why aren't you going inside now that you're back? Didn't we just hear a car? Where's the eldest young master?"
Uncle Wang came out, breaking Xia Ran's train of thought.
Chapter 939 Gu En Appears
"He went out, saying that there were some urgent matters to be dealt with at the company."
Xia Ran came to his senses and realized that he was probably overthinking things.
Ah Zheng was just at the company taking care of some things, why is he overthinking it? Isn't working overtime at the company a normal thing?
Having figured things out, Xia Ran smiled and carried Gu Chen inside. She also told Uncle Wang that Qin Hao was alright, so that Uncle Wang wouldn't worry.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng, who had left, drove directly to a place—the entrance to a basketball court.
However, when he arrived, he did not get out of the car. Instead, he took out the note from before, flattened it, and wrote a line of words neatly on it. Moreover, the handwriting was familiar to Gu Zheng.
"Brother, I'm back. Can you come to the stadium to see me?"
The only person who would call him brother is Gu En.
But Gu En has been dead for five years, how could he possibly reappear?
He was so anxious that he wanted to come over, but he gradually calmed down after he got here.
It's more likely a prank, after all, he was the one who buried Gu En's ashes in the grave.
And if Gu En comes back, why not just go home instead of having him come over for a meeting?
But if it's a prank, why would this person have the exact same handwriting as Gu En? And even know where his car is?
And they even know that this is the stadium Gu En frequents the most?
Gu Zheng's emotions were very complicated, and his eyes were filled with confusion and struggle, but after a while, his eyes were filled with determination.
Since someone had invited him to meet here, he decided to take a good look at who had invited him.
If he finds out who it is, he'll have to teach that person a lesson.