"Mom, don't you think your behavior is just like that of a wicked mother-in-law in a wealthy family? But I actually think it's the right thing to do, hehe..."
Hearing her silly son's laughter, Aunt Gu rolled her eyes in anger and hung up the phone without saying a word.
Looking at the phone that had been hung up, Qin Hao sighed silently.
Sure enough, he's not their biological son!
After hanging up the phone, Aunt Gu told Qin Shi about the situation. After she finished speaking, she happily exclaimed that everything was developing in a positive direction.
Not only was Gu En dealt with, but Grandpa Xia was also taken care of.
Aunt Gu thought everything was moving in a positive direction, but what she didn't know was that someone had already secretly taken a car to Xia Ran's house.
Grandpa Xia was in good health to begin with, and was discharged from the hospital after receiving the glucose infusion.
Since Xia Ran hadn't left yet, the housekeeper wasn't asked to come back.
Although Grandpa Xia had already tacitly accepted Xia Ran and Gu Zheng's relationship, he still seemed to be in a bad mood, and at least he hadn't said a single word to Gu Zheng.
Even Xia Ran only gave a perfunctory "uh-huh" or "okay".
Xia Ran and the others didn't mind; they simply took Grandpa Xia home, and this outcome was already very good for them.
After returning from the hospital, Grandpa Xia has been sleeping in his room. Even at night, Xia Ran brings him food, and he doesn't eat much.
It wasn't until it was time for bed, when Xia Ran was helping Gu Chen wash the dishes, that Grandpa Xia called Gu Zheng into the room.
Of course, Xia Ran was unaware of this.
“Grandpa.” Gu Zheng stood gently by Grandpa Xia’s bedside.
He didn't seem surprised at all that Grandpa Xia would call him separately, as if he had already guessed it.
Grandpa Xia did not respond to Gu Zheng, but simply sat on the headboard and quietly observed Gu Zheng.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
"I still disagree with your relationship with Xia Ran, but Xia Ran likes you, and there's nothing I can do about it. I just hope you can treat him well and not disappoint him. That's my only request."
Chapter 123 Disappointment
Now that things are settled, Grandpa Xia knows there's no going back. All he can do is ask Gu Zheng to treat Xia Ran better.
Although the request was ridiculous, it was the only thing he could do as Xia Ran's grandfather.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng's expression became much more serious, and he replied,
"Grandpa, don't worry, I will treat him well and I will definitely not let him down."
In this lifetime, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will only be with Xia Ran. How could he not treat Xia Ran well?
Grandpa Xia nodded at Gu Zheng's answer and then waved for Gu Zheng to leave.
"You can go now, I'm going to sleep. Tell Ranran not to come over later."
Gu Zheng nodded, turned off the light for Grandpa Xia, and then went out.
The moment he closed the door, he seemed to hear his grandfather sigh.
Gu Zheng paused for a moment and didn't speak. He knew that it would be useless for him to say anything now. It would be better to show his grandfather with his actions that he meant what he said about being good to Xia Ran.
When Xia Ran finished helping Gu Chen take a shower and came out, she ran into Gu Zheng who was looking for them.
"You and Xiao Chen go back to your room first, I'll go check on Grandpa."
Xia Ran handed Gu Chen to Gu Zheng, but Gu Zheng grabbed her hand as soon as she took a step forward.
"No need to go, Grandpa is already asleep. He told you not to look for him."
"Hmm?" Xia Ran looked up at Gu Zheng. "So you were chatting with Grandpa just now?"
Gu Zheng didn't hide anything. "Yes, Grandpa let me in and said something to me. He said he hoped we would get along well and that I should treat you better."
Xia Ran was taken aback, then burst out laughing and said,
"Look, you promised my grandpa that you would treat me well in the future, otherwise I will never have the face to come back and see him again."
Gu Zheng held Xia Ran's hand and walked towards their room.
"Don't worry, I mean what I say, and I won't treat you badly."
Xia Ran grasped Gu Zheng's hand in return. He trusted Gu Zheng, just as he had been so determined and certain of liking Gu Zheng for so many years after only meeting him once.
Over the next two days, Grandpa Xia's mood improved considerably, but he still barely acknowledged Xia Ran and Gu Zheng. However, he seemed to have returned to his previous attitude towards Gu Chen.
They've been back for so many days now, and the company has started calling Gu Zheng frequently.
"Why don't you go back first? I'll stay home with Xiao Chen and keep Grandpa company for a few more days."
Xia Ran also wanted to go back with Gu Zheng, but he was worried about his grandfather.
Actually, he stayed at home because he wanted to persuade his grandfather to go there with him. He was quite worried about leaving his grandfather alone at home for a long time.
Gu Zheng looked down at Xia Ran and asked,
"You can bear to part with me?"
Xia Ran blushed. He noticed that Gu Zheng had become increasingly talkative these past two days.
"I'm reluctant to part with him..." Xia Ran said softly, "but I'm worried about Grandpa."
Gu Zheng patted Xia Ran's head. "I'll go tell Grandpa."
"Okay." Xia Ran thought Gu Zheng was going to tell Grandpa Xia that he was going to go back first, but she didn't expect that he would tell Grandpa Xia that he could live with them.
"I'm not going. I've lived here my whole life. I'm not used to living elsewhere. You're all busy with work, so go back first. Just come back to visit me often when you have time," Grandpa Xia said, holding Gu Chen.
“Grandpa, you’re getting old, and we’re worried about leaving you to live alone.”
Grandpa Xia waved his hand dismissively, "There's nothing to worry about. I'm not so old that I can't walk, and I have a housekeeper at home. Don't worry, everything will be fine. But you guys, since you're busy with work, go home early and don't let it interfere with your work."
"Grandpa, can't you live with us?" Xia Ran asked, feeling a little sad. "I just want to live with you."
He actually wanted to live with his grandfather, but it was obviously impossible because of Gu Zheng's job.
He couldn't just abandon Gu Zheng for his grandfather's sake; that wouldn't be fair to Gu Zheng.
But if he and Gu Zheng go back, it won't be fair to Grandpa.
Xia Ran's mood suddenly became very low.
Grandpa Xia could tell what Xia Ran was thinking at a glance. He sighed softly and said,
“I can still move around now, so I want to live here. In two years, when I’m too old to walk, I’ll go and live with you.”
"Ranran, you're married now. You have to stay with Gu Zheng and can't be as willful as before, understand?"
Grandpa Xia patted Xia Ran's head, his tone the gentlest he'd been in days.
Xia Ran's eyes reddened even more. Gu Zheng remained silent beside her, unsure of what to say.
He was selfish; of course he wanted Xia Ran to go back with him.
Grandpa Xia talked to Xia Ran for a long time, and in the end Xia Ran agreed to go back with Gu Zheng the day after tomorrow.
Grandpa Xia originally wanted them to go back tomorrow, but Xia Ran refused, insisting on staying one more day before leaving.
The decision to go back was made, and Xia Ran and Gu Zheng were still listless when they returned to their room.
Gu Chen was already sleepy, so Gu Zheng put him on the bed, then patted Xia Ran's head and whispered,
“We will come back to see Grandpa once a month and stay at his house for two days. In two years, Grandpa will agree to live with us, and then everything will be fine.”
At this moment, Gu Zheng still felt somewhat guilty.
If it weren't for him, Xia Ran would be staying by her grandfather's side.
Xia Ran, who was not in a particularly high mood, was stunned when he heard Gu Zheng's words. He looked up at Gu Zheng excitedly and said,
"Ah Zheng, is what you just said true? We'll come back to see Grandpa once a month from now on?"
Under Xia Ran's excited and expectant gaze, Gu Zheng nodded.
"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran's eyes reddened, and she immediately wrapped her arms around Gu Zheng's waist, saying in a muffled voice,
"Ah Zheng, thank you."
Gu Zheng hugged Xia Ran back without saying a word. Actually, if anyone should thank him, it should be Xia Ran, considering his initial purpose...
But everything has changed now. He doesn't plan to let Xia Ran know about what happened before. It's fine as it is now.
The next day, Xia Ran, Gu Zheng, Gu Chen, and Qin Hao accompanied Grandpa Xia on a long walk.
Grandpa Xia's mood improved noticeably.
They always ate out before going home in the evenings. Thinking about leaving the next day, Xia Ran tried her best to talk to Grandpa Xia as much as possible.
In the evening, Gu Zheng received a call from the company. In order not to disturb Xia Ran and Grandpa Xia's conversation, he planned to talk in the car outside the door.
But as soon as he got to the car, he saw a person with a bag standing next to it.
There were streetlights in front of Xia Ran's house, so under the illumination of the streetlights, Gu Zheng was able to see the person's face clearly.
Gu Zheng's breath hitched, and disbelief filled his eyes.
Chapter 124 Gu En Approaches Gu Zheng
When Gu En saw Gu Zheng, her eyes immediately turned red, and even her voice sounded like she was crying.
"Brother Zheng..."
These weren't just things Gu En was faking; after all, he had really missed Gu Zheng all these years.
If he hadn't been so foolish as to leave back then, he wouldn't have missed out on Gu Zheng for so many years.
Gu Zheng, who already thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, felt his head explode when he heard Gu En call him "Brother Zheng".
If he thought he was mistaken just now, he can no longer say that he was mistaken.
After all, appearance can be deceiving, but the voice and tone of voice cannot.
“Little… En…”