"Did Gu Zheng tell you about his return?"
“Yes.” Xia Ran nodded quickly. “He said he would bring her back tonight. I originally wanted to go with him, but A-Zheng wouldn’t let me. He said I could just wait at home.”
Aunt Gu's face was very unpleasant, and Xia Ran could tell.
He looked at the others with some confusion, noting that apart from Gu Chen, who seemed to know nothing and was eating his bread in small bites, everyone else looked rather unwell.
But why is that? Shouldn't Ah Zheng's aunt and the others be happy that his younger brother is coming back? Why does he feel like none of them are happy?
"Wife." Qin Hao's father held Gu Gu's hand, silently reminding her of something.
Aunt Gu calmed herself down, forcing a somewhat stiff smile, and said,
"You don't need to prepare anything. He's not an outsider, so what's there to prepare? You don't need to treat him differently. He's a grown man."
After Aunt Gu finished speaking, she stood up. "Alright, I'm feeling a bit sleepy now, I'm going to lie down for a bit more. You and Xiao Chen can eat slowly."
"I'm going to lie down for a bit too." Qin Hao's father followed his aunt back to her room.
After putting down the soy milk, Uncle Wang turned and left. Xia Ran's gaze fell on Qin Hao, who was wolfing down his soy milk.
Qin Hao: "..."
Chapter 132 I want you to get a divorce
"Well, I... I also need to rush to the company." Qin Hao had a piece of toast in his mouth and another in his hand, and then he quickly ran towards the door.
However, he paused at the door, returned to the dining table, and said to Xia Ran...
"Xia Ran, you don't need to prepare anything tonight. Just eat like usual. If we prepare too much, he might feel like we're treating him like an outsider, right?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran nodded, "That does seem to be true."
“It’s not just a possibility, it’s absolutely true!” Qin Hao replied, his face full of certainty.
But Xia Ran looked at it and felt like something was not quite right.
"Qin Hao, why do I feel like you guys... all seem a little too happy?"
Actually, Xia Ran was quite nervous when he said those words. After all, it was Zheng's younger brother who had returned. Qin Hao and his aunt would definitely be even happier than he was. His words sounded like he was accusing them of not caring about Gu En.
But Qin Hao and the others' emotions were so strange to him that he couldn't help but ask.
Qin Hao's face stiffened. "How could that be? We were all quite happy, but we didn't dare to show it too much, lest he feel like an outsider. That's right, that's it. Okay, okay, I have to go to work, I'm running late."
After saying that, Qin Hao ran out quickly, and this time he didn't look back.
Xia Ran sat there, thinking about what Qin Hao and the others had just said, and it seemed to make a lot of sense.
Indeed, how could her aunt and the others not be happy? They were probably just afraid that if they were too happy, they might do something rash that would make Gu En feel like an outsider.
It's like what disabled people dislike most is being treated differently by others.
Xia Ran figured it out and had an idea in mind. He wouldn't do anything else, but he would still cook a meal himself.
"Little Daddy...eat..."
Gu Chen, who had been eating quietly to the side, suddenly handed a small piece of bread to Xia Ran.
Xia Ran smiled and opened his mouth to eat, and the father and son continued to enjoy their breakfast, which was neither too early nor too late.
Meanwhile, in Aunt Gu's room, Aunt Gu was pacing back and forth in fear, fuming with anger.
Several times I even picked up some things as if I wanted to smash them, but in the end I looked at them and gritted my teeth and put them down.
Seeing his wife like this, Qin Hao's father sighed and went over to hug her.
"Okay, okay, stop getting angry. If you keep getting angry, you'll get wrinkles."
"I'm just so angry! Xiao Ran is such a good person. If Gu Zheng weren't my biological nephew, I would have... I would have..."
Aunt Gu suddenly bit Qin Hao's father on the shoulder, as if venting her frustration.
Qin Hao's father wasn't angry. He didn't even feel pain from the bite. He simply gently patted Aunt Gu's back and softly coaxed her.
"Alright, don't be angry anymore. It's no use being angry now, is it? I know you're upset for Xia Ran, but what can you say or do in this situation?"
"Are you going to explain the truth to Xia Ran? But have you considered whether Xia Ran can accept what you're saying? Putting aside Gu Zheng, what about Xiao Chen? Do you want him to go back to how he was before?"
Upon hearing Qin Hao's father's words, Aunt Gu immediately punched the man's shoulder hard.
She understood what those words meant, and that's why she was so angry.
She was angry at Gu Zheng's dishonesty, angry at her own powerlessness, or angry at their own selfishness.
If she weren't afraid that telling the truth would lead to Gu Zheng and Xia Ran's divorce, and that Xiao Chen would revert to his old ways, she would have told Xia Ran the truth long ago.
But... she was still selfish after all, she still had her own selfish motives.
In the afternoon, Xia Ran started preparing dinner early. Aunt Gu watched from the side with Xiao Chen in her hand, her eyes red with anger.
But there was nothing she could do.
"Xiao Ran, don't work so hard. The maids can do these things."
Xia Ran has already suffered so much, and now she's being forced to cook for Gu En.
Gu En is truly something else. If she doesn't teach Gu En a lesson this time, she's not a Gu.
Xia Ran replied with a smile, "It won't be hard for you, Auntie."
Aunt Gu opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she didn't say anything at all.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng returned with Gu En.
As they were about to arrive at the Gu family's residence, Gu En felt a surge of pride, but her expression grew increasingly tense and disappointed.
"Brother Zheng, why don't you take me back? I... I'm a little scared. I already promised Aunt and the others I wouldn't come back, I..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Zheng, who was driving, said directly, "Didn't I tell you? I've already made arrangements with your aunt and the others. Everything will be fine. Just go back home with peace of mind. That's your home too. No one but you will dare to say anything to you, understand?"
"Besides, don't you want to go back to see your children and stay by their side?"
Upon hearing this, Gu En could barely contain his smugness, which was evident on his face.
"But... even if my aunt and the others don't mind, what about Xia Ran? What will happen to Xia Ran? I... I'm still a little scared."
"What are you afraid of? You are my brother, Gu Zheng's younger brother, the second young master of the Gu family. What is there to be afraid of? I have already told Xia Ran that you are my brother, and Xia Ran has made it clear that he will treat you like his own brother."
Gu En's eyes flashed, and he spoke with some difficulty.
"But...Brother Zheng, I...I don't want to just be a younger brother. You said it back then, you said..."
Gu En bit her lip, not saying the rest of her words, her eyes fixed on Gu Zheng's reaction.
Upon hearing Gu En's words, Gu Zheng paused for a moment, unsure how to respond.
"Xiao En, I'm married to him now. I can't divorce him without a reason. Do you understand? What happened back then is in the past."
"But Brother Zheng, I haven't forgotten, I've always remembered. And... what if there was a reason for your divorce, not an unprovoked one?"
Gu En's tears immediately fell. Gu Zheng suddenly slammed on the brakes, turned to look at Gu En beside him, and asked...
"What's the meaning?"
A bad feeling suddenly crept into his heart.
Gu En looked at him, as if she had made a difficult decision, and slowly began to speak.
"Actually, Brother Zheng, there's something else I haven't told you. I... I don't have long to live. I'm going to die soon, and I want to marry you before I die, just like you promised me back then, that you would marry me when you grew up."
“
Chapter 133 Agreeing to a Divorce
"What do you mean? What do you mean you won't live much longer?" Gu Zheng asked with a stern face.
Their car was almost at their doorstep, but after listening to Gu En's words, Gu Zheng stopped by the roadside.
Gu En's tears kept falling.
"Originally... I didn't want to tell you, but... I just couldn't help it. I can't bear to part with you, I can't bear to part with the child, I can't stand the thought of you and the child becoming someone else's."
“I… my heart aches whenever I think of that scene. When you were little, you said you would marry me and give me a home. I believed you and waited for you. But what happened six years ago changed everything.”
"Brother Zheng, should I not have come back? What happened six years ago, I'm tainted, aren't I? You don't like me anymore, do you? You despise me now, don't you?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Gu Zheng said coldly, his expression changing when he heard Gu En mention the events of six years ago.
"You're not dirty, you're good, I've never looked down on you. Listen to me, don't talk nonsense."
Gu Zheng raised his hand to wipe away Gu En's tears, his face filled with self-reproach.
"What happened back then was my fault. You were... because of me. Stop crying. If you keep crying, are you trying to make me feel even worse?"
Seeing that Gu En was crying so hard, Gu Zheng could only unbuckle his seatbelt and hug her to comfort her.
Gu En nestled in Gu Zheng's arms, tears still streaming down her face, but she was secretly overjoyed.
He knew that as long as he told Gu Zheng what happened back then, Gu Zheng would soften his heart.
"Then, Brother Zheng, why don't you divorce Xia Ran? I... I've taken too much damage to my health over the years, and I've also developed another illness. The doctor said I only have a few years left. I want to marry you in my last days and fulfill my lifelong dream."
"Then I can have some time to be with the child openly and honestly, Zheng-ge. That's all I want. Besides, you only married Xia Ran because she looks like me. Now that I'm back, can't you divorce her?"
"What do you mean by 'not many years left'?" Gu Zheng didn't answer Gu En's question, but just looked at Gu En. "What exactly happened? Why do you keep saying you don't have much time left? What kind of illness is it? Tell me, and I'll help you find a doctor."
"It's no use." Gu En lifted her head from Gu Zheng's arms, her eyes bloodshot.
“I’ve seen many doctors, and every single one of them said there was no way to save me. They just said that if I kept a good mood and maintained a cheerful attitude, I could live a few more years.”
"Brother Zheng, I... I just want to live well with you and the children in my last days, even if it's just for a month, I'll be satisfied."
Hearing Gu En's words, Gu Zheng was at a loss for words.
He moved his lips slightly, but in the end he could only look at Gu En in silence.
Gu En's heart sank, but her tears fell even more profusely.
“I understand, Brother Zheng…you…let me get off the bus. If I have to watch you and your child live happily with someone else as your younger brother, I’m afraid I won’t even be able to live to the end.”
He pushed Gu Zheng away and tried to get out of the car, but Gu Zheng almost instinctively grabbed Gu En's shoulder.
"Xiao En, stop fooling around."