Although Gu Zheng was usually not very talkative, the way he looked at him made Gu Zheng feel that Gu Zheng treated him differently.
Especially after their first time, he could feel that Ah Zheng treated him differently.
It had been a long time since he had been called Xia Ran; instead, he was called Ranran, just like his grandfather used to call him.
Just now, Gu Zheng called him Xia Ran. Although it was nothing, Xia Ran couldn't help but overthink it.
Gu Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "No, you did a great job. I'm just a little tired. I'm going to take a shower first."
Gu Zheng pulled his hand away and went into the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror, a hint of struggle appeared in his eyes.
Actually, he didn't feel any better about how he treated Xia Ran today.
But... he can't let go of Gu En either, and he doesn't like Xia Ran either, does he?
Xia Ran stood there, staring at the bathroom door for a long time, her mood not seeming to have improved at all because of Gu Zheng's words.
He felt that Gu Zheng seemed a little different these past two days. Could it be because Xiao En came back?
That's true. If it were him, and he had a younger brother who had been missing for so many years, he would definitely want to treat his brother well, just like Ah Zheng.
"Little Daddy..." Gu Chen's puzzled voice sounded from behind.
Xia Ran snapped out of her daze, her expression much more relaxed.
"Little Chen, are you sleepy?"
He walked over and kissed Gu Chen's cheek.
"No," Gu Chen shook his head, "I want a little dad."
Xia Ran was in a great mood because of Gu Chen's words, and her slightly annoyed mood also improved.
Honestly! It's one thing to be jealous of other people, but how can he be jealous of Ah Zheng's younger brother?
Ah Zheng doesn't like being controlled too much, and he absolutely can't let a situation like today happen again!
Xia Ran calmed herself down, and Gu Zheng also came out of the bathroom after taking a shower.
When he saw the two people, one big and one small, sitting on the bed looking at him, he paused for a moment.
"It's getting late, go to sleep early."
Gu Zheng didn't dare to look Xia Ran in the eye. After saying that, he prepared to leave.
"Ah Zheng," Xia Ran called out immediately, "Goodnight."
Gu Zheng stopped in his tracks again, this time unable to resist turning back.
Looking at Xia Ran's smile, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
"Good night."
Watching Gu Zheng leave, Xia Ran felt as if something was about to disappear from her heart.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng left his room and went directly to Gu En's room.
Gu En had actually been waiting for Gu Zheng, fearing that Gu Zheng might be sleeping in Xia Ran's room.
Seeing Gu Zheng return, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother Zheng."
"Well, it's getting late, let's go to sleep," Gu Zheng said somewhat absentmindedly.
He slept in Gu En's room, but not in the same bed; he slept on a makeshift bed on the floor.
Gu En noticed that Gu Zheng seemed somewhat distracted, her eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke up.
"Brother Zheng, I... have something I want to talk to you about."
"What is it?" Gu Zheng, who was about to lie down on the floor, sat up again after hearing Gu En's words.
Gu En: "Actually, when do you plan to divorce Xia Ran? And should we reduce Xiao Chen's contact with Xia Ran now? I'm afraid that if they continue to get along like this, Xiao Chen will feel uncomfortable without Xia Ran when you divorce her."
"So, Brother Zheng, for Xiao Chen's sake, why don't we reduce the amount of time the two of them spend together now?"
Upon hearing Gu En's words, Gu Zheng was taken aback. Separate the child from Xia Ran? Would the child agree to that?
"But the child is currently most attached to Xia Ran. If we suddenly separate them, the child might not be able to handle it."
“But we have to endure it even if we can’t bear it.” Gu En’s tone was a little anxious. “He’s a boy. Didn’t you say his condition has improved a lot? So we can’t spoil him like that anymore. We have to let him become independent, otherwise he will become more and more dependent on others in the future.”
"Brother Zheng, do you really want your child to grow up to be an ignorant and useless rich kid who relies on his family for everything? What will people say then?"
It must be said that Gu En really understands Gu Zheng and knows how to talk to him in a way that makes it easier for him to compromise.
Gu Zheng frowned. "But the child is with Xia Ran every day now. If we were to suddenly separate them, we would need a reasonable explanation."
“I’ve already thought of that.” Gu En’s eyes showed a hint of pride. “Tomorrow we can take the child out and say we’re going to see a friend. Xia Ran can stay home.”
"Or you could say that you're going for a follow-up check-up with me, and that you're taking the child for a check-up as well. The child can come out with us then. No matter what, I'm the child's biological father, so I'm sure I can appease the child."
Gu Zheng hesitated upon hearing this, though he seemed unsure of what he was hesitating about.
Seeing Gu Zheng's silence, Gu En's heart sank further, and the smugness in her eyes disappeared.
"Zheng-ge, you don't actually want to divorce Xia Ran, do you? What you promised me in the car was all a lie, wasn't it?" Gu En's tone was full of disappointment and sadness.
“No.” Gu Zheng blurted out, “Don’t overthink it. If I promised you, it’s definitely true. How could it be false?”
Gu En looked up at Gu Zheng, her eyes slightly red.
"Brother Zheng, when do you plan to divorce Xia Ran? I... I'm afraid I don't have much time left, and I can't wait."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Gu Zheng scolded Gu En directly. "When we go for the check-up tomorrow, we'll have a follow-up examination. I've already found a doctor abroad, and he'll definitely be able to cure you."
"No." Gu En's tears fell immediately. "Brother Zheng, I don't want to see you. I'm scared, I'm really scared. Every time I go to see you, I'm afraid I'll never be able to see you again."
"You promised me you wouldn't tell anyone about my illness, Zheng-ge, you wouldn't lie to me, right? I don't want to see pity in other people's eyes. I've seen too much of that pity. I don't like it, I really don't like it..."
Seeing Gu En like this, Gu Zheng felt an indescribable sadness welling up in his heart. He immediately got up, sat on the bed, and took a tissue to wipe Gu En's tears.
"Okay, I won't see you for now, and I won't tell anyone about your condition."
Gu Zheng recalled Gu En's childhood. Back then, Gu En's mental state was not good, and it took many doctors to gradually improve her condition.
Gu En's appearance just now was very similar to that of a child, so he dared not force Gu En any further.
Gu En grabbed Gu Zheng's clothes. "When are you going to divorce Xia Ran? I'm afraid... I can't wait."
Chapter 139 Divorce a Week Later
Looking at Gu En like this, Gu Zheng felt a struggle in his heart.
He moved his lips and managed to utter a time with difficulty.
"One week, Xiao En, believe me, I will divorce him within a week. But during this time, you must keep a positive attitude, don't overthink things, and focus on getting better, okay?"
"Okay, Zheng-ge, I believe you, thank you." Gu En looked at Gu Zheng, her tears no longer falling.
It's only a week, he can wait that long, but he won't let Xia Ran have an easy time during this week.
Gu Zheng: "Alright, go to sleep, it's getting late."
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Gu En didn't say anything more, simply replied "okay" and went to sleep.
Lying in her familiar room, Gu En was in a very good mood, which resulted in excellent sleep quality.
However, Gu Zheng, who was sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor in his room, couldn't fall asleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Xia Ran's image: Xia Ran smiling at him, calling him A-Zheng, cooking for him, and so on.
Finally, the image that lingered in my mind was Xia Ran kneeling in the room, begging Grandpa Xia to let them be together.
Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and tiptoed out of Gu En's room.
He went back to Xia Ran and his room, where Xia Ran and the child were already asleep.
He stood by the bed, watching the two of them, his eyes filled with pain and struggle that even he himself was unaware of.
After a long while, he took a deep breath and turned to leave.
He had nothing to feel guilty about, and nothing to be reluctant to part with.
He married Xia Ran simply because of the child and Xia Ran's resemblance to Xiao En.
Now that Xiao En is back, Xia Ran naturally has to leave too.
Moreover, Xiao En's health is already like this, and he owes Xiao En far too much; he cannot let Xiao En down.
After leaving his room, Gu Zheng didn't go back to Gu En's room, but went to Qin Hao's room instead.
Qin Hao was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly pulled out of bed, which made him furious.
But before he could even open his mouth to curse, he saw Gu Zheng standing by his bedside.
“…”
"Brother, what are you doing here in my room so late at night instead of sleeping?"
"Get up and drink with me."
After saying that, Gu Zheng turned and left.
Qin Hao was furious, but in the end he didn't dare to argue and could only follow them out.
On the balcony, Gu Zheng had already taken a lot of alcohol—white wine, red wine, and beer.
Qin Hao: "..."
He now suspects his brother is trying to murder him with alcohol!
"Brother, are you sure? Drinking baijiu so late at night?" Qin Hao swallowed nervously, but still moved over.
Gu Zheng didn't answer Qin Hao's question. Instead, he took out a bottle of baijiu and started drinking it straight from the bottle.
Qin Hao watched, not daring to say anything more, and could only pick up a can of beer and drink it.
His brother seemed to be in a very bad mood, so he should still drink.
Qin Hao initially thought Gu Zheng had something to say to him, but after they had both drunk two bottles, Gu Zheng still hadn't spoken. In the end, Qin Hao couldn't help but ask himself.
"Brother, you didn't just call me for a drink, did you? Is there something you want to tell me?"
"If there's anything, just say it. By the way, I've been following up on Lin Yi's project, and I'll continue to discuss it with him tomorrow."