"Well...we just heard it in the square, so we came over to ask..."
"We didn't have any other intentions. We just thought that he's a child we've watched grow up, and we couldn't let him go down this wrong path, so we came to say something..."
"Tell me?" Gu Zheng said coldly, "You can't just spout things without any factual basis?"
Gu Zheng took out his phone and found a photo on it.
“Look carefully, this is my marriage certificate with Xia Ran. He is not a mistress. We are legally married. If I hear you saying anything more nonsense, I don’t mind sending you all to the police station.”
"If you don't believe me, you can try it."
Gu Zheng's voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of everyone present.
When the elderly men and women saw the marriage certificate in Gu Zheng's phone album, they realized they had misunderstood him and left somewhat embarrassedly.
Xia Ran watched this scene, pursed her lips and said nothing. She put down the child and helped Grandpa Xia into the house.
Grandpa Xia was very angry and couldn't calm down for a long time.
Yu Chao looked at Gu Zheng with a grim expression. He had originally wanted Gu Zheng to explain everything for Xia Ran, but now Gu Zheng had explained it for him.
Could this be considered giving Xia Ran a chance to change her opinion of Gu Zheng?
Yu Chao's expression was somewhat unpleasant, while Gu Zheng, after the elderly people left, turned to Xia Ran and said,
"Take Grandpa inside first. I'll go find out who's spreading rumors. Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any injustice."
Gu Zheng's expression was calm, and he turned and got into the car and left without waiting for Xia Ran and the others to answer.
This isn't his territory, so it's definitely not as convenient to get things done here as it is on his land.
Moreover, he already had a general idea of who to choose from.
Not many people knew about his marriage to Xia Ran, and even fewer people would say that Xia Ran was a mistress.
If he wasn't mistaken, it was Gu En.
If it really is Gu En, then Gu En is challenging his bottom line, and he shouldn't blame him for being ruthless then.
But why is Gu En here? And what is he doing here?
Xia Ran stopped thinking about Gu Zheng and helped Grandpa Xia into the living room.
Xia Ran silently poured Grandpa Xia a cup of hot water. Gu Chen also knew that the atmosphere was not right, so he didn't say anything and obediently sat on the small stool next to Grandpa Xia.
Grandpa Xia took a sip of hot water, but his complexion didn't improve much. He could only sit on the stool, close his eyes, and sigh.
He's old, and that argument just now left him feeling very tired, both physically and mentally.
Xia Ran sat down next to Grandpa Xia with a sullen face, looked at Dazhuang, and asked,
"Dazhuang, what exactly happened?"
Dazhuang looked at Xia Ran with some hesitation, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Xia Ran noticed Da Zhuang's hesitation and her tone became a little harsher.
"What exactly happened? This matter concerns me, and I need to know, and I have the right to know."
Yu Chao sat down next to Xia Ran. "Xiao Ran, don't worry, I'll go down and check it out for you later to see what's going on."
"Thank you," Xia Ran said to Chao, but her eyes remained fixed on Da Zhuang.
Dazhuang had no choice but to sigh and say...
“My grandfather and I were at home peacefully, but then a lot of people came and knocked on the door. My grandfather had to open the door, and then we must have had an argument, so I went out.”
"Then we heard them say that you... that you were a third party who broke up someone else's relationship, and that you were a mistress. Grandpa and I were so angry that we had no choice but to argue with them."
"After the theoretical argument, they got more and more agitated. My grandfather and I couldn't win the argument, and in the end, my grandfather got so angry that we came back."
"In short, it's all about how your marriage to Gu Zheng has been spread maliciously."
After hearing Dazhuang's words, Xia Ran was stunned. He sat there blankly, looking at Grandpa Xia with his eyes closed as he rested, his eyes slightly warm.
He took a deep breath, looked at Yu Chao beside him, and said,
"Senior, you should go back first. There's only one thing I wanted to tell you: don't waste your time on the wrong people. It's not worth it."
Chapter 248 Debt Collection
His words were cryptic, but Yu Chao understood them.
Looking at Xia Ran, he thought about many things and finally decided to leave.
"Xiao Ran, only I know whether it's right or wrong. You should rest well first. Call me anytime if anything happens. I'll leave now so as not to bother you."
"I'll also help you find out what happened this time. I'll be going now."
After Yu Chao finished speaking, he didn't wait for Xia Ran and the others to reply, and turned around and left.
Xia Ran watched Yu Chao's departing figure, her eyes filled with unreadable thoughts.
When Yu Chao left Xia Ran's house and got into his car, he immediately took out his phone and sent a message to someone.
Don't waste time on the wrong people? Ha... He doesn't need the right people, he just wants Xia Ran, as long as he thinks Xia Ran is the right one.
Xia Ran doesn't want to be with him? Ha... Does he need Xia Ran's consent? As long as he brings Xia Ran to his home, will Xia Ran ever say she doesn't agree?
After Yu Chao left, the living room fell into silence for a while, until Grandpa Xia's cough broke the silence.
"Cough...cough cough..."
"Grandpa." Xia Ran quickly patted Grandpa Xia on the back to help him catch his breath, but her eyes couldn't help but redden. "Grandpa, I'm sorry, I... If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened today."
Grandpa has lived here for so many years and has always been well-liked, but because of his willfulness, he got into trouble in front of all the old neighbors today.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Grandpa Xia's tone was somewhat weak. "It's all those people making a fuss. We shouldn't admit to things we didn't do. We should just live our lives well."
Grandpa Xia touched Xia Ran's hand, and he looked several years older.
Xia Ran nodded. "I understand, Grandpa. I'll take you back to your room to rest."
"Mm." Grandpa Xia nodded, letting Xia Ran help him leave.
Before leaving, he glanced at Gu Chen, who was sitting obediently to the side, but only sighed and said nothing.
Xia Ran understood Grandpa Xia's hesitation and made a decision in her heart.
This can't go on any longer, not only for his own sake but also for his grandfather's.
If he continues to act recklessly like this, Grandpa might be driven to his death by his anger.
Gu Chen wanted to go with Xia Ran, but Da Zhuang stopped him.
"Xiao Chen, your great-grandfather and great-grandfather are in a bad mood right now. Let's not bother them, okay?"
Gu Chen pursed his lips and nodded, then looked up at Da Zhuang and asked,
"Uncle Dazhuang, is it because Daddy and Great-Grandpa are in a bad mood?"
Da Zhuang paused for a moment, then smiled and said,
"No, no, you're overthinking it. This has nothing to do with you. You're just a kid, don't overthink things, okay?"
Gu Chen didn't say anything more. He didn't believe Uncle Dazhuang's words. He knew that all of this was because of him and his father.
Is it true that his staying with his stepfather would make his stepfather sad?
Gu Chen sat down on the small stool again, his face blank and his eyes glazed over.
Xia Ran escorted Grandpa Xia to his room, intending to speak with him, but Grandpa Xia waved him away.
"Grandpa, I..."
Grandpa Xia: "No need to say anything, Grandpa understands. You can go out now. I'll be fine after a short nap."
Since Grandpa Xia had already said so much, Xia Ran could only nod silently, cover Grandpa Xia with the blanket, and then turn and leave.
As he closed the door, he heard Grandpa Xia cough loudly.
He paused in his work, closed the door, and sat down against the wall.
Looking back on all of this, he felt immense regret.
When Dazhuang came over and saw Xia Ran's condition, he didn't know what to say for a moment. He could only pat Xia Ran's shoulder as a form of comfort.
"This isn't your fault, don't overthink it."
"Dazhuang, I really... I regret it so much..." Xia Ran covered her eyes.
Gu Chen, who had followed them in, was too afraid to go in after seeing this scene. He stood there with red eyes before returning to the small stool in the living room.
The matter that Gu Zheng had ordered to be investigated was quickly uncovered, and it was indeed Gu En, just as he had suspected.
He had people ask those elderly men and women where they had heard those things from.
Those people all said they heard it in the square. The man was a middle-aged man who was chatting with them about gossip. Later, somehow they started talking about Xia Ran.
He found the middle-aged man and learned from him that someone had given him ten thousand yuan to talk to him about this matter.
The middle-aged man didn't recognize the person who had asked him to tell this story. He only knew that the man was wearing a mask and a hat and sounded young. Based on the description of the man's figure, Gu Zheng confirmed that it was Gu En.
Gu Zheng called Qin Hao and told him about it.
When Qin Hao learned about this, he couldn't help but mutter a curse.
"Brother, I'm sorry. I've been busy with company matters since I came back and haven't paid much attention to Gu En, so I don't know how she is doing now."
"Don't worry, I'll investigate right away. By the way, now that this has happened, you need to make a good impression on Xia Ran, or the consequences will be severe."
Gu Zheng gave a soft "hmm" and said, "Tell me immediately if you have any news about Gu En. I'll leave the company's affairs to you for now."
Qin Hao: "I know, I know. There's nothing hard about it. Just focus on taking care of your own things."
Qin Hao hung up the phone and looked up to see his secretary come in.
"President Qin, the president of the Lin Group has arrived and wants to see you."
"Lin Yi?" Qin Hao muttered to himself, "Then let him in, and make two more cups of coffee."
Since he came back here, he has been busy at the company and has not had time to pay attention to Lin Yi at all.
He occasionally saw Lin Yi on his phone, but he wasn't in the mood to pay attention to him.
Now it seems he has to talk to Lin Yi.