"Alright, come and have breakfast." Xia Ran called the child over to eat breakfast, as if nothing had happened.
The child suddenly seemed to become very sensible; although his eyes were always red, he had a smile on his face.
However, Xia Ran clearly noticed that the child was eating the noodles much slower than usual.
He understood the child's thoughts, and felt his nose sting even more, but ultimately said nothing.
The best outcome for them is that the child voluntarily requests to leave.
But no matter how slowly the child ate, they still finished breakfast.
Gu Chen followed Xia Ran around the whole time while she was clearing the dishes, never leaving her side for even a moment.
"Little Daddy, from now on you have to eat and sleep properly, okay?"
Xia Ran was washing the dishes when Gu Chen couldn't help but say something.
Hearing the child's mature-sounding words, Xia Ran wanted to laugh, but couldn't manage to.
"I understand. You have to behave and not forget our promise, okay?"
"Okay, I understand." The child nodded vigorously, and after Xia Ran finished washing the dishes, he reached out his arms for Xia Ran to hug him.
But when Xia Ran walked into the living room, he asked her to put him down.
"Daddy, didn't you pack my clothes? Can you bring them out for me?"
Xia Ran paused for a moment, then nodded and went back to her room to get a small backpack.
This little backpack was also bought by Xia Ran before; the child's clothes and other things are all kept inside.
Upon seeing the schoolbag, the child immediately went over and put it on his back.
Grandpa Xia and Dazhuang both knew the child was leaving, so they waited in the living room.
No matter how sensible and calm the child appeared, he still couldn't help but shed tears when it was time to separate.
"Little Daddy, Great-Grandpa, Uncle Dazhuang, I...I'm leaving now. Please take good care of yourselves..."
"I'll see you out." Xia Ran tried to take the child's hand, but the child unexpectedly dodged away.
“No need, little daddy, I can go out by myself. You don’t need to take me out. I know you don’t want to see big daddy.”
Xia Ran was stunned for a moment, not expecting the child to say such a thing, and felt a pang of sadness and heartache.
"Xiao Chen, remember this: your dad loves you very much. Don't overthink things, okay?"
His biggest fear now is that his child will overthink things and then revert to his old ways.
Gu Chen: "Don't worry, Daddy. I understand. I'm a big boy now and I'll be a good boy."
Xia Ran nodded, his eyes stinging with tears. The child came over, hugged his neck, and then quickly ran to the door.
Xia Ran stood there, stunned, feeling a sudden emptiness in her heart.
The child is gone. Will they ever have a chance to meet again?
Although he keeps saying he wants the children to come back and visit often, can the Gu family and Gu Zheng really allow the children to come back?
After all, judging from his conversation with Gu Zheng yesterday, Gu Zheng wouldn't be coming to see him again.
Da Zhuang patted Xia Ran on the shoulder and told her about the conversation he overheard between Gu Zheng and the child yesterday.
After hearing this, Xia Ran felt even more conflicted and guilty towards the child.
The child always calls him "Little Daddy" sweetly and affectionately, but he can't keep the child by his side or give the child the fatherly love they want.
But he had no choice; it was a helpless situation, since the child was not related to him by blood.
After Gu Chen jogged out the door, he immediately saw Gu Zheng waiting at the door.
His eyes reddened, and he ran over and hugged Gu Zheng's leg.
"Big Daddy..."
He rarely relied on Gu Zheng like this, but today he was really feeling terrible.
Gu Zheng had been keeping an eye on Xia Ran's house, and when he saw the child run out, he was hoping to see Xia Ran.
But even when the child was right in front of him, the person he wanted to see didn't come out.
He probably understood what it meant, and simply bent down and picked up the child.
"Where's your stepfather? He didn't come out?"
"No, he was going to walk me out, but I wouldn't let him. I was afraid he'd be... sad..."
Hearing the child's words, Gu Zheng was also stunned. It seemed that he was not as caring as a child for Xia Ran. No wonder Xia Ran said that being with him was painful.
"Good job, you did a great job." Gu Zheng encouraged the child, but he couldn't move his arms around the child.
Deep down, he still really wanted to see Xia Ran.
But when he thought about what Xia Ran said yesterday, he couldn't face her...
Gu Chen climbed onto Gu Zheng's shoulder, sniffed, and asked,
"Dad, have you been drinking? And a lot of it?"
Gu Zheng paused, then hummed in agreement.
He had actually taken a shower earlier, but he didn't expect the child to still be able to smell it.
Gu Chen: "From now on... don't drink so much. I've already lost my stepfather, I can't lose my stepfather too..."
The child's voice was choked with sobs, which made Gu Zheng's heart ache.
"Xiao Chen, you haven't lost your little dad. He will definitely still love you very much."
Gu Chen nodded heavily. Gu Zheng glanced at Xia Ran's house before carrying the child into the house next door.
After the child left, Xia Ran appeared completely lost and distraught.
Dazhuang and Grandpa Xia were worried about him and didn't dare leave Xia Ran's side for even a moment.
Just as it was almost lunchtime, Xia Ran suddenly received a call from Yu Chao.
Xia Ran wasn't really in the mood to answer, but Yu Chao kept calling, so she had no choice but to pick up.
Yu Chao: "Xiao Ran, something happened at home and I need someone to help me. Could you come over and help me?"
Xia Ran didn't want to go out, so she subconsciously refused.
"Senior, I'm sorry, but I really don't want to go out right now. What happened? Could someone else go instead?"
When Yu Chao spoke again, his tone became somewhat dejected.
"Xiao Ran, do you hate me that much now? You won't even come to my house? I really had no other choice, that's why I called you. If there were any other way..."
Yu Chao didn't finish his sentence, and Xia Ran felt somewhat guilty listening to him.
Chapter 253 Don't Continue This Kind of Liking
Although he was somewhat shocked to learn about his senior's feelings for him, no matter what, his senior had helped him so much in the past, and now that his senior really needed his help, he actually refused.
"Wait a moment, senior, I'll be right there."
Yu Chao: "Okay."
Xia Ran hung up the phone, and Da Zhuang, who was next to her, asked her a question.
"What's going on? Is Yu Chao looking for you?"
“Yes.” Xia Ran nodded. “He said something happened at home and he wanted to find someone to help him.”
After hearing this, Dazhuang still felt a little strange. "Doesn't he have any other friends? Why does he insist on having you go? I have a feeling he has ulterior motives."
Xia Ran: "No, you're overthinking it. I asked him the same thing just now, but he said he couldn't find anyone else. I guess they're all busy. I'll go check first. You guys get ready to pack your things, we're leaving for our trip tonight."
He tried his best to speak in a light tone, but no matter what he did, he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes.
Now that the children have left, he was afraid that things might get complicated if he waited too long, so he decided to leave home for a while.
Da Zhuang nodded, not thinking much about Xia Ran's departure, but he felt something was off.
As Xia Ran got into the car at the door, she couldn't help but glance at the houses next door.
When he found the door locked, he was momentarily unable to discern his own feelings.
Not long after getting in the car, he got off at the entrance of Yu Chao's residential complex. Following the address Yu Chao had given him, he took the elevator directly to Yu Chao's door.
This building has one elevator per household, so he was the only one taking the elevator when he came up.
Xia Ran knocked on the door of Yu Chao's house, and the door was opened the next second.
Looking at Yu Chaoshi, who was standing unharmed, Xia Ran couldn't help but feel puzzled again.
This senior seems perfectly fine, so why do we insist on having him come over?
Upon seeing Xia Ran, a unique light flashed in Yu Chao's eyes.
"Come in quickly."
"Okay." Xia Ran went straight in.
But when he went inside and saw Yu Chao's neat and clean house, he became even more puzzled.
The person was perfectly fine, and the house was spotless. Why did they suddenly say something had happened and insist on having someone come?
"Senior, has something happened to your family or to you? Everything looks clean and tidy to me, so there doesn't seem to be any other problem."
Upon hearing Xia Ran's words, Yu Chao locked the person inside.
"This is a complicated matter. Please sit down first, and we can talk about it properly."
"Okay." Xia Ran thought that since he was already here, he might as well have a proper talk with Yu Chao.
Yu Chao: "Please sit down first, I'll go get you a glass of milk."
"No need, senior, I'm actually not thirsty," Xia Ran said.
"Even if you're not thirsty, you should still drink. After all, you're a guest." Yu Chao went into the kitchen, and Xia Ran could only sit on the sofa and wait.
When Yu Chao came out, he was holding a glass of milk. He placed the milk in front of Xia Ran and then sat down next to her.
The two were positioned neither too far nor too close, a distance that Xia Ran found quite comfortable.