"Gu Zheng, you don't actually think that Xia Ran will live a safe and happy life just because you're not by her side, do you? Where's your brain? Shouldn't you be trying your best to stay by her side at this time, protecting her and giving her happiness?"
“Gu Zheng, only a coward would use this almost escapist method to solve a problem. A real man should stay by his side and make him take back what he said: ‘Your presence in front of him is like a slow suicide for him.’”
Gu Zheng was startled. He looked up at He Xiu, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
He was extremely reluctant to leave Xia Ran in the first place, and now that He Xiu had said that, his already wavering resolve was completely shaken.
He Xiu: "Don't look at me like that. I'm a psychologist, and I charge a lot of money. If you want to thank me, you can transfer money to me later. I'll be happy to accept it."
In fact, after being mortal enemies with Gu Zheng for so many years, he had long since stopped hating this person who always had the upper hand over him. Instead, he felt that their relationship was now like that of friends.
Of course, he would never tell Gu Zheng this.
Gu Zheng didn't know if he had listened to He Xiu's words, and soon he started drinking alone again.
He Xiu didn't say anything more. He had already said everything he needed to say. The rest was up to Gu Zheng. At most, he could only have a drink with Gu Zheng.
Time passed by, and before long it was midnight.
Da Zhuang had been keeping Xia Ran playing games because he was afraid she would overthink things, but when it got to midnight, he had a strange feeling about it.
I haven't replied to your messages in so long, could I have really drunk myself to death?
Da Zhuang glanced at Xia Ran beside him and asked, seemingly casually,
"Xia Ran, if—and I mean if—you have a friend, and that friend has a friend who gets drunk outside and asks your friend to pick him up, do you think you should go?"
"A friend of mine just asked me this. He said he has a friend whose relationship with him is a bit strange and complicated, but the other person is drunk and insists that he go pick him up. My friend doesn't know whether he should go or not. What do you think he should go?"
Da Zhuang directly used the "I Have a Friend" series. Although Xia Ran felt that Da Zhuang's words were a bit messy, she still understood them to some extent.
"Actually, it's not that bad. It depends on how strange and delicate your friend's relationship is. If it's just a fight, it's fine and you can go pick them up."
"After all, he was drunk. What if something happened if no one picked him up? Besides, he specifically asked your friend to pick him up, which means he must have placed your friend in a very important position."
No one knows which of Xia Ran's words touched Dazhuang's heart, but Dazhuang inexplicably felt a little awkward and uncomfortable.
"Ahem... I understand, I'll reply to my friend's message now."
Da Zhuang pretended to send a message on his phone, and Xia Ran didn't think much of it.
Five minutes later, Dazhuang suddenly said something.
"I need to go out for a bit, Xia Ran."
Chapter 271 I Like You
"Huh?" Xia Ran looked up at Da Zhuang. "What are you doing out so late at night?"
Thinking back to what Dazhuang had just said, Xia Ran couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Could it be that the friend Dazhuang mentioned earlier is Dazhuang himself?
A hint of guilt flashed in Da Zhuang's eyes, but his face remained puzzled as he said,
"Is it that late? What's wrong with going out a little later? I'm a man, not a woman, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Besides, I was just thinking that we're leaving tomorrow, so I wanted to buy some barbecue from Old Wang's place. After all, we don't know when we'll be able to come back again!"
Da Zhuang spoke with such composure that Xia Ran's doubts vanished.
"Then I'll go with you, buy more things, and some beer too, so we can have a good drink."
"No!" Da Zhuang's tone immediately became serious. "I'll go by myself... I can go by myself. You just need to stay home and wait for me."
"Why?" Xia Ran's doubts rose again.
Da Zhuang's face was a little stiff, and he chuckled awkwardly as he spoke.
"You're overthinking it. I'm just worried about Grandpa's safety being home alone. He's been in a bad mood these past few days, so someone needs to be home watching over him. What if he wants to talk to someone later, right?"
Xia Ran paused for a moment after hearing this, then nodded.
"Okay, then you go out now. I'll wait for you at home. Buy a couple more skewers of chicken wings."
"Okay, okay, I'll go right now. You wait for me at home." Dazhuang nodded quickly, put on his slippers, and went out.
Once outside, Da Zhuang patted his chest guiltily.
Damn it!! I haven't lied to Xia Ran in a long time, and now that I'm suddenly saying something, I feel really guilty.
It's all He Xiu's fault! Damn it! Going out drinking so late at night, he might as well have just drunk himself to death, and then had someone else pick him up!
While cursing and swearing, Dazhuang took a taxi to the address He Xiu had sent him.
Although he kept grumbling, there seemed to be a hint of worry in his eyes.
He could have easily ignored He Xiu, but for some reason, he felt a little uneasy.
He would feel uneasy if He Xiu died!
Moreover, he didn't go to save that person because it was He Xiu; it was simply because it involved personal safety, and he would have saved anyone, even if it were just anyone.
That's right, he was just trying to be kind!
Dazhuang kept reassuring himself, and soon the car stopped in front of the bar.
Da Zhuang went to the private room, but to his surprise, he saw not only He Xiu, but also Gu Zheng when he opened the door.
Da Zhuang frowned subconsciously. If he had known it was Gu Zheng, he wouldn't have come!
But seeing the two of them so drunk they were completely unconscious, Dazhuang couldn't really just ignore them.
He walked over and kicked He Xiu's shin.
"Hey, He Xiu, wake up."
In response, He Xiu frowned and then turned over.
As for Gu Zheng next to him, he was sleeping on the sofa without moving.
Da Zhuang couldn't help but roll his eyes; he felt that coming here was a mistake.
He bent down and lifted He Xiu up, preparing to take him out. As for Gu Zheng beside him, he still had Qin Hao's contact information, so he could just have Qin Hao come and take the person away himself.
Despite his seemingly thin appearance, He Xiu is actually quite heavy.
Da Zhuang helped He Xiu out and found a taxi to take them directly to the nearest hotel.
Qin Hao was working overtime in his office when he received Da Zhuang's message. Anyway, he's been living in his office lately, so it's not really overtime; he's been working all the time except when he's sleeping.
Qin Hao called Gu Zheng's bodyguard to pick him up, but thinking about all the things that had happened between Gu Zheng and Xia Ran, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
What exactly is going on here?
It's all Gu En's fault. If it weren't for Gu En, his family would be doing just fine right now!
After sighing, Qin Hao continued working with his head down. Well, he should finish his work first, after all, he still owed Lin Yi a debt.
Once Da Zhuang arrived at the hotel, he immediately took out He Xiu's wallet, found his ID card, and booked a room.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the receptionist's eyes were a little strange when he checked into the hotel, which made him feel a bit uneasy.
Are all little girls these days looking like that? And they're not even a little bit ashamed, staring back and forth between him and He Xiu?!
Despite his complaints, Da Zhuang still led He Xiu to the room that had been booked.
The moment Dazhuang saw the bed, he felt incredibly relieved. He immediately threw He Xiu onto the bed. This He Xiu was really heavy!
But for some reason, when he threw He Xiu down, He Xiu's hand somehow hooked around his neck, causing him to fall onto the bed as well!
No! It should be said that He Xiu fell onto the bed, while he himself fell onto He Xiu!
"Damn it!" Da Zhuang couldn't help but curse under his breath, "He Xiu, are you out of your mind? Why are you pulling my neck like that for no reason?"
But He Xiu acted as if he hadn't heard him at all, and even rubbed his face against Da Zhuang's neck.
Dazhuang: "…………"
Oh well, he's just a drunkard, why should he bother with him!
Da Zhuang forcefully lifted He Xiu's arm away and got off He Xiu.
He was about to leave, but unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, He Xiu behind him suddenly murmured something.
"Hiss... My head hurts..."
The sound wasn't loud, but Da Zhuang heard it, so he had to stop in his tracks.
Dazhuang blew a breath into his hair before gritting his teeth and turning around.
Damn! Did he owe He Xiu something in his past life?
When did he become so kind? How could he be so nice to someone who had ulterior motives towards him!
While inwardly criticizing himself, Da Zhuang carefully arranged He Xiu on the bed.
Yes, it was a real setup. She even helped He Xiu take off his shoes. After thinking for a moment, he resigned himself to his fate and turned to walk into the bathroom. When he came out a little while later, he had another towel in his hand, the kind that was still steaming.
Da Zhuang frowned as he wiped He Xiu's face. After seeing He Xiu's brows relax, he prepared to leave.
But as soon as he got up, the person who had been fast asleep spoke up again.
"Dazhuang, ...I like...I like you..."
Da Zhuang froze, his face inexplicably burning. He quickly ran into the bathroom, hung up the towel, and then left the hotel without paying any attention to He Xiu.
Holy crap!! Is He Xiu out of his mind?? He's not even good-looking! He has a terrible temper! Why would anyone like him??
Chapter 272 Grandpa's Accident
What Da Zhuang didn't know was that after he left the room, the person who had been fast asleep just moments before turned over, pulled up the covers, and went back to sleep with a smug smile on their face.
When the hotel receptionist on the first floor saw Da Zhuang run out with a red face, a question mark appeared above her head.
So fast? It's over so quickly? It's actually so fast? These two look to be in great shape, why so fast? She doesn't understand, she really doesn't understand! Could it be that even a 1.8-meter-tall man...
The receptionist clutched her chest in anguish. What's wrong with kids these days? Have they been drinking too much bubble tea? This tall guy, over 1.8 meters, was gone in less than half an hour!
Da Zhuang had no idea that the receptionist had misunderstood them. He was on his way to Lao Wang's barbecue stall in a taxi when Xia Ran called.
"Dazhuang, why are you taking so long to buy things? Did something happen?"
Dazhuang: "No, no, it's just that there are a lot of people today for some reason. Please wait a little longer, it will be over soon."