But since people said that his presence was already a disturbance to others, he had no choice but to give up.
He is also someone who can take things in stride.
But when they meet, he can't help but look at Dazhuang, just like now.
Looking at Da Zhuang, Xia Ran asked the question that had been bothering her.
"But what's bothering you? He Xiu likes you, and you have feelings for him too. Your family hasn't said you can't date men, so why not give it a try?"
For some reason, Dazhuang felt even more upset after hearing Xia Ran's words.
"Actually, I... probably don't have much of a connection with He Xiu."
"Hmm?" Xia Ran sensed something was wrong. "He Xiu didn't tell you he likes you? Or do you not want to be with He Xiu?"
"No, it's just..." Da Zhuang recounted everything that happened between him and He Xiu that day, including the things they said.
After hearing this, Xia Ran was speechless for a moment.
Chapter 339 Face
"So, you said those hurtful things on purpose just to save face?"
"Well... it wasn't exactly something I said on purpose..." Da Zhuang said softly.
"You..." Xia Ran felt both helpless and amused. "What's so embarrassing about liking someone? What are you afraid of?"
"What you said would affect my mood, let alone He Xiu."
Da Zhuang, who hadn't thought anything of it at first, felt something was off after hearing Xia Ran's words.
Why did he feel so bad and guilty?
No, no, no! That won't do! He doesn't think he did anything wrong! So why should he feel guilty?
"But I don't think I'm wrong either. What makes him so presumptuous as to assume I like him? What makes him so certain? Even if I have a tiny bit of feeling for him, it's just a tiny bit, not even liking him!"
Da Zhuang spoke as if it were perfectly natural, as if this would alleviate his guilt.
Xia Ran suddenly felt a headache coming on.
"Then let me ask you, do you think it was foolish or shameful of me to have liked Gu Zheng so recklessly?"
“I…” Dazhuang looked up at Xia Ran, “Xia Ran, you…”
"Don't worry, since I dared to say it myself, it proves I won't be sad." Xia Ran knew what Da Zhuang was going to say, so she directly cut him off.
"Actually, Dazhuang, there is no right or wrong in relationships, no loss or gain, and no shame. If you like someone but don't admit it because of your pride, you will definitely regret it when you look back on that relationship, regretting why you weren't brave enough back then."
"Perhaps a large part of the reason you dare not admit it is because of me. After all, you witnessed my unsuccessful marriage and love. But Dazhuang, not everyone is me, and not everyone is He Xiu. We shouldn't deny everyone just because of one bad person."
Xia Ran patiently and earnestly persuaded Da Zhuang. These were the same words He Xiu had once told him, and now he was telling Da Zhuang because of He Xiu. Was this the karma He Xiu had sown himself?
“Xia Ran…” Da Zhuang hesitated, “You…actually, I’m not that scared, it’s just…”
Da Zhuang still couldn't say what it was, because he didn't know what kind of mood he was in.
Xia Ran: "It's normal for you to have such concerns since you've never been in a relationship before. That's all I wanted to say. I'm not forcing you to be with He Xiu. I'm just afraid you'll miss out on this relationship because of some small things."
"If you really don't have much feeling for He Xiu, then so be it. Anyway, your relationship has become like this, so it can be said that you are not destined to be together."
"Yes," Da Zhuang suddenly shouted, then lowered his voice only after realizing the inappropriateness of the occasion.
"Actually, I don't really like He Xiu that much, and my feelings aren't that strong. Otherwise, I would have agreed back then. Although I've never been in a relationship before, if I really like someone, I'll still take the initiative!"
"I had a crush on a girl back in high school. I even wrote her a love letter back then, although I was rejected. So it has nothing to do with whether I'm ashamed or not. I just don't like He Xiu. That's all!"
Dazhuang nodded vigorously, perhaps unsure whether he was speaking to Xia Ran or comforting himself.
Xia Ran looked at Da Zhuang and felt something was wrong. He wanted to say something more, but Da Zhuang spoke first.
"Besides, I'm going back tomorrow, and I don't want to leave any trouble here. Hey Xia Ran, believe me, I really don't like He Xiu! If I really liked him, I would have already gone for it!"
Xia Ran observed Da Zhuang's expression and found that what Da Zhuang said seemed quite true, which made him somewhat suspicious.
Is Dazhuang's feeling for He Xiu really that small?
"Alright, as long as you've thought it through yourself." Xia Ran could only listen to Da Zhuang.
After all, matters of the heart are like the saying, "Only the person drinking the water knows whether it's hot or cold"—only the person involved truly knows what's going on.
The two sat and chatted for a while, but Xia Ran didn't tell Da Zhuang about Gu En.
After all, Dazhuang was leaving tomorrow, and he was afraid that telling him would disrupt Dazhuang's schedule and also prevent Dazhuang from worrying about him.
However, Xia Ran planned to go back to sleep with Da Zhuang that night, so she could familiarize herself with the address of their new rented apartment.
The two returned to Grandpa Xia's ward. Dazhuang chatted with Grandpa Xia, and Xia Ran was planning to buy some fruit to eat. However, she did not expect that as soon as she left the ward, she saw Gu Chen being brought over by Aunt Gu in the corridor.
Xia Ran was a little surprised, "Why are you here at this time? Isn't school still in session?"
As he spoke, he bent down to look Gu Chenping in the eye, but the child kept his head down and ignored him completely.
Xia Ran found it very strange; this was the first time the child had treated him like this.
"What's wrong with him?" Xia Ran could only look at Aunt Gu.
Aunt Gu sighed, and said with a hint of heartache,
"Ask him yourself. He doesn't want me to say, but the situation isn't good. Xiao Ran, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to him. Gu Zheng is also dealing with some things and can't come to see the child at all."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran quickly picked up the child, which immediately showed him a scratch mark under the child's eye.
The scratches weren't long, but they broke the skin.
Xia Ran got angry as soon as she saw it.
“What happened? Baby, tell Daddy, did someone bully you at kindergarten? Tell Daddy, and Daddy will help you get justice. Look at these scratches, they're all broken. If Grandpa saw them, he would be heartbroken.”
Not to mention the old man, even Xia Ran felt extremely distressed. She wanted to see the details of the scratches, but she was afraid of hurting the child, so she could only gently blow on them with her mouth.
Gu Chen, who could have kept his emotions under control, couldn't hold back his tears after hearing Xia Ran's words.
"Oh dear." Aunt Gu was immediately shocked when she saw this scene. "He hadn't cried at all, and he wouldn't say anything when asked, but now he's finally crying. It's okay, it's okay, he won't feel bad after crying."
Aunt Gu patted Gu Chen's head, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
The child hadn't said a word the whole way, and she was so afraid that the child would start overthinking again and end up doing the same thing again.
Chapter 340 Bullying the Young
Thankfully, I've finally cried it out, and once I've cried it out, everything will be alright.
Xia Ran sat down on a chair next to Gu En, gently wiped away Gu Chen's tears, and softly comforted him.
"Baby, be good, don't cry. Do you remember what Daddy told you? Daddy said that a real man bleeds but doesn't cry. Baby, you're already a big kid in kindergarten, you can't cry so easily anymore, or Daddy will laugh at you."
It's unclear what Xia Ran said that touched the child's heart, but after he said those words, the child went from crying silently to crying out loud.
"Waaaaah... Daddy..."
Xia Ran was startled. On the one hand, she was worried about the child, and on the other hand, she was afraid of disturbing the patients in the next room, so she quickly took the child to the rest area in front.
There's basically no one there, so it's not a big deal if the child cries a little.
Xia Ran originally thought the child would just cry for a bit and he could comfort him, but who knew that the child would cry more and more upset, and even Xia Ran and the others could hear the deep grievance in the child's voice.
Xia Ran couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and he looked at Aunt Gu.
"Auntie, what's wrong? Why is the child crying so pitifully? Did something happen at kindergarten?"
Because she was so worried about the child, Xia Ran subconsciously called her aunt.
Aunt Gu was stunned for a moment, but fortunately she quickly came to her senses.
"It's nothing, the kids just had a little argument. It's better to let him tell you himself after he's finished crying."
Aunt Gu's voice even choked a little; Xia Ran's earlier address of "Aunt" had made her heart ache.
However, Xia Ran was so worried about the child that she didn't notice anything unusual about Aunt Gu.
"By the way, Xiaoran, were you going out to do something just now?" Aunt Gu asked again. "You stay here with the child. I'll do whatever you want. I think if I stay here, the child probably won't want to talk about it."
Xia Ran thought about it and realized that made sense. After all, there were things that the child would only tell him, things that even Gu Zheng wouldn't know.
"I was just thinking of going to buy some fruit. Could you go down and buy it for me, Auntie?"
"Okay." Aunt Gu didn't say anything more and turned to leave.
Xia Ran could only carry the child slowly while gently coaxing him.
He planned to wait until the child finished crying and vented his emotions before asking what exactly happened.
Lin Ziming, who had just stepped out of the elevator, happened to see this scene and suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He didn't dare tell Xia Ran's men the answers they had gathered. Xia Ran liked Gu Zheng's son so much; how would she feel if she knew what Gu Zheng had done? Would it affect her relationship with the child...?
After considering it again and again, Lin Ziming decided to wait until evening to come over and talk to him. He turned on his toes and went back into the elevator.
Xia Ran had no idea that Lin Ziming had been there.
After crying for a while, the child finally stopped crying, but still clung to Xia Ran's shoulder and refused to speak, occasionally letting out a sob.
Xia Ran didn't ask about the child right away, but continued to carry the child and walk back and forth slowly, patting the child's back with one hand, as if she wouldn't get tired.
"Little Daddy, I'm sorry..." After a short while, Gu Chen finally spoke.
Perhaps because she had been crying for so long, her voice was hoarse.
Xia Ran responded, placed the child on a chair in the rest area, and looked at the child's red eyes as she spoke softly.
"How about Daddy pours you a glass of water?"
There is a water dispenser in the rest area.
Gu Chen nodded slightly, but when Xia Ran poured the water, he didn't dare to blink for a second, as if he was afraid that Xia Ran would disappear if he blinked.
When Xia Ran returned with the water and saw the look in the child's eyes, her heart ached.
"Don't worry, Daddy's always here. Just drink the water and your throat won't feel so sore."
Xia Ran placed the paper cup to the child's lips; the water was warm, just right for drinking.
Gu Chen obediently finished drinking all the water. After he finished, he reached out to Xia Ran for a hug, and Xia Ran smiled and picked him up.