"Hurry up and go to the kitchen to get some food, and have some with the child!"
Actually, the old man knew that Xia Ran definitely hadn't eaten, which is why he asked Xia Ran to eat with him.
Xia Ran nodded and turned to go to the kitchen. Yu Wu wasn't familiar with Lin Ziming and the others, and he was already feeling very uncomfortable just sitting there. He just felt bad about leaving after finishing his meal.
Seeing Xia Ran enter the kitchen, he naturally got up and followed her.
"Xia Ran, how are you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I just went to pick up the kids. I'm sorry, I was going to treat you to dinner, but I forgot to mention you. I'll make it up to you next time."
"What's the big deal? Besides, it's not like I'm starving. I'm full. I just want to go back."
Yu Wu scratched his head and said that if it were just Xia Ran alone, he wouldn't have a problem staying a little longer, but there were also Lin Ziming and the others. It wasn't that he thought Lin Ziming and the others were bad, but as a socially awkward person, he always felt very uncomfortable being with people he wasn't very familiar with.
Those who share the same social anxiety are likely very familiar with this issue.
Xia Ran understood Yu Wu's personality, so she also understood him.
"Okay, then be careful on your way home. I'm afraid I won't be able to take you home today."
"It's nothing," Yu Wu said casually. "We're already so close, why bother with all this formalities?"
Xia Ran smiled, took the bowl and chopsticks and went out, with Yu Wu helping to carry the food behind her.
After helping Xia Ran put the food on the table, Yu Wu said goodbye and left.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ziming immediately said,
"Then I'll take you back."
"No need, no need," Yu Wu quickly shook his head and refused. "It's very close here, I can go back by myself, so I won't trouble you."
“How can this be considered troublesome? I promised Xia Ran I would take you back, have you forgotten?” Lin Ziming said as he stood up.
Yu Wu had no choice but to bite the bullet and go see Xia Ran.
Xia Ran: "Brother Ziming, let Yu Wu go back by himself. It's quite close by. He can get there quickly by bus."
Upon hearing this, Yu Wu immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but his relief was short-lived, as Lin Ziming's words made him tense again.
"I'm going back anyway, so let's go since it's on the way."
Lin Ziming glanced at Yu Wu and walked straight out the door.
Yu Wu had no choice but to bite the bullet and go out with them. They had already gone this far, and it wouldn't be good if he refused, which would put Xia Ran in a difficult position.
"Yu Wu, why don't you go out with Brother Ziming? It won't be long anyway, just bear with it."
Xia Ran suppressed a laugh and said that he knew what this meant for Yu Wu; it was like putting Yu Wu on the fire to roast.
However, he also wanted to make some changes to Yu Wu, so he let Lin Ziming do as he pleased.
However… Xia Ran’s gaze fell on Lin’s father, and she asked,
"Uncle, what is Ming-ge going to do? He seems to be in a hurry. Is there something urgent he needs to do? Why don't you stay here tonight?"
While inviting Gu Chen to come and eat, Xia Ran asked him a question.
Mr. Lin chuckled at Xia Ran's words and said,
"No need, no need. He will come to pick me up tonight. I have to go out to buy some things tomorrow, so I won't come tomorrow. I will come over the day after tomorrow when we have the banquet."
"When I get back, I'll have Ziming arrange the hotel. I don't have anyone to invite here, so you can invite as many people as you have. The banquet is no problem, so don't worry about it."
"No, no." The old man got excited when he heard what Lin's father said. "You can't book this banquet. According to the rules, I should be the one to book it. You don't need to worry about it. I'll have Xia Ran book it later. We can't break the rules."
Xia Ran echoed this sentiment.
"Yes, Uncle Lin, you don't need to worry about this. Just leave it to me. You go about your business and bring Ziming over for dinner. Of course, you can invite anyone else you want to invite. The more people you invite, the better!"
Xia Ran mimicked the tone Lin's father had used earlier, and Lin's father smiled helplessly and agreed.
"Alright, alright, after the banquet, I'll be able to put my mind at ease. Then I'll have to take care of my own things too."
"Hmm? Uncle, is there anything else you need to do?" Xia Ran asked subconsciously.
Mr. Lin continued to answer cheerfully.
"I'm going to Liucheng to help someone very important fulfill a wish."
Upon hearing the name Liu Cheng, Grandpa Xia's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
"I see. If you need any help later, just let us know." Xia Ran didn't ask any further questions, after all, it was a private matter.
Even between two very close relatives, you shouldn't ask each other about each other's private matters.
Xia Ran invited Gu Chen to eat, but the old man seemed a little absent-minded. Lin's father didn't seem to notice anything amiss with the old man; he only glanced at him before looking away.
Meanwhile, Lin Ziming had almost gotten Yu Wu home. Having been attentive to Yu Wu's mood, Lin Ziming noticed his discomfort. Finding it somewhat amusing and amusing, he couldn't help but say...
Why do I get the feeling that you're afraid of me?
"Huh?" Yu Wu, sitting in the passenger seat, was a little stunned. "I... I didn't, don't misunderstand, I... um, I'm just a little socially awkward. I don't know how to get along with others, so I don't know how to get along with them. I'm sorry."
After Yu Wu finished speaking, his face turned red and his palms even started to sweat.
Lin Ziming couldn't help but laugh when he heard that.
"Then you'd better get used to it, because you'll have many more opportunities to spend time together in the future."
"Huh?" Yu Wu was stunned again, still not quite understanding what Lin Ziming meant.
"It's nothing. What I meant was that you and Xia Ran have such a good relationship, and Xia Ran and I are practically family now. We'll have plenty of opportunities to meet in the future, which is why I said we'll have plenty of opportunities to spend time together."
After hearing these words, Yu Wu suddenly understood and wasn't so confused anymore, though he said somewhat shyly,
"Then please take care of me from now on. I don't have much experience interacting with others, so please don't mind if I do anything inappropriate in the future. Just tell me directly."
"Okay." Lin Ziming smiled and deliberately slowed down the car.
Chapter 390 Speed
Yu Wu didn't notice the car's speed; he just felt a little awkward because he didn't know what to say next.
If I don't say anything, it feels wrong; but if I do say something, I won't have anything to talk about. After thinking it over, I decided not to say anything at all, because it would be bad if I said the wrong thing later.
No matter how much Lin Ziming slowed down, they still arrived at Yu Wu's house. Yu Wu whispered a thank you and was about to get out of the car, but Lin Ziming called him back just before he got out.
"Could we exchange contact information?"
"Huh?" Yu Wu, who had already stepped one foot out of the car, paused for a moment. "Why...why?"
Lin Ziming couldn't help but laugh, "Because I want to add it, is that okay?"
Yu Wu was so stunned by Lin Ziming's smile that he almost went crazy. Finally, feeling dizzy, he took out his phone and the two exchanged contact information.
"Well... I'll be going now, goodbye."
"Goodbye." Lin Ziming smiled as he watched Yu Wu flee into the residential area as if in a panic.
Yu Wu returned home in a state of excitement, and only after rushing into the kitchen and chugging a bottle of ice-cold cola did his mood gradually calm down.
He felt that he might have misunderstood Lin Ziming, because he actually thought that Lin Ziming was interested in him!
As someone who doesn't like going out but enjoys surfing the internet, it seems quite easy for me to figure out if someone is interested in me.
Anyway, he just felt that Lin Ziming was interested in him, otherwise why would he want to add him as a contact? That's unrealistic!
While thinking about his remaining tasks, he finished two glasses of cola.
"..." Never mind, I won't think about it anymore. Things will work themselves out...
The day passed just like that, and the next day was the day to go to the Feng family, so Xia Ran started preparing quite early.
Yesterday, after picking up his child, he stayed at home all day. He then booked a hotel online for the banquet and invited He Xiu. After all, He Xiu and He Xiu were already friends, and he felt a little guilty if he didn't invite him.
He Hao was really looking forward to his visit and kept chatting with him on WeChat, but since they had arranged to meet in the afternoon, Xia Ran wasn't in a hurry.
Although there's no rush, we still need to prepare the necessary items.
He braided three red ropes himself, and Gu Chen bought clothes with his own money. Then, when they went over, they would buy a fruit basket. Xia Ran thought that should be enough. Anyway, they were just going to have a meal, and He Hao didn't seem like the kind of person who cared about these things.
Everything is ready now, except for Gu Zheng. Gu Zheng hasn't come over since yesterday. Although Xia Ran felt a little relieved, she was also somewhat annoyed.
This frustration stemmed from whether he should go find Gu Zheng later, or take the child there himself, but He Hao had invited all three of them.
"Little Daddy, what's wrong?" Xia Ran's hand was pulled by Gu Chen next to her.
Xia Ran looked down at him. "Nothing, um... I was just thinking about some things. Are you ready? Do you want to bring anything else for Feng Nianhao?"
"No." Gu Chen shook his head without hesitation. "I've already taken enough. Don't take any more."
"Really?" Xia Ran asked instinctively, but it was just a casual remark.
But his words made Gu Chen hesitate for a moment. A chubby face flashed through his mind. After a long while, he shook his head vigorously and said,
"That's enough, that's enough."
"Okay, if Xiao Chen says that's enough, then put everything away and we'll just wait for the time to come."
"Hmm, but Daddy and Big Daddy haven't arrived yet, should we..." Gu Chen didn't dare to finish his sentence, afraid of upsetting Xia Ran.
Xia Ran pursed her lips, and roughly guessed what the child wanted to say.
"It's still early, no rush. He'll be here soon. Shall we go get some sleep first?"
Gu Chen nodded. "Okay."
The time was set for 3 p.m., but it's only a little past 12 now. Grandpa went to sleep after lunch, so even if they wanted to go, they would have to wait until after 2 p.m., so it's still early and they can take a nap.
Lying in bed, Xia Ran couldn't fall asleep; he was thinking about what happened yesterday.
Yesterday's conversation with Gu Zheng at the bar had been weighing on his mind all day. He hadn't thought about it at all, but now it seemed he couldn't stop thinking about it, because those words kept lingering in his mind, as if forcing him to think about them.
To be honest, those conversations yesterday showed him a different side of Gu Zheng.
But no matter how different things were, Xia Ran found that he still couldn't let go of it; at least the knot in his heart remained.
In truth, Xia Ran thought about it seriously and realized that all of this was his own fault. Gu Zheng had said from the beginning that he couldn't give him love, but he still got married. Gu Zheng hadn't forced him then, had he? He just refused to turn back until he hit a brick wall.
As for the stand-in... what could Xia Ran say? There didn't seem to be much to say. Could it all be Gu Zheng's fault? It didn't seem so. Or perhaps it was half Gu Zheng's fault and half his.
Xia Ran thought a lot, and it seemed that some things that had been buried deep in her heart had disappeared.
But upon closer reflection, it seems that it hasn't disappeared.