Just as he was about to make a phone call, a man walked towards him.
The man was wearing a black baseball cap and a black tracksuit late at night. Even the tracksuit couldn't hide his great physique, and his demeanor was unlike that of an ordinary person.
"Follow me." The man said, and then walked forward. Gu Zheng followed without hesitation.
The man arrived at the door of a small private room, pushed it open, and went inside. Only after entering did the man take off his hat, and Gu Zheng was able to see the man's face clearly.
The man looked to be about the same age as him and was good-looking, but he gave off a somewhat fierce vibe. Most importantly, there was a deep scar on the right cheek that extended directly to the corner of his eyebrow. Combined with the man's already fierce appearance, it made his face look even more menacing.
If someone were timid, they might be frightened and think they were a bad guy, but Gu Zheng was not affected at all, and his expression remained calm.
“I know what Gu En is trying to do to you recently. I was in the room when you went to see Gu En that day, and I was the reason why you were momentarily distracted at that time.”
The man got straight to the point, his frankness causing Gu Zheng to feel a sense of suspicion and wariness.
"You don't need to look at me like that. I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to come and resolve things with you properly."
The man noticed Gu Zheng's mood, so he said another sentence.
Gu Zheng: "Why are you telling me all this? And why did you ask me to come out?"
"Because I don't want to see Gu En make the same mistake again. If he continues like this, the consequences will be very serious. I don't want to and can't watch him ruin himself."
"What is your relationship with him? Why are you doing these things for him?"
"What's our relationship?" The man suddenly chuckled. "We have no relationship whatsoever. If there is one, it's that he accidentally saved me, and we unintentionally became close friends who can talk about anything. Are you satisfied now?"
Gu Zheng stared directly at the man, trying to see if he was lying, but the man's eyes were completely open and honest, without the slightest trace of guilt or deception.
Gu Zheng had a few more questions in mind and asked,
"You like Gu En."
That was all he could think of, because when the man mentioned Gu En earlier, he saw a hint of emotion in the man's eyes—an emotion called tenderness.
He was very familiar with this emotion; he had seen it in Lin Yi's eyes before, and he himself would have the same emotion in his eyes when he looked in the mirror and thought of Xia Ran.
The man was taken aback by Gu Zheng's direct question, and although he hesitated for a moment, he still admitted it.
"Yes, I like him, so I can't watch him make the same mistake again. I want to make a deal with you. If it works out, I'll take him away from here, and he'll probably never appear in front of you again. But if it fails, I'll do what he wants to do in his place, and I'll be the one who has to bear all the consequences."
The man's tone was very firm, with not a trace of joking in it.
Gu Zheng didn't completely believe the man's words, but simply asked,
"What has he been planning to do lately?"
Chapter 396 Gu En's Threat
"He wants to threaten you into marriage and returning to the Gu family. Also, if you don't agree, he'll reveal the child's identity and even plans to have someone ambush Xia Ran."
The man told Gu En everything she wanted to do, and his tone made it hard not to believe him.
Although Gu Zheng had a general idea of what was going on, he still maintained a cold and indifferent expression.
"Why should I believe you? How do I know if what you're saying is true? After all, you and he are the ones who know each other."
Even when suspected, the man showed no anger, only saying,
"Whether you believe it or not, what I'm saying is true. I don't think I need to use these things to fool you."
What is your real purpose?
"As I said, I just don't want to see Gu En make the same mistake again. That's my ultimate goal."
The two stared at each other for a long while without saying a word. It wasn't until two or three minutes later that Gu Zheng finally spoke.
"Okay, I'll trust you this once for now, but if you dare to play any tricks, I guarantee that the consequences for you and Gu En will be a hundred times worse than before you came to me."
"Since I dared to come to you, I never thought I would play you."
"Then tell me, what are you planning to do next?" Gu Zheng asked.
The man said, “Gu En will contact you again soon. You must still refuse him and reveal that you and Xia Ran have reconciled. Most importantly, you need to find me a group of people because Gu En will definitely not let Xia Ran off the hook, or even the child. He will make me find people.”
"In other words, for Xia Ran and the child's safety, you must find the most reliable person. What we're gambling on is Gu En's last bit of conscience towards the child."
Gu Zheng listened to the man for a long time, and after listening, he also felt that this was indeed a good idea.
By the time they finished talking, it was already very late. The man wanted to leave after he finished speaking, saying that Gu En would become suspicious if he stayed out too long, and that Gu Zheng had even seen him order some food from the tavern owner to take back to Gu En.
Seeing this, Gu Zheng couldn't help but ask a question.
Why would you like someone like Gu En?
The man looked at him and revealed the first smile Gu Zheng had ever seen.
"Since I like him, then I like all of him. All I can do is try my best to pull him back from the brink of disaster."
After saying that, the man left, leaving Gu Zheng pondering what the man had just said.
After a long while, he suddenly sighed. He realized that when it came to liking someone, he was not even as good as many other people.
He had seen many people like other people, but he himself did not understand his own feelings. Instead, he kept doubting his feelings for Xia Ran. Now that he thought about it, he was really inferior in every way.
Gu Zheng sighed, then got up and left. He checked the time; Xia Ran should still be awake, so he got up to order some food from the restaurant owner.
He even ordered some crayfish. He had seen many photos of Xia Ran in Xia Ran's room at his hometown, including several photos of Xia Ran eating crayfish.
When they got married, he never thought that Xia Ran would like to eat these things. Perhaps it was because Xia Ran had always taken care of his tastes and he always ate whatever was cooked at home.
Xia Ran clearly loves eating these things, but she gave up all her tastes for him.
Gu Zheng dared not think too deeply about it, because the more he thought about it, the more guilty and distressed he felt.
After packing everything, Gu Zheng took it back to his car and drove to the place he rented with Xia Ran.
He placed the things at the door of Xia Ran's room and then knocked on the door.
Xia Ran had just finished bathing her child when she heard the noise. The two of them, one big and one small, looked at each other.
"Who is 'Little Daddy'? Could it be 'Big Daddy'?"
"I don't know, I'll go check." Xia Ran hesitated for a moment but still decided to open the door and take a look.
Gu Chen followed him out. As for the old man, he was already asleep, since he was too old to stay up all night.
Xia Ran opened the door and found no one there, only a large bag containing what appeared to be two large square boxes.
"Little Daddy, nobody's here," Gu Chen asked in confusion. "But Big Daddy seems to be back. Look, the light's on. It wasn't on when I came out to check before I took a shower."
Hearing this, Xia Ran also looked at the opposite door and found that, just as Gu Chen had said, the door was not closed properly and the light in the entryway was still on, as if it was deliberately meant to be seen by someone.
Xia Ran looked across at the opposite side, then at the bag at his feet, and saw a small note on it. He squatted down to read it and found a line of small print.
Let's have some late-night snack with the kids before going to bed.
Seeing this sentence, the open door, and the lit light, Xia Ran understood everything.
"Little Daddy, did Big Daddy leave this for us?" Gu Chen asked with bright eyes, clearly very happy that Gu Zheng had brought them food.
Xia Ran hesitated for a moment, "I guess... right."
"Should? I'll go ask my dad!" Gu Chen said and ran straight to the opposite door. He was so fast that Xia Ran couldn't stop him and could only watch helplessly as Gu Chen rushed into the door.
Xia Ran could only stand there and wait for the child. The child went in quickly and came out quickly, and soon came running out.
"Little Daddy, Little Daddy, I asked Big Daddy, and it's Big Daddy who bought it for us. Let's go eat it quickly!"
Xia Ran wanted to say she didn't want to eat, but when she glanced at the light on the opposite door, she nodded as if possessed.
In the end, he had no idea what he was feeling when he carried the big bag back to the living room.
But when he opened the bag and uncovered the box, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment when he saw a large box of crayfish.
Crayfish? Gu Zheng would actually buy crayfish?
"Little Daddy, what is this?" Gu Chen had never eaten crayfish before, so he had no idea what it was.
“It’s crayfish, a really delicious thing,” Xia Ran said. He immediately opened the next box and found that the boxes below were separated.
One half of the table had a few small cakes and pastries, and the other half had washed and cut fruit. It was a pretty good combination.
"Wow, there are even small cakes!" Gu Chen had always acted like a normal child in front of Xia Ran, but he immediately cheered when he saw them.
Xia Ran's feelings were quite complicated when she saw this.
"Okay, let's go wash our hands and then get ready to eat!" Xia Ran rubbed Gu Chen's head, and Gu Chen immediately responded with an "Mmm".
"Then, Daddy, I'll go call Great-Grandpa." Gu Chen wanted to go find Grandpa Xia, but Xia Ran held his shoulder down.
"No need, we'll just go wash our hands. Great-Grandpa is too old to eat these things, and he's already asleep. We'll wake him up next time."
"Oh, okay then. Next time we'll ask Daddy to buy some things that Grandpa can eat."
Xia Ran smiled but didn't reply. She simply took the child to wash his hands.
After washing her hands and sitting down at the dining table with gloves on, Xia Ran looked at the big box of crayfish and her mood improved for once.
Come to think of it, it seems like he hasn't eaten crayfish in a long time.
"Little Daddy, how do you eat this?" Gu Chen picked up a crayfish and looked at Xia Ran. Xia Ran could only pick one up as well and slowly teach Gu Chen how to peel it.
At the door, Gu Zheng smiled as he looked at the bag that was no longer there. If the person was willing to eat what he bought, it meant that he wasn't so angry anymore.
But now, Gu Zheng remembered the happy news Xia Ran had mentioned. He frowned, then made a phone call to someone.
The call was answered, and a very impatient voice came from the other end.
"Gu Zheng, have you forgotten our relationship? I remember we were mortal enemies, right? But where is there any trace of that now? You keep calling and texting me, are you out of your mind?"
Upon hearing He Xiu's series of words, Gu Zheng's brows furrowed even more deeply. He closed the door, walked into the living room, and asked,
"I'll just ask you one question. Xia Ran said she's having a wedding tomorrow. Do you know what it is?"
There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and no immediate reply. Gu Zheng also heard footsteps and the sound of water being splashed behind him. After these sounds disappeared, He Xiu's voice finally came through.
"I'm sorry, I had a little alcohol just now."
Gu Zheng didn't speak, but waited for He Xiu to answer his question.
"The happy event you're talking about must be Grandpa Xia and Lin Ziming becoming godparents. They've invited me too, it's tomorrow."
"Become godparents? What do you mean by becoming godparents?"
Gu Zheng felt like he understood, but also like he didn't fully understand.