Gu Zheng: "Okay, I understand."
The two then hung up the phone. Gu Zheng sent a message before gently rubbing Xia Ran's ear.
"They won't force you. If you don't want to acknowledge them, that's okay too. I'm here to help you resolve this."
Xia Ran looked up at Gu Zheng, then slowly shook her head.
"There's no reason why I don't want to admit it."
Chapter 426 I like it when you feed me
"Hmm?" Gu Zheng asked, puzzled.
"Well, how should I put it, I... don't have much affection for them, they're like strangers to me." Xia Ran herself didn't know how to put it.
“I never thought I would have parents, and this has left me a little at a loss. But it’s not that I hate them, resent them, or refuse to acknowledge them, because my grandfather told me that they didn’t lose me on purpose.”
"If Grandpa were still alive, I could listen to his opinion. No, or rather, Grandpa would definitely let me acknowledge them back, and I would most likely agree. But I would be somewhat resistant, so for now, I can only wait until after the New Year and then we can take things slowly in the future."
Xia Ran spoke his mind, though his words were somewhat disorganized, but Gu Zheng understood him perfectly.
"It's okay, you can get along however you want. No one will force you. We have plenty of time."
Xia Ran was taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded slightly and responded with an "Mm".
"Don't overthink it. I had someone send over a cake. Eat some later, and you'll feel better."
"Huh? You bought a cake? When did you have someone buy it?" Xia Ran asked in surprise.
"It's the message I sent after hanging up with Feng Ming. It should be delivered in a little while."
Xia Ran: "You...why did you buy a cake again?"
"I noticed you were in a bad mood. I looked it up online, and it says that eating some dessert can make you feel better when you're in a bad mood."
Gu Zheng's tone was very calm, as if he were talking about something very, very small. However, while it was indeed a small matter for Gu Zheng, it was not for Xia Ran.
"You mean you looked up this online?"
"Hmm." Gu Zheng belatedly felt a little embarrassed. "Just a while ago, I wanted to make up with you, but you didn't want to. I had no other choice but to search online."
His voice grew softer and softer, and Xia Ran even noticed that his ears seemed to be turning red.
Xia Ran didn't know how to describe her feelings; she just felt a bittersweet mix.
Seeing that Xia Ran didn't speak, Gu Zheng assumed that his previous method was wrong and immediately asked a question.
"Is what they say online false? Eating sweets doesn't make people feel better."
"No, what's said online is true," Xia Ran said. "I just didn't expect you to look up such things online, which surprised me a bit."
Gu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and answered with a smile.
"Before meeting their true love, everyone feels that they would never do certain things, but once they meet someone they like, all their previous rules and bottom lines will be broken, and I am no exception."
Xia Ran's heart pounded in her chest.
"Oh." After a while, Xia Ran finally said "oh," then looked away and started playing with Gu Chen's fingers in her arms.
Gu Chen stared wide-eyed at his two fathers, and he couldn't help but feel that his younger father was a little strange.
Gu Zheng's smile deepened, and he remained silent.
The cake delivery person arrived quickly; it was a one-inch sea salt lava cheesecake.
"This is sea salt cheesecake. They said they couldn't find matcha cake anymore, so let's have this for today. I'll buy you a matcha cake tomorrow, okay?"
Gu Zheng brought the cake in and said to Xia Ran.
Xia Ran couldn't help but retort, "I'm not a child, don't talk to me like you're coaxing a child."
Gu Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"Okay, then I won't talk to you in that tone anymore."
Xia Ran didn't answer Gu Zheng's question, and directly took the child into the bathroom to wash their hands.
He splashed water on his face while washing his hands, and he felt a bit hot, perhaps because the room's air conditioning was too hot.
When Xia Ran took the child out, Gu Zheng had already opened the cake, with two spoons, a large fruit salad, and three glasses of lemonade next to it.
"Come and eat," Gu Zheng said, waving to them from the table.
Xia Ran pursed her lips, took the child and walked over, asking...
"Why are there only two spoons?"
"I won't eat it," Gu Zheng said.
Xia Ran knew that Gu Zheng didn't like eating anything too sweet, so she just hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more, though she felt it was a bit of a pity.
It would be great if we could eat together.
"By the way, where did you order this cake? I'd like to order one for Dazhuang and the others too; they must be hungry by now."
Xia Ran couldn't bear to eat alone when she thought of Da Zhuang and the others.
"Don't worry, I've already had them delivered. They should be eating by now."
As soon as Gu Zheng finished speaking, Xia Ran's phone rang.
It was Dazhuang calling.
"Hello," Xia Ran answered.
"Wow. Xia Ran, Gu Zheng is quite sensible. He even knows to order us late-night snacks. Not bad, not bad."
Hearing Dazhuang's words on the phone, Xia Ran subconsciously looked at Gu Zheng, who was also looking at him, his eyes filled with undisguised tenderness.
Xia Ran smiled slightly. "What's your midnight snack?"
"Hey, speaking of which, I can't help but praise this. It's crayfish and beer, plus a fruit salad. Not bad, not bad at all. It's really good."
"Hmm?" Xia Ran gave a soft "hmm," "Crawfish and beer?"
"Yeah, alright, alright, I won't say anymore, let's get started. I just wanted to let you know."
Da Zhuang hung up the phone in a hurry after he finished speaking. Xia Ran was about to ask Gu Zheng why they were eating different things when Lin Ziming also sent him a message. He opened it and found that it was a serving of crayfish, a serving of steak, and two glasses of lemonade.
After Xia Ran finished reading it, she immediately asked Gu Zheng.
Why do we all eat different things?
He probably didn't even realize that there was a hint of coquetry in his tone.
"Because we took their lifestyle into consideration," Gu Zheng said without hiding anything.
Xia Ran was taken aback, not expecting that Gu Zheng had even considered this. It has to be said that the things Gu Zheng ordered for Da Zhuang and the others were indeed quite appropriate.
"But... I really want to eat crayfish too."
"You can eat it next time. You haven't been eating properly these past two days, and your stomach must have been affected. Crayfish is spicy and not good for your stomach. Eat it in a couple of days."
Xia Ran hadn't expected that Gu Zheng hadn't ordered crayfish for him for this reason. His heart felt like it was suddenly filled with something. He moved his lips a few times, but in the end, he just said "oh".
"Eat quickly, and after you finish eating, sit down and rest. I have some things to take care of."
Gu Zheng's phone kept ringing, but Xia Ran didn't ask any questions. She just told the child to eat with him. Gu Zheng went out onto the balcony to answer the phone.
It has to be said that the saying online that eating sweets can improve your mood is true. After taking a bite of fragrant cheesecake, I felt comfortable all over.
"Does Xiao Chen like this flavor?"
"I like it!" Gu Chen nodded vigorously. "Does Little Daddy like it?"
"I like it." Xia Ran smiled slightly, but her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the balcony.
Gu Zheng was facing them while answering the phone, so when Xia Ran looked at him, the two of them made eye contact. Xia Ran's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head and looked away.
Gu Zheng couldn't help but chuckle softly. It was true, he really loved Xia Ran's shyness.
The person Gu Zheng was on the phone with was Qin Hao. When he suddenly heard laughter, he thought he had misheard.
"Brother, were you laughing just now?"
"You have a problem with that?" Gu Zheng's smile faded, and he asked in a calm tone.
"No, no, how could I possibly have a problem with that? I was just asking casually, just asking casually."
"Okay, take care of things at the company. If you really can't handle it, then call me. I won't be going back before the New Year. I'll be spending the New Year with Aran this year."
"Okay, I understand. You stay with Xia Ran." Qin Hao didn't bring up Gu Zheng's exploitation of him at this point, because Xia Ran was the most important person right now and needed someone to be with her the most.
Gu Zheng: "Yes. And it's time to resolve your issues with Lin Yi. Running away isn't the only solution. He's waited for you for so many years. He didn't mind when you bullied him as a child, so what do you have to worry about?"
When this topic came up suddenly, Qin Hao couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"What about me and Lin Yi? What could possibly be between me and Lin Yi? Don't talk nonsense. Alright, alright, you should stay with Xia Ran. I'm going to get back to work."
Qin Hao hung up the phone immediately. He was also having a headache thinking about Lin Yi and didn't know how to face her.
Yesterday, when he left Xia Ran's house, he only managed to get away from Lin Yi by accompanying his parents home. After that, he ate and slept at the company every day and didn't dare to go out, for fear that he would run into Lin Yi if he went out and Lin Yi would say some strange things to him.
Moreover, recently he hasn't even dared to reply to Lin Yi's calls and messages, and can only cower in the company like a coward.
Well, it's not that he dislikes Lin Yi. He's been thinking about Lin Yi these past few days. Lin Yi is excellent in every way, and he seems to be somewhat attracted to him. But he has a very crucial problem!
He always felt that he was the one on top, but if he were with Lin Yi, he felt that Lin Yi would never be content to be on the bottom, right? So, would he end up on the bottom?
Qin Hao was racking his brains when Lin Yi's message came in again. He thought about everything Lin Yi had done for him these past few days, and how she had helped him...
After hesitating for a long time, he finally replied with a message.
Let's meet and talk tomorrow.
After sending the message, he immediately silenced his phone and turned it upside down, as if he was inexplicably afraid of seeing Lin Yi's reply.
"Calm down, calm down," Qin Hao kept telling himself.
When Lin Yi saw Qin Hao's reply, he breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that they could meet and talk meant there was still a chance.
When Gu Zheng returned to the room with his phone, Xia Ran and the others had already eaten half of the cake. He sat down next to Xia Ran and took a sip of lemonade.
Xia Ran felt uncomfortable with Gu Zheng around, and in the end, almost without thinking, he scooped up a piece of cake with a spoon and handed it to Gu Zheng.
"Want to try some? It tastes pretty good."