"If you miss your stepfather in the future, just ask Grandpa Wang to call him. When he has time, he'll ask Grandpa Wang to bring you out to meet him. When he sees nice clothes, shoes, or delicious food, he'll still think of you and buy them for you."
Xia Ran originally intended to talk to the child properly, but for some reason, her eyes started to redden as she spoke.
He took a deep breath and continued, trying to maintain a nonchalant demeanor.
"So baby, you still have to come home from now on. When you come home, you can't cry and make a fuss anymore. You have to eat, sleep, and go to school properly. And you can't run away to find your little daddy by yourself, okay?"
Gu Chen had been pursing his lips tightly. After listening to Xia Ran's words, he looked up at her and asked,
"So, little daddy, why did you and big daddy have to separate? Will you have other babies in the future? Will you no longer have me as your only little daddy?"
Xia Ran's eyes finally welled up with tears.
"Because the younger father was not happy with the older father, and the younger father also promised that there would be no other babies."
He used to only like Gu Zheng, but now that this has happened, it's even less likely that he'll be with anyone else.
"Are you unhappy?" Gu Chen murmured to himself, "Then, little daddy, can't I stay with you? I can't bear to leave you, I want to be with you, I'm afraid..."
Xia Ran's eyes were brimming with tears, but he was still trying his best to hold them back.
“It’s not that you can’t stay with your stepfather, but baby, have you forgotten? Your stepfather raised you from a tiny little baby to this age.”
“Before, when you were quiet, he would go around looking for people and doctors to help you. He’s been with you for so many years. Can you bear to leave him alone? Can you bear to make him sad?”
"Besides, baby, your surname is Gu, so your eldest father's house is where you should stay. As for your younger father, if you miss him, you can call him and ask Grandpa Wang to bring you back, okay?"
Gu Chen didn't speak immediately, but tears streamed down his face, the warm tears falling onto Xia Ran's arm that was holding the child.
Those warm tears not only burned Xia Ran's hands, but also burned her heart.
“Baby, your dad loves you much more than you realize. He's just not good at expressing himself, understand? Don't hate him, don't dislike him. He... is a very good and qualified father.”
After all, she was willing to marry someone she didn't like for the sake of her child.
"You're a little man now, so you need to be sensible and obedient. You can be willful sometimes, but you can't throw tantrums, understand?"
“If you keep staying with your stepfather, other people will say that your stepfather is an irresponsible father.”
After hearing this, Gu Chen could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
"Waaah... Daddy, Xiao Chen is scared, waaaah... Xiao Chen doesn't want to leave you, but... waaaah... Xiao Chen is willing to be obedient."
The child lay in Xia Ran's arms, crying uncontrollably, but he roughly understood what Xia Ran had said.
He knew that his stepfather wasn't his biological father, but he had just been reluctant to let go of him.
If she stays with her stepfather, will he be happy?
Xia Ran held the child and took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Chapter 238 Hospitalization
The more sensible the child is, the more distressed he feels, but this is the best solution for all of them.
In the end, the child cried himself to sleep, and Xia Ran brought a hot towel to apply to the child's eyes.
He looked at the child's still somewhat red eyes and sighed heavily in his heart.
When Xia Ran lay down to sleep, it was already past midnight.
But as soon as he closed his eyes, all he could see in his mind was the image of him slapping Gu Zheng.
He turned over, pulled the blanket up to cover his eyes, and finally sighed silently.
In the end, he thought of the child and pulled the blanket down a little.
That night, however, he did not sleep well. He had recurring nightmares, one after another, he dreamed of the first time he saw Gu Zheng, the next he dreamed of the scene where he hit Gu Zheng, and finally he dreamed of the scene where he found out that Gu Zheng was using him as a substitute.
In short, it was a recurring nightmare that kept him trapped in a state of constant flux, unable to escape or wake up, and causing him to feel alternating hot and cold sensations throughout his body.
Finally, he drifted off to sleep and completely lost consciousness.
When he woke up again, his mind was still foggy, his head was throbbing and felt very heavy.
"Little Daddy!" Gu Chen's voice rang out, "Great-Grandpa! Come quick! Little Daddy's awake!"
As the child's voice rang out, Xia Ran sat up and realized that she was on the bed.
But he remembered sleeping in his room with his child in bed. How did he end up in the hospital when he woke up?
"Cough cough..." Xia Ran coughed dryly, her throat feeling dry and itchy.
"Xiao Chen..." Xia Ran was a little worried as she watched the child run out.
After all, this is a hospital. What if the child runs away and gets lost?
But before Xia Ran could get out of bed, Da Zhuang brought in Grandpa Xia and the child.
"Why are you sitting up, kid? Lie down right now, you're still not fully recovered!"
Grandpa Xia scolded Xia Ran, his eyes full of worry.
"What...what's wrong with me?" Xia Ran was still a little confused, and sat up on the bed.
Gu Chen, with tears welling up in his eyes, threw himself into Xia Ran's arms and said,
"Little Daddy, waaaah... Please don't faint again when you're sleeping, Xiao Chen is scared."
"What?" Xia Ran hugged the child. "She fainted? I...I fainted?"
He looked up at Dazhuang and the others, his eyes questioning, he really had no recollection of fainting.
Grandpa Xia gave a heavy snort and said,
"How dare you say that?! You're such a grown man! And you didn't even realize you were sick? If the child hadn't noticed something was wrong, you would have fainted from the fever in your sleep!"
As Grandpa Xia spoke, he was also filled with lingering fear. He only had this one grandson, whom he had raised from a tiny toddler to over twenty years old. If something had really happened to him, he wouldn't have been able to go on living.
Dazhuang: "Exactly! You were fine before you went to sleep, how come you developed a high fever later?"
Dazhuang was also terrified. They were woken up by the child's cries and were shocked to see Xia Ran delirious with fever, her face flushed, but her body ice cold.
After listening to Dazhuang and the others, Xia Ran finally understood what had happened.
He hadn't expected to get a fever, but he hadn't shown any signs of it at all; he was perfectly fine when he was sleeping.
“I’ve told you since you were little that if you catch a cold or feel unwell, you should take medicine and see a doctor immediately. Have you taken my words to heart?”
Grandpa Xia immediately reached out and poked Xia Ran's forehead a few times, but after poking her, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Xia Ran smiled nonchalantly, but she was somewhat puzzled.
"How long did I sleep?"
"You've been asleep for a whole day and night. When we brought you here, the temperature was already over 39 degrees Celsius. If we had come any later, you would have died!"
Dazhuang asked Grandpa Xia to sit down on the stool next to him; they were terrified last night.
Grandpa Xia: "The doctor said that you were probably suffering from depression and nightmares, which caused you to have a fever and feel confused all over."
"Xia Ran, let me tell you, if something really happens to you, you won't feel anything, but you'll still be angry with me, won't you? I raised you with so much care, and this is how you ruin your body?"
"Grandpa," Xia Ran called out helplessly, "I've just not been sick for too long, so it's normal to suddenly get sick, isn't it? Everyone gets a little sick sometimes, so don't worry."
Grandpa Xia snorted heavily and didn't say anything. He knew perfectly well where this frustration came from; it was all because of that Gu Zheng.
But now that the matter is in the past, he can't bring up that name again.
"Little Daddy." Gu Chen rubbed against Xia Ran. "You scared Xiao Chen."
Xia Ran patted Gu Chen's head and said,
"I know, it was Daddy's fault this time. Don't worry, Daddy will never scare you like that again next time."
After speaking, Xia Ran looked at Da Zhuang and said,
"Dazhuang, thank you for what happened this time. Thank you for bringing me to the hospital."
"Why are you being so polite with us?" Da Zhuang rolled his eyes. "But... it's not like I brought you here."
Dazhuang looked a little uncomfortable, and Grandpa Xia just snorted coldly without saying anything.
Xia Ran noticed the strange expressions on their faces and asked,
"What's wrong? Did something happen? Or how did I get here?"
Neither Dazhuang nor Grandpa Xia spoke, but Gu Chen, who was in Xia Ran's arms, spoke up eagerly.
"Little Daddy, Big Daddy brought you here. He's waiting outside right now. He's so worried and scared. He's afraid something might happen to you, so he asked me to keep a close watch on you."
Xia Ran stiffened and looked at Da Zhuang with a questioning gaze.
Dazhuang pursed his lips and nodded.
“It was still dark then, and we couldn’t get a taxi or find a car. I was even planning to carry you to the hospital, but then the child went to the house next door and asked Gu Zheng to come over.”
“You were so feverish that you were delirious and unconscious. I couldn’t care less about anything else, so I had to have him take you to the hospital.”
Xia Ran didn't know what to say for a moment, so she could only remain silent.
Gu Chen glanced at Xia Ran and couldn't help but speak up.
"Don't be angry, little dad. I won't let big dad come in to see you. Don't worry, he doesn't dare to come in now."
Xia Ran smiled at the child, but didn't answer the child's question. Instead, she spoke to Dazhuang.
"I'm a little thirsty, could you get me some water? And I feel fine now, so maybe I should be discharged?"
Chapter 239 Adding to the Trouble
"Okay, the doctor said you can be discharged once the fever goes down." Dazhuang poured Xia Ran a glass of water.
After drinking the warm water, Xia Ran's throat felt much better, and she felt more comfortable overall.
Dazhuang quickly told the doctor that they could be discharged from the hospital.
As he was leaving the ward, Dazhuang tugged at his sleeve and said,
"Um, Gu Zheng is still at the door."
"Mmm." Xia Ran hummed softly. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
He knew Gu Zheng was at the door when the child spoke, but so what?