Xia Ran stood in front of Grandpa Xia, afraid that Gu Zheng would anger him and cause him some harm.
Gu Zheng wanted to say something, but seeing Xia Ran's angry eyes, he couldn't say anything and could only turn around and leave.
No matter what, he would never give up on Xia Ran, even if Xia Ran kept kicking him out every day.
After Gu Zheng left, Xia Ran closed the door, not daring to look at her grandfather for a moment.
He had promised his grandfather that he would break off all ties with Gu Zheng, and he had indeed told Gu Zheng not to come looking for him anymore, but Gu Zheng didn't listen to him at all.
Gu Chen stood to the side, not daring to speak. He understood that his eldest father had angered his younger father and great-grandfather again.
Grandpa Xia could tell what Xia Ran was thinking just by looking at her like that.
He was indeed very angry, but he felt even more sorry for Xia Ran.
"Alright, what are you all standing there for? Hurry up and sit down so I can turn on the TV."
Hearing this, Xia Ran knew that Grandpa Xia was giving him a way out, so he immediately agreed and turned on the TV. Then he and the child chatted with Grandpa Xia.
As long as Grandpa isn't upset, that's fine.
Before they knew it, it was past six o'clock, and it was time for Gu Chen to go back.
Gu Chen clung to Xia Ran, unwilling to go back, but Xia Ran was equally adamant that she would not leave the child at the hospital overnight.
However, the child asked to stay for another five minutes, and Xia Ran had no choice but to agree.
It was during those five minutes that Gu Zheng, who was sitting on the bench by the door, encountered Lin Ziming, who had come to deliver his meal.
It is said that rivals in love are especially hostile when they meet. Although Gu Zheng is not a rival in love for Lin Ziming, Lin Ziming is a rival in love for Gu Zheng.
Moreover, this rival in love was favored by the old man and Xia Ran, so how could he not be wary?
Lin Ziming never expected to see Gu Zheng here, but he didn't care at all.
But as he walked over, Gu Zheng stood up and blocked his way.
"What? Mr. Gu, are you trying to stop me? Or do you want to fight me? But if you want to fight me, you'll have to wait. I need to take the food to Xiao Ran and Grandpa, otherwise they'll be hungry."
Lin Ziming held up the two lunchboxes in his hands, his tone carrying a hint of smugness.
"Lin Ziming! I warned you! Don't go near Xia Ran!" Gu Zheng's tone was gloomy, and he deliberately lowered his voice, which made his voice sound intimidating.
If it were someone else, they would probably be terrified.
Unfortunately, the person he was facing was Lin Ziming.
"Before warning others, you should clean up your own mess first. Gu Zheng, I never knew you were this kind of person. I really look down on you."
Lin Ziming said with a sarcastic expression, and then walked past Gu Zheng toward the ward.
But just as he was about to walk over, Gu Zheng tried to attack him. Of course, Lin Ziming was no pushover and dodged directly.
Of course, when he spoke again, his tone was tinged with warning and coldness.
"President Gu, you've warned me again and again. Do you really think I'm so easy to warn? Well then, let me warn you here: don't get close to Grandpa and Xiao Ran, because you will bring them misfortune!"
What he said wasn't untrue; after all, Gu En only targeted Xia Ran and the old man because of Gu Zheng.
Just then, Xia Ran also came out of the ward with her child and immediately noticed the two people whose atmosphere seemed a bit off.
However, he only glanced at Gu Zheng briefly before turning his gaze to Lin Ziming.
"Ziming, why aren't you going in? Grandpa just asked why you didn't come today."
Seeing Xia Ran's familiar attitude and tone towards Lin Ziming, Gu Zheng's expression completely changed.
But now, he can't say anything at all.
But if he didn't say it, he couldn't help himself.
"Ranran, didn't I tell you to stay away from him? His identity is unknown, and he's very dangerous."
Hearing Gu Zheng's words, Xia Ran didn't react at all. Instead, Lin Ziming, the one whose identity was said to be unknown, chuckled and said,
"Tsk... Well then, I, whose identity is unknown, will go in first to keep Grandpa company."
When he went in, he even looked at Gu Zheng provocatively.
Gu Zheng's face was ashen, but with Xia Ran there, he could only watch helplessly as Lin Ziming went in.
Chapter 356 Suffered a Setback
Xia Ran glanced down at the child, then went inside as well.
Gu Zheng stood there, feeling a sense of unease. How could he possibly repair his relationship with Xia Ran?
Gu Chen grasped Gu Zheng's hand and said,
"Big Daddy, let's go back. Little Daddy is in a bad mood today. Don't make him angry anymore."
Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng frowned and asked,
"You just said that your stepfather is in a bad mood?"
"Yes, I can tell. Your husband is in a very bad mood, so don't make him angry anymore. The parent-child activity at kindergarten is coming up soon, so you can coax him and make him forgive you then."
Although the child was very young, he was still a child, so he didn't know why Xia Ran was in a bad mood.
But Gu Zheng had other ideas in mind.
Lin Ziming just told him that he should finish dealing with his own affairs before taking care of Xia Ran.
So what's wrong with the people around him?
Gu Zheng thought about it a lot, but the most important thing now was to send the child back.
In the ward, Lin Ziming was setting up a small table on Grandpa Xia's bed and placing Grandpa Xia's dinner there, while his and Xia Ran's dinner was placed on a small table next to it.
"Grandpa, I cooked all the food myself today, and it tastes alright. Try it and see how it is. If you don't like it, I'll have someone else deliver it tomorrow."
"Wow, you made this yourself?" Grandpa Xia was a little surprised. "It looks really good, Ziming, you've put a lot of thought into it."
The old man didn't know what to say, but he was genuinely happy.
"Grandpa, we're all family now, why be so polite?" Lin Ziming said. "Are you going to say it's a favor just because Xiaoran cooked you a meal?"
Grandpa Xia was stunned for a moment, then he laughed too.
"Alright, alright, it's Grandpa's fault. Grandpa won't be polite to you anymore."
Lin Ziming brought a bowl and chopsticks for Grandpa Xia and invited him to eat.
Xia Ran watched this scene from the side, and a smile appeared on her face.
He was genuinely grateful to Lin Ziming for making his grandfather so happy.
Lin Ziming stewed chicken soup for Grandpa Xia. The two chicken legs were stewed until they were very soft and tender, making it easy to eat even for those with bad teeth.
Grandpa Xia took a sip of chicken soup and was about to say it was delicious, but he was stunned when he tasted it.
This taste... why does it smell so familiar?
Grandpa Xia's hands trembled slightly, and his eyes had already reddened without him realizing it.
He himself didn't know, but Xia Ran noticed and quickly asked,
"Grandpa, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Lin Ziming was also taken aback for a moment, and asked,
"Grandpa, if it doesn't taste good, then don't drink it. I'll have someone go and get some more food."
After he finished speaking, he was about to start clearing away the bowls and chopsticks next to Grandpa Xia, but Grandpa Xia stopped him.
"No, no need. I just suddenly thought of something. Ziming... did you really make this chicken soup?"
Lin Ziming seemed to understand after hearing this, and he nodded in response.
"Yes. I did cook it, Grandpa. Is there something wrong with it?"
Grandpa Xia moved his lips a few times, but couldn't help asking the question.
"What...did you put in this? This tastes different from regular chicken soup?"
This chicken soup was made with some mild medicinal herbs, which is very good for Grandpa's health. It also has a hint of honey sweetness, which can perfectly mask the taste of the herbs.
However, in all his years of life, he had only ever seen one person do this.
that is……
Seeing Grandpa Xia like this, Lin Ziming suddenly regretted making the soup.
However, it's not too late to explain now.
"These are all common medicinal herbs, but when I was making this soup today, I was thinking about all sorts of random things, so I accidentally put some honey in."
“I tasted it, and the honey doesn’t affect the taste, so I just brought it over. This medicine is for you, and it would be a waste if you didn’t drink it. If Grandpa doesn’t like the taste, I’ll have someone bring it over right away.”
"Is that so?" Grandpa Xia murmured to himself, then smiled. "It's alright, it's alright, I was just asking. Don't overthink it. This tastes very good, I like it very much."
After saying that, Grandpa Xia seemed afraid that Lin Ziming wouldn't believe him, so he took a few more sips.
Grandpa Xia kept his head down, his eyes filled with turbulent thoughts.
Unfortunately, Xia Ran couldn't see it, but she vaguely sensed that Grandpa Xia's emotions were a bit off.
"That's good." Lin Ziming also smiled casually. "Xiao Ran, let's eat quickly, or the food will get cold."
Now that the weather is cold, these dishes cool down very easily as soon as they are taken out of the kitchen.
Xia Ran nodded, no longer paying attention to his grandfather. Perhaps it was just his imagination; his grandfather simply thought the taste was strange.
After dinner, Lin Ziming left.
Xia Ran turned around and went back to her room, looking at Grandpa Xia who had started watching TV again with a helpless smile.
As expected, he had been overthinking things; Grandpa was perfectly fine.
However, what Xia Ran didn't know was that Grandpa Xia was only outwardly fine, but inwardly he was in turmoil because of that unusual soup.
But he couldn't show it, otherwise Xia Ran would worry.
Xia Ran had just taken a shower when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Da Zhuang calling.
"Hey, what brings you to call me, you busy person?" Xia Ran said with a smile.