Gu Huaizheng, who had no desire to wear a green hat, went to inspect the kitchen ruins and chose to heat milk in the microwave.
He brought over two bowls of milk and two portions of sweet high-calcium biscuits, setting them down in front of Chacha and Gu Ran respectively.
Gu Ran seemed not to have expected that there would be a serving for him too. He froze, and the tips of his ears instantly burned red.
“I'm already this old. I stopped drinking milk ages ago.”
Gu Ran grumbled in dissatisfaction, but did not refuse the kindness and silently lowered his head.
Chacha was so hungry that little stars were spinning before his eyes. Seeing the warm milk and sweet biscuits, he ignored the milk entirely, picked up a biscuit, and nibbled it in small bites.
He crunched away happily, cheeks puffed like a little hamster's.
Gu Ran, who hadn't had much appetite before, couldn't help letting his gaze fall on him.
It was like watching an eating broadcast. The little fellow was sweet-looking, wore a pale green bib over his chest, and ate very neatly and delicately, barely dropping any crumbs.
Gu Ran was beginning to understand why some people watched eating broadcasts to help themselves eat.
It really was pretty cute.
Gu Ran turned and drained his bowl of milk in one go, then finished the overly sweet biscuits in another two or three bites.
Gu Huaizheng came over after tidying things up. Seeing that Chacha had eaten more than half his biscuit but hadn't touched the milk, he frowned.
“Chacha, why aren't you drinking your milk?”
After eating the biscuit, Chacha was no longer hungry. His stomach felt reassuringly full, and his little brain started working again.
He raised his head and met Gu Huaizheng's gaze. Belatedly, he sucked in a sharp breath.
The tea plantation master?!
Chacha jumped in fright and accidentally choked. Covering his mouth, he began coughing violently, his small body trembling and his eyes filled with terror.
Oh no! The plantation master had found him!
He was definitely going to plant Chacha back beside the lake!
Beside him, Gu Ran saw the little fellow scared into nonstop coughing by a single sentence from Gu Huaizheng. He hurriedly and clumsily patted Chacha's back.
Gu Ran frowned. “Dad, it's perfectly normal for a kid not to like milk. Don't sound so fierce. Look how badly you scared Chacha.”
Gu Huaizheng froze and thought his tone just now hadn't sounded that fierce, had it?
He opened his mouth, unsure how to explain, and could only try to patch things up.
“That's simply my personality. My voice sounds stern, but I'm not actually scolding you.”
Chacha couldn't take in a single word. He didn't even dare drink the milk the plantation master had given him, terrified that after drinking it, this little tea plant would wither.
At last he caught his breath. Chacha's face was red from coughing, and a moist layer of tears pooled in his eyes.
Pouting, he tugged Big Brother's sleeve and said softly,
“Big Brother, I want to go back and find Daddy.”
His Daddy was very powerful. He definitely wouldn't let the plantation master snatch Chacha away.
Gu Ran answered, scooped Chacha up, and carried the little fellow off to find Daddy.
Before leaving, Gu Ran knitted his brows and cast Gu Huaizheng a mildly reproachful look.
“Dad, you should watch your tone a little. You can scare a kid to tears.”
Gu Huaizheng fell silent for a moment. “…Got it.”
You little brat!
You did that on purpose to mock me, didn't you?!
Gu Ran secretly laughed twice and carried his soft, sniffling little brother off to find Daddy.
He had to admit, holding a child felt like holding a soft ball of cotton candy. Chacha weighed almost nothing and even smelled sweetly of biscuits.
His little brother was obedient and soft and trusted him completely. After being frightened by Gu Huaizheng's cold face, the first person he had run to was Gu Ran.
He wasn't “scheming” at all like Gu Ran's friends had said.
Thinking of Gu Huaizheng's frustration put Gu Ran in an excellent mood. His brows lifted smugly.
When they reached the guest room where Lü Rong and Chacha were staying temporarily, Chacha struggled slightly and climbed out of Gu Ran's arms.
“Goodbye, Big Brother. I'm going back to Daddy.” Chacha rubbed his red eyes and said obediently.
Gu Ran's heart softened. “Okay. Goodbye, Chacha.”
The little guy even knew how to say goodbye!
So polite!
Chacha pushed open the door and saw Daddy still resting. He carefully trotted to the bedside, took off his shoes, and lay down beside him.
Lü Rong had not slept at all the night before because of the move. Half asleep while catching up on rest, he saw Chacha, reached out to pull the little thing into his arms, and kissed Chacha's forehead.
Chacha's heart immediately settled. He gave Daddy a wet little kiss in return and nestled peacefully in his arms.
***
Lü Rong slept the entire afternoon and did not wake until the sky had gone completely dark.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Chacha curled into a ball, having rolled into the corner and sleeping soundly. The little fellow's face was rosy with sleep, one fist resting by his cheek, his breathing long and even.
Lü Rong's lips curved, a smile spreading with them.
He couldn't bear to wake Chacha. After a quick wash, he made himself neat and presentable and pushed the door open to go out.
Lü Rong knew that Gu Huaizheng was returning tonight, and Old Madam Gu would certainly seize the opportunity to make a scene.
A “fierce battle” was inevitable tonight.
Lü Rong had prepared himself mentally. His expression resolute, he walked toward the living room.
Everyone in the Gu family was present in the living room except Gu Qiong, who was away on a business trip.
Old Madam Gu, Gu Shuanghua, who had suffered a headache all day, had changed into home clothes. She still favored cloud brocade and Chinese-style wide sleeves. Eyes closed, her face looked solemn.
Gu Ran had no idea what was about to happen. He merely felt the atmosphere was suffocating and sat on the farthest single sofa with a puzzled, confused expression.
Gu Huaizheng was the first to notice Lü Rong's arrival.
He wore a black shirt. After several years of experience in business, his face no longer had the unrestrained swagger of the past, instead gaining a measure of calm steadiness.
But the instant he saw Lü Rong's face, no matter how much time had passed, Gu Huaizheng's heart still couldn't help trembling, and affection unconsciously flowed through his eyes.
It burned like a volcano, blazing and scalding, yet he brutally suppressed it in the deepest part of his heart and covered it with a layer of supposed exchange of interests that couldn't even convince himself.
That's right. He had married Lü Rong for practical advantage—for their mutual interests!
Did the man who had broken his heart really expect Gu Huaizheng to still love him?
Thinking this, Gu Huaizheng clenched his fingers and forced himself to look unconcerned as he turned his gaze away.
Lü Rong didn't notice anything unusual about Gu Huaizheng. In silence, he looked at the members of the Gu family.
Aside from Gu Ran, who had shot upward in height over the past few years, everyone else in the Gu family looked almost exactly as Lü Rong remembered, unchanged.
The suffocating, cold atmosphere slowly spread through the room.
Gu Shuanghua opened her eyes and spoke first, her voice sharp.
“Gu Huaizheng, what exactly are you thinking? Are you absolutely determined to marry this man?”
Lü Rong closed his eyes and sighed softly.
He had known it would be like this.
The moment he married Gu Huaizheng, he would have to face Gu Shuanghua, who would never accept him no matter what, and endure endless heated arguments and confrontations.
But unlike before, this time Gu Huaizheng would not stand on his side either.
Lü Rong wanted to say something. After all, his contract with Gu Huaizheng clearly stated that after marriage, Lü Rong would be responsible for helping Gu Huaizheng deal with family matters.
But just as Lü Rong uttered the first word, a faint choking sob sounded in the quiet room.
“Daddy…”
Chacha woke up and discovered Daddy was gone. Remembering the plantation master he had seen earlier, he was terrified he would be taken away. He didn't even stop to put on shoes before running outside barefoot.
Dizzy from running, Chacha didn't watch where he was going at all and ran headfirst into Gu Huaizheng's leg beside the sofa.
It was bad enough that the collision sent little stars spinning around Chacha's head. When he looked up, he also saw the plantation master—the very person he least wanted to see.
Oh heavens! Now the plantation master was definitely going to catch him!
Chacha toppled sideways onto his bottom, mouth opening slightly as little pearl-like tears rolled down one after another.
“Y-you can't take me away. Right now, I'm a little tea plant who has a Daddy.”
He couldn't be planted beside the lake at your tea plantation like before.
Seeing Chacha's eyes turn red with fear, Gu Huaizheng's deliberately indifferent expression cracked for an instant.
Did he really look that frightening?
Gu Huaizheng touched his face. He thought he looked all right.
When an online finance magazine had previously selected its ten outstanding young entrepreneurs, the editor-in-chief had even deliberately put Gu Huaizheng's photograph on the homepage to attract readers who cared about looks.
Gu Huaizheng truly couldn't understand why this tiny Chacha looked so terrified every time he saw him.
More importantly, the moment Gu Huaizheng saw Chacha, that strange guilty feeling surged up again!
Gu Shuanghua, the closest person beside them, pressed her temple and spoke.
“Enough. Stop making a fuss, all of you.”
Seeing the grandmother he had met once before, Chacha hurriedly pushed himself up from the floor with his little hands. Holding back the tears spinning in his eyes, he said softly,
“Grandma, h-hello. Have you seen my Daddy?”
Being called “Grandma” yet again made Gu Shuanghua's expression stiffen. She choked on any reply and had no idea how to answer.
Why did this child call her Grandma every single time they met?
Wasn't that far too abrupt?!
Gu Shuanghua was a person who valued formal etiquette. Something as important as changing forms of address should at least wait until after she had acknowledged Lü Rong, held a formal family-recognition banquet, and had the child change what he called her in front of everyone!
Being called Grandma out of nowhere truly left Gu Shuanghua unsure how to react.
She looked at Chacha's red nose and red-rimmed eyes, and in the end her heart softened for a moment.
Forget it. The child was young, and he did look rather pitiful like this.
Gu Shuanghua rubbed her temple and sighed.
“Your daddy is over there.”
Lü Rong, who had been standing a little farther away, was already striding over. Seeing Chacha crying so pitifully, he hurriedly gathered him into his arms.
“It's all right, it's all right. Daddy is here.”
Lü Rong's voice was warm and gentle, like the softest, warmest sunlight in the depths of winter, drifting down lightly and effortlessly soothing away unease from the heart.
Gu Shuanghua lowered her eyes and watched Lü Rong comfort the child. No matter how much she disliked him, she had to admit that Lü Rong's temperament really was good.
But the moment she thought of the relationship between Lü Rong and Gu Huaizheng, the anger blocking her chest once again became impossible to swallow.
“I'm going back upstairs. My head hurts badly.” Gu Shuanghua closed her eyes, no longer wanting to deal with these troublesome matters, and stood as she spoke.
Chacha pressed his lips together and clung tightly to Daddy's leg, secretly peeking at the plantation master through little eyes reddened from crying.
Hearing Grandma's voice, Chacha assumed she was talking to him and obediently tipped his head up to answer,
“Okay. Good night, Grandma.”
Gu Shuanghua paused, closed her eyes, and sighed even more heavily—