Chapter 419: 418 The Truth that Gu Yan Concealed
“In a few days, I need to take a trip to D Country.”
Gu Yan stared at Mo Xiuchen for a few seconds before he spoke slowly, “Xiuchen, I told you about Ranran’s situation from the start. Maybe, in the end, all our efforts will have been in vain.”
A shadow passed through Mo Xiuchen’s eyes, his voice as calm as still water. “Dad, the person I love is Ranran, nothing else matters.”
In other words, what he wanted was Wen Ran, the woman, not a tool for carrying on the family line.
Gu Yan sighed inwardly, his voice a bit low. “What if, apart from the situation you know about, there were other issues with Ranran?”
“Dad?”
Mo Xiuchen’s eyebrows knit together as he fixed his gaze on Gu Yan, filled with inquiry and confusion. The serious expression on Gu Yan’s face made his heart sink.
The leaf in his hand broke into two as it fell into the water.
His tall figure stiffened slightly as he stood before the colored glaze counter. He stared at Gu Yan intently for a moment before finally saying, “Dad, tell me everything about Ranran’s situation, don’t hide anything from me.”
If Gu Yan was discussing it like this, those circumstances involving Ranran had to be worse than he thought. Maybe, in addition to her inability to have children, there were other issues.
Hearing Gu Yan slowly reveal Wen Ran’s situation, his heart felt as if it was suddenly filled with rubble, making his breathing unsteady.
Here he was, a strong man on the verge of tears. With each flash of Wen Ran’s smile and each of her tears that passed before his eyes, his heart felt like it was being mercilessly stabbed, some unspeakable pain spreading rapidly through his body.
Upstairs, Wen Ran, accompanied by Gu Kai and Wen Jin, was opening the roomful of gifts that she got on her birthday. Because Shen Yuting caused a scene that day, Mo Xiuchen had taken her home early.
Later, when Gu Kai asked if he should bring the gifts to her house, she said there was no need, she would open them the next time she visited the Gu family.
Now that they had time, they decided to unwrap all the gifts.
“Your carving isn’t really up to snuff.”
Wen Jin looked at a wooden carve Wen Ran had just opened, unable to tell whether it was a butterfly ready to spread its wings or a dragonfly. He couldn’t help but laugh.
With a suppressed laughter, Wen Ran tilted her head to study the carving closely. “This has the wings of a butterfly and the body of a dragonfly. Older Brother Gu, was this your first attempt at carving?”
She looked at a somewhat embarrassed Gu Kai with a smiley face, which was quite rare.
Gu Kai glared at Wen Jin, coughed lightly with his hand covering his mouth before explaining, “The first product I made was too ugly, so I threw it away. This is the second one. Actually, my craftsmanship isn’t bad, I was just unlucky to fall ill. In order to have the gift ready for your birthday, I was a bit rushed, and it turned out like this.”
Wen Ran paused for a moment, the smile fading from her face, and said comfortingly, “It’s pretty good like this.”
“Yeah, after I got better, Yuting kept pestering me to carve a butterfly for her. The one I made was much more realistic than this one. If you have a chance, I’ll let her show you, so that you won’t think my skills are lacking.”
Gu Kai raised an eyebrow proudly. Being complimented always put him in a good mood.
“Did Sister Ting also celebrate the New Year with you guys before?”
Wen Ran stared at the butterfly in her hand for a while, put it back in the box, and continued to unwrap the next one.
“Yeah, in the past, she wouldn’t want to go home for the New Year, most of the time, she was clinging onto me. But this year, when I called her to come over, she didn’t want to come.”
Gu Kai watched as Wen Ran unwrapped the box. The gift was something he made when she was eight years old.
“Does she not want to come because of me?”
Wen Ran pursed her lips as she looked at Gu Kai’s handsome face. For so many years, Shen Yuting had stayed with her brother and dad, even during the New Year. She was always by their side, and suddenly now she wasn’t there anymore – her brother must not have been used to it.
Gu Kai chuckled and casually said, “She might have a boyfriend now. Besides, after last time’s incident, she would feel awkward seeing you and Xiuchen. It’s better that she didn’t come, it spares us the embarrassment.”
“Ranran, Shen Yuting has been in love with Mo Xiuchen for so many years. In the past, she used to stick around Gu Kai, most likely because of Mo Xiuchen. Now that Mo Xiuchen has you, whether she goes home to spend the New Year with her father or has a boyfriend, it’s all good.”
After the last time, Wen Jin had formed his own opinion about Shen Yuting.
In his view, even though Shen Yuting was in love with Mo Xiuchen, she shouldn’t have confessed her feelings, knowing that he and Ranran were in love, especially on Ranran’s birthday.
Wen Ran chuckled, changing the topic. “Older Brother Gu, did you make this too?”
One look was all it took to tell it wasn’t the work of a ‘master’.
Gu Kai reached out and took the bracelet. “I made this one. That year, this kind of bracelet was in style. Thinking that you’d like it, I went to learn how to make it and ended up making two.”
Wen Ran didn’t ask any more, she knew the other bracelet must have been given to Shen Yuting.
“Help me put it on.”
She extended her hand to Gu Kai, her eyes curved, as she looked at him.
Gu Kai looked back, the gleam in his eyes flashing. He casually told her, “This was in style many years ago. Now, if you wear it out, people will laugh at you. If you like it, I’ll make you a new one. This one, just keep as a souvenir.”
“Haha, Ranran, if you wear this bracelet, Ah Kai will definitely be laughed at by Ah Feng and Xiuchen. You better not wear it. Pick up the next one, I’m suddenly very curious. Could it be that this pile of gifts were all made by Master Gu?”
“Don’t you dare laugh. Even if it’s a bit ugly, it comes from my heart. If you laugh again, I’ll kick you out and won’t let you see the rest of the gifts.”
Although Gu Kai wouldn’t dare act out against Ranran, he definitely could do it to Wen Jin.
Not only he dared, but his angry face could actually be intimidating.
Wen Ran let out a chuckle and snatched the bracelet back from Gu Kai. She carefully placed back in the box, “Alright then, I’ll continue to unwrap the rest of the gifts.”
The three of them kept unwrapping the gifts and talking, and in the blink of an eye, it was lunchtime.
There was a knock at the door. Wen Ran looked up to see Mo Xiuchen leaning against the half-open door, a smile in his eyes as he looked at her.
“Ranran, have you finished unwrapping the gifts? It’s time for lunch.”
By the time Mo Xiuchen had come upstairs, he had already concealed his emotions. His handsome face showed no sign of stress. With his gentle and elegant demeanor, he was extremely charming.
Seeing Mo Xiuchen entering the room, Gu Kai stretched his arms, stood up and said, “Xiuchen, you help Ranran pack up the gifts, I’ll go downstairs and get the dishes.”
“I’ll go down first too.”
Wen Jin’s gaze swept across Mo Xiuchen as he stood up and left the room.
“Ranran, let’s leave the remaining gifts unopened for now and unwrap them leisurely after dinner. Let’s go downstairs for lunch.”
Mo Xiuchen walked up to Wen Ran and helped her up from the sofa. His slender finger brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek, his soft voice gently spilling from his lips.