Chapter 92 Urging Marriage?
She loosened her grip slightly, cupped Yuanyuan's face, and examined her carefully. Only when she saw that her daughter's face was rosy and she was not injured did she feel relieved.
He kissed her on the forehead. "Looks like you've had a good month away from home. You've even gained some weight."
"Mom, Dad said he's my real dad, is that true?" Yuanyuan grabbed Xia Zhiyun's hand and pulled her into the living room, her little face full of pride.
"Yes, she is indeed your biological father."
Xia Zhiyun followed her daughter's lead into the living room, her gaze first falling on Gu Zheng, and the two exchanged a glance.
Gu Zheng took the things from her hands and spoke first, his voice a little hoarse: "You must be tired from your journey. Come in and sit down."
"Thanks."
Xia Zhiyun nodded, a little embarrassed. Although they had already talked things out, she still felt a bit awkward.
Gu's mother got up and quickly walked over to greet her, holding Xia Zhiyun's other hand with an exceptionally warm smile.
"Zhiyun, right? Please sit down, you must be exhausted from the journey."
"Yuanyuan, thank you for taking such good care of her all these years. I'm so sorry you had to go through so much hardship."
"Auntie, you're too kind. It's my duty to take care of Yuanyuan."
Xia Zhiyun was pulled to sit on the sofa by Gu's mother. Gu's father nodded to her, and she greeted him politely in return.
"It's good that you're here, it's good that you're here, now the whole family is together."
Seeing how warmly the Gu family welcomed her, Xia Zhiyun felt less awkward.
"I'm sorry, I didn't dare tell Gu Zheng about my personal issues before, and I didn't dare bring Yuanyuan to meet everyone."
"There's nothing to apologize for," Mrs. Gu waved her hand and handed her the peeled orange.
"We are so grateful to the Gu family for giving us such a wonderful granddaughter!"
Raising a child alone all these years must have been tough, but we'll take care of you from now on; you won't have to shoulder that burden alone anymore.
Gu's mother stuffed the oranges into Xia Zhiyun's hand and then picked up a clean teacup to pour her a cup of tea.
"You and Gu Zheng are destined to meet, after all the twists and turns."
Yuanyuan is five years old now, a time when she needs her parents' love and care.
Xia Zhiyun's heart tightened, anticipating what she was about to say, and she was just about to change the subject.
Grandpa Gu, sitting on the single sofa next to him, held a teacup in his hand, took a slow sip, put down the teacup, and spoke first.
"That's right, my eldest grandson was stubborn back then, insisting that he wanted to do some research before considering marriage."
We've been spending every day in the lab these past few years, and we're all getting really anxious.
"Now that Yuanyuan is all grown up, it's time for you two to get down to business."
Xia Zhiyun's fingers tightened suddenly as she held the orange, causing the juice to seep out and stick to her fingertips without her noticing.
She subconsciously avoided their gazes and looked down at Yuanyuan in her arms. "Grandpa Gu, things are fine as they are now. There's no need to tie us together."
"Why isn't it necessary?" Gu's mother placed the teacup on the coffee table in front of her, took her hand, and gently patted the back of her hand.
“Yuanyuan is the Gu family’s granddaughter. You are the child’s mother, so you should be together so that the child can have a complete family.”
Mr. Gu hadn't said much until now, when he also turned his gaze to Xia Zhiyun.
“We don’t know what happened back then, but we know it’s not easy for you to raise the child alone. We don’t want to take Yuanyuan away from you, we just hope you will think it over carefully.”
“My son is a bit serious, but he has good character and is suitable for marriage.”
The mention of the word "marriage" made Xia Zhiyun stiffen, and her face instantly paled.
She gripped the orange tighter and tighter, her eyes reddening, not with emotion, but with an instinctive resistance and fear.
Yuanyuan sensed that something was wrong with her mother, so she hugged her arm tightly with her little hands and looked up with her rosy little face: "Mom, what is marriage?"
Will my parents be able to stay together forever after I get married?
I want my mom and dad to be together!
Xia Zhiyun looked down into her daughter's innocent eyes, her nose tingled, and tears almost fell.
She took a deep breath and quietly tossed the deformed orange into the trash can.
“Yuanyuan, Mommy…Mommy can’t marry your daddy yet.”
Gu Zheng sat silently to the side, his gaze never leaving Xia Zhiyun.
Seeing her pale face and tense body, he said, "Dad, Mom, Grandpa, there's no rush for the wedding. Let Zhiyun and Yuanyuan rest and get used to it first."
"How can you not be in a hurry!" Grandpa Gu put down his teacup and raised his voice a little. "Gu Zheng, you're almost thirty. A man's career starts to decline after thirty. If you're not in a hurry, no one will want you in the future."
"grandfather!"
Gu Zheng was convinced; he shouldn't have spoken up.
"Grandpa has been through this, doesn't he know better than you?"
Don't take this lightly.
Gu Zheng: "..."
Xia Zhiyun: "..."
“Your grandfather is right. You’re not getting any younger, you should start working on it.”
Gu Zheng: "..."
"And Yuanyuan is already five years old. What will it look like if we keep delaying this?"
"..."
He should remain silent!
"Zhiyun, I'm not bragging, but you know Zheng. He's an upright person, does a good job, and cares about you and Yuanyuan. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone like him even with a lantern."
Xia Zhiyun bit her lower lip and remained silent for a while before raising her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Auntie, I know Professor Gu is a good person."
But… I’ve been married.
The living room fell silent for a moment after he said that.
Gu's mother's smile faltered, and Gu's father frowned. Gu Zheng hadn't mentioned this to them.
Could it be that she still can't forget her ex-husband?
If that's the case, it will be difficult to handle.
Grandpa Gu was also taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand: "What's there to be afraid of after getting married?"
Who hasn't met the wrong person?
Just live your life well now.
"No..."
Xia Zhiyun finally couldn't hold back her tears and let them fall. She raised her hand and wiped them away haphazardly, her voice trembling with sobs.
"The man I married before left a deep impression on me..."
Her voice trailed off, filled with a deep-seated fear: "Now, I'm terrified just thinking about getting married."
Her hands were trembling as she held Yuanyuan. "He almost beat me to death. During that time, I lived in fear every day."
Now that I've finally escaped that kind of life, all I want is to live peacefully with Yuanyuan.
I don't want to get married again.
"Professor Gu is a good person, really,"
She looked up at Gu Zheng, her eyes full of apology, "But I'm not good enough for him given my circumstances."
I don't want to hinder his happiness; I have Yuanyuan, that's enough for me.
Seeing her with tears streaming down her face, Gu Zheng felt a tightness in his chest and a sense of unease.
He stood up and walked to her side, hesitated for a few seconds, and then took her cold hand in his.
"I'm sorry, I failed to protect you back then, and you suffered because of it."
Xia Zhiyun subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, but he held it tightly.
"Xia Zhiyun, that person isn't me,"
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