Chapter 1532

“Well, I’m sorry about that.”

“I know I shouldn’t have kept it from you, but I really didn’t know how to say it.”

“Then start from the beginning.” Hmph, don’t know how to say it? Then spell out exactly what happened, in detail.

Zhao Xuran described the whole process of going to see Zhao Guangran yesterday. “Honestly, I didn’t want to go.”

“You know I have to study and I’m busy handling documents.”

“And I still have to take care of the child.” Even with a nanny, Zhao Xuran still wanted to devote as much time as possible to the family.

“I didn’t agree, I just said I’d discuss it with you.”

Discuss it with her? Problem is, there was no discussion at all. Was this kid planning a ‘act first, report later’ stunt?

“I was just thinking, if I can stall for a bit, then I’ll stall.” Zhao Xuran really felt quite embarrassed. If you count it seriously, what he did was actually kind of shady.

This kind of behavior really isn’t typical of Zhao Xuran. “Why didn’t you just say it outright?”

Even if Zhao Guangran got upset, he wouldn’t dare vent. One knife-like glare from Zhao Xuran and Zhao Guangran would absolutely turn instantly, all well-behaved.

“I was thinking that dragging it like this could give Dai Limin and Gong Jiaming a sense of crisis, so they’d work harder.” Zhao Xuran slowly explained why he wanted to do it this way.

So he was planning to Dai Limin and the others? Renee didn’t get it.

“You haven’t noticed—actually, ever since we came back from Japan, Dai Limin and the others have all become a bit restless, more or less.”

“Including Guang Ran. It’s just that he got a round of knocking from me.” Zhao Xuran could bluntly knock or even crush Zhao Guangran; he was his kid brother.

But with Gong Jiaming and Dai Limin, Zhao Xuran couldn’t treat them like that.

Restless? Really? Wasn’t it Gong Jiaming who started learning data analysis just to lighten Zhao Guangran’s workload? By all appearances he was a very sensible kid, so why was Zhao Xuran insisting on saying this?

“Didn’t Guang Ran say Jia Ming has been improving a lot?” Renee was confused. On the one hand he said they’d become restless, on the other he said there was progress. Was he underestimating the IQ of a young mom here?

“That was at the beginning. These past few days, he hasn’t made any progress.” Zhao Xuran explained.

Oh, no progress these past few days. Renee gave an “oh.” “Did he get a girlfriend or something?”

“Probably not.” Zhao Xuran wasn’t all that sure either. If he had a girlfriend, he wouldn’t be running only between school and home.

True, this isn’t exactly a full-blown internet age. There’s basically no such thing as online dating to speak of. “Then is it stress?”

That didn’t really add up either. If we’re talking about stress, wasn’t it worse back in Japan?

Besides, even if he is under pressure, can it really be heavier than the pressure on Zhao Guangran?

As for the reason, Zhao Xuran said, “They’re all adults. It’s up to them how they adjust themselves.”

If it had been before, Zhao Xuran would’ve taken the time to show real concern. But now, where did he have the time? Busy with school, busy making money, busy taking care of the kid, busy coaxing his wife—he was already barely keeping up.

“Maybe he’s sort of secretly in love with someone.” Zhao Xuran tossed off a casual line.

“Have Guang Ran ask him someday.”

“If it really is a secret crush, then have Guang Ran teach him a few tricks.” Making girls happy was what Zhao Guangran was best at. Zhao Xuran shamelessly dumped the whole matter on Zhao Guangran.

Guang Ran again. Renee really felt tired on his behalf. “Isn’t that a bit much?”

They couldn’t keep throwing everything at Zhao Guangran. He’d get worn out too.

Would Zhao Guangran get worn out? Zhao Xuran waved his hand. “It’s fine. This is his specialty.”

“If he’s got time to flirt with girls, he can spare a little time for his brothers, right?”

Well, that was actually pretty reasonable. “Tsk, I almost let you derail the topic.”

Renee suddenly remembered they’d been talking about the fact that Zhao Xuran had actually kept things from her. “You didn’t tell me, and then I had to hear about what you’re up to from someone else. Do you have any idea how annoying that is?”

“Good thing it was all family. If there’d been an outsider, what do you think they’d have thought?” Who knows how they’d laugh at her inwardly.

They’d probably think their so-called loving relationship was all for show, just a performance.

Was it really that serious? Zhao Xuran felt like maybe his wife was overthinking it a bit. But seeing how serious her expression was, fine—he admitted he’d gone too far.

“It’s my fault, my fault.” When it’s time to admit you’re wrong, you have to admit you’re wrong.

Hmph, admitting you’re wrong, that he did fast enough. “You better remember this. I bet Guang Ran’s going to laugh himself to death today.”

Although Zhao Guangran had hidden it pretty well, Renee swore she really had seen those teeth of his, white to the point of blinding. “What, was he filming a whitening toothpaste commercial?”

Thinking of that, Renee tucked away the little bit of sympathy she’d had. That kid really was bursting with excess energy. Taking proper care of his own brother and his excellent subordinate was a must.

If Zhao Xuran could notice something, how could Zhao Guangran not? He just hadn’t taken it to heart. People are bound to have times when their mood isn’t that great; no one can be in a fantastic mood every second of every day.

As for the issue of Gong Jiaming’s slow progress these days, Zhao Guangran said he didn’t really have anything to comment on. Although, based on the pace he’d planned, he did feel Jia Ming’s progress had gotten a bit slow lately.

But compared to most people, this pace was already pretty good. What puzzled Zhao Guangran was, “Tell me, why’s Jia Ming been acting so weird emotionally lately?”

Zhao Guangran casually asked Gong Ruzhi about it. He honestly thought that with such a great life mentor like himself around, there was no reason not to consult him, yet they’d gone to Gong Ruzhi to talk sense instead.

In Zhao Guangran’s own mind, he was all kinds of amazing. Unfortunately, what came next really did smack him right in the face.

“Brother Jia Ming’s recently fallen for a girl.” Tch, obviously he just wanted to get the inside scoop from him, and still pretended he wasn’t a gossip.

Fact is, in this family he was the biggest gossip. He’d just always hidden it pretty well.

“He just doesn’t dare confess, so right now it’s a secret crush stage, I guess.” Gong Ruzhi looked completely helpless.

Come on, what’s the point of telling him? Did they not know he’s a single guy? That he literally has zero experience with this stuff?

Ahhhhh, seriously? Gong Jiaming actually had a secret crush on some girl? How did he not know?

“Who is it?”

“How come I don’t know?”

“A secret crush, seriously?”

“Man, I really lost to him this time. Why didn’t he come to me for advice?”

“What, I’m not qualified to give him pointers?” Zhao Guangran was about to lose it. He’s clearly the expert in relationships.

Why hadn’t Gong Jiaming told Zhao Guangran about this, or asked him for a few tips? Gong Ruzhi didn’t know the details either, but he figured it was probably because Zhao Guangran’s style was just too over the top.

“No way, I’m going to ask Gong Jiaming. This is basically treating me like I’m not his brother.”

“A secret crush? As long as I step in with a bit of guidance, I refuse to believe he can’t win her over.” Zhao Guangran practically wanted to crack open his little brother’s skull and see what was inside.

“Come on, what good does it do him to talk to you? You’re a single guy; you literally can’t give him any useful advice.”

Whoa, that was a bit harsh. Gong Ruzhi got anxious. “What do you mean I can’t give advice?” Sure, he didn’t have personal experience, but he was still smart. Watching how his classmates chased girls, he could still pick up a thing or two.

He curled his lip. Advice, yeah right. “If your advice really worked, how come he’s still stuck in a secret crush? It’s because your advice isn’t reliable.”

“Anyway, I’m going to handle this.”