The consequence of Sheng Yan's actions was that Cuckoo was sent to the vet the next day, completely losing his right to be a father.

Sheng Yan, on the other hand, received more tenderness and affection.

Qin Zigui hugged him and gently kissed his forehead: "Ayan, the next few months may be tough, but we will always be together."

Sheng Yan lazily snuggled into Qin Zigui's arms and rubbed against him a couple of times, then hummed in agreement.

He discovered that the southern fog in early winter was actually quite warm.

The sycamore leaves outside the window have finally all fallen, and the bare branches have a desolate beauty in the gray and white winter.

Qin Zigui returned to Shiwai with the honor of winning the national competition gold medal, and Sheng Yan's grades also improved by leaps and bounds. Ms. Xu also donated underfloor heating to the school's arts and sports building. The school leaders stopped talking about the relationship between Qin Zigui and Sheng Yan and just turned a blind eye.

In order to ensure fairness in class assignments, Sheng Yan was ultimately transferred back to Class 6, and surprisingly, Qin Zigui also went to Class 6.

In his own words, he was number one in every class.

In Chen Yubai's words, Zigui is indeed not a good bird, but he is definitely a good boyfriend.

He will do everything in his power to help Sheng Yan achieve a better future.

Since he had already won the gold medal, Peking University was just a matter of receiving an acceptance letter, so he focused more of his energy on Sheng Yan.

He would tailor a study plan for Sheng Yan, organize his notes, explain the wrong questions, and find similar exercises to compile. After Sheng Yan finished them, he would correct them one by one.

He would also get up half an hour earlier than Sheng Yan every day to prepare breakfast for him, fill the hot water bottle, prepare the clothes he would wear that day, and then gently coax Sheng Yan to get up. Occasionally, he would trick him into giving a light kiss or two, which was the most precious reward he received.

Sheng Yan seemed to have become a completely different person from when he was in his second year of high school, and he had completely settled down.

Every morning, Qin Zigui would coax me to get up, wash up, and go to the classroom. After eating the breakfast Qin Zigui prepared, I would start studying with my eyes half-closed in a daze.

After studying until noon, I ate lunch, took a half-hour nap at the table, and then got up to continue studying.

However, Qin Zigui never let him study late into the night, saying that it was bad for his health and that his efficiency would be low the next day.

Every day after finishing his evening self-study, Sheng Yan would go home, take a shower, drink a cup of hot milk, then snuggle into bed, hug Qin Zigui, and fall into a deep sleep.

Qin Zigui was afraid that he wouldn't get enough rest and that his body wouldn't be able to handle it, so she stopped bullying him as much as before, and most of the time she only stopped when things got intense.

For Sheng Yan, the most relaxing time of the day is when he snuggles into Qin Zigui's arms and closes his eyes at night.

At that time, he didn't have to think about anything or worry about anything. He could just smell the most familiar scent and relax completely, becoming a kitten with an empty head.

Only occasionally, when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he finds no one beside him, but a warm yellow light shines through the crack in the study door. When he wakes up the next morning, the previous day's wrong questions have already been organized and bound, lying quietly in his schoolbag.

Qin Zigui took care of Sheng Yan's every need, from food and clothing to daily life, and his weight decreased at a visible rate.

In Lin Qian's words, Qin Zigui's jawbone was clearer and more defined than Zhu Peng's future.

The reason for this is that, during the first semester's final exams, Sheng Yan's grades had already far surpassed those of Zhu Peng and Gou You.

So much so that Zhu Peng and Gou You, who were constantly bombarded with displays of affection, could no longer tolerate it and began to study diligently, even resorting to extreme measures like hanging their heads from beams and pricking their thighs with awls.

Then they welcomed the last few heavy snowfalls of the Southern Mist before the arrival of the next spring.

This is said to be the coldest time of year before spring arrives, when the southern fog is at its worst.

The damp, cold air from the south seeped into my bones, causing excruciating pain.

Sheng Yan's favorite thing to do was to turn around, secretly reach his hand under the desk and put it in Qin Zigui's coat pocket, then rest his chin on the desk and listen to Qin Zigui explain the problems to him.

Qin Zigui always had to wrap himself in a blanket and carry him along the path from the bathroom to the bed at night.

Qin Zigui knew he was afraid of the cold, so he asked him if he wanted to go home first. After all, Ms. Xu's mansion had 24-hour all-around constant temperature air conditioning, unlike this old house, where there were always places where the air conditioning couldn't reach the warm areas.

Sheng Yan, however, insisted on not going back.

He didn't want Qin Zigui to be left alone at home, nor did he want Qin Zigui to go back and have to put up with other people's attitudes. He just wanted to be free and independent with Qin Zigui.

When the long winter passed with only the two of them, Sheng Yanling, who always had the weakest immune system, didn't catch a cold or get a fever for the first time. In fact, he even secretly gained some weight under Qin Zigui's care.

When spring came again, they had a little sister.

Her full name was Jiang Zijin, and her nickname was Xiao Yuanxiao.

Qin Ru was born suddenly on the Lantern Festival.

It was a tiny, wrinkled, bright red blob, incredibly soft.

Sheng Yan looked at her through the glass, wondering how such a magical thing could exist in the world.

He said, "Qin Zigui, we have a younger sister now."

Qin Ru lay on the hospital bed and said softly with a smile, "Yes, you have a younger sister now, so your Uncle Jiang and I are planning to buy a new villa with more rooms. That way, no matter who comes over, your three rooms will definitely remain untouched. Also, Zi Gui, you and A Yan should come home more often, otherwise, what will your uncle, with his old bones, do if he can't beat those rascals who are chasing after your sister?"

The home Sheng Yan gave them was their little home, but the home she and Jiang Ping shared would always be Qin Zigui's home.

Even the most sensible child deserves to be cared for by an adult.

Sheng Yan understood Qin Ru's words. Xiao Zijin's arrival would not make Qin Zigui a superfluous person. He was also a person who was loved.

So Sheng Yan put his hand on Xiao Zijin's hand through the glass and said, "Aunt Qin, don't worry, Xiao Zijin's boyfriend in the future must be more handsome than me, taller than Qin Zigui, better at sports than me, and better at academics than Qin Zigui, otherwise I will absolutely not let him into the house."

Xu Qingrong couldn't help but tease, "Then you might as well just let your sister stay single for the rest of her life."

Sheng Yan thought for a moment and said, "That's true. It's impossible for anyone to be taller, more handsome, or have better grades than Qin Zigui."

"Just shut up, you're still showing off your love in front of your mother."

“What Ayan said makes sense.”

"Mom, why do you always side with Sheng Yan and Zi Gui!"

"Because they're right."

The delivery room was filled with joy and happiness; everything seemed to be starting with the best possible hope.

As the sun gets warmer, student life at Shishi Foreign Language School becomes increasingly busy.

Even though Sheng Yan had already consistently scored above the first-tier university cutoff and had obtained bonus points from Zhonggong University, he still buried himself in a sea of ​​practice questions, not daring to relax for a moment, for fear that if he relaxed, he would no longer be able to keep up with Qin Zigui's pace.

When the sweltering June finally arrived, Sheng Yan, who was usually fearless, sat on the school bus that took them to the exam venue, and his palms were sweating with nervousness.

Clearly, he wasn't the only one who was nervous.

Zhu Peng nervously rubbed his hands on his pants a couple of times, then tremblingly reached out to Qin Zigui: "Brother Qin, can I touch him? I don't ask for anything else, just a score of 600, enough to get into a 211 university."

Gou You was much more particular. He solemnly wiped each of his fingers clean with a wet tissue before standing up, facing Qin Zigui, and solemnly extending his right hand, bowing at a ninety-degree angle: "Father, I just want to get 620 on the exam today. Can you please bless me?"

"No," Qin Zigui answered without hesitation.

Zhu Peng and Gou You cried out hoarsely, "Father!!!"

Their father was utterly heartless, not even glancing at them, and kept his head down as he sorted through his and Sheng Yan's pencil cases and exam admission tickets: "I'm a germaphobe, don't be superstitious."

Zhu Peng and Gou You showed expressions of disappointment.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Sheng Yan, who had been frantically memorizing the periodic table of elements and hadn't heard anything around him, turned his head and said, "Um, Qin Zigui, can I touch it?"

Qin Zigui, who was touched by Sheng Yan eight hundred times a day from head to toe: "..."

He felt that Sheng Yan's question was really unnecessary.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Sheng Yan quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to ask the God of Learning for good luck. If you're worried that I'll drain your yang energy and affect your chances of becoming the top scholar, then it's okay if you don't touch it."

What does it mean to drain someone's yang energy?

Qin Zigui discovered that a year had passed and Sheng Yan's Chinese language scores had improved by leaps and bounds, but his way of using words and constructing sentences was still astonishing.

He remained calm and did not speak.

Zhu Peng and Gou You felt much better when they saw that he wouldn't even let her own boyfriend touch her. They were just about to tell Sheng Yan Qin Zigui's six-word advice: "I'm a germaphobe, don't be superstitious."

Qin Zigui then reached out and gently touched Sheng Yan's head: "Hmm, may the God of Learning bless our Sheng Xiaoyan. He must do his best in this exam and achieve his best performance, or even exceed expectations."

Her tone was extremely gentle and sincere, completely different from the cold and ruthless killer she had just been.

After saying that, she gently kissed Sheng Yan's forehead and whispered, "Is this enough?"

"...?"

At that moment, Zhu Peng and Gou You, who had firmly remembered the six words "I'm a germaphobe, don't be superstitious," suddenly understood what double standards and betrayal meant.