Ruan Bei didn't pay much attention to the Lu family's subsequent developments. News on the internet was constantly changing, and there was always newer and more sensational information attracting netizens' attention.

Gradually, people stopped frequently mentioning the grand engagement ceremony, the disastrous livestream accident, and the untold stories between the three young masters of the wealthy family.

However, the names of Lu Sibai and others were preserved and became well-known memes, which are still used from time to time.

There were fewer news reports about them online, and Ruan Bei was too lazy to bother checking anymore. Anyway, with Bai Miaomiao, the little gossip, she would never forget to tell him any news.

For example, although Haiming Group has recovered, it is not comparable to before, and the company's total assets have shrunk considerably.

However, the fact that the company didn't collapse is already a great relief for the Lu family. Unfortunately, the Haiming Group, which Lu Minghai built single-handedly, can no longer be considered part of the Lu family's Haiming Group.

When Lu Minghai founded Haiming, he was still young and didn't have much capital. It was Feng Zhihui who gave her dowry and savings from many years to her husband.

Later, Lu Minghai expanded and strengthened Haiming Group, returning 10% of the original shares to Feng Zhihui, which far exceeded the amount of money she had initially given him.

During the expansion of Haiming Group, through financing and listing, Lu Minghai's shares were gradually diluted.

Before the recording incident broke out, Lu Minghai still held 36 percent of the shares in Haiming Group. Adding his wife's 10 percent and the 5 percent given to his eldest son, he had a total of more than 50 percent, firmly controlling the power of Haiming Group.

This incident caused Haiming Group's stock price to plummet, with shareholders selling off their shares and retail investors following suit. Lu Minghai was still unconscious and unable to take charge, while Lu Siyuan had enough small sums of money but no large sums, and could only watch helplessly as rival companies bought up large amounts of Haiming Group stock at rock-bottom prices.

That's right, we're talking about the Bai family. Besides the Bai family, there was another powerful force of unknown origin that also got involved. Together, the two companies practically emptied the market of all shares except for a few scattered individual shareholders.

The fierce competition between the two companies even caused a slight increase in the stock price of Haiming Group. However, the two sides quickly reached an understanding to stop competing and peacefully divide up Haiming Group's market share.

That unknown force has very strong financial resources. Although the Bai family has high total assets, their available cash flow is not particularly abundant. If too much is withdrawn at once, it will affect the development of other aspects.

To be honest, before releasing the recording, Bosen didn't expect the final result to be like this, so he wasn't well prepared. In the end, due to limited funds, he only acquired less than 10% of the shares.

Even so, it cost over 100 million, and that unknown force acquired at least 30% of the scattered shares, becoming the second largest shareholder after the Lu family.

Even so, Lu Minghai still held the most shares.

When Mr. Ke Shui invested in Haiming Group, it wasn't for nothing. Even if it was a marriage alliance, there was no way that the in-laws would be given hundreds of millions before the marriage was even finalized.

Lu Minghai was truly at his wit's end. If he didn't have the money to get things back on track, the Haiming Group would truly be gone.

Therefore, he had no choice but to painfully divide his shares and exchange them for a total investment from Shui Zong.

He comforted himself, thinking that after all, they were in-laws. When dividing the shares, Mr. Shui had an agreement with him that when Miss Shui married into the family, the shares of Haiming Group would be brought over as part of her dowry.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the shares will eventually be passed from the son and daughter-in-law to the grandson, ultimately remaining in the hands of the Lu family.

Thinking this way, Lu Minghai didn't feel so heartbroken.

However, after he transferred 10% of his shares to Mr. Shui, he was no longer the largest shareholder in terms of the total number of shares under his personal name.

Fortunately, the combined shares held by his wife and children still accounted for the largest proportion. Feng Zhihui and Lu Siyuan had both authorized Lu Minghai, and the representative sent by the unknown force only attended the meeting and did not make any other statement or show any intention of vying for the executive director position, which made Lu Minghai less embarrassed.

Bai Miaomiao had told Ruan Bei all of this, and only then did Ruan Bei realize that the Haiming Group, which had been thriving in his previous life and had suppressed the Bai family after the Lu and Qin families established a marriage alliance, had almost gone bankrupt.

Whether or not they go bankrupt, Ruan Bei doesn't think it matters much to him. He has never thought about taking a share of Lu Minghai's assets in either of his two lives. Whether they are rich or poor is really none of his business.

He has no intention of acknowledging their kinship. If Lu Minghai and Feng Zhihui really run out of money in the future, Ruan Bei will provide them with living expenses based on the current average living standard of urban residents, but that's all he will give them.

Although it hasn't broken down yet, Haiming Group can no longer be entirely considered part of the Lu family's Haiming Group. Even the Bai family has gotten involved. This means that in the future, if the Bai family and Haiming Group compete, the Bai family will make money, and if they lose, Haiming Group will make money, and they will even have to give the Bai family a share of the profits.

In short, Bai's team can't be considered to have lost no matter what, and Bai Sen's actions left everyone speechless.

As for Lu Sibai, Bai Miaomiao said that he is much more obedient now.

When Lu Minghai was hospitalized, he stayed by his bedside for a long time. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would go to see Qin Shen.

She apologized at first, and then sent Qin Shen some baked cookies and small cakes—Ruan Bei knew this. Feng Zhihui liked to make Western pastries, and she thought they were clean, beautiful, and tasted good, unlike Chinese food, which was greasy.

So she only cooks Western food, and she also enjoys baking cookies for afternoon tea. Lu Sibai learned from her and is said to have learned them very well.

Lu Sibai then took the pastries that he had made and carefully packaged to try and please Qin Shen.

He said he knew he was wrong, and it didn't matter if Qin Shen didn't forgive him; he just wanted to pursue him again and hoped Qin Shen could give him a chance.

With nothing else to do, Bai Miaomiao observed Lu Sibai's various tactics for pursuing women. Upon returning, she told Ruan Bei, "No wonder he dared to cheat on me. His methods are so effective; he has men completely under his control. If only I had half of Lu Sibai's skills—"

“I already won your brother over a long time ago,” Ruan Beishun replied casually.

Bai Miaomiao's face flushed red instantly, and she clenched her fists as if to hit him: "Qin Gu isn't here, so no one will help you this time."

Ever since they discovered that their two roommates were both goofballs, they've stopped hiding it. Ruan Bei would sit on his bed at night practicing Taoist magic, and they even tried to imitate him. Out of curiosity, they even learned a few simple hand gestures – it was just for fun.

Qin Gu drew talismans, and they thought he and Ruan Bei had rather unusual hobbies. Zeng Peng even liked to sing karaoke in the bathroom. At least Qin Gu drawing talismans wouldn't hurt his roommates' ears.

Today, some of the raw materials he bought arrived. Qin Gu went to pick up the package, and Zeng Peng went to play basketball with someone. Only Ruan Bei and Bai Miaomiao were left in the dormitory.

Ruan Bei easily twisted Bai Miaomiao's arm and pinned her to the table: "Do I need to call Kunkun for help to deal with you?"

He had been in many fights in his previous life, and after learning proper martial arts for two months in this life, dealing with Bai Miaomiao would be a piece of cake.

Bai Miaomiao was furious, like a pufferfish: "I didn't even say anything to you, why do you keep talking about me?"

Do you think I haven't said enough?

Ruan Bei let go of him, and Bai Miaomiao rubbed her arm, pouting: "Did I say something wrong? You and Qin Gu, put your hand on your conscience and say that you two are innocent. He doesn't like you, and you don't like him either."

Ruan Bei pretended to touch his chest, met Bai Miaomiao's expectant gaze, and raised an eyebrow: "Why should I tell you?"

Bai Miaomiao hiccuped in anger: "You've gone too far!"

Ruan Bei rested his chin on his hand and laughed, "Then tell me first, are you and your brother innocent or not, and we'll exchange information."

"You wish!" Bai Miaomiao retorted instinctively.

After a while, he stammered again, "You're not lying to me?"

Ruan Bei was surprised that he was actually willing to talk. After thinking about it carefully, curiosity got the better of her, and she nodded: "I'm not lying to you."

Bai Miaomiao pressed himself against the table, squeezing his face flat, as if that would hide his blushing.

"I think I like my brother... No, not just think, I really like him."

He covered the half of his face that wasn't touching the table with his hand and muttered, "I feel so terrible about myself, having such thoughts about my brother. Sometimes I feel so frustrated, so awful, even... disgusted..."

Ruan Bei was surprised that Bai Miaomiao would say such a thing, and even more surprised that the usually carefree boy would be under so much pressure.

After a moment's thought, he gradually understood.

Having experienced everything in his past life, he knew the future of the two brothers early on as an observer. If Bai Miaomiao's feelings hadn't changed, then they were secretly in love with each other.

They weren't related by blood, so they were a perfect match, which is why he often teased Bai Miaomiao.

But Bai Miaomiao knew nothing. She didn't know how important he was to Bai Sen, she didn't know that his death almost drove Bai Sen mad, and she didn't know that Bai Sen carried his photo with him and was like a living demon, determined to avenge him.

Bai Sen is still Bai Miaomiao's good brother. Bai Miaomiao only thinks that he has had inappropriate thoughts about her brother and is determined to punish her. She feels sorry for her brother.

As for Bai Sen, he kept it a secret from Bai Miaomiao for so many years in his previous life, let alone the current Bai Miaomiao.

Ruan Bei secretly reflected on his actions, realizing that he had sometimes gone too far with his jokes.

He thought for a moment and said, "Don't think like that. Even if you like your brother, you haven't done anything to him because of your feelings, right? So you don't need to feel sorry for him. I think you should try asking him."

Bai Miaomiao shook her head vigorously, looking pitiful, and said, "I dare not."

What if his brother likes girls? What if his brother is nice to him only because he's his brother? Then they won't be able to get along like before.

Bai Miaomiao listed all the bad outcomes she could think of, becoming more and more frustrated and saddened as she spoke.

Ruan Bei: "..."

Surprisingly, I never considered the possibility of mutual affection.

As it turns out, when the person you like isn't very bright, you should never hide your feelings, or you'll end up like Bosen.

Bai Miaomiao had already imagined the scene of the brothers turning against each other, and she didn't think that Bai Sen could possibly be interested in her.

"How about this, you start with the most basic tests." Ruan Bei, realizing he had done something wrong, actively offered Bai Miaomiao advice: "First, you need to find out your brother's sexual orientation. If he likes boys, even if he doesn't like you now, you can't go after him!"

Bai Miaomiao perked up slightly, then shook her head again: "My brother has never shown any liking for boys."

"Then he didn't show that he liked girls either." Ruan Bei knew very well that Bai Sen didn't have a single close person around him, whether male or female.

Bai Miaomiao: "..." It seems so.

"If your brother likes boys and is open to same-sex relationships, then go after him. If he's straight and can't date because of his sexual orientation, then give up on him and just be a good younger brother."

Ruan Bei felt that once the two of them got together, he would definitely go to Bai Sen to take credit, because he estimated that he would still be a bachelor for the next ten years on his own.

It's so sad to have someone you like right beside you, someone you can see but not have.

Bai Miaomiao felt that Ruan Bei made a lot of sense. He didn't even know his brother's sexual orientation. He was just struggling and feeling sad, but he couldn't come to any conclusion.

"Then...then shall I give it a try?"

"Try it!" Ruan Bei encouraged, then asked with some concern, "Do you know how to try it?"

"Of course!" Bai Miaomiao patted her chest and said, "Haven't I ever seen a pig run? Haven't I ever eaten pork?"

Ruan Bei: "...Aren't you saying it backwards?"

Bai Miaomiao argued confidently: "I didn't rebel. I've never even seen a pig run before."

Ruan Bei: "..." Okay, I feel like Bai Miaomiao's style has gone a bit astray after hanging out with Zeng Peng for so long.

"Hehe, now it's your turn." Bai Miaomiao's emotions came and went quickly. She was just worried about her relationship, but now she was full of curiosity and waiting for Ruan Bei to speak.

Ruan Bei chuckled and nudged him, saying, "Don't laugh so strangely."

"What's strange? Don't change the subject, tell me quickly," Bai Miaomiao said anxiously.

"What are you talking about?" Ruan Bei rubbed his face. He enjoyed listening to other people's gossip, but when it came to his own, he still felt embarrassed.

“I’m talking about you and Qin Gu!” Bai Miaomiao glared at him. “Are you going to go back on your word? I’m telling you now, you can’t lie to me.”

"Who said I was lying?" Ruan Bei said helplessly, "I'm just trying to organize my thoughts, I don't really know where to start."

Bai Miaomiao pouted: "Stop making excuses. Just tell me, do you like Qin Gu or not? Do you have an affair with him?"

"What do you mean by 'affair'?" Seeing Bai Miaomiao glaring at him again, Ruan Bei raised his hands in surrender: "I said, I like him, how could I not like him? In my two generations, in all my life, the person I like the most, the only person I've ever liked, is Kunkun."

Just moments ago, Ruan Bei was struggling to express his feelings, but once he did, his eyes lit up with a smile when he mentioned Qin Gu, as if simply mentioning that person's name brought sunshine and blooming flowers.

At the dormitory entrance, the boy holding the express delivery box suddenly stopped.

His heart was pounding; those words he'd just heard sounded so beautiful, almost like a hallucination.

"Oh—I knew it! You never admit it before," Bai Miaomiao teased.

Ruan Bei couldn't help but laugh. In his previous life, Kun Kun left early, and he hadn't yet been able to understand his feelings.

He was deeply troubled and dared not and could not think about matters of the heart. When he was in school, there were women who pursued him, but he rejected them all without hesitation.

He always thought he was waiting for a friend or a partner, but actually he was waiting for the person he loved.

In this life, although Kunkun did not confess directly, her actions and words made it clear that she wanted to express herself directly.

At first, Ruan Bei didn't think in that direction. He and Kun Kun had been close since childhood. Just like Bai Miaomiao, they were too close to each other and couldn't tell what their feelings were.

On his seventeenth birthday, the kiss that landed on his palm was so hot it made Ruan Bei dizzy, yet it also jolted him awake like a thunderclap.

That night, Ruan Bei tossed and turned, just like Bai Miaomiao now, thinking about all sorts of random things.

But he was slightly better than Bai Miaomiao in that his son Kunkun wasn't like Bai Sen, who was mute and could both endure and pretend.

Qin Gu used every possible method, both explicit and implicit, so if Ruan Bei were to pretend not to understand, it would be too fake.

"When did you two get together? Who confessed first? Who pursued whom? Tell me!" Bai Miaomiao was extremely curious. He felt it was worth learning from this experience, as it was more positive and healthy than Lu Sibai's.

"We're not together," Ruan Bei said with a smile.

"Huh? Why?" Bai Miaomiao looked incredulous. "He likes you, and you like him, so why aren't you together?"

Because... he was scared too.

His past life was too painful, and the upcoming family reunion was a sword hanging over his heart. He was always afraid that he would be mired in the same quagmire as in his past life.

He thought that if one day he had no more troubles behind him, and could walk up to Kunkun cleanly and without any worries, and say to him with a smile, "Look, we've grown up hand in hand, so let's grow old together hand in hand, okay?"

He avoided Qin Gu's advances, neither accepting nor rejecting them. Qin Gu was unsure of his attitude and never dared to confess his feelings.

Sometimes Ruan Bei felt that he was being pretentious, but it was precisely because someone was willing to tolerate him that he had the confidence to be pretentious.

However, Ruan Bei couldn't tell Bai Miaomiao about these things, so he made up an excuse: "Because I'm not an adult yet, I can't have a relationship too early."

Once he turns eighteen, he'll probably have resolved everything. Then he can confess his feelings to Kunkun and give him a surprise!

Qin Gu, standing outside the door, had a package in one hand and quickly pulled out his phone to check the calendar with the other.

After reading this, everything went black. There are still more than half a year left, that's way too long!

"What do you mean by puppy love?" Bai Miaomiao said incredulously, "You're too conservative. It's just dating, not like you're going to sleep together right away."

Ruan Bei retorted, "You don't even have a boyfriend, so why do you keep talking about sleeping together? You're so lewd."

Bai Miaomiao blushed and said matter-of-factly, "What's wrong with adult men talking about slightly suggestive topics? You don't think that you and Qin Gu will just chat under the covers from now on, do you?"

Poor Ruan Bei lived two lives, both as a virgin, only to be taught a lesson by Bai Miaomiao, this little greenhorn.

"Hey, what are you shy about?" If you ignored Bai Miaomiao's flushed cheeks, her tone was incredibly calm.

"Would you like me to send you some materials? I've been looking for them for a long time." Bai Miaomiao felt she was being very generous to her friend.

Ruan Bei couldn't take it anymore and said with a red face, "Keep it for yourself. Hurry up and win over your brother so you can use him properly."

Bai Miaomiao retorted angrily, "You'll regret this!"

Ruan Bei rolled her eyes at him: "What do I regret?"

Bai Miaomiao blurted out without thinking, "I...I'll give it to Qin Gu!"

"Then I'll tell your brother that you sent my boyfriend porn!"

"You're not allowed to tell my brother!"

"Then you're not allowed to send Kunkun random, nonsensical things!"

Just moments ago, Zeng Peng and his best friend were having a heart-to-heart talk, but in the blink of an eye, they turned on each other and started arguing. Meanwhile, Zeng Peng's "boyfriend" outside the door was all smiles, which startled him as he returned with a basketball.

"you……"

Qin Gu covered his mouth and dragged him aside. Zeng Peng trembled and asked, "What's wrong?" Had he finally gone crazy from holding it in?

"Go in first, and just pretend you didn't see me."

Zeng Peng understood: "You're eavesdropping!"

Qin Gu: "...I know someone who's really high-ranked in the game you play. I'll have him carry you."

"What rank?" Zeng Peng became interested. Ever since he introduced Bai Miaomiao to the game, he himself almost quit in tears.

If a true expert is willing to carry you, then it's perfectly acceptable to remain silent and pretend to be blind, or even to genuinely be blind.

"The strongest king".

"Really?"

"I'll have him send you a screenshot."

"Deal." Zeng Peng happily agreed; that's how unprincipled he was, always chasing points.

He happily carried the basketball into the dormitory, and to alert the two people who were secretly talking, he deliberately called out as he opened the door, "I'm back—"

"What...what are you doing?"

Zeng Peng stood in the doorway in horror. Why? Why did Ruan Bei pin Bai Miaomiao to the table?!

He subconsciously turned his head. Could it be that Qin Gu was unable to face the scene and preferred to pretend that he hadn't seen anything?

But what is he laughing at?

So he really has gone mad?

"Let's fight." Ruan Bei chuckled and released Bai Miaomiao: "Look at you, you can't beat me, but you still have to provoke me."

Bai Miaomiao is like a cat; every time she gets angry, she wants to scratch him. But he's not Bai Sen, so he can't just sit there and let her scratch him.

You can't really hit him, just hold his paws down.

Zeng Peng: "?"

Are you kidding me? Or is this how gay men fight?

Bai Miaomiao shouted angrily, "You just wait!"

He wants to learn martial arts so that he can pin Ruan Bei to the table someday!

Ruan Bei shrugged and grinned mischievously, "I'm not afraid of you."

Bai Miaomiao: "..." I'm so angry!

After a while, Qin Gu also came in carrying a package. Zeng Peng hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed and said, "Never mind, Brother Qin, you don't need to find someone to take me."

Brother Qin has already suffered enough, so we won't trouble him.

Qin Gu was puzzled and stared at him warily: "What you promised me."

Zeng Peng made a zipping motion with his lips.

"Fine." If we don't want to look, then we don't have to. It'll save us the trouble.

"By the way, don't call me Brother Qin, it's kind of disgusting." Qin Gu felt that his surname was not good. Brother Qin, Brother Qing, is that something anyone can call?

Zeng Peng: "..." Heh, why should I pity you?

"What did he promise you?" Ruan Bei asked curiously.

Qin Gu paused for a moment: "I promise... I won't sing 'I'll Love You Till I Die' while taking a shower anymore."

Ruan Bei: "..."

He looked at Zeng Peng earnestly: "Could you remove 'sweet honey' too?"

Zeng Peng's rough voice and off-key singing style almost gave Ruan Bei nightmares.

Bai Miaomiao silently raised her hand: "Grain in Ear..."

When Zeng Peng first sang this song in the bathroom, Bai Miaomiao was climbing the bed ladder when she almost fell off.

Zeng Peng: "...Hmph! Fine, I won't sing then!"

His playlist is very long, removing these few songs is no big deal!

Zeng Peng indeed stopped singing those songs afterward, but the new songs did not bring joy to the other people in the dormitory.

In early December, Nguyen Bac found a reliable travel agency and booked a trip for two to Nam Province. At this time, it was already very cold in Cam Thanh, but Nam Province was warm all year round, which was perfect for traveling.

He agreed with the travel company that he would cover all expenses, but only under the guise of a lucky draw.

Then he went back and told his parents that he had won a trip for two to the southern province in a lucky draw, and told them to go and have a good time.