It rained in Changxi City on the day of the college entrance examination.

Shi Zhen dropped Guan Baiyu off at school early in the morning, found a place to park near the school gate, and waited in the car for Guan Baiyu to finish the exam.

For him, Guan Baiyu's college entrance examination was extremely important.

He hoped that Guan Baiyu could get good grades.

It cannot be said that doing well in the college entrance examination will guarantee Guan Baiyu a smooth life, but with his current grades, if he does not underperform, he will be able to attend a prestigious university in the future.

Once he graduates from a prestigious university, he will have a much higher starting point than others.

These days, people don't push their children as hard as they would in ten or twenty years. Shi Zhen thought that there wouldn't be many parents waiting outside the school during the college entrance examination, but he was wrong.

Despite the rain, some parents still waited anxiously outside the school gate after dropping off their children.

Of course, those waiting here are mostly parents from Changxi City.

Among those taking the exam at the No. 1 High School in the city were students from the high school in Anshan Town, the same school Guan Baiyu attended in his past life. Many students from this school were brought by their teachers; none of them had parents with them, let alone parents waiting outside.

Shi Zhen arrived early. After sitting for a while, he saw Fei Ping and Sun Qiqi arrive by taxi.

Sun Qiqi entered the school gate, while Fei Ping stood at the entrance holding an umbrella, clearly not intending to leave.

"Aunt Fei, would you like to sit in the car?" Shi Zhen invited her.

"Okay, thank you." Fei Ping smiled and got into the back seat, then asked Shi Zhen, "Are you waiting for Guan Baiyu here?"

"Yes." Shi Zhen smiled.

“You really care about your cousin,” Fei Ping said.

"If I don't care, who will? Besides, his grades are so good, I definitely have to put in extra effort." Shi Zhen's eyes softened as he thought of Guan Baiyu.

Guan Baiyu's biological parents are nowhere to be found, and his adoptive parents never raised him and have no feelings for him.

Guan Baiyu only has him.

“That’s true… Guan Baiyu has excellent grades, he has a chance to go to Tsinghua or Peking University, right?” Fei Ping asked.

Guan Baiyu's grades do give him a chance to go to Tsinghua or Peking University, but to be honest... even if he gets in, he'll only barely make the cut, and it will be very difficult for him to get into the popular majors he wants.

Shi Zhen offered suggestions on what Shi Ting should study at a vocational school, since Shi Ting herself didn't have any particular ideas.

But Shi Zhen couldn't offer any advice on what Guan Baiyu should study in university.

His idea at the time was that Guan Baiyu should just study whatever he liked.

However... to his surprise, Guan Baiyu said he didn't have a particular favorite major.

Over the past year, they had discussed this issue several times and consulted some teachers. In the end, Guan Baiyu decided to choose an internet-related major.

This is the hottest thing right now.

He also thought it was good for Guan Baiyu to learn this. If Guan Baiyu really didn't like it after learning it, he could just find a way to learn something else later!

Internet-related majors are particularly popular at this time, so Guan Baiyu may not apply to the best schools.

Shi Zhen didn't hide anything and told Fei Ping.

“That’s good! Sometimes your major is more important than the school you attend,” Fei Ping said.

There wasn't much to talk about regarding Guan Baiyu and Sun Qiqi. Since Shi Zhen had lived in Changxi City for a year and had gotten to know many people there, Fei Ping simply started telling him all sorts of gossip: "You know Old Hu and Old Wang, right? What they did the day before yesterday was absolutely hilarious! They're almost retired, and Old Hu actually spat into Old Wang's teacup, and Old Wang saw it... The two of them even got into a fight."

"I didn't know about this... Did they really spit?" Shi Zhen was shocked. He knew the two people Fei Ping mentioned; they were both minor leaders, the kind that even someone like Liang's father would treat with great respect...

"She really threw up! Who would have thought!" Fei Ping then started talking about others.

They talked a lot about who got together with whom, who was reported by whom, and so on.

These are things that many people know and have already spread. Many of Shi Zhen's friends have heard of them and can chat with them about them.

He was happy to chat.

Fei Ping telling him these things was also a sign of closeness.

As they talked, the two began discussing education. Fei Ping mentioned a man who held a high position in Changxi City: "He's a very serious person, demanding of his subordinates, and extremely strict with his children. He makes his son take the entrance exam for the top high school every day... His son ran away from home before and refused to take the high school entrance exam. Although he came back and took the exam later, I heard he deliberately didn't answer some questions, so he definitely won't get into the top high school in the city." Fei Ping sighed.

Upon hearing this, Shi Zhen paused for a moment before saying, "That's not necessarily true."

Shi Zhen knew the person Fei Ping was talking about; he also knew Fei Ping's son, who had run away from home and refused to go to the No. 1 Middle School in the city.

In fact, he was more familiar with the latter.

In his past life, this person didn't reach the cutoff score for the city's top high school because he didn't answer some questions.

He did this as a form of rebellion against his father—you want me to go to the city's top high school? I'm not going!

Actually, if his father had gone along with him and sent him to another high school, he might have studied hard—this guy is smart.

As a result, his father spent money to get him into the city's No. 1 Middle School—the school reserves a few spots like this every year.

He eventually had to attend the city's No. 1 High School, which worsened his relationship with his father, and he refused to study... In the end, he only managed to get into a junior college.

In the early 2000s, even with a junior college diploma, it wasn't difficult to become a civil servant. His father wanted him to work within the system, but this time, he refused no matter what and later started his own business.

His entrepreneurial ventures weren't particularly successful, but they were alright; he could barely be considered a small business owner. However, even in his thirties, he was still dedicated to going against his father.

Time flies when people are chatting. When it was almost time, Fei Ping immediately got out of the car to wait for Sun Qiqi.

Shi Zhen also went over with an umbrella.

Guan Baiyu walked out quickly, having come out quite early. As soon as he came out, he saw the tall Shi Zhen: "Brother!"

"Xiaoyu, let's go back and have dinner."

"Brother, aren't you busy today?" Guan Baiyu knew Shi Zhen was busy and thought he wouldn't come to pick her up, so she was especially happy to see him.

"It's alright," Shi Zhen said.

“Your brother has to come even if he’s busy with his college entrance exam. He’s been waiting here all morning,” Fei Ping interjected.

Before Shi Zhen could react, Guan Baiyu was already overjoyed.

Seeing how happy he was, Shi Zhen smiled and said, "I've been waiting for you outside these past two days. Good luck!"

"Brother!" Guan Baiyu wanted to hug Shi Zhen.

At this moment, he had forgotten the tension of the exam; his mind was entirely focused on Shi Zhen.

His brother definitely values ​​him the most.

Shi Zhen took Guan Baiyu to a nearby restaurant for a meal.

He specially bought the ingredients and asked the restaurant owner to cook for him, ensuring that the ingredients were fresh and the food tasted good.

After they finished eating, Shi Zhen let Guan Baiyu go home for a nap before sending him back to school.

After all, it was the college entrance examination, and all the students in the school looked solemn, except for Guan Baiyu, who was cheerful and not nervous at all.

Upon seeing this, Lu Mingqi nudged Guan Baiyu with his elbow: "Why are you so happy? Did your older sister confess her feelings to you?"

"How could that be! But... she'll be with me for the next couple of days."

"You're so spineless," Lu Mingqi said.

"I'm happy!" Guan Baiyu said.

The two talked for a while before parting ways to take the exam.

On the other hand, Fei Ping didn't get into Shi Zhen's car this time. Instead, she went to a friend's house nearby and chatted with her.

Shi Zhen reclined his chair and rested for a while.

He didn't know what he should do.

He definitely likes Guan Baiyu; she's the person he loves most.

But this love comes from Guan Baiyu in his previous life.

He wanted Guan Baiyu to be happy and joyful for the rest of his life.

So... does he want to be with Guan Baiyu?

The previous year, although he had discovered Guan Baiyu's feelings, he had pretended not to know.

This is mainly because Guan Baiyu is in his senior year of high school, the most crucial time.

He didn't want to affect Guan Baiyu's studies.

But now, Guan Baiyu's high school life is about to end.

What should he do?

Guan Baiyu was extremely happy during the two days of the college entrance examination.

After the college entrance examination, all the students at No. 1 High School were excited. Some cried, some cursed, but Guan Baiyu was laughing happily, which attracted a lot of attention.

Rumors immediately spread throughout the school that Guan Baiyu had done exceptionally well on the college entrance examination.

Guan Baiyu: "..." He didn't, he just performed normally.

He has always maintained a good mindset, and he has always performed to his full potential in every exam before, and this time was no exception.

After returning home from the college entrance exam, Guan Baiyu said, "Brother, I'm finally done with the exam! Let's go out for a late-night snack tonight to celebrate!"

Shi Zhen thought for a moment and nodded.

The college entrance examination is so important. Guan Baiyu finally finished the exam, so he should go along with Guan Baiyu's wishes.

As for his inner turmoil... let's wait and see.

If he were to actually be with Guan Baiyu, it would be unfair to Guan Baiyu.

Because she was eager to go out, Guan Baiyu ate a little less for dinner.

"Why is Xiaoyu eating so little?" Zhao Qiujuan asked with some concern.

Zhao Qiujuan lived with them, but he had no intention of inviting her along when he went out to play... Guan Baiyu suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Shi Zhen said, "Sister, Xiaoyu has been studying the whole time. He finally finished his exams, so I promised to take him out for a late-night snack."

"I see. Have fun then," Zhao Qiujuan said.

"Hmm." Shi Zhen smiled.

After dinner, Shi Zhen took Guan Baiyu to stroll through the night market in Changxi City.

The night market in Changxi City is very lively. You can find everything that Anshan Town has, and even more of it in Changxi City.

The previous year, Guan Baiyu had been living in Changxi City, but he spent most of his time at school and only occasionally went out... Shi Zhen didn't take him out much either.

It was his first time here, and everything was new and exciting to him.

They strolled around for a bit before Shi Zhen asked Guan Baiyu, "Xiaoyu, what would you like to eat?"

Guan Baiyu said, "Brother, let's eat that!" Guan Baiyu pointed to a shop selling vermicelli casserole not far away.

He had heard his classmates talk about glass noodle casserole, which was said to be especially delicious, and he had been wanting to try it for a long time.

Shi Zhen was slightly taken aback when he saw the shop that Guan Baiyu pointed to.

That shop... he frequents.

“Brother, let’s go eat together! My classmate told me that we should definitely go to this place! They have a lot of ingredients in one glass noodle soup…” Guan Baiyu was still recommending it to Shi Zhen.

At this moment, the person selling the vermicelli casserole also saw Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu, and immediately smiled, saying to Shi Zhen, "Boss, you're here again? Same as always? What would you like, little brother?"

Shi Zhen said, "I'll remain the same as always, and he can be the same as me."

He wasn't picky about food, and his tastes followed Guan Baiyu's.

"Alright! Want some beer?" the owner asked again.

"No need," Shi Zhen said.

"Brother, did you come here often before?" Guan Baiyu was surprised that the owner actually knew Shi Zhen.

“The construction site gatherings will be held here,” Shi Zhen said.

Guan Baiyu said again, "Brother, I want to drink... I want to try it." He had been trying to pretend to be drunk...

"No, you're too young to drink alcohol... How about a soft drink? I'll get you an ice-cold Coke?"

"No need..." Guan Baiyu said.

The vermicelli soup was served quickly.

It was really delicious.

While eating, Guan Baiyu secretly glanced at Shi Zhen and said, "Brother, when we fill out college applications in a few days, our class will have a get-together and have a meal together."

These are people from their class; it was arranged beforehand.

After all, we'll definitely be going our separate ways in the future.

The place they went to was a restaurant owned by the father of one of their students, who said he was treating them.

Shi Zhen asked and then said, "That restaurant is quite famous. Your classmate shouldn't be short of money, but since he's treating... You can give him a gift later. I have some; you can go get them."

Most of the students in Guan Baiyu's class are not wealthy, and Guan Baiyu's insistence on paying would make the others feel awkward.

But Guan Baiyu wasn't short of money, and it wouldn't be right not to show some appreciation. Shi Zhen thought Guan Baiyu could give him a gift.

As for what to give... he has some gifts for his clients, Guan Baiyu can go and pick out a couple.

He remembered the Swiss Army knives he had bought before, which were just right; boys his age would definitely like them.

"Okay," Guan Baiyu agreed.

After dinner, Guan Baiyu wanted to continue shopping, but Shi Zhen took him home and told him to go to bed early.

Guan Baiyu was a little disappointed, thinking he wouldn't be able to sleep, but... he closed his eyes and fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, it was already past seven in the morning.

Shi Zhen would have left home at this time before!

Guan Baiyu hurriedly went out and saw a peeled zongzi and a glass of milk on the table outside. Zhao Qiujuan was reading a text, but Shi Zhen was not there.

"Sis, where's my brother?" Guan Baiyu asked.

“Shi Zhen went to buy groceries,” Zhao Qiujuan said.

Guan Baiyu breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Shi Zhen wasn't busy today...

After Guan Baiyu finished eating the zongzi, Shi Zhen returned, but... he was really busy today.

He had been with Guan Baiyu for the past two days and had missed some things. He hadn't checked on the construction sites for two days, so he needed to go and take a look.

Shi Zhen escorted Guan Baiyu and Zhao Qiujuan to his office building and then left.

Guan Baiyu watched him leave, feeling somewhat depressed.

However, he quickly cheered up.

When he came a month ago, there was only one office building here, but now the landscaping outside has been completed, there is a pond, and there is a glass bridge over the pond!

It's a glass bridge! Can you even walk on it?

Of course, it's walkable. Right now, some people are walking carefully up there. They are a few elementary school students, probably in first or second grade, with their elders watching curiously beside them.

Guan Baiyu also went for a walk twice, and then he thought... his brother is really amazing!

However, it was too hot outside, so Guan Baiyu quickly went into the office building.

Shi Zhen installed a standing air conditioner in this office building, and it's been running every day lately.

His company's technicians used to spend most of their time on construction sites, but recently they come back whenever they have free time and stay in the office building.

These people had never met Zhao Qiujuan before, only knowing that she was from Shi Zhen's hometown. However, some of them had met Guan Baiyu and knew that Guan Baiyu was Shi Zhen's younger brother.

Everyone greeted Guan Baiyu.

Guan Baiyu wanted to know more about Shi Zhen, so he started chatting with them. As they talked, he mentioned how busy Shi Zhen was.

"With so many construction sites, of course we're busy. But although the boss is young, he's very efficient. Many difficult things are resolved immediately when they come into his hands, making things much easier for us."

"Yes, sometimes I'm so worried, I don't know what to do. But if I ask the boss, he makes a decision right away."

"I don't believe he's illiterate. Take this office building for example... I did the detailed architectural drawings, but he drew the exterior!"

These people showered Shi Zhen with praise.

Guan Baiyu felt honored.

Then someone else said, "It's been hot lately, and people often quit at other construction sites, but no one has quit here. It's all thanks to the boss's foresight! For the past month, he's been talking to the workers from time to time and has even helped a few of them out of some difficulties... One worker had heatstroke, and it was the boss who found out and took him to the hospital."

The worker had no idea about heatstroke or its symptoms. After suffering from heatstroke, he thought he had a fever or a cold and forced himself to keep working... Fortunately, Shi Zhen discovered it in time.

Guan Baiyu felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.

He couldn't help but ask a few questions, and then he discovered that... Shi Zhen, who had said he was very busy, often went out to have late-night snacks with people, or went to the construction site to chat with the workers.

Once or twice is one thing, but going every day...

Is Shi Zhen avoiding him? Why?