Guan Baiyu stared blankly at Shi Zhen, and then... tears welled up in her eyes and fell again.

He wasn't a person who liked to cry, since crying was pointless.

When he was a child, if he accidentally fell and was bullied, and he cried in front of his grandmother, she would get annoyed and slap him.

So when he gets a little older, he won't cry anymore.

In another part of his life, he endured far more hardship than he does now, but he would never easily shed a single tear.

Crying will only make people laugh at him.

But now, seeing Shi Zhen, he couldn't help but want to cry.

After Guan Baiyu opened the door, Shi Zhen immediately noticed his swollen and red eyes.

He noticed Guan Baiyu's eyes were a bit red last night, and now they look worse.

When Guan Baiyu couldn't stop crying, he was at a loss. He reached out to wipe away her tears, but then wondered if that would be too intimate: "Xiaoyu, don't cry, don't do this... Xiaoyu..."

Guan Baiyu was filled with all sorts of emotions. He wanted to rush into Shi Zhen's arms, hug him, and have a good cry.

But then he heard the door open.

Without a doubt, it was Zhao Qiujuan who got up.

Both Shi Zhen and Zhao Qiujuan get up early.

Guan Baiyu suddenly woke up, grabbed a towel from the shelf next to him and covered his face, then quickly walked out, past Zhao Qiujuan and rushed into his bedroom.

Shi Zhen didn't have time to stop her and could only stare at Zhao Qiujuan, who had just come out of the room.

Zhao Qiujuan felt uneasy and walked over to Shi Zhen, lowering her voice to ask, "Zhen, what's wrong with Xiaoyu?"

Shi Zhen said, "Perhaps he didn't do well on the exam."

Shi Zhen vaguely felt that Guan Baiyu's behavior was not due to failing the exam.

Maybe... it has something to do with him.

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

"Oh... what should we do?" Zhao Qiujuan asked worriedly. Even the carefree Shi Ting had worried for several days during the high school entrance exam, fearing that she would not pass.

Guan Baiyu is taking the college entrance exam, so he must be even more anxious.

“I’ll talk to him later,” Shi Zhen said.

"Alright," Zhao Qiujuan said. "By the way, has Xiaoyu eaten yet?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Zhen turned and went to the kitchen next door.

He opened the refrigerator and saw that the food he had left over from last night was still there: "He hasn't eaten it yet."

"Then...no matter what, let him eat something first?" Zhao Qiujuan asked.

"Hmm," Shi Zhen knocked on Guan Baiyu's door, "Xiaoyu, are you hungry? Want to eat something?"

Guan Baiyu was indeed hungry, but he didn't really want to eat.

After experiencing another phase of his life, when he looked back on everything that had happened in the previous few years, he couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.

He knew nothing about the other part of his life before, while Shi Zhen guarded their memories alone and was always good to him.

He thought Shi Zhen had no feelings for him... Shi Zhen treated him so well, how could he have no feelings? Some of Shi Zhen's behavior could be described as "forgetting his mother after marrying a wife"!

How can he be so good!

Guan Baiyu remained silent. When Shi Zhen opened the door and went in, he saw Guan Baiyu lying face up with his head wrapped in a towel.

"Xiaoyu, no matter what, you still need to eat," Shi Zhen said.

"I..." Guan Baiyu opened his mouth, then suddenly realized that his voice was not quite right.

His voice was trembling with tears!

Guan Baiyu shut his mouth and took a few breaths.

Shi Zhen couldn't see Guan Bai's expression under the blanket: "Xiao Yu, I'll go get you something to eat. Try to eat a little."

Guan Baiyu hummed in agreement.

Shi Zhen in this life is much more considerate than in the last.

This person didn't have so many complicated thoughts in their mind in their past life.

At that time, Shi Zhen was at home and was willing to do things. He also liked to stick close to him, but sometimes if you didn't explain things to him clearly, he might not understand what others meant.

For example, if he says in a fit of pique that he doesn't want to eat, Shi Zhen will think he really doesn't want to eat, and then he'll finish his portion too.

Of course, after realizing this, he stopped saying such angry words, lest he end up being the one who was unhappy.

Shi Zhen went out, took out yesterday's leftovers from the refrigerator, and fried them into egg fried rice. Then he put the two braised duck legs he had saved for Guan Baiyu in another bowl and took them to Guan Baiyu's room: "Xiaoyu, have some."

Guan Baiyu's voice came through the blanket: "You can go out now..."

Now, whenever he sees Shi Zhen, he feels like crying.

If there were no outsiders at home, that would be fine... but Zhao Qiujuan is here!

The house wasn't very soundproof, and he didn't want Zhao Qiujuan to hear him break down in tears.

Shi Zhen thought for a moment, then went out anyway: "Call me if you need anything."

"Mm," Guan Baiyu responded again.

After Shi Zhen left, Guan Baiyu got out of bed. He first drank the water that Shi Zhen had brought him yesterday, and then slowly ate his meal.

This rice was definitely cooked by Shi Zhen; it tasted familiar to him.

During the four most difficult years of his life, he didn't suffer any grievances because of Shi Zhen.

But what about Shi Zhen... how has Shi Zhen been feeling these past few years?

Guan Baiyu ate the fried rice slowly, bite by bite.

He was indeed a bit hungry, and quickly finished a bowl of rice. Then he started gnawing on a duck leg and opened the bag of milk to drink it as well.

Some noises could be heard coming from outside.

Although he knew that Shi Zhen valued him, he always thought that Shi Zhen treated him like a younger brother and was even nicer to him because of his good grades.

But now... if Shi Zhen dares to treat him like a younger brother, he'll bite him to death!

Guan Baiyu was certain that Shi Zhen wouldn't go out today, given his appearance.

Thinking of this, Guan Baiyu felt like crying again.

Actually, Shi Zhen avoided him before mostly because he didn't want to disturb his studies, not because he disliked him.

However, Shi Zhen ignored his confession...

Guan Baiyu took a big bite of the duck leg.

After he finished eating, he wiped his hands and face with the towel he had brought in, and then lay down without moving.

Zhao Qiujuan starts work at eight o'clock, but she usually goes early, around seven o'clock, and leaves...

The sound of their front door and security door opening and closing was very loud... Around seven o'clock, Guan Baiyu heard the sound of the door opening and closing, waited a little while, and then called out, "Shi Zhen!"

"Xiaoyu?" Shi Zhen, who had been waiting outside, opened Baiyu's door.

After opening the door, Shi Zhen realized something was wrong—Guan Baiyu had always called him "brother," so why was he suddenly calling him by his name?

"Your sister is gone?" Guan Baiyu asked.

“Yes, she went to work.” Shi Zhen felt something was off again—Guan Baiyu had always called Zhao Qiujuan “sister” instead of “your sister”.

"Are you busy today?" Guan Baiyu asked again.

"Not busy," Shi Zhen quickly replied. His main task was to keep an eye on the various construction sites; he didn't have much else to do.

"I have something to tell you," Guan Baiyu said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Xiaoyu?" Shi Zhen felt the atmosphere was inexplicably heavy.

Guan Baiyu said, "I actually have a very high alcohol tolerance."

He has always had a high alcohol tolerance, no matter what stage of his life he's been in.

But Shi Zhen probably felt that Shi Zhen himself had a low alcohol tolerance, so he always thought that Shi Zhen was also a poor drinker.

In the sweltering summer heat, he drank a can of ice-cold beer to cool off, and Shi Zhen looked like he was going to get drunk.

He then pretended to be drunk and did things he wouldn't normally be embarrassed to do.

Shi Zhen was stunned.

Guan Baiyu said, "Four bottles of beer are not enough to get me drunk. I was perfectly sober the whole time yesterday."

"Xiaoyu..." Shi Zhen was startled. Guan Baiyu had been perfectly lucid all day yesterday.

Guan Baiyu confessed her feelings to him, but he didn't respond at all... That's why Guan Baiyu cried so hard.

Shi Zhen felt both heartache and guilt.

Guan Baiyu looked at Shi Zhen's expression, and tears streamed down her face.

"Xiaoyu, I'm sorry..." Shi Zhen apologized instinctively. He had never seen Guan Baiyu so heartbroken before, and it was all his fault... He instinctively wanted to explain, "I just thought you were still young..."

Guan Baiyu wiped away her tears and looked at Shi Zhen.

They met a year later in their past life, but back then... he looked even thinner and smaller than he is now.

Why didn't Shi Zhen realize he was too young back then?

However, he could guess some of Shi Zhen's thoughts, and it was precisely because he guessed them that he couldn't stop his tears.

Shi Zhen was thinking of him.

Guan Baiyu didn't know what to say, he couldn't utter a word... He suddenly lunged forward, hugged Shi Zhen's neck, and kissed him.

Shi Zhen froze.

Guan Baiyu released him, pushed him down onto the bed, and then bit him in the chest through his clothes.

“Xiaoyu…” Shi Zhen felt his chest get wet; it was Guan Baiyu’s tears.

Guan Baiyu kept crying, and his emotions were quite unstable.

What should he do? How should he comfort Guan Baiyu?

Shi Zhen was a little worried when Guan Baiyu suddenly started taking off his clothes...

Shi Zhen was shocked; this development was completely unexpected.

Guan Baiyu, how...how...

This was a development that Shi Zhen had never even considered!

He instinctively tried to dodge, but then he saw Guan Baiyu staring at him with her red and swollen eyes.

His eyes were a bit fierce, as if he would never let him off the hook if he tried to hide.

He could also sense that Guan Baiyu was extremely sad.

The two combined make him appear outwardly fierce but inwardly weak.

Most importantly, Guan Baiyu was so heartbroken, and he felt terrible too. At this moment, he had a feeling that no matter what Guan Baiyu wanted to do, he should go along with his wishes.

He actually...couldn't bring himself to refuse Guan Baiyu.

Shi Zhen stopped moving.

Guan Baiyu's kiss landed on his face again.

Guan Baiyu never expected that he would do something so crazy.

In his past life, he would also take the initiative, but very rarely. Shi Zhen only expected him to do this when he was drunk.

But this time it's different.

His sudden behavior... seemed to have completely startled Shi Zhen.

But he was in a very bad mood at the time, almost on the verge of a breakdown, and couldn't speak properly... It would be good to just exercise.

He also... especially wanted to feel Shi Zhen's presence.

And that's what he did.

They skipped the confession and other formalities and went straight to the wedding night.

Although Shi Zhen was initially terrified, he performed quite well later on, although his technique remained as...not very good as ever.

Guan Baiyu was a little tired, but after the exhaustion, he felt much better. He lay on the bed, his mind blank, and finally he didn't want to cry anymore.

That's really good; he and Shi Zhen are both doing well.

He should actually be happy.

"Xiaoyu, you..." Shi Zhen was still a little confused.

He had no idea how all those things had happened.

How could Guan Baiyu do such a thing?

Of course, he was also at fault; he couldn't control himself.

When the person he likes takes the initiative while he's fully conscious, his mind goes blank and he forgets everything.

Guan Baiyu remained silent.

Shi Zhen then asked, "Xiao Yu, how do you know all this?"

Guan Baiyu turned his head and silently looked at Shi Zhen without saying a word.

Shi Zhen shut his mouth.

Guan Baiyu was originally... different from him.

When he first got together with Guan Baiyu in his previous life, he didn't understand anything. All he knew was to hug and kiss her and show her affection. Later, it was Guan Baiyu who told him that he had read a book and that it wasn't just like that, which opened the door to a new world for him.

At that time, Guan Baiyu didn't have many opportunities to read books, and there weren't many books to read that he could understand.

In this lifetime? Guan Baiyu will have many more opportunities to read!

Even classic works like "Dream of the Red Chamber" contain subtle descriptions, and even "Records of the Grand Historian" mentions some related content. It's perfectly normal for someone as intelligent as Guan Baiyu to understand this.

"Xiaoyu, shall I take you to clean up?" Shi Zhen asked.

Guan Baiyu finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "I don't want to move."

“I’ll carry you there,” Shi Zhen said.

After he finished speaking, he got up and was about to hug Guan Baiyu when he suddenly remembered something: "Wait a minute, I'll go lock the outside door first." It wouldn't be good if Zhao Qiujuan suddenly came back... although it was unlikely.

"Mm," Guan Baiyu responded, watching Shi Zhen hurriedly put on his clothes.

Shi Zhen went out, locked the door, and then came back. He carried Guan Baiyu to the bathroom and helped Guan Baiyu take a bath.

He was somewhat dazed the whole time, and it wasn't until Guan Baiyu finished washing up, and he dried her off and carried her back to bed, that his mind started to work again. He had been thinking that he shouldn't get too close to Guan Baiyu, lest he corrupt her.

He also wanted Guan Baiyu to stay away from him and have a different life.

But now, all of that... is impossible.

He had been trying to control himself, but now that things had come to this, he couldn't control himself anymore.

And Guan Baiyu...

He never expected Guan Baiyu to do something like this... something so reckless.

Guan Baiyu must really, really like him.

“Xiaoyu, we’ve already gone this far… From now on, we’ll live together, you know?” Shi Zhen looked at Guan Baiyu.

Guan Baiyu smiled: "I know."

"You'll stay with me for the rest of your life."

"Mm." Guan Baiyu was still smiling.

"Don't worry, I will treat you well. You can tell me anything you want, as long as you are well..." Shi Zhen choked up a little as he spoke.

Guan Baiyu reached out and hugged him: "Let's sleep together."

He had been crying for a long time, and his voice was very hoarse. Now, he feels very uncomfortable just speaking.

Besides... this was his first time after all.

Although his experience prevented the ordeal from being as horrific as in his previous life, he was still exhausted and uncomfortable, and all he wanted to do now was sleep.

Shi Zhen lay down next to Guan Baiyu.

Guan Baiyu leaned against Shi Zhen and drifted off to sleep.

Shi Zhen was holding the person, still somewhat confused about the situation.

Everything that happened today was so sudden.

Shi Zhen was very worried last night and didn't sleep well. Guan Baiyu was lying in his arms, and he could hold Guan Baiyu without any worries... Shi Zhen drifted off to sleep.

By the time Shi Zhen woke up, it was already noon.

He opened his eyes and saw Guan Baiyu looking at him. When she saw that he was awake, she leaned over and kissed him.

Shi Zhen was a little embarrassed: "Xiao Yu..."

"Brother, you like me too, right?" Guan Baiyu asked.

"I like him," Shi Zhen said. How could he not like Guan Baiyu?

"Did you already know I liked you?" Guan Baiyu asked again.

"Yes," Shi Zhen admitted.

"Then why did you avoid me before?" Guan Baiyu asked again.

Shi Zhen paused for a moment before saying, "You're taking the college entrance exam..."

“I confessed my feelings to you yesterday, but you ignored me completely. I thought we would never be together in this lifetime,” Guan Baiyu said.

"I'm sorry." Shi Zhen also felt a little guilty. It was wrong of him to let Guan Baiyu take this step voluntarily.

"Brother, I should be the one apologizing. I forced you to be with me. I took advantage of your kindness and knew you wouldn't do anything to me, so I did this outrageous thing. But I'm also afraid... if I don't take the initiative today, you might avoid me again."

"I won't avoid you, and you haven't forced me..."

Guan Baiyu's voice was hoarse, yet strangely alluring. He continued, "I know what we're doing is wrong, it shouldn't be, but I can't control myself... Even though we're cousins, I still want to be with you. I even did this... I..."

As he spoke, he made a guilty expression.

"Xiaoyu..." Shi Zhen felt even worse seeing Guan Baiyu's guilt. They weren't cousins ​​at all, but he didn't know how to tell Guan Baiyu.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Guan Baiyu suppressed the guilt on her face.

Shi Zhen was taken aback.

At this moment, Guan Baiyu bit Shi Zhen's chest again: "Brother, are you still going to lie to me? We're not cousins ​​at all, are we?"

"You know?" Shi Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.

“I understand, after all, there are many flaws!” Guan Baiyu stared at Shi Zhen: “We are not related at all, so why did you suddenly come to my door and claim to be related to me, lying to me that you are my cousin, and being so nice to me?”

Guan Baiyu had already guessed the reason. Now... he just wanted to be honest with Shi Zhen.

Guan Baiyu spoke in a calm voice, not aggressively, but when he asked him that question... Shi Zhen broke out in a sweat.

He didn't know how to answer.

After thinking it over, Shi Zhen said, "Xiaoyu, I've always liked men. When I first came to Anshan Town and saw you, I was immediately smitten. I fell in love with you at first sight. Then I inquired about you and made up a story to find you and get closer to you."

Shi Zhen considered telling Guan Baiyu about his rebirth.

In fact, if he could be honest and gain Guan Baiyu's understanding, it would be a relief for him.

But that's not right.

He'll feel good then, but what about Guan Baiyu?

The child will definitely be struggling with questions like why he likes him.

He didn't want Guan Baiyu to know about those things, including the fact that Guan Baiyu had a difficult past life.

In short, he felt relieved after learning the truth, but Guan Baiyu might not be happy; he would likely be conflicted.

So... let's not talk about it.

Shi Zhen looked at Guan Baiyu gently.

He certainly liked Guan Baiyu.

Guan Baiyu was more important than his own life.

He avoided Guan Baiyu, actually because he didn't dare to have much contact with Guan Baiyu.

He was afraid that he would never be able to let go again.

Guan Baiyu: "..." He had no idea that Shi Zhen was such a good storyteller!

Guan Baiyu stared at Shi Zhen: "Really?"

“Really,” Shi Zhen affirmed.

Then... Guan Baiyu bit him on the chest again.

Shi Zhen: "..." Why did you bite him again?

To be honest, when Guan Baiyu bit him, he didn't feel any pain; instead, he felt itchy.

In his past life, Guan Baiyu liked to bite him when he was angry.

It was clearly Guan Baiyu who couldn't bear to bite him hard, yet she blamed him for being too tough.

But... usually it's not that Guan Baiyu bites him because he's in the wrong, right?

Thinking this, Shi Zhen saw Guan Baiyu cry again.

Shi Zhen was anxious: "Xiaoyu, what's wrong? Don't cry, it's my fault."

"You're wrong. I was so thin and small back then, and you still fell in love with me at first sight. What kind of taste do you have? I've changed a lot now, so am I no longer to your liking? Do you still like me?" Guan Baiyu asked through gritted teeth.

"Of course I like it," Shi Zhen replied, feeling that Guan Baiyu was acting strangely today. The Guan Baiyu of the past would never have spoken to him like this.

"You're quite the loyal one! If you like me, why have you been avoiding me and refusing to accept me? It's been three years, and it's been so hard for me to even sneak a little advantage over you! You even managed to resist my advances when I was drunk and tried to seduce you! What a gentleman!"

Guan Baiyu spoke while crying.

Just as Shi Zhen was pondering what to say, Guan Baiyu suddenly leaned over and wiped all her tears on him.

Shi Zhen: "..."

Guan Baiyu wiped away his tears, then suddenly looked up and asked, "How did you die in your past life?"

Shi Zhen froze.