Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu did not go to bed early.

They were too busy the past two days and didn't get to be affectionate, but now they can make up for it.

In another phase of his life, Guan Baiyu rarely expressed his feelings.

On the one hand, it's a habit he's developed—he's always expressed his feelings since he was a child, and it's completely useless.

On the other hand... at that time he had nothing but Shi Zhen, and sometimes he would uncontrollably try to please Shi Zhen.

He knew that Shi Zhen liked him, but he still found it difficult to tell Shi Zhen his true feelings.

But now, Shi Zhen's behavior gives him a great sense of security, so he has gotten used to telling Shi Zhen his thoughts.

Even if Shi Zhen's skills are not good, he will openly criticize him.

In this way, they can be happier at times.

The two hugged each other before they began to talk about Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng.

Shi Zhen said, "I'm sorry, I didn't help you investigate in my past life. If I had, perhaps you could have reunited with them back then..."

"Actually, I already knew I wasn't a member of the Sun family back then, but I just didn't have time to tell you," Guan Baiyu said.

"When did you find out?" Shi Zhen was taken aback.

Guan Baiyu said, "About... a month before the car accident."

Actually, during that period of his life, he and Shi Zhen were very sweet at first.

They've been married for a long time, but they're both busy with their own lives and live harmoniously.

In the last two months, due to being busy and other reasons, the two of them were like powder kegs, ready to explode at any moment.

Surprisingly, they were quite restrained and didn't actually start arguing...

When Guan Baiyu recalled those events, he felt nothing anymore.

Shi Zhen was stunned. Could Guan Baiyu's bad temper at that time be related to this incident?

If Guan Baiyu hadn't died...

Guan Baiyu died because of him.

Holding Guan Baiyu tightly, Shi Zhen asked again, "What are you planning to do next?"

Guan Baiyu said, "Let's find some time... to tell them about our relationship."

"Okay." Shi Zhen kissed Guan Baiyu.

Shi Zhen left early the next morning.

After returning to Changxi City, he first took care of some company matters.

The person who replaced the steel bars was a relative of Shi Daniu. In fact, this person did more than just replace the steel bars; he also colluded with some others to steal cement and sell it.

Even the idea of ​​Shi Daniu switching to cement was instigated by him, just to get a kickback.

He had only been working for Shi Daniu for a few months, but he had already embezzled tens of thousands of yuan.

Shi Zhen got the money back, and at the same time, he dismissed many people. Even Shi Daniu could no longer be a foreman and could only continue to be an ordinary bricklayer.

Shi Daniu had no objection to this.

He hadn't experienced much in his life. At first, Shi Zhen was so serious and wouldn't let him go home, so he thought he was going to jail.

In the end, he didn't have to go to jail, and Shi Zhen even kept him on to work, which relieved him.

As for his relatives... Shi Zhen didn't send them to jail, he just asked them to return the money... He felt that this was the right thing to do, so he didn't help those relatives. After they left, he felt much more at peace.

Those people at the construction site, taking advantage of his relationship with him, didn't work and kept asking him to help send their children to school... He doesn't have that kind of ability!

Everything's fine now, that's good.

Shi Zhen found someone else to manage that construction site, and then the discipline on the entire site improved, and everyone started working diligently.

The other construction sites also had some messy things going on, but they were all stunned by his move and didn't dare to do anything else.

Shi Zhen and Duan Hongming worked tirelessly for several days, putting in overtime every day, before finally finishing the task.

Then he realized... Duan Hongming is really useful!

Of his fellow villagers in his past life, there were very few who were truly capable, and even those few were not as competent as Duan Hongming.

When he gets the chance, he'll definitely recruit a few more people to help him.

On Thursday, after finishing his work, Shi Zhen said to Duan Hongming, who had been working overtime with him for several days, "I'm giving you a day off tomorrow, so you can rest well... Remember to go to the company on Saturday. I won't be there, so you'll have to keep an eye on things."

Duan Hongming asked, "Are you going to the provincial capital again this weekend?"

“Hmm,” Shi Zhen said.

“You really care about your younger brother,” Duan Hongming said again.

Shi Zhen smiled. That wasn't his younger brother, it was his wife... How could he not miss her?

After giving his instructions, Shi Zhen left.

Sometimes, Shi Zhen would bring Zhao Qiujuan home with him, but not today. When Duan Hongming came out and saw that Zhao Qiujuan was still there, he asked curiously, "Didn't you leave with the boss?"

“He’s going to Anshan Town,” Zhao Qiujuan said with a smile.

"I see!" Duan Hongming smiled at Zhao Qiujuan and left.

Shi Zhen did indeed go to Anshan Town.

He's been very busy these past few days and hasn't been able to visit Shi Dalin and the others... However, he did receive a call from Shi Dalin and the others asking him about the follow-up to the wall demolition.

Hearing that everything was alright, Shi Dalin and the others were relieved.

Shi Zhen arrived at Shi Dalin's small shop.

It was already dark when Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun were watching a TV series. They were both very happy to see him.

They greeted Shi Zhen with smiles and offered him snacks from the shop.

Shi Zhen said, "No need, I just had dinner not long ago, I'm not hungry yet."

He felt a little heavy-hearted, and he planned to tell his parents about his relationship with Guan Baiyu.

In his previous life, when Guan Baiyu was alive, he never said it.

Later, Guan Baiyu passed away... His parents and Shi Ting must have found out.

He was in a very bad state at that time, not to mention Zhao Dongjuan was also there.

Zhao Dongjuan definitely said it.

However, he was in such poor condition at the time that Shi Dalin and Shi Ting didn't mention anything to him.

They later suggested he get married, but he refused, so they gave up on the idea.

In this lifetime...

Shi Zhen knew that as long as he persisted, they would eventually accept it.

But it will probably be very uncomfortable.

Shi Zhen didn't mention whether anyone would come to the store, but only talked about some recent events in his company.

"The last time I was in the news, it was actually like advertising for my company. It increased the company's visibility a lot, which was good for me," Shi Zhen explained to them.

"I see!" Shi Dalin and the others were all impressed.

After they finished watching the TV series, Shi Zhen helped them tidy up the shop.

Shi Dalin and his group came by tricycle, and since they were going to ride the tricycle back, Shi Zhen told them to go first and he drove his car behind them, following them all the way back.

More than a decade later, there was nowhere to park in Anshan Town, and you could easily get a ticket if you weren't careful. Now, you can park anywhere.

Shi Zhen parked the car and followed Shi Dalin and the others upstairs.

Shi Zhen doesn't have a room with Shi Dalin and the others. He occasionally stays overnight in Guanjia Village, sometimes staying in Guan Baiyu's old house.

He caught up with us today...

Shi Dalin also sensed something was wrong: "Azhen, is something wrong?"

Shi Zhen said, "Yes, Dad, I have something to tell you."

"What's wrong?" Shi Dalin asked. "Is your company short of money? I have some cash on me..."

Shi Zhen said, "No... Dad, Xiaoyu has found his biological parents. His biological parents are university professors."

Shi Dalin was stunned: "Isn't he your aunt's child?"

"No, he has nothing to do with me. I was lying to you before," Shi Zhen said.

Shi Dalin was dumbfounded and couldn't understand why his son would do such a thing.

What's so funny about this?

Why did his son do that?

Zhao Meiyun couldn't help but ask, "Ah Zhen, why did you lie to us about this?"

Shi Dalin said, "Yeah, why did you lie to us about this?"

Shi Zhen said, "I took a liking to him, so I found an excuse to get close to him."

Shi Dalin wondered if he had misheard. What did his son say?

Shi Zhen's expression was very serious, clearly not joking: "Dad, I like men. I took a liking to him, so I coaxed him into being with me. To make it easier for us to be together, I said he was my cousin. We are not related by blood at all."

Shi Dalin: "..."

Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun were both dumbfounded.

Shi Zhen still said, "We've been together for a long time, so when he went to university, I went to see him every week."

"Now...now..." Shi Dalin felt his mind was not working; he couldn't understand such a thing.

How could a man like another man?

This isn't right!

"Now I just want to tell you one thing... I will always live with him." After Shi Zhen finished speaking, he didn't say anything more, waiting for Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun to process this matter.

Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun sat there blankly, not knowing what to do.

After a moment of silence, Shi Dalin asked, "So you're not getting married?"

"Well, unless one day men can marry men."

"How can men marry each other? What about the children?"

"Not having children isn't a big deal."

"What will you do when you get old?"

"I have money," Shi Zhen said with absolute certainty.

Shi Dalin murmured, "How could this happen... how could this happen..."

As for Zhao Meiyun, she just wants to minimize her presence now.

She dared not interfere in such a big matter.

"Dad...it's getting late, take a shower and go to bed," Shi Zhen advised Shi Dalin.

Shi Dalin had never really paid much attention to him, and since his mother passed away, he had never hit or disciplined him again.

In recent years, Shi Dalin has listened to him in everything, to the point that now... Shi Dalin must be very angry, but he doesn't know how to teach him a lesson.

Shi Zhen planned to leave first, giving Shi Dalin some time to recover.

Shi Zhen left, and Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun did not stop him.

On the other side, Duan Hongming was a little confused.

He's been extremely busy lately, following Shi Zhen around.

Because of this, he finally has a day off tomorrow, so he plans to treat himself tonight and go out for a late-night snack.

His favorite dish is duck soup noodles at a certain shop. A hot bowl of it on a cold winter's day is so comforting.

But now... he was just eating when he saw Zhao Qiujuan and a man walking hand in hand from a distance.

Wait, their boss went to Anshan Town, and Zhao Qiujuan went out on a date with someone?

Is this not a good idea?

Duan Hongming was puzzled when he saw Zhao Qiujuan and that person walk in.

Seeing him, Zhao Qiujuan was a little surprised, then smiled shyly and started talking to the man next to her.

Seeing Zhao Qiujuan's attitude, Duan Hongming knew that he had probably guessed wrong.

This person is probably not Shi Zhen's girlfriend.

Otherwise... it's impossible that he caught her red-handed and she only felt shy, without any other emotions.

It suddenly occurred to me that Shi Zhen always called Zhao Qiujuan "sister"...

Duan Hongming pondered that Zhao Qiujuan was probably Shi Zhen's relative's older sister. As for living with Shi Zhen... was she doing housework and cleaning for him as well?

There are reasons why he doesn't consider Zhao Qiujuan to be Shi Zhen's biological sister.

Shi Zhen and Zhao Qiujuan look nothing alike.

As for Guan Baiyu, he felt that he looked a bit like Shi Zhen when he first saw him.

It's not that their facial features are similar, but rather the feeling they give off is remarkably similar.

Right... Now that Zhao Qiujuan has been ruled out, who exactly is Shi Zhen's secret girlfriend?

Zhao Qiujuan felt a little embarrassed when she saw an acquaintance, then asked the man in front of her, "Afu, what would you like to eat?"

The man opposite Zhao Qiujuan said, "Eel and pork kidney noodles, and another plate of braised chicken feet."

There are many kinds of noodles here. Most people who come to eat noodles will order a topping, such as eel noodles or duck soup noodles.

This eel and pork kidney noodle soup comes with two toppings, and the price doubles.

That's one thing, but eel noodles and pork kidney noodles are already expensive, so ordering both together would be...

This guy probably earns a lot of money, or his family is wealthy. Duan Hongming secretly envied him.

Although he earns two thousand a month, he has to send money to his parents and pay rent, so his expenses are quite high and he doesn't dare to spend money recklessly.

There was no other way; the job was unstable, so he definitely needed to save money.

Just as Duan Hongming was thinking this, he saw Zhao Qiujuan order a bowl of eel and pork kidney noodles, a piece of braised chicken feet, and a bowl of the cheapest shredded pork noodles from the shopkeeper.

That's not all; Zhao Qiujuan even paid for it.

Duan Hongming: "..." This isn't right!

Duan Hongming still had half a bowl of noodles left, but at this moment, he unconsciously slowed down his eating speed.

Then he heard the man opposite Zhao Qiujuan say to her, "Why are you only eating shredded pork noodles? How stingy."

"I'm not hungry either..."

"It would be embarrassing if someone saw this," the man said. "You're just a mountain person, you won't do."

Zhao Qiujuan lowered her head and remained silent.

The man was still muttering, "You should buy more clothes and dress up. Look at you, you don't have a single designer brand item on you. My ex-girlfriend always wore clothes that cost over a hundred yuan."

"Compared to them, you are far inferior."

"They can't bear to part with this or that, it's not presentable."

"Only I would be interested in you."

...

Duan Hongming has a bad temper.

He was ostracized because he couldn't stand some "customs" and even spoke out about them.

He's changed a bit over the years, but he still can't quite tolerate it right now.

The main reason is that ever since he started treating Zhao Qiujuan as Shi Zhen's secret girlfriend, he has unconsciously paid more attention to her and would often greet her.

These days he and Shi Zhen are busy, staying in the headquarters building all day, and Zhao Qiujuan also boils water and cooks for them.

"Zhao Qiujuan," Duan Hongming called out.

"Hmm?" Zhao Qiujuan turned her head curiously.

"Has this man ever bought you clothes?" Duan Hongming asked, feeling that he should clarify things before causing trouble.

“No…” Zhao Qiujuan said.

"Okay." Duan Hongming looked at the man: "Your ex-girlfriend is so great and so rich, why don't you go find your ex-girlfriend!"

"You spend a woman's money and still complain about her? You're a kept man and you still have the nerve to talk back?"

"If you want your girlfriend to wear clothes that cost over a hundred yuan, then buy them for her!"

"You're complaining that she's not presentable enough? I think you, who spends women's money, are the least presentable of all!"

...

Duan Hongming felt incredibly satisfied after his outburst, and all the anger he had been holding back from working overtime for several days vanished.

The man got angry: "Who are you?!"

After saying that, he seemed to remember something and looked at Zhao Qiujuan again: "Zhao Qiujuan, is this your lover? You're something else, a woman from the countryside, yet you're two-timing me!"

Zhao Qiujuan's eyes reddened; she felt incredibly wronged.

“You have the nerve to slander people like that! I just couldn’t stand it! And you, you think you can be considered a boat? You’re just a plank with nails!” Duan Hongming said.

"Fine, very well! Zhao Qiujuan, I can't afford to serve someone like you. Goodbye!" The man said and left, glancing back at the door as he walked, presumably indicating that he was referring to Zhao Qiujuan as she went after him.

Zhao Qiujuan did consider going after him, but Duan Hongming stopped her: "Zhao Qiujuan, you don't really want to go after that person, do you?"

Zhao Qiujuan stopped in her tracks.

Actually, after spending these days together, she also felt that something was off, but... but... she was getting old, and this man was a local from Changxi City...

"Your noodles are here!" Duan Hongming said again.

Zhao Qiujuan turned around and saw that the eel and pork kidney noodles she had ordered had been served.

This cost a lot of money. If she chases after him, won't that money be wasted?

Zhao Qiujuan sat down, then hesitated—she had ordered two bowls of noodles, and this…

Late at night, only the owner was busy at the shop; he was the one cooking the noodles and serving the dishes.

Duan Hongming said, "Boss, the shredded pork noodles haven't been cooked yet, have they? We don't want any more; we can't finish them."

"Okay," the shopkeeper said, readily taking the money out of his pocket and returning it to Zhao Qiujuan.

Duan Hongming pointed to the bowl of noodles laden with ingredients: "Come on, eat up! You have money, can't you just eat something nice for yourself? Why invite someone who looks down on you to eat?"

Zhao Qiujuan is easily persuaded; thinking about it carefully, it really is...

Duan Hongming added, "Even if you want to help the poor, you can help me!"

As he spoke, he picked up the braised chicken feet that Zhao Qiujuan had bought and started eating them.

The braised chicken feet have already been served, so it's not appropriate to return them.

Zhao Qiujuan: "..." She's not doing poverty alleviation; she's looking for a boyfriend!

Not far from the noodle shop, a man was also dumbfounded—why didn't Zhao Qiujuan chase after him?