Guan Baiyu knew that Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng really had the ability to take him away and even change his school.

But he absolutely refused.

He also wanted to spend the New Year with Shi Zhen. The house Shi Zhen bought for him was renovated during the summer vacation, but he had never lived in it.

Guan Baiyu looked at his parents with unusual calmness.

Mu Tian shuddered: "Xiao Yu, you're lying to me, aren't you?"

Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng indeed did not investigate Guan Baiyu's past experiences.

Firstly, the time was too short; they had only been reunited with Guan Baiyu for two weeks.

Secondly... they've already recognized Guan Baiyu, so investigating Guan Baiyu further would seem less than friendly.

They don't know many people here, so it's not easy for them to conduct investigations.

Moreover... Guan Baiyu's food, clothing, and daily necessities were all quite good, and his brother even casually opened a printing shop for him... He really didn't look like he had suffered any injustice.

They had preconceived notions and thought he had never experienced hardship.

When they discovered his affair with Shi Zhen, Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian felt even more strongly that he was too naive and had been deceived by those around him.

Shi Zhen is his older brother; it would be very easy for him to appease him.

But now, what Guan Baiyu said...

Mu Tian refused to believe it.

Guan Baiyu smiled at Mu Tian: "You can find out about this by asking around in Guanjia Village. Why would I lie to you?"

Mu Tian cried again.

Guan Baiyu said, "I grew up at the very bottom of society. I worked hard to climb up step by step. I would do anything to make a better life for myself. You must find it hard to accept me like this, right? If you don't want to acknowledge me anymore, that's fine. Just say you made a mistake before."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Jiang Xingsheng retorted angrily, then added, "Are you saying this so that we won't take you away or target Shi Zhen?"

His son had already been honest with them about his relationship with Shi Zhen, and it was clear that he and Shi Zhen were very close... What he said might not be true.

At least, Jiang Xingsheng didn't want it to be true.

“Yes, I don’t want to go with you, and I don’t want you to target him. After all, there is no one in this world who treats me better than him,” Guan Baiyu said.

"You...me and your mother..."

Guan Baiyu said, "He wouldn't go against my wishes."

Jiang Xingsheng remained silent.

Guan Baiyu continued, "When I met him, he had just turned eighteen and came to work in our area. At first, he didn't like me, but he took pity on me and took extra care of me... When I was bullied at school, he stood up for me, and when I didn't have enough to eat, he would give me food and buy me clothes... Tell me, how could I not like him?"

Guan Baiyu had not detailed his past experiences, but Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng could already imagine them.

"To say I'm naive, to say I'm deceitful... I'm more than two years younger than him, but I've experienced far more than him, and I've never been a good person... I just want the person I like," Guan Baiyu said.

In this life, he was actually quite naive and kinder, but in another phase of his life... he would definitely do everything in his power to get the person he set his sights on.

Back then, Shi Zhen was a bit stubborn and easy to deal with.

Thinking this, Guan Baiyu smiled.

Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian were both a little exhausted.

Guan Baiyu suddenly asked, "Do you... want to go to Guanjia Village?"

Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian had seen Guan Baiyu's ID card, household registration book, and other documents, and even memorized them.

Before that... they had booked plane tickets for the whole family, planning to have dinner with Guan Baiyu tonight and then go to the airport.

If Guan Baiyu agrees to go with them, that would be best. If Guan Baiyu is unwilling to go, they should be firm and take Guan Baiyu away.

They believed that even if Guan Baiyu hated them now, he would eventually realize that what they did was right.

Of course, Jiang Xingsheng had also prepared for the worst, such as the possibility that even if they took Guan Baiyu away, Guan Baiyu would still be devoted to Shi Zhen.

But he never expected it to end like this.

They have no face to take Guan Baiyu away now.

They did indeed want to know... Guan Baiyu's past experiences.

Jiang Xingsheng thought for a moment, and finally said, "Let's go."

He wanted to go and see Guanjia Village.

Guan Baiyu chuckled lightly: "Then let's go."

He's in a good mood right now, you could even say he's in a great mood.

Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian still care about him.

He was confident that if they went to Guanjia Village with him this time, they would accept his relationship with Shi Zhen.

Guan Baiyu knew his physical advantages, and he also knew that Shi Zhen liked his appearance and his approachability.

Therefore, he was always obedient and well-behaved in front of Shi Zhen.

In reality, he doesn't laugh that much, and he only wants to act cute when he's with Shi Zhen.

In another phase of his life, Guan Baiyu also experienced a lot. When he was completely open and without any pretense, he looked much more mature than his actual age.

When the bodyguard driving Jiang Xingsheng took them to Changxi City, he chatted with Jiang Xingsheng, and the feeling he gave Jiang Xingsheng was completely different from the feeling he had given Jiang Xingsheng before.

Jiang Xingsheng believed even more what he had said before.

His son is indeed a very intelligent person with clear goals.

Of course, he also asked about the past in detail.

Guan Baiyu had already said that before, so naturally he wouldn't hide it anymore.

He talked a lot about his childhood.

"How could they treat you like this..." Mu Tian almost broke down.

Guan Baiyu remained calm: "My grandmother is no longer here, and no one else knows anything about my background, so you can't say they did anything wrong."

Putting everything else aside, for Zhang Xiumei and Guan Guangguo, the sudden appearance of him... who would like that?

Regardless of which stage of his life he lived, he didn't hate them; it's just that he was genuinely heartbroken.

Mu Tian also asked about Shi Zhen.

Guan Baiyu's expression only improved when he mentioned Shi Zhen: "I met him when I was in the third year of junior high school. He took pity on me and told people that he was my cousin, so he took care of me. But later he quickly saved money and made his business big."

Guan Baiyu talked about Shi Zhen for a while, then said with a regretful look, "I didn't get together with him until I graduated from high school. Before that, I kept trying to seduce him, but he wouldn't agree."

"Don't say that..." Mu Tian didn't want to hear these things.

Guan Baiyu said, "There's nothing I can't say, it's the truth."

Mu Tian let out a sob.

They set off from the provincial capital at eight o'clock, and by the time they arrived at Guanjia Village, following Guan Baiyu's directions, it was already around ten o'clock at night.

Guan Baiyu had the key to his old house. He opened the door and let Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian in: "This is where I used to live."

Shi Zhen later became wealthy and renovated the house, but not a major overhaul.

Even the traces of repairs are clearly visible.

It allows people to clearly see how dilapidated this place used to be.

Guan Baiyu showed them around the area and shared some of his past experiences before saying, "It's late. You can find a place to sleep and talk to the villagers again tomorrow."

Are there places to stay in town?

"Of course there is." Guan Baiyu pointed to a place and then said, "I'll stay here tonight, you guys go ahead."

"Xiaoyu, come with us," Mu Tian said.

Guan Baiyu said, "No need. I actually quite like it here, and I've lived here for so many years. It's very nice."

Guan Baiyu insisted on staying, so Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng had no choice but to leave first.

The next morning, Guan Baiyu called Shi Zhen and told him that Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian were going to bring him back, and that Shi Zhen should not pick him up.

Shi Zhen had no doubts and agreed.

Even on winter mornings, the people of Guanjia Village still get up very early.

Some people who like to visit each other's homes will take a bowl of porridge to their neighbors' houses early in the morning, chatting with them while they drink the porridge.

After finishing one bowl, he went back to get another, then came out again, found someone to continue chatting, and continued eating.

When they saw a car parked in front of Guan Baiyu's small house, they were not surprised, but also a little curious—had Shi Zhen changed cars again? This was not the car Shi Zhen usually drove.

Just then, they saw a middle-aged couple who looked quite wealthy get out of the car; the woman's eyes were still red.

At the same time, they also saw Guan Baiyu come out of the house.

"It's Xiaoyu! When did you get back?" Upon seeing Guan Baiyu, someone immediately came over and asked curiously, then looked at Mu Tian and the others: "And this is?"

Guan Baiyu said, "I came back yesterday. This is my relative."

"So you're a relative of yours!" the man said.

Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng felt genuinely uncomfortable upon hearing the word "relatives".

However, Guan Baiyu said yesterday that the people here do not know his background, so it is difficult to explain.

The two forced a smile and began asking around about Guan Baiyu.

The villagers still harbored resentment towards the Sun family and Guan Baiyu's mother's side for not raising Guan Baiyu. When they spoke to them, they subtly complained, "Why didn't you want such a good child back then?"

“He was smart from a young age, but Grandma Guan wasn’t very kind to him.”

“He didn’t have any milk when he was little, he only ate fried rice noodles, and he was so thin.”

...

Mu Tian was eager to inquire, and they were willing to talk. In the end, they talked a lot about Guan Baiyu's childhood, about how capable the child was from a young age, and how filial he was—he took care of his elderly grandmother.

As they talked, they naturally came up with the topic of Shi Zhen.

"Luckily, his cousin came to find him, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to go to high school."

“His cousin didn’t have much money himself at the time, but he was still willing to send him to school. He was such a kind person.”

"Of course, Shi Zhen was also very successful, and soon became a big boss."

...

"Are they cousins, and have a good relationship?" Mu Tian asked.

"Of course it's great! Guan Baiyu is very attached to his cousin. He studies in Changxi City and comes back as soon as he has a holiday. He even goes to the construction site with his cousin," the man said with a smile.

In the eyes of the people of Guanjia Village, Guan Baiyu was definitely more attached to Shi Zhen.

Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng both fell silent.

They could no longer blame Shi Zhen, and they knew that Shi Zhen had been genuinely good to their son.

Actually... if Shi Zhen really had his eye on their son from the beginning, and only treated their son as a plaything, why would he have supported him through high school?

Later, they even sent him to university and helped him find his parents...

What kind of filthy person would keep a mistress like this?

Of course, one could also say that their son is smart, capable, and able to appease Shi Zhen... This shows that Shi Zhen was not the one who took the initiative at all.

Mu Tian and Jiang Xingsheng couldn't understand the local dialect very well, but among the young people, there were some who could speak Mandarin, so they still knew quite a lot of things.

In the end, the two of them didn't know what else to say.

Guan Baiyu, on the other hand, skillfully used the earthen stove in his house to prepare breakfast for several people, and then invited them to eat together.

While eating, Guan Baiyu suddenly laughed: "I didn't retaliate against society, thanks to Shi Zhen, otherwise... who knows what I might have done."

"Xiaoyu, don't say that..." Mu Tian's heart had been breaking ever since last night.

Guan Baiyu also knew that he had stabbed her in the heart many times.

He fell silent and said nothing more.

Jiang Xingsheng said, "You really don't plan to change it?"

"How can I change? I'm naturally attracted to men? If Shi Zhen isn't around... who else can I turn to?"

Jiang Xingsheng fell silent.

Guan Baiyu added, "Shi Zhen bought me a house in Changxi City. Would you like to go take a look?"

Shi Zhen... even bought a house for Guan Baiyu? Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian were both stunned.

Guan Baiyu smiled smugly: "I told you, he likes me a lot."

Guan Baiyu took them to the house that Shi Zhen had bought for him, the house that he and Shi Zhen planned to live in.

Shi Zhen wasn't there, so he opened the door and went inside.

Shi Zhen usually lives here. There are many of Shi Zhen's personal belongings here, but it's kept quite clean. Guan Baiyu entered the master bedroom without any hesitation and opened the safe in the wardrobe...

Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian saw a lot of money and some documents.

Guan Baiyu took out the property certificate and showed it to them.

Jiang Xingsheng had previously considered taking Guan Baiyu away, but now he has completely given up.

Guan Baiyu put his things away and then said, "I'll call my brother and ask him to come back for dinner."

Guan Baiyu called Shi Zhen, who learned that they had arrived and were still at home, so he hurried home.

He hadn't arranged any work for himself today because he was going to pick up Guan Baiyu, so he had a relatively easy time.

When Shi Zhen arrived home, Guan Baiyu had just returned from buying groceries.

"Uncle, Auntie," Shi Zhen greeted Jiang Xingsheng and the others with a smile.

"Shi Zhen." Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian smiled, but were a little hesitant to look at Shi Zhen.

Shi Zhen felt they were a bit strange, but didn't think much of it.

He wanted to make a good impression on the two of them, so he said, "Xiaoyu, you stay and talk to your uncle and aunt, I'll go cook."

Guan Baiyu also wanted him to show off, so he naturally didn't refuse. He washed some fruit for Mu Tian and the others, and watched Shi Zhen cook.

Shi Zhen is much more skilled at cooking than Mu Tian, ​​and as for Jiang Xingsheng... he can't even compare to Mu Tian.

Shi Zhen was quick and efficient; in no time, he had prepared a table full of food.

He only makes quick and easy dishes, and once they're ready, he invites everyone to eat together.

Jiang Xingsheng and Mu Tian ate very slowly. Shi Zhen realized something was wrong and looked at Guan Baiyu.

Guan Baiyu said, "My parents know about our relationship."

Shi Zhen froze.

Guan Baiyu said, "Don't be nervous, it's alright."

It was hard for Shi Zhen not to be nervous.

He could be very natural when he met Jiang Xingsheng and the others before, but he really can't now.

He's with someone else's son, this...

Jiang Xingsheng suddenly asked, "Shi Zhen... will you treat Xiaoyu well?"

"Don't worry, I will definitely treat him well," Shi Zhen said immediately.

Regardless of what happens in the future... Shi Zhen is telling the truth now.

Jiang Xingsheng said, "Then you two... should stay together."

He was powerless to break them up, nor could he.

Shi Zhenyuan thought that he would have to face a lot of things if he told Jiang Xingsheng and the others the truth, but he didn't expect Jiang Xingsheng to be so easy to talk to.

He was stunned.

Jiang Xingsheng added, "Next semester, let Xiaoyu stay with us. When you come, stay with us too. It'll be safer that way, so no one finds out..."

"No, it won't happen..." Guan Baiyu said.

“How could I not? I saw it when I looked at your garbage bags!” Jiang Xingsheng said.

He knew there was no way to stop it now, and he didn't want their relationship to be discovered.

After all, if they were discovered, they would face many problems in the future.

Guan Baiyu was extremely embarrassed, not expecting that Jiang Xingsheng was found through a garbage bag.

Shi Zhen was also speechless.

Jiang Xingsheng added, "Be careful... From now on... even though you're two men, once you're together, make the most of it..."

Jiang Xingsheng was a little worried that the relationship between the two was unstable and that his son would end up getting hurt.

But thinking about it carefully... if something really happens, Shi Zhen might be the one who gets hurt more.

He sighed and didn't continue.

At this moment, Mu Tian also said to Shi Zhen, "Shi Zhen, you should treat Xiao Yu well, he has suffered too much..."

Shi Zhen replied earnestly, "I will."

He will always be good to Guan Baiyu.