When Shi Zhen mentioned it, Guan Baiyu realized that it was his birthday today.

"Brother, did you come all this way just to celebrate my birthday?" Guan Baiyu asked.

"Well, let's go out and get something to eat first... Do you have any places you'd like to go this afternoon? Shall we go together?" Shi Zhen asked.

Twenty years later, Changxi City has large shopping malls, beautiful parks to stroll through, and things like murder mystery games that young people like. But the current Changxi City... seems to have nothing.

Of course, it's also possible that he doesn't know or understand that he's never been good at having fun.

"Play? We can go roller skating." Guan Baiyu didn't know much about Changxi City. The only place he could think of to play was the roller skating place that Liang Qinxuan had taken him to.

He had wanted to take his brother out to play before!

"Then let's go rollerblading after dinner," Shi Zhen said with a smile.

Shi Zhen took Guan Baiyu to eat noodles, adding several toppings to make a big bowl of noodles.

It's my birthday, so I still have to eat noodles.

After finishing their noodles, they walked slowly along the road toward the roller skating area.

When they arrived at the destination... Liang Qinxuan was there too.

Upon seeing Guan Baiyu, Liang Qinxuan immediately became happy and raised his hand, saying, "Guan Baiyu, Guan Baiyu! You didn't come with me to... to study, so I came here to play. You're here too!"

Guan Baiyu: "..."

Shi Zhen was quite pleased to see Liang Qinxuan.

He had never rollerbladed before, and Guan Baiyu had only been once, and he fell so badly on his last visit that he probably wasn't very good at it either... It's good that Liang Qinxuan is here; they can learn from him.

At the same time, the Liang family.

Mr. Liang has already taken his youngest daughter home.

He took his youngest daughter to a big city for surgery, which cost a lot of money and took a lot of energy, but fortunately the surgery was successful in the end.

He had aged, and his head was covered in gray hair, as was Yuan Xiangyang's.

Although Yuan Xiangyang looked older, her health, which had been poor since giving birth, miraculously improved.

There are too many things to do; she has to be okay even if she's not.

After Chen Shaojin's incident, Liang's father once considered divorcing Yuan Xiangyang.

He was truly exhausted and regretted it.

He even felt that he had been out of his mind before, which was why he rekindled his old relationship with Yuan Xiangyang.

Although he and his ex-wife couldn't get along, whenever he came home, his ex-wife would come up to check on him. At that time, Liang Qinxuan had a good relationship with him and would call him "Dad" all the time.

His ex-wife doted on the children, liking to kiss and hug them. The children were also raised to love to act cute with them. Even though Liang Qinxuan was already a teenager, he could still rush up to him, kiss his face, and call him "good dad".

But now? This child never gives him a friendly look.

But Yuan Xiangyang was unwilling to divorce him, even though he promised to give her a lot of money.

With his daughter still so young, and Yuan Xiangyang refusing to divorce him, even threatening suicide, Liang's father ultimately did not divorce her.

Holding his youngest daughter, Liang's father waited at home for a long time, but Liang Qinxuan did not return. He knew that Liang was not coming home today, and he couldn't help but sigh.

Yuan Xiangyang came out of the house with a bottle of formula and whispered, "The baby needs to drink milk."

Mr. Liang held out his hand to her: "Give it to me."

He tested the temperature with the back of his hand before feeding his daughter formula.

Seeing him like this, Yuan Xiangyang couldn't quite describe how he felt.

She knew that Liang's father was waiting for Liang Qinxuan.

Liang Qinxuan is fine, but her son is still in detention.

Chen Shaojin is not yet a minor, and the child he threw is unharmed, so it would be difficult to sentence him. However, if Liang's father prosecutes him on charges such as intentional murder, he could spend a long time in detention.

What Chen Shaojin did chilled Yuan Xiangyang to the bone. She knew Chen Shaojin must hate her to death, but he was still her son, the child she had loved and cherished for over a decade.

Her relationship with her husband had never been good. After her husband was laid off, the two often quarreled. But because she was afraid of affecting Chen Shaojin's studies, she never showed it in front of Chen Shaojin.

Now, the child hates her.

This child's life is ruined.

After feeding the baby, Liang's father asked the nanny to slice and pack the spiced beef stewed that day, intending to have someone take it to Liang Qinxuan later.

The person Liang's father found to bring things to Liang Qinxuan was naturally Liang Qinxuan's cousin. After Liang Qinxuan's cousin arrived, he inquired about what Liang Qinxuan had been doing recently.

Upon learning that Liang Qinxuan was actually selling stationery at the school, Liang's father found it both amusing and a little proud: "He's quite clever."

Liang Qinxuan's cousin immediately said, "Xiao Xuan is just like you. He's so young, but he already knows how to make money."

Liang's father praised his son with him before letting him leave.

At the same time, at the roller skating rink.

Liang Qinxuan suspected there was something wrong with his eyes.

Is this person holding onto the railing, saying they can't skate... really Guan Baiyu?

Shi Zhen had already put on his roller skates, and he gripped the railing tightly with both hands to keep his body steady.

Because his arms are strong enough, he doesn't have to worry about falling, but he... won't walk in these shoes.

It slips as soon as he moves... He's really not used to it.

Shi Zhen had never played this before. As he got older, he became more cautious and simply walked slowly along the railing.

Guan Baiyu walked ahead of him, also cautiously saying, "Brother, this is how it is. Be careful not to fall... I fell several times last time."

"As long as you hold on tight to the railing, you won't fall, but it's quite difficult to slip off the railing," Shi Zhen said.

"It is difficult." Guan Baiyu nodded seriously, walking slowly in front of Shi Zhen while talking to him.

Shi Zhen learned very slowly, but steadily. After about an hour, he was able to skate a short distance. Throughout the entire process, he did not fall.

Guan Baiyu followed him closely, gliding slowly just like him.

Liang Qinxuan, who was circling in the middle of the venue: "..."

Guan Baiyu, who had been rollerblading like a madman last time, was now behaving himself, which made him feel a little uneasy.

Thinking this, Liang Qinxuan tripped and fell without realizing it.

In the rink, a young couple was skating hand in hand when Liang Qinxuan suddenly fell in front of them. They couldn't dodge in time and also fell into a heap.

Shi Zhen frowned upon seeing this: "Xiao Yu, you fell like that last time, was it because someone else dragged you down? Liang Qinxuan didn't drag you to go skating, did he?" He noticed that some people who couldn't skate would have others pull them along, and then they would fall together all the time.

“I didn’t pull him along, but I went to the middle of the skating track and fell a few more times.”

"It's safer to skate alongside them when you haven't learned how to skate," Shi Zhen said earnestly.

Guan Baiyu nodded repeatedly, but couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

His brother is so steady, he didn't even fall once.

He was originally planning to catch his brother if he fell!

As for pretending to fall and land on his brother... although he really wanted to, taking advantage of his brother like that was a bit too much.

Guan Baiyu could only follow Shi Zhen closely, skating slowly, hoping that Shi Zhen would lose his balance and fall.

Seeing Guan Baiyu circling around him, Shi Zhen became even more cautious, and even when he occasionally slipped, he immediately regained his footing.

He didn't want to fall in front of Guan Baiyu! Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu learned slowly together, and after more than two hours, they were able to skate quite well.

He noticed that Guan Baiyu was skating quite well and hadn't fallen at all.

The bruises on Guan Baiyu's body last time were mostly from Chen Shaojin!

Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu skated until after 4 p.m. before returning their roller skates.

On the way back to school, Shi Zhen went to a cake shop, picked up the cake he had ordered that morning, and handed it to Guan Baiyu: "Xiaoyu, I've heard that you should eat cake on your birthday... Take this cake back to your dorm and share it with your roommates."

"Brother, what about you?" Guan Baiyu asked immediately.

“I don’t like cake,” Shi Zhen said.

Shi Zhen isn't picky about food; he eats everything. What wouldn't he like to eat? Besides, this cake is very expensive; he probably hasn't even tried it before.

Guan Baiyu smiled, his eyes crinkling: "This is my birthday cake, brother, you can't not eat it."

As he spoke, he immediately unwrapped the cake, cut a piece, and gave it to Shi Zhen: "Brother, have a taste."

"Alright..." Shi Zhen laughed and ate the cake after all.

It tastes pretty good, but it gets a bit greasy after eating too much cream.

According to Shi Ting, cream is divided into animal and plant types... Shi Ting used to buy him very expensive birthday cakes, and they did taste good.

"Should we bring some back for Tingting?" Guan Baiyu asked again.

"No need," Shi Zhen said.

It's too much trouble to bring it all the way back.

When it's Shi Ting's birthday, we can buy her a cake.

After sending Guan Baiyu back to school, Shi Zhen went home.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, he had some free time and spent every day with Guan Jian Guojia. He met with Zhao Qiujuan daily and learned about the progress of Zhao Dongjuan's marriage.

Zhao Dongjuan's wedding date is set for mid-January.

She and Wang Zugen agreed that the bride price would be 6,000 yuan, which she would take back to the Wang family. Wang Zugen also bought her a gold ring and other gifts.

According to Zhao Qiujuan... Zhao Dongjuan now shows off her gold rings, gold necklaces, and gold earrings at home every day.

As for the banquet... the Shi family won't hold one. On the wedding day, the Shi family will go to the Zhao family's place and have a meal with the Zhao family's relatives, and that will be the end of it.

Shi Zhen will definitely be making an appearance then.

Shi Zhen had no objection to this.

He didn't like Zhao Dongjuan, but he wouldn't neglect his duties.

However, Shi Zhen was also quite curious: "Have you found out what Wang Zugen's family is like?"

Zhao Qiujuan said, "We inquired around and found out that he is just an ordinary family in town. His parents are both workers, as is he. Because his parents had several daughters before having him as their only son, they doted on him. In the early years, because his family was relatively well-off, there were actually quite a few people who wanted to arrange marriages for him, but he didn't like any of them. Later, as he got older, no one wanted to be with him anymore... I heard that his mother has a bad temper."

No wonder it's called "Zugen" (祖根), they probably consider it the root of their ancestors.

Wang Zugen, the last time I heard him talk, he seemed a bit boastful and prone to exaggeration. Plus, his mother has a bad temper and his family has high standards... It's quite normal that the women in town don't want to marry him.

He's over thirty now... I bet no woman in the nearby rural area would want to marry him.

In the past, being a worker was a valuable status, but now factories are also set up in rural areas, and young women from rural areas can also work in factories... They have their own wages, so they can easily find a handsome young man of similar age. Why would they want to find a bald man in his thirties?

However, putting all that aside, Wang Zugen's material conditions were still quite good.

No wonder Zhao Dongjuan likes it.

Changxi No.1 Middle School.

As the end of the semester approached, Guan Baiyu's blank paper sold exceptionally well, attracting not only first-year students but also second- and third-year students.

At first, he didn't earn as much as Liang Qinxuan, but now... he can earn twenty or thirty a week, which is about the same as Liang Qinxuan.

Liang Qinxuan's exquisite notebooks are something many people are reluctant to buy, and those who are willing to buy them will use them for a long time. But draft paper is different; everyone needs it, and it's consumed in large quantities!

Because it's really cheap, some people buy it for themselves and then buy it for their friends, younger siblings, and so on.

This kind of white paper is suitable as a gift at this time.

In the end, Guan Baiyu had nothing left to sell. Fortunately, Liang Qinxuan's cousin came to deliver things to Liang Qinxuan. After learning about his situation, he sent him a truckload of white paper.

Meanwhile, with Liang Qinxuan's maternal uncle as a witness, Guan Baiyu's previous statement that the paper was cheap paper from Liang Qinxuan's father's factory and sold cheaply to the students, this matter is now considered a certainty.

In the end, many people thanked Liang Qinxuan.

After all, it was him who provided such cheap paper.

As the end of the semester approached, there were quite a few exams. After another round of exam results, Guan Baiyu was still among the top three in the grade.

Standing in front of the honor roll, looking at the two names ahead of him, Guan Baiyu felt a sense of admiration.

The top student in the grade was his classmate, a girl whose parents were both teachers at the school. She had always had excellent grades, and she didn't fall behind even in high school.

She studied very hard. Guan Baiyu himself knew that he was actually not as hardworking as her; for example, he couldn't help but read martial arts novels.

The second-highest scorer in the grade is a boy from Class 2. This boy comes from a well-off family. Not only is he academically excellent, but he's also said to be able to play the piano, paint, and do calligraphy...

He was one of the boys in school who received the most attention from girls.

The reason I say he's one of them is because Guan Baiyu is also very popular... That boy isn't bad-looking, but he has the troubles of puberty—he has more acne than Liang Qinxuan!

Because of this, even though he can play the piano, the girls still prefer Guan Baiyu.

Besides those ranked before Guan Baiyu, some of those ranked after Guan Baiyu should not be underestimated. For example, there was a boy who always slept in class, but his science scores were close to perfect.

There was another girl who spoke English better than the teacher.

"Guan Baiyu, congratulations!" a voice rang out.

Guan Baiyu turned his head and saw Qiu Yunxin: "Thank you."

"You're welcome! Keep it up, I believe you'll definitely get first place in the future!" Qiu Yunxin said, then ran off blushing.

Guan Baiyu felt a little helpless. He really wanted to make things clear with this girl, but unfortunately, he just couldn't find the right opportunity...

Guan Baiyu didn't want the peach blossom, but the boys in his class were quite envious of him. His deskmate was very excited: "Guan Baiyu! I'm so envious of you! You're actually liked by the school beauty!"

"School beauty?" Guan Baiyu was stunned. Qiu Yunxin was the school beauty?

"One of the school beauties... There are several girls who are called school beauties, Qiu Yunxin is really pretty, isn't she?"

"It's very beautiful, but I just want to focus on my studies."

"You're awesome!" Guan Baiyu's deskmate gave him a thumbs up.

On the other side, someone spoke to Qiu Yunxin: "Xinxin, do you really like Guan Baiyu?"

"Yes! Didn't I already say that?"

"But Guan Baiyu is very poor!"

"So what? It's not his fault. He's already so pitiful... His family is so poor, yet he still works so hard and still gets such good grades. That's amazing!" Qiu Yunxin cupped her face, her cheeks turning even redder.

She's made up her mind to go see Guan Baiyu during winter break!

Who knows, I might even be able to confess my feelings then!

Thinking this, Qiu Yunxin started talking to her friends about winter vacation.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yunxin's friend also became interested: "Can I come along?"

“Of course!” Qiu Yunxin said.

“I want to go too.” Another girl said, “By the way, Guanjia Village…that’s a familiar name. My uncle was fostered there when he was little.”