When Guan Baiyu returned home that day, it was already dark.

As he got out of Liang Qinxuan's cousin's car, the cold winter wind rushed down his neck, making him shiver involuntarily.

He looked up and saw Shi Zhen open the door and come out, backlit, his eyes gentle: "Xiao Yu, you're back."

"Brother." Guan Baiyu felt as if his heart had been struck.

Shi Zhen looked Guan Baiyu up and down before saying to Liang Qinxuan's cousin, "Thank you for bringing Xiaoyu back."

"No need to thank me, it's nothing. It's getting late, I'll be going now." Liang Qinxuan's cousin laughed and drove away.

After the car drove away, Shi Zhen immediately looked at Guan Baiyu: "Xiaoyu, have you eaten?"

Guan Baiyu said, "Not yet." He and Liang Qinxuan had just randomly picked a noodle shop for lunch, and in the evening... Liang Qinxuan wanted to treat him to dinner, but he was in a hurry to go home.

"Then come and eat quickly," Shi Zhen said, entering the house and lifting the pot lid.

As soon as Guan Baiyu entered the room, he felt warm all over.

There was a pot of hot water in the large pot on the stove, and food was placed on the steamer rack on top. The food had been steaming for a long time and its color was not very appealing, but Guan Baiyu was immediately hungry when he saw it.

After he ate the food, Shi Zhen scooped the hot water from the pot into a basin, took off his shoes and socks, and washed his feet.

He's been staying in Guanjian National Park every day lately, not doing any dirty or strenuous work, so he doesn't shower every day anymore.

Guan Baiyu ate while watching Shi Zhen.

When he returned, his brother came out before the car even stopped... His brother must have been waiting for him.

His brother really values ​​him.

But what his brother told him might not be true.

Guan Baiyu hadn't thought much about it before and hadn't noticed anything suspicious, but after sorting things out yesterday, he realized that something was amiss.

Before that, he had asked Shi Ting and Shi Xingchao a lot about his brother.

Before he came of age, his brother had never left their area and had always been wandering in the mountains. After he came out... he found him not long after.

He doesn't pay much attention to his own birthday, but he has long remembered his brother's birthday and the day he met his brother.

His brother came out of the mountains and found him within a few days.

If that's the case, when did his brother start getting to know his maternal grandparents?

Shi Ting was completely unaware of her maternal grandparents' existence.

He used to think it was because his maternal grandparents' status was a sensitive issue, but upon closer reflection, something didn't seem right.

His brother's mother passed away in the 1980s. If she wanted to talk about her family situation, she didn't need to only tell her son.

Even if she only told her son... why didn't her brother mention it to Shi Ting?

So, his brother was lying to him?

But why is that?

Guan Baiyu had actually considered asking directly yesterday, but in the end she didn't.

Now, after a day of reflection, under the dim yet warm lamplight, Guan Baiyu finally asked, "Brother, have you ever met my mother? What kind of person was she?"

The stone vibrated for a moment.

When he was reborn, he was too excited and didn't think things through. At that time, he was eager to get to know Guan Baiyu and wanted an identity that allowed him to openly care for and take care of Guan Baiyu, so he directly said that he was Guan Baiyu's cousin.

However, there are some doubts about this.

Fortunately, he later realized his oversight and thought about how to cover up the lie: "Actually, I have never met your mother. When I first found you, I was afraid that you would not believe me, so I told you a lot about your grandparents and your mother."

Guan Baiyu looked at Shi Zhen.

Shi Zhen smiled awkwardly: "Actually, before I came here, I didn't even know anything about you... My mother and your mother corresponded, and your mother mentioned your existence in her letter. That's how I found out about you and came here."

So that's how it is? Guan Baiyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Zhen continued, "Xiaoyu, the reason I initially came to find you was because J City is too big, and I was a bit panicked. I couldn't find a job, so I wanted to find a relative to stay with. I thought having a local acquaintance would make things easier. But when I first saw you here, you looked so pitiful, and you caught my eye, so I took extra care of you."

If what Shi Zhen said is true, then everything makes sense. Guan Baiyu then asked, "Brother, is it possible that I'm not your cousin? What if I'm not your cousin..."

“No, your mother wrote your address very clearly in the letter she wrote to my mother. I came straight here,” Shi Zhen said. “Besides, even if you’re not my cousin, our relationship is genuine. You will always be my brother.”

Upon hearing this, Guan Baiyu didn't know whether to be happy or upset. He wanted to be with Shi Zhen, but he didn't want to be Shi Zhen's younger brother.

But with Shi Zhen's words, he felt much more relaxed: "Brother, has my mom told you about my dad?"

Shi Zhen's understanding of Sun Qingshu came from what Guan Baiyu or the Guan family had told him in his previous life. He mainly knew about Sun Qingshu when he was young, not the Sun Qingshu who was later in the construction team. So he didn't dare to say much: "Your mother didn't say anything in the letter. I only found out who your father was after I came here."

Guan Baiyu felt a little embarrassed after hearing this.

He actually suspected his brother before!

Fortunately, he didn't suspect too much...

Guan Baiyu sighed: "Brother, I might not be a child of the Sun family."

"What?" Shi Zhen exclaimed in surprise.

Guan Baiyu said, "I met Sun Pingfu in Changxi City. He's the one I always thought was my grandfather. He seemed to know nothing about me. I wondered if it was possible that I wasn't a child of the Sun family?"

"How could you think that?" Shi Zhen's heart skipped a beat.

He always believed that Guan Baiyu was a member of the Sun family.

That's what Guan Baiyu told him in his past life, and that's what everyone else in Guanjia Village told him too.

Isn't this... the truth?

"I'm not really sure either," Guan Baiyu said. "I just feel... if I really were a child of the Sun family, they wouldn't have shown no reaction at all when they saw me, would they? They ignore me completely, they must hate me a lot. If they hate me, then why are they smiling at me when they see me?"

Guan Baiyu didn't mention Sun Qiqi's matter. He didn't bring it up yesterday, so he felt a little embarrassed to say it today.

However, he learned from Sun Qiqi yesterday that Sun Qiqi's family knew she was coming to Guanjia Village in Anshan Town.

They didn't care at all!

Of course, what made him most suspicious was his grandmother's attitude towards him.

Guan Baiyu didn't show any signs of distress, but Shi Zhen felt a little uncomfortable seeing him like this, and even more so, felt that he had lived a somewhat muddled life in his previous life.

When Guan Baiyu passed away in his previous life, he could only be said to have a little money, but he had not yet become a truly wealthy person, and he had no contact with the Sun family at all.

But later, when he lived in Changxi City, he met the Sun family.

At the time, however, he never even considered investigating Guan Baiyu's background, and even kept his distance from the Sun family because of Guan Baiyu. He did think about finding Guan Baiyu's mother, but he couldn't find out who she was, and she never managed to find the Guan family, so he didn't send anyone to investigate, feeling that the person who abandoned Guan Baiyu wasn't worth looking for.

Of course, the main reason he acted that way was because... Guan Baiyu was gone.

The sight of the scenery brought back painful memories, and he was unwilling to reopen his old wounds.

But now, hearing Guan Baiyu say this, Shi Zhen thought of even more things.

For example, when Guan Baiyu passed away, Guan Guangguo contacted the Sun family to tell them that Guan Baiyu was gone... but they didn't react at all.

At the time, Guan Guangguo even said that the Sun family was cold-blooded.

Another thing is... Zhang Xiumei has never liked Guan Baiyu because she felt that Guan Baiyu's grandmother was biased towards Guan Baiyu.

There's a reason she thinks that way.

Previously, the head of their family was Guan Baiyu's grandmother. The old lady should have had quite a bit of savings, at least several thousand yuan, but when she died, she didn't leave any money behind.

The old lady became paralyzed in the late 1980s and couldn't afford to spend her own money.

If she had spent all that money on herself in the 1980s, on food and other necessities, Zhang Xiumei would definitely have seen it. Judging from Zhang Xiumei's reaction... Guan Baiyu's grandmother did not spend that money.

What about the money?

What happened to the money that Guan Guangguo's family saved up in their early years?

When Sun Qingshu was fostered by the Guan family, what happened to the money that Sun Pingfu gave him every year?

Grandma Guan always held onto her money tightly, which is why Guan Guangguo was so poor and why he protected his wife and had a bad relationship with his mother.

Where did the money go?

Shi Zhen immediately had a less than favorable guess.

If Guan Baiyu wasn't an abandoned baby adopted by Grandma Guan, is it possible that she bought him?

If that's really the case...

What kind of people are Guan Baiyu's parents? Was Guan Baiyu abducted?

Did he... originally have the opportunity to live in a happy family?

But what happened in the end?

He never had a good life growing up!

What happened when they grew up? They died young too.

Shi Zhen's eyes were a little sore.

Speaking of Guan Baiyu, he looks outstanding, and he's so smart... His parents must be very accomplished people too.

He had never even considered this possibility before.

If that's really the case, then all I can say is that Guan Baiyu's adoptive grandmother is too good at deceiving people; she fooled everyone.

Shi Zhen composed himself, suppressing his distress, and said, "Xiao Yu, I'll inquire about it for you tomorrow."

"Brother, I can find out myself." After Guan Baiyu told her what was on her mind, she was no longer troubled.

He had no expectations of the Sun family, and now that he knows he is not a member of the Sun family, he doesn't feel much.

As for his mother... he didn't know what was wrong with her, but she must have had some difficulties.

Now that she's gone, he has nothing to hold a grudge about.

Especially... she brought Shi Zhen!

“Then let’s go and inquire together,” Shi Zhen said.

Shi Zhen was not lying; he did indeed inquire about it the next day.

It was nearing the end of the year, and on this particular day, the wool sweater factory didn't deliver any sweaters; instead, they took all the sweaters he had.

After arriving in Changxi City by car, he settled his wages, deposited part of them in the bank, bought some things, and then visited Teacher Fei.

With the Chinese New Year approaching, Teacher Fei returned to Changxi City and gave the Shi family an address.

The address that Teacher Fei gave him was his son's house. When Shi Zhen went to visit, he was very happy. Shi Zhen took the opportunity to chat with him, and then said, "Teacher Fei, I recently heard something very coincidental. Isn't my house rented from your friend? Didn't your friend have a son who was fostered in the countryside? The family that fostered him turned out to be Xiaoyu's foster father's family."

"Is that so?" Teacher Fei was somewhat surprised, then said, "That's quite a coincidence."

Shi Zhen took the opportunity to ask.

Teacher Fei said, "Old Sun was foolish when he was young. His first wife died, and he remarried, but he was so coaxed by his second wife that he didn't bring the foster child back... What's wrong with the child crying? He doesn't usually visit the child, and the child isn't familiar with him. It's no wonder the child cried when he suddenly went to pick him up!"

Teacher Fei expressed considerable resentment towards Sun Pingfu for not bringing the child back.

However, he also mentioned that Sun Pingfu had picked him up a few times.

As they talked, Teacher Fei also mentioned what happened to Sun Qingshu later. He said that Sun Qingshu did a good job in the construction team, but there were not many safety precautions at that time, which led to the accident.

"He was quite old when he passed away, wasn't he? Was he married?" Shi Zhen asked.

Teacher Fei said, "No."

In those days, Sun Qingshu had an urban household registration and a job, even working in a relatively isolated engineering team. It was impossible for him to have a child with a woman and not get married.

The matter is already very clear.

Some things are truly unsettling if you don't think about them; once you think about them carefully, they become full of doubts.

As for the Sun family's affairs... it's nothing more than that Sun Pingfu, having acquired a young and beautiful wife, no longer cared about his son from his first marriage. Sun Qingshu didn't return home until he was a teenager, by which time he already had several younger siblings. He felt out of place and naturally didn't want to stay at home.

Shi Zhen spoke with Teacher Fei and then left.

On the other hand, Guan Baiyu didn't rush to find out about his background. Instead, he went to the large clothing factory to find the distributors.

However... the people from the large garment factory simply wouldn't let them meet with the distributors.

They were also afraid that someone would steal their business.

“I know a few distributors, would you like me to take you there?” Liang Qinxuan’s cousin suddenly said.

“Okay!” Liang Qinxuan readily agreed.

Guan Baiyu looked at the other person and said earnestly, "Thank you."

Guan Baiyu knew that the distributor Liang Qinxuan's cousin was taking them to was most likely not someone he knew, but rather someone arranged by Liang Qinxuan's father.

Liang Qinxuan's father must know what Liang Qinxuan has been doing these past two days.

With Liang's father's connections, helping them would be a piece of cake.

With help, everything becomes easier. But his brother had no help, so he had to earn money and save up little by little on his own.

At his high school, there are actually many students who look ordinary but come from very powerful families.

If he could get to know more people...

Take Liang Qinxuan for example, how many benefits did he gain after getting to know Liang Qinxuan?

Of course, he couldn't just take Liang Qinxuan's benefits for nothing. He would definitely give Liang Qinxuan a larger share of the profits from this business deal, and could even let Liang Qinxuan take the lion's share.

Guan Baiyu's thinking was correct. That distributor clearly had someone in touch with him, and his attitude towards them was quite good.

Coincidentally, this person has extensive connections and relationships in the provincial capital, so many things can be distributed.

Guan Baiyu didn't mince words and told them about his idea to make and sell pencil cases.

"Pencil cases? These sell well?"

“Now everyone uses tin pencil cases, but boys often roughhouse with each other, and tin pencil cases get dented and battered easily. Some people even play with them during class, making noise that disrupts note-taking. In comparison, pencil cases are definitely more convenient,” Guan Baiyu said, looking directly at the other person. “If the school teachers could say something and suggest that students use pencil cases…”

The dealer's eyes lit up.

Guan Baiyu added, "There are many popular cartoon characters nowadays, and there are many styles of pencil cases that can be made, plus the cost is low..."

"You've got some ideas," the distributor said. This kind of product doesn't cost much, and as long as you have the connections, you'll never have trouble selling it.

Guan Baiyu said in one go, "We plan to register a company that specializes in producing pencil cases and school bags!"

Before, with no one to help him, all he could think of were small-scale, piecemeal solutions.

But now that Liang Qinxuan's father has provided such a great platform, it would be a real shame if he didn't seize it.

He and Liang Qinxuan could try starting a company.

Of course, this company must belong to Liang Qinxuan, since without his father, the company would most likely not have been able to take off.

But given Liang Qinxuan's personality, he probably won't be shortchanged on his share of the profits.

Most importantly... Liang Qinxuan has always wanted to earn more money than his father... Isn't this a good opportunity?

Liang Qinxuan listened to Guan Baiyu speak the whole time.

He was a little confused at that moment.

Didn't Guan Baiyu say that he just wanted to make some pencil cases to sell?

He had assumed that they would find a small workshop to produce the pencil cases and then sell them at the school themselves.

He had already figured out how to promote pencil cases at school.

So now, Guan Baiyu wants to start a company?

This is...too fast!

How do I start a company?

After Guan Baiyu finished negotiating with the distributor, Liang Qinxuan immediately asked, "Xiaoyu, you want to start a company? Do you know how to start a company?"

“I don’t know,” Guan Baiyu said without hesitation. “I don’t understand anything.”

"Then why do you still need to start a company?"

"When your dad started the company, did he know how to run a company?" Guan Baiyu asked.

Upon hearing Guan Baiyu mention his father, Liang Qinxuan immediately wanted to start a company; he wanted to make a lot of money!

Guan Baiyu added, "As for how to start the company, you can ask my brother. He definitely knows the answer."

His brother had mentioned before that he wanted to start a company next year.

His brother definitely knows.

Liang Qinxuan exclaimed with immense admiration: "You and your brother are truly amazing!"