The weather got hotter day by day, with the sound of cicadas buzzing.

After the wedding at the Zhao family, not long after, Su Qingyou couldn’t hide her bulging belly anymore.

She finally let it slip that there was a history of premature births in her family.

This made everyone in the Zhao family extremely nervous.

The family had already prepared many baby clothes and supplies, and everyone was on high alert.

As expected, Su Qingyou went into labor earlier than expected.

On that day, the atmosphere at the Zhao residence was particularly solemn.

Only the nanny and servants were at home, while everyone else accompanied Su Qingyou to the hospital.

In the delivery room, the baby finally cried for the first time, and after the doctor confirmed that both the baby and mother were fine, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, they successfully gave birth, and both mother and son were safe.

It was Zhao’s generation to name the child, and the young master’s name, Zhao Xiuyi, was personally chosen by Zhao Quan.

The baby was handsome, but not very healthy.

He was born prematurely, so after birth, Zhao Xiuyi remained in the hospital, kept in an incubator, and didn’t go home with them.

Su Qingyou recovered quickly.

She didn’t breastfeed the baby; instead, she entrusted him to nurses, the nanny, and a bunch of elders from the Zhao family who were willing to take care of him.

She had become a hero now, enjoying the highest status in the Zhao family.

Zhao Yayuan was also at the hospital and took a look at the baby’s wrinkled face, feeling complex emotions.

He didn’t have any good feelings towards Su Qingyou, but this child was still his nephew, carrying the blood of the Zhao family.

He originally thought he would dislike children, but now it didn’t seem as repulsive as he imagined.

Zhao Yayuan had just returned from Haicheng.

He had been busy traveling recently, spending very little time in Ancheng.

During Su Qingyou’s pregnancy, Zhao Tingyuan had been staying at home with her, doing nothing.

Unlike Zhao Yayuan, who didn’t continue his education after graduating from university, Zhao Tingyuan had been working in the family business, starting from the grassroots level, and had been down-to-earth.

He didn’t shy away from hard work and fatigue.

Zhao Yayuan had the temperament of a young master, evident to anyone who saw him outside.

However, he didn’t behave like a typical young master.

He was straightforward, efficient, and rarely treated people differently because of their status differences.

As a result, many people liked this young master.

Zhao Tingyuan, on the other hand, was the complete opposite type.

He didn’t exhibit the temperament of a young master but rarely managed to blend in and socialize with ordinary people.

During this time, he was discussing a project, the development of a tourist project in Nanzhao.

A few years ago, Zhao Yayuan had helped renovate the Nanzhao Station.

In recent years, that project had been completed, and transportation in Nanzhao had become more developed.

He had spent many years in Nanzhao, was familiar with the area, and the local residents trusted him.

Thus, he understood the situation and had previous experience in cooperation.

So, this cooperative project went smoothly, and the contract was signed early on.

Many people were very optimistic about the prospects because Nanzhao had beautiful mountains and unique folk customs.

Zhao Yayuan cherished this place and aimed for high-quality tourism, rather than massive development that could ruin its charm.

“Yayuan has made great progress recently,” even Zhao Quan praised him.

Now even his grandson was on board.

Zhao Quan felt that if he arranged a satisfactory marriage for Zhao Yayuan next, he would have no regrets in this life.

“That project, Yayuan indeed did a great job,” Su Qingyou said. “I also have high hopes.”

Zhao Tingyuan wasn’t very pleased with such words and fell silent immediately.

Su Qingyou noticed his expression. “Don’t worry, Grandfather still likes Xiuyi after all. Besides, Xiuyi is the first grandson of our generation. The family will value him.”

Zhao Tingyuan frowned. “In the future, suppose Yayuan takes charge. Will he really let us off? If he finds out about what happened with Lu Nian, he will hate us to death, not to mention our exposure of his friend’s identity by finding Lu Zhihong.”

“Moreover, Qin Si is now in charge of the Lu family, which is not proper,” Zhao Tingyuan said. “Back then, the Lu family was founded by Lu Zhihong. Now that it has grown and prospered, we can’t just hand it over to outsiders.”

“That’s what I mean,” Su Qingyou said gently.

She had just returned from a walk outside.

Su Qingyou had gained some weight after childbirth, but she had been strictly controlling her intake during this time. “It’s almost done. Uncle Lu is willing to help us, but he has a request. He hopes we can provide him with a paternity test report for Qiao Li, so he can confirm that he is Lu Zhuo.”

“Where do we get his hair?”

“Ask him to come over to the house,” Su Qingyou said. “Don’t worry, if Yayuan ever needs him, he’ll definitely come to visit.”

Zhao Tingyuan looked at his wife, and Su Qingyou smiled, gently pulling his hand.

Not long after getting married, Huang Maomao’s wife also got pregnant.

Huang Maomao had been bustling around lately, feeling extra happy whenever there was good news.

He said he wanted to open another restaurant to supplement the family income.

In his words, the business was unstable, and he needed to work harder to provide a better environment for his wife and child in the future.

Ming Ge, inspired by his enthusiasm, decided to open a new chain of bars.

His bar was gaining some reputation in Ancheng now, with good income.

Each bar employed diligent and professional managers.

Ming Ge, as the boss, felt somewhat lonely amidst their hard work.

He was in his thirties, orphaned, unmarried, and without children.

Despite his wealth, many women were willing to be with him, but Ming Ge had never married.

From a small cybercafe and a possibly soon-to-be-closed roadside bar, to this stage, Ming Ge felt emotional as he looked at the lively decoration of his new bar.

Lu Nian gave him a painting she had made, titled “Bar Girl,” with a somewhat postmodern style.

Ming Ge thought it was quite good-looking and praised it, saying it looked mysterious and cultured, deciding to hang it directly at the entrance of the new bar.

Since Lu Nian didn’t have many classes as a graduate student, she had time to help Ming Ge with the design.

With her excellent taste in aesthetics and knowledge of various painting styles, the new bar, though still under construction, had a significantly different temperament.

In Huang Maomao’s words, it transformed from being rough and poor to being trendy and cool.

Ming Ge was particularly satisfied and offered to pay her for the designs, but Lu Nian declined, saying, “Ming Ge, being able to mess around and paint freely in your place is already a big deal for me. I don’t need the money.”

Ming Ge disagreed. “Your paintings are so beautiful. How can they be considered a mess?”

Qin Si had just arrived from the company. Upon entering, he saw the two of them discussing wall designs.

He stood in the shadows for a while, unnoticed by anyone.

He walked in, and Ming Ge enthusiastically gestured and chatted with Lu Nian, who nodded frequently, clearly getting along well.

No one paid attention to him.

Qin Si cleared his throat, “…”

“Qin Ge is here.” It was Xiao Qu, carrying a box of wine, emerging from the adjacent room.

He saw Qin Si standing in the lobby.

Only then did Lu Nian notice.

She had been focused on discussing design plans with Ming Ge.

“You’re here early today,” she said.

Ming Ge added, “Yeah, why are you here now? Shouldn’t you be at your company?”

Qin Si glanced around, “Has the house renovation been completed? Are you already working on designs here?”

“It’s not quite finished yet, but it’s okay. It’s good to do the designs early. Hey, when the time comes, just take the money. You don’t understand these things. Let Nian Nian handle it,” Ming Ge waved his hand, then continued chatting happily with Lu Nian.

Lu Nian also wanted to finish discussing the design plans with him, so she said to Qin Si, “Wait a moment. Let me finish discussing this plan first, and then I’ll come to accompany you.”

He nodded.

The room was a bit messy now. Xiao Qu hurried over to sit with him, finding a clean corner.

“Qin Ge, Huang Maomao’s wife is pregnant,” Xiao Qu told him. “He just accompanied his wife to the hospital for a checkup and said everything is fine. The due date is next spring.”

“Ming Ge said a few years from now, we’ll all go to his house together.” Xiao Qu added, “Qin Ge, will you have time to go then?”

“I’m free next Friday.”

Xiao Qu was happy.

Qin Si had been getting busier, and they hadn’t gathered like this in a long time.

Meanwhile, Ming Ge and Lu Nian finally finished their discussion and came over.

They overheard Xiao Qu talking about Huang Maomao’s wife being pregnant.

Ming Ge looked at the couple sitting opposite him. “So, when are you two planning to have one too?”

Lu Nian nearly sprayed out her juice upon just sitting down.

They were still miles away from getting married, let alone planning for pregnancy!

She didn’t want to get pregnant at all.

The thought of it made her feel uncomfortable and in pain.

It would make her body worse, and she felt she couldn’t bear the risks of pregnancy.

“It’s hard to say. Who knows, maybe you’ll forget to take precautions one time and end up pregnant,” Ming Ge chuckled. “Then, our place will be lively, with a bunch of little kids running around.”

He was getting to the age where he liked children.

Qin Si remained unusually silent, especially when Ming Ge brought up the topic, particularly while Lu Nian was earnestly discussing with him.

Lu Nian left midway through their conversation, and he raised his eyes to Ming Ge. “Not happening. Let’s drop it.”

Ming Ge persisted, “Why not? Even if it’s accidental, it wouldn’t be bad. You could just get married right away…”

“No accidents.”

“How could there be no accidents? You’re young and living together,” Ming Ge asked, suddenly remembering something. “Could it be you’re incapable?”

Qin Si raised an eyebrow, looking displeased.

Ming Ge blurted out, “Damn, are you still a virgin?”

Qin Si put down his glass, coldly looking at Ming Ge. “Do you still want the money? If not, make it clear now.”

Ming Ge quickly raised his hands. “Okay, okay, I won’t say anything.”

Really, it was too embarrassing.

Why was this happening?

Ming Ge wondered.

Was Lu Nian unwilling? Judging by her attitude during their conversation, she seemed like a straightforward girl.

They lived together day in and day out, but was it possible they didn’t share a bed at night? If they did, it would be really unfortunate.

He felt some sympathy for the poor guy.

But then he remembered how ignorant Qin Si used to be, and Ming Ge felt reassured.

Lu Nian and Qin Si hadn’t visited in a while, so Ming Ge didn’t keep them at the construction site for too long.

They all returned to Ming Ge’s original small bar. It was evening, and there were many customers.

Ming Ge declared grandly, “Fifty percent off everything tonight, my brother’s wife is pregnant, let’s celebrate.”

“The boss is so generous,” several regulars laughed.

“How could I not be? It’s my brother’s big news,” Ming Ge said. “I only have these few brothers. In the future…”

He glanced at Qin Si and Lu Nian not far away. “If anything like this happens again, I’ll give you all free drinks.”

Several people at the table outside were drinking and playing cards, teasing, “Boss, do you have more brothers? Do they need wives? I can provide.”

Ming Ge replied, “No, they don’t need more wives. Don’t ruin their relationships.”

Lu Nian, a young lady who had been pampered for many years, rarely had the opportunity to visit bars except for a few times because of Qin Si.

Now, with him accompanying her, she felt more relaxed and curious, looking around everywhere.

Curious like a baby, she would often ask about this and that.

“Should we play poker tonight?” Lu Nian asked excitedly. “Shall we gamble? I just learned the rules.”

With her, Qin Si, Ming Ge, and Xiao Qu, they had enough players.

“Do you know how to play?” Lu Nian asked Qin Si.

He replied, “A little.”

Xiao Qu thought, “…”

Knowing that he knew how to play, Lu Nian didn’t ask for his opinion.

She knew he always indulged her in such matters, so she eagerly asked Ming Ge and Xiao Qu, “Are you coming?”

Xiao Qu backed away hurriedly. “Um, I’ll pass.”

Lu Nian felt a bit disappointed. “Why? Is it because I just learned and my skills are too poor?”

“No, it’s because I can’t play against this guy.” Ming Ge nodded toward Qin Si. “If you play cards with him, you’ll lose your pants. He remembers all the cards and even farts during the game.”

Lu Nian was speechless.

When Ming Ge first met Qin Si, many people played cards at the bar.

Qin Si had an excellent memory and was precocious, often underestimated due to his young age.

Many relaxed their guard because of his young age, but in fact, he was more difficult to deal with than most adults.

“He’s also very tricky with dice throwing,” Ming Ge reminisced. “Anyway, he’s good at everything.”

He was a master of these street tricks.

Growing up in the rough environment of society, he had seen all sorts of colors since childhood.

Lu Nian listened with relish, her eyes bright with curiosity. “Ming Ge, tell me more.”

She didn’t want to play cards anymore; she just wanted to hear these old stories.

She was very curious about Qin Si’s life outside the Lu family, how he had spent it.

Qin Si’s face showed no expression, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

He pursed his lips. “…There’s nothing interesting to hear.”

“It’s interesting; I want to understand more,” Lu Nian begged him. “Ming Ge said you’re good at throwing dice. Can you show me once? Just once.”

She pleaded pitifully, her coquetry coming naturally to her.

He fell silent.

The dice were held in the slender fingers of the man, turning them around.

His fingers were long and slender, the skin contrasted sharply, appearing cold and delicate, particularly attractive.

Holding the two dice seemingly casually in his hand, he asked, “What number do you want?”

“Four,” Lu Nian said excitedly, “two plus two.”

The dice were thrown, rolling. When they landed, both showed a two.

Lu Nian’s eyes widened, wishing she could applaud him. “So amazing, how did you do that?”

“It doesn’t work every time,” he said. “Just a small trick, nothing to talk about.”