Next to the Jingpu City council member’s office, inside a private room of a Western restaurant.

Dressed in a white shirt and a black bow tie, the beta waiter moved silently. He quietly opened the door, placed the dish he was carrying on the table, and silently exited. Apart from the faint clink of the white porcelain plate touching the table, he made no other sound and didn’t glance at the two customers, even though they were the current talk of Jingpu.

The first requirement for working long-term in this establishment was understanding one’s position and ignoring everything unrelated to work. Having worked here for three years, the waiter knew this rule by heart.

Sui Yuesheng lazily swirled the wine in his glass, waiting until the waiter closed the door before speaking. “Want to try?”

He pointed to the white porcelain plate that had just been brought in. “Crab cakes, similar to the ones from the restaurant near our school.”

Jiang Jingyun, sitting opposite him, smiled. “Is this why you invited me today?”

Sui Yuesheng had scheduled this meal back on Tuesday when he visited Tao Corporation, he even chose a location near Jiang Jingyun’s office, so Jiang Jingyun had no reason to refuse, not that he had any intention to.

Though he hadn’t expected the first thing Sui Yuesheng would mention to be the dish, Jiang Jingyun still cut a small piece with his knife and fork and tasted it. After chewing for a moment, he nodded, appreciating Sui Yuesheng’s taste. “It’s good and indeed similar.”

Having rushed over right after work, Jiang Jingyun had hung his suit jacket on the side upon entering the private room. Now, wearing just a white shirt and tie, he looked refined, a level of elegance worthy of being secretly photographed by omegas.

But Sui Yuesheng wasn’t swayed by his appearance and chuckled. “Then I won’t deduct Assistant Zhou’s salary.”

Seeing Jiang Jingyun’s puzzled look, he explained, “The restaurant was his recommendation. I didn’t have time to check it out beforehand, so I thought I’d invite you directly here. Consider it a return meal for the one you treated me to the other day.”

“And also a thank you.” Sui Yuesheng nodded slightly.

Jiang Jingyun was well aware of how busy Sui Yuesheng had been recently. Despite the hectic schedule, he found time to invite him out, accommodating his timing and choosing a private location. Jiang appreciated the gesture but said, “There’s no need for such formalities between us.”

They had attended the same university abroad and were mentored by the same professor, making them genuine peers. Though Sui Yuesheng was a beta, he performed as well as, if not better than, an alpha, making him one of the top students. Their relationship had always been good.

Jiang Jingyun graduated two years earlier than Sui Yuesheng. Before completing his doctorate, they discussed their future plans. Jiang Jingyun mentioned that his family wanted him to vie for politics after returning to China, but he wasn’t optimistic about the outcome.

Sui Yuesheng, who had double-majored in business, had already started managing a small company arranged by Tao Zhixing in the Western Continent. Despite being very busy, he expressed his willingness to help. Jiang Jingyun thought he was just being polite and didn’t take it to heart, although he appreciated it.

To his surprise, after he announced his candidacy, Sui Yuesheng truly became his advisor despite the time difference, providing substantial financial support from his company and even writing Jiang Jingyun’s speeches.

“Return good for good.” Sui Yuesheng’s recent high-profile return and takeover of Tao Corporation, coupled with their past friendship, made Jiang Jingyun feel obliged to offer assistance.

“Fair enough.” Sui Yuesheng shrugged, raising his glass to clink with Jiang Jingyun’s. “After all, things are still a mess on my end.”

Meaning he’d need Jiang Jingyun’s help in the future.

The Tao family’s businesses, both overt and covert, were tough challenges. Even though Sui Yuesheng had dealt with the obvious troublemakers, the undercurrents remained strong.

“Feel free to ask for help whenever you need it.” Jiang Jingyun knew the value of his status but also understood the severity of the challenges Sui Yuesheng faced, which couldn’t be solved overnight. After some thought, he offered a gentle reminder, “Take it step by step. There will be results eventually.”

Sui Yuesheng calmly nodded, but Jiang Jingyun could tell from his expression that he wasn’t really listening. Jiang Jingyun lightly knocked on the table with his knuckles, signaling Sui Yuesheng to focus on the food. “Let’s eat first.”

Sui Yuesheng smiled and complied.

They ate and chatted over the wine. Just as they were discussing the next phase of work and collaboration, a sudden phone call interrupted them.

“Sorry.” Sui Yuesheng gestured but didn’t leave the room, answering the call in front of Jiang Jingyun, a sign of trust.

“Yes, this is Sui Yuesheng.”

He only said this one sentence and then fell silent.

Jiang Jingyun couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation but saw Sui Yuesheng’s increasingly strange expression, like a colorful palette had been spilled on his face.

In less than two minutes, Sui Yuesheng hung up and drained his remaining wine, speaking with a mixture of reluctance and apology. “Ge, I’m really sorry. I planned to treat you today, but I have an urgent matter and need to go to the police station. I’ll treat you next time.”

On one side, Sui Yuesheng frowned while messaging his driver to pick him up and pay the bill, while on the other, Jiang Jingyun quickly pieced together the situation.

He knew about the Tao family’s covert businesses. For Sui Yuesheng to rush to the police station in the middle of a meal, it had to be a significant issue, either a major problem with the covert businesses or something serious at Tao Corporation.

“How about I go with you?” Jiang Jingyun offered.

Given that Sui Yuesheng had just returned and hadn’t established his network yet, Jiang Jingyun’s presence as a congressman could help smooth things over.

Sui Yuesheng smiled bitterly. “No need to make such a big fuss. It’s really not a big deal…”

Jiang Jingyun raised an eyebrow, implying otherwise.

— Not a big deal, yet you’re rushing over there so urgently?

He didn’t agree with Sui Yuesheng’s insistence on being stubborn in this situation, but just as he was about to speak, Sui Yuesheng spoke first.

“Ge, if something comes up, I will tell you, but this time it’s really not a big deal.” He was silent for a moment, looking somewhat embarrassed. “A kid from my family got into a street fight, and a passerby called the police. The guardian has to go in person to bring him out.”

Jiang Jingyun: “…”

Congressman Jiang fell silent.

To cover the awkwardness, he quickly picked up the decanter and poured himself some wine, taking a large sip to hide his discomfort. “Then… see you next time.”

“Okay.”

Sui Yuesheng didn’t waste a minute longer, nodded, and turned to leave, walking quickly.

“Hey!” Jiang Jingyun looked up and suddenly realized something was wrong, but he didn’t call him back.

Both were dressed formally that day and had hung their coats on the rack when they entered. Sui Yuesheng left in such a hurry that he took the wrong coat. Jiang Jingyun thought about calling him back but then decided it wasn’t necessary.

They were about the same height, and their suit jackets looked similar at a glance. Anyway, Jiang Jingyun had spare clothes in his office. Since Sui Yuesheng mentioned he was moving back to the Tao family, he could have the driver return the coat to the Tao family later.

The priority now was to go to the police station to pick up the kid.

However… Although he hadn’t interacted much with the young master of the Tao family, they had met once at the funeral. The kid had seemed quite mature and intelligent. How did he end up getting into a fight and being taken to the police station?

It was really… difficult to describe. Jiang Jingyun recalled his own adolescence and that of his friends and confirmed that this was not a common occurrence.

Even as an onlooker, he felt troubled. He couldn’t imagine Sui Yuesheng’s feelings at this moment and silently lit a candle for his junior in his heart.

Handling business while taking care of a kid and cleaning up after him—such a miserable beta, there was no one else like Sui Yuesheng in all of Nine Provinces, or even the whole world.

…

“Your guardian is here.”

An alpha policeman opened the meeting room door. Tao Fengche nodded to acknowledge him and then stood up with a composed expression.

It wasn’t that he was deliberately giving people a hard time, but today’s incident was truly embarrassing.

The police chief had always had a good relationship with the Tao family. He was the one who sent the accident scene photos of Tao Zhixing. If they met, Tao Fengche would have to call him uncle. So, as soon as Tao Fengche was brought to the police station, the chief received the information.

Understanding the strong self-esteem of a young alpha, the chief didn’t come to see him personally but also didn’t let Tao Fengche receive the same treatment as the delinquents. While the others were still undergoing ideological education and writing a thousand-word review, Tao Fengche was comfortably staying in an empty meeting room, led there by the chief’s secretary.

Due to regulations, the secretary couldn’t let Tao Fengche go, but within his ability, he catered to almost every request—when he learned that Tao Fengche hadn’t had lunch, he even went to the canteen to get him a boxed meal. The taste was average, but it was filling. After eating, Tao Fengche quietly waited in the meeting room, waiting to be picked up.

The Tao family’s ancestral home was some distance from the police station, so if Xu Song was coming, it should take a while. How did he arrive so quickly?

Tao Fengche was puzzled but didn’t show it on his face, quietly following the officer leading the way.

Reality, however, was beyond his expectations. As he walked through the corridor connecting the office area and the lobby, he saw a tall figure at the end of the hallway.

Despite wearing formal attire, he wasn’t wearing a coat or tie. His light gray hair was softly draped over his shoulders, and his clear eyes looked this way. It was unclear how long he had been standing there.

“Thank you,” the man said to the officer, then led Tao Fengche out.

Why are you here? Where is Uncle Xu?

Do you… know I was arrested for fighting?

Countless thoughts surged in Tao Fengche’s mind, rendering him momentarily speechless.

He was a young alpha, and he knew the police would contact his legal guardian. He remembered that last time at school, when Feng Hui contacted the guardian, Sui Yuesheng was busy with work and didn’t show up. He naturally assumed it would be the same this time… but unexpectedly, Sui Yuesheng came.

Tao Fengche felt both happy and embarrassed. Walking half a step behind Sui Yuesheng, he felt that Sui Yuesheng seemed different that day, but before he could figure out why, Sui Yuesheng spoke again.

“Xiao Che, long time no see.”

He heard Sui Yuesheng say this.