This group of lawyers was definitely not something Jiang Jingyun could afford to hire.

If it were about something else, Tao Fengche might suspect that Sui Yuesheng was using the Tao family’s resources to pave the way for Jiang Jingyun. But the shipping company being sued was the one where the driver named Luo, who caused Tao Zhixing’s car accident and death, worked. The woman beta who wrote to Jiang Jingyun for help was actually Master Luo’s widow.

From what Tao Fengche knows about this mother and son, they would never do such a thing—others might not understand, but the woman beta was previously kidnapped by the Red Gang. Moreover, her husband, after pulling out a large sum of money for surgery, had an accident. She must know that money was tainted.

After the surgery, she and her son went into hiding, which was the normal reaction. But instead of staying hidden, she chose to come forward and seek justice from the legislator, without mentioning the Red Gang at all, directly targeting the shipping company.

This was definitely the result of manipulation.

The real cause of Tao Zhixing’s death was not widely known. Two weeks ago, after Tao Fengche instructed Xu Song to let the mother and son go, he also told him to create some trouble for the Red Gang. He didn’t manage the specific operations afterward, waiting for Xu Song to report back after everything was finished.

A leader doesn’t need to attend to every detail personally. Once tasks are delegated to trusted subordinates, one just needs to oversee their completion—this was the first lesson Tao Zhixing taught Tao Fengche.

Not long ago, Zhao Jiayang had conveyed that several branches of the Red Gang had recently encountered serious issues, resulting in significant losses. Tao Fengche noticed the Red Gang had been quiet recently and assumed it was Xu Song’s work. He thought the matter was settled. But he never expected Sui Yuesheng to take action against the shipping company.

Overloading the truck wasn’t the primary cause of Tao Zhixing’s death. Even if the steel bars on the truck were within the legal limit, a hundred tons of steel would still mean no chance of survival for Tao Zhixing. After his death, Tao Fengche had so much to handle—preparing the funeral, rooting out traitors, and attending school—that he temporarily set this issue aside.

But unexpectedly, Sui Yuesheng not only intervened but also personally flew to Taiqing to observe the trial, even using Jiang Jingyun’s connections to resolve the issue. If Jiang Jingyun hadn’t stepped in, things would not have been so straightforward.

This was not something that could be accomplished overnight; Sui Yuesheng must have been planning for a long time. But when he came to check Tao Fengche’s homework last Monday, he had even lost his temper at him when mentioning Tao Zhixing.

In the following days, Sui Yuesheng left work early and had an all-night meeting with Tao Zhixing’s legal team in the study. Looking back now, it was likely to research the specifics of this case.

Even if we assume Sui Yueheng did this just to help Jiang Jingyun to connect with Lawyer Li, he could have chosen a more convenient and quick method, without needing to go through so much trouble.

Although this matter also became one of Jiang Jingyun’s achievements, winning him many supporters and votes… could that really invalidate Sui Yuesheng’s contribution?

He did indeed help a lot.

But I actually thought so poorly of him and said such harsh words to him before.

Even if my brother’s pheromones disappeared, even if he really sold his body for some reason… that was his choice to make, and I had no right to interfere, to comment, and it should be respected.

But I actually compared him to the prostitutes in the red-light district.

What kind of jerk am I? Tao Fengche wondered in confusion.

---

The next evening, when Tao Fengche came home from school, he suddenly noticed that one of the slippers at the door was missing.

The day before the mid-term exams was dedicated to review, and with the final exams coming up in mid-July, it seemed especially important. Each subject teacher systematically summarized the recent teaching content and even subtly mentioned the key points for the exam. Even Wang Yuan began furiously taking notes. Yet Tao Fengche was distracted.

To him, the square, printed words in the textbook had all turned into meaningless little tadpoles swimming around, and the teachers’ clear enunciations of the universal language had become incomprehensible. Everything went in one ear and out the other.

Yan Yi originally wanted to take the opportunity to ask Tao Fengche a few math questions—partly as a last-minute effort and partly as an excuse to talk to him. But when she looked up, she found Tao Fengche radiating a dispirited aura, looking much like a homeless person under the overpass. She instantly felt too intimidated to speak.

Could something have happened at home? She wondered.

Although she didn’t attend the Zhu family’s birthday party last Saturday, she had heard about it—apparently, Tao Fengche had called his new guardian, and they seemed to have a good relationship.

Many people were skeptical about this, and after learning about it, Yan Yi firmly stood against it: Absolutely false! Previously, when Tao Fengche fought with Cai Hong at school, and Feng Hui asked for a parent’s signature, the person never showed up, and later did not sign Tao Fengche’s homework, resulting in Tao Fengche being punished in class…

This didn’t look like a good relationship at all! It was clearly neglectful of Tao Fengche!

So, when parents and relatives came to ask her for information, Yan Yi always responded with a vague expression that was hard to describe.

At this time, Tao Fengche’s reaction made her more determined about her own thoughts. She watched him with concern for a long time, ultimately deciding to step up and help Tao Fengche fend off several small B and small O who tried to get close by probing for information.

“Is it this question? I know it. I’ll teach you,” Yan Yi said with unexpected enthusiasm, completely ignoring the murderous look she received.

Tao Fengche just sat there and let Yan Yi do this. Did these two have something going on? Several omegas exchanged glances.

But the reality was quite different from their guesses. As the person being “protected” by Yan Yi, Tao Fengche was oblivious to it all. He was engulfed in an indescribable sense of gloom and self-blame, his mind restless and full of thoughts about Sui Yuecheng.

He spent the entire day in a daze. When he returned home and was changing into slippers at the door, his eyes unconsciously scanned the porch, and then he froze for a moment, his eyes quickly brightening.

The Tao family’s slippers were always clearly divided. The missing pair at this time was one that Tao Fengche could recall even with his eyes closed—it was white, with no other patterns or decorations, the same style as the black ones on his own feet but slightly smaller. It was a pair specially bought by Xu Song for Sui Yuecheng. Not long ago, it had been worn by that person, walking around the house.

When Sui Yuecheng once came to check homework, Tao Fengche accidentally knocked a pen off the desk. While picking it up, he glanced at Sui Yuecheng’s feet and momentarily lost his focus, unable to distinguish which was whiter.

Since Sui Yuecheng went to Taiqing, this pair of slippers had been left at the door without moving, but now it had suddenly disappeared.

Did he come back? Tao Fengche’s first reaction was this, feeling both joy and disbelief. Combining it with the news from last night, if Sui Yuecheng really had returned to Jingpu, then the purpose of his “business trip” became obvious—he had specifically gone to Taiqing to sit in on a case hearing.

Maybe… Xu Song bought a new pair of slippers. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment if it fell through. Tao Fengche understood this well and tried to find a reason to convince himself, but in the end, he pondered for a long time before lifting his head to look at Xu Song, his gaze filled with hope.

“Is it my brother…”

Xu Song smiled.

Although he didn’t understand why Tao Fengche’s emotions fluctuated so much recently or why he suddenly changed his attitude toward Sui Yuecheng, the old butler was pleased with this change. He nodded: “Yes, Young Master Sui just came back not long ago and has gone to take a shower.”

Tao Fengche blinked, and all his gloom was instantly cleared away.

He wasn’t surprised that Sui Yuecheng would be showering at this time. Sui Yuecheng’s cleanliness was extremely severe. Except for the day he first came to the Tao family, Tao Fengche had never seen him less than immaculate at any time or place over the years. He was always clean to the extreme.

Since Sui Yuecheng had returned, Tao Fengche felt at ease. He didn’t rush to find him in the bathroom. After quickly finishing his meal, he obediently went back to his room to do his homework. At a little past nine, Sui Yuecheng opened the door to the room on time.

Hearing the noise, Tao Fengche turned his head.

Perhaps because he was at home, Sui Yuecheng, out of his usual suit attire, wore a pair of light-colored casual pants under a white shirt instead. He looked freshly showered, with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, and his light gray, dry, and slightly fluffy hair hung obediently on his shoulders. He appeared very relaxed.

And very gentle.

The moment the word “gentle” came to mind, Tao Fengche felt something strange—no matter when, the image of Sui Yuecheng in his mind never seemed to fit this word. Ten years ago, they had watched the classic film “Jurassic Park” together, and that night, Tao Fengche had solemnly written in his notebook: “Ge is a T-Rex.”

After the high school entrance exams, while packing at home, Tao Fengche accidentally flipped through this notebook and found himself amused and frustrated. That night he dreamt of a T-Rex with a youthful Sui Yuesheng’s face, chasing him down a hill and kicking him into a valley.

“Is your homework done?” Sui Yuecheng interrupted his thoughts.

Tao Fengche took a moment to react and hurriedly pushed the completed part of his homework towards him: “Not yet, but almost.”

Sui Yuecheng flipped through his homework, signed a few books emphasized in the school communication system, and Tao Fengche found himself staring at his profile absentmindedly. Suddenly, he started making small talk: “You…”

“Hmm?” Sui Yuecheng tilted his head slightly, continuing his actions, signaling Tao Fengche to speak up.

“Are you still working?”