“Oh?” Tao Fengche raised an eyebrow, showing an interested expression on his face. “Isn’t he the head of this production base? How come no one knows what he studied?”

The Beta, relieved that Tao Fengche was no longer concerned about whether he was being looked down upon, quickly explained everything he knew without holding back: “President Liu was placed into this position ten years ago.”

“Our base has a tradition of senior employees mentoring newcomers. When I transferred here two years ago, the senior employee who was responsible for familiarizing me with the work was about to retire. He often chatted with me when there wasn’t much to do and told me a lot of things.”

“The senior employee started working here right after graduation. According to him, before President Liu came, there were always people stealing things from the factory to sell. It wasn’t just steel and medicine, even the equipment in the laboratory was stolen. But when President Liu arrived, he tackled the security issues head-on as a new leader, and has been paying special attention to this area ever since. Nothing has been stolen from the factory since then.”

Tao Fengche was stunned. “But Director Chen Jun told me before that the factory has always been very safe.”

“Huh?!”

The Beta realized he had misspoken but felt he had no choice but to continue. After glancing around to make sure no one else was nearby, he lowered his voice and said, “Director Chen came even later than President Liu. Besides, it’s not exactly something people would want to talk about openly…”

His expression looked extremely awkward. Tao Fengche had already obtained the information he wanted and knew that the Beta, given his rank, couldn’t provide anything more. So, he nodded and changed the subject.

The young Beta, who had been working diligently in the lab, was no match for someone as experienced as Tao Fengche. He was quickly led astray by Tao Fengche and even thought he had successfully diffused the tension, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Tao Fengche’s hand gripped his phone slightly tighter as suspicions arose in his mind.

…Why was it ten years ago again?

This particular point in time had come up far too often, making him involuntarily think of Sui Yuesheng.

His brother had also joined the Tao family ten years ago.

As soon as this thought emerged, Tao Fengche quickly dismissed it.

What did this have to do with Sui Yuesheng?

Surely, he was just overthinking things.

···

Just after seven in the evening, a full day’s work had finally come to a temporary halt. Liu Tianlei hadn’t reappeared, and Chen Jun suddenly suggested that they drive a few kilometers away to a restaurant for dinner, with him hosting and arranging some other activities afterward.

“……”

As soon as Chen Jun finished speaking, Tao Fengche’s expression became complicated. The “researchers” standing nearby also looked at each other with subtle expressions, but no one said anything. Instead, they all turned their gaze toward Director Wang, clearly looking to him to make the decision.

Director Wang, who had been inexplicably burdened with a heavy responsibility, felt extremely frustrated. In the end, he voiced his opinion, saying that the restaurant was too far away and that it would be better to just cook a few dishes in the canteen and have a simple meal together.

After a few polite exchanges, Chen Jun, seeing Director Wang’s insistence, agreed to his suggestion.

After dinner, the group returned to the hotel in the same Maybach they had used earlier. For safety reasons, Xu Song had booked two suites—Tao Fengche and his bodyguards stayed in one, while Director Wang stayed alone in the room opposite them.

Having spent the entire afternoon discussing scientific research with a few senior engineers, Director Wang was in high spirits. As he swiped his key card to enter his room, he was still visibly excited, reminding Tao Fengche to get some rest early, as they would have to start work early the next morning.

“Alright, I got it. Director, you should rest early too.”

Tao Fengche nodded in agreement, showing a very good attitude. But the moment he closed the door, he completely disregarded Director Wang’s advice.

He glanced at the wall clock, then suddenly turned and asked, “Besides the three of you, Uncle Xu actually arranged for others to follow us, right?”

The bodyguards: “……”

Wait, didn’t Butler Xu say that the young master would never find out?!

What should they tell the young master now?!

Not knowing what to say, the bodyguards remained silent.

The Tao family’s bodyguards were all tall and strong alphas. Among the three who had followed Tao Fengche, the tallest was nearly 1.9 meters, about half a head taller than the 1.8-meter Tao Fengche. But now, all three stood with their heads bowed, looking like three quails in front of him.

“Relax, I’m not here to settle scores with you.” Tao Fengche was almost amused by their expressions. Annoyed but not truly angry, he said, “If I were going to settle accounts, I wouldn’t have waited until now. If there are others following us, there should also be a car, right? Something more discreet, so it won’t be recognized.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Call them and have the car brought over. Also, pick a few of the more skilled ones to come with me. We’re going to the back gate of that base again.” Tao Fengche reached up and rubbed his temples.

The Tao family’s bodyguards were always prompt in following orders. One immediately took the command and left. Tao Fengche thought for a moment and then asked, “Did you find anything when I asked you to investigate Liu Tianlei’s background?”

“It will take some more time, but we should have something within two hours at the latest.”

“Alright.” Tao Fengche nodded.

The youngest of the three bodyguards hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up: “Young master, why do we suddenly need to change cars? The others don’t have such good bulletproof systems. If something happens…”

He didn’t continue speaking.

“I understand.” Tao Fengche wasn’t the kind of person who completely disregarded the risks. If there had been another choice, he wouldn’t have taken this desperate measure. “But that Maybach is just too conspicuous.”

“They all think I’m a pampered, spoiled rich kid who’s been rendered useless by the old man. They won’t be on guard against me. Besides, we’re just going to take a quick look today.” Tao Fengche asserted confidently.

The bodyguards exchanged worried glances but didn’t try to dissuade him further. They silently vowed in their hearts that if anything went wrong, they would protect Tao Fengche with their lives.

But things unfolded just as Tao Fengche had predicted.

It was almost as if the goddess of luck, Tyche, was watching over them. The car drove smoothly to the rear gate of the base, a situation so remarkably easy that it seemed unbelievable. Tao Fengche was secretly surprised but quickly convinced himself that it made sense.

—No one could have guessed that he would bring people to investigate tonight, so naturally, there was no increased security patrol. Moreover, the security guards Liu Tianlei had hired were no match for the bodyguards meticulously trained by the Tao family over generations.

The car slowly parked in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras. Tao Fengche signaled to the bodyguard skilled in stealth, who swiftly and quietly exited the car, disappearing from sight like a cat.

A gentle evening breeze blew past the car window, but even the wind wasn’t disturbed by his presence.

In less than ten minutes, Tao Fengche’s earpiece crackled with the bodyguard’s voice: “Young Master Tao, something’s off here. The main gate of the traditional medicine factory is tightly shut, but there’s a faint light seeping through the cracks.”

“I also heard some very faint noises. There’s definitely someone inside.”

So it wasn’t that simple!

He knew there was something wrong with this “traditional medicine factory!”

Tao Fengche immediately straightened up, sensing that an invisible thread was linking all the recent events together.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and ordered the bodyguard to find a hidden place to hide and await further instructions. Then he turned his head and confirmed with the bodyguard sitting beside him, “If I remember correctly, haven’t some counterfeit drugs recently appeared on the overseas market?”

The drugs produced by the Tao family were much more expensive when sold overseas compared to their domestic prices, especially the highly effective and low-side-effect special and targeted drugs, which were often in short supply in certain countries.

But recently, a batch of counterfeit drugs had suddenly appeared in one country. Naturally, their effectiveness couldn’t compare to the authentic products from the Tao family, and their side effects were greater, but they were cheap enough to quickly capture the low-end market in that country.

If you only calculated the production cost of the drugs, the numbers wouldn’t be outrageously high. But when you added in the money spent on research and development, it became a significant amount.

“Yes.” The bodyguard immediately nodded. “It’s been happening for the past one or two months. The other party didn’t develop them independently. We still don’t know if it was theft or a leak. Mr. Sui is already investigating.”

“I see…” Tao Fengche pursed his lips. “I have a feeling those might not be counterfeit drugs.”

The core technology of the Tao family wasn’t that easy to replicate, but what if there was a traitor?

In one of the Tao family’s own production bases, in a factory that everyone thought was abandoned and only operated secretly in the dead of night, if they slightly reduced the dosage of the active ingredients…

No wonder Liu Tianlei was so vigilant about security—he was the biggest thief in the base!

The more Tao Fengche thought about it, the more it made sense. He reached for his earpiece, intending to get out of the car himself to explore the situation, but suddenly, he stopped.

For reasons unknown, ever since he heard that Beta talk about “ten years” and was reminded of Sui Yuesheng that afternoon, this person had seemed to set up camp in his mind, popping up now and then to remind him of his presence.

Just like now, his mind was filled with Sui Yuesheng’s words from the night before last: “Be careful.” His brother was genuinely worried that something might happen to him…

Does that mean if he accidentally got into trouble, Sui Yuesheng would return to Jingpu and come to see him?

It’s been so long since they last met…

Even during the most rebellious time of Tao Fengche’s youth, when Tao Zhixing was still alive, he never did something as foolish as asking his father who was more important: himself or the Tao family. Let alone using his own safety to win favor.

But right now, he seemed to be bewitched. His right hand had even touched the car door handle.

The car’s air conditioning was set low, and the metal handle sent a chill through him the moment he grasped it, instantly sobering him up as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

What was he thinking just now?

To make Sui Yuesheng return to Jingpu and see him, he had actually thought of playing with his own life, deliberately creating an “accident.”

Not to mention how worried and heartbroken Sui Yuesheng would be if he heard the news, the Tao family was already besieged on all sides. As the only surviving heir of the Tao family, how could he be so foolish as to cause such trouble? He was truly insane.

Tao Fengche slumped back in his seat, closing his eyes tightly. He took a deep breath to calm down and expel these irrational thoughts from his mind, then spoke in a low voice: “Can you hear me?”

“Yes, young master. Please give your orders.”

“See if you can find the finished products they’ve produced. Take as many as you can. I’ll wait for you in the car.”

“Understood!”

More than an hour later.

The bodyguard who had infiltrated the factory returned with a small box, but he wasn’t wearing his original clothes, and his hair was disheveled, clearly indicating that something had gone wrong. As soon as he got into the car, the driver hit the gas and quickly left the base’s perimeter.

Tao Fengche glanced at him. “You’re injured?”

“The security was too tight. There was only one small door open in the entire factory, guarded by six men. Not long ago, a truck arrived, and the factory workers started loading the drugs into the truck’s compartment. I seized the opportunity, knocked out one of the workers, and disguised myself in his clothes to slip in.”

“That man was no ordinary person. He was definitely well-trained, not just someone with basic martial arts skills. I had to cover his mouth with one hand to prevent him from calling for help, and I took a few hits during the struggle. It’s nothing serious.”

At this point, the bodyguard coughed several times in a row. Tao Fengche handed him a bottle of water, and he drank half of it in one gulp before continuing in a hoarse voice, “There was only one type of drug in total, placed in small test tubes with a cooling device.”

He handed the box to Tao Fengche.

Tao Fengche had already considered the issue of drug preservation, so the bodyguard carried a small portable temperature-controlled box when he left the car. Now, with the box in cooling mode, Tao Fengche took it, opened the lid, and looked inside, then froze.

The color of this drug… seemed unfamiliar to him.

However, since the Tao family produced a wide range of medications, it wasn’t unusual for him not to recognize one or two. He decided to compare it with the samples in the research lab when he returned the day after tomorrow. If that didn’t work, he could always ask Jing Ning.

Tao Fengche quickly made up his mind and then said to the bodyguard, “Well done. You’ve worked hard.”

“This is just part of my job, young master. There’s no need to be so polite.” The bodyguard smiled, sneaking in a bit of flattery.

It was now close to midnight, and by Tao Fengche’s usual routine, it was time to sleep. He was feeling a bit tired, so he didn’t respond to the bodyguard’s words. Instead, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Xu Song, asking him to give the bodyguard a bonus at the end of the month.

Then he yawned, intending to take a nap in the car. Seeing this, the bodyguards all fell silent, lowering their breathing as much as possible to avoid disturbing him.

Just as Tao Fengche was about to fall asleep, a clear notification sound suddenly echoed in the quiet car.

The bodyguard glanced down at his phone, his expression changing drastically. “Young Master, Liu Tianlei’s background has a problem.”