Jing Ning did not ponder for long. Within five minutes, he had detached himself from distant memories and returned to reality.

He restored the hidden compartment, turned off the signal blocker in the lab, and then went back to the large desk in his office. He tapped a few keys on the keyboard and opened the surveillance terminal on his computer.

After confirming that the Maybach driven by Tao Fengche had already left the research institute’s area and was no longer within earshot of the conversation, Jing Ning took out his phone and dialed the number he knew by heart.

He didn’t even waste time calculating the time difference, and as he expected, the phone rang once before it was swiftly answered.

“Director Jing, before you start speaking, I feel I need to give you a heads-up,” came the voice on the other end, still tinged with sleep and, if listened to closely, a hint of barely contained irritation. “It’s 4 a.m. here, and I’ve been asleep for less than three hours. In two hours, I have to get up and work again.”

“You better have a good reason,” Sui Yuesheng’s voice was almost as cold as ice shards.

The threat in his words was unmistakable, and Jing Ning had no doubt that if he did not provide a satisfactory answer, the irritable Sui Yuesheng would immediately deal with him, even though they were half a world apart.

But Jing Ning was not worried at all.

“You’ll be interested,” he said confidently. Having known Sui Yuesheng for nearly ten years and being aware of many of his secrets, he was no longer easily intimidated. Jing Ning remained composed. “I’ve found a lead on the artificial pheromones that suddenly appeared on the market.”

“Oh?” A rustling sound came from the other end of the line, followed by footsteps and the sound of water, as if Sui Yuesheng had gotten out of bed and was washing his face.

“Tao Fengche just brought a bottle of artificial pheromones to me, claiming he found it at an abandoned production line.” Jing Ning said firmly, “He visited only three production bases, all within Jingpu’s area. I suspect it’s one of them. And it matches the information we received earlier.”

“Alright, I understand,” Sui Yuesheng’s tone was indifferent, “For now, don’t make any moves. We’ll handle everything after I return.”

It sounded like he was impatient to end the conversation and get back to sleep.

Jing Ning was about to hang up, but then he hesitated and added, “He doesn’t want me to tell you about this. It seems he has his own plans, so don’t betray me.”

Sui Yuesheng: “…”

Even someone as sharp as Sui Yuesheng found it hard to find the right words to express his feelings at that moment. After a while, he chuckled and said sarcastically, “Director Jing, I have to say, your speed in switching sides is really quite fast.”

Given his understanding of Tao Fengche, the kid must have left after receiving a positive response from Jing Ning. But as expected of Jing Ning, being the director, he was able to handle such double-dealing with such calmness.

Facing his friend’s criticism, Jing Ning looked very innocent. “I didn’t agree with him. I just made a noncommittal sound, and he overthought it.”

“…” Sui Yuesheng sneered, “Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. I have a meeting tomorrow.”

“…” Now it was Jing Ning who was silent.

Sui Yuesheng’s calmness was beyond his expectations, but it wasn’t because of the artificial pheromones.

Such a major issue, Sui Yuesheng had already formulated a comprehensive plan before going abroad, just waiting to draw out the enemy. Even if Jing Ning hadn’t informed him today, Sui Yuesheng would still have managed to investigate the matter. But having a lead made things easier, so Jing Ning just followed the procedure to inform him.

As for other matters, they didn’t quite align with Sui Yuesheng’s usual style.

— Sometimes Jing Ning felt that after Sui Yuesheng took over the Tao family, he treated Tao Fengche almost like a son, as if afraid of dropping him or breaking him, unlike the ruthless Sui Yuesheng. He seemed more like a mother hen with her chick.

Ever since he knew Tao Fengche would come to the research institute for summer studies, Sui Yuesheng had called him from abroad at the first opportunity, reminding him repeatedly, afraid that something would go wrong.

At that time, Jing Ning was so annoyed he wanted to roll his eyes a dozen times. Even without Sui Yuesheng being in the country, Tao Fengche had studied at the institute without incident. The extent of Sui Yuesheng’s anxiety made it seem like the institute was a den of danger.

But Sui Yuesheng himself was a frequent visitor to the institute! The secret lab in the institute was practically another home for him in Jingpu. Why be so nervous?

Jing Ning even wondered if the drugs had caused some issue, leading to an increase in Sui Yuesheng’s hormones, causing him to emit a maternal glow.

But he didn’t dare mention this to Sui Yuesheng.

But there was another thing he could say.

“Aren’t you worried?” This calm demeanor didn’t seem like Sui Yuesheng’s style.

“Hmm?” Sui Yuesheng seemed puzzled, then, after realizing, was somewhat speechless. “I’ll be back in a few days. With only a few days’ time, and Tao Fengche coming to the institute every day, nothing will go wrong. Besides, there are Tao family’s bodyguards with him.”

“Director Jing, you’re too protective. Have you been single for too long?” He yawned, even finding the time to tease Jing Ning, seeming genuinely unhurried.

Jing Ning: “…”

Who exactly was overly protective here?

He took three deep breaths, trying to control his urge to retort, and finally forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Alright, fine. As long as you’re happy.”

The next second, he immediately hung up, not giving Sui Yuesheng a chance to say anything more.

···

As soon as Tao Fengche got into the car, the partition was raised. He had left the research institute quite late today and, as expected, hit the evening rush hour in Jingpu.

Even a nearly eight-figure luxury car had no privileges in such a situation. The extended, armored Maybach was stuck on the traffic-clogged overpass, and classical music softly echoed inside the car. Tao Fengche gazed at the bustling cityscape outside, lost in thought.

He was surprised that the Tao family had given up such a major industrial chain after Chu Yin’s death—this was completely unlike what Tao Zhixing would do.

Having been exposed to his father’s ways for years, Tao Fengche knew him very well. Tao Zhixing was a very pure businessman. As long as it didn’t go against principles, he was an absolute pragmatist, and most of the time, he was rational to the point of being inhuman.

Tao Fengche didn’t know much about artificial pheromones, but just from Jing Ning’s description, he could guess the huge economic potential. The Tao family must have made a substantial profit from it.

Although Chu Yin was a close friend of Tao Zhixing, he couldn’t imagine his father giving up such a huge opportunity for him.

Especially when the opportunity belonged solely to the Tao family.

…Thinking about it, he might understand the dispute in the study now.

Tao Fengche thought, lowering his gaze to hide the sharpness in his eyes.

Artificial pheromones could be said to be the catalyst for Chu Yin’s death; they took away Zhao Jiayang’s only love in this life. His uncle, unable to accept his Chu Yin’s death, wanted to completely erase this culprit from the world. But Tao Zhixing was unwilling to give up the enormous profit.

So, the two close friends had a fierce argument, but in the end, Tao Zhixing chose to yield.

Perhaps Aunt’s death was a wake-up call for him? Or did Uncle’s anger remind him of his deceased wife?

Thinking of his own mother whom he had never met, Tao Fengche felt a mix of emotions. He sighed, rubbed his forehead, and suddenly had a rather strange thought—seems like his old man wasn’t as cold-blooded as he seemed.

The next second, he sneezed uncontrollably, so hard that even his throat hurt.

…Maybe the old man in heaven couldn’t stand him bad-mouthing him.

Tao Fengche was never superstitious, but the timing of this sneeze was too coincidental. He rubbed his nose with a bit of annoyance, took out his phone to text Xu Song, but then suddenly changed his mind.

Xu Song absolutely couldn’t know about this. Ever since Tao Fengche was almost abducted at the age of eight, Xu Song had developed severe PTSD regarding his security. If he knew about his plan, he would definitely strongly oppose his risky behavior. He might even lock him up at home and assign several bodyguards to follow him everywhere, even to the bathroom…

Tao Fengche shivered and sent the message to Wang Yuan instead.

[Tao Fengche]: [If you have time recently, could you help me check someone’s schedule?]

Wang Yuan replied instantly.

Wang Yuan: [Yeah, who is it, Tao Ge? Is it Cai Hong? Should I beat him up? If so, can we wait until I return to the country?]

Tao Fengche: [… No, it’s one of my subordinates at home. I suspect he’s not very clean-handed. I’ll send you the specific information later.]

He didn’t say much more to Wang Yuan. Wang Yuan, patting his chest, agreed, but Tao Fengche suddenly felt a bit uneasy and added:

Tao Fengche: [Don’t make things difficult for Cai Hong. You’re about to enter senior year. Do you want to get a demerit?]

Wang Yuan: [… Who do you think I’m doing this for?!]

Tao Fengche: […]

He didn’t say anything more. After returning home, he took pictures of all the summer homework he had completed over the past period, compiled them into a zip file, and sent it to Wang Yuan’s email as a reward for helping him hack the program.

……

Wang Yuan did not disappoint his title as a top student in the information competition at Jingpu High School. The next afternoon, he sent Liu Tianlei’s schedule. Tao Fengche glanced at it and was pleasantly surprised to find that Liu Tianlei had a flight to the center of Jingpu City next Friday.

Wang Yuan also included a note:

Wang Yuan: [Tao Ge, I hacked his secretary’s computer and found an itinerary. It turns out he has a particularly regular schedule. I looked it up and guess what? This guy has a mistress in Jingpu! An omega who just graduated from Jingpu University and is quite pretty. He even bought her a house near the school. Moreover, his visits are very regular, averaging 1-2 times a month. He’s using company money to support his mistress. Tsk tsk tsk.]

… A mistress?

Tao Fengche’s thoughts stirred, and he gradually developed a plan—buying a house for a mistress usually was a good concealment, and operating there seemed like a good idea.

He noted down Liu Tianlei’s flight and the mistress’s address and planned a solid reason to deploy his home’s bodyguards, preparing to take action directly on the evening of the 27th. As long as he acted first and reported later, even if it was Sui Yuesheng, there would be no way to stop him.

He made all the necessary preparations but did not expect that things would still go wrong at the last moment.

On Wednesday evening, Tao Fengche returned home from the research institute and suddenly noticed that one of the slippers on the porch was missing.

His heart began to race uncontrollably. The sound of a news program vaguely came from the living room. He gestured for his servant to be quiet and then tiptoed over, and indeed saw the figure he had been thinking about day and night.

After one and a half months, forty-four days, and one thousand fifty-six hours, he finally saw Sui Yuesheng again.

When they parted, he had only thought of Sui Yuesheng as a brother, but now, he understood that those inexplicable emotions, the sudden quickening of his heartbeat, and the uncontrollable attraction were called “liking.”