Sui Yuesheng seemed to have fallen asleep.

He had rushed back from the Western Continent, still exhausted and not fully adjusted to the time difference. Sitting at the far left of the sofa, he leaned his head against the armrest with one hand while loosely holding the TV remote in the other, the hand wearing a ring.

The voice of a female news anchor echoed through the room, reporting on a certain congressman visiting a certain company. Meanwhile, Sui Yuesheng remained quietly asleep, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if he had dozed off while watching the news.

The sofa was made of redwood, carved with dragons and phoenixes, crafted by skilled artisans specially invited by the Tao family’s ancestors. It looked grand, and almost every guest who visited the Tao family marveled at its exquisite and majestic appearance. However, corresponding to its grandeur, the sofa had no cushions, nor did it have any pillows.

Tao Fengche, when feeling sleepy, had also taken a nap on the sofa and knew how uncomfortable it was to sleep like that. Normally, he would have gone over and woken Sui Yuesheng from his sleep, telling him to go to a room to sleep, or he could have carried him up instead—Tao Fengche, who had been trained for years, could easily carry Sui Yuesheng in his arms and take him back to his room.

But he just stood there, quietly watching for a while.

Sui Yuesheng was sleeping so soundly that Tao Fengche couldn’t bear to disturb his sleep. Moreover, just by leaning on the sofa, Tao Fengche instinctively lightened his breathing—Sui Yuesheng was clearly within arm’s reach, yet he felt like he was seeing an unattainable dream.

He was deeply aware of his longing for Sui Yuesheng, but precisely because of this, he didn’t dare to approach and disturb him.

Just watching from a distance like this, confirming that Sui Yuesheng had returned home, was enough to satisfy him.

Tao Fengche’s heart softened, feeling like a large bowl of thickly boiled honey. The central air conditioning was set a bit low, so he gestured for the servant to bring a blanket, then took it himself, cautiously walking a few steps forward.

Maybe because he had taken a shower after coming home, Sui Yuesheng’s soft gray hair looked curlier than usual and slightly damp. A faint scent of shampoo lingered, a cool mint fragrance that matched the image he usually projected to the outside world.

But today, he wasn’t dressed in his usual high-end tailored three-piece suit, instead opting for a soft cotton T-shirt that looked slightly faded, completely neutralizing his usual sharp and fierce aura.

Now, he looked particularly at home, appearing several years younger. With his eyes closed and his breathing steady, he looked like a completely defenseless college student.

Since Tao Fengche had known him, Sui Yuesheng had always dressed maturely. Even ten years ago, Tao Fengche had rarely seen him wearing shorts in summer. Now, Sui Yuesheng was usually dressed in shirts and trousers all year round, as if he wanted to wrap every inch of his skin in expensive fabrics.

But today, he happened to be wearing a pair of loose jeans.

The exposed ankle was so thin that it could hardly be grasped. The prominent bone was covered by smooth, fair skin, the curve almost fragile. Tao Fengche couldn’t help but look downwards, noticing how the toes curled slightly in the white slippers, the nails smooth and round like fine pearls, with a faint pink hue.

“Gulp.”

He unconsciously swallowed, feeling a sudden dryness in his mouth.

As if to cover up something, Tao Fengche hurriedly unfolded the blanket, trying to gently cover Sui Yuesheng with it. He was almost successful, but the next moment, Sui Yuesheng suddenly opened his eyes.

Having just woken up, he looked a bit confused. His gray-blue eyes were misty, as if filled with water. Driven by a physiological response, he yawned, making the mist in his eyes even thicker.

Seeing who it was, he seemed slightly surprised. “Xiao Che?”

The voice was unclear, like a murmur from his throat.

Tao Fengche awkwardly pressed his lips together, his gaze wavering for a moment as it swept across the decorations on the wall before finally returning to Sui Yuesheng’s face. He didn’t rush to speak, silently covering him with the blanket, then stepped back a few steps.

During the time Sui Yuesheng was away, he had thought many times about what he wanted to say when they met again, drafting four or five versions of his speech. But now, with Sui Yuesheng right in front of him, his head slightly tilted, waiting attentively for his response, Tao Fengche suddenly didn’t know what to say.

He had countless words in his heart, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a dry, “You’re back.”

His voice was dry, like a violin bow making direct contact with the strings.

Sui Yuesheng was right in front of him. Of course, he was back; how could it be a hologram or a robot with the same face? The answer to the question was obvious, and it even sounded a bit stupid. Even Tao Fengche felt annoyed with himself as soon as he spoke.

But Sui Yuesheng nodded.

He didn’t mention how busy he had been recently, nor did he say how much overtime he had worked to come back on time. He didn’t talk about the difficulties he faced abroad or the annoying problems at the company. He just smiled and answered the silly question, “I’m back.”

And then Tao Fengche smiled too.

Sui Yuesheng had been sitting here waiting for Tao Fengche to come home, but he had unknowingly fallen asleep. Now that Tao Fengche was back, he had no intention of continuing to sleep. He moved the blanket Tao Fengche had just placed over him, put the remote control on the coffee table, stood up, and looked at Tao Fengche, somewhat surprised.

“Did you grow taller?”

He remembered that before he left, Tao Fengche was about the same height as him, but now he seemed to have grown one or two centimeters taller. This growth spurt was quite fast—perhaps it was just part of being an alpha? Sui Yuesheng thought, slightly amazed.

“I did grow a little.” Being finally taller than Sui Yuesheng made Tao Fengche quite happy. He grinned, his smile a bit goofy. “Sometimes, I wake up feeling pain in my legs.”

“Growing pains during puberty, that’s normal.” Sui Yuesheng shuffled forward in his slippers. “Let’s eat first. Later, tell Uncle Xu to have the kitchen make some bone soup for the next few days.”

A simple, everyday conversation, yet Tao Fengche suddenly felt a sense of peace.

Chu Yin, the artificial pheromone, the traitors in the research institute… All these things that had been bothering him recently suddenly seemed like fleeting clouds. Though he still wanted to investigate them, they no longer caused him any anxiety or distress.

Before Sui Yuesheng came back, the Tao residence was just a house, but after he returned, it became a home.

“I think they made lotus root soup today!”

Tao Fengche quickened his pace, catching up to Sui Yuesheng.

…

The lotus root was the soft variety from Jiangzhou, simmered over low heat for several hours, so tender it melted in the mouth. Tao Fengche, however, seemed to be eating without much appetite, just occasionally spooning some soup with his porcelain spoon.

His gaze kept wandering over Sui Yuesheng, as if trying to confirm that he had truly returned home.

With such a bright, fervent gaze, it was impossible for Sui Yuesheng to ignore it, but after pondering for a while, he misunderstood the intention. “Finish your meal first; I’ll give you your gift afterward.”

Xiao Che was still as adorable as he was when he was little, Sui Yuesheng thought to himself.

Tao Fengche: “…”

He wasn’t actually thinking about the gift. Okay, maybe he was a little, since it was something Sui Yuesheng had brought back for him from afar, but more than that, he just wanted to look at Sui Yuesheng.

The last time he saw him was more than a month ago, and they had parted on bad terms. Sui Yuesheng had come home drunk that night and left early the next morning without a word, flying straight to the Western Continent. To avoid disturbing Sui Yuesheng’s work, he hadn’t sent many messages, let alone made any video calls.

… Sui Yuesheng seemed to have gotten even thinner than before, with dark circles under his eyes, probably from working non-stop again.

Thinking this, Tao Fengche picked up some food with his chopsticks and placed it on Sui Yuesheng’s plate. “You should eat too, Ge.”

He hadn’t changed to serving chopsticks, but Sui Yuesheng, who usually had a habit of cleanliness, didn’t say anything. He discreetly ate the food Tao Fengche had given him, then said, “Don’t just focus on serving me. You should eat too.”

Tao Fengche nodded obediently.

Seeing the harmonious scene between the two, Xu Song, who was standing by the dining table, was almost moved to tears—things were different now that Young Master Sui was back! How long has it been since the young master has been this well-behaved? It’s like he’s traveled back in time to when he was eight years old.

Though the dinner felt incredibly long to Tao Fengche, it actually only lasted about twenty minutes. Once he was full, he grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth clean and then looked at Sui Yuesheng with expectant eyes again.

Being looked at with such an expectant gaze, Sui Yuesheng couldn’t help but smile: “Aren’t you about to take a language exam? I brought you some special study materials…”

Tao Fengche: “…?!”

Tao Fengche’s expression instantly changed.

His brother went abroad and brought back a stack of study materials for him?!

Could it be the Western Continent version of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Mock Tests?!

It felt like the sky was falling!

Tao Fengche’s vision went dark, and he almost wished he could faint on the spot.