Tao Fengche was no longer in much of a hurry.

Liu Tianlei was in a private hospital partially owned by the Tao family, staying in the ICU with guards stationed at the door 24/7. He was under tight control, unable to stir up any trouble. News of his situation was heavily suppressed, so to outsiders, it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

The mastermind behind the scenes couldn’t contact him and didn’t dare report to the police, so they had no choice but to personally step in and rearrange things. With the complexity of the situation, it was inevitable that they’d make mistakes and reveal flaws.

Though still young and occasionally impulsive, Tao Fengche was usually a very patient hunter.

Now, everything was prepared, and all that remained was for that person to walk right into the trap.

Lowering his gaze, Tao Fengche reviewed the plan in his mind for a moment, then suddenly smiled and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Wang Yuan toward the teaching building.

After moving up to the final year of high school, they changed classrooms, but the seating arrangement was still the same as at the end of the previous semester. As soon as Tao Fengche stepped into the class, Cai Hong, sitting in the corner, shrank back against the wall, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Although Tao Fengche had mentally “beaten” Cai Hong not too long ago, ever since being taught a lesson by the athlete Wang Yuan had brought in, Cai Hong had been behaving himself. Not only did he refrain from provoking anyone like he used to, but now he even avoided crossing paths with Tao Fengche in the cafeteria, a stark contrast to his previously arrogant attitude. He now sat in the corner like a big, moldy mushroom.

The annoying fly had finally returned to its own muck, and Tao Fengche was quite pleased.

He walked to his seat, ready to unpack his bag and clean up, but was surprised to find his desk and chair already spotless. He raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

—Someone had already cleaned for him before he even returned.

“Lucky guy, huh?” Wang Yuan teased, playfully punching Tao Fengche on the shoulder.

This happened a few times every year, and Wang Yuan had long gotten used to it, but he couldn’t help but make a sarcastic comment.

Tao Fengche didn’t respond, instead looking around the classroom: some were cleaning desks, some turning in homework, and others studying. Everyone seemed busy, and there was no telling who had cleaned for him.

Just like all the times before.

…Actually, it wasn’t necessary. He was an alpha; he had hands and feet. How hard was it to wipe down a desk?

Tao Fengche sighed silently. While Wang Yuan went to wash a cloth to clean his desk, Tao Fengche quickly got started on his summer homework.

At that moment, Yan Yi, who sat behind him, suddenly called out, “Tao Fengche, you didn’t go to the summer camp, so where did you go over the break?”

The moment Yan Yi saw Tao Fengche enter the classroom, her eyes lit up—after a summer apart, Tao Fengche looked even more handsome!

Considering he was nearing adulthood, as the saying goes, “The near water tower gets the moon first,” and they sat so close to each other…

At the end of the last semester, she had worked hard to earn a spot in the summer camp, hoping to spend a month and a half abroad with Tao Fengche and possibly develop some feelings. Who could have expected that Tao Fengche would shock everyone by scoring last place, losing his chance to attend the camp altogether?

But it wasn’t too late now!

Yan Yi happily calculated her chances.

Tao Fengche had never been interested in her, and now that he realized he liked Sui Yuesheng, his heart was completely calm. Still, he didn’t dislike Yan Yi, so he briefly told her a little about his summer. Just as Yan Yi was talking about wanting to visit his family’s production facility, Wang Yuan returned with a cloth.

“Yan Yi, seriously? Didn’t you decide to study art history? Why would you go to Tao Fengche’s production facility? Has industrial machinery suddenly become a form of art now?” Wang Yuan teased.

Yan Yi retorted without hesitation, “First of all, it’s not your family’s business, and second, I didn’t ask you to take me there. Why do you care so much?”

“He’s very busy. You’ll just disturb his work if you go,” Wang Yuan said in a concerned tone. “Besides, I’ve known Tao Ge for years. If you bother him, you bother me too.”

“Whatever,” Yan Yi scoffed.

The two quickly fell into a playful argument, exchanging sarcastic jabs, and neither paid any attention to Tao Fengche.

Satisfied with handing in his homework, Tao Fengche cheerfully watched them bicker for a while.

He’d always thought these two were like a pair of sparring partners. In a few years, once Yan Yi realized she didn’t really like him, they’d probably end up together. Having spent the entire summer dealing with the complex world of adults and their schemes, and even brushing up against the gray areas of society, watching this youthful, schoolyard banter filled him with nostalgia.

Even the upcoming exams, which everyone complained about, seemed good to him at that moment.

After chatting with some classmates for a while, Tao Fengche shouldered his backpack and said goodbye to the bickering pair. “I’m off to the exam room.”

The exam rooms were assigned by rank, and since Tao Fengche had placed last in the whole grade last time, he had to take his exam with Class 8. Unlike the pair of friends, who could relax, he wasn’t even on the same floor as them.

Wang Yuan, watching him leave, muttered, “That’s a true academic god—even walking to the last seat in the last exam room, he does it with such ease. If you look closely, there’s even a touch of confidence…”

In contrast, Wang Yuan felt like an ant on a hot pan.

At the end of the last semester, he had exceeded expectations and barely made it into the second exam room, which was a huge milestone for him. Ranking 60th in the grade! His father had been overjoyed, boasting to all his business partners. Last night, he had sternly warned him that his reputation was on the line, and his ranking must improve, or else.

But Wang Yuan had spent the entire summer playing games and hadn’t studied at all. Even his homework was mostly copied from Tao Fengche.

He had already mentally prepared a will.

Yan Yi showed no sympathy for his current plight.

Tao Fengche was gone, and now that she didn’t have to worry about her image, she rolled her eyes dramatically. “He was only last because he wasn’t feeling well. You’ll see—this time, he’ll definitely be back in the top three.”

“If I were you, I’d worry about yourself,” Yan Yi teased, clearly enjoying Wang Yuan’s misery.

Among the people Wang’s father had bragged to was Yan Yi’s father.

Wang Yuan sighed.

He wanted to retort but thought it wasn’t right to reveal his friend’s personal matters, so he swallowed his words and accepted his fate, almost choking in the process.

…Fine, let’s see how Tao Fengche “makes a comeback” this time. Not that anyone was really expecting him to fail—everyone assumed his poor performance last time was an accident.

Wang Yuan silently cheered for Tao Fengche.

…

After two days of exams, Tao Fengche felt great. Even biology, which was usually his weakest subject, had gone smoothly this time.

Maybe it was Sui Yuesheng’s good-luck charm, he thought absentmindedly.

On Thursday afternoon, after finishing the last sentence of his English essay, he capped his pen and rubbed his hand, already having a rough idea of how he had done.

There were 240 students in the entire grade, and while the exams were still ongoing, the teachers were already grading the previous papers. With multiple-choice questions in English, the results were available almost instantly once the answer sheets were scanned, so grades came out quickly.

After the exams, Tao Fengche returned to his class to collect the new textbooks and materials for the year. He listened to Teacher Feng Hui’s long list of instructions, and just as the dismissal bell rang, ready to share the good news with Sui Yuesheng, he was stopped by Feng Hui.

“Tao Fengche, don’t go just yet. Come with me for a moment.”

Instead of taking him to the office, Feng Hui found a quiet corner in the hallway.

Puzzled, Tao Fengche followed behind her, waiting for her to speak.

Once they were alone, Feng Hui crossed her arms and asked, “How did you feel about the English exam?”

“It went okay,” Tao Fengche replied honestly.

“What do you mean by okay?”

“The questions weren’t too hard. I think I did alright.”

Feng Hui nodded, thought for a moment, and absentmindedly tapped her fingers on her arm. “Your grades in the other subjects are already out. If your English went well, you’ll likely take first place in the grade again. I’ve spoken to the other teachers—we’re all confident in you. We even joked before that we’re looking forward to you and a few other top students making the school proud this year.”

“But your score from the last exam…” Feng Hui sighed, “Tao Fengche, you need to be honest with me. What exactly happened last time?”

She had wanted to talk to Tao Fengche at the end of the last semester, but as soon as the exam papers were reviewed, he disappeared and couldn’t be found anywhere. She thought it was only natural for students to rush home during the summer vacation, so she didn’t rush to find him.

But now that the new term had started and Tao Fengche’s grades had returned to normal, she needed to have a talk with him.

“Is it… a conflict with your family?” Feng Hui guessed uncertainly.