In early summer, Jingpu was already quite hot.

There was a long break of twenty minutes between the second and third classes in the afternoon. The boy at the front desk turned around and asked Tao Fengche if he wanted to go downstairs to play basketball. Tao Fengche glanced at the scorching sun outside and declined the invitation.

“Hey Tao Fengche, have you decided on what major you want to apply for?” Yan Yi, who sat directly behind him, poked his back with a pen cap, casually voicing a question that had been troubling her for a long time.

The moment the pen cap touched his back, Tao Fengche’s muscles instantly tensed up. But he quickly realized that he was at school, and the foreign object was just a small pen cap, so he relaxed again.

“Not yet.” He replied calmly.

Of course, this was a lie.

His father had always wanted him to study biopharmaceuticals, so he could join the family research institute after returning home. But the sight of those microorganisms gave him a headache, and he would rather choose pharmaceutical chemistry. However, if he had his own way, he was actually more interested in finance.

But his father didn’t agree.

The two of them had a big argument about this just last night, and Tao Fengche was still annoyed whenever he thought about it.

But of course, there was no need to tell Yan Yi any of this.

“Oh, I see.” Yan Yi was obviously disappointed by the answer.

Yan Yi was beautiful and an omega, always cherished and pursued by many since childhood. But a cold and uninterested alpha like Tao Fengche, who frequently rejected her advances, was the only one she had ever met.

Fortunately, Tao Fengche was equally indifferent to his other pursuers.

She quickly regained her composure and softly reminded him, “No matter which school and major you ultimately decide to apply for, you need to start enriching your resume this semester.”

It was the second semester of their second year in high school. They would start officially applying to colleges after moving up to their third year, and time was running out.

Before Tao Fengche could respond, the boy in front, holding a basketball and ready to leave, teased, “That’s for us. What resume can’t his family make for him?”

“It’s not that exaggerated.” Tao Fengche smiled faintly, the smile not reaching his eyes.

“Want to buy some drinks?” His friend Wang Yuan came over to call him, and Tao Fengche nodded, walking alongside him.

On a scorching afternoon, an ice-cold soda was just what they needed to quench their inner fire.

“What’s he so arrogant about?” As Tao Fengche reached the classroom door, a voice full of disdain came from behind.

School was like a small society. Even in this international high school where students came from wealthy and powerful families, there was a subtle hierarchy. Tao’s family had been in business for generations, running a top-three national pharmaceutical company with several patents for inhibitors. Tao Fengche himself had excellent grades and outstanding looks, making him one of the top students.

Many people liked him, but correspondingly, many people disliked him.

The voice was low, but Tao Fengche heard it. He didn’t stop or look back.

People who only dared to gossip behind his back weren’t worth his attention.

“Cai Hong, what did you say?” Yan Yi glared at the boy. She knew he liked her, but that was no reason for him to badmouth Tao Fengche.

But then again, for a moment just now, why did it suddenly feel like the surrounding temperature dropped a bit? Yan Yi wondered as she tidied her papers.

The air conditioning temperature hadn’t changed… it must have been her imagination.

---

The Tao family owned a mountain in Jingpu, guarded by security from the base, so tightly that not even a mosquito could get through. Their ancestral home, located at the peak, was vast enough to be considered a small estate rather than a villa.

The driver picked up Tao Fengche from the school gate, driving up the mountain and stopping at the main house at exactly 6:30, right on time.

The air was stuffy, the sky overcast, and even the wind carried a heatwave, suggesting rain. Tao Fengche got out of the car, and the maid at the door opened it for him, taking his school bag upstairs.

The central air conditioning in the house was diligently blowing cold air, easing Tao Fengche’s mood. He changed into slippers and walked to the dining room, where the round table was empty.

Instinctively, he checked his phone.

He’d been so busy that he’d forgotten the date. It was the 24th again.

“Master has gone to his usual place,” the butler reminded him at the right moment. “The kitchen has prepared dinner. Would you like to eat now, young master?”

“Yes, I’ll eat now.” Tao Fengche nodded.

The butler, Mr. Xu, was a beta in his fifties who had worked for the Tao family for over thirty years. He had watched Tao Fengche grow up. Even if he was unhappy, Tao Fengche wouldn’t vent his frustration on someone who genuinely cared for him.

Dinner was not extravagant. The table was set with three dishes and one soup, all ordinary home-cooked meals, but the ingredients and cooking methods were carefully chosen. Tao Fengche was used to this and finished dinner in fifteen minutes. After wiping his mouth, he went upstairs to do his homework.

All the other homework was manageable, but biology gave him a headache as soon as he opened it. After thinking for three seconds, he took out the answers and copied them.

He decided he would review the book before the exam, and he felt no psychological pressure about this.

Although the international school workload was not heavy, it was almost nine o’clock when he finished all his homework. Following his usual routine, he went downstairs to exercise. An hour later, he went upstairs to wash up and then played a few games with Wang Yuan. Just after eleven, he logged off on time, dried his hair, and went to bed.

He always slept well, and the word “insomnia” had never been associated with him. However, that night, Tao Fengche lay in bed, feeling inexplicably restless.

The old man had not returned yet, but it was not unusual for him to stay out all night when he went out. Every time the 24th came around, his mood would worsen, and he might be out somewhere drinking away his sorrows. Tao Fengche didn’t pay much attention to this. After tossing and turning in bed for a while, he finally got up and walked quickly to the window, pulling the curtains open. He found the source of his insomnia—a torrential downpour outside, accompanied by thunder and lightning that made the night as bright as day.

Tao Fengche squinted instinctively.

The Tao family estate was vast, and naturally, the rooms were spacious. Tao Fengche stayed in a suite with a private bathroom, study, bedroom, and dressing room. Outside his study was a small balcony, and beside his bed was a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. The manor’s street lamps stayed on all night, and standing by the window, he could vaguely see the guards at the gate and patrolling the yard.

For a pharmaceutical company, no matter how large the business, such tight security was unnecessary. But in the Tao family, this was normal. Born at the end of the year, Tao Fengche, though not yet an adult, was old enough to understand the hidden dealings of his ancestors.

Growing up in such a family, he had always trusted his instincts.

Heavy rain could wash away many traces, and thunder and lightning provided natural cover. Stormy days were never peaceful.

Now, with the heavy rain outside, Tao Fengche had a feeling that something was going to happen. He thought for a moment, reached into his bedside table, and took out the gun lying on his clothes.

Tao Fengche had been handling guns since he was five and was very familiar with them. Disassembling and reassembling the gun took him less than a minute. After loading each bullet, his mood had calmed down from the familiar routine. He took a deep breath, placed the gun under his pillow, and lay on his side to sleep.

The habits formed by years of training were not limited to staying calm by disassembling guns. Even in his sleep, when he sensed someone approaching, Tao Fengche opened his eyes quickly. His eyes were clear, his right hand holding the gun. He swiftly removed the safety and jumped out of bed in one fluid motion.

“Who is it?!”

“Young master, it’s me.”

It was the butler, Xu Song.

Tao Fengche visibly relaxed and lowered the gun slightly. “Uncle Xu? It’s so late, what’s the matter?”

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost one o’clock. He had slept for less than two hours and was a bit sleepy.

Xu Song said nothing, staring at Tao Fengche for a long time with an emotion Tao Fengche couldn’t understand.

Xu Song had never married and had no children, so he truly cared for Tao Fengche as his own child.

Because of this, what he was about to say was difficult to utter.

It was too cruel.

But he had no choice.

“Young master, master..,” Xu Song chose his words carefully, speaking slowly, each word hitting Tao Fengche’s heart. “He had a car accident on his way back tonight. The driver died on the spot, one bodyguard died, and another was injured. Master is now in the hospital, undergoing emergency treatment.”