“Tao Fengche, Tao Fengche?”

The crisp female voice repeatedly reaching his ears was like an annoying mosquito. Tao Fengche wanted to pretend he didn’t hear it, but the owner of the voice was unusually persistent, forcibly dragging him out of the sweet memories of the afternoon spent with Sui Yuesheng.

“Alright, Class Leader Tang, I’m not blind.” Tao Fengche waved away her hand that was continuously waving in front of him.

“Then why didn’t you respond when I called you just now? I thought you were being silly.” Tang Wanxin pouted and, with a boldness that didn’t match her name, plopped down next to Tao Fengche. “Why are you hiding here? I had to look for you for ages.”

Tao Fengche glanced at her and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Seeing his doubtful expression, Tang Wanxin quickly protested loudly, “It’s true! As soon as I finished my work, I came to find you. The parent-teacher meeting is almost over, and I only found you now. I even texted you, but you didn’t reply. I thought you went to Wang Yuan’s dorm to catch up on sleep.”

“My phone was on silent, and I didn’t check it earlier.”

“I see.” Tang Wanxin nodded, accepting this explanation.

Tao Fengche glanced at her but didn’t initiate conversation or move away, continuing to watch the basketball court in front of him and getting lost in thought as he stared at the intense scene on the court.

Tang Wanxin was always straightforward and didn’t act coy like some omegas who were obsessed with Tao Fengche. She had no romantic interest for him and their interactions had always been natural, maintaining a good relationship.

Since Tao Fengche didn’t speak, she didn’t push either. She reached over and fiddled with the water cups around him, squinting at the sweat-drenched alphas on the court. Unsurprisingly, she spotted Wang Yuan and a few other familiar faces, then turned back to Tao Fengche, who was looking refreshed, with a hint of suspicion.

“Hey, why didn’t you play today? Sitting in the shade holding water cups doesn’t seem like your style.”

Tao Fengche replied nonchalantly, “Didn’t sleep well last night, feeling a bit tired.”

He was determined not to admit that he had been distracted and was pulled off the court by Wang Yuan after playing for only three minutes.

Tang Wanxin accepted his explanation with some doubt. She felt that Tao Fengche was unwilling to continue the topic and decided to change the subject.

Five minutes later, a parched Tang Wanxin announced her surrender.

She couldn’t figure out what was up with Tao Fengche today. Despite her attempts to engage him in conversation, he remained disinterested and his responses were perfunctory. Frustrated, she shifted closer to him and nudged his side with her elbow. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Over an hour had passed since the incident at the classroom door, but he still felt the lingering warmth from Sui Yuesheng on his forehead, inevitably falling into reminiscence. Tao Fengche tried to pull his attention away from Sui Yuesheng, narrowing his eyes at Wang Yuan’s dunk on the court, somewhat distracted. “What?”

“Hmm… Don’t get mad, okay? Is the person who came today your brother? The one who is inheriting your family’s company?”

“Yes.”

“You two seem to have a good relationship. You should know a bit about his matters, right?”

“Yeah…” he replied, uncertain.

Thinking of the countless mysteries surrounding Sui Yuesheng, Tao Fengche felt uneasy but was determined not to reveal his feelings. He answered with certainty, not letting Tang Wanxin see any hint of his true emotions.

“Ahem, so…” Tang Wanxin awkwardly touched her nose. “Is he in a relationship?”

Tao Fengche’s eyes widened in surprise. For the first time today, Tang Wanxin had his full attention. He turned to face her, staring at her face in shock. His usually calm demeanor cracked slightly.

“Aren’t you interested in Jiang Jingyun?”

How could she have moved on so quickly and become interested in Sui Yuesheng?

Tao Fengche was momentarily unsure whether to admire Sui Yuesheng’s remarkable charm, feeling a sense of pride, or to complain that Sui Yuesheng’s mere presence at a parent-teacher meeting had attracted a bunch of rivals.

He was torn, unsure of what to think. Eventually, he grit his teeth in frustration, mentally cursing Sui Yuesheng.

“No, that’s not it! Where are you getting these ideas from?” Tang Wanxin’s face turned red as she waved her hands vigorously. “It’s not me, it’s my sister! She just graduated from graduate school, and I saw in the news that your brother is only in his twenties. If he’s single, with B unmarried and O unmarried…”

She chuckled and winked at Tao Fengche. “You get it.”

Tao Fengche: “…?”

No, I don’t get it.

What do B unmarried and O unmarried have to do with anything? Sui Yuesheng is an omega! What good would come from two omegas being together? Would they both take suppressants during their heat cycles?

Besides, why are even omegas now interested in Sui Yuesheng? Isn’t it enough to guard against that group of alphas every day?!

If this continues, will he need to guard against all genders?

Tao Fengche was at a loss for words and didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to tell her the truth and shatter her unrealistic fantasies, but Sui Yuesheng had always concealed his true gender well. If he wanted to keep it hidden, Tao Fengche would remain his most loyal accomplice.

Tang Wanxin kept looking at him eagerly, her eyes full of anticipation. Tao Fengche couldn’t think of a suitable reason but had little time left to think and stay silent.

He eventually shook his head slowly. “You don’t need to concern yourself with that.”

“Why not?” Tang Wanxin was unwilling to give up easily. “Oh, right, you haven’t been to many social events. Maybe you haven’t met my sister? She’s really beautiful, and she’d be a good match for your brother!”

Tao Fengche couldn’t understand why Tang Wanxin was so enthusiastic. He squinted at her for a moment before suddenly realizing. “Did you see those news articles?”

“What news?” Tang Wanxin pretended to be clueless.

“The news about my brother and Jiang Jingyun.” Tao Fengche revealed the truth. “Are you hoping that by introducing your sister to my brother, you’ll get a chance to have my brother introduce you to Jiang Jingyun?”

… Well, not entirely. There’s also the rumor that your brother and Jiang Jingyun are about to get together for business purposes, so you thought you could kill two birds with one stone by introducing my sister to your brother and maybe resolve one rival in the process.

Of course, Tang Wanxin didn’t dare to say that directly in front of Tao Fengche. She stuck out her tongue, admitted it, and defended herself. “Since you know, why don’t you agree? We’ve been classmates for five years. How can you bear to see me never able to date Jiang Jingyun in this lifetime?!”

“Why not ask your dad to introduce you at some evening event?” Tao Fengche tried to reason with her.

“That’s different! It’s through friends of good relationships that you introduce someone, that’s how you find a girlfriend!” Seeing Tao Fengche unmoved, Tang Wanxin put on a pitiful expression and started to beg. “Please, Tao Fengche, just pass a message to your brother. Whether he agrees or not is up to him. You’re only helping me relay a message. It’s not going to kill you…”

Tao Fengche: “…”

Actually, it might.

Why are you forcing me to create a rival for myself?

If Sui Yuesheng actually agreed and married an omega from the Tang family, where would he go to cry?

Tao Fengche was mentally exhausted but couldn’t bring himself to say, “I like my brother. It’s impossible for me to help introduce him to a romantic partner.” He was stuck, not knowing how to handle the situation.

“Xiao Che? What are you two talking about?” Suddenly, Sui Yuesheng’s voice came from behind.

Tao Fengche’s wrist trembled in surprise.