Sui Yuesheng stood leisurely on the side, watching Tao Fengche stand up for him, without saying a word.

He had a bad temper and couldn’t tolerate anyone trying to make a move on him—for years, anyone who dared think of it was taught a harsh lesson, with a few even sent to meet the King of Hell by his own hands.

But this was at school, and Wang Yuan on the basketball court was as pale as a ghost. One glance and Sui Yuesheng knew it was unintentional. He didn’t need to take issue with a reckless high school student, especially since Wang Yuan was Tao Fengche’s friend.

Besides, Sui Yuesheng was agile. The moment the basketball came flying, his body had already instinctively prepared. Even if Tao Fengche hadn’t jumped to block it, the ball wouldn’t have hit him.

He had been through worse, so a little basketball didn’t bother him. It wasn’t a big deal. But seeing Tao Fengche anxiously stepping forward, fiercely arguing with his friend for his sake, Sui Yuesheng’s heart softened, and a faint sweetness lingered within him.

Moreover… seeing the energy between the two brought him back to a time he never had—his high school years.

If he had the chance to study back then, maybe he would’ve also joked and played around with friends at school.

Parent-teacher meetings didn’t come often, and the chance to watch Tao Fengche bicker with friends at school was even rarer. After thinking it through, Sui Yuesheng dismissed the idea of stepping in to mediate.

After all, it wouldn’t escalate. From what he knew of Tao Fengche, if Wang Yuan just admitted fault and let Tao Fengche vent for a bit, the matter would be over.

But today, Wang Yuan refused to back down.

The two of them started arguing back and forth, neither willing to lose. In no time, they were bringing up embarrassing childhood stories like, “You secretly cried when you were hungry in elementary school!” and “You bawled your eyes out when you fell during fitness class!” They were acting less like soon-to-be adults and more like squabbling kids.

Sui Yuesheng hadn’t expected to hear embarrassing stories about Tao Fengche’s childhood.

It was a pleasant surprise. He raised his eyebrows slightly, suppressing a laugh while keeping a straight face. He was all ears, determined not to miss a single detail, almost tempted to record the whole thing on his phone.

Tao Fengche, on the other hand, was shocked that Wang Yuan would reveal his embarrassing secrets in front of Sui Yuesheng.

He was still upset, consumed with anger at his imagined rival and eager to prove himself. But then, Wang Yuan saddled him with a humiliating label as a crybaby—when clearly, he wasn’t as prone to tears as he had been when he was younger!

The proud, teenage alpha scowled, rolling up his sleeves, seriously considering throwing punches.

Wang Yuan felt a chill down his spine, realizing the gravity of what he had just let slip. But with everyone watching, he couldn’t bring himself to back down quickly.

… But he knew Tao Fengche’s strength and was well aware that he wasn’t a match for him. If they fought, he wouldn’t last more than three rounds, especially since it was his fault. But still…

Wang Yuan found himself in a dilemma.

“Alright,” Sui Yuesheng interjected just in time to break the tension.

Watching the drama was one thing, but a fight was another.

Sui Yuesheng had no intention of accompanying Tao Fengche to Feng Hui’s office for a reprimand, and after all, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Wang Yuan didn’t mean it, and I wasn’t hit anyway. Calm down, don’t be rash,” Sui Yuesheng said, grabbing Tao Fengche’s arm. He was a bit worried that the angry young alpha might shake off his hand and charge at Wang Yuan.

It wasn’t that he doubted his ability to hold Tao Fengche back—it was just that his outfit that day wasn’t suited for action, and with so many people watching, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to spar with Tao Fengche.

Xiao Che was so prideful. Sparring at home was fine, but if he got thrown to the ground in front of all his classmates, he’d be furious.

… He might even cry into his pillow at night, out of frustration.

The thought amused Sui Yuesheng, but fortunately, Tao Fengche hadn’t let his anger completely cloud his judgment.

Though he was a bit annoyed that Sui Yuesheng was defending Wang Yuan, he understood that Sui Yuesheng was actually protecting him. Besides, he knew deep down that Wang Yuan’s actions were merely a trigger, giving him an outlet for all his pent-up emotions.

—Not that Tao Fengche would ever admit he was taking it out on Wang Yuan.

“But it almost hit you!” Tao Fengche argued stubbornly.

Sui Yuesheng chuckled, “But it didn’t, right?”

“I didn’t mean to! I just slipped!” Wang Yuan, feeling aggrieved, quickly took the chance to apologize, “Sorry, Sui Ge, I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to say hi to Tao Fengche, but after playing ball for so long today, my hands were a bit weak.”

“It’s fine, just be more careful next time. If you’re free, you can come over for dinner,” Sui Yuesheng smiled, letting go of Tao Fengche’s arm. He bent down, picked up the backpack Tao Fengche had dropped during his jump, and handed it to him, “Here.”

Tao Fengche snorted, gave Wang Yuan a fierce glare, and said nothing more as he walked off toward the dorms with Sui Yuesheng.

“Who was that beauty, Yuan?” one of the other alphas finally dared to ask after Tao Fengche and Sui Yuesheng had walked far enough away, nudging Wang Yuan.

“Who else?” Wang Yuan hugged the basketball, staring at Sui Yuesheng’s back in awe. “That’s Tao Fengche’s guardian, his older brother.”

Also known as his first tamer.

He pouted, silently adding that last part in his mind.

···

Even though Wang Yuan had been let off the hook, Tao Fengche was still angry about the near-miss with the basketball, even while eating ice cream.

His deep-set eyes and furrowed brows gave him a handsome, brooding look, making him seem like the school heartthrob that beta and omega students would swoon over. But to Sui Yuesheng, he just looked like the little crybaby from his childhood, tugging at his clothes with tears welling up in his eyes.

Sui Yuesheng almost laughed at the image he’d conjured in his head, but he couldn’t let it show in front of Tao Fengche. He quickly took a bite of his ice cream to hide his smile and changed the subject. “Alright, Xiao Che, stop being mad. What do you want for dinner?”

Tao Fengche caught the underlying meaning and asked, a bit puzzled, “We’ve already spent the whole afternoon together. Don’t you need to go back to the office?”

“Even if I went back, it wouldn’t help,” Sui Yuesheng shrugged. Noticing Tao Fengche’s confused expression, he explained, “There’s some roadwork happening near the company, and earlier this afternoon, Assistant Zhou called to say the construction crew accidentally cut a power cable. The whole area’s without power, and though they’re working on fixing it, it’s still inconvenient. So I told Assistant Zhou to give everyone the rest of the day off, an early start to the weekend.”

Tao Fengche’s eyes slowly lit up. “So… you don’t have to work late tonight?”

“Not exactly. I still have some paperwork to go through at home, but I don’t have any meetings, so the schedule is pretty flexible.”

“So we can go out to eat?” Tao Fengche asked, his excitement growing.

“Of course, why not?” Sui Yuesheng replied.

Tao Fengche’s face broke into a wide smile.

Sui Yuesheng couldn’t quite understand why Tao Fengche was suddenly so excited. Maybe it was because after the incident with Tao Zhixing, the Tao family had been so overprotective, keeping him home all the time. Tao Fengche must’ve been desperate to get out and enjoy a meal and some fresh air.

Eating out wasn’t a big deal, and with him around, nothing would happen. After thinking it over, Sui Yuesheng nodded slightly. “If you really want to eat out, I’ll tell Uncle Xu to skip dinner prep. Is there something you’re craving?”

“No rush,” Tao Fengche replied, now calm, but still eyeing Sui Yuesheng carefully to confirm. “Just the two of us?”

He was genuinely worried Sui Yuesheng might invite Jiang Jingyun or someone else along.

“Do you want to invite Wang Yuan or other classmates?” Sui Yuesheng asked, confused by Tao Fengche’s thinking.

“No, no, no! Definitely not!” Tao Fengche quickly denied, shaking his head. “Just the two of us is perfect!”

Going out to eat with Sui Yuesheng alone—it was basically a date, if you thought about it!

Sui Yuesheng didn’t understand Tao Fengche’s inexplicable excitement, so he chose to ignore it: “I just returned to the country not long ago; going out to eat is usually just for socializing, and I’m not familiar with the area. Do you have any restaurants to recommend?”

“Let me think… Dad once took me to a private dining place before. It’s about half an hour’s drive from the school, but there’s a private room available, no reservation needed. As long as I let them know what dishes we want, we can eat pretty quickly. If you’re not too hungry, should we go there?”

“Sure,” Sui Yuesheng replied nonchalantly.

“Then I’ll message them now to start cooking.” Tao Fengche took out his phone and began texting, “Use less ginger and garlic; it’s best if it’s a bit lighter and sweeter…”

As he typed, he muttered to himself, clearly knowing Sui Yuesheng’s tastes. Sui Yuesheng glanced at the screen and noticed that the dishes he picked were almost all things he liked.

Sui Yuesheng didn’t expect Tao Fengche to remember these, but then he thought about the sweet milk that appeared on his nightstand every night before bed, and it felt only natural.

…So he only acted like he didn’t know him before, deliberately going against him?

What a petty yet sincere little rascal.

Sui Yuesheng pretended to be casual, focusing all his attention on the ice cream in his hand, but out of the corner of his eye, he kept watching Tao Fengche, his gaze filled with amusement.

What he didn’t know was that Tao Fengche was also quietly observing him.

Especially when he unconsciously extended his tongue to roll the ice cream from the edge of his lips.

Tao Fengche’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and on a whim, he added another message.

[Tao Fengche]: [Add a pot of rock candy pear soup; for the soup, just make it cooling and not too spicy; no other special requests.]