“I’ve been trying to find system loopholes to sneak in and retrieve data, right? But it’s too inefficient, and we don’t have time. When you told me that this account was our last clue, I thought of a new approach.”

Wang Yuan beamed with pride, clearly pleased with his idea and skills. “I’m currently busy coding. Once I finish writing the program, I’ll grab a few ‘zombie computers’ and use them to attack the server’s weak defense points. As long as we manage to hack into the system, finding the user data will be a piece of cake.”

Tao Fengche, though unfamiliar with the technical details, could sense the difficulty and danger of such a move from Wang Yuan’s explanation.

His heart raced, and he interrupted Wang Yuan’s excitement, “But if you do that, wouldn’t it be full-blown hacking?”

Wang Yuan was silent for a moment before admitting the truth, “Actually… even what I was doing before could be considered hacking.”

Tao Fengche: “…”

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Something seemed to block his chest. He wanted to urge Wang Yuan not to do something so dangerous. If caught by the cybersecurity department, the consequences would be unimaginable. But he also urgently needed to know the account recipient’s name, and right now, he didn’t know who else he could rely on besides Wang Yuan.

Ever since he had been practically confined to his home by bodyguards last weekend, Tao Fengche had started questioning the people around him.

Their loyalty was unquestionable, but now, their allegiance was no longer to him.

And if he couldn’t trust the bodyguards, then he could trust Tao Zhixing’s former subordinates even less.

Moreover, he knew that the account issue was urgent, and Wang Yuan’s method was indeed the best option.

He remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, “Alright, but be very careful. Once you get the information, get out. Don’t linger in their system, and don’t forget to cover your tracks…”

This wasn’t just Tao Fengche being overly worried.

Back in high school, Wang Yuan once had a forum argument with someone. After hours of back-and-forth, he finally managed to hack into the opponent’s system. In his excitement, he ended up deleting several AV files stored on the person’s computer. He almost didn’t clean up his traces in time and nearly got caught.

In contrast to Tao Fengche’s tension, Wang Yuan seemed carefree. “Don’t worry, I’ve set up several proxies. First of all, cross-border law enforcement is a hassle. Even if they do investigate, they’ll eventually find that my IP address is located on an iceberg in the Northern Hemisphere—blame the polar bears, not me.”

As he spoke, Wang Yuan imagined a polar bear sitting seriously on an ice sheet, typing on a computer, with a killer whale beside it carrying a signal tower on its head. He couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Tao Fengche, confused, asked, “What are you laughing about?”

Wang Yuan shook his head, stifling his laughter, “Just thought of something funny, suddenly…”

“Alright, then.” Tao Fengche sighed silently, not intending to explore Wang Yuan’s wild imagination. He instead asked another pressing question, “I asked Feng Hui this morning, and she said it was your dad who excused you from school? How did you convince him?”

Knowing Wang Yuan’s intelligence and typical behavior, Tao Fengche was honestly concerned that Wang Yuan might have gone to extreme lengths, like taking a cold shower for an hour to make himself sick and convince his stone-hearted father.

Wang Yuan cleared his throat, sounding a bit embarrassed, “Actually, at first, I thought about faking sickness or making myself a little sick…”

Tao Fengche nearly blacked out.

“But,” Wang Yuan continued, coughing, “there’s a twist. Right after I finished talking to you and was about to put my plan into action, my dad walked in and asked why I wasn’t at school yet. My computer was still on, and I couldn’t think of another excuse quickly, so I told the truth—that I was helping you look into something. When he asked what, I said it had to do with your family’s company. He didn’t press further but told me not to mention it to anyone else and asked how long I would need.”

“Without thinking, I said maybe a few days and asked for some time off, adding that you’d help me catch up on what I missed. He thought for a while and, surprisingly, agreed.” Wang Yuan scratched his head, then added, “Oh, by the way, Tao Ge, you will help me catch up, right?”

“Of course.” Tao Fengche’s emotions were complicated, and he repeated, “Of course.”

“Good, I was worried about explaining it to him later.” Wang Yuan, oblivious to the deeper meaning behind Tao Fengche’s words, continued chatting, “Man, why was he so easy to convince this time? I didn’t expect him to agree…”

With Wang Yuan’s chatter in his ears, Tao Fengche didn’t know how to respond. He simply cleared his throat and changed the subject, “I think I heard you yawning a few times? Did you just wake up?”

Wang Yuan was shocked. “Wow, I thought I was being quiet! You actually heard that?”

Tao Fengche didn’t mention that he had also heard the hum of his computer fans.

“No, you seemed in a hurry, so I thought I’d finish coding before sleeping. But I didn’t realize the workload would be this heavy. I’ve been working on it all night and still haven’t finished. I’ll take a nap once I’m done, so don’t worry.”

Wang Yuan’s voice was as carefree as ever, as if the task was no big deal. But hearing this, a wave of emotion surged through Tao Fengche.

He wanted to express his gratitude, but after thinking about it for a long time, everything he could say felt inadequate. After all, they had been friends for so long that they weren’t used to overly emotional conversations. After a long pause, he finally joked, “Just don’t overdo it and drop dead. I really don’t want to attend another funeral this year.”

“Relax, man.” Wang Yuan’s voice was muffled as he chewed on a piece of chocolate. “I haven’t played enough games or dated an omega yet. If I die, I’ll crawl out of my grave.”

“Get lost.” Tao Fengche couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.”

“Actually, there is.” Wang Yuan’s tone turned serious. “Our chef took time off for a funeral, so the maid’s been cooking, and man, the food is on par with pig slop. I was just about to order takeout when you called, so…”

Wang Yuan trailed off, letting out a couple of sly chuckles, the implication clear.

Tao Fengche smirked, “Fine, wait for your meal.”

True to his word, after hanging up, Tao Fengche thought for a moment and contacted a nearby private restaurant, arranging for a meal to be delivered to Wang Yuan. After paying, he rubbed his temples and sighed, exhausted but smiling.

—Though the road ahead was tough, at least he had friends to support him, and he wasn’t walking it alone.

That was enough. He was already satisfied.

Meanwhile, Wang Yuan hung up, feeling satisfied and eagerly awaiting lunch.

He mentally listed several dishes he wanted, hoping that Tao Fengche would somehow pick up on his telepathic wishes. He then grabbed a half-finished energy drink from the table, chugged it, and tossed the can into the trash bin with a basketball-like motion.

The can arced through the air, colliding with several other empty cans in the bin, creating a crisp sound.

“Nice shot!” he muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes before placing his hands back on the keyboard and diving once more into the sea of data.

…

After school, Tao Fengche got into the Maybach waiting at the school gate, unsurprised to see the three familiar bodyguards.

—One sat in the front passenger seat, the other two in the middle row, sitting exactly as they had been that morning, their eyes locked on him.

Tao Fengche scoffed inwardly, saying nothing, his expression unchanged. He raised the soundproof glass between the front and back seats, turning it opaque, then put on his headphones and closed his eyes to rest.

His dissatisfaction was almost palpable. The two bodyguards exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison, both smiling bitterly.

The journey continued in silence. When the clock’s hands pointed between “6” and “7,” the car finally stopped at the entrance of the main house.

As usual, Tao Fengche handed his school bag to the servant waiting at the door, changed his shoes, and headed to the dining room. The food hadn’t been served yet, but two sets of tableware were already laid out on the table.

He tilted his head and looked at Xu Song, raising his eyebrows slightly in inquiry.

Xu Song nodded subtly, confirming Tao Fengche’s guess: “Young Master Sui will be back for dinner today. He’s already on his way.”

Tao Fengche nodded. “Then let’s wait. Inform the kitchen not to serve the food yet.”

His order was quickly passed down. Xu Song looked at Tao Fengche with a heart full of relief—Young Master had truly grown up and become sensible. Although he didn’t like being followed by bodyguards, he understood it was for his own good and didn’t throw a tantrum…

Little did Xu Song know, the real thoughts in Tao Fengche’s mind were the complete opposite of what Xu Song, with his rose-colored glasses, imagined.

Sitting in the chair, Tao Fengche mindlessly scrolled through his social feed, not actually reading anything. His mind was filled with various thoughts.

After a long period of deliberation, he finally made up his mind—when Sui Yuesheng returned, he would pretend nothing had happened, making sure his reactions were no different from previous weeks.

If Sui Yuesheng was behind everything, this was the best way to ensure his own safety.

He couldn’t let Sui Yuesheng realize that he had discovered anything.

Tao Fengche had heard too many stories of power struggles within large families—only those who seemed foolish and harmless could survive. He had no desire to be labeled as mentally unstable and then sent off to some remote island’s sanatorium to “recover.”

And if Sui Yuesheng wasn’t behind it, and all of this was just his own speculation, he needed to show no signs of suspicion.

It had taken Tao Fengche long enough to realize his feelings for Sui Yuesheng, and their relationship had evolved from the rivalry of when Sui Yuesheng first returned to a more amicable brotherhood. If he showed any signs of resistance or said something hurtful, wounding Sui Yuesheng again…

Then he might as well give up on ever winning over Sui Yuesheng.

The idea of “pursuing Sui Yuesheng, dating him, and marrying him” was already a long shot, and now it was difficult enough. Tao Fengche had no intention of making things harder by turning it into an impossible mission.

Tao Fengche didn’t have to wait long on an empty stomach; at most, it was only about fifteen minutes before Sui Yuesheng arrived.

The weather forecast had predicted a cold front in the next few days, and Jingpu was experiencing a noticeable drop in temperature. Tao Fengche was already wearing his school jacket, while Sui Yuesheng was dressed in a black trench coat that reached his knees.

He took large strides, almost like the wind, from the porch to the dining room, only stopping when he saw Tao Fengche.

The servant chasing after Sui Yuesheng to take his coat sighed in relief, stepping forward to help him remove the trench coat and taking the cufflinks he had undone, before sending them both to the cloakroom.

Sui Yuesheng stood still, rolling up his sleeves, his gaze fixed on Tao Fengche the entire time. Only when he was sure Tao Fengche was safe did he finally relax.

As Sui Yuesheng looked at Tao Fengche, Tao Fengche also looked at him.

Sui Yuesheng looked the same as a few days ago, with the same mesmerizing face, impeccably dressed, and not a hair out of place. But one glance, and Tao Fengche knew he hadn’t been sleeping well.

—There was a faint trace of exhaustion in Sui Yuesheng’s expression.

The more you say, the more mistakes you make. Tao Fengche kept warning himself to stay silent, not to meddle, and not to give anything away. But sometimes, the body acts faster than the brain.

He blurted out, “You haven’t been sleeping well these past two days, have you?”

Damn it.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tao Fengche realized something was wrong.

He hadn’t even greeted Sui Yuesheng yet, and using that as an opener was too abrupt, and his tone was too harsh.

If Sui Yuesheng didn’t sense something off, he wouldn’t be Sui Yuesheng.

Tao Fengche was filled with regret and was about to say something to fix it, but Sui Yuesheng naturally picked up the conversation.

With a slight smile on his lips, he nodded and sat at the table, his tone full of teasing: “Yeah, after all, being away from home, there’s no Xiao Che to warm up my milk.”