The sudden kiss was so light, like the touch of a newborn feather brushing across the corner of his lips. It brought only a faint tickle, and because Sui Yuesheng immediately pulled away, it ended almost as soon as it began. Someone slightly less sensitive might not even have noticed it.

Yet, Sui Yuesheng’s ears instantly turned red.

Shocked and furious, his gray-blue eyes seemed to have gone through a storm as he glared at Tao Fengche, almost scorched by the burning fire in the young alpha’s gaze.

In this world, everything has a balance. Fire may be subdued by water, but here it showed no sign of being extinguished, instead growing more intense. Instinctively, Sui Yuesheng avoided eye contact but forced himself to look back at Tao Fengche a moment later.

Had Tao Fengche lost his mind? Or was he so shaken by Zhao Jiayang’s death that he had become unhinged? How dare he kiss him! What courage had he mustered to pull such a bold stunt?

Sui Yuesheng couldn’t understand what Tao Fengche was thinking, but that didn’t stop him from feeling furious.

He took a deep breath, forcing down his embarrassment. His face darkened, intending to scold Tao Fengche for his momentary lapse in sanity, to tell him to reflect on his actions, and make it clear that this must never happen again.

Sui Yuesheng’s temper was well known—he was harsh and unyielding, and when his face showed signs of brewing anger, he became particularly intimidating. Even Assistant Zhou, one of his closest confidants, would hold back when Sui Yuesheng looked like this, and normally Tao Fengche would be more restrained too.

But this time, Sui Yuesheng’s silent intimidation didn’t work.

Before he could voice his well-rehearsed scolding, Tao Fengche suddenly reached out and tightly grabbed his left wrist, not allowing him to leave.

There was no gentleness in his grip; it was as if a drowning man was clinging desperately to his last piece of driftwood, unwilling to let go. Sui Yuesheng felt a sharp pain and frowned at Tao Fengche, realizing the stubbornness in his eyes. The previous hesitation had been entirely replaced by a strange sense of resolve.

For a brief moment, an unsettling feeling crept into Sui Yuesheng. He had a sense that today’s situation would not be easily dismissed.

He tried to twist his wrist out of Tao Fengche’s grasp, but as expected, he couldn’t break free. With his right hand injured, and unable to treat Tao Fengche as an enemy, Sui Yuesheng could only comply, staying put due to Tao Fengche’s emotional fragility after his recent trauma.

Still, he tilted his head back slightly to avoid another unexpected kiss.

“Ge, when Zhao Jiayang called you last night, I was actually awake,” Tao Fengche suddenly spoke. “Why did you hide my photo in the frame?”

Sui Yuesheng said nothing, avoiding Tao Fengche’s probing gaze.

Tao Fengche didn’t seem to mind, continuing on his own: “Later, I thought about it, and the only thing that made sense was the photo frame on your bedside table. It disappeared after I went into your room last time.”

“I remember I wanted to look at it, but you rushed out of the bathroom and sternly told me to put it down,” Tao Fengche’s eyes became distant, as if sifting through old memories. After a moment, he spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty and nervousness, mixed with hope, “So… you like me too, right?”

Tears still streamed down his face, but he chose to use the word “too,” not giving Sui Yuesheng any chance to evade the truth.

For the first time, he faced his feelings openly in front of Sui Yuesheng, and at the same time, he forced Sui Yuesheng to confront them as well.

From the moment Zhao Jiayang had abruptly ended their call, Sui Yuesheng knew there was a chance Tao Fengche had overheard their conversation, and he might even figure out the truth about the photo frame. He had been prepared to deny everything or dismiss it as simple familial affection, planning to brush off the situation with vague words.

But he hadn’t expected Tao Fengche to speak up now, and in this way.

Sui Yuesheng pursed his lips, intending to follow his original plan, but suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

His mind was in chaos, as if a tangle of red threads, played with by a cat’s paws, prevented him from thinking clearly. He had to take a deep breath, struggling to calm himself down.

He was an adult, older than Tao Fengche, and couldn’t let things spiral out of control.

Tao Fengche was still too young. Having just lost his father, it was natural for him to confuse familial attachment with romantic desire, perhaps even driven by a bit of possessiveness towards his brother. Sui Yuesheng understood this.

Just as he understood the true nature of his own feelings for Tao Fengche—

The lines between familial love and romantic love were blurred, tangled with the gratitude of being saved from the abyss and the inescapable sense of responsibility. Everything was mixed together in a confusing mess, to the point where even Sui Yuesheng sometimes didn’t understand what it all meant.

He never had high hopes for love, but if he had to choose one Alpha to spend his life with, it would only be Tao Fengche. This was why he had understood and silently agreed to Tao Zhixing’s implied message years ago.

But what if they got together and one day Tao Fengche regretted it, or they broke up? What then?

Sui Yuesheng had seen too many lovers turn into enemies, eventually parting ways forever.

He didn’t want to reach that point with Tao Fengche.

As long as they didn’t clarify things, as long as they didn’t get together, they could still remain family. Blood ties would always bind them, no matter how many disagreements arose; they would still be family under the same roof.

He wasn’t sure if he would regret it in the future, but for now, he couldn’t risk losing Tao Fengche.

His very existence had been saved because he could accompany Tao Fengche, and he had been raised as Tao Fengche’s fallback plan. That was his purpose, his value.

Sui Yuesheng took a deep breath, ready to put an end to this conversation.

Sensing that Sui Yuesheng’s response was going to be far from what he hoped for, Tao Fengche, unwilling to give up, suddenly spoke again, trying one last time.

“Ge.”

After a brief moment, he changed his address.

“Sui Yuesheng.”

“Uncle became like this because of Aunt’s death.” Tao Fengche was silent for a moment, suppressing a sob in his throat, his tone filled with despair. “I know you’re also taking medicine.”

“I don’t know what side effects the medicine you’re taking might have, nor what kind of damage it will do to your body. I don’t even know if it will affect your lifespan. A few months ago, I realized that I liked you, but at the time, I was afraid you’d reject me, afraid you’d be troubled, and afraid you’d think I wasn’t mature enough, not worthy to stand by your side. So I never said anything.”

Tao Fengche sniffled, his right hand still firmly gripping Sui Yuesheng’s wrist, not letting go. He then used the sleeve of his left hand to messily wipe his tears and continued speaking.

“But after hearing that phone call and after everything that’s happened, I don’t want to wait anymore. I don’t want to lose you, and I don’t want to waste time. I don’t want to wait until the day I lose you to regret that I never told you I liked you.”

Even for Tao Fengche, the next words were hard to say. He took a deep breath amidst sobs.

For reasons unknown, Sui Yuesheng didn’t interrupt him, only silently watching him, waiting for him to finish. However, he subconsciously avoided Tao Fengche’s overly intense gaze, focusing instead on the tip of his nose.

“I want you to know that I like you,” Tao Fengche said slowly.

Although Sui Yuesheng had mentally prepared himself when Tao Fengche started speaking, hearing those words still gave him a feeling of finality, like dust settling.

His emotions were complicated—there was helplessness, bitterness, and a sense of loss.

His ears were burning hot as if they were about to catch fire, but Sui Yuesheng forced himself to stay calm. “Xiao Che, you’re still too young.”

Enduring the pain, he raised his injured right hand and lightly patted Tao Fengche’s head. He knew what he was about to say would be cruel, but he had no choice. “A lot has happened recently. You’ve just accidentally confused the boundaries between familial love and romantic love…”

He rarely took on such a gentle elder demeanor, and the fact that he was doing so now, to bury his own feelings, felt like dark humor. It was as if his soul had left his body, floating above, watching as his physical self delivered the carefully prepared lines in the calmest and cruelest tone.

A flash of hurt crossed Tao Fengche’s face. He wiped at the corners of his eyes again with his sleeve, refusing Sui Yuesheng’s hand, which had been raised to help him.

“And what about you? Sui Yuesheng. You say I’ve blurred the lines, that I’m just confused, but what kind of feelings do you have for me?” Tao Fengche looked up again, aggressive. “It’s normal for a brother to put his brother’s photo on his desk, but what kind of brother hides his brother’s picture behind another photo?”

“I may be younger than you, but I’m not so foolish that I don’t understand my own heart. When I say I like you, I mean I like you as a lover. I want to wake up every morning and see you next to me on the pillow, then kiss you. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up with you.”

Tao Fengche spoke faster, the straightforward and sincere words flowing from his lips without hesitation. He finally defined his feelings: “It’s love.”

“I love you.”

He leaned in again, slowly, his voice growing softer, almost a whisper, but both of them could hear it clearly.

“I respect your thoughts, your concerns, and your choices. You can reject me, or you can push me away right now…” The longing and hope in Tao Fengche’s voice were unmistakable, but even through his tears, he pleaded, “But can we not miss this chance?”

He bared his heart, raw and bleeding, placing it before Sui Yuesheng in a near-desperate offering, forcing Sui Yuesheng to confront it, to respond.

Sui Yuesheng was almost driven to tears by him.

Taking a deep breath, he tried once more to adopt that kind, elder stance to reject him. Tao Fengche was someone who cared deeply about saving face. If he was pushed away now, there would never be another chance, and they could maintain a brotherly relationship for life.

This was what Sui Yuesheng had always wanted, and now it was about to come true—but he felt no joy.

His hands, which he wanted to use to push Tao Fengche away, seemed shackled, weighed down as if by the weight of the entire world; his tongue, once sharp enough to render opponents speechless in meetings, refused to cooperate, unable to utter the words of refusal; even his well-trained body, so responsive and agile, rebelled against his brain and reason, forcing him to face his own heart.

He silently gazed at Tao Fengche, quietly meeting his eyes.

Tao Fengche had been kidnapped for two days, and he looked utterly miserable. He was still crying, tears slipping from his lashes, which were now wet and drooping under the weight of the moisture.

Yet even in such a state, his eyes remained astonishingly bright, with a flame that had not been extinguished—like Prometheus’s stolen fire from the heavens.

…This spoiled, stubborn brat.

Under that gaze, so intense it seemed it might ignite him as well, Sui Yuesheng let out a heavy sigh, as though trying to expel not just the stale air from his lungs but also the last remnants of his reason.

He gave in.

Sui Yuesheng didn’t reject Tao Fengche’s kiss this time, nor did he avoid it. For that final centimeter between them, he leaned in.

At the moment he felt the soft warmth of lips against his own, Sui Yuesheng closed his eyes.

It tasted salty.