The moment their lips touched, the wandering unease that had lingered in Sui Yuesheng’s heart finally found a resting place, like a traveler lost at sea finally returning to their homeland.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Ever since he crossed the seas and arrived in Kyushu ten years ago, Sui Yuesheng had always felt out of place with his surroundings—not just because of his appearance, so different from the locals.

He was acutely aware that he was far from home, in a foreign land, but his last blood relative had long passed away. After personally burying her, there was nothing left in his homeland that he felt any attachment to.

From the moment Tao Zhixing rescued him, gave him a new name, and buried his past in that warehouse that went up in flames, Sui Yuesheng had come to accept that he was a man without a homeland.

For nearly a decade, he had been like a bird flying alone across the Pacific, tirelessly flapping its wings. But in that instant, as his lips touched Tao Fengche’s, he had finally arrived at his destination. He found the island that was his own.

He let out a long breath, finally coming to rest—how could he not feel tired? He had just been forcing himself to keep going because if he stopped, he would fall into the vast ocean. But now that he had finally reached home, it was okay to rest, and even to show a bit of vulnerability.

To Sui Yuesheng, Tao Fengche now represented all the meanings of the word “home.”

And he knew, after losing all his relatives one by one, that Tao Fengche saw him the same way.

What bond could be stronger than this?

Is there anyone who could forever turn their back on their home? Could anyone forever resist the longing for warmth and the special intimacy they craved?

Tao Fengche couldn’t. Sui Yuesheng couldn’t either.

The shackles of love bound them tightly, an eternal and special bond linking them forever.

The world outside may be dazzling and chaotic, but in the end, everyone must return home, just as leaves fall back to their roots.

No matter how strong he seemed, Sui Yuesheng was still human. The moment he decided to stop suppressing his emotions and face them head-on, he found redemption.

A soft sigh escaped his lips. He had never felt such peace of mind before.

… But that didn’t mean he was okay with Tao Fengche slipping his tongue into his mouth within five minutes of their confessions.

Sui Yuesheng pushed Tao Fengche away, wiped the corner of his mouth, and shot him a warning look.

Tao Fengche, bewildered and a bit wronged, paused for a moment before quickly recovering and leaning in for another sticky kiss.

Sui Yuesheng had no idea what to do with him.

“No tongue,” he warned.

Tao Fengche obediently nodded, like a large wild animal tamed by its master, instantly turning into a clingy and obedient puppy. Even if the most tempting food was placed before him, he would only dare to sniff it, not daring to take a bite without permission.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Sui Yuesheng’s lips. The next moment, he kissed him.

Tao Fengche couldn’t believe what just happened—Sui Yuesheng kissed him again! Voluntarily!

He almost thought he was dreaming, cautiously flicking his tongue out to lick the corner of Sui Yuesheng’s mouth while secretly reaching down to pinch his thigh hard.

The pain and the angry glare from Sui Yuesheng came simultaneously, but Tao Fengche didn’t care about the pain anymore—he was almost drowning in overwhelming joy. He quickly withdrew his tongue, looking as innocent as possible, pretending nothing had happened.

No one could understand just how excited he was at that moment.

Even after baring his heart so openly, Tao Fengche had never dared hope for a response from Sui Yuesheng.

He knew Sui Yuesheng too well, knew how stubborn and resolute he was, and never dared to expect a change of heart from a few words. In his mind, the best outcome was for Sui Yuesheng to silently tolerate him.

But now, Sui Yuesheng not only accepted his love but responded with love of his own.

The possessiveness that had long been simmering inside him was finally satisfied. Though his body was still starved from going so long without sustenance, his spirit was utterly fulfilled.

At that moment, Tao Fengche made a firm decision. All the past was now wiped away. He no longer cared about Sui Yuesheng’s missing pheromones, nor did he want to ask how many people Sui Yuesheng had kissed or how many had shared his bed.

From this moment onward, Sui Yuesheng belonged to him, just as he belonged to Sui Yuesheng—and that was enough.

Because of this, even a simple meeting of their lips, Tao Fengche kissed him with all his seriousness, as if the only thing left in the world was kissing Sui Yuesheng—he wanted this kiss to mean something special to him.

… Which is why, as an alpha with sharp senses, Tao Fengche failed to notice the sound of approaching footsteps.

This was Sui Yuesheng’s first kiss, and he felt like laughing. His ears turned red all the way to the lobes. For someone tasting love for the first time, just one kiss was enough to make his head spin. Sui Yuesheng even had the urge to reach out and embrace Tao Fengche.

He almost did, but in the next moment, he caught the sound of footsteps approaching.

Sui Yuesheng: “!”

He snapped out of it immediately, and the hand that was reaching toward Tao Fengche’s back landed on his shoulder instead.

He pushed Tao Fengche away, quickly straightening his appearance. The intimate atmosphere vanished in an instant.

Tao Fengche looked wounded, gazing up at Sui Yuesheng pitifully, not understanding what he had done wrong. If it were any other time, Sui Yuesheng wouldn’t have been able to resist those pleading eyes, and he would’ve ruffled Tao Fengche’s hair and comforted him. But now there was no time for explanations.

“Bang!”

A loud crash.

Almost at the same time, Guan Hui’s angry voice rang out: “Sui Yuesheng! Could you listen to orders before you act!”

When no response came from Sui Yuesheng’s earpiece, Guan Hui had sensed something was off, though he still held out hope—maybe it was just a signal problem?

But moments later, the report from his earpiece shattered that hope: Sui Yuesheng had agreed to the kidnapper’s demands, ordered the SWAT team to withdraw, and was now alone inside the building, confronting a gunman who had a hostage at gunpoint.

Guan Hui’s head throbbed, once again cursing his decision to take the shift today—he’d never met a hostage’s relative as unpredictable as this! Facing off against a kidnapper alone, did Sui Yuesheng think he was some kind of action movie hero?

Guan Hui had immediately wanted to send in reinforcements, but was held back by a group of Zhao Jiayang’s men with reckless disregard for their lives. He could only speed up the gunfight. As the battle drew to a close, he split his remaining SWAT team in two: one group to handle cleanup, and the other to follow him as he rushed toward the building.

By the time he kicked the door open, his heart was in his throat, fearing the worst for the hostage. But the scene that greeted him was beyond his expectations.

—The floor was covered in blood. The hostage was kneeling beside the kidnapper’s corpse, face streaked with tears. And there, sitting not far away, was the injured Sui Yuesheng, head bowed, doing who knows what.

… What was this? Mourning the kidnapper’s death?

Guan Hui was utterly confused.

The sudden appearance of a large group of people left Tao Fengche utterly dumbfounded. His tear glands, which had been diligently producing tears, were so startled they stopped working.

Though he could accept shedding tears in front of Sui Yuesheng, it didn’t mean he was okay with others seeing him cry. He quickly turned his back, wiped his tears messily, and felt so ashamed he wanted to die.

Sui Yuesheng was just as embarrassed as Tao Fengche.

He was both angry that Tao Fengche had chosen such an inappropriate moment to kiss him, and frustrated with himself for having gone along with it, nearly getting caught by others. If there had been a hole in the ground, he would have gladly crawled into it.

Still, even if he had to settle accounts with Tao Fengche, it could wait until they got home. The immediate priority was…

Sui Yuesheng cleared his throat to break the silence and casually pulled out the hairband holding his hair, pretending to adjust his hairstyle but actually using the loose strands to cover his ears, which were burning red. Then he stood up.

His face remained calm, his demeanor as steady as a still pond. “The suspect committed suicide out of guilt. The hostage is safe, and the team can withdraw.”

Guan Hui nodded without suspicion or questioning the details of the suspect’s suicide.

Sui Yuesheng was quite satisfied with this—after all, Zhao Jiayang’s situation involved a confidential matter related to the Tao family, and Guan Hui, as the leader of the rescue operation, had every reason to ask more questions. But if he had really asked, it would’ve been tricky to dodge the topic.

“I’ll put in a good word for him with the police chief later,” Sui Yuesheng thought, turning to look at Tao Fengche, only to notice that he had already stopped crying.

“Can you walk?”

Tao Fengche nodded. “I can.”

Sui Yuesheng reached out to pull him up from the ground, noticing that he stumbled slightly, likely because his blood flow was impaired from kneeling for too long. Sui Yuesheng discreetly steadied him to prevent him from falling and losing face.

Ge is so nice. Tao Fengche beamed, feeling an invisible tail wagging proudly behind him.

“What’s going on? Did you get hurt or were you beaten by the kidnappers?” Guan Hui’s concerned voice interrupted, “You’re injured. Let them help you.”

With that, Guan Hui gave a signal to his men, and a sturdy SWAT officer approached Tao Fengche, extending a hand to assist him.

Tao Fengche, whose intimate moment had been interrupted yet again, felt a vein throb on his forehead.

He silently glared at the SWAT officer, trying to intimidate him into backing off.

But the officer, unlike the Tao family’s bodyguards who were adept at reading subtle cues, didn’t get the message and even took a step closer.

Tao Fengche: “…”

He was on the verge of suffocating.

Sui Yuesheng found it amusing but couldn’t just watch Tao Fengche stubbornly resist the SWAT officers. He handed him over to the officer, casually covering up the earlier events.

“I already checked him earlier. No external injuries, and he doesn’t seem to have been beaten. He just needs proper rest.”

Guan Hui nodded, his gaze lingering briefly on Tao Fengche’s red eyes. He made a guess — it wasn’t unusual for hostages to cry after a near-death experience, but the way Tao Fengche was acting seemed a bit unusual.

He signaled for the team to withdraw and gently reassured him as they walked, “You were crying earlier, weren’t you? Don’t be afraid, it’s all over now. You’re safe.”

First Blood.

“It’s okay to let the officers help you. You’re not even an adult yet, so don’t try to tough it out.”

Double Kill.

“But you must be more careful in the future. Never go off with someone, even if it’s someone you know, without informing your family first…”

Triple Kill.

When dealing with his team, Guan Hui was the stern leader, but with the rescued hostages, he was the kind, caring officer.

Tao Fengche was suffocating and tried several times to interrupt, but failed. Out of desperation, he glanced at Sui Yuesheng for help.

Suppressing his laughter and enjoying the rare moment of mischief, Sui Yuesheng pretended not to notice Tao Fengche’s plea and walked ahead.

As Guan Hui continued his questioning, the group slowly moved further away.

At last, this long day had come to an end.