The two of them finished speaking in unison, then exchanged confused glances, both with identical looks of bewilderment.

“You don’t know?” Sui Yuesheng asked suspiciously.

“I don’t know,” Tao Fengche replied, looking completely baffled. “Zhao Jiayang moved out of the mansion to live alone a long time ago, so naturally, he stopped using the family doctor. Plus, he’s an elder; I wouldn’t ask about things like medical care unless he brought it up himself. Even if he mentioned it casually, I wouldn’t pry.”

The reason for choosing a private doctor instead of going to a public hospital was to protect one’s privacy. Investigating someone else’s doctor was a major taboo — it would be like preparing to bribe their doctor or secretly checking their medical reports to learn about their health condition.

Moreover, with a doctor in the family who had worked for them for years and had a stable relationship, who would go to an elder to inquire about their private doctor without reason?

Tao Fengche understood these unspoken rules well and would never voluntarily touch this high-voltage line.

Sui Yuesheng grasped the underlying meaning of his words, nodded slightly in understanding, but then heard Tao Fengche say, “I thought you’d know.”

Sui Yuesheng frowned, “Why would I know?”

“Because you’re the current head of the Tao family,” Tao Fengche’s gaze shifted to the jade ring on Sui Yuesheng’s thumb. “Logically, everything about the Tao family belongs to you, including the intelligence personnel in the shadows. I thought they would report this to you when you took over.”

“Why would I care about such trivial matters?” Sui Yuesheng chuckled, then retorted, “Besides, Zhao Jiayang had been planning for so long. With his personality, it’s possible he bypassed the Tao family’s informants and secretly hired a private doctor.”

“… That’s true.”

Tao Fengche pondered for a moment, finally admitting that Sui Yuesheng’s words made sense and that this option was indeed the most likely one.

But he was unwilling to see things hit a dead end: “So what now? Do we really have no choice but to call Jie Yushu and ask him for the contact details? And that’s assuming Zhao Jiayang would even tell him something like this…”

Tao Fengche looked troubled — even if Jie Yushu knew, Tao Fengche wouldn’t want to bother him unless absolutely necessary.

Jie Yushu was pregnant and had just learned of Zhao Jiayang’s death. It was no exaggeration to say that this was a sudden, massive shock. Their earlier phone call ended abruptly, and the sobs in Jie Yushu’s voice were all too apparent. He probably needed time to calm down.

Calling him at this time would seem too cold-hearted and inhumane.

Sui Yuesheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Could Uncle Xu know?”

Tao Fengche was about to dismiss the idea, but then he thought of how long Xu Song had worked for the Tao family and his near-encyclopedic knowledge of everything concerning them. Suddenly, Tao Fengche wasn’t so sure.

“Let’s go ask,” he decided.

···

“Young master, are you asking about Master… Zhao Jiayang’s private doctor?” Xu Song asked, puzzled.

Ever since learning that Zhao Jiayang had kidnapped Tao Fengche as a bargaining chip, had been suspected of murdering Tao Zhixing, and had ultimately shot himself on the spot, Xu Song had visibly aged. He hadn’t even found time to dye his growing gray roots, and his once straight back had hunched.

These events had hit him hard.

Tao Fengche noticed it all but said nothing.

— What could he even say?

Xu Song had worked for the Tao family for over 40 years, had no children, and had watched not just Tao Fengche, but also Tao Zhixing, Zhao Jiayang, and Chu Yin grow up. For him, the Tao family was almost his entire life. With such events unfolding, Xu Song surely felt as bad as Tao Fengche, if not worse.

Tao Fengche wanted to comfort him, but he himself was trapped in a dead end and couldn’t even comfort himself. How could he comfort someone else? So, in the end, he pretended not to notice Xu Song’s aging and acted as though nothing had happened.

Just like now, he pretended not to hear the “Master Zhao” that Xu Song had nearly blurted out.

How could anyone blame Xu Song for his slip of the tongue? A habit formed over decades had long been ingrained in his very being, not something that could change overnight.

Even Tao Fengche, when thinking of Zhao Jiayang, would sometimes unconsciously call him “Uncle.”

For a while, the entire Tao family had tacitly avoided talking about Zhao Jiayang, as though these horrifying events had never happened. Today, with everything being discussed so formally, it felt strange not just for Tao Fengche but even for Sui Yuesheng.

He lowered his eyes, hiding his emotions while also suppressing the urge to speak on Tao Fengche’s behalf, silently listening to what he had to say: “Yes, I need to ask him about something.”

In the end, Tao Fengche couldn’t bring himself to mention the possible existence of Zhao Jiayang’s child.

Xu Song was somewhat puzzled but didn’t ask further. After a moment of reflection, he nodded and provided an answer.

“I do know. The doctor’s surname is Wu, he’s an alpha, and he should be quite old by now. Years ago, he worked at a private hospital that the family had invested in. Later, he left to start his own clinic. Zhao Jiayang was quite sentimental and, to my knowledge, he never changed his private doctor.”

“I’ll send you his contact information in a moment,” Xu Song added.

Xu Song really knew!

Tao Fengche’s heart lifted, and he exchanged a glance with Sui Yuesheng, both of them showing their joy. After thanking Xu Song, they headed together to the study on the third floor. Tao Fengche trailed behind Sui Yuesheng, closing and locking the door before glancing at the wall clock.

— Just after 4 p.m., perfect timing.

He leaned against the desk, glanced at Sui Yuesheng sitting upright in a chair, closed his eyes to take a deep breath, and drank some water to wet his throat.

“That’s my cup,” Sui Yuesheng said suddenly.

“Hmm?” Tao Fengche shrugged nonchalantly, raised the porcelain cup, and drained it with a wink at Sui Yuesheng. “It’s gone now, all empty.”

… He knew that wasn’t what Sui Yuesheng meant!

Sui Yuesheng, annoyed, was about to get even with the mischievous youngster when Tao Fengche, with a grin, refilled the cup with tea and set it in front of him. “Don’t be mad, don’t be mad, just kidding. Here, have some tea, Ge.”

“…”

Sui Yuesheng glared at him but drank the tea nonetheless.

Tao Fengche silently breathed a sigh of relief. After goofing around with Sui Yuesheng for a bit, the tension and anxiety in his heart seemed to ease. He closed his eyes briefly, finally pulled out his phone, and dialed the number.

The steady ringing echoed through the quiet study, each tone hammering into Tao Fengche’s heart. Just before his patience ran out, an old voice finally answered.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Good afternoon, Dr. Wu. My name is Tao Fengche. I’m calling to ask about Zhao Jiayang.”

“Zhao Jiayang? I don’t know anyone by that name. Did you dial the wrong number?”

“Dr. Wu, don’t play dumb. You’re not a very good actor. You used to work at a private hospital the Tao family invested in before you left to open your own clinic. All these years, Zhao Jiayang has been your client,” Tao Fengche said confidently.

After a long silence, Dr. Wu finally asked, “And you said you are…?”

“My surname is Tao. Zhao Jiayang is my uncle.”

“Ah, I see.” Dr. Wu suddenly laughed warmly, his voice becoming more kind. “You know, as people get older, we tend to forget things. You’re Master Tao’s child, aren’t you? I even held you when you were born.”

“I heard about your father… My condolences.” The old man sighed.

Tao Fengche suddenly pressed his lips together, his lips turning slightly pale from the pressure, and his eyes darkened. As Sui Yuesheng was about to hold his hand, the left side of Tao Fengche’s cheek abruptly bulged.

— He was pressing his tongue against his cheek.

For some time now, Tao Fengche had been putting on a well-behaved act in front of Sui Yuesheng, like a large beast that had voluntarily retracted its sharp claws and teeth, gently tapping people with its soft, padded paws. This slightly fierce gesture was something Sui Yuesheng hadn’t seen from him in a while.

…Maybe he didn’t need the extra effort of comforting him after all. Sui Yuesheng thought for a moment and discreetly withdrew his hand.

He wasn’t mistaken. The next second, Tao Fengche spoke as usual, his voice dropping by eight degrees, the sorrow and nostalgia in his tone perfectly conveyed: “Thank you, but it’s all in the past now.”

“Yes, yes.” Dr. Wu smiled and quickly changed the subject. “Actually, back then…”

Perhaps it was due to his age, but Dr. Wu had developed a fondness for reminiscing, endlessly recounting stories from years past. From his tone and choice of words, it seemed like he had a deep connection with the Tao family.

But Tao Fengche was sure of one thing: until today, he had never heard of this Dr. Wu, and the family’s private doctors had nothing to do with him. If Xu Song hadn’t given him the number, Tao Fengche would have suspected this man was trying to use the opportunity to cozy up to the Tao family.

He patiently accompanied Dr. Wu through a long conversation, enduring it as much as possible. But eventually, he couldn’t hold back any longer and brought the topic back to the main point, saying he wanted to inquire about something.

“Why are you, a young man, prying into the affairs of your elders?” Dr. Wu laughed, his tone affectionate, like an old rascal.

Tao Fengche loathed people who put on airs as elders in front of him. His voice dropped: “Dr. Wu, stop beating around the bush. I really have something important to ask.”

“Sigh.” Seeing that he couldn’t evade the issue any longer, Dr. Wu stopped playing dumb and sighed before getting serious. “Young Master Tao, you must understand that as doctors, we absolutely cannot disclose a patient’s condition. It’s a matter of professional ethics. If I told you today, I’d be out of work in Jingpu tomorrow. Please have some understanding for this old man…”

Tao Fengche’s dwindling patience finally ran out. He could no longer stand playing verbal games with this old fox and was about to threaten him by saying he’d report him for falsifying medical records. But just then, Sui Yuesheng suddenly grabbed his hand.

Then he pulled out a piece of paper from the table, quickly scribbled a few words on it—Try playing the emotional card.

—Will it work?

Tao Fengche mouthed the words, suppressing his frustration.

—Just try.

The exchange happened in a split second. Though Tao Fengche was a bit skeptical, he still decided to follow Sui Yuesheng’s advice. If it didn’t work, he could always switch to his own approach.

“Dr. Wu, what are you saying? I… I just want to ask.” Tao Fengche deliberately stammered and coughed softly, as if he had something difficult to confess. “How about this? Since you’re my uncle’s private doctor, I won’t hide anything from you. I’ll be upfront, and you don’t have to say much. I’ll just ask one question, and you only need to answer yes or no.”

“My uncle has a lover who’s been out of contact for a while, but today, that person called me directly, asking me to relay a message. But how can a junior like me interfere in the affairs of my elders? I was going to brush him off, but then he told me he was pregnant and that the baby was my uncle’s. My uncle had once shown me his medical report, which stated ‘non-obstructive azoospermia.’ I looked it up online and found that this condition is completely incurable.”

“So my first reaction was that the person was lying, but he adamantly denied it. I asked him about the medical report, but he said he didn’t know either, except that you were the one who gave it to my uncle. Isn’t that a contradiction? I just couldn’t figure it out, so I called to ask you for clarification. If he’s lying, then I won’t bother my uncle with it.”

“I see.” Dr. Wu fell silent for a while, then acted as if he suddenly understood. “So, Young Master Tao, you’re asking about this.”

“Yes… is my uncle’s azoospermia real or fake?”

Another long silence followed.

When Dr. Wu finally spoke again, he didn’t beat around the bush and gave a straightforward answer: “Fake.”

Just as expected!

Tao Fengche’s heart skipped a beat, and he clenched his teeth. But Dr. Wu wasn’t finished speaking.

“But, you see, Mr. Zhao indeed has no sperm, but that doesn’t mean there’s absolutely no possibility of a pregnancy…”