Just past 2 AM, Tao Fengche arrived at the private hospital his family had long partnered with, accompanied by Xu Song.

The patient’s identity was special, so the entire floor where the operating room was located had been cleared. Bodyguards brought from Tao Fengche’s home guarded all entry and exit points, with two standing on either side of him like door gods.

Tao Fengche sat on a plastic stool outside the operating room, directly facing its door. Every time he looked up, he saw the screen displaying “In Surgery.”

From the moment he heard from Xu Song that his father had been in a car accident, his soul felt as though it had been floating in midair. He numbly instructed Xu Song to block information, inquire about the specific situation, and then rush to the hospital with the bodyguards—all were subconscious reactions, but fortunately, nothing went wrong.

It wasn’t until he truly sat at the door of the operating room that Tao Fengche’s soul returned to his body. He finally felt a sense of reality about the series of events that had just occurred.

—It was actually true, the old man had been in a car accident on his way home and was now in the operating room, his life hanging by a thread.

Tao Fengche almost wanted to break down and cry, but reality left no room for weakness.

The entire incident reeked of suspicion.

He was born on Christmas Eve, but it was far from peaceful. His mother, a small female omega, died in childbirth, which greatly impacted his father. His mother came from an orphanage, and his grandmother had always been displeased with her background, leading to an unhappy relationship. After his mother’s death, Tao’s father, despite his own mother’s objections, did not bury his wife in the Tao family ancestral tomb but insisted on burying her in a private cemetery by the mountains and waters in Jingpu.

Tao Zhixing had deep feelings for his late wife and visited her grave every month on the 24th without fail. Few knew of this habit, and even fewer knew the exact location of the cemetery and his vehicle route—only the closest people.

The private cemetery was built on a man-made island, very secluded, with restricted vehicle access around it. Tao Zhixing’s daily car was a bulletproof version of the Kevlar Shield, equipped with a safety armor system that could withstand shotgun armor-piercing rounds—a mobile safe fortress, to say the least.

Logically, no matter what vehicle hit it, it would suffer the loss, not to mention Tao Zhixing’s personal bodyguard was also in the car.

When Tao Fengche left home, he called the chief of police in Jingpu. The chief, an old acquaintance of his father, agreed to do him a favor. In less than five minutes, Tao Fengche received high-resolution images from the accident scene.

At the moment he opened the pictures, his eyelids twitched.

The vehicle that collided with the bulletproof Kevlar Shield was a 100-ton heavy-duty semi-truck. Given the collision with such a vehicle, Tao Zhixing still having a chance to be rushed into surgery was already a stroke of good fortune.

The police chief also sent a surveillance video, which Tao Fengche watched without blinking, finding it consistent with the last words of the bodyguard who had barely managed to get Tao Zhixing to the hospital before dying: Tao Zhixing had uncharacteristically stayed late at the cemetery. Just as the vehicle left the island and was about to enter the ring road, a heavy truck charged out of a curve, directly crashing into Tao Zhixing’s car.

Although the bodyguard timely shot the truck driver dead, the truck still collided by inertia. The Tao family’s driver made a hard turn to reverse, and another bodyguard threw himself in front of Tao Zhixing as a human shield, barely keeping him alive.

According to Jingpu’s traffic laws, heavy trucks were only allowed to operate in the city from midnight to 7 AM. But the incident happened at 12:14 AM, as if the truck driver was specifically waiting for Tao Zhixing.

Piecing together all the clues, Tao Fengche didn’t believe this was a mere accident.

To him, it was a premeditated assassination targeting Tao Zhixing.

Recently, Tao Zhixing had been coming and going early and late, and the number of bodyguards at home had doubled, creating a tense atmosphere. Tao Fengche had vaguely sensed the possibility of a traitor, but such things had happened before, and Tao Zhixing had always handled them well, so he didn’t give it much thought.

But this brutal car accident, with its bloody lesson, told Tao Fengche that both he and his father had underestimated the enemy.

This time, the traitor was definitely not one of the minor underlings.

Who could it be? Who knew Tao Zhixing would visit the cemetery and knew the exact route of his vehicle?

…Could it be him?

Tao Fengche was reluctant to suspect that person, but at this moment, besides him and the butler, everyone else was a suspect.

He was silent for a long time, turning the gun in his hand over and over, finally speaking in a hoarse voice, “Where is Uncle?”

In the Tao family, “Uncle” was a specific term referring to Zhao Jiayang, Tao Zhixing’s childhood friend and sworn brother, with whom he shared a life-and-death bond.

Publicly, Zhao Jiayang held a nominal position in the company; secretly, he was the true “second in command.” With Tao Zhixing in trouble, besides Tao Fengche, Zhao Jiayang was the biggest beneficiary.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tao Fengche pursed his lips tightly. To him, just suspecting Zhao Jiayang of attempting to murder Tao Zhixing was already an extremely painful thing.

Xu Song said, “I just called, a young man answered. His voice sounded somewhat ambiguous; he said… Uncle Zhao is taking a bath.”

Tao Fengche thought for a moment, “Did you hear any water sounds?”

“Yes.”

Tao Fengche understood, subconsciously curling his lips.

In fact, Tao Zhixing had two childhood friends. Besides Zhao Jiayang, who was also an alpha, there was Chu Yin, a very gentle male omega, whom Tao Fengche called “Aunt.” The three grew up together, and after Zhao Jiayang and Chu Yin got married, though childless, they were famously loving in their circle—a model couple.

But that was once upon a time.

Chu Yin had always been in poor health, but two years ago, he suddenly died without any warning, catching everyone off guard. Since then, Zhao Jiayang had behaved quite out of character, extravagantly buying properties in the city to house his lovers, all of whom were without exception young and delicate omegas. His debauchery was shocking, as if Chu Yin, his beloved, had never existed.

There were endless discussions about this on the streets. Some said that Zhao Jiayang, being an alpha, was inherently wild and unrestrained. Others lamented that Chu Yin had died too early. There were even conspiracy theories suggesting that Chu Yin was killed by Zhao Jiayang because he had never had children.

As a junior, Tao Fengche did not feel it appropriate to comment on his elders’ private matters, but he had met several of Zhao Jiayang’s lovers, and without exception, they all bore a subtle resemblance to Chu Yin, which made it even more difficult for him to speak out.

Thinking about it this way, Zhao Jiayang and his old man were truly kindred spirits, just that the old man mourned his late wife by remaining celibate and never remarrying, living like a monk; while his uncle mourned his omega by constantly seeking out people who bore some slight resemblance to him, as if trying to piece together a semblance of “Chu Yin” this way.

Tao Fengche involuntarily sighed, “Call again and have my uncle come over.”

Regardless of whether the old man could get through this or not, Zhao Jiayang should be here, both emotionally and logically.

Xu Song nodded, stepped aside, and made the call.

Tao Fengche reached out and rubbed his brow hard.

Just then, the elevator doors slowly opened, and he glanced over. Two nurses came in, carrying a large box of mineral water. The bodyguards were on alert, but Tao Fengche discreetly waved his hand, signaling them to stay calm.

The private hospital had excellent service; they were just delivering water, no need to be so nervous.