Fate truly plays tricks on people. Jiang Jingyun sighed silently in his heart.

Unaware of the entanglements between Sui Yuesheng and Tao Fengche, Jiang Jingyun assumed Sui Yuesheng was fully prepared and confident. Still, he couldn’t help but worry.

Having known Sui Yuesheng for many years, Jiang knew that although his junior brother was a natural genius, he had never really interacted with teenage alphas. He was genuinely worried that Sui Yuesheng might mess things up.

Moreover, despite Sui Yuesheng’s cold and beautiful appearance, his temperament didn’t match his looks. In recent years, he had mellowed somewhat, but two years ago, he was like a walking volcano on the brink of eruption.

Jiang Jingyun still clearly remembered when Sui Yuesheng had just entered university. His face attracted countless admirers. An alpha, lusting after him and mistaking him for a beta, thought he was an easy target since betas didn’t have the same protections as omegas. This alpha, driven by lust, cornered him in the school cafeteria.

It was lunchtime, and there were many people around, yet no one intervened. Jiang Jingyun, who was getting his food, saw the situation and immediately ran to help. However, before he could reach them, Sui Yuesheng had already knocked the much larger Alpha to the ground and beaten him badly.

The incident caused quite a stir, and Sui Yuesheng became famous overnight.

Even now, Jiang Jingyun felt a twinge of pain remembering the Alpha hobbling away, clutching his crotch.

Jiang Jingyun feared Sui Yuesheng might lose his temper and clash with the young master of the Tao family, resulting in mutual harm and a frozen relationship.

After careful consideration, he tried to advise, “As long as you know what you’re doing. But remember, he’s a teenage alpha, different from you betas. Sometimes they can be impulsive under the influence of hormones. Try to keep your temper in check. Kids need to be taught 

Sui Yuesheng fell silent.

Jiang Jingyun’s words had too many flaws for him to know where to start refuting them.

Firstly, who was he calling a “you betas”? He was clearly a genuine omega. Just because alphas are more precious?

Sui Yuesheng complained inwardly, but over the years, he had grown used to gender misunderstandings and had adapted well to being considered a beta. So, he silently took on this misunderstanding.

However, Jiang Jingyun’s words placed Tao Fengche in a junior position, which Sui Yuesheng found hard to accept. Little did Jiang Jingyun know that he and Tao Fengche had fought numerous times.

He hadn’t even used his full strength, just wanted to teach that reckless kid a lesson. Feeling justified, Sui Yuesheng was nonetheless embarrassed by Jiang Jingyun’s reprimand.

He cleared his throat and quickly tried to change the subject, “Really? Like how you locked yourself in your room and tore up your textbooks in high school because of the pressure?”

Jiang Jingyun: “…”

“Or like Yu Hebai chasing you all the way to the Western Continent and throwing stones at your window?”

Jiang Jingyun: “…”

Sui Yuesheng persisted, “Am I right, Ge?”

Jiang Jingyun: “…”

Jiang Jingyun was silent.

I’m so foolish. I was utterly wrong. I shouldn’t have meddled in their affairs, he thought. If he could turn back time, he’d stop himself from speaking three minutes earlier.

Jiang Jingyun, regretting deeply, quickly found an excuse, “Yu Hebai just knocked. He probably needs something. I’ll get back to you if there’s nothing else.”

“Sure Ge, you go ahead.” Satisfied with his deflection, Sui Yuesheng cheerfully hung up the phone.

He stood up, stretched, gathered the scattered documents, and walked around the room before stopping at the window to admire the view.

The Tao family’s ancestral home was on a mountain peak, offering a panoramic view from the third-floor study. On this clear day, the scenery was breathtaking.

During Tao Zhixing’s funeral, many guests commented on the priceless view from the Tao residence, but Sui Yuesheng was indifferent. His gaze wandered before settling on the yard.

The crooked tree he and Tao Fengche used to climb had grown even more crooked, perhaps due to their combined weight.

Studying it with interest, Sui Yuesheng was about to return to work when he spotted Tao Fengche walking alone in the yard, well-dressed but without any bodyguards.

Sui Yuesheng frowned and pressed the study’s intercom. Before long, Xu Song appeared.

“You called, young master?”

Sui Yuesheng nodded, “I saw Xiao Che in the yard. Is he going out? Why doesn’t he have any bodyguards?”

His tone grew stern. Given the current situation, Tao Fengche couldn’t afford any mishaps. Just half a month ago, he had been cornered by thugs outside school. If it weren’t for his martial arts skills, the outcome would have been dire.

Sui Yuesheng had already scolded everyone for that incident and was surprised to see Tao Fengche alone again.

Xu Song hesitated, then said, “Young master, you misunderstood. The young master is heading to the training ground.”

“This early?” Sui Yuesheng frowned, “To the shooting range or…”

Xu Song sent Tao Fengche’s schedule monthly, a habit from Sui Yuesheng’s years in the Western Continent. Tao Fengche’s routine was so regular that Sui Yuesheng knew it by heart.

It was just past ten in the morning, earlier than usual for training or shooting.

“Both.” Xu Song hesitated, choosing his words carefully, “Since the master passed, the young master…”

Sui Yuesheng cut him off, “I understand.”

He turned off the computer on the desk and walked out.

Xu Song hurriedly caught up: “Young Master Sui, where are you going—”

“I’m going to see him.” Sui Yuesheng went downstairs.

···

While Tao Fengche was quickly shooting at the moving targets, he suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps.

There was a row of bodyguards stationed outside the shooting range all year round, so there was no need to worry about outsiders entering. The people who would come here were just a few: either bodyguards who came up to the second floor for training or Xu Song coming to watch after finishing his work. So Tao Fengche didn’t pay much attention to the noise and continued until he finished the last bullet in the magazine.

Tao Fengche removed his noise-canceling headphones with one hand, placed them alongside the handgun, and turned around. His pupils widened slightly in surprise—

The unexpected visitor was Sui Yuesheng, who was standing at the door, quietly watching him.

Sui Yuesheng’s usually loose, light gray curls were now tied up high with a hair tie, with a few strands of hair falling around his temples, accentuating his sharp chin. The jawline that was usually hidden by his sideburns was now fully visible, looking stunningly beautiful.

Even on rest days, Sui Yuesheng usually wore casual shirts, and Tao Fengche had rarely seen him in T-shirts. However, today he was dressed in very form-fitting clothes, resembling gym wear often seen in fitness centers.

Though both of their homes had gym facilities, during the summer vacation after the high school entrance exam, Tao Fengche and Wang Yuan had once, out of curiosity, gone to a few outside gyms together.

The gym they chose was a membership-based, high-end chain brand in the Jingpu region. The personal trainers there were highly skilled, and the membership fee was naturally considerable. Those who could afford it were generally middle-class.

The customers coming and going were all well-equipped, wearing light luxury gym clothes, with their water bottles filled with protein powder, and even taking a sip of water, they seemed to count calories. Tao Fengche and Wang Yuan, being two young boys, felt out of place there, and soon they were unwilling to go anymore, though for different reasons.

Wang Yuan’s reason was that he encountered a female omega at the gym. She was beautiful, gentle, and just when the young alpha was about to fall in love, he suddenly learned that she was already married with a three-year-old son. She had regained her figure after giving birth to a second child, and her kindness towards him was because she thought Wang Yuan resembled her younger brother who studied abroad.

Tao Fengche’s reason was… he couldn’t stand the sight of customers wearing tight gym clothes everywhere.

It was just too eye-catching for him; he couldn’t accept that kind of aesthetic.

But now he realized it wasn’t the clothes’ fault, but the people.

The same outfit on Sui Yuesheng looked perfectly fitting and attractive— the tight clothes accentuated his clear body lines. Perhaps because he was an omega, Sui Yuesheng’s muscles weren’t as bulky as those of fitness enthusiasts, but had beautiful and smooth lines, slender yet strong.

Bang, bang, bang.

Tao Fengche heard his own heartbeat, loud and clear, like a drumbeat.