Tao Fengche’s drowsiness vanished in an instant.

When he first opened his eyes, there was still some lingering tiredness in them, but the moment he took the tablet from the bodyguard’s hand, his mind became incredibly clear.

The resume handed to Tao Fengche by the bodyguard was pulled from the Tao family’s database, followed by a thorough investigation, and finally compiled into a complete document. By all accounts, aside from Liu Tianlei himself, this should be the most comprehensive version, but Tao Fengche only needed a glance before he frowned tightly.

He understood why the bodyguard had said that there was something wrong with Liu Tianlei’s resume.

—Liu Tianlei’s resume only began ten years ago when he started working at the production base.

Before that, there were large gaps, and nothing was known about his previous work or experiences.

It was as if he had appeared out of thin air ten years ago, but how could that be? Since he was able to join the Tao family business, he must have undergone a strict background check…

So where did his resume from ten years ago go?

Tao Fengche stared at the tablet for a long time, his brain working rapidly. Finally, he smirked and handed the tablet back. “I understand.”

Since private investigations weren’t yielding results, he would have to find clues from the information Liu Tianlei himself revealed.

During lunch, Liu Tianlei had mentioned that he had seen Tao Fengche when he was a child, but Tao Fengche genuinely had no memory of him. Considering the height Liu Tianlei indicated at the time…

Liu Tianlei had no reason to lie about this; he must have indeed met him when he was young.

But the people who could meet him were either close friends of Tao Zhixing or high-level business personnel. However, Tao Zhixing’s circle of friends had remained unchanged for years, and Tao Fengche didn’t recall anyone named Liu Tianlei. Coupled with the mysterious gaps in his resume, it wasn’t hard to draw a conclusion—

Liu Tianlei must have been someone who managed the Tao family’s private business, and at a significant level.

His current position at the production base was akin to being exiled. What could he have done to deserve such punishment?

Tao Fengche frowned, thinking hard but couldn’t figure it out. He decided to ask Uncle Xu when he returned home.

When they returned to the hotel, just before going to sleep, Tao Fengche remembered something and specifically instructed the bodyguards, “What happened today must not be spread.”

“Rest assured, young master, we know the rules.”

Tao Fengche nodded. The bodyguards had been in a hurry today and hadn’t handled the aftermath properly. He had a nagging feeling that something might go wrong.

Sure enough, the next morning when they arrived at the base, they were met with chaos.

A refreshed Director Wang stood at the base’s entrance with Tao Fengche and the others, facing several armed security guards with stern expressions.

The guards who had been nodding and bowing to them yesterday seemed to have completely changed, now showing no recognition of them at all. Director Wang was left standing there, unsure whether to advance or retreat, and eventually had to take out his phone to call Chen Jun.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Jun hurried over. “Director Wang, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to come so early…”

Under his guidance, the group finally managed to enter the base. Director Wang was a bit surprised, “Did something happen at the base?”

“Don’t mention it.” Chen Jun smiled bitterly, “Our dormitories are all double rooms. This morning, an employee woke up to find his roommate missing. He tried calling, but there was no answer. He asked the management, but there was no leave request—just like the person vanished into thin air.”

“What?!” Tao Fengche’s face showed a mix of curiosity and concern. “Did they find him?”

His acting was so convincing that Chen Jun didn’t suspect him at all and explained, “Yes, they found him in the woods, his clothes stripped off, covered in bruises from a struggle. The blow to the back of his neck is likely what caused him to lose consciousness…”

“Sigh, he was an alpha who had just graduated from school less than two years ago. Who would have thought something like this could happen? The results aren’t out yet, but many people suspect it’s a sexual assault case… You can’t blame the employees for overreacting. Who would have imagined that even a young, strong male alpha could encounter such a perverted incident?”

Chen Jun’s concern seemed genuine, and Director Wang asked several more questions out of care, while Tao Fengche offered a sympathetic look, though inwardly he was sneering.

They claimed the person wasn’t noticed missing until work this morning, but in reality, they must have realized something was wrong when they were transporting the drugs last night.

Chen Jun had no idea what Tao Fengche was thinking, nor did he have the time to guess. He was overwhelmed by the situation.

Nothing like this had ever happened at the base, and it was even more embarrassing that it happened right after the heir of the Tao family had come for an inspection, and on the very night after he had boasted about the base’s security…

It was a blatant slap in the face.

Chen Jun was mortified, but fortunately, Tao Fengche didn’t pursue the matter. Seeing his anxiety, Tao Fengche allowed him to return to work, saying that he and Director Wang would just look around.

Ever since the unconscious worker was discovered, many of the employees at the base had become fearful, grouping together in small clusters, distracted from their work. Chen Jun hurried back to his department to hold a meeting and give some reminders, apologizing before leaving in haste.

As Chen Jun’s figure disappeared, Tao Fengche thought to himself—did he really not know, or is he just a very good actor?

Regardless of whether Chen Jun knew the truth, Liu Tianlei, as the person in charge of the base, certainly did.

But Liu Tianlei’s psychological resilience was impressive. Even though his hideout had been discovered, a bottle of the produced drug had gone missing, and the culprit was still at large, he managed to divert attention to a “sexual assault” narrative. Later that afternoon, just before Tao Fengche’s group was about to leave, Liu Tianlei even came to see them off.

Director Wang was almost completely convinced by him, but Tao Fengche had no interest in pretending with Liu Tianlei. After exchanging a few polite words, he found an excuse to leave, leaving Director Wang to handle the small talk, and went straight to his room on the plane to sleep.

A quarter of an hour later, the plane took off, its wings cutting through the sky. Tao Fengche slept soundly until the plane landed and slowly woke up.

Director Wang declined Tao Fengche’s offer to drive him home, choosing to take a taxi by himself. Tao Fengche yawned and got into the Tao family’s car.

···

After a tiring journey, Tao Fengche finally returned home. He didn’t even have time to wash up or change out of his wrinkled clothes. He quickly swapped his shoes for slippers and headed straight to the study.

Tao Zhixing was a very cautious man. Regarding the Tao family’s secret business dealings, he kept some documents in the study, but not many. From the beginning, Tao Fengche didn’t expect much, but after rummaging through everything, even searching the hidden compartments, he found nothing.

Since he couldn’t confirm anything, he would have to bluff…

He pressed the bell, summoning Xu Song to the study. The latter entered with a tray of fruit, and as soon as he opened the door, he was startled.

—Tao Fengche was sitting at the desk, fingers intertwined, with a calm expression, but his eyes were unusually bright. For a moment, Xu Song saw the shadow of Tao Zhixing in him.

Father and son indeed… he sighed inwardly, and then Tao Fengche suddenly spoke.

“Uncle Xu, why was Liu Tianlei punished by the old man?”

Xu Song was almost knocked over by this sudden question.

The surprise on his face flashed by, and his movements became slightly stiff, like a perfect machine suddenly jamming. But in an instant, he regained his composure, putting on a flawless mask, his expression showing just the right amount of confusion. “I think I’ve heard that name before…”

He thought for a moment. “Isn’t he the person in charge of the factory you visited, young master? How could a small figure like him be connected to Mr. Tao? Who told you about this? I’ve never heard of it.”

His expression, demeanor, movements, and words were all impeccable.

But from the moment Xu Song entered, Tao Fengche had been watching him closely. Although Xu Song covered it up well, Tao Fengche didn’t miss that fleeting anomaly.

“Is that so?” Tao Fengche relaxed his hands, his fingers casually tapping on the rosewood desk a few times. “Then forget it.”

Based on his understanding of Xu Song, he was definitely not telling the truth, but Xu Song was always tight-lipped, making it difficult to catch him off guard. Today’s reaction was an unexpected bonus; pressing further wouldn’t yield any more results.

Tao Fengche nodded, signaling Xu Song to place the fruit on the desk. Xu Song complied and, seeing that Tao Fengche had no other orders, quietly left the study, closing the door behind him.

In the ensuing silence, Tao Fengche pulled out his phone and checked the time.

“Good, it’s not even ten o’clock yet.”

In the next second, he made a call to Lawyer Li.

The phone rang just three times before it was swiftly answered. “Young Master Tao? It’s late, what’s the matter?”

Tao Fengche got straight to the point. “Ten years ago, what business was Liu Tianlei involved in?”

Lawyer Li, who was usually quick to answer and eloquent, suddenly fell silent, as if someone had cast a spell of silence on him.

In that strange silence, Tao Fengche spoke slowly and calmly, “Lawyer Li, even if you don’t say anything, I have other ways to find out. It might take a bit longer, but by that time…”

He dragged out his words, leaving the sentence unfinished, but the threat in his tone was clear.

Lawyer Li remained persistently silent.

Tao Fengche thought for a moment, then added fuel to the fire, though it seemed almost casual when he suddenly mentioned, “The Tao in Tao Corporation is from the Tao family. Lawyer Li, you have always been my father’s trusted confidant, and I have always respected you. But now… who are you really serving, and to whom are you loyal?”

He switched to a more respectful tone, but Lawyer Li still didn’t speak, nor did he hang up the phone.

At this point, it was all about patience. Tao Fengche wasn’t in the least bit anxious; he even took a few bites of the fruit that Xu Song had brought over with a fork.

August was the perfect time for eating fruit. The mango, cut into chunks, was incredibly sweet. By the time he slowly reached his fifth piece, Lawyer Li finally broke his silence.

“Liu Tianlei was involved in human trafficking. I don’t know much more than that.”

Tao Fengche wasn’t willing to let him off so easily and pressed further, “What kind of human trafficking?”

“What else could it be?” By this point, there was no use in trying to dodge the question any longer. Lawyer Li had made up his mind to spill everything and responded with a rhetorical question.

“What is Kyushu most lacking? Surely, young master, you’re not unaware of that?”