Tao Fengche didn’t speak for a long while. He sat motionless, his entire body tense, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, as if a raging fire was burning within them, threatening to consume everything around him.

Just looking at him made Xu Song feel uneasy, as if the temperature in the room had risen. He forced himself to resist the urge to wipe the sweat from his brow, and mustered the courage to speak, “Young Master…”

Silence enveloped them. Xu Song felt as if he were standing in a sea of lava. After a long pause, Tao Fengche finally spoke in a hoarse voice, “I’m fine.”

He closed his eyes, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, while also burying the cold, calculating look in his eyes.

Despite his young age, Tao Fengche had always been skilled at self-control. But today, he found himself on the brink of losing control multiple times. It took him quite a while to regain his composure before he asked, “Have the people who knew about my brother’s origins been dealt with?”

“Yes.” Seeing that Tao Fengche’s emotions had finally returned to a safe level, Xu Song let out a breath of relief and quickly replied, “All involved have been executed, and the bodyguards who accompanied the Master to the shop that evening retired ten years ago. The Tao family paid for them to retire abroad.”

Tao Fengche wanted to ask more, but Xu Song, sensing his intent, quickly added, “Young Master, you don’t need to worry too much. Given your state at the time, you looked very different from your younger self, and even if someone recognized you, they wouldn’t connect the dots. Moreover, there’s the confidentiality agreement.”

“That’s good.” Tao Fengche nodded, bringing his right hand to his temple to rub it. “Make sure my brother never finds out what happened tonight.”

As long as Sui Yuesheng didn’t bring up his past, Tao Fengche could continue pretending he knew nothing.

Xu Song nodded repeatedly in agreement.

The furniture in the Tao family’s main residence had been there since the house was built, all made of rosewood, without even cushions, giving off a solemn and elegant vibe. However, sitting on them was quite uncomfortable. Yet, Tao Fengche seemed numb to the discomfort, slumping in the chair as if all his strength had drained away. He closed his eyes and leaned back for a while before saying, “You may leave. Let me be alone for a while.”

He looked utterly exhausted. Xu Song dared not make a sound, silently walked forward to remove the fruit plate from the table, even minimizing his footsteps. But just as he reached the door, he suddenly heard Tao Fengche ask, “Did my brother come to Kyushu originally to get married?”

Tao Fengche’s mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, and the words slipped out of his mouth before he realized how absurd it was.

There were clearly more important questions to ask, so why did he bring up something so trivial? Just as he was about to brush it off and change the subject, Xu Song straightforwardly answered.

“Yes. After the Madam passed away, there was no other omega in the family, so we didn’t keep any of the usual omega medications. On the day your brother reached adulthood, the situation happened suddenly, and nowhere else felt safe. So, I took it upon myself to send him to the research institute for a slow-release injection. While he was recuperating there, the Master sought him out specifically and talked with him for a long time, eventually deciding to secretly train him as a fallback option for you.” Xu Song carefully chose his words, “Of course, Young Master Sui is an omega, so the Master might have had that intention too…”

Tao Fengche: “…!!”

He immediately opened his eyes and stood up abruptly. There was a loud crash as the teacup on the table was knocked to the ground and shattered, but he didn’t even glance at it. He just stared at Xu Song’s face, unable to believe his ears, “What?”

Under his intense gaze, Xu Song nodded, his expression slightly puzzled, as if he didn’t understand why Tao Fengche was reacting so strongly.

“No, let me calm down for a moment…” Tao Fengche never expected things to take such a turn. He stepped aside to let Xu Song clean up the broken pieces, then started pacing around the room like a caged animal.

It was as if his mind was grappling with a problem as complex as the Goldbach conjecture, with a multitude of possible solutions written below it. But over time, a metaphorical eraser appeared, wiping away the unnecessary explanations and leaving only the most crucial clue—

“At the very least, you should have respected his wishes!” Tao Fengche’s voice rose, his face turning so red it seemed blood might drip from it.

Xu Song: “…?”

Huh? But…Young Master Sui seemed to accept it quite well, though?

Xu Song was completely baffled, unable to understand what Tao Fengche was thinking. This young master and the other young master got along well enough… Maybe he just preferred falling in love freely rather than having elders arrange things?

Xu Song couldn’t figure out Tao Fengche’s thoughts, but at least things hadn’t reached an irreparable point.

Back then, Tao Zhixing had only hinted at the idea, and although Sui Yuesheng understood, it wasn’t something that had been explicitly stated. The plan was to tell Tao Fengche after he became an adult, but fate had other plans, and Tao Zhixing passed away before that could happen.

The Tao family wasn’t the type to force someone into repaying a debt. Just because Sui Yuesheng was saved by Tao Zhixing didn’t mean he was sold to the Tao family. The agreement they had reached at the time was simply for Sui Yuesheng to help Tao Fengche secure the family estate, not that he must marry him.

Xu Song, who had no descendants, had always treated Tao Fengche as his own child, but he also cared deeply for Sui Yuesheng when he arrived at the Tao family.

To the old butler, they were both his children, equally precious. It would be ideal if they could be together, but if they didn’t have feelings for each other, there was no need to force it…

He mumbled a few more vague words, and seeing that Tao Fengche wasn’t pursuing the matter, only standing there in a daze, he quietly withdrew, closing the study door behind him.

But it wasn’t that Tao Fengche didn’t want to pursue the matter; he was simply too shocked to speak.

Although Xu Song had deliberately closed the door softly, the heavy walnut wood still made a sound when it shut, jolting Tao Fengche as if he had been startled awake.

No way, what on earth was the old man thinking? Kyushu’s laws had been reformed centuries ago, and he was still trying to arrange a marriage?!

Did this mean his brother was meant to be his child bride?!

No, that’s not right… His brother was a person, not an object. He had his own thoughts and his own life. Besides, he was getting along well with Jiang Jingyun now, and it looked like they’d be engaged soon…

Tao Fengche’s mind was a chaotic mess, tangled like earphone wires in a pocket that couldn’t be unraveled. He was extremely irritated, feeling that the noise around him was especially loud. Yet when he looked up in confusion, the room was eerily silent.

It wasn’t time for the bodyguards to change shifts yet, and the courtyard was so quiet that the sound of cicadas could be heard.

Tao Fengche frowned as he closed the window, and after a moment, he finally found the source of the noise—it was his heartbeat.

Thump, thump, like the booming thunder of a spring storm.

Why is it beating so fast…? Tao Fengche thought, somewhat bewildered.

And why, because of Xu Song’s few words, did he feel a vague and inexplicable sense of anticipation?

···

Tao Fengche didn’t even know how he walked out of the study.

He staggered back to his room like a zombie, almost missing a step on the stairs due to his distracted state. The nearby servants were startled, but Tao Fengche didn’t notice at all. It wasn’t until after he had showered and lay down on the bed that his intelligence, which had long since left him, finally returned.

Sitting cross-legged at the head of the bed, he rubbed his ankle in confusion, unable to understand why it kept throbbing dully. The next moment, the wound on his wrist was also pulled, unexpectedly stinging him and causing him to frown deeply.

But more important matters occupied his mind than figuring out why his ankle hurt.

He picked up his phone and opened the chat app.

Tao Fengche: [Are you asleep?]

Almost as soon as the message was sent, the phone vibrated with a reply.

Wang Yuan: [Tao Ge, did you forget? I have a twelve-hour time difference with you. It’s 11 a.m. here.]

Wang Yuan: [What’s up?]

Tao Fengche stared at the chat window, a bit lost in thought. Even though he had made up his mind, he now found it difficult to speak up. After a long pause, he finally typed the question that had been bothering him for so long.

Tao Fengche: [What would you do if you suddenly found out your dad arranged a marriage for you?]

Wang Yuan: [Tao Ge, have you lost your mind? People like us are destined from birth to serve our families for life. Marriage is just a bargaining chip; you should know that better than anyone.]

Wang Yuan: [Why are you suddenly asking about this? What, is your cheap brother finally planning to sell you off? Who’s the lucky family? Spill the beans, I’ll let Yan Yi know!]

The text was brimming with undisguised schadenfreude. Tao Fengche could imagine Wang Yuan’s smug, teasing expression with his eyes closed.

Under normal circumstances, he would never have let Wang Yuan off the hook so easily after being provoked like this. But today, he needed something from him, so he swallowed his pride and pretended not to notice Wang Yuan’s taunts, continuing to ask.

Tao Fengche: [How would you feel?]

Wang Yuan was a bit dumbfounded, not understanding why Tao Fengche was fixated on this question, but he answered honestly.

Wang Yuan: [What can you do? Just go with the flow. You can’t resist it anyway. Get along for a while, and maybe you’ll develop feelings. If not, just live separate lives. Isn’t that the unspoken rule?]

Faced with an answer that didn’t match his expectations, Tao Fengche frowned, his fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard.

Tao Fengche: [Wouldn’t you feel a sense of anticipation?]

Wang Yuan: [Huh? Anticipation for what?]

Tao Fengche: […Um, when I first found out about this, I felt a bit excited…]

“Pfft!” Wang Yuan had just taken a sip of coffee, which he immediately sprayed out, nearly choking to death. He doubled over, coughing violently.

He had gotten up early for once that day and was sitting in the hotel’s café, working on his summer homework. Seated by the window, with a serene river flowing outside, and quiet conversations around him, everything seemed peaceful and idyllic, perfectly matching the image of a leisurely upper-class life.

Now it was all ruined.

Wang Yuan’s outburst had drawn the attention of several people in the café, their gazes tinged with disdain. Nearby, whispers of disapproval could be heard, but Wang Yuan was too absorbed in his own world to care. He quickly picked up his phone, wiped the coffee off the screen with a tissue, and filled the screen with exclamation marks.

The next second, his messages continued.

Wang Yuan: [Whoa, whoa, whoa… Tao Ge!]

Wang Yuan: [You’re in love, didn’t you realize? This is big news! If word gets out, countless betas and omegas will be heartbroken!]

Wang Yuan: [Let me spell it out for you since your thick skull might not get it: No matter who the marriage partner is, you like them.]

Tao Fengche froze.

…Like?

He likes Sui Yuesheng? The way an alpha likes an omega?

Impossible! That’s his brother!

Tao Fengche instinctively wanted to deny it, but the words stuck in his throat, while another realization became too loud to ignore—

He slowly reached out to press his hand against his chest, as if trying to slow down the frantic beating of his heart. If it kept going like this, it would leap out of his chest.

The seed that had sprouted on the night Sui Yuesheng got drunk had been quietly growing all along, and finally, on this day, it had grown into a towering tree.

And Tao Fengche finally realized it was there.