“Mm?”

Tao Fengche appeared somewhat surprised, as if he hadn’t expected the bodyguard to ask such a question. He then fell into silence.

Just as the bodyguard thought Tao Fengche might not respond and was about to change the topic, Tao Fengche suddenly spoke.

“Because I can’t determine his real intention in saying that,” he said slowly.

The bodyguard still looked puzzled, so Tao Fengche continued to explain.

“Who knows if he’s having a moment of conscience after doing bad deeds and wants to reveal everything. Or if he’s trying to drag someone down with him, using this opportunity to pull a few people he has conflicts with into the mess?”

“Or maybe he just wants to sow discord and make the current situation even more chaotic. After all, he won’t live much longer. If he can cause turmoil in the Tao family, or even lead to its collapse…”

“His tone clearly points to the higher-ups,” Tao Fengche’s voice was calm to the point of being cold.

The bodyguard nodded, a bit embarrassed. “I see now. I was thinking too simply.”

“It’s fine. This wasn’t part of your job anyway,” Tao Fengche smiled. “But there’s one more thing I need you to handle.”

“Young Master, please give your orders,” the bodyguard said solemnly.

“Has the hospital made the preparations?”

“Yes.” The lead bodyguard nodded. “I’ve sent four bodyguards in another car to escort Liu Tianlei to the hospital. The ward and emergency room are ready. Once he arrives, the surgery to remove the bullet can be performed immediately. Your marksmanship is precise, so there shouldn’t be any accidents.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Tao Fengche shook his head. “After he arrives at the hospital, leave a few people to keep an eye on him. No matter if it’s doctors, nurses, or cleaning staff—anyone who can come into contact with him or knows of his presence—make sure they all sign an additional confidentiality agreement.”

“The fact that he is hospitalized at a Tao family-invested hospital must not be leaked.”

The bodyguard captain’s expression became understanding. “Young Master, are you worried about…”

Being smart, they only needed to hint at it. Tao Fengche nodded slightly, saying no more.

If Liu Tianlei’s statements were true, Tao Fengche was indeed concerned Liu Tianlei might be silenced; on the other hand, he worried Liu Tianlei might collude with others to create a false appearance of being murdered to frame him.

…Perhaps he was overthinking, but it’s always better to be prepared.

Tao Fengche squinted, contemplating.

The thought quickly vanished. The next moment, Tao Fengche shifted the topic. “You’ve all worked hard today. Take a few days off when you get back, and I’ll give out an extra bonus. If there’s anything you want to buy, let me know and I’ll decide the bonus amount.”

The bodyguards looked at each other. “Thank you, Young Master!”

In the past, the conversation might have ended here, but today they were genuinely concerned about Tao Fengche. Afraid that the growing-up teenage alpha might be trapped in negative emotions, they started to liven up the mood.

“There are a lot of things I want to buy. There’s a new game console that just came out, and a big studio has released a AAA game…”

“My girlfriend liked a bag, just over thirty thousand. Her birthday is coming up, so I want to buy it for her during this break.”

“Thirty thousand?” Tao Fengche thought for a moment and smiled. “That should be enough for the bonus.”

“Young Master, you’re so generous!” Several of them immediately began to cheer.

Their efforts paid off. The gloomy atmosphere in the car was quickly replaced with lively chatter. The bodyguards accompanying Tao Fengche were all young alphas, and the conversation became very animated.

Tao Fengche smiled and declined a few offers to join in a game, then turned his gaze to the window.

In this secluded corner, cut off from the noise, he tiredly stretched out his hand and rubbed his temples.

In reality, his inner state was far from as calm as he appeared.

As soon as Liu Tianlei’s words were spoken, Tao Fengche’s had heart sank, followed by a surge of intense emotions. However, he forced himself to suppress all the rising feelings.

During their intense confrontation, he could not afford to show even the slightest weakness in front of Liu Tianlei. Otherwise, Liu Tianlei would seize that vulnerability and he would never regain the upper hand.

Moreover…

Regardless of who the “puppet master” Liu Tianlei mentioned was, or whether they even existed, Tao Fengche could neither doubt nor afford to doubt until concrete evidence was found.

He was also unwilling to doubt.

He absolutely could not let preconceived notions trap him into a fixed mindset.

The matter of artificial pheromones was too broad and involved too much. It must be handled with utmost caution.

Yet, the situation before him was still a tangled mess, filled with gray fog, and he did not know where to start.

But the issue had to be resolved.

Tao Fengche sighed inwardly, trying to piece things together slowly, as if groping through fog with a candle—

The immediate priority was to thoroughly investigate and shut down the production line in the outskirts of Jingpu, then check the base’s public accounts and Liu Tianlei’s private accounts to find any clues…

But who should he assign this task to?

Tao Zhixing had never been a hands-on ruler and always taught his only son to use people wisely. Based on Tao Fengche’s experience over the years, he should contact Xu Song directly, or Zhao Jiayang, or even Sui Yuesheng, and let them find someone to investigate. However…

Liu Tianlei’s recent words were like a pebble thrown into a lake—though it didn’t cause a big impact, it still stirred up ripples.

Tao Fengche leaned back in his seat and sighed in frustration. After a moment, he pulled out his phone and texted Wang Yuan.

[Tao Fengche]: [Did you buy the shoes you mentioned a couple of days ago?]

The reply came instantly.

[Wang Yuan]: [Not yet. I just got back to the country. I bought a bunch of things while traveling, and now my wallet is as empty as a sheet of paper. I’ll have to wait until next month.]

Tao Fengche silently calculated his private stash of money and the funds he could draw from Xu Song under the pretext of “friend’s birthday.”

[Tao Fengche]: If I remember correctly, there are three pairs, and one of them is a collaboration with a basketball star?]

[Wang Yuan]: [Yes… My scalper friends have already started taking orders.]

[Tao Fengche]: [The other ones are okay, but the collaboration pair will be hard to get if you miss this chance. I’ll buy them for you.]

[Wang Yuan]: [?!]

[Wang Yuan]: [Tao Ge! My birthday was almost three months ago, and you already gave me a birthday gift. This isn’t even a holiday. Are you celebrating me advancing to the third year of high school? Also, didn’t your brother freeze your card? Did he suddenly increase your allowance?]

Tao Fengche: “…”

Increased allowance? It’s still just a thousand a month, which doesn’t even meet Jingpu’s minimum living standard.

[Tao Fengche]: [Just tell me if you want them or not.]

[Wang Yuan]: [Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Tao Ge, I love you so much! Mwah!]

Tao Fengche didn’t have time to send the short text that occupied the entire input box before Wang Yuan’s message came again.

[Wang Yuan]: [Wait, Tao Ge, do you need my help with something again this time? Just tell me, who are we investigating this time?!]

Tao Fengche didn’t expect Wang Yuan to be so quick on the uptake and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

But since that was the case, there was no need to rack his brain for words anymore. In a good mood, he typed a reply.

[Tao Fengche]: [The same person as before, Liu Tianlei. But this time, I want to check his and his family’s bank accounts, along with his mistress’s, to see if there are any suspicious transactions.]

[Wang Yuan]: [Got it, you want to track the money flow, right? I understand, but this is a bit of a big task. Hacking into bank systems isn’t easy. Are you in a hurry?]

[Tao Fengche]: [Not too urgent, take your time.]

[Wang Yuan]: [Got it! Tao Ge, not to brag, but you can trust me; everyone says I’m good at what I do!]

[Wang Yuan]: [Sigh, honestly… we’re best friends, so I’d help you even if you didn’t buy me shoes. But you’ve already offered, and I happen to need a new pair, so this just works out perfectly…]

[Tao Fengche]: [Alright, I’ll have Uncle Xu handle it tomorrow morning and ship them directly to your place. Stop wasting time and get lost, by the way, have you finished your homework? School’s starting soon.]

[Wang Yuan]: [Almost done, almost done. If worse comes to worst, I still have your answers. Don’t worry, I’m leaving now!]

Wang Yuan, the lively troublemaker, scurried off, easing one of Tao Fengche’s worries.

With a weight lifted off his mind, Tao Fengche felt relieved, but when he thought about what he had to face next, his temples began to throb, accompanied by a dull pain in his chest.

…How on earth was he going to explain what happened today to his brother?

…

Tao Fengche, caught in a dilemma, had no idea that not long ago, Sui Yuesheng also received a text message.

[Xu Song]: [Young Master Sui, there’s something I need to report. The young master left with a few bodyguards more than an hour ago. I was busy at the time and thought he was meeting a friend, so I didn’t stop him. But just now, I asked the bodyguards on duty at home, and none of them knew where he went.]

Amidst the glamorous charity gala, Sui Yuesheng keenly noticed the vibration of his phone.

He held a champagne glass in one hand and offered a polite smile to the female alpha he was conversing with before taking out his phone and unlocking the screen. His face instantly drained of color.

“Mr. Sui, Mr. Sui? What’s wrong?” The female alpha’s face was full of concern.

“Something’s happened at home.”

Sui Yuesheng, usually calm and collected, displayed an extremely grim expression that reflected in the alpha’s pupils, but he had no time to mask it.

He slightly lowered his head, and in his peripheral vision, he saw ripples in the champagne.

—Not because there was anything special in the glass, but because his hand was trembling.

Sui Yuesheng’s hands were always steady. By the age of twenty, he could already hold a sniper rifle, lie still at a vantage point, and take down a target from thousands of miles away.

But now, he couldn’t even hold a light champagne glass.

Sui Yuesheng took a slow, deep breath, repeatedly telling himself to stay calm. Then, he raised his hand to call over a waiter and placed the glass onto the tray.

He then turned his head and gave the female alpha a smile. It was a bit stiff, but luckily, since it was their first meeting, the alpha didn’t notice anything odd.

“Miss Qian, I’m really sorry, something urgent came up at home, and I have to leave now. I won’t have time to say goodbye to Mr. Qian, so I’ll have to trouble you to convey my apologies to your father.”

“I have to go back.” Sui Yuesheng quietly repeated these five words.

He said them so softly and quickly that they seemed to dissipate into the wind as soon as they were spoken. No one else could hear them.

Or maybe it was just a statement meant for himself.