Five minutes ago.

“Young master is back!”

That day, Tao Fengche hadn’t used his iconic Maybach but opted for a more low-key car, sacrificing some comfort. Exhausted, he stepped out of the car, bid farewell to his bodyguards, and stretched his stiff neck. He then made eye contact with the servant standing at the door.

The servant’s expression could only be described as ecstatic. Her voice was a bit too high-pitched, almost breaking from excitement, which made Tao Fengche feel that something was off.

However, he was too tired, his mind sluggish like an overworked machine. He had no desire to chat with the servant, so after a casual nod, he stood on the porch and began changing into slippers, contemplating how to explain the evening’s events to Xu Song before they discussed how to inform Sui Yuesheng.

“Where’s Uncle Xu?” he asked.

“He’s in the living room,” the servant replied. After a cautious glance around, she lowered her voice and whispered, “Mr. Sui is back too, and he’s with the butler now.”

That’s it.

Tao Fengche froze, a sense of impending doom engulfing him, making him want to run away.

All the plans he had carefully prepared went down the drain. His mind was a tangled mess, but one thing was clear—Mr. Sui, who was known to be as fierce as a fire-breathing dragon, was probably waiting in the living room, holding a long ruler, ready to punish him the moment they met.

The Tao family had a long history and, naturally, its own family rules.

The ruler made of fine rosewood had been passed down for hundreds of years, almost coated with a layer of ancient bloodstains. Even Tao Zhixing had been beaten with it many times in his youth.

But Tao Fengche had never experienced such punishment.

As Tao Zhixing once said, after being beaten with the ruler himself, he knew how painful it was. He doted on his youngest son and couldn’t bring himself to use it on Tao Fengche. Since inheriting it, the ruler had been kept in the ancestral hall, only brought out as a threat when he was extremely angry.

…But now the head of the Tao family was Sui Yuesheng, and Tao Fengche knew he couldn’t escape a harsh punishment today.

Aware of his own faults, Tao Fengche stood at the door, taking in the cold air as he mentally prepared himself. Finally, with a resolute heart, he stepped toward the living room, only to be greeted not by a furious Sui Yuesheng, but by a solitary figure on the sofa.

Sui Yuesheng hadn’t changed out of his clothes after returning from the banquet, not even removing his square diamond cufflinks. The tailored suit outlined his slender frame.

The living room was brightly lit. Sui Yuesheng sat on the sofa with his head slightly lowered, his back straight like a bamboo rod. He was so elegant that he could easily step onto a runway. But to Tao Fengche, he looked so small, so lonely against the luxurious redwood sofa, as if he could be completely enveloped in an embrace.

When he heard movement, Sui Yuesheng looked over, his gray-blue eyes filled with confusion and helplessness. Tao Fengche’s heart skipped a beat, his whole being suddenly feeling like an unripe green lemon, the sourness filling his veins, spreading to every part of his body, making it hard to breathe.

…Why do you look like this?

Who made you so sad?

How could they be so heartless?!

Tao Fengche wondered in a daze.

The next second, Sui Yuesheng’s eyes widened slightly, a spark igniting in his gaze, melting the ice, and suddenly, he seemed vibrant and alive, like a celestial being descending to earth.

The living room was large, with Sui Yuesheng on the sofa and Tao Fengche at the door, separated by a great distance. Yet, Tao Fengche could clearly see his reflection in Sui Yuesheng’s eyes.

…Is it me?

Am I the one who made you this sad?

Guilt pierced Tao Fengche like a sharp sword, pinning him to the spot, unable to move. He was sure Sui Yuesheng had seen the bloodstains on him, for the latter stood up, his eyes filled with almost overwhelming concern—

But there was no furious outburst, no scolding, and no ruler.

Tao Fengche’s lips moved slightly.

Against his better judgment, he swallowed back the awkward greeting he had planned, “Haha, what a coincidence, Ge! Weren’t you at the banquet? Why are you back so early?” Instead, he spoke on instinct, uttering something that sounded almost like a spoiled complaint: “Ge, I almost shot someone today.”

The moment the words left his mouth, both he and Sui Yuesheng were stunned.

—How did I accidentally let that slip out?!

He had always wanted to present himself as a mature alpha in front of Sui Yuesheng, which was why he had secretly taken action, hoping to earn some credit.

But now, with those simple six words, all his previous efforts were for nothing. His image instantly turned into that of a child who, after coming home, sniffled and complained to an adult.

It was nothing like the mature and steady person he wanted to be.

He was mortified, wishing for a crack in the floor to open up so he could bury himself until the shame and embarrassment passed.

Quick, think of an excuse to cover up that sentence!

Tao Fengche kept telling himself, but his brain was completely frozen, his lips refusing to move, his feet rooted to the spot. He could only watch as Sui Yuesheng fully absorbed what he had just said.

But Sui Yuesheng’s next move was completely unexpected.

He didn’t say a word, but suddenly stepped forward and gave Tao Fengche a tight hug, filling the emptiness in his heart completely.

Tao Fengche knew better than anyone how severe Sui Yuesheng’s obsession with cleanliness was, yet at this moment, Sui Yuesheng seemed to have had a change of heart, completely unbothered by the blood on his pristine suit. “Did someone bully you?” he asked.

His voice was so gentle it seemed to flow with honeyed wine, and Tao Fengche almost lost himself in it. As if that wasn’t enough, Sui Yuesheng even reached out to pat his head.

Tao Zhixing didn’t believe in gods, and neither did Tao Fengche. But at this moment, he found himself wishing for divine intervention, so he could kneel and pray to every deity, asking them to extend this moment forever, until the end of his life.

Tao Fengche shook his head vigorously, then sniffled hard, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill over, but it was no use.

As his tears soaked into Sui Yuesheng’s shoulder, Tao Fengche thought he could faintly smell that cloyingly sweet lychee scent again, making him feel dizzy.

This even overpowered his urge to cry. His tear glands stopped diligently producing tears, and Tao Fengche tried sniffing again but could only catch the faint scent of incense from Sui Yuesheng’s clothes.

—Tao Fengche’s grandmother was a devout Buddhist, and Xu Song, who had been trained by her, still insisted that the servants in the Tao family use incense to scent their clothes. If you got close enough, you could smell the faint scent of sandalwood.

Even though it was the same incense, Tao Fengche always felt that Sui Yuesheng’s clothes smelled better than his.

The lychee scent wasn’t really there; it existed only in his mind, haunting him for the past ten years, keeping him from ever finding peace.

Tao Fengche didn’t speak, and Sui Yuesheng didn’t move either, letting Tao Fengche reach out and hug him back.

After a moment, Tao Fengche suddenly realized that Sui Yuesheng was dressed quite lightly.

His suit was meant for the banquet, the fabric not very thick. As the weather turned cooler in Jingpu during the fall, and given that Sui Yuesheng had been ill in his youth and still suffered from cold hands and feet in winter, Tao Fengche had noticed this when he was eight years old. He used to hold Sui Yuesheng’s hand or snuggle into his arms—after all, he was naturally warm, like a little human heater.

Perhaps it was because he was sensitive to the cold, or perhaps because Tao Fengche was still a child then, but Sui Yuesheng had never pushed him away.

But ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and Tao Fengche was no longer an eight-year-old child. Considering his feelings for Sui Yuesheng now, those intimate gestures seemed inappropriate and no longer suitable.

He wanted to tell Sui Yuesheng to put on more clothes, but he couldn’t bring himself to break free from the embrace. As he struggled with this inner conflict, Sui Yuesheng spoke first.

“You’re wearing too little. Didn’t Uncle Xu tell you to dress warmer?” He said this while gently patting Tao Fengche’s back.

It was only then that Tao Fengche realized he was wearing short sleeves. He had been in an air-conditioned room for a long time, facing off with Liu Tianlei. During the return trip, his mind was in turmoil, and he sat directly in front of the car’s air vent. He had also stood at the door for a long time, mentally preparing himself, and now his body was cold too.

But being in Sui Yuesheng’s arms, he felt completely at ease.