Upon realizing this, Tao Fengche completely lost any desire to cry.

He shifted uncomfortably in Sui Yuesheng’s arms, trying to move his lower body slightly away from him. After all, an alpha having a physical reaction while hugging an omega, even if he was still a minor, could easily lead to Sui Yuesheng reporting him to the Omega Protection Association for sexual harassment.

Moreover… now wasn’t the right time.

Tao Fengche wasn’t ready to let Sui Yuesheng realize so soon the hidden emotions and desires he harbored for him.

The two were hugging closely, making it difficult for Tao Fengche to move, but even so, he didn’t want to let go.

Completely unaware, Sui Yuesheng smiled slightly and absentmindedly stroked Tao Fengche’s head, occasionally running his fingers through his hair, like petting some large mammal.

Unfortunately, except for that group of battle-ready white geese from when he was eight, Tao Fengche hadn’t kept any pets, so he didn’t notice this. He only felt comforted by Sui Yuesheng’s touch, holding back the urge to let out soft, barely audible hums of pleasure.

They hugged each other as if they would never let go. In the corner of the living room, Xu Song, who was trying hard to blend into the background, was almost moved to tears.

—Considering that Tao Fengche already knew about Tao Zhixing’s intention to “betroth” the two of them back in the day, and that Sui Yuesheng had never outright rejected the idea, this brotherly scene now looked completely different in Xu Song’s eyes.

Master Sui didn’t object, and the young master seemed to be acting ambiguously as well. Perhaps… this could actually work out?

The old butler quietly pondered, when suddenly, a sound broke the silence in the room.

“Grumble—”

The alpha in Sui Yuesheng’s arms stiffened for a moment. Sui Yuesheng raised an eyebrow slightly and let go of the embrace first, his gaze, as sharp as a blade, turned towards the source of the sound—Tao Fengche’s stomach, whose presence was impossible to ignore.

… This was beyond awkward.

Tao Fengche fought the urge to rub his nose.

Sui Yuesheng sighed faintly and asked, “Did you sneak out without having dinner?”

He used the word “sneak.”

It sounded so suspicious, but Tao Fengche had left through the front door, clear as day! He wanted to point out the flaw in Sui Yuesheng’s wording, but he knew he was in the wrong, so he had to swallow his frustration and nod reluctantly.

“Let’s go eat first.”

As soon as Sui Yuesheng spoke, Xu Song tactfully left the living room to summon the staff to bring the food.

Tao Fengche, with no appetite, was about to decline, claiming he wasn’t hungry yet, when another sound echoed through the room.

“Grumble—”

Tao Fengche was certain this time—it wasn’t his stomach making the noise.

Xu Song had already left, and there were only two breathing beings in the large living room—him and Sui Yuesheng, making the source of the sound all too obvious.

Sui Yuesheng blinked quickly, his thick, curled gray lashes fluttering like they were tickling Tao Fengche’s heart. His face remained calm, but a blush quickly spread to his ears, especially the tips, turning as red as autumn maple leaves swaying by the lake.

Tao Fengche immediately noticed this little secret but chose not to expose Sui Yuesheng.

“It’s boring eating alone, can you join me?” Tao Fengche put on an innocent face, his drooping puppy-dog eyes filled with pleading as he gazed at Sui Yuesheng.

Under such a gaze, Sui Yuesheng barely held out for two seconds before surrendering with a sigh. “Alright.”

The current and future leaders of the Tao family walked shoulder-to-shoulder toward the dining room. As they walked, their shoulders occasionally brushed together, like a subtle form of hand-holding.

···

The kitchen always had food prepared, so as soon as Xu Song gave the order, the dishes were quickly served.

Dinner was as delicious and abundant as ever, and with both of them hungry, they ate mostly in silence. When they started drinking soup, Tao Fengche finally made up his mind.

Initially, he thought that after returning home, he’d surely face a harsh scolding or worse, and he had even prepared himself for it. He planned to get through it with some half-baked lies. But he hadn’t expected Sui Yuesheng to appear so fragile, yet so gentle with him.

The lies he had prepared swirled in his mouth, but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to say them.

But telling the full truth wasn’t an option either.

The matter of artificial pheromones was too complex, involving the truth behind Chu Yin’s death and even his true gender. Tao Fengche didn’t know where to start. To him, Chu Yin was family—his aunt—but to Sui Yuesheng, he was just a stranger he had never met.

… If he told Sui Yuesheng everything, the investigation would inevitably involve Chu Yin, which would not only drag a deceased person into it but also hurt Zhao Jiayang again.

But that was the uncle who had watched Tao Fengche grow up and treated him like his own son.

Tao Fengche hesitated, then downed the remaining soup in his bowl and spoke, “Ge, tonight I went to find the person in charge of one of our production bases.”

Sui Yuesheng put down his spoon and looked at him with gray-blue eyes, a gesture inviting him to continue.

“When I visited the base earlier, I accidentally discovered a production line that appeared abandoned but was still in operation. I had the bodyguards investigate and found out that Liu Tianlei, the person in charge, was involved in selling drugs. Director Wang from the research institute was also there, but I didn’t confront them directly because I was worried they might react violently.”

“Afterward, I checked Liu Tianlei’s flight information and found out he’d be coming here today on personal business, so I brought the bodyguards to his house to confront him. He was arrogant and even provoked our family… I lost my temper and shot him.”

Sui Yuesheng nodded, his expression unreadable. “Is he still alive?”

“He’s alive. I didn’t aim to kill him. I shot him in the abdomen, avoiding vital organs, and he’s been taken to the hospital by the bodyguards.” Tao Fengche continued without waiting for questions. “I’ve already informed the hospital to clear the area and had the bodyguards prepare confidentiality agreements. They’ll stay at the hospital until he’s discharged.”

“Well done.” Sui Yuesheng nodded slightly, praising him.

Even if it had been him, he couldn’t have thought of a better way to handle the situation. Tao Fengche had grown up so fast and so well; surely, Tao Zhixing’s spirit would feel proud—just as he did now.

But even though he was proud, there were still things that needed to be said.

The table was round, and they were sitting close. Sui Yuesheng easily reached out and ruffled Tao Fengche’s hair. “Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”

Just hearing the details from Tao Fengche made Sui Yuesheng feel a pang of anxiety.

What if the timing was bad and Liu Tianlei had a gun in his hand? Or if Liu Tianlei wasn’t alone and had others with him? Or worse, what if Liu Tianlei had gone all out, risking his life and dragging Tao Fengche down with him?

Sui Yuesheng had seen too many ruthless people and knew how little regard they had for life. The situation could have been dangerous.

If something had happened to Tao Fengche… what would he do?

Sui Yuesheng couldn’t bear to think about it.

Since Tao Zhixing had rescued him from that warehouse and given him a new name, his past had disappeared like water flowing eastward.

Tao Zhixing had given him a second life.

And coming to the Tao family, studying abroad, returning to take over… it had all been for Tao Fengche.

If Tao Fengche were gone, then what was the point of “Sui Yuesheng”?

Sui Yuesheng didn’t dare to think about it, and he didn’t want to.

His gray-blue eyes were like a deep, unfathomable sea, filled with emotions Tao Fengche couldn’t understand. Feeling unsure, Tao Fengche averted his gaze, avoiding further eye contact.

The nearly ten-year age gap between them was an insurmountable divide. Tao Fengche resented this river of time that no one could reverse, and in his immaturity, he couldn’t bring himself to say the real reason—how could he tell Sui Yuesheng that the reason he hadn’t told him was because he wanted to prove that he was grown up, to show off his alpha charm, and to demonstrate that he was ready to pursue him?

Especially considering that just now he had inexplicably acted like a spoiled child in front of Sui Yuesheng because of shooting someone, and had uncontrollably burst into tears due to the latter’s hug and gentleness.

Tao Fengche was not a naive, innocent child. He had a clear understanding of the Tao family’s secret business. He had seen Tao Zhixing punish traitors in the study, and he had also seen Sui Yuesheng unhesitatingly pull the trigger in the mourning hall — his brother and father were the same, both ruthless and decisive men of power and control.

In comparison, he was still too immature now, far from being able to walk side by side with Sui Yuesheng, let alone surpass him.

He pondered for a long time and finally could only vaguely say, “You’re too busy, I don’t want to bother you with such a trivial matter. I was afraid it would trouble you.”

“Xiao Che.” Sui Yuesheng suddenly called him.

Tao Fengche instinctively looked up and met Sui Yuesheng’s gaze. He clearly saw his own reflection within those eyes, and at the same time, he saw the intense seriousness that was almost overflowing.

“To me, as long as it’s something related to you, it’s never a ‘trivial matter.’ You never need to worry about troubling me.” Sui Yuesheng said each word with great care, his tone so serious it was as if he were making a vow. “So no matter what happens, you must tell me.”

Tao Fengche nodded.

A wordless silence quickly spread in the dining room. Sui Yuesheng stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly asked, “Aside from this, is there anything else you want to tell me?”