“Xiao Che, wake up, we’re here.”

Tao Fengche was awakened by a gentle voice, but his mind was still groggy, leaving him confused for a moment, unsure of the time or place, and unable to distinguish between dream and reality.

He had slept so soundly that he felt as if he had been transported back to his carefree childhood, as though he had stepped into a time machine.

At that time, Tao Zhixing was still alive and vigorous, and he was still that young master who didn’t know what worry was, just awakening from a long afternoon nap. The tutor had arrived, and Sui Yuesheng was half-squatting by his bedside, trying to get him up for his afternoon classes.

Tao Fengche frowned, unwilling to accept the knowledge infusion so soon. He just wanted to burrow into Sui Yuesheng’s arms, snuggle a bit, and act cute to gain some sympathy to stay in bed a little longer.

Just like he used to when he was a child.

— And he almost did just that.

If it weren’t for the unfamiliar, yet somewhat familiar, feeling beneath him, Tao Fengche, still in a daze, opened his eyes to see the interior of a car.

In an instant, clarity returned, and he realized they had arrived at the school gates.

Sui Yuesheng said nothing. His gray-blue eyes were calm, like the surface of the sea, gazing at Tao Fengche with a gentle, accepting look. This made Tao Fengche suddenly feel a wave of embarrassment.

— Embarrassment over his own impulsive behavior.

He averted his eyes, avoiding Sui Yuesheng’s gaze, and noticed something unusual.

There was a faint warmth lingering at his fingertips. Tao Fengche moved his fingers slightly, unsure of what it was — an illusion, holding hands, or… was the heater just too warm?

He stared blankly at his fingertips, missing the fleeting awkwardness in Sui Yuesheng’s eyes — Tao Fengche wasn’t the only one who had lost composure. Sui Yuesheng had just hidden it well, so Tao Fengche remained completely unaware.

Sui Yuesheng had noticed Tao Fengche’s faint longing, as well as his unconscious movement to snuggle closer. He had almost been prepared to open his arms, allowing the drowsy boy to cuddle for a moment, and then scold him for not resting properly at night once he was done being spoiled.

But Tao Fengche didn’t follow through.

The sleepiness was still evident in his eyes, but clarity had taken over. The eight-year-old Tao Fengche was gone, replaced once again by the almost eighteen-year-old version of himself.

Sui Yuesheng felt a tiny pang of disappointment, hidden so well that even he hadn’t noticed it.

Politely and reservedly, he sat in place, playing the role of a responsible guardian. It wouldn’t be appropriate to scold Tao Fengche now, especially since he was still absorbed in staring at his own fingertips.

This left Sui Yuesheng feeling a little awkward.

It was a fleeting loss of control, like a night-blooming flower that only blossomed when Tao Fengche wasn’t fully conscious. The moment passed quickly, just like Sui Yuesheng’s deeply concealed indulgence.

He would never act that way when Tao Fengche was fully aware, nor let Tao Fengche realize that he ever had.

…But Tao Fengche was so smart. If he kept sitting in silence, lost in thought, he might figure it out.

Say something, Sui Yuesheng, say something.

Urged by his mind, Sui Yuesheng leaned forward slightly and handed Tao Fengche his backpack, which had been placed to the side: “Xiao Che, you’re going to be late.”

The backpack was right next to the car door on Tao Fengche’s side, making Sui Yuesheng’s action unnecessary. Unfortunately, Tao Fengche didn’t notice this oddity.

He just thought that he had zoned out for too long and that his attempt to intentionally delay time, wanting to stay a bit longer in this enclosed space with his brother, had been noticed. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he reached out to take the schoolbag, not even bothering to put it on properly, and was ready to get off the car with it in one hand. But just then, Sui Yuesheng suddenly called out to him.

“Xiao Che?”

Tao Fengche paused and turned back, “Hmm?”

Sui Yuesheng leaned forward again, but this time, he pulled him into his arms.

Tao Fengche’s breath hitched, and his eyes uncontrollably flicked to the small patch of skin on the back of Sui Yuesheng’s neck near the gland area. The skin was smooth and unmarked, just as flawless as the surrounding area. Oh my god, whether it was Jiang Jingyun or that playboy with the rose scent, or anyone else for that matter, how could they resist the urge to bite it?!

How could they hold back? Are they even real alphas?!

Tao Fengche’s thoughts spiraled wildly, his mind filling with all sorts of chaotic ideas. Upon closer reflection, there was even a sense of relief as if he had narrowly escaped something, along with an odd sense of frustration.

“I got a message from your class teacher. She said there will be a placement test before the official start of the semester,” Sui Yuesheng said, carefully choosing his words as he touched the prominent bones on Tao Fengche’s back. “This is your life, you…”

Tao Fengche’s chaotic thoughts dissipated instantly, bringing him back to reality. He interrupted Sui Yuesheng, “I know.”

The pressure of Sui Yuesheng’s hand was skillful, somewhere between a rub and a stroke. Under this calming touch, Tao Fengche remained surprisingly composed.

Ever since that unhappy disagreement a month and a half ago, the two had silently avoided any discussion about exams. Now, as Sui Yuesheng suddenly brought up the topic again, Tao Fengche, who normally would have bristled like a hedgehog, surprisingly retracted his defensive spikes.

He no longer resisted, nor did he adopt his usual aggressive stance. Instead, he calmly repeated, “I know, Ge. I’ll do well on the test.”

Sui Yuesheng silently withdrew his hand, putting some distance between them. His gaze met Tao Fengche’s in the air, as if trying to gauge the sincerity of his words.

After the previous incident, it seemed his credibility with his brother had dropped significantly. Tao Fengche thought bitterly.

He felt a bit sad, but he knew this was his own doing, and avoiding the problem wouldn’t solve it. His brain worked quickly, and in the next moment, he came up with a solution.

He didn’t get angry or react negatively. Instead, he chuckled playfully, “Come on, Ge, trust me. There’s no summer camp this time.”

Tao Fengche deliberately glossed over the reason he had intentionally scored low before. Whether Sui Yuesheng believed him or not, he stared at him for a while before finally letting out a soft hum, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

Sui Yuesheng’s touch was gentle, careful not to mess up his hair. “Alright, go ahead. Good luck on the exam.”

For a moment, the atmosphere was so good that Tao Fengche even wondered if Sui Yuesheng might give him a kiss, even if just on the forehead.

But even when he was a child, Sui Yuesheng rarely kissed him. The only time was on New Year’s Eve when he had shamelessly asked for it. Sui Yuesheng had kissed him on the forehead with a look of disdain. It was a kiss given with little sincerity, but Tao Fengche had still been satisfied, happily dragging him outside to set off fireworks.

Luckily, Tao Fengche was well aware of the low probability of getting a kiss this time, so he didn’t set his expectations too high. When the fantasy didn’t come true, he wasn’t too disappointed. After nodding in agreement, he opened the car door, got out, waved goodbye to Sui Yuesheng, and stood at the school gate, watching him leave.

From the moment the massive Karlmann King had boldly parked in front of the school gate to when he said goodbye to Sui Yuesheng and the car drove off, the entire process took less than five minutes, but a chorus of hushed voices had already started up around him.

The car was too flashy, and coupled with the fact that Tao Fengche was already a popular figure in the school, this result wasn’t surprising. However, whether it was the admiration from the opposite sex or the envy from the same sex, after the chaotic events of the summer vacation, none of it stirred any emotion in Tao Fengche’s heart.

None of it mattered as much as saying goodbye to Sui Yuesheng.

Tao Fengche even felt a bit of self-doubt. If something like Cai Hong’s incident happened again, he might just treat the latter like an annoying fly and stay calm…

No, he wouldn’t ignore it. That guy’s mouth is too cheap. He should get another beating.

Tao Fengche thought for a moment and happily made a decision.

He took a step forward, heading towards the school. Meanwhile, his sixth sense quickly rang the alarm.

— Something was rapidly approaching from the right rear.

He instinctively assumed a defensive posture but quickly relaxed his guard as he sensed the familiar presence.

“Good morning, Tao Ge!” A cheerful Wang Yuan rushed over, slapped Tao Fengche’s right shoulder, then put his arm around Tao Fengche’s shoulder, forcing a brotherly pose. “Did you get a new car?”

Fortunately, Wang Yuan had successfully lost weight in recent years. If he were still the chubby kid of his childhood, with his height and weight in a 1:1 ratio, such a tackle might have made even Tao Fengche stumble.

…There was even a chance they could both end up in a heap.

Tao Fengche straightened up and, with a calm demeanor, swallowed the curse he nearly blurted out due to the impact: “No, that’s my brother’s car.”

“He sent me here today,” he added.

Unfortunately, the thick-skinned Wang Yuan didn’t grasp the underlying bragging in Tao Fengche’s words.

He was taken aback: “What?! Didn’t you say your relationship was just average? You patched things up so quickly?!”

It was just a summer camp in Country A, and despite staying in touch with Tao Fengche over the past month and a half, it felt like he had missed an entire season of a drama!

Wang Yuan was puzzled.

Tao Fengche: “…”

“Not really? We had a pretty good relationship before.”

Wang Yuan: “…”

Wang Yuan fell silent.

Was the relationship you referred to the one where your bank card was suspended, and you only got a thousand bucks a month, with a high-value meal card to make you eat at the school cafeteria all the time?

Or the one where you never get to play games?

Wang Yuan couldn’t appreciate the undercurrents of their brotherly bond or empathize. He could only laugh awkwardly and try to support Tao Fengche: “Oh, really? That’s good, that’s good.”

Tao Fengche nodded with restrained approval.

Wang Yuan, unwilling to delve deeper into the topic, glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to them, and suddenly said, “The person you asked me to investigate the other day—I found a lead.”

Tao Fengche’s eyes sharpened.

“Whether it’s him or his family, their accounts are very clean, almost suspiciously so,” Wang Yuan shrugged. “But I managed to find his well-hidden mistress.”

“Zhang Xinyu has a private bank account. I stayed up late the past few days and finally found a loophole last night. I discovered several large transactions with very stable frequency. The amounts are extraordinarily high. But honestly, having a private bank account for a mistress is already quite odd. As you know, it’s hard to find system vulnerabilities in banks. I barely caught one, glanced at it, and immediately got noticed. I had to cover my tracks to avoid getting the police involved…”

Wang Yuan sighed, “Sorry, Tao Ge. The specific flow of funds might take some more time to figure out. Multiple invasions in the short term are too risky, and with school starting…”

“It’s fine.” Tao Fengche interrupted Wang Yuan, patting his shoulder firmly. “You’ve already done me a big favor. Just take your time, safety first.”

Before things were clear, knowing that Liu Tianlei was truly controlled by someone behind the scenes was already enough.

Tao Fengche squinted slightly, a fleeting darkness passing in his eyes.