“You two can argue without dragging me into it.”

Jiang She stood up impatiently, grabbed his jacket, and left without looking back.

There were vague voices calling him back from behind, but Jiang She ignored them.

He didn’t know when it started, but interacting with them had become so uncomfortable.

It seemed like Shen Qing and Jiang Qifeng were always at odds, constantly trying to find ways to insult each other.

Recently, Jiang She had indeed grown closer to Jiang Qifeng, mainly because Jiang Qifeng helped him find a tutor, Nian Li Hua.

But he didn’t hate Shen Qing.

He knew that many parents treat their children as everything, like Tang Lingmei, who would devote herself entirely to Shen Hongfang. He never expected Shen Qing to sacrifice everything for him.

Everyone is an independent individual. Shen Qing gave birth to him, but she didn’t owe him anything.

Shen Qing was ambitious and capable, unwilling to be just Jiang Qifeng’s supporting woman. Jiang Qifeng’s career was flourishing, and he couldn’t drop his thousands of employees to return to the family.

When Jiang She returned home and turned on the lights, he felt much more at ease as he looked at the familiar, cozy atmosphere of the living room.

He leaned on the sofa, grabbed a cushion, and tucked it into his arms. His mind wandered back to the times he kissed Chu Tao on the couch, and Jiang She couldn’t help but smile.

But soon, he reined in his emotions. He was worried that Jiang Qifeng and Shen Qing might cause trouble for Chu Tao. After all, these two were not easy to deal with. If they went after Chu Tao, did he have the ability to protect him from the consequences?

At 9 p.m., Jiang She received a message from Jiang Qifeng:

[Ah She, Dad didn’t know you had someone you liked. Why didn’t you tell me such an important thing? But it’s fine, since that kid is also very outstanding, I support you two being together. If you want, I have connections and can check the pheromone compatibility for you. If the compatibility is high, then there’s nothing to worry about.]

According to the rules, only adults over the age of eighteen could access the gene database to check pheromone compatibility. But Jiang Qifeng ran a pharmaceutical Company and had many connections in hospitals, so he could get Jiang She an immediate check.

No alpha would not want to know the pheromone compatibility with the Omega they liked.

Except for Jiang She, because the person he liked was an alpha.

Not long after, Jiang She received another message, this time from Shen Qing.

Shen Qing was strong-willed and didn’t know how to interact with her child, so since their last conflict, she had intentionally been avoiding Jiang She. It was rare for him to receive a message from her.

[Jiang She, I know you like an alpha. I’m not like your father, who has a throne to inherit. No matter who you like, I won’t interfere. I don’t want things to get worse between us. Jiang She, I’ll always be your mother, the one who wants the best for you. I’ll never remarry, but your father will eventually find someone.]

After reading it, Jiang She tossed his phone aside and chuckled softly.

Both of his parents were highly intelligent and well-educated, each standing out in their own fields and having reached the pinnacle of their respective careers. Yet, they were too greedy—wanting to maintain their career peaks while proving that they could do better than the other, striving to balance both.

“There’s no such thing as a good deal.”

In the middle of the night, Jiang She couldn’t help but send a voice message to Chu Tao: “It’s too hot in bed and I’m so turned on, I can’t sleep.”

Chu Tao replied: “Do it yourself.”

Jiang She: “Oh.”

During the summer vacation, Chu Tao and Chu Xingning were taken by Song Mian to visit Shen Hongfang.

After a month of treatment, Shen Hongfang’s mood had stabilized a lot, and his spirit had mostly recovered. The latest tests showed that he now had only mild depression and could leave the rehabilitation center to rest at home.

However, his relationship with Tang Lingmei had not been repaired. It seemed like he wanted to use this outburst to release all the pain he had kept inside for these years.

When Tang Lingmei was with him, she was cautious, rarely daring to give orders. Even when she peeled an apple for Shen Hongfang, she had to ask for his opinion.

Now, Tang Lingmei no longer hoped for Shen Hongfang’s achievements. The more time he wasted, the more dead her heart became. That lost time could never be made up. While others were studying, Shen Hongfang had no reason to do better than them.

Song Mian brought a lot of fruit, nervously checking to make sure she wasn’t carrying anything sharp, before finally feeling at ease and going to see Shen Hongfang.

After greeting him, she asked Chu Tao and Chu Xingning to wash some cherries while she sat by Shen Hongfang’s bed.

“Auntie came to see you, and it’s a good chance for Xingning and Tao Tao to play with you. You must be bored staying here for so long.”

Shen Hongfang was lying against the pillow, his head down, his fingers nervously pulling at the bedspread. He whispered, “Thank you.”

He didn’t feel much dislike for Song Mian. After all, she was always kind to him when they met.

Song Mian was different from his mother. His mother’s attitude towards Chu Xingning and Chu Tao was so obvious it made things awkward, but Song Mian had always treated him decently on the surface.

Song Mian glanced at Tang Lingmei, who helplessly pulled at the corners of her lips. The wrinkles around her eyes seemed to have deepened, and weariness filled every fine crevice of her face.

Song Mian continued, “Your mom said you’ve been feeling better. When you’re back home, I’ll have Xingning and Tao Tao visit you more often. If anything is bothering you, just talk to them. Don’t keep it all to yourself.”

Shen Hongfang kept his head down. His shoulders slightly moved with his breath, but there wasn’t much expression on his face.

“Okay.”

Song Mian felt a bit helpless. Her words didn’t seem to make much impact. Although Shen Hongfang responded, there was no sincerity in his tone.

Those seemingly normal lives could turn a good child into someone like this.

Tang Lingmei couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She had hoped that by bringing Chu Xingning and Chu Tao, it would give Shen Hongfang some fresh air and lift his mood, but it seemed to have had no effect.

While Chu Xingning and Chu Tao were out of the room, Tang Lingmei pulled Song Mian outside and quietly asked, “Song, I want to ask you something. How did Tao Tao find Nian Li Hua for tutoring?”

Song Mian hesitated, her expression a little guilty. She muttered, “I don’t know.”

But she was certain that Chu Tao didn’t have enough money to pay for such expensive lessons.

Tang Lingmei was getting anxious. “Song, Shen Hongfang has already fallen behind for so long. I don’t know if he’ll be able to get into a 985 school. Please, I’m begging you, help me out. No matter how much it costs, I’ll pay. As long as he recovers and his grades improve, and he regains his confidence, that’s all I want.”

Tang Lingmei knew very well that the quality of teachers varied greatly. The tutor she had found before was clearly not as good as Nian Li Hua. Chu Tao had only studied for two months but had already completely caught up in chemistry. If Shen Hongfang could study with Nian Li Hua, maybe…

Song Mian clenched her fist, feeling awkward. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, I really don’t know. Don’t you know me? Do I have the connections or the spare money to get Nian Li Hua to tutor? If I could find him, why would I let Tao Tao take online courses?”

For her, admitting that her relationship with Chu Tao had grown distant was hard to say. She also wanted to maintain a happy family image, with a harmonious father-son relationship, but when it came to Tang Lingmei, she couldn’t bear to hide the truth.

Tang Lingmei was shocked. “So, you still don’t know how Chu Tao got tutoring?”

Song Mian shook her head.

“Why don’t you ask him? Can you really hold it in?”

Song Mian smiled bitterly. “I’m scared now.”

Tang Lingmei paused. Song Mian was taking her as a warning from the past.

Tang Lingmei rubbed her reddened forehead and, shaking herself back to reality, said, “By the way, I still have to thank Tao Tao. If it weren’t for him, Shen Hongfang might have acted impulsively.”

Song Mian waved her hand. “It’s nothing.”

Chu Xingning and Chu Tao returned with cherries, noticing Song Mian and Tang Lingmei sitting on a bench outside.

Chu Xingning asked, “Mom, why aren’t you inside?”

Song Mian smiled. “Oh, I came out for some fresh air with your Aunt Tang. You guys go inside and talk to Shen Hongfang.”

“Okay.”

Chu Xingning’s eyes flickered for a moment as he held the cherries and entered the room.

Chu Tao followed him in and casually locked the door.

Hearing the sound of the lock, Shen Hongfang slightly raised his head, his gaze drifting toward them.

Chu Tao pressed his ear to the door, listening carefully to the outside, and whispered, “Hurry up.”

Chu Xingning removed his outer jacket and pulled out a small envelope from inside, handing it to Shen Hongfang.

“Xi Xun asked me to bring this to you. Your phone’s disconnected, and you haven’t replied on WeChat.”

Shen Hongfang looked at the white envelope, his fingers tapping on it twice, and then, silently, tears started to fall.

Chu Xingning, feeling a bit distressed, said, “You should open it quickly. I’m worried there won’t be time later.”

Shen Hongfang took a deep breath, his fingers trembling as he carefully held the edge of the envelope, rubbing it repeatedly but not opening it.

Chu Tao glanced back at him and asked, “Do you want us to leave too?”

Only then did Shen Hongfang shake his head. His Adam’s apple moved quickly twice before he cautiously opened the envelope and pulled out a simple card.

The card was small, not enough space for many words, but the meaning was clear:

— “I checked our pheromone compatibility. It’s 99%.”

—— I don’t blame you. I’ll wait for you.

Xi Xun would be of legal age after his birthday, so he had the right to check. Naturally, he checked his pheromone compatibility with Shen Hongfang.

The fact that he was willing to do this meant that he still liked Shen Hongfang.

Shen Hongfang’s gaze softened, and the lifelessness in his eyes was suddenly replaced by a glimmer of light.

He gazed longingly at the neat, small handwriting, reading it over and over, as if each word was harder to understand than classical Chinese, terrified of missing even the smallest detail.

Chu Xingning, seeing his reaction, finally felt relieved. Now he could go back and report to Xi Xun.

Soon, Tang Lingmei knocked on the door from outside. “Hey Xingning, why is the door still locked?”

Shen Hongfang shuddered, quickly putting the letter away and tucking it into his blanket. He then returned to his despondent posture.

Chu Tao and Chu Xingning exchanged glances and waited for Shen Hongfang to hide the letter before opening the door.

When Tang Lingmei entered, Chu Tao explained, “Sorry, I’m just used to locking the door.”

Song Mian, sensing something, glanced up.

Yes, Chu Tao was used to it. Now that he was not alone in the room, he would definitely lock the door.

Not long ago, when Song Mian was tidying up the house, she had found the storage box on the balcony turned over, and Chu Tao had taken the spare room keys from inside.

Tang Lingmei didn’t think much of it. She had her own worries and nervously licked her lips. “Tao Tao, I have to thank you. I misunderstood you a lot in the past, and it’s been weighing on me.”

Chu Tao didn’t care to argue with Tang Lingmei, especially with Shen Hongfang there. He couldn’t openly disrespect his mother in front of him.

He casually said, “It’s fine.”

Tang Lingmei cleared her throat and, without thinking, rubbed her hands together. “Auntie also wants to ask you—how did you get in touch with Teacher Nian Li Hua for tutoring?”

Song Mian held her breath, focusing intently.

She thought it was inappropriate for Tang Lingmei to ask so directly, but she also genuinely wanted to know the answer.

Chu Xingning also looked at Chu Tao, while Shen Hongfang, as always, kept his head down, as if none of this concerned him.

Chu Tao, now taller than Tang Lingmei and Song Mian by a good margin, had to lower his eyes when he looked at them.

He remained silent for a moment, his tense muscles relaxing, and then he smiled. His eyes curved, bright and clear.

He casually said, “It wasn’t me who contacted him.”

Tang Lingmei: “Then…”

Chu Tao didn’t intend to keep it a secret any longer.

He knew that not only Tang Lingmei wanted to know, but even his mother was curious. Rather than being constantly probed, it was better to be open.

“It was that so-called ‘good-for-nothing’ student, Jiang She. He found Teacher Nian. He knew I was struggling with chemistry, so he asked me to join him for tutoring.”

Tang Lingmei was stunned. She hadn’t expected Jiang She to be involved.

Her understanding of Jiang She came only from the rumors in the parent group at school, so she had pre-judged him as troublemaker and had said many bad things about him to Song Mian.

But it turned out that Chu Tao’s improvement was all thanks to Jiang She.

“You’re that close to him?” Tang Lingmei didn’t even know how to describe their relationship. It was almost as if Jiang She had given Chu Tao a completely different life.

Chu Tao nodded, answering calmly, “Probably even better than you think.”