The square wheels are moving.

The project was quickly established, with Yu Zou regularly visiting the Capital University to work with students on the project's progress. Just as Ji Huisheng had said, Fang Bu was the smartest and hardworking, as well as gentle and kind, but he was not good at dealing with people and always yielded and tolerated his team members.

Once again, Yu Zou arrived at the lab to find that the same two people were absent. These two were quite adept at judging people by their status. If it was Ji Huisheng or his notification, they would obediently arrive on time. But if it was only Fang Bu who made the notification, they would slack off like they did today.

Yu Zou walked to the experimental table and solemnly announced to the people in the laboratory: "I will inform the two of them to withdraw from the project. The new person will be chosen by Professor Ji. Thank you all for your hard work during this period."

Fang Bu wanted to speak up for the two people, but Yu Zou's final gaze silently stopped him.

After the experiment, Yu Zou had just come out of the changing room when he saw Fang Bu waiting at the door. Fang Bu was wearing a faded T-shirt with the English words on it torn and incomplete. When Fang Bu saw Yu Zou come out, he gripped the strap of his backpack even tighter.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Yu Zou asked.

Fang Bu pursed his lips and mustered his courage: "Could you please not remove them from the project?"

“No. First of all, their perfunctory attitude is a disguised form of exploitation, which is unfair to those of you who are paid the same amount. Secondly, the project has a tight schedule and heavy workload, and I will not allow anyone to slack off and delay the progress. Finally, opportunities should be given to those who cherish them, and I have given them opportunities more than once.”

Fang Bu looked around to make sure no one else was there, and then said, "But their surname is Du."

Yu Zou raised an eyebrow: "Which Du?"

Fang Bu was a head shorter than Yu Zou, so he often had to look up when speaking, but he never felt the oppressive feeling that Yu Zou had when he was used to showing off like other Alphas. He was always like a gentle breeze, making people feel comfortable.

But now, even though he was smiling as usual, Fang Bu detected a hint of contempt in his voice and, following his disciplined habits, replied, "Wood, Earth, Du."

Yu Zou laughed out loud, and the contempt in his voice vanished instantly, as if it were Fang Bu's illusion: "I asked them their surname was Du, and then what? Why should I reconsider?"

“They said the Du family is an academic family with students all over the world, and there are many teachers and professors with the surname Du in the school. If they are driven away, the project will be hindered.”

Fang Bu, having come from a poor background, naturally understood these unspoken but tacit truths even better. Resources that weren't at his birth meant he could never hope for later in life. If he wanted to gain anything from this world, he had to endure something.

"Having students all over the world is a good reputation." Yu Zou nodded, his words of agreement were just a way of praising before criticizing, "But peaches and plums are fruits that are very easy to ruin if one fruit goes bad."

Fang Bu stared wide-eyed, unable to believe that Yu Zou was speaking so openly and honestly.

“Bad fruit shouldn’t be eaten; it should be thrown away. Even a child understands that. Thank you for thinking of me, but you, the good fruit, should focus on not letting yourself go bad. Concentrate on your studies and research; other things shouldn’t occupy your main attention. Don’t worry about anything hindering your graduation; your advisor is Ji Huisheng.”

Fang Bu felt a wave of discomfort wash over him, and he was completely speechless. It was as if the wheels of a car that had been traveling on a bumpy path had suddenly been placed on a smooth road. His body, which had been twisted to adapt to the rugged environment, lost its balance and was about to fall.

As darkness fell earlier each day, the conversation inevitably returned to scientific research. The streetlights stretched the shadows of the two men, and as the shadows moved forward, they gradually met two other motionless shadows.

There was someone ahead of him, so Yu Zou stopped and looked up. Du Pianjian was standing under a sycamore tree, with Chi Hengxun's hand on his lower back. The moment he saw Yu Zou, he tensed up.

Yu Zou took his hand out of his pocket and introduced the two parties: "What a coincidence, you two. This is Professor Du Pianjian and Mr. Chi Hengxun, and this is my junior classmate Fang Bu."

Seeing Chi Hengxun openly scrutinizing him, Fang Bu stiffly bowed his head and greeted, "Hello, both teachers."

Du Pianjian smiled at Fang Bu: "Fang Bu, I remember you took my class before, didn't you?"

Fang Bu said, "Teacher, I took this as an elective this semester."

Du Pianjian was slightly surprised: "I remembered wrong, we were just about to go eat, shall we go together?"

"We've already eaten."

Yu Zou answered calmly, and Fang Bu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't even hear what Yu Zou said to them afterward. When Yu Zou walked forward again, Fang Bu followed, but his pace was so fast that he had to jog to keep up.

After walking quite a distance, Yu Zou slowed down and spoke first: "It's not appropriate for us to interfere when couples are having dinner, so I declined. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not."

Which cafeteria and which food stall do you like best?

"Chicken noodle soup at window number 6 of the first canteen."

"Okay, remember, we had chicken noodle soup today. If anyone asks, just say that, okay? As a condition of confidentiality, I'll treat you to something expensive." Yu Zou took out his car keys and pressed the button. The black sleeping beast in the corner of the parking lot immediately opened its eyes in response.

Fang Bu glanced at his watch, then exclaimed in annoyance, revealing a frustrated expression.

Yu Zou glanced at his watch; it was not yet 7:30, just the time for dinner. What was wrong?

Fang Bu answered truthfully that the cafeteria was almost out of food at this time, so he would have to buy food from the supermarket or small shops. However, this meant he wouldn't be able to use the school's food subsidy for impoverished students. He was the kind of person who would lose track of time when he was engrossed in his work, so he usually set an alarm on his phone to remind himself. But this time, because he was discussing things with Yu Zou, he turned off the alarm and forgot about it.

"I'll treat you to dinner outside."

"Senior, how can you do this?"

"No need to refuse, I'll eat by myself anyway." Yu Zou patted his shoulder and opened the car door for him.

Fang Bu never refused anyone, and this time he felt that refusing Yu Zou would leave him to eat alone in loneliness. A strange sense of guilt welled up in his heart, and he went into a high-end restaurant in a daze.

The food was served on a plate, and the portions were all very small. One of the dishes was called "White Phoenix Tail," and Yu Zou ordered it with great anticipation. When the dish arrived, Yu Zou picked up a piece, and sure enough, it forked like a phoenix tail. He put it in his mouth and tasted it—it was just a cabbage! And it cost him two hundred yuan!

Ordinary ingredients were transformed into expensive items in an unconventional way, which amused Yu Zou greatly. Fang Bu, on the other hand, enjoyed the meal very much. Suddenly, he said, "I really want my younger brother to try it too."

You have a younger brother?

Fang Bu nodded, his expression both gentle and proud, his back straightening slightly: "My younger brother is also studying at Shoushu University, majoring in ink painting. He is pursuing his bachelor's and master's degrees under the tutelage of the famous ink painting master Du Pianxing."

Yu Zou's mind raced; no wonder he was worried—his younger brother worked for the Du family. He rang the bell to call a waiter and said, "One more of everything we just ordered, to go. Fang Bu, what's the address?"

Fang Bu unconsciously stirred the thick soup in his plate. He heard the spoon hit the bottom of the plate with a loud thud, which was particularly noticeable in the quiet restaurant and pulled him back from his reverie. He nervously looked around, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was paying attention. He whispered, "Sorry, I was daydreaming. What?"

"Deliver it to parking space F11 in the underground garage. I said I'd pack one up for your younger brother."

Fang Bu quickly waved his hand and said no, trying to stop him, but the waiter had already walked away: "I'll earn my own money and bring him here in the future."

"Why wait until then? Besides, I have to take you back to school anyway, it's just a favor. I'll take you to the underground parking garage. There are two of us going this time, and we'll need your help with future projects, so consider this a small token of my appreciation."

At this moment, Fang Bu was at a loss for words. He felt that his feelings were too complicated to handle. There were too many things that were difficult to deal with lately, while Yu Zou in front of him always seemed to be in control and experienced. It was as if even the most complicated things were no problem for him.

“Neither my brother nor I live at school. I can take the bus home by myself,” Fang Bu explained.

"Not living at school? Why?" Land is incredibly expensive in the capital; the cost of university dormitories is on a completely different level from renting an apartment. For the impoverished Fang brothers, this was something they could easily save on. Yu Zou became increasingly suspicious. Fang Bu, according to his group members, had never been absent or late. If, based on his stated financial situation, he were renting an apartment outside, commuting by bus would take at least four hours every day, requiring him to get up before six to catch the bus.

"Are you having any difficulties?" Yu Zou asked hesitantly. "You can tell me, and I'll try my best to help."

It wasn't just difficult; if he hadn't happened to join Yu Zou's project team, he wouldn't even be able to pay his rent this month. Fang Bu hesitated for a moment, but his concern for his younger brother quickly outweighed everything else. He was willing to tell him everything, even if it was just a piece of useful advice.

Fang Bu and his younger brother Fang Jin are also omegas. The two brothers depend on each other for survival. Their meager living conditions were not enough to allow both of them to go to school at the same time. Therefore, Fang Bu gave up his chance to go to university and supported him until his studies were stable before he was able to retake the college entrance exam.

One was struggling in the real world, while the other was in the ivory tower of academia. Their vastly different environments gradually led to fewer and fewer points of intersection and less and less conversation.

Fang Bu hesitated before offering his guess: "I suspect he might be dating someone, which is understandable. But he stays out all night every few days, and he doesn't even go to school often. The teachers say his excessive absences will definitely affect his graduation. I don't want him to be like this, but I also feel that he's an adult, so shouldn't I be less interfering in his life?"

Yu Zou was surprised: "You have to intervene. If you don't have this right, then who does? You raised him."

Do I have one?

"Of course! Have you talked to him?"

“Yes, he wouldn’t answer me directly. He just looked at me with such pitiful eyes, and I couldn’t bear to ask anymore. He said he didn’t want to live with his roommate, so I moved out with him, thinking that with me there, he would at least behave himself, but it was completely useless.” Fang Bu lowered his head sadly, shaking his spoon. “Even if I bring these things back, he’s not home.”

"So you don't know who his girlfriend is?"

Fang Bu nodded, unable to speak. Many times, he had smelled different Alpha pheromones on Fang Jin, noticed bite marks of different shapes on the back of his neck, and heard that his collar was changed frequently. He had a feeling that Fang Jin was currently in a world he knew nothing about, and that it was refusing his entry.

"What should I do?" Fang Bu said to himself countless times before finally letting it out through his body so that another person could hear it.

"Try to have one last serious talk with him."

Fang Bu slowly raised his head to look at the Alpha opposite him. The Alpha in front of him had slightly upturned eyes and looked over deeply with his light pupils, turning his words into low-level commands and engraving them in his mind.

"If that still doesn't work, come to me for a solution."