Chapter 1: Rebirth

Lu Shi died, killed in a deliberately orchestrated car accident.

He was the true son of the Chen family, switched at birth by the nurse Wang Xiuzhi, who stole Mrs. Chen’s child and brought him to a poverty-stricken county over a thousand kilometers away.

A month before he turned eighteen, a group of people found him.

At the time, Lu Shi was in an alley brawling with a gang of thugs.

They had mocked him, using the most vile and crude language to insult Wang Xiuzhi. So he picked up a brick from the roadside and charged at them alone.

The alley erupted in a cacophony of shouts and screams. Lu Shi’s clothes were torn open in a large gash, hanging off him like a rag.

Well-trained bodyguards rushed over to pull apart the bloodied fighters. A paternity test was handed to Lu Shi, the black-and-white text telling him that he didn’t belong here.

Just like that, Lu Shi was brought back to the bustling capital.

His father was no longer Lu Jinguo, a drunkard, a wife-beater, and a gambling addict. Instead, he became a refined, cultured man in a suit and tie. His mother was no longer the coarse, ignorant Wang Xiuzhi, but an elegant, virtuous noblewoman.

And the boy standing between them—well-mannered, clever, with bright eyes and white teeth—was Chen Youxuan, the fake son who had replaced him for eighteen years.

His father said, ‘Youxuan is innocent. The faults of the elders shouldn’t be blamed on the younger generation.’

His mother said, ‘Youxuan is only a dozen minutes younger than you. Just think of him as an extra younger brother. We’ll give you the best; the Chens can afford it.’

Even Wang Xiuzhi, who had been his mother for eighteen years, begged him, ‘Xiao Shi, don’t chase Youxuan away. This is all my fault. I was blinded by greed back then and made a terrible mistake. Youxuan has nothing to do with it.’

A life of hunger and cold hadn’t taught Lu Shi tolerance or generosity. Lu Jinguo hadn’t taught him to read or write. Those eighteen years in that place had only taught him how to fight and how to hate.

So when Lu Shi first saw Chen Youxuan, the more dazzling the other boy appeared, the more resentment festered in his heart.

Can a beneficiary completely wash their hands of responsibility? No, they cannot.

While he was hungry and cold, working odd jobs at a young age, someone else was living in luxury. While he was dragged by the hair and slammed against the wall by Lu Jinguo, someone else was enjoying wealth and glory…

All of this had been rightfully his. Why should his anger and frustration be labeled as immaturity or ingratitude?

He wanted Chen Youxuan to get out—out of the Chen family, back to where he belonged, back to the parents he should have had.

But Lu Shi held back.

Because more than his hatred for Chen Youxuan, Lu Shi craved the affection of his biological parents. He yearned to siphon even a little of the love he had never felt.

He was obedient.

When his parents said he lacked education and sent him to the most rigorous school to repeat a year, he went.

When they said he lacked experience and sent him to the bottom rung of the subsidiary company to train, he went.

When they said he carried the provincial smell of a poor place and wasn’t presentable enough, he signed up for various training courses overnight, learning etiquette, dressing well, and socializing with the upper class.

Lu Shi strove to become what they expected, gradually narrowing the gap between himself and Chen Youxuan.

Until one day at a family banquet, a relative mentioned that both young masters were of marriageable age and it was time to consider suitable Alpha partners. Lu Shi accidentally overheard his parents’ conversation in the study.

‘Youxuan is an A-grade Omega; countless families want to form an alliance with us. But how can Lu Shi be an F-grade? The lowest grade of Omega. Is he really our son? Honey, should we do another paternity test?’

‘There’s no need. How many times have you confirmed it over the years? Any little thing you dislike, you send the servants to steal his hair. You always think Lu Shi isn’t biological, that the report is wrong.’

‘But how could we possibly give birth to an F-grade? And that child doesn’t even look like us…’

‘I understand your feelings. An F-grade Omega is indeed a laughingstock. But that’s the reality. Accept it. Sigh… If only we hadn’t brought him back, we wouldn’t have this headache now.’

After that, Lu Shi stopped hoping for parental love.

He realized that no matter what he did, he could never surpass Chen Youxuan in their hearts. So he simply stopped trying.

Later, he achieved results in the company, climbing up from the bottom without using any connections, building his own trusted team.

But the position he had painstakingly built over years was taken over by Chen Youxuan as soon as he graduated from university, becoming his immediate boss.

They used Chen Youxuan’s young age and lack of experience as an excuse to have Lu Shi guide and assist him.

But when working on projects, Chen Youxuan insisted on using his own people, acting willfully and pushing Lu Shi aside. When a project worth hundreds of millions went wrong, Chen Youxuan shifted the blame, claiming he knew nothing and that Lu Shi was in charge.

For a week straight, Lu Shi drank himself into oblivion at various business dinners, offering apologies and proposing solutions—not for the sake of that idiot Chen Youxuan, but to ensure that his subordinates, who had families to support, could keep their jobs.

At the final dinner, Lu Shi drank until he vomited, finally getting the partner to agree to a negotiated settlement.

Just as things were starting to look up, Lu Shi received a call from Chen Youxuan on his way home.

‘Brother, you’re so pathetic.’ Chen Youxuan’s voice was slow and deliberate. You could imagine his smug expression even through the phone. ‘Let me tell you a secret: I deliberately sabotaged this project. I wanted to wake you up—no matter how hard you try, you’ll never surpass me.

‘You have to beg Dad for a few million in cooperation funds, but I can toy with a billion-yuan project on a whim. In this family, there’s always been only one young master—me.’

Lu Shi, reeking of alcohol and with a headache threatening to knock him unconscious, heard the barely concealed laughter in Chen Youxuan’s voice.

‘I have a big gift for you. Make sure to receive it well.’

As soon as those words were spoken, before the call ended, a screeching sound of brakes filled the air. The tires locked instantly.

Then

‘Boom!’ The car crashed into the guardrail, and in an instant, flames shot into the sky.

‘Splash—!’ ‘Ugh… cough, cough…’

When Lu Shi struggled to the surface of the swimming pool, his head was still spinning. The roar of the exploding vehicle still echoed in his ears, loud enough to burst his eardrums.

The poolside was crowded with silhouettes. The icy water stung his eyes as Lu Shi looked around in a daze.

Where was this?

Hadn’t he died in the car accident?

‘Oh my, why was Young Master Lu Shi standing by the pool so late at night? I didn’t see him. I didn’t mean to push him in.’

Lu Shi looked up at the voice. When he saw the person on the shore, he was stunned for a moment, completely frozen.

The boy speaking—he knew him. He was Chen Youxuan’s good friend, his family also in business, and he often came to the Chen residence to hang out with Chen Youxuan.

The boy was the same age as Chen Youxuan, looking no older than eighteen or nineteen. The surrounding guests, hearing the commotion, gathered around. Many faces were familiar to Lu Shi.

The boy crouched by the pool, a fake smile on his lips. ‘Young Master Lu Shi, why are you standing in the water in a daze? Can’t get out? Need a hand?’

Lu Shi’s pupils trembled violently.

This conversation, this scene…

He looked sharply at the brightly lit villa not far away. Sure enough, it was festively decorated—balloons, ribbons, bells, and other decorations hung in a dazzling array. Inside the large French window stood a half-person-tall cake placed among a pile of gifts, adorned with a number ’18’ candle.

‘Heh…’

Lu Shi suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh. He felt like laughing.

He had worked so hard for five or six years, only for even the heavens to think he had been blind and that his death wasn’t worth it. So they had sent him back to eighteen.

‘You—what are you laughing at?’ The boy frowned in confusion, an inexplicable chill creeping up his spine.

Today was Chen Youxuan’s eighteenth birthday party—and incidentally, Lu Shi’s as well. The Chens had invited many guests. The reason he dared to mess with Lu Shi at such an event was that in the month since Lu Shi had been reclaimed, everyone knew he was easy to bully.

Whether it was gossiping about him behind his back or deliberately making him look foolish, he was like a paper tiger—only his eyes were fierce, but he never made a sound.

The boy expected Lu Shi to react as before, fiercely slapping his hand away before climbing out of the water on his own. He didn’t expect such an unusual response today.

The other onlookers by the pool wore expressions of anticipation, waiting for a good show.

Lu Shi slowly raised a hand and wiped the water dripping down his cheek.

What had he done in his past life?

The butler had said today was a very important day, with many distinguished guests. The master and madam were very busy. He should maintain a dignified image, take care of himself, and not cause any trouble.

He hadn’t wanted to worry his family. He had wanted to be a son they could be proud of, to win their praise and affection. So he had only given the boy a vicious glare before going back to change into clean clothes.

But now, Lu Shi didn’t want to do that anymore.

Playing the part of an obedient, sensible son was too exhausting. He had been tired enough in his past life.

In truth, he had always resented Wang Xiuzhi for stealing his life, and he had also resented Chen Youxuan by association.

Every day, he had wanted to take revenge on those who had stepped on him.

In others’ words, he was just a piece of trash crawled out of a garbage heap—uneducated, rotten.

The boy was laughing gloatingly.

Suddenly, Lu Shi reached out and grabbed his ankle with lightning speed.

‘You—ah!’

A scream rang out. The crouching boy fell heavily on his rear and was mercilessly dragged into the water by the person in the pool.

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