Chapter 2 – Beneath the Skin
Two years later.
The living room of the Lin family estate in the richer district of Zhenhai was spotless—polished marble floors, chandeliers that sparkled even in daylight, and cold walls that never echoed with laughter.
Lin Xian now lived here, but he wasn't family.
Not really.
He was taken in by his father's half-brother, Lin Wei, after media coverage of his academic brilliance went viral. "Genius Orphan of Zhenhai Slums Scores National Record in Entrance Exams," the headlines screamed. Everyone wanted a piece of the miracle child.
But at the Lin estate, he was treated like a guest from a forgotten country.
His cousin, Lin Chen, three months older and a hundred times more arrogant, made sure of that.
"You should eat in the servant hall," Lin Chen sneered one day, while their tutor was out. "Why pretend you belong?"
Lin Xian didn't reply. He never did. Words wasted on fools only made him smaller.
Instead, he focused on what mattered: studying, understanding the family business, and building his web of connections. Xu Rou was still in contact, writing him letters each week. She told him of her job as a part-time librarian and included newspaper clippings about startups and emerging tech trends.
Lin Xian read everything. Remembered everything.
At night, he would sit under the moonlight and visualize algorithms, business structures, marketing patterns. While other teens played games, he built dreams.
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But betrayal always lurked close.
When the head of the Lin family became critically ill, Lin Wei began subtly poisoning the will—removing any mention of Lin Xian from future inheritance.
And Lin Xian? He knew.
He wrote it all down. Collected evidence. Built files.
> "One day, I'll own all this. And no one will even remember your names."
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