2: Chapter 2 The Tragic Young Master's Benefactor 1

On a beautiful overseas island that seemed isolated from the world, a stunning ocean-view villa stood. Warm sunlight streamed through the windows.

The person lying on the bed slowly woke up. For a split second, his eyes held a trace of confusion, but he quickly regained his innate indifference—an indifference so profound it seemed as if nothing was worthy of being reflected in them.

Lu Zhan threw back the covers and got out of bed. Dressed in pure black silk pajamas with white piping and matching fuzzy slippers, he walked into the bathroom.

"009, transmit all the information regarding the male lead from the years I was away, and check his blackening value." His voice was slightly low and raspy from just waking up.

The face reflected in the mirror was basically identical to the Lu Zhan of the Main World: indifferent eyes, thin lips, sharp features, a superior bridge of the nose, and fair, delicate skin. His slightly long black hair hung down naturally. He was handsome but not feminine; however, compared to his original self, the face in the mirror appeared more mature and steady.

Compared to the cold indifference of the Main World, the Lu Zhan of this world possessed an added air of majesty and nobility from years of being in a high position.

And it should be so. After all, the identity of this body was the Third Master of the Lu Family, a top-tier family in Sijiu City. He was the youngest son of the old man of the Lu family, and because he was born late in his father's life, he had been doted on by the old man since childhood.

His two older brothers—one in business and one in politics—were much older than him and had become doting brother-obsessives. Thus, Lu Zhan had always gotten whatever he wanted since he was a child. Accustomed to being high and mighty, his status in all of Sijiu City was undoubtedly second to none.

"Host, 009 at your service. We have arrived in the first world, a modern world featuring 'Real and Fake Young Masters.' The timeline is five years after the host's departure.

The male lead, Lin Sicheng, is 23 years old and is already the current head and primary power wielder of the Lin Family.

As for the Lu Family, due to the old man's passing a few years ago, although the eldest and second brothers are maintaining it, they are ultimately slightly less influential than before.

Meanwhile, the Lin Family, which was previously inferior to the Lu Family, has been led by the male lead with his Child of Luck halo over the past few years.

Their development momentum is very strong, and there is already a faint sense of them surpassing the Lu Family. The specific details have already been transmitted to you, Host."

009's brisk voice came through, and detailed information about the male lead, Lin Sicheng, was transmitted to Lu Zhan.

"This little brat is quite impressive now. As expected of the darling of the Small World, a well-deserved Child of Luck."

Lu Zhan opened the wardrobe and put on a tailor-made black handmade suit. His tone carried a hint of teasing, and a sliver of a smile appeared in his habitually indifferent eyes.

Lu Zhan still remembered that when he first arrived in this world, it happened to be the most miserable stage for the male lead.

Two pregnant women giving birth in the same hospital on the same day had their children placed together, and by a twist of fate, they were swapped.

The male lead's brief experience of familial love and doting was lost the moment his parents accidentally discovered he was not their biological child. Unaware of the truth, he had tried, struggled, complained, and even hated, but in the end, it was all in vain.

Meanwhile, his nominal parents had long known that their biological son was living the life of a high-society young master, yet they selfishly hid everything and were unwilling to treat him with any kindness.

He suffered cold treatment and disdain in that home, and the doted-on younger brother only served to highlight his misery. He was a child who was neither loved nor wanted, with only himself to rely on.

This was a fact he had known since he was ten. Although life was difficult, he endured it, believing things would get better once he grew up.

Later, he finally left that home. Relying on his outstanding grades and awards from mathematics competitions, he was admitted to the top-tier Ming'an Middle School in Sijiu City with a full tuition waiver.

Carrying hope and a pocket full of meager savings, he arrived at Ming'an Middle School, never imagining that this would be the beginning of a nightmare.

Simply because of one person—Lin Ziqi, the young master of the Lin Family in Sijiu City—he was targeted, isolated, pranked, and bullied.

Next was the male lead's blackening point.

According to the original trajectory, shortly after this, Lin Ziqi did something: he threw the male lead, Li Sicheng (his name was only changed to Lin Sicheng after he reclaimed his identity), into the high-end club, Nightclub.

Most young masters in high society were exposed to adult-oriented things early on, and some even played around regardless of gender.

While Nightclub appeared to be a bar on the surface, it was secretly a high-end club providing such services to these members of the upper class.

Li Sicheng experienced unspeakable things during his time at Nightclub before finally escaping. Although he didn't actually lose his virginity, his Heart-Nature changed drastically from then on, and he became completely blackened.

When he reappeared, he was not only a powerful figure but had also discovered his true parentage. He forcefully reclaimed everything that originally belonged to him and took revenge on all those who had once oppressed him.

Each of them met a miserable end, while Lin Ziqi received special treatment: he was handed over to Lin Sicheng's subordinates to be tormented to death.

After completing his revenge, Lin Sicheng felt an empty and exceptional sense of loneliness. Looking back at his life, it felt like a giant joke played by the heavens.

The completely blackened Lin Sicheng felt that life was meaningless and no longer wanted to live. He even wanted to destroy the world along the way, causing the Small World to collapse.

Lu Zhan had arrived before the blackening point and manufactured several chance encounters. From meeting to becoming acquaintances and then close friends, Lu Zhan adhered to the mission tenet, lending a helping hand and providing warmth.

In this way, he led the male lead out of his current misery and protected him, not only preventing the event that would have caused his complete blackening.

Lu Zhan also used his status as the Third Master of the Lu Family to vouch for him, directly taking the male lead to see the old man of the Lin Family for a paternity test, reclaiming everything the male lead should have had from birth.

One was a biological child who grew up in another's home and wasn't close to them; the other was a child they had raised by their side and doted on as they watched him grow.

So, even though they knew Lin Sicheng was their biological child, the Lin couple's attitude toward him was somewhat cold.

Fortunately, the old man of the Lin Family was quite clear-headed. He hosted a banquet to publicly acknowledge Lin Sicheng's identity.

Lin Ziqi wasn't biological, but the Lin couple still wanted him to become their adopted son. However, Lu Zhan dealt with the matter swiftly.

Wave after wave of evidence regarding the inhuman behavior of Lin Ziqi and his biological parents was tossed to the old man of the Lin Family. Filled with grief and guilt for Lin Sicheng, the old man used his absolute authority to strip Lin Ziqi of his surname and kick him out of the Lin Family.

When a wall is about to fall, everyone gives it a push; people love to kick a dog while it's down. Usually, Lin Ziqi had relied on his status as the Lin Family's young master to act high and mighty and play the tyrant.

Now that he was an imposter and had been kicked out of the Lin Family, without the protection of the great tree that was the Lin Family, Lin Ziqi began a life of suffering that was worse than death.

Lu Zhan stayed for another two years. After confirming that Lin Sicheng was on the right track, he used the death of Old Master Lu as an excuse to go out and clear his head, leaving the place of sorrow. Since he had shared a deep bond with the old man since childhood, no one suspected anything, and Lu Zhan left quietly.

Only one person reacted with intense opposition to his departure, and that was Lin Sicheng. But for Lu Zhan, the mission was complete, and the opposition was invalid.

To avoid further trouble, he even had his replica unilaterally cut off all contact with Lin Sicheng and forbade others from revealing any information to him. Lu Zhan assumed that over time, the memories would naturally fade.

The reality, however, was that Lin Sicheng had only just entered university and hadn't even taken over the Lin Family yet. After Lu Zhan unilaterally cut off contact, Lin Sicheng was faced with the Lu Family, which was far more powerful than the Lin Family.

In the years after Lu Zhan left, he was completely unable to find him, nor did he have even the slightest bit of news about him.

His heart gradually began to change, and his entire persona became gloomy. He didn't know what he had done wrong to be discarded so heartlessly, as if someone were eager to throw away a great burden, avoiding him like the plague.

Had that person discovered his feelings? No, it was impossible. He had hidden them so deeply, not daring to show anything beyond normal contact; it was impossible for him to have found out.

Lin Sicheng's dark life had been briefly illuminated by a beam of light. He had adapted to the warmth of the light, but because his own strength was insufficient, he couldn't keep it and could only let it vanish. During this period of loss, the memory did not fade; instead, it grew deeper.

Once one has experienced the light, the darkness seems unbearable. Every moment, he only thought about becoming stronger so he could grasp the vanished light in his hands once more.

This time, he would hold on tight. No one would be able to stop him, and even that person would not be able to discard him at will again. He would tie him to his side for a lifetime, whether he agreed or not.

In the dead of night when he was alone, he would occasionally hate that person's heartlessness, yet he knew he shouldn't, because ultimately, it was that person who had pulled him out of the mire.

But he truly loved that person very much. That person had been gone for too long, and his longing was so obsessive that he began to live his life in a way that somewhat resembled that person.

Soon, it would be soon. His wings had matured. It didn't matter if that person didn't come back yet; before long, he would find him, personally bring him back, and then lock him away in a place where only he could see him.

As Lin Sicheng thought this, a smile appeared on his face, which looked somewhat eerie against the backdrop of the wall covered in that person's photographs.

After Lu Zhan completed his mission, he had detached from the world, leaving behind a replica that copied all of his behaviors and lifestyle habits.

Even for very close relatives, as long as they didn't spend long periods together, they generally wouldn't notice anything unusual. Thus, the replica spent years traveling abroad and eventually settled down for a short stay on this overseas island.