1 After graduating from college, my billionaire parents, claiming it was for my own good, signed me up for an overseas youth volunteer program. With a noble air, they arranged for the staff to send me to the most arduous location. Later, a new virus broke out in Niger, where I was stationed, causing countless deaths and injuries. Flights back home became impossible to find. I called my parents, begging them to help me return, but received only cold mockery: “Adam! You need to remember, you are an international volunteer now. This is your moment to shine and contribute!” “Don’t expect us to pull strings for you. You can only come back when the volunteer group returns!” “We’re very busy. Don’t keep calling us unless it’s important.” Helpless, I had no choice but to call my childhood friend. But even this last shred of hope was shattered by her utterly indifferent voice. “What? Do you have to be superior to everyone else? Everyone else can stay, but you can’t? Isn’t that what you told Aiden before?” “A malicious person like you deserves to stay in such a disgusting place and rot!” With that, she hung up the phone and pressured the agency, completely cutting off my hope of returning home. Everyone in the volunteer group eventually found ways to return home, leaving me with no one to turn to for help. In just two days, I contracted the supervirus. On the brink of death, I was rescued by a medical aid team dispatched by the government. I sat numbly in the temporary ward, awaiting treatment, when I saw a post from my foster brother, Aiden, on his social media. 【Grateful to my loving parents! They heard I was bored, dropped their work, and took connecting flights to accompany me on a trip abroad~】 I didn’t make a scene as usual. Even though I knew Aiden had done this on purpose, I just posted a sarcastic smiling emoji in the comments section. In the temporary ward in Niger, I was alone in a small room, waiting to receive treatment. A nurse, wearing a full isolation suit, walked in and hooked up my IV. The silence in the ward was broken by the continuous ringing of my phone. Recognizing the caller on the screen, I pressed the answer button with trembling hands. “Adam, do you have any humanity left?!” “Do you know how many times Aiden has been sad because of your comment! He’s your brother, how can you be so malicious!” I looked at my legs, growing weaker each day from the virus, and spoke with a bitter laugh. “What’s wrong with a comment? I just didn’t want to offer blessings. Is that such a heinous crime?” “Sometimes I really wonder, maybe you guys made a mistake back then. Maybe Aiden is your biological son, and I’m the one who was adopted!” A moment of silence fell on the other end of the line, then a familiar female voice finally spoke. “Adam, you’ve misunderstood your father and mother.” “Our family always goes on a trip during the summer break, and you’re volunteering now, so…” “When you come back, your father and mother can go with you again, okay?” My face felt as if it had been slapped hard. My lips trembled for a long time before I spoke with a self-mocking laugh. “Is that so?” “Do I deserve it?” My father’s angry roar suddenly echoed. “What’s the point of talking to such a rebellious son!” “I’m his father! Do I need his permission for what I do? Tell him I’m giving him one last chance. If he doesn’t apologize properly to Aiden, then he can reflect in Niger for the rest of his life!” After a string of harsh words, the call was abruptly cut off. The self-mocking smile on my lips hadn’t even had time to fade before I was engulfed by sadness. Yes, these were my parents. Didn’t they know the situation in Niger? International news reported it daily; even children knew how terrifying the supervirus was. But they simply didn’t care. Because the son they cared about most was always by their side, protected perfectly. In their minds, Aiden was obedient and sensible, while I was barbaric and unreasonable. So, as soon as I graduated from college, they went to great lengths to sign me up for the overseas youth volunteer program, and then self-righteously told the person in charge that I had voluntarily chosen to go to the most difficult place. Niger’s environment had been reported on the news many times; it wasn’t just poverty, but also many unknown viruses, and going there and never returning wasn’t impossible. They knew everything, yet they still insisted. If I showed even a hint of resistance, I became the “ungrateful,” “overbearing and pampered” prodigal son in their eyes. Under my parents’ daily high-intensity cold pressure, I reluctantly had no choice but to go. When I first arrived in Niger, the harsh environment and rough food, every single thing was unbearable. But all of that could be overcome. It wasn’t until the supervirus outbreak, when statistics showed the infection mortality rate was as high as seventy percent, that I truly felt a sense of fear. Recalling the despair of having no one to turn to for help, an unknown surge of anger welled up in my chest. Impossible. I wouldn’t apologize. I would never bow down, not in this lifetime. 2 The day the medical team returned home. I was dressed in the highest level of protective gear, dragging my luggage, looking disheveled as I exited the station. I brushed past Aiden, who was wearing custom-made clothes. “Mom, Dad, you’re both so wonderful! I said I wanted to go out and have fun, and you both dropped all the company’s business to accompany me.” A familiar, gentle male voice, etched in my memory, responded with a laugh. “You silly boy, you’re our precious son. It’s just a small wish, your dad and I will definitely do our best to fulfill it.” “Haha, silly child, no matter how busy Dad is with work, are you not more important?” “As long as you’re safe and healthy, your dad and I will be completely satisfied!” The voices weren’t loud, but they struck me like thunder, making me stop dead in my tracks, standing foolishly in place. My entire body felt cold to the point of numbness, as if even my blood had congealed from the sudden drop in temperature. Only then did I truly understand. When my parents said they had no time to help me, they were actually reserving that time for Aiden. In their eyes, my life was less important than Aiden’s travel plans when he was bored. For so many years, I had compromised countless times, without bottom, just to get my parents’ attention, yet I still couldn’t compare to Aiden. In the year Aiden was adopted, the company flourished, rising to become a top-tier enterprise in H City, and my mother also received good news about a pregnancy. But compared to the company’s booming success, the child seemed less important. From then on, Aiden was declared the Miller family’s lucky star by my father, believing that good fortune would follow if he was treated well. From a young age, I was indoctrinated with the idea that I must always yield to my brother. Until one time, during a primary school final exam, I came home with an award for being first in my grade, only to be met with a slap from my father. Because Aiden had run home crying, saying I looked down on him. No matter how I explained, in their eyes, I was just making excuses, bullying Aiden because I was the Miller family’s biological son. From then on, Aiden tasted the sweetness of manipulation, and I lost my parents. My relationship with my parents became increasingly strained and distant, all because of Aiden’s provocations. My memories stopped abruptly there. Dr. Lee, beside me, patted my shoulder. “Adam, what’s wrong? Is there something bothering you?” I forced a smile and shook my head, pretending nothing had happened. Reality was already starkly clear. Until I boarded the plane leaving home, I had still held onto hope, believing that family bonds were unparalleled. But this near-death scare made me realize that, in my parents’ eyes, I truly was expendable. 3 Due to the after-effects of the supervirus, even after returning home, I couldn’t go directly home. The medical team arranged for me to receive follow-up rehabilitation treatment at the hospital. Dr. Lee, seeing my continuous silence, thought I was homesick. He put one arm around my shoulder, gently reassuring me. “It’s alright, Adam. We’ve actually achieved a significant victory against this virus. See, you’re doing well now, aren’t you?” “And your leg needs better treatment to recover.” “If you’re homesick, I can help you talk to your family. We can do a video call so you can see them.” Hearing the caution in his voice, my eyes welled up slightly, but I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. After sending the address to Dr. Lee, I was assigned to a Level 1 isolation ward. A live video call was open on my phone. In the camera, Dr. Lee stood smiling at the entrance of my family’s villa. After confirming the house number, just as he was about to knock, he heard the sound of a car engine from outside the garden. My parents and Aiden got out of a black luxury car. The three of them were smiling sweetly, looking like a loving family. My father paused when he saw Dr. Lee. “You are?” Dr. Lee’s gentle voice came through the phone: “Hello, are you Adam’s parents? I’m Dr. Lee, from the medical aid team to Africa.” “It’s like this, a supervirus outbreak occurred in Niger, which you should all be aware of.” “Adam, while volunteering in Niger, unfortunately contracted…” Dr. Lee’s words were cut short by my father’s furious roar. “Enough! What kind of stunt is Adam pulling now?!” “Does it mean that what I say no longer matters?” “I don’t care if you’re a cat, a dog, or an actor Adam hired. Please tell that rebellious son that our Miller family has no room for deserters!” “My stance is still the same. He’s only allowed to return home when the entire national volunteer team has withdrawn!” The voice on the other end was slightly distorted, but the anger in the reprimand was clearly discernible. I looked at my father’s flushed face in the video and couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Really, he thought too highly of me. Hiring an actor? He actually thought of that. If I truly had that capability, I would have cut ties with them long ago. Dr. Lee seemed stunned by the sudden outburst of anger, stammering for a while before speaking again. “No, no, I… I’m not an actor, I’m really a doctor from the city hospital, and a member of this medical aid team to Africa…” “Enough! I don’t want to hear any more of your lies!” “No matter what tricks Adam is playing, I will not budge on letting him come back!” “What supervirus, how ridiculous! Tell him, even if he dies, he better die honestly in Africa and not come back to defile our eyes!” With that, he didn’t wait for Dr. Lee’s response, tightly pulling Aiden by the hand, then strode purposefully into the house. With a loud bang, Dr. Lee instinctively covered the microphone of his phone. But with such a loud sound, how could I not hear it? Even though I had told myself a thousand times not to have any more expectations for the Miller family, not to rely on anyone anymore, at this moment, the world before my eyes still involuntarily twisted. My fingers trembled slightly as I put down the phone. I knew it all too well. They clearly knew that all I ever wanted was just a tiny bit of concern that parents could give. But even that little bit, they were so stingy with. After experiencing life and death, I should have given up on this fake family affection long ago. 4 After the examination and treatment reports came out, several specialists immediately gathered around me for a consultation. Although no one told me the detailed situation, from their fragmented conversations, I still gathered some information from the nurses’ chats. “Oh, what’s wrong with the young man in bed 37? He’s all alone, looks quite pitiful.” “I heard he was a volunteer in Niger, got infected there. Luckily, he ran into our hospital’s treatment team.” “But… although the virus problem is solved, the complications…” “Tsk, tsk, the follow-up treatment costs a lot too!” I looked at my bank card balance on my phone, feeling colder and colder the more I looked. Since high school, I had lived in the school dormitory, and my monthly allowance was always five hundred dollars, as suggested by Aiden. He claimed it was for my own good, fearing I would go astray if I had too much money, yet he himself squandered twenty thousand dollars a month on living expenses. But five hundred dollars was a luxury for a teenager, barely enough to fill my stomach. Even if I only dared to order the “poor student’s meal” in the cafeteria, I could only save enough money for cheap toilet paper each month. After entering college, while others were enjoying their long-awaited freedom, I was already rushing between three part-time jobs a day. After graduating from college, before I even had a chance to work, I was sent abroad by my parents with nothing. The little more than a thousand dollars left in my bank account was what I had saved from part-time jobs and work-study programs during school. This meager amount of money, how could it possibly cover the exorbitant medical fees? From the doctors’ words, I learned that not only did I need treatment for complications, but the subsequent rehabilitation costs were also significant. With no other options, besides my parents, I couldn’t think of any way to raise enough medical funds in a short amount of time. That afternoon, despite the doctors’ strong objections, I resolutely completed the discharge procedures. 5 Upon arriving home, my finger pressed against the door lock, but there was no response. I had to knock loudly. Soon, the front door opened, and Aiden looked at my disheveled appearance with some surprise. “Adam, why are you back?” I gave him a cold glance, offering no response, and dragged my suitcase past him into the house. But just as the front door closed, a remote control flew straight at my face. Unable to dodge, I felt a sharp pain on my forehead, and blood streamed down my cheek. “Why are you back?! Didn’t I already say you’re not allowed to return without permission! What methods did you use, where did you get the plane ticket?!” My father’s voice was filled with barely contained rage. “And you had the nerve to send someone to lie to me, saying there was a virus outbreak in Niger! Full of lies, utterly depraved!” “How can you be so useless! Why can everyone else persevere, overcome difficulties, but not you! Are you more precious than others?” “Look at your brother! How are you in any way comparable to Aiden! When will you finally stop causing me trouble?!” I looked up, wiping the blood from my face with my sleeve, my expression blank, but inside I found it laughable. Even now, he thought I had used underhanded means to return home without permission. The path from the front door to the living room wasn’t long, but it was certainly long enough for them to notice my already limping leg. Yet, from beginning to end, everyone in the family offered me only rebuke and disdain. If it weren’t for needing money for treatment, I think I probably wouldn’t have stepped foot in this house again. I struggled to drag my suitcase, wanting to go upstairs to my room to rest. Aiden, however, followed me, his face full of concern, trying to grab my luggage. “Adam, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Let me help you take your luggage to your room, okay?” Although his words sounded caring, his hand was tightly twisting my pinky finger, pulling it upward with all his might. The biting pain made me instinctively swing my hand to shake him off. Aiden, following the force, landed on his bottom, his face full of disbelief, an expression of hurt spreading across his features. “Adam! Are you… are you misunderstanding me? I just wanted to help you.” “Yes, I know you’ve always looked down on me. I’m just an adopted son of the Miller family; you’re the biological son.” “But, but I grew up in the Miller family. I’ve always considered you and Mom and Dad my closest family!” He spoke with increasing agitation, his voice growing louder and louder, until finally, he seemed to collapse to the floor from exhaustion. My father fumed, his already angry expression instantly turning crimson. But from my perspective, Aiden’s face, hidden beneath his arm, was clearly smiling. “Rebellious son! You ungrateful child!” “How dare you compare yourself to Aiden! How are you in any way comparable to Aiden! When you were born, I should have strangled you!” “To spare me from being infuriated to death now!” 6 Ignoring the theatrical farce, I limped back to my room. My body, not yet fully recovered, was weak, and all I wanted was to lie down and sleep soundly. But as soon as I opened the door, my entire body jolted awake as if by an electric shock. In my bedroom, all my personal belongings were piled in a corner like trash. Aiden’s piano, music stand, figurines… occupied every corner of the room. Even the bed was covered with his clothes. “Oh, I’m sorry, Adam. See, I was in a hurry and forgot.” “Mom and Dad bought me a new master-grade piano. To make space for my darling, I had to put the old piano in your room for now.” “Adam, you wouldn’t be so stingy, would you!” Aiden’s voice carried a hint of provocation. Even when he leaned in close to me, the malice in his eyes was clearly visible. Seeing that I didn’t respond, he took another step closer, whispered softly into my ear: “Why did you come back? You don’t actually think there’s still a place for you in this family, do you? Now, in Mom and Dad’s eyes, they only have one good son: me.” “Silly brother, I advise you to be smart and leave on your own, or don’t blame me for getting my hands dirty!” Watching Aiden’s smug expression, I was so furious I gritted my teeth. In that moment, anger surged through my brain. I dropped my luggage, grabbed Aiden, and threw him to the floor, starting to hit him. Aiden was stunned for a moment, then began screaming. “Help, help! Dad, Dad, come save me!” “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault, I won’t do it again, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” “Waaah, please, Adam, let me go, I’ll never occupy your room again, ahh!” A wave of cloying sweetness made me feel nauseous. Just as I was thinking of giving up and giving him a few more slaps, a voice roared: “Enough!” A figure behind me threw themselves onto Aiden, shielding his body. “Adam! How did you become like this?! If you want to hit someone, hit me! Your brother is innocent!” “Waaah, what did Aiden do wrong!” “It was Mom who saw you weren’t home, so she temporarily lent your room to him.” My mother wept profusely, her tears falling like rain. With one hand, she shielded Aiden, and with the other, she didn’t forget to check his injuries. Just then, a large hand viciously seized my raised fist, dragging me from the floor and roughly throwing me against the wall. “You little bastard! Now you dare to defy your elders, even raising your fist at your own mother! You’re nothing but an animal!” As those words landed, the light in my eyes completely died. Was this house truly still my home? The curses uttered by my own father were the most venomous curses in the world. My body trembled with pain, but I didn’t pause, shakily getting back to my feet. My left hand, having collided with the corner of the wall, was already fractured and deformed. But I felt no pain whatsoever. Now, I just wanted to leave this place and never come back.
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