Chapter 77#

The Disabled Tycoon’s Stepson#

A bright and sunny afternoon.

“I’ve noticed that the character profiles your headquarters gave me are all kinda weird,” Lin Xiaodong said as he walked through the rural fields, surrounded by vast expanses of brilliant golden sunflowers. “Just be straight with me—do those programmers have some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder? Why do they have to end everything with ‘X-son’? Why not just call me his old man?”

The system corrected him: “Actually, in this world, you should be the son, not the father.”

“Stepson, thank you very much,” Lin Xiaodong corrected, “and besides, nothing’s set in stone yet. Don’t go assigning me a father out of nowhere.”

In this world, his identity was a seventeen-year-old boy living in the countryside, orphaned early and raised by his uncle and aunt.

The boy’s life was simple. He loved painting and dreamed of becoming a great artist like Van Gogh. But his life was as tragic as Van Gogh’s too—his parents died in an accident without leaving a will, and their substantial inheritance was divided and seized by relatives. His uncle and aunt leaped from an ordinary family to the middle class, while he lived under their roof only to be constantly despised and scolded. He’d been psychologically manipulated since childhood, and despite being the older brother, everything he ate, wore, and used were hand-me-downs from his younger cousin.

However, the boy had a carefree nature. Like the sunflowers he carefully tended, he stood firm and grew steadily through hardship and adversity. He hoped to enter a prestigious art academy in a big city through his own efforts. But just when he’d spent years studying hard in high school and was waiting for his acceptance letter, a man arrived at his uncle and aunt’s house, forever changing the course of his life.

This man was an subordinate of the Lin family patriarch. His sole purpose was to take away the boy and his younger cousin to be presented before the patriarch for selection—to choose a suitable heir to become the current patriarch Lin Pei’s stepson.

The Lin family turned out to be an old, established clan that operated in both legitimate and underground businesses. The current patriarch Lin Pei was exceptional among men, with ruthless methods. Not long after his parents died, he assumed the position of patriarch. He suppressed all conspiracies and corrupt factions within and outside the family with thunderous force, earning him a legendary reputation.

However, fate is cruel to geniuses. Five years ago, he was attacked and lost the use of both his legs, condemning him to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Though his abilities remained intact, his temperament became eccentric and easily angered. No one could bear his moods, and the women who had once flocked to his side scattered like birds and beasts.

To ensure the family’s continuation and stability, after five years of repeated persuasion, he finally decided to select and cultivate a boy under eighteen from the family’s collateral branches as his stepson—truly a golden opportunity!

Other branches eagerly sent their children, but the boy showed no interest in such wealth and glory. He loved sitting in the fields painting, cherishing nature’s freedom. However, born into such a great family, he had no choice. His uncle and aunt arranged for him to withdraw from school, and he followed his younger cousin to the family’s mansion.

A total of sixteen children came for the selection, mostly around fourteen years old, with the boy being the oldest among them.

He was excluded and cold-shouldered by everyone, even bullied. His test scores were always at the bottom. Even his younger cousin, who had grown up with him, led the ostracization and mockery, yet performed the devoted brother act in front of Lin Pei, using these despicable tactics to rank high in each test and become a hot candidate for inheritance.

The boy thought he could go home this way, but unexpectedly, a painting he made earned Lin Pei’s personal praise. However, this seemingly casual compliment brought disaster upon him. In the final wilderness survival elimination round, consumed by jealousy that the boy had caught Lin Pei’s attention, his cousin deliberately pushed him off a cliff. Then he frantically found Lin Pei and wept, claiming it was an accident. He won the selection and became the heir to a family with hundreds of billions in assets.

Just as Lin Xiaodong finished reading the background information, he reached the end of the field path. A small lane stretched from west to east up a hillside, where a three-story duplex villa stood by the roadside. Two luxury cars were parked in the courtyard—this was his uncle and aunt’s home.

“What time do you think it is?” His aunt stood at the door and began cursing loudly the moment she saw him appear. “You little beast! Didn’t you know your brother had a parent-teacher conference after school this Friday? All the other parents were there, only you were missing! I was having such good luck at mahjong when the teacher called—you really don’t have any sense!”

She scolded him as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if she’d forgotten that Lin Xiaodong was also a high school student.

In the courtyard, his younger cousin Lin Qi sat on a swing playing games with a backpack on his back. Hearing his mother’s scolding, he lowered his head and added: “I walked home all by myself.”

“Oh, my precious baby, you’ve suffered!” His aunt quickly comforted him. “Later, Mom will buy you that Gundam model you like the most, the most expensive one, okay?”

“I don’t want the most expensive one,” Lin Qi looked up at Lin Xiaodong behind his mother and grinned wickedly. “I want him to buy it for me with his own allowance. As much as he can afford.”

“My dear, you’re so kind,” his aunt cooed, ruffling his hair. Lin Xiaodong received eight hundred yuan a month for living expenses while in the dorm—any leftover was a miracle. “But what could his pittance buy? Mom will get you a new one anyway.”

Lin Xiaodong yawned. “I’m broke. Want a plastic Ultraman from outside the school for fifty cents? I can give you one if you can’t afford it.”

Lin Qi was just a middle schooler after all. Hearing this, he immediately widened his eyes, jumped off the swing, and started scolding Lin Xiaodong like his mother: “You ungrateful wretch! If our family hadn’t taken you in, how could you have grown up so well fed and clothed? I…”

He was only thirteen, and after stammering “I” for a while, he couldn’t think of anything else. He desperately tried to remember how his mother usually cursed at Lin Xiaodong.

“Your game’s over,” Lin Xiaodong helpfully pointed at his phone. Lin Qi spun around and saw a large “Defeat” flash across the screen.

“Mom, he’s bullying me—” Lin Qi suddenly burst into tears, his wailing filling the courtyard, half genuine crying and half venting frustration.

Seeing her son lose out, his aunt wasn’t having it. She grabbed a broom and rushed at Lin Xiaodong, but the boy nimbly dodged. Grabbing the broom handle, he pulled hard. His aunt stumbled and fell into the bushes by the wall corner.

“Mom!” Lin Qi was terrified, forgetting his fake tears. He quickly ran to help her up. “Are you… are you okay?”

“This is outrageous! Outrageous!” His aunt clawed her way out of the bushes, her hair disheveled like straw, glaring at Lin Xiaodong with venom. She could only repeat that one phrase.

Lin Xiaodong grew tired of it and didn’t bother with them. He casually moved to open the door and head to his room. But just then, a stern male voice came from the doorway: “What’s going on?”

“Dad!” Lin Qi saw the middle-aged man as if seeing his savior. He immediately rushed over and grabbed his arm. “Lin Xiaodong bullied me and Mom! He… he pushed Mom down!”

As he spoke, Lin Qi sneaked a glance at the man in the suit following his father, judging him to be a guest. Seeing no one was watching him, he shamelessly made up lies, portraying Lin Xiaodong as an ungrateful ingrate. The middle-aged man’s brow furrowed, his gaze growing darker.

So the information was right, Lin Xiaodong thought. This kid really is rotten to the core.

Though with parents like these, it’s only natural the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“Excuse the mess,” his uncle said, looking as if he wanted to slap Lin Xiaodong but restraining himself because a guest was present. His tone remained ice-cold. “This child is my younger brother’s son. As you know, his parents passed away early. Seeing him in such a pitiful state, I brought him into our home. I never expected any repayment, but… well, forget it.”

He deliberately shook his head and sighed heavily. The implication was crystal clear.

What a pure and spotless white lotus flower, Lin Xiaodong thought coldly. This whole family deserved Oscar nominations for their acting.

But days like this were coming to an end. He looked toward the man in the suit who’d remained silent throughout the commotion. This must be the person Lin Pei, the Lin family patriarch, sent to fetch them.

Sure enough, the man in the suit cleared his throat lightly. Showing no intention of getting involved in the conflict, he directly asked Lin Xiaodong: “You’re in your second year of high school and haven’t turned eighteen yet, right?”

Lin Xiaodong nodded lazily.

There was no point lying to him. If the Lin family wanted to check his ID and records, it would be child’s play.

His uncle’s expression stiffened. “Mr. Ye, you surely don’t intend to take him as well…?”

“The patriarch said that all boys aged twelve and above but under eighteen must undergo selection. Girls can choose to go or not,” Ye Shiyuan said calmly. “It’s the patriarch’s order, and I naturally cannot disobey.”

“Well… then let’s follow the rules,” the middle-aged man said with a forced smile, his expression awkward.

In the Lin family, the name Lin Pei meant absolute obedience. When he first took power, he was known for ruthless methods. After becoming disabled, he became even more terrifying—when he moved, he didn’t distinguish between family and outsiders.

If anyone in the family dared betray him, they would suffer a thousand times worse than an outsider.

Lin Qi looked confused. He’d only wanted his father to teach Lin Xiaodong a good lesson, ideally beating him so badly he couldn’t get out of bed for a week. Seeing his hopes dashed, the boy immediately grew dissatisfied. “Dad, what are you guys talking about?”

“Simply put,” Ye Shiyuan volunteered an explanation, his eyes sweeping over the boy and the seemingly distracted Lin Xiaodong beside him, “you two will live with the patriarch for the next two years, undergo training and testing, and finally one of you will be chosen as the Lin family heir. Understand?”

Lin Qi muttered: “What’s so great about that? I’m not doing it, I won’t—”

Understanding the stakes, his aunt immediately covered his mouth and smiled obsequiously at Ye Shiyuan. “Mr. Ye, please take care of this little one! Thank you so much!”

She glared at her husband, who smacked his forehead and quickly fetched two bottles of alcohol and some cigarettes from inside, enthusiastically trying to give them to Ye Shiyuan. But the man politely refused: “I’m sorry, I can’t accept.”

“Don’t worry though,” Ye Shiyuan said. “The patriarch won’t be too harsh on children.” He paused, then added with a flickering gaze, “Probably.”

Lin Xiaodong immediately said to the system: “I have a bad feeling about this.”

The system: “Why?”

“Think about it,” Lin Xiaodong said, clicking his tongue. “Normally, when modern families select an heir, it’s based on education and background, or performance evaluations from managing the company. But look at what the information says—wilderness survival, fifteen-kilometer marches. Is this selecting special forces or selecting a family leader?”

“Maybe Lin Pei believes a good patriarch must also have a strong physique?” the system suggested.

“He’s in a wheelchair himself,” Lin Xiaodong said dismissively.

The system: “…”

That made a lot of sense.

Meanwhile, though Ye Shiyuan firmly refused the gifts, he promised to take good care of both boys and said he’d take them away this very afternoon. Looking at his aunt’s expression, she was clearly unhappy about having to include Lin Xiaodong in her “care,” but had no choice. She bustled about to go help Lin Qi pack.

Lin Qi stood dazed in the courtyard for a moment, both excited and nervous about not having to go to school anymore. His father pulled him aside and quietly told him about the benefits of becoming patriarch, urging him to do well. The boy’s eyes lit up, growing increasingly excited. He even flashed a challenging smile at Lin Xiaodong, his expression saying he was determined to get that position.

Ye Shiyuan looked at the other boy in the family and asked: “Aren’t you going to pack your things?”

“I don’t have much to pack,” Lin Xiaodong said flatly. “Just a set of painting supplies, and this kid threw those in the river a couple of days ago. You don’t not provide bedding and clothes, right?”

“We have everything,” Ye Shiyuan said, studying his indifferent expression, seeming about to say something but holding back.

“Dormitory assignments are based on family relations. Siblings are assigned to the same room to help care for each other,” he paused, then asked softly, “Do you want a different room?”

Looking at things, Lin Qi probably wanted to push Lin Xiaodong into a cesspool in the middle of the night rather than care for him.

“No need,” Lin Xiaodong declined. “He’s only fourteen.”

What he meant was that they were all just little brats anyway, so it didn’t matter who he roomed with. Besides, if Lin Qi tried anything, after living this long, he couldn’t possibly lose to a fourteen-year-old middle schooler. He might as well go find a noodle to hang himself with.

But Ye Shiyuan understood it differently. His gaze softened slightly as he looked at Lin Xiaodong.

“You’re a good older brother,” he said. “Don’t worry. Once we get there, I’ll have the instructors work on Lin Qi’s character.”

“Ding, good-person card +1.”

Lin Xiaodong was silent for a moment, then sincerely told the system: “Imagination is a wonderful thing.”

Without doing anything, just through a little creative interpretation, he’d managed to build up an image of himself as a resilient white lotus who’d endured hardship. He happily thought to himself that he could collect good-person cards on one hand while using others’ tactics against them on the other. What a wonderful boarding school life it would be.

The system: “…”

Silently, it lit a candle for Lin Qi in its heart.