My temper flared instantly.

Damn it—curse me all you want, but insult my brother? Not happening!

"Sister," I said with a sneer, "I get that you want to play the protective big sister, but could you at least make up believable nonsense?"

"How is Noah ‘ill-mannered'? Didn't you lose him back then? You're the reason he suffered in an orphanage for years—how dare you lecture him about manners?"

"His young master status was stolen by your precious thief of a brother. What kind of ‘manners' were you expecting from him?"

"Honestly, listening to your talk is painful—do your intestines connect straight to your brain? Even a dung beetle would need to pop open your skull just to check the flavor!"

"If you can't talk like a person, then don't—sit with the dogs instead!"

When I finished my verbal barrage, the entire room went dead silent.

Only my brother grabbed my hand, eyes brimming with tears.

"Bro," he whispered hoarsely, "you're the best!"

Sheila's face turned an impressive shade of blue as her voice cracked with fury. "You—you dared to insult me?!"

"What, can't I? Oh wait—give me a second. I've got more for him too."

I jabbed a finger toward Felix. "And you—stop pretending you're some precious gem. Even a trash bag couldn't contain all that fake sincerity you're spilling!"

"Weren't you ‘feeling unwell' and supposed to be resting? Didn't look that way when you were staging your little suicide act earlier!"

"Let me guess—the only thing making you sick is that Noah is back, and you can't stand not being the only young master anymore, right?"

The boy froze, his face turning pale as I hit the mark. He opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off mercilessly.

"Playing sick, faking suicide, trying to stir up trouble—who asked you to atone for anything? You're both young masters now, aren't you? Then why are you the only one acting brain-dead?"

His little face turned white as a sheet, stammering, "Y-you—you—"

I scoffed, "You what? Spit it out! If you stutter, go see a doctor. If you've got brain problems, read a damn book!"

Realizing he couldn't out-talk me, Felix immediately switched back to his trademark pretentious act—soft, tearful, manipulative.

"Noah, I'm sorry... I didn't mean it. I was just scared you'd hate me, that's all..."

Then he turned to me, eyes watery. "Lenon, if you're angry, yell at me. Just don't take it out on Sister or our parents."

There it was again—the same routine.

Honestly, this pretentious boy couldn't even come up with new material.

I was too lazy to keep arguing, so I turned to the dumbstruck rich couple and asked pleasantly, "I heard we'll be in the same class as our little brother?"

They nodded quickly, still in shock.

"Perfect," I said with a smile. "That way we can take care of him more easily. By the way, which room will we be staying in?"

Aunt Mariz immediately led us upstairs.

Felix followed behind, eyes red, pretending to be gracious as he pushed open the door to his own room.

"Brother, if you don't mind, you can stay here. It was originally your room anyway..."

But before we could respond, Sheila rushed over again, blocking the doorway like a guard dog.

"Felix, this room was specially decorated by Mom for you! Those two uneducated bumpkins don't deserve to live here!"

I was about to roast her again when Aunt Mariz shot her a sharp glare and spoke gently to my brother.

"Noah, you can choose any room you like. Think of it as our way of making it up to you."

My brother wrinkled his nose, glancing distastefully at Felix's overly delicate, floral-themed room. Then he turned and pointed boldly to a spacious, sunlit bedroom at the end of the hall.

"I'll take that one! It's big enough for me and Lenon!"

Sheila nearly screamed. "You've got to be kidding me—that's Mom and Dad's room!"

I smiled sweetly at Aunt Mariz. "Mom, you did say we could pick any room we wanted, right? You're not going back on your word, are you?"

Aunt Mariz's smile twitched, but after a long pause, she nodded reluctantly.

"Wonderful!" I said cheerfully. "We're exhausted from the trip. Mom, Dad, you two should rest early too!"

Then I pulled my brother into our new room and slammed the door shut, leaving the stunned family frozen in the hallway.

From that day on, we began our new life as the Watson family's most unorthodox "young masters."

And over the next week, my brother and I did what any self-respecting newly-rich duo would do—we went on a glorious, unstoppable shopping spree.

Eight years of struggle—and at last, we had the blissful freedom of buying anything without checking the price tag!

We returned home with multiple carloads of shopping bags, dressed like two spoiled heirs from some old-money dynasty.

Every time Felix threw a sour comment about our "wasteful spending," I'd clap back with something sharp enough to slice his ego in half.

When he couldn't win with words, he started playing dirty.

On day one, he pretended to be delicate and "accidentally" dropped a flower vase from the second floor, aiming for us. Noah caught it with one hand, not even blinking.

On the second day, at dinner, he "slipped" and sent a pot of boiling soup flying toward me. Noah flicked it back with the spoon—and it scalded Felix's hand instead.

On the third day, Felix hid his diamond watch under our pillows, then brought the whole family to "catch the thieves." Too bad we pulled up the surveillance footage showing him sneaking into our room.

Cornered, he burst into fake tears and mumbled that it was "just a surprise gift gone wrong."

After that humiliation, he kept his head down for a while. But we both knew that silence meant only one thing—he was plotting.

And sure enough, a month later, during the elite academy's class assembly, he struck.

With red eyes and a trembling voice, Felix stood before everyone and said, "These are my parents' newly adopted sons from the orphanage. Please take care of them."

Just like that, he outed us as the adopted ones in front of the entire class.

The room erupted in whispers.

"What? The Watson family just adopts kids on a whim?"

"Poor Felix... imagine having to share everything with strangers."

I smiled sweetly and told my brother, "Show them the paternity test."

Then, in my most pleasant tone, I said, "Funny how our dear little brother talks like he's the victim. You've lived in someone else's nest for eight years, and you're still putting on an act?"

"You're an adopted son too, remember? Don't pretend you're royalty."

I turned to the class and continued, "Hi, everyone. I'm Noah's brother—the real heir of the Watson family. Like Felix said, I'm also adopted. But the Watsons didn't adopt me for charity. They just wanted someone to protect their true son from certain people just like today."

The classroom went dead silent. Then the tide turned.

"Wait, so he's the fake one?"

"Man, he's been pretending all along!"

Laughter rippled through the room, sharp as slaps. Felix's face drained of color; he nearly burst into tears on the spot.

From that day on, he became the school's running joke—the pretentious fake prince.

To save face, he threw himself into piano lessons and traditional dance, trying to look elegant and superior.

I, on the other hand, joined a comedy and stand-up club. My brother took up martial arts and tai chi.

In the following years, Felix's delusion of overshadowing us didn't happen.

During school performances, his delicate recitals never stood a chance against my stand-up comedy or Noah's breaking bricks with his chest that left audiences in awe.

On campus, I have gained a large number of fans with my sharp tongue and humor, and Noah also helped everyone a lot with their martial arts.

Bit by bit, the school changed. With our presence, bullying disappeared, fights dwindled, and laughter filled the halls.

Two once-troublesome brats had somehow grown into two well-loved, grounded young men.

The Watsons adored us more than ever. They even held a press conference to officially introduce us to the public.

Not long after, I overheard the couple's late-night talk.

"It's time to prepare some shares for Noah's coming-of-age ceremony. After all, he's our biological son."

"The Medina family's been pushing hard in the market lately. A marriage alliance would stabilize things. Luckily, their daughter doesn't seem opposed to meeting him. Let's see which of the boys' fate favors..."

In the dark hallway, Felix's fists clenched so tight his knuckles went white.

A vicious smile flickered across Felix's face—the kind that only appeared when he'd made up his mind to do something unspeakable.

Over the next two years, both he and Sheila seemed to turn over a new leaf.

They stopped provoking us.

They even began to act friendly.

Sheila often chatted warmly with my brother, saying that once he got into university, she'd personally teach him how to manage the family's business.

Felix became the picture of a dutiful younger brother—obedient, polite, full of flattery.

On our eighteenth birthday, they were especially sweet. Gifts, blessings, smiles that seemed almost genuine.

Just before the banquet began, Felix suggested taking us to the mountaintop to see a "surprise fireworks show" they'd prepared just for us.

Naïve as we were, my brother and I followed him into the car, laughing and excited.

But when we arrived at that desolate mountain peak, the night turned cold—and deadly.

The moment we stepped out of the car, several burly men burst out of the tall grass, eyes gleaming with malice.

My brother reacted first—two punches, two men down—but before he could handle the rest, Felix clung to his leg, screaming for help.

"Help! Don't hurt my brother!"

I tried to run forward, but a cloth drenched in something sweet-smelling clamped over my nose and mouth.

Within seconds, my limbs went weak, my vision blurred.

"Lenon!"

Noah's panicked voice echoed as he tried to reach me—but another thug smothered him with the same drugged handkerchief.

In less than a minute, we were both unconscious, sprawled on the dirt.

The two who'd been "crying and screaming" moments ago suddenly started laughing.

"Take them far away. Don't kill them—just make it convincing. And make sure it's all caught clearly on camera."

Sheila crouched beside my brother, gave his cheek a sharp pat, and sneered. "Especially this one. I want him ruined for life."

The gang leader chuckled, rubbing his grimy hands together.

"Don't worry, Miss Watson. We'll give you exactly what you want. Heh heh."

They hauled us into the back of a van and started driving down the mountain.

In the front seats, the kidnappers laughed among themselves, completely at ease.

"Rich family, huh? The son and daughter plotting against their own brothers. Guess we're the lucky ones tonight!"

"Never had a chance to play with such pretty little rich boys before, hahaha..."

The van came to a stop outside an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

The men got out, still laughing, and went to open the trunk—then froze.

Every smile vanished. Their eyes widened in shock, as if they'd just seen ghosts.