When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in my old bed at the orphanage. It was as if I had just woken up from an afternoon nap.

Disbelief crashed over me as I stared at everything around me.

Just then, Mrs. Jones burst into the room and clapped her hands excitedly to wake us up.

“Hurry and get ready! Two families are coming to adopt you today.”

The room erupted into motion. Kids scrambled out of bed, pulled on their best clothes, combed their hair, and washed their faces.

It was a ritual we had learned over the years. One had to move fast and look presentable, or one might be left behind.

One of the older kids ran out to scope the situation and came back practically vibrating with excitement.

“One of the families looks loaded. Designer clothes and the whole package. But I’m probably too old for them.”

“What about the other one?”

“Uh… Just one guy. He’s dressed as if he crawled out of a junkyard.”

We had long since learned how to read people and suck up to whoever looked powerful. Naturally, we all mocked the idea of a scrap collector thinking he had any business adopting a child.

Simon let out a scoff and shook his head, like he was disappointed in everyone’s lack of vision.

Then, he grabbed my arm. “Come on, Wesley. Let’s go take a look!”

He carried himself with a depth of calculation that did not belong to someone his age.

That was when it hit me. He had traveled back in time, too.

If I was not mistaken, his target this time was the scrap collector standing not far away, Ronald Weber.

Simon had always known how to sweet-talk adults.

The moment he approached, Mrs. Jones beamed and eagerly introduced him to the Harrisons.

“Simon is bright and well-behaved. He’s a very polite and wonderful child.”

Listening to Mrs. Jones, the Harrisons took in Simon’s delicate, well-groomed features and nodded in approval.

However, the ever-polite Simon suddenly looked horrified. He shoved Margaret Harrison’s hand away.

“Don’t touch me! I’m not going with you!”

Then, he bolted across the room and threw himself at Ronald, whom the other children had mocked just moments ago. Simon wrapped his arms tightly around his leg.

He burst into tears on cue. Snot and tears ran together, as if he had just found a long-lost relative.

“Sir, I felt close to you the moment I saw you! Please take me with you!”

Ronald froze for a second. Then, his face lit up with disbelief and joy. It was the first time someone had chosen him so decisively.

Margaret clearly was not prepared for something like that. Her hand remained suspended midair as she stared at Simon at a loss.

Jack Harrison turned to Mrs. Jones with anger in his eyes. He demanded an explanation.

Mrs. Jones rushed forward and yanked Simon up from the floor, where he knelt and cried hysterically.

“Simon, what are you doing?”

He struggled and shouted, “Leave me alone! I want to go with this man!”

He shook off Mrs. Jones’s grip and clung to Ronald’s leg again. He muttered under his breath, “This time, no one’s taking my wealth and status away from me.”

Mrs. Jones flung her hand aside in frustration. She was utterly disappointed. In the end, she had no choice but to let him be.

Once he had secured what he wanted, Simon ran back to stand in front of the Harrisons. He instantly switched back to his obedient, well-mannered persona.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. With a flattering smile, he introduced me. “I’m sorry, sir, ma’am. I just feel like I’m meant to go with that man, so I couldn’t accept your adoption. This is my brother. He’s just as smart and well-behaved as I am. Taking him would be the same as taking me with you.”

Simon was trying to shove me onto the same path he had taken in the previous timeline. He wanted me to enjoy a short-lived taste of wealth and privilege, only to be thrown out later and mocked by everyone.

Only then did Mrs. Jones seem to notice me. She quickly said, “Wesley may not talk much, but he’s really obedient and very sensible.”

After Simon’s outburst, the Harrisons decided they wanted a quiet, compliant child instead. Just like that, they chose me and took me home with them.

That same day, Margaret took me shopping and bought me plenty of essentials and new clothes.

In the mall, beside a trash bin, I saw Simon following Ronald as they collected recyclables.

Ronald pointed toward the mall’s storage room and said, “When the guy inside comes out, ask him to give us his trash. This place tosses out premium cardboard. We can get good money for it.”

Simon stood poised by the door, ready to spring into action. Just then, his eyes met mine as I walked out of the fitting room.

Having his embarrassing situation exposed in front of me, Simon could not keep his composure. He rushed over to me viciously.

“Wesley, are you mocking me?”

He raised his hand to hit me.

A store employee reacted quickly and shoved Simon aside. “How did you get in here, you little beggar?”

Simon gritted his teeth and lunged again, but Ronald rushed over and pulled him back.

Holding onto the agitated Simon with one hand, Ronald forced out a smile and apologized repeatedly to the employee.

If they were banned from the mall, it would cost him a significant source of income.

The next morning, Margaret dressed me up like a little prince and sent me off to school.

Simon, meanwhile, was still wearing the same clothes he had on while collecting scraps the day before. He looked worn and shabby from head to toe.

Quite a few of our classmates were from the orphanage. They had already spread the story of what happened yesterday.

Simon usually relied on his sweet tongue to win teachers over and strutted around school like he owned the place. Plenty of students had long since grown tired of him.

Terry Yates made the first move. Pretending to walk past casually, he deliberately knocked over Simon’s desk and sent his books scattering to the floor.

Simon was startled. He pointed at Terry and barked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Terry covered his nose and looked down at the pile of books. “Why does this smell like garbage?”

The entire class burst into laughter.

Instead of lashing out in embarrassment, Simon snapped back and called everyone idiots.

“You’re all idiots! I’m going to run a steel company someday. Don’t look down on a poor kid today! When I make it big, you’ll be the ones begging me.”

The laughter paused for a split second, then erupted even louder than before.

“Is he losing his mind?”

“I knew something was off yesterday when he ignored the rich family and begged a scrap collector to adopt him.”

“Steel company boss? More like the king of cardboard. Hahaha!”

Simon stepped onto the pile of books and looked down at the classmates who were laughing at him. His gaze was filled with disdain.

He casually ordered me, “Wesley, pick those books up for me.”

I did not move. Furious, Simon grabbed my arm. “Aren’t you being ungrateful? Look at what you’re wearing! That would’ve been mine. I gave it to you!”

I frowned and said, “You gave it to me? Didn’t you decide by yourself that you didn’t get enough and wanted me to walk the same path as you did in the previous timeline?”

Simon froze for a moment, then his eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you came back too? Hahaha, if that’s the case…” He pulled me closer and said in my ear, “They don’t know, but you do, don’t you? Wesley Weber, this time, I’ll crush you under my feet.”

I pulled my arm free and corrected him calmly. “We’ll see about that. And by the way, I’m Wesley Harrison now.”

After observing the Harrisons over the past two days, I realized that they were genuinely kind to me. There must have been another reason Simon was cast out of the Harrison family in the previous timeline.

He was simply too impatient. He only ever looked at what was right in front of him and never stopped to consider how much of it he had brought on himself.

Simon was living my old life. The moment school ended, he followed Ronald to collect scraps.

Because of what he had done at the orphanage last time, Ronald had been deeply moved. Compared to what I went through before, Simon was spared much of the hardship.

Most of the dirty, exhausting work never even passed through his hands. His skin got a little tan, but there were no extra cuts or scrapes.

Even so, Simon was not willing to endure even that much.

He cornered me in the bathroom, grabbed my collar, and yelled at me like he had lost his mind.

“When is this miserable life going to end? When did you start the company? Tell me!”

Collecting recyclables must have built up his strength. His grip was much stronger. It was tight enough that I was struggling to breathe.

Terry walked out of a stall and saw what was happening. Without hesitation, he kicked Simon away.

“What’re you doing? You psycho!”

Simon really did look unhinged. A second ago, he had been raging, but he was laughing at that moment.

“Fine! Don’t tell me. The hardship I’m going through now is only temporary. But it’s different for you, Wesley. Enjoy your life while you can. It won’t be long before you’re homeless.”

I knew that. I intended to make the most of the opportunity this time.

Last time around, I barely finished high school before Ronald pulled me out full-time to collect scraps with him.

Even after I eventually founded the company and hired plenty of highly educated professionals, I could not shake the regret of never having finished high school.

It was not that I was unwilling to tell Simon when the company would be established. The truth was, given how things were unfolding, I could not guarantee that Summit Forge Steel would come into existence.

Back then, it had not been long since Ronald forced me to drop out of school to collect scraps with him.

There was a large construction site being developed on the south side of the city. Ronald took me there to look for scraps.

I quickly noticed that a significant amount of discarded steel had been left behind.

So, I tracked down the contractor’s boss and asked if he would be willing to sell the scrap steel to us at a low price.

Those materials were essentially useless to them anyway. Since we were offering to pay for removal, the contractor readily agreed.

Ronald thought I was wasting money. In the end, I used the small allowance I had saved from my time at the orphanage to buy a modest amount of scrap steel. I had to beg him to let me haul it back home.

After that, I spent a long time researching and following the news. I eventually got in touch with a steel plant in a neighboring northern city. I resold the scrap steel to them.

Even though it was not a lot, Ronald still made a considerable profit from that deal.

From then on, he began to trust my judgment. He returned to the contractor and purchased a large batch of scrap steel to resell.

We used the money we earned from flipping scrap steel as our starting capital and travelled from city to city. That was how Summit Forge Steel eventually came into being.

Ronald had no real sense of judgment. That was why I was the one who handled every part of the process, beginning from sourcing the scraps, purchasing steel, securing warehouses, building the plant, and bringing in equipment.

There were many times when others grew jealous and retaliated. I survived more close calls than I could count. Only someone who lived through it could understand how brutal those years were.

Simon was simply waiting for Ronald to somehow conjure up a steel company out of thin air. It was nothing short of daydreaming.