Arc 2.1
The Two-Faced Fake Young Master
This time, the system sent Nian Zhen into the new world before the story of the novel even began.
Nian Zhen arrived as a 14-year-old boy with a charmingly adorable face.
This world followed a classic melodramatic plotline: the wealthy family, the switched-at-birth trope, and an old grudge.
In this story, the male lead, ‘Xie Jinlong,’ was meant to be the true young master of a wealthy family but was switched with another baby.
The other child, who should have grown up in poverty, ended up being raised as the young master instead.
It took the Xie family twenty years to uncover the truth, which they discovered only after the fake Young Master Xie was involved in an accident.
Once the secret came out, the Xie family rushed to find their true son and brought him home.
The male lead’s adoptive parents had died in the accident, leaving him orphaned and forced to work his way through school.
Growing up in the countryside, he developed a gentle and humble personality, was hard-working, and had a brilliant mind that eventually earned him a scholarship to the top university in the capital.
Later, the Xie family found him, and he was finally welcomed back.
The story began at this point, with the male lead entering the Xie family as the younger son of the direct line.
To cover up the scandal, the Xie family claimed that he had been sent abroad as a child for medical treatment.
Meanwhile, the imposter was allowed to keep his status as the young master because Lady Xie adored him and couldn’t bear to send him away.
The male lead faced injustice from the moment he rejoined the family.
His parents and elder brother saw him as an outsider, continually favoring the imposter who had stolen his life, fearing that the imposter would feel like a burden.
The male lead, hoping for a warm family, had those dreams slowly shattered.
Since he had been raised in the countryside, he lacked the refined manners of a wealthy young master, and members of the Xie family looked down on him.
The fake young master also played a two-faced role, highlighting the male lead’s insecurities, making him feel less and less confident in himself.
His father found him irritating, and everyone scrutinized his every move.
The elder brother added to the male lead’s difficulties.
Though the male lead was more attractive, with a sharp and handsome face despite his rural background, and was highly intelligent, the elder brother felt threatened.
He often put Xie Jinlong in awkward situations, trying to embarrass him in front of other prominent young people, fearing deep down that this younger brother might jeopardize his position as the rightful heir.
And who else could Nian Zhen be in this world but the fake Young Master Xia, that two-faced white lotus?!!
This so-called lotus went by the name ‘Xie Zhen,’ though his real name should have been Zhou Zhen.
Not only had he lived the good life meant for the male lead for twenty years, but he now feared being cast out of the Xie family upon the male lead’s return.
Having been raised as a young master, he was terrified of returning to poverty, unable to imagine coping with hardship after a life of luxury.
So when the male lead returned, Xie Zhen put on his best innocent act, posing as a white lotus, playing the victim, and making it look like he was being bullied by the male lead.
His pitiful appearance convinced the male lead’s mother—who already favored him—to lose patience with her real son, whom she had never raised herself.
The male lead found himself the target of everyone’s scorn and was ultimately forced out of the Xie family.
Having endured too much, the gentle male lead’s character darkened.
Cornered with no path left to retreat, he finally fought back, dismantling the Xie family and taking revenge on the white lotus, ultimately emerging victorious in life.
Nian Zhen sighed.
The powerful Xie family was ultimately taken down by the male lead who was a poor boy with nothing but a scholarship, a sharp mind, and burning resentment. Follow the newest chapters on novelping . com.
The plot was absurdly melodramatic.
And as for that white lotus character—despite having every advantage, he’d chosen to shed tears and play the victim instead of securing his position more wisely.
Madame Xie loved him as if he were her real son, so all he had to do was cling to her support.
With his place in the family secure, he could’ve quietly amassed his own wealth so that, if he ever had to leave, he would be well-off.
Instead, he chose to envy the male lead and constantly undermine him.
This plot was so illogical.
But as the story’s number one villain, Nian Zhen resolved that he would fulfill the role of white lotus flawlessly this time—there would be no repeat of his previous failures!!
As for any special tools from the system, he decided to forget about them.
If it ever fell into the male lead’s hands again, things could go even worse, so he’d be better off not even thinking about it.
[Hang in there, Host!!]
The system’s voice piped up, brimming with enthusiasm.
Fourteen-year-old Nian Zhen stood up, dressed in a cream-colored t-shirt and light blue overalls.
He held a wriggling, mud-covered puppy in his hands, though he turned his face away, fearful of getting splashed.
You little rascal—I just saved your life, you know.
“Young master, young master. What are you doing? You’re covered in dirt!!”
The distant voice of Assistant Tang, who quickly jogged over, echoed.
Nian Zhen grinned and raised the muddy puppy with a sense of pride.
“I was rescuing this little guy.”
“Oh dear, going back in that state—Elder Xie will surely punish you.
And you’d just had a bath only half an hour ago.”
“Tang-ge, I didn’t mean to.
Just look; this poor little guy was in such bad shape.”
Assistant Tang glanced from the muddy puppy to his young master, silently noting that they had almost the same expression.
He thought but kept that observation to himself, though, and after scanning the area, he noticed a water faucet near a fence.
“Young master, there’s a faucet over there. Why don’t we clean the little one up?”
Nian Zhen followed Assistant Tang without any fuss, trying to comfort the still-whimpering puppy.
Now, why was a young master of the Xie family like him here in the countryside, surrounded by rice fields?
Well, it was the summer break, and Grandpa Xie had a vacation house here.
As his favorite and mischievous grandson, Nian Zhen had been sent to stay with his grandfather, partly to let his grandfather indulge his longing for him and partly to give Grandpa Xie ample time to work on straightening out the little master’s unruly personality.
Today, Nian Zhen set off on a casual walk to pass the time, having waited all day for the heat to ease.
He hadn’t gotten far from the house when he heard the pitiful cries of a small puppy.
Being an animal lover, he couldn’t ignore it, so he rushed over to rescue the little puppy stuck in the mud.
After looking around for a while, he saw no sign of its mother.
Judging from the situation, it seemed likely that someone had abandoned it, leaving it to die in the mud.
After washing off the mud, Nian Zhen saw that it was a small brown puppy, looking adorably clueless and pitiful.
Tang, his assistant, took off his jacket to dry and wrap up the shivering puppy.
“Can I keep it?” He asked Assistant Tang hopefully, but he sighed. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Probably not, young master. Elder Xie dislikes dogs more than anything. A dog once bit Lady Xia, injuring her badly. If you took this one home, I’m afraid it would be beaten to death instead.”
Assistant Tang’s words were harsh but honest, and Nian Zhen had expected as much, so he simply sighed.
Grandfather Xie was very strict; even though he adored Nian Zhen, he was a reasonable man.
While he was compassionate toward people, he had no kindness to spare for animals.
Looking at the small creature in his hands with pity, Nian Zhen sighed again, startled as he turned and saw a tall, scruffy-looking boy standing silently behind him.
“Wh… who are you?”
Nian Zhen, still holding the puppy wrapped in the jacket, turned to face him.
Assistant Tang quickly stepped forward to stand protectively in front of him.
“This… this is my house,” the boy said, pointing to a spot not far from the faucet.
There was a small opening there that appeared to be an entrance to the home.
The boy’s clothes were caked in dirt and mud, worn and heavily patched.
His face was mostly obscured except for his striking dark eyes.
He stood barefoot, without even a pair of shoes.
So, this is what rural kids are like?
Nian Zhen offered an awkward smile as he nudged Assistant Tang to step aside, allowing the boy a clear path to his home.
The boy’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the puppy in Nian Zhen’s hands.
Noticing this, Nian Zhen extended the puppy toward him.
The boy took it, looking a bit bewildered but handling it with great care.
“I found the little guy stuck in the mud and rescued him. But my family doesn’t allow pets, and it looks like you like him a lot. Want to keep him?” he asked, his voice tinged with hesitation.
“You… you can take care of him, right?”
The boy nodded.
“I’ll take care of him. Thank you.”
His words were brief and flat, as if he felt awkward speaking to a stranger.
Nian Zhen didn’t mind and watched the puppy happily wagging its tail.
Although a little reluctant, he made up his mind.
“Then he’s yours now. I’ll be heading back.”
With a tug at Assistant Tang’s sleeve, Nian Zhen walked out.
The goal was clear—it was time to go home.
“Name?”
The boy’s stiff voice called out from behind.
Nian Zhen stopped and turned to look at the boy holding the puppy, realizing that he was asking for his name.
“Are you asking my name? I’m Xie Zhen. And you?” He gave a friendly smile, looking as angelic and adorable as ever.
“A’Long… everyone else calls me A’Long.”
“Oh, A’Long—nice to meet you.”
Nian Zhen waved as he walked away.
If he had turned back for just a moment, he would have seen the boy standing there, watching him leave until he disappeared from sight.
Only then did the boy turn and walk in the other direction.
His real home was in the opposite direction.
He had lied; in truth, he’d been secretly following Xie Zhen from the start, ever since he had rescued the puppy.
Unfortunately, after that day, they never saw each other again.