My adoptive brother framed me for breaking his jade pendant. As punishment, my sister sent me to be a lab test subject—despite the 95% risk. "Your sacrifice will help River join the lab," they said. Unknown to them, River had secretly signed to have me converted into a robot permanently. I called our parents. "Stop being difficult," they chided, while buying River a Patek Philippe in the background. So I told the lab: "Begin the simulation. The android is ready." Three months later, I returned—perfectly obedient, emotionless. Everyone was satisfied... Until River's consent form surfaced. That day, both my sisters lost their minds. 1 The day I was released from the lab was also my birthday. Of course, everyone forgot. They had promised me that if I participated in the experiment, they would give me a birthday present, that they would finally accept me. But when the day came, they were too busy showering River with flowers and gifts, holding car doors open for him. I was left in the corner, forgotten, like a true machine. They had doted on River for eighteen years. Everyone in the city knew him as the young master of the powerful Shaw family. And me? I was just the long-lost son, found after eighteen years, an outsider who never truly belonged. I shouldn't have hoped for a love that was never meant for me. But when I saw my second sister, Celine, I mechanically reached out my hand. The chip in my brain reminded me of her promise. “Celine,” I said, my voice flat. “It’s my birthday. You promised me.” She was startled for a moment, then let out a short, sharp laugh. “I was just saying that. You actually took it seriously? You never learn, do you?” My eldest sister, Nora, frowned and pulled out a diamond-encrusted watch. “Celine, if he wants it, just give it to him. The Shaw family isn’t short on cash.” But River whined from the side, “Nora, you said you’d only celebrate one brother’s birthday.” At that, Celine snatched the watch and dangled it in front of my face. “You want this?” she taunted, a smirk playing on her lips as her eyes fell to my wrist. “Have you looked in a mirror? With hands that ugly, even the finest watch would just make people laugh at you.” A grotesque black tattoo snaked around my wrist like a crawling insect. Celine had told me it was a protective charm she’d gotten specially for me, that I had to have it tattooed on to ensure my safety. I was so happy, so desperate for her affection, that I endured the searing pain of the needle as it etched the design into my skin. Later, at a family banquet, she grabbed my hand and showed it off to everyone, laughing hysterically. “This illiterate doesn’t even recognize Spanish. Look, everyone.” “He tattooed ‘River’s Dog’ on himself. What an idiot.” Only then did I understand. It wasn't a blessing. It was a brand. I tried to get it removed, but she threatened me. If I dared to touch it, she would disown me. So I swallowed my pride and endured, right up until she sent me to the lab, right up until River secretly had me converted into a robot. Now, my face was a mask. I picked up a sharp piece of gravel from the roadside and began to scrape at the tattoo on my wrist. A robot doesn't need a sister. This brand served no purpose. The stone tore at my flesh, drawing blood. Celine’s expression changed. “What are you doing?” she hissed, grabbing my hand. “Did you forget what I said? If you get rid of this, I’m done with you.” I curved my lips into a perfectly calibrated smile. “You said it was ugly, Celine. So I’m removing it.” She was stunned. She threw the watch on the ground. “Fine, take it, you psycho.” I ignored her, continuing to scrape away at the ink until my wrist was a bloody mess, all traces of the black letters gone. Nora stood by, watching coldly. Only when I was finished did she toss a tissue at me. “Celine will never accept you,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion. “It’s good that you finally see that.” “River is our real family. Even though Mom and Dad brought you back, in our hearts, we only have one brother, and that’s River.” “Letting you stay with the Shaw family is already a great tolerance on our part. Don’t expect anything more. Do you understand?” I stood up, grinding the tissue and the diamond watch under my heel. “I understand.” She smiled, satisfied. “As long as you remain as obedient as you are now, I won’t make things difficult for you.” She had no idea that the obedient brother she was so pleased with was an emotionless robot. No matter how they humiliated me now, I would feel nothing. 2 I was a world-class scientist. To find my family, I had concealed my identity and returned to my home country. But after my biological parents found me, I discovered they already had an adopted son, River, whom they had cherished for years. My two sisters looked down on my humble background and my non-existent academic record. “You didn’t even finish elementary school?” “How could we have a brother this stupid?” “If word gets out, we’ll be the laughingstock of the city’s elite.” I was about to explain that I had been scouted for a special program abroad at a young age and had been involved in classified research ever since, which was why my records were blank. But before I could speak, River ran down the stairs with a suitcase, his eyes downcast, feigning heartbreak. “Celine,” he said sadly, “you have your real brother now. I guess this imposter should leave.” She snorted. “Who dares call you an imposter? I, Celine Shaw, have only one brother, and that’s River.” She tossed my file aside. “This waste of space who didn’t even finish grade school could never be my brother.” I wisely kept my mouth shut. No one in this house wanted me. But I had been alone for over a decade. I craved the warmth of a family. At first, when my parents brought me back, they were kind. My mother held me and cried until her eyes were swollen. My father swore he would make up for the twenty years I was lost. It was only my sisters, afraid of hurting River’s feelings, who were cold to me. I’d spent my life calculating numbers, solving complex problems in a laboratory. I was used to succeeding. I thought family was just another equation to be solved. I wracked my brain trying to please them. When Celine told me to get the tattoo, I didn’t hesitate, despite my fear of pain. I burned my fingers blistering them while making hangover soup for my father and sister when they came home late from business dinners. But I didn’t know that nothing I did could ever compete with a few simple words from River, who had been in this family for twenty years. Fueled by his manipulations, their attitude toward me soured. Then came the day River smashed the family heirloom—a jade pendant his mother had given him—on the floor and burst into tears. “Brother,” he cried, “if you wanted it, I would have given it to you. I would give you anything. Why did you have to destroy it?” Just like that, my sisters sent me to the AI lab. When I came out, I was a robot, incapable of feeling. River had a chip implanted in my brain, forcing me to obey his commands. Just like now. He was lounging lazily on the sofa. “Brother,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension, “go fetch me a basin of water to wash my feet.” Celine was touching up her makeup nearby. She smiled, her red lips curving. “You heard him. Go on. If you don’t listen to River, don’t blame me for kicking you out of this house.” River gave a mysterious smile. “Don’t worry, Celine. My brother’s all better now. He’ll be a good boy. Won’t you? Watch.” I silently fetched a basin of water and placed it before him. Celine looked surprised, then her expression softened into a smug grin. “Shameless. You’d do anything to stay in the Shaw family, wouldn’t you?” River smiled and dipped his feet into the water. The next second, he kicked the basin over. “It’s scalding! Are you trying to burn me alive?” The basin of hot water drenched me. River pouted. “Turned into a robot…” he muttered, then glanced at Celine and quickly cut himself off. Celine put down her lipstick, her brow furrowed. “River, what did you just say? What robot?” He laughed it off. “Oh, Celine, I just meant he’s dumber than a robot.” He thought for a moment. “You think if we actually turned him into a robot, he’d be any smarter than he is now?” Celine’s expression turned serious. “River, he’s still Mom and Dad’s biological son. You can prank him all you want, but you have to let him live.” “And don’t you ever talk about turning him into a robot again. If Nora heard you, she’d lecture you for days.” River’s face darkened, but he forced a smile. “Of course not. I was just joking. With you and Nora spoiling me, I’m more than satisfied. Why would I need to mess with him?” Celine smiled and patted his head. “My sweet brother is the best. No need to waste your time on an idiot.” She tossed a hand towel from the sofa toward me. “Wipe yourself off.” But River hooked his foot around the towel and kicked it away. “Sister, that’s your towel. I won’t let you give it to him.” He smirked. “Besides, the floor is still wet.” “Brother,” he said, his voice sickly sweet, “since you’re already soaked, why don’t you just roll around on the floor and dry it up?” Celine stood up and checked her watch. “Do as River says. I have to go out.” She gently straightened River’s collar. “I know you’re upset, but remember, for Mom and Dad’s sake, do not turn him into a robot. This is not something you can be impulsive about. I’m only saying this for your own good.” River looked up, blinking innocently. “Okay, I’ll listen to you, sister.” I lay silently on the floor. The water seeped through my synthetic skin, trickling through the tiny pores of my circuit boards and into my central processing unit. Celine didn’t know. The little brother she trusted so completely had already turned me into a robot. And a robot, when severely water-damaged, will break down. 3 Perhaps Celine’s warning only served to ignite River’s cruelty. His abuse at home escalated. “Brother, you were lost for so many years. You don’t know how to do anything. How did you even survive?” he taunted. “Did you eat out of garbage cans like a homeless person?” I scanned my robotic database and replied calmly, “I know how to cook for myself.” My placid demeanor seemed to enrage him. His face twisted, and he slapped me hard across the face. “You worthless dog!” “I am your master. You should say that you like eating from garbage cans. Understand?” He forgot. I was a robot now. I only gave a cold, mechanical reply. “I’m sorry, I do not understand your command.” This made him even angrier. He kicked me hard. “Robots are so stupid. Artificial intelligence? More like artificial idiot. The guys at the lab promised me a human-based model would be more responsive, but you’re still so dumb.” He smirked. “Robot brother, go get your little brother a glass of water. Make sure it’s over 195 degrees Fahrenheit.” He pressed my hand down on the table. “Now say it. ‘I like to eat garbage.’” I looked him in the eye. “You like to eat garbage.” His face contorted with rage. He poured the scalding water from the glass all over my hand. The synthetic skin immediately turned red and blistered. “Say it! Say you like to eat garbage!” he shrieked. “Say it, or I’ll burn you to death.” He seemed to have forgotten I was a robot. I curved my lips into a slight smile. “You like to eat garbage.” He screamed and smashed the glass against my head. Then he grabbed a nearby glass kettle full of boiling water and poured it over my head. “Stupid, worthless dog! You defy me even as a robot!” Just then, the door opened, and Nora walked in. She took in the chaotic scene, her brow furrowing. “River, what are you doing? Why are you so angry?” River froze, then his expression immediately shifted to one of pitiful innocence, tears welling in his eyes. “Nora, he insulted me. I… I just lost control. You know I can’t control my temper. I didn’t mean it.” Nora looked at me, lying on the floor, my body covered in burns, and her expression soured. “You’ve made such a mess of him. Now we’ll have to take him to the hospital. It’s so much trouble.” But I pushed myself up from the floor with my raw, bloody hands. “It’s alright, Nora,” I said. “There’s no need to go to the hospital.” She was annoyed. “What are you trying to prove, Caleb? You think you can just walk around looking like a monster? You’ll become the laughingstock of the family.” I was confused. I was a robot. I shouldn’t go to a hospital. Before I could process her words, the steam had seeped deep into my central processor. BEEP. I collapsed. A red light started flashing on my forehead. “System failure. Please initiate repairs immediately.” I saw Nora’s face change, her composure cracking. “Caleb!” She shook my arm, shouting my name. “Caleb, what are you doing? What system failure?” Her voice rose to a hysterical shriek. “Someone call an ambulance!”
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