To "teach me a lesson," my parents faked a DNA test claiming I wasn't their biological son. My sister ignored my begging and threw me into a psychiatric hospital. "Troublemaker, why don't you just die?" And my beloved fiancée not only stood by and watched but used her connections to make sure I suffered hell inside. Five years later, I finally learned to be "good." But now, they want the arrogant, spirited young master back? 1 "Lucas, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now? It's so late, and you're still not home. Are you trying to make everyone worry on purpose?" My sister, Clara, scolded me over the phone. Five years. The Lu family finally arranged for my release. Because today is Ryan's birthday, and he "graciously" offered to give me a chance to apologize. Dad took the phone. "I know you resent us for sending you to the mental hospital, but who told you to be so willful and bully Ryan? We did it for your own good!" Clara chimed in: "Exactly. Besides, we've taken you out now, haven't we? What more do you want?" They rambled on for half an hour before finally asking where I was. "Where are you? We'll send a car. Behave yourself this time, don't run around!" I swallowed hard, my voice raspy from disuse. "The psychiatric hospital." Yes. I had been waiting here from dawn till dusk, never moving an inch. Silence on the other end. A long pause, followed by louder questioning. "You couldn't come back on your own? Do we have to fetch you? You haven't forgotten the way home!" "Who are you putting on this show for? Still holding a grudge? I knew you haven't learned your lesson. We shouldn't have let you out!" They seemed to have forgotten that they told me to wait here and not move. "S-Sorry, Mr. Lu, Miss Lu. I didn't mean to." I apologized instinctively. The other end went silent again. Maybe shocked by my obedience, or perhaps surprised by how I addressed them. Five years ago, we were the closest family. If not for that DNA test, I would never have imagined that I, who looked so much like my parents, wasn't their biological son. "Forget it!" The anger seemed to deflate. "I'll have your sister pick you up!" 2 I continued to sit quietly, letting the cold wind and hunger consume me. "Buddy, need a ride?" A taxi stopped in front of me. I shook my head. "Waiting for someone." Taxi after taxi came and went. It wasn't until past 10 PM, when the hospital gate was closing, that the Lu family was still nowhere to be seen. Not a single message on my phone. The security guard couldn't watch anymore. "You've been waiting all day! I'm off work soon. It's remote out here, dangerous for you to be alone at night!" I just twitched the corner of my mouth, saying nothing. I waited five years; what's one more day? The guard sighed, handing me some water and bread, then stayed overtime to keep me company. "Thank you, sir!" I ate the bread obediently. This was the happiest birthday I'd had in five years. 3 In the end, the Lu family's car never came. The security guard drove me back. It was already midnight when I arrived at the Lu mansion. Still no message on my phone. The house was lit up, laughter spilling out from inside. I didn't question them. If the maid hadn't opened the door, I might have stood there forever. "How did you get so ugly? And your clothes are filthy." Clara blurted out the moment she saw me. Mom seemed unable to believe it either. "Lucas, why are you so thin?" Why, in just five years, did the fit young master turn into a skeleton weighing less than ninety pounds? A flicker of heartache appeared in Dad's eyes. He immediately ordered the maid to cook something for me. "We were going to pick you up, but Ryan wasn't feeling well, so we..." I knew. This was their way of "reconciling." They could neglect and suppress me for Ryan's sake without guilt. Then give me a small favor afterward to make me forget the pain. Before, I would have been overjoyed. Now, I didn't care. I tried to speak, but Clara interrupted. "Playing the victim card again? Pretending not to eat to make you feel bad so he can stay?" Mom shushed her, turning to me with gentle eyes. "Since we haven't found your biological parents, you'll live here. You can still call me Mom, like before. I still see you as my son!" "It's okay, Mrs. Lu. I'm already very grateful you took me in!" A polite title turned the once closest relationship into a chasm. Mom couldn't hold back, bursting into tears. I was no longer her arrogant, spoiled son. Even if I complained or blamed them for their neglect, it would be better than this servile humility. 4 Ryan trembled when he saw me, as if seeing a monster. After a long while, he mustered the courage to extend his hand. "Lucas, let's make peace!" I stood frozen. I never fought with him, so where did "making peace" come from? Five years ago, as a college freshman, I declared my claim on Grace, my fiancée, as usual. I loved her fiercely, and as the arrogant Lu heir, I tolerated no rivals. Ryan was one of them. Though raised in an orphanage, he somehow made the aloof Grace look his way. Even my sister sided with him. I visited him once. After that, Ryan suffered bullying. Rumors said I was behind it. Until the end of the semester, Ryan couldn't take it and jumped off the roof. He was saved, unharmed, but left a note filled with accusations against me! No one believed me. Grace cut ties with me. I thought that was rock bottom. Until the news broke: I wasn't the real Lu son. Ryan was. Where were my biological parents? No one told me! Overnight, I fell from heaven to hell. Eventually, my family of twenty years united to send me to a mental hospital scarier than prison. "I don't want the family to worry. Whatever you did, I forgive you." "As long as you don't upset Mom and Dad, I can treat you like a brother!" Ryan smiled, obedient and magnanimous. Anyone would praise him as the worthy Lu heir. Dad nodded approvingly. "Right. If you turn over a new leaf, you're still the Lu family's young master!" Clara scowled. "I'm only forgiving you for Ryan's sake. Thank him! If you bully him again, I won't spare you!" Five years ago, I would have explained desperately. I didn't bully Ryan. He staged it all. But now, I wouldn't act like a clown explaining to people who didn't care. "Sorry. I came back mainly to get my ID card..." Everyone's face darkened. They thought I was ungrateful. "Why do you always fuss over small things? Still being difficult? Do you want to go back to the hospital?" "We raised you! Why can't you be good like Ryan? Why always defy us?" Mom seemed to lose control. I didn't understand her reaction. "But, I'm not your biological son anymore!" Isn't it normal to get my ID and leave? Mom froze. She stared at me, finding me strange. 5 Clara huffed. "You really calculated this, huh? Enjoyed twenty years of luxury and want to leave? Think you can repay that debt?" I lowered my head. I didn't understand these people. They hated me. I wasn't family anymore. Shouldn't they be happy I'm leaving? In the end, I stayed temporarily. My old master bedroom was now Ryan's. I was put in the nanny's room I never used to step foot in. I had no complaints and went to bed early. Even in the soft bed, nightmares found me. Dreams of the humiliation in the hospital. Those terrifying people tearing at my clothes, ignoring my screams. I begged, telling them my powerful family and fiancée wouldn't let them get away with it! But my resistance only excited them more. They laughed at my delusion. Laughed that I still thought I was the Lu young master. They called me stupid. Because everything I suffered was permitted by the Lu family and Grace! I woke up screaming, drenched in cold sweat.
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