After my wealthy family finally found me, their adopted son—the fake heir—ran out crying and was hit by a car, breaking both his legs. Then, the family suddenly went bankrupt. To pay off debts, my biological father worked construction and fell, ending up in a vegetative state. My mother, unable to handle the shock, nearly died of a heart attack. Everyone said I was cursed, that I brought misfortune to the family. But my sister held my hand firmly and said: "Leo, I believe none of this is your fault. Let's work together to carry this family, okay?" Touched beyond words, I worked countless jobs, exhausted like a dog. Three years later, I rushed to the hospital clutching thirty thousand dollars for medical bills, only to see my supposedly vegetative father sitting up in bed. "Serena, the three-year test is almost over. Do we still need Leo's thirty grand today?" My sister laughed. "Of course we do. Why wouldn't we?" "The motorcycle I bought for Caleb cost exactly thirty thousand. Consider it Leo's apology gift." Caleb, who should have been wheelchair-bound, stood up and hugged her. "I love you the most, sis!" My mother looked a bit worried. "But where did Leo get so much money? A test is a test, but we shouldn't force him down a dark path!" "Don't worry, Mom. Leo has Rh-negative blood, it's worth a lot. My people saw him going to sell plasma. Once he passes the final test, I'll tell him the family secured an investment." I clutched the bank card, my hand instinctively covering the agonizing pain in my lower back. How could selling plasma possibly earn thirty thousand dollars? That money came from selling my kidney. But my sacrifice, risking my life, was just a test of familial loyalty! If that's the case, I'll just leave. ... Chapter 1 Through the glass of the hospital room, I watched the family laughing and chatting happily. My heart felt like it was being carved by a knife. I covered my mouth with my hand, holding my phone up, trying to stifle my sobs. It was all a lie! My sister, who said she believed in me, was torturing me to vent anger for the fake heir. Even my biological parents played along with their misery, forcing me into the life of a stray dog. Memories of the past three years' suffering flooded back like a tide. Only now did I realize the many plot holes. I had been too exhausted from the grind to even think. Through my tears, I saw a familiar figure stepping out of the elevator. It was Mr. Lewis, Dad’s former subordinate and current "debt collector." I put away my phone and hid in the stairwell, watching him lead two bodyguards into Dad’s room. His fawning voice drifted out. "Mr. Vance, you truly have foresight! Pretending to go bankrupt to test the young master—only this way can you guarantee he isn't just after the Vance family fortune." "I heard the day you pretended to become a vegetable, the young master knelt by your bed and cried for a day and a night. Such a filial son!" Mom laughed too. "Yes, for three years I scolded him terribly, yet he still recognizes me as his mother. He is indeed filial." My sister’s voice was cold. "He hasn't passed Caleb's and my test yet. Who knows if he's scheming deep down?" Dad nodded. "Correct. To truly be Edward Vance's son, he must pass the whole family's test!" "Understood, Mr. Vance. I'll play my part well..." My nails dug deep into my flesh. My heart was filled with agony. So that’s it. For three years, Dad’s test was to see if I was greedy. Mom’s test was to see if I would remain filial despite her coldness. And now, my sister’s test is to see if I’m willing to risk my life to pay off debts for the family. But I don't want to play this role anymore. I don't want this family anymore. Just as I turned to leave, Caleb spotted me outside the door. He flashed a provocative smile at me, then clutched his leg and collapsed back into the wheelchair, crying out in pain. "Since my brother caused me to almost become crippled, can I ask him to kowtow and apologize to me?" "Of course! He was the one who agitated you into that car accident. He owes you this!" Hearing the family spoiling him, I felt dead inside and prepared to leave. The next second, the door opened, and my sister saw me standing by the elevator. After a moment of shock, she immediately put on an anxious face and pulled me over. "Leo, you're finally here! Mr. Lewis is inside demanding payment, come quick!" The moment she dragged me into the room, Mom was holding Caleb, weeping. Dad, who was just bossing people around, was back in bed with his oxygen mask on. My sister pulled me down, bowing and pleading humbly: "Uncle Lewis, for the sake of my dad, can we just pay thirty thousand in interest today? Once I get the investment, we'll pay the rest..." Mr. Lewis looked at us with disdain. "Thirty thousand? You think I'm a beggar? Your dad is like this now, his 'face' isn't worth a dime!" With a wave of his hand, the two bodyguards started smashing things. Mom cried her heart out. My sister gritted her teeth and pulled me to kneel with her. "Please, just give us a few more days! Before the end of the month, we will definitely pay it back!" "Besides, the doctor said my dad might wake up. You don't want to burn bridges, do you?!" Pleading mixed with threats finally made Mr. Lewis relent. "Fine. Give me the thirty thousand now. If you don't have the rest by next month, don't blame me for getting nasty!" I gripped the bank card tightly. This was the money I exchanged half my life and a kidney for. My sister noticed my hesitation and hugged me, persuading: "Good brother, you've worked hard these three years." "My deal is about to go through. Once we cure Dad, our family will get better and better!" Mom also knelt down towards me with a thud. "Son, Mom was wrong to blame you before. You aren't a jinx, you're the lucky star who can save our family!" Since Caleb broke his legs and Dad had his accident three years ago, Mom had hated me. She called me a jinx who almost killed her husband and son, never giving me a kind look. If this were before, hearing her call me "son" and seeing her weep like this... I really would have given my life for her. But now, I knew she was acting. Just to test if I would part with the money. I looked up at the ceiling, fighting back the surging tears. Mom, you gave me my life. Is it worth just thirty thousand dollars? If you think I owe you, I'll pay you back. I helped her up and handed over the card. After Mr. Lewis took the money, he pointed at Caleb in the wheelchair dissatisfiedly. "The whole family knelt to me, why didn't this brat kneel? Does he look down on me?" Caleb's eyes reddened. My sister quickly apologized, but Mr. Lewis wouldn't let it go. "This brat needs to kowtow three times loudly for this to be over! Otherwise, I'm kicking your whole family out of the hospital today!" Mom and my sister immediately pressed me down, forcing my head against the floor heavily. "Sorry, Mr. Lewis. Caleb is disabled, let his brother do it for him!" My forehead slammed against the cold tiles. Humiliating blood mixed with tears blurred my vision. Caleb sat in his wheelchair, looking down at me with triumphant eyes. From an angle no one else could see, he mouthed slowly: "You can't beat me." I scrambled up, wanting to flee, but the world spun. Blackness took over, and I passed out completely. In my stupor, I heard my sister and Mom screaming for a doctor. When I woke up again, it was the next day. I found myself lying in our dilapidated shack. My sister and Mom's voices drifted in. "Sigh, did we go too far?" "Three years, letting Leo live in this dump... the doctor just said he fainted from long-term malnutrition and excessive blood loss. Sigh! We should have stopped him from selling plasma..." My sister interrupted Mom. "If it's a test, how can it be easy? Three years ago, if his ambition hadn't agitated Caleb into that accident, we wouldn't have seen his true colors!" "Consider this his atonement to Caleb, and a way to prove himself! Once he passes Caleb's test in three days, he'll be the young master of the Vance family forever, enjoying endless wealth!" Mom still hesitated. "But the doctor said he needs a full checkup. Isn't it dangerous to bring him back here like this?" "It's just malnutrition and blood loss, what danger could there be? Some iron supplements and he'll be fine. Keeping him in the hospital might make him suspicious. Where would we get the money to pay for his stay?" "Sigh, true." They stood up and walked out the door. I slowly opened my eyes, looking at the rotting roof, my heart in agony. If they had just agreed to the checkup, they would have found out my blood loss wasn't from selling plasma. It was because I was missing a kidney. A week ago, my sister cried to me that if we didn't have thirty thousand dollars, Dad would be kicked out of the hospital. At my wit's end, I saw a shady flyer on the street corner advertising plasma donation. I thought my Rh-negative blood would fetch a good price, but those black-market doctors were heartless. They said only a kidney would get that kind of money. When my sister called crying again, I walked into that back-alley clinic without hesitation. For seven days, I hid in a motel clutching my wound, lying that I was working out of town. I intended to keep my sister from worrying, but I never expected... She knew exactly what I went to do! But why did she lie to Mom and Dad, saying I only sold plasma? Sister, do you hate me that much for Caleb's sake? Creating a situation where I had to carve out a kidney to atone. So in your eyes, I was never worthy of being your brother, more like an enemy, right? Even though you were the one who held my hand and said we were family, that we would carry this burden together! The pain in my heart far exceeded the physical pain. Through blurry eyes, I saw a bottle of iron pills on the bedside table, and my sister's phone. I picked it up and tried her birthday as the passcode. It unlocked. [Leo is going to the hospital today, hurry back and get ready.] In the chat with Mom and Dad, my sister constantly reminded them. [Sis, today is my birthday. Will you come celebrate with me? Or do you have to be with him?] In the chat with Caleb, she coaxed him gently. [I haven't forgotten. Three years ago on your birthday, he almost caused you to be disabled. Of course I'll be with you!] Trembling, I opened my sister's social media. That's when I realized. She had posted so many updates that were hidden from me. Photo after photo of her and our parents with Caleb, looking happy and blessed in a villa. For the past three years, I was the only one working myself to death. They were living the good life in a mansion. I fought back the tears and took photos of these posts and chats with my own phone. Then I put her phone back. Staring blankly at the ceiling, my mind flashed back to my sister holding my calloused hands, tears streaming down her face. The way she knelt for me when Mom kicked us out of the hospital room. She said, "Leo, you are my biological brother. I believe in you. One day Mom will accept you. Hang in there." For three years, I lived alone in this converted boat shack, freezing and starving. Last winter, when I had a high fever, I video-called her. The moment she accidentally accepted, I saw what looked like a luxury villa background. Then, she panicked and hung up, texting me impatiently: "I'm discussing a partnership at my boss's house. Don't disturb me." For three whole years, she and the family enjoyed life in a villa while I suffered alone. Only when dealing with me would they return to the hospital to act. It was laughable that I scavenged scraps other fishermen didn't want just to buy her a thick quilt. Turns out she never needed it. My familial love was wasted. I opened my phone to buy a ticket, only to find I had $6.90 left in my account. That was my food money for the next three days. Is their punishment to strip me of even the freedom to leave? Mocking myself, I dialed that number. "Do you still buy blood? I need money urgently. Okay, three days from now." Three days later was exactly the end of the month my sister planned for. It was also the day of their final test for me. Using three days to say goodbye to three years of fake family was enough. My sister lifted the curtain and entered, her face changing when she heard my words. "What are you doing in three days?" I hung up and forced a bitter smile. "Did you forget what day it is in three days, sis?" She slapped her forehead, remembering. "Right! It's your birthday! After three years, I can finally celebrate it with you." "Leo, once I secure the investment, what birthday gift do you want? I'll get you anything!" Mom also came in smiling. "Yes, you've worked hard these three years. Mom needs to make it up to you too." My heart felt bitter. "I haven't thought of it yet. I'll tell you on my birthday, okay?" My sister and Mom exchanged smiles and agreed readily. Just as they were about to say more, my sister's phone rang. She picked it up, glanced at it, and her face changed. "Caleb says Dad isn't doing well. Mom, we have to go back immediately!" Before, I would have insisted on going with them. But now, I knew it was just an excuse to get away from me. I obediently stayed in the shack, watching them leave. As I was about to pack, a message popped up on my phone. [Leo, you heard everything at the hospital yesterday, right?] [The whole family believes me. They tortured you for three years for me.] [You didn't seem very willing when you kowtowed to me yesterday... Since that's the case, my test for you in three days won't be so simple.] [With me here, don't think about returning to the Vance family as the young master. Got it? If you're smart, get lost now. Being kicked out by the whole family later will be much uglier!] ... Each sentence pierced my heart like a dagger. So the final test was set by Caleb? No wonder he was confident I would fail. Ultimately, Mom, Dad, and Serena treated him as their real family. I, the outsider who couldn't fit in, should leave. I dialed that number again. I wanted to ask if he could buy my blood two days early. I really needed the money. "Earliest is three days! Besides, it hasn't even been half a month since you sold your kidney. Are you trying to die? "Forget it, forget it. I won't take your blood in three days, I'll just give you an extra thousand bucks. You scare me!" Touching the dull ache in my lower back, I smiled bitterly. Why wouldn't I fear death? For three years, my family played me like a fool. I desperately wanted to leave them and live for myself. Is fate toying with me? Even leaving has to wait three days. Fine. I also wanted to see how far the family would go for Caleb, the fake heir, in three days. The next day, my sister called saying she had to accompany Caleb to rehab and wouldn't be back. Half an hour later, Caleb sent me a photo. In the picture, Mom, Dad, and Serena were enjoying a feast with him in a luxurious villa. A huge family portrait hung on the wall, missing only me. Looking at the photo, my eyes stung. Their home never included me. When the clock struck midnight, I sat blankly on the beach in front of the shack, looking up at the stars. Caleb sent another video. The family was singing Happy Birthday to him. Serena gave him motorcycle keys, Dad gave him 5% of the company shares, and Mom personally designed a diamond-encrusted tuxedo for him. And I only received dry "Happy Birthday" texts from Mom and Serena. "Serena, what do you think Leo is doing right now?" "What else? Probably crying tears of gratitude over our text messages!" The conversation stabbed my heart. Yes. If I didn't know the truth, I would definitely be moved to tears by those two texts. Mom finally said Happy Birthday to me personally. The cold sea wind stung my eyes. I silently saved the video Caleb sent. Along with the video I recorded outside the hospital room and the chat logs, I set two scheduled messages. One to Serena. The other to social media. Serena, by this time tomorrow, I'll be gone. I hope you and Mom and Dad like my final gift. As dawn broke, I dragged my luggage to find the blood broker. I thought I could get the money and leave, but he looked behind me and smiled sinisterly. "I said I wouldn't take your blood, but someone else wants to." Shocked, I turned to see Mom and Serena rushing toward me. "Leo, quick, give blood to your brother! Only you can save him!" They dragged me to the hospital, where I saw Caleb lying pale on a bed. I instantly understood. This was their final test. But with my current condition, if this goes wrong, I will really die! "I can't give blood right now..." Before I finished, Mom's face changed. "Great! I knew you wanted your brother dead, didn't you!" Just like how she accused me for three years. Serena looked disappointed and urgent. "Leo, lives are at stake, stop being willful!" "I know you don't like him, but he's family we raised for twenty years! Can you bear to see him suffer?" Face pale, I looked at them sincerely. "Mom, Serena. Three years ago, I didn't say anything to make Caleb leave. I never wanted him dead. You have to believe me." "We believe you! As long as you give him blood, we believe you!" Looking at Serena's eager gaze and Mom's displeasure and suspicion. I resigned myself to the bed, letting the doctor insert the needle into my arm. "If this makes you believe me, then my life... doesn't matter." Mom scolded, "Stop talking nonsense! It's just a little blood, it won't kill you!" The moment the blood was drawn, breathing became difficult, and my vision darkened. Serena whispered to the eyes-closed Caleb, "How about it? Did he pass?" Caleb lay still, no reaction. Mom said unhappily, "It's only been a little bit, what's the rush?" It wasn't until the doctor drew a full bag that I completely passed out. Serena noticed something wrong first. "Leo? Good brother, it's done. You can open your eyes now. Sister has good news for you!" But no matter how she called, I didn't react. "Doctor! My brother's hand is so cold, come look!" Caleb sat up in bed, looking aggrieved. "Sis, is Leo ignoring us on purpose because he didn't want to give me blood?" Mom sneered. "He's definitely just trying to scare us because we forced him. Leo, stop acting and get up!" The doctor checked my eyelids and pulse, turning pale with shock. "Not good! The young master has no pulse or heartbeat!" Serena and Mom froze. Only Caleb's eyes flashed with triumph. The curtain was thrown open, and Dad, who had been hiding, couldn't hold back anymore and rushed out. "Didn't we agree to tell him I woke up once he passed? Why is it like this!" "Doctor, save my son!" The doctor quickly ordered the nurse to lift my shirt for defibrillation. The next second, he stared at my body in horror. "The young master lost so much blood because he had a kidney removed! With his constitution, how could he handle this?!" My parents and sister stood frozen. "How... it was just selling plasma. How could he have a kidney taken..." Serena's face was white as she mumbled to herself. At that moment, her phone rang. She picked it up in a panic. One look, and she collapsed to the floor. "It's from Leo. Mom, Dad! He heard what we said in the hospital room that day!" "He knew we were testing him all along!" My parents' faces changed drastically. Dad threw himself on me, holding my hand. "Son, Dad was wrong. Dad shouldn't have listened to them to test you. Don't scare Dad, wake up, okay? Dad promises, no more suffering. Dad will make you the most pampered young master of the Vance family!" But no matter how he screamed, I showed no sign of waking. Seeing the defibrillator failing, the doctor ordered oxygen and a blood transfusion. But I have Rh-negative blood. The hospital had no stock. Ordering it would be too late. Dad looked up, staring coldly at Caleb on the bed. "If it weren't for your idea of a test, Leo wouldn't be like this. Did you want him to die so you could be the sole heir?" Dad, a veteran businessman, finally realized this adopted son wasn't as simple as he seemed. Caleb turned pale and threw himself into Mom's arms, crying. "Mom! I didn't! I asked you and Serena when I thought of this. You said he drank imported supplements for days, so one bag of blood would be fine." "Three years ago, if Dad and Serena hadn't done everything to get panda blood for me, I would have died! Can't we take one bag from him today? If I really hated him, why would I come up with such an easy test?" Mom hugged him and yelled at Dad. "Caleb is the child we raised for twenty years. He's so kind, how could he be like you say! Besides, he didn't know Leo lost a kidney! How can you blame him?" Dad was speechless, only gripping my hand tighter, urging the doctor. Caleb sensibly rolled up his sleeve to offer blood. Serena was still scrolling through her phone frantically. She seemed to see something, her eyes filling with rage. She stood up and slapped Caleb. "Serena, why did you hit your brother!" Mom gasped. "Scum like him deserves to be my brother?" Serena shoved the phone screen into our parents' faces. They clearly saw the video Caleb sent to provoke me, and his gloating threats telling me to leave. In that moment, Dad finally exploded. "Caleb Vance, you are just an adopted son. You dare dream of replacing my own flesh and blood? You better pray my son is okay, or I will make your death very ugly." Mom also looked at Caleb with disappointment. "Caleb, you had twenty years of love that belonged to your brother. Why weren't you satisfied? Why did you provoke him like that?" Caleb cried that he was wrong, that he only wanted to get back at me verbally for the accident three years ago. "Mom, Dad, I didn't really want to kill him! Take my blood. If it saves him, I'm willing to die! Consider it atonement for my immaturity!" Mom sighed. "You're still childish." Dad snorted and said nothing more. The doctor sweated profusely as he transfused blood into me. Finally, the monitor beeped. I started breathing again. "The patient's will to live is very low. He shouldn't be stimulated. We should all go out." Under his persuasion, the family left. As soon as the door opened, Mr. Lewis stumbled over. "Chairman, it's bad! The internet is attacking our company. Look!" Dad's relief vanished. He checked his phone and saw tons of missed calls and messages. Online was the post I made. The video of him, the family, and Mr. Lewis plotting the test. The audio of Mom and Dad acting with Caleb to force me to kowtow. The records of my remittances from three years of hard labor. And the chat logs of the family enjoying the villa with Caleb while he taunted me. The most shocking part was an audio recording. "Your panda blood is valuable, but to get thirty thousand, we'd have to drain you dry. Are you not afraid of death?" "But there is another way. Sell a kidney. Exactly thirty thousand. Think about it." In my hesitation, Serena's voice message played. "Leo, they said if we don't pay the interest, they'll kick Dad out. He'll die!" I hung up and said firmly, "Okay, I'll sell a kidney." Public opinion exploded. 【Are these parents or demons? To test their own son, they made him sell a kidney?!】 【The Vance family is evil. Torturing their bio-son for an adoptee, making him kowtow. I can't take it!】 【Living in a mansion with the adoptee while the real son rots in a shack for three years. Wow.】 【Can his mom just die? She doesn't deserve to be a mother...】 Seeing this comment, Mom clutched her chest and collapsed. Serena supported her, face pale, muttering: "How... how did Leo go from selling blood to selling a kidney?" Dad kicked her, furious. "It's all your fault! Coming up with such a radical test, causing my son to sell a kidney! I don't have such a vicious daughter!" Serena seemed to realize something. She tried to contact the subordinate who guided me. The number was disconnected. "He was my man. He said he saw Leo sell blood. How could this happen..." Serena realized the subordinate was compromised. She remembered seeing him at the hospital that morning. He hadn't gone far! She immediately ordered people to guard the airport and stations to bring him back. Dad ordered Mr. Lewis to handle PR at any cost. They would claim the video was staged by Caleb, and the audio was guided by him. They would issue an apology letter to me, admitting their mistake. That was the best solution. But Dad underestimated the netizens' rage. Someone dug up my attempt to leave after learning the truth. The photo showed the luggage I left behind when Serena and Mom intercepted me. Inside was a new floral quilt, a shell necklace, and a worn diary. The diary was full of gratitude to Serena for believing I wasn't a jinx and willing to support the family with me: 【I'm used to hardship, but Serena isn't. She'll get cold in this shack. I scavenged for half a month to buy this quilt. I hope she likes it.】 【I have a fever. I wanted to call Serena, but I saw her in a warm villa doing business. Good. She doesn't have to freeze with me...】 【Serena said she's getting a big investment. Dad's debt will be paid, and he'll get better. Great!】 【Mom finally acknowledged my effort and let me see Dad. I'll work harder so she accepts me!】 ...
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