"You just graduated and want to do an internship, right?" my father said casually.

"Go straight to the CEO's office and work as a deputy director first. After you get familiar with things, you'll be put in charge of one of the subsidiaries."

"Thank you, Dad! You're the best!"

Cedrick instantly beamed. He practically flew over and planted an exaggerated kiss on my father's aging face, making my stomach churn.

Then he turned to me with a hypocritical smile.

"Brother, you smell a little... bad. You probably didn't get many chances to bathe in the mountains, right?"

"But don't worry! Our company has great benefits. You can use the company bathroom to shower in the future!"

"Aren't you happy?"

Listening to such idiotic remarks, I genuinely felt the urge to contact the institute's internal security department.

'This family hasn't been infiltrated by foreign hostile forces, right?'

'Letting an adopted son intern as deputy director of the CEO's office, while sending the biological son to work as a cleaner? What kind of absurd plot is this?'

My father's hand, which had been resting on Cedrick's head, stiffened slightly.

Adeline let out a cold laugh.

"Do you think Evermont Corporation is a place anyone can casually enter?"

"Even our cleaning staff enjoys Five Social Insurances and One Housing Fund!"

"You probably don't even know what that is, do you?"

I sighed inwardly.

'I don't really pay attention to benefits at the research institute... but last time my senior sister mentioned something about ten insurances and three funds.'

'Is Five Social Insurances and One Housing Fund really that impressive?'

The sneer on Adeline's face froze.

'Besides, I still hold five patents. I'm not exactly short on money.'

'Do they really think I'm some poor guy who eats garbage? This is exhausting.'

The atmosphere at the table grew even stranger.

Cedrick happily ate the shrimp meat everyone had peeled for him, cheeks puffed out, occasionally casting provocative glances in my direction.

Looking at his childish provocation, my heart remained completely calm. I didn't even feel angry.

"Alright," my father said irritably.

"Since he doesn't want to eat, don't force him. Have him sent back to his room."

I stood up and followed the nanny upstairs, my mind unconsciously reviewing the final data from my completed experiment.

"This is your room."

The nanny stopped at the very end of the corridor and pointed at a cramped room.

"The young master sleeps lightly at night. If there's nothing important, don't come out."

"Use the bathroom inside the room. I've prepared a bucket for you. Take it to the yard and clean it yourself in the morning."

I halted and frowned.

This so-called wealthy family was really a small temple with fierce winds.

If I didn't draw a line now, even a nanny would feel free to climb over my head.

I calmly looked at her, suddenly stepping closer and lowering my voice.

"It's one thing for this family to be stupid—after all, we're related by blood."

"But who gave you, a nanny, the courage to target me like this?"

The nanny's face changed abruptly. "I—I didn't—"

"Heh. No?" I sneered, just about to expose her little tricks—when she suddenly shoved me hard.

I fell to the ground.

The noise immediately drew attention from downstairs, and my family rushed over.

"What are you doing?" Cedrick shouted as soon as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Why are you hitting Auntie Millie?!"

He didn't even bother to understand the situation before assigning blame.

Encouraged by Cedrick backing her up, the nanny straightened her back and spoke with a wronged expression.

"He was dissatisfied with the room and deliberately threw himself down to frame me."

"Heh," Adeline sneered from the side. "I told you it was a bad idea to bring him back. Look—he's already stirring up trouble the moment he gets home."

My mother frowned slightly. "If you're not satisfied with the room, you could have told us directly."

"There's no need to do something like this."

"Aunt Millie has worked in our house for over ten years. We understand her character."

'What a bunch of fools.'

'They'd rather trust an adopted son of unknown origin—and even a nanny—than me.'

'I'm a son who just returned to acknowledge my family. Even an outsider wouldn't be beaten by a nanny in someone else's house, right?'

Calling this a room arrangement was a joke.

This was no different from a prison cell.

A urinal in the room, and I had to carry it to the yard to clean it every morning?

Even rural homes weren't like this anymore.

My mother looked embarrassed and helpless, instinctively turning to my father for guidance.

A flicker of doubt crossed my father's face. He frowned and fell silent, clearly thinking.

Before he could speak, Cedrick cut in.

"Brother, I heard you're from the Loess Plateau," he said casually.

"Don't people there live in cave dwellings? Isn't it normal to empty a urinal every morning?"

"Aunt Millie is honest and hardworking. Why did you bully her?"

"Mom and Dad work so hard every day. Can you stop causing trouble?"

"If you're angry, come at me instead. Why don't you just hit me?"

He looked at me with disdain, as if he had already seen through my so-called ‘schemes.'

My mother immediately pulled him into her arms, heart aching.

"Cedrick, you don't need to endure this. You're the treasure we cherish the most. How could we ever let someone hit you?"

"Try touching him again and I'll make you pay!" Adeline pointed at me and shouted, her voice sharp and vicious like a street thug's.

I sighed.

"Our research institute chose the Loess Plateau to ensure environmental stability for experiments," I said calmly.

"This isn't the 1980s. Who still lives in cave dwellings now?"

"If you didn't want me to come back, you didn't have to go this far."

"Putting a urinal in a villa—has the Zamora family really fallen into such bizarre habits?"

The moment Cedrick realized he had been publicly exposed and was clearly in the wrong, he threw himself into my mother's arms and started crying loudly, like a spoiled child.

And my mother... actually cried along with him.

I pushed the door open.

A cloud of dust surged out, making me cough repeatedly.

The room looked like an unfinished construction site.

The walls were scarred with shovel marks, chunks of plaster peeling off. One of the windows was broken, cold air whistling in.

"Ahem... you're really impressive," I said helplessly, covering my mouth as I coughed.

My father finally saw the room clearly. His face darkened.

"Why hasn't this room been renovated yet?"

"I ordered it a long time ago."

"Dad, it's winter," Cedrick replied awkwardly under my father's gaze.

"No workers are willing to come."

I nearly laughed.

[Is he actually brainless, or just pretending?]

[Do renovation workers choose seasons now? Did he do it himself?]

[No. I have to contact the research institute today.]

[Staying in this dump any longer might actually lower my intelligence. That would be a loss to the country.]

My father was so furious that he immediately arranged for me to stay temporarily in the guest room.

—

News of the Zamora Group's biological son returning home quickly spread.

Some competitors, well aware of the Zamora family's blatant favoritism toward Cedrick, deliberately fanned the flames online, waiting to see the real and fake young masters fight for power and profit.

True to expectations, the Zamora family soon announced a formal recognition banquet.

But I knew very well—this so-called banquet was nothing more than a superficial move to placate the shareholders.

The banquet was scheduled for the evening, yet as the supposed protagonist, I received almost no attention.

Instead, Cedrick bounced around like an overexcited dog—shopping for clothes, contacting clients, acting as though he were the star of the night.

Time slipped by quickly, and evening arrived in the blink of an eye.

Guests began to arrive one after another.

The first floor had been transformed into a banquet hall. Long tables were laid out with exquisite dishes and an assortment of branded wines and spirits.

Cedrick stood at the entrance holding a tall glass, smiling brightly as he greeted guests, his mouth full of cloying pleasantries that made my stomach churn.

Although I had been called downstairs early as well, the Zamora family deliberately—or perhaps subconsciously—kept their distance from me. Almost no one paid me any attention.

I was more than happy with that.

I tucked myself into a corner, phone in hand, reviewing research materials.

I was completely absorbed when my grip suddenly loosened.

By the time I reacted, my phone was already gone.

On the screen, the biological reaction process under the microscope was still playing.

My heart nearly stopped.

"What are you doing? Give it back to me—now!"

Cedrick held my phone casually, clearly unconcerned.

"Brother, today is a big day for our Zamora family."

"The whole family is busy because of you. If you won't help receive guests, fine—but how can you sit here playing with your phone so shamelessly?"

"Phone... that phone is classified!" I panicked and stood up abruptly. "Give it back to me immediately!"

I didn't even have time to argue properly before rushing toward him.

But Cedrick was clearly prepared.

He took several steps back, retreating straight into the center of the banquet hall. Raising the phone high, he deliberately raised his voice.

"Brother, even if you don't like us, there's no need to act like this."

"Your parents are hosting a recognition banquet just to help you integrate into the family. Can't you consider the bigger picture for once?"

"No—give me my phone!"

I was already on the verge of collapse.

What was displayed on that screen was a top-level national secret.

If it leaked—even a fraction—the consequences would be unimaginable.

Cedrick's eyes gleamed, his tone growing sharper.

"Your phone is basically your life, huh? Can't you stand being separated from it for even a moment?"

"You don't even understand basic etiquette. How have you managed to survive all these years?"

"Something so disgraceful!"

Adeline suddenly appeared from somewhere, joining in without hesitation.

"You've embarrassed the entire Zamora family!"

"Do you... do you realize this is a crime?" I lunged forward again, my voice shaking.

Adeline smoothly took the phone from Cedrick's hand and smiled coldly at me.

"You want it? Then come and get it."

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and stepped forward.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch the phone—Adeline suddenly tossed it high over my head.

Cedrick, standing opposite me, caught it steadily.

"Brother, the phone's over here."

He shook it lightly, grinning, like someone teasing a dog.

Laughter and whispers spread through the surrounding guests, all eyes drawn to the spectacle.

At the noise, my parents finally noticed and hurried over, frowning.

By then, my legs had gone weak. I sank to the floor, unable to muster the strength to stand.

My father looked down at me, then at the siblings, his brows tightly knit.

"Enough. Stop fooling around. What kind of behavior is this? Give him back his phone."

Cedrick glanced at the screen, quickly losing interest.

"You even set an alarm?" he scoffed. "You really know how to pretend. Are you fantasizing about being some kind of national secret agent?"

"Ridiculous!" Adeline added sharply.

My gaze locked onto the red ‘Alarm Activated' screen.

Instead of panic, relief finally washed over me.

Phones used by researchers at our institute were custom-made.

Not only did they surpass commercial devices in functionality, they also carried the highest level of confidentiality protection.

The moment the phone was taken, fingerprint and iris verification had been automatically triggered.

After Cedrick and Adeline tossed it back and forth, verification had failed repeatedly.

Which meant—through the internal warning channel, an alert had already been sent to the nearest special operations unit.