Lin Wan eagerly ran towards the mobile food cart selling buns near the school gate.
But as he ran, it was as if he suddenly realized something, and Lin Wan’s radiant smile gradually froze, his speed slowing little by little.
By the time he reached the food cart, the joyful smile on Lin Wan’s face had vanished.
In the warm glow of the setting sun, the delicious aroma of steamed buns wafted from the small cart. The hot steam carrying the scent of the buns spread throughout the area, creating an idyllic scene.
But...
Lin Wan’s petite nose twitched as he clutched the only fifty-cent bill in his pocket, his expression turning bleak.
He thought, on the verge of tears, that while the steaming buns were wonderful, the problem was that he didn’t have any money!
Before, with a sense of pride, Lin Wan had declared, "With resources in hand, the world is mine," and even ambitiously attempted to care for the handsome little pot (referring to himself). Little did he expect that reality would come crashing down so suddenly.
In today's society, what can you buy with fifty cents?
As Lin Wan approached, the lady selling buns noticed him too.
Her gaze swept over his faded and misshapen clothes and then glanced at the dark five-cent bill he was nervously clutching. She immediately understood his situation.
She flashed a warm smile at Lin Wan and gently asked, "Little friend, would you like some buns? I happen to have only two left. Can you help me finish them? How about trying my cooking? My buns are really delicious."
Lin Wan felt embarrassed upon hearing the term "little friend." He blushed and quickly grasped the lady's intent. He hurriedly waved his hands in rejection, saying, "No, thank you. I’m about to go home for dinner, so I don’t want to interrupt your business."
It was truly humiliating for a powerful being who had ascended to a higher realm to crave a bun to such an extent...
The more Lin Wan thought about it, the hotter his face felt, and he was overwhelmed with embarrassment.
He quietly muttered, "Goodbye, auntie," and turned to leave.
However, his departure was halted by a pair of warm hands.
"Why are you in such a hurry, child?"
The bun seller picked up the last two plump, steaming buns from the steamer and quickly placed them into a paper bag, insisting on shoving the bag into Lin Wan's arms.
"I’m not lying to you; today's business was indeed good, and I only have these two buns left. Here, take them and eat on your way home. You’re at the age where you need to grow, and you can't be hungry."
Looking at the kind smile on the lady's face, Lin Wan felt a pang in his heart.
He sniffled and, while moving the food cart aside, subtly channeled a bit of the spiritual energy that permeated the air to sketch a very rudimentary wealth-gathering array on the cart.
His body was still too weak.
Despite Lin Wan simplifying the wealth-gathering array based on his familiarity with formations, it had been reduced to an extremely crude version, nearly unrecognizable. The energy he used came from the natural world, greatly lessening the burden on his body.
But as soon as he finished drawing the array, a wave of intense dizziness struck his consciousness.
A severe sense of weakness and fatigue surged from every part of his body, sending a dire warning to his brain: "I can’t go on like this."
Holding the steaming buns in his arms and feeling the warm steam gently caressing his face, Lin Wan used his strong will to suppress his body's rebellion. He smiled brightly at the bun seller and said, “Thank you! I wish you prosperity in your business and an abundance of wealth in the future!”
Lin Wan piled up every blessing he could think of related to wealth, sincerely conveying his good wishes.
The bun seller was overjoyed to hear that.
"Thank you, little friend! I also wish you success in your studies and hope you get into a great university!"
After chatting with the bun seller for a while, Lin Wan, feeling slightly better, bid her farewell with a smile.
He walked slowly, munching on the warm buns, making his way to his so-called "home."
Upon opening the door, Lin Wan was greeted by the dark and silent entrance and living room, causing him to smirk in resignation.
His younger brother, Lin Yao, was in middle school and got out earlier than Lin Wan. The family's schedule had always been dictated by Lin Yao's. Since he started middle school, dinner time had shifted to six o'clock.
Every day at six, while Lin Wan sat in class, starving and waiting to be dismissed, the family at their "home" three blocks away would be happily having dinner.
By the time Lin Wan returned home, he was left with a pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and an atmosphere filled with coldness and darkness.
In the room's gloom, only the kitchen gave off a faint glow.
Seeing this, Lin Wan felt a chill of disappointment.
With a cold smirk, he didn't bother changing his shoes and walked straight into the kitchen, guided by the dim light.
He opened the slightly ajar kitchen door, and the light flooded out.
The warm orange light softly illuminated Lin Wan's face, revealing the scene inside the kitchen.
Without glancing aside, Lin Wan walked past the piled dishes in the sink, heading straight to the stove, where he expressionlessly lifted the pot lid.
In the two pots containing rice porridge and stir-fried vegetables, only the residue on the sides indicated how lavish the dinner had been that night. The bottoms, however, were completely empty.
—They hadn't left any dinner for Lin Wan at all.
He clenched his fingers tightly, closed his eyes, and revealed a bitter smile.
Well, isn’t this what he had known all along? Why hold onto unrealistic fantasies?
People can sometimes be incredibly foolish...
Gently closing the kitchen door, Lin Wan took a deep breath and turned to leave.
This place was no longer his home. He knew very well that he had always been the unwanted presence in this family, hadn't he?
If that were the case, what was he still doing here? There was nothing left to make him want to stay.
Leaving this place filled with mud and despair, he would embark on a journey towards a brilliant and free life that belonged to him.
However, when he turned his head, Lin Wan was startled.
Right behind him, very close, a tall and stout dark shadow was quietly standing there. After Lin Wan looked over, it shook violently.
What the hell is that?!
Seeing this, Lin Wan was suddenly alarmed and instinctively prepared to activate his spirit for self-defense.
Just as Lin Wan was about to act, the large, dark, unidentified object sprang away at an astonishing speed that didn't match its size, and it shouted loudly,
"Mom, it's bad! We’ve got a thief in the house!!!"
Hearing that familiar duck-like voice, Lin Wan recognized the identity of the dark object—Lin Yao, the treasured darling of the whole family, the apple of Lin Father and Lin Mother’s eye.
Feeling an overwhelming fatigue signaling that he was on the verge of collapse, Lin Wan sighed and reluctantly abandoned the tempting thought of using his spirit to give Lin Yao a good beating.
Frowning, he slapped the switch for the living room light. After coming home with a belly full of anger, Lin Wan was just about to curse Lin Yao when he turned around and froze.
He looked at Lin Yao curled up on the living room sofa, gazing at the familiar yet strange round face, but he couldn't find even a trace of connection with him.
How could this be?!
Although his physical strength was weak, Lin Wan's spiritual awareness was still at the Great Ascension stage.
With the support of his spiritual awareness, even though his physical spiritual vision hadn’t opened, he could still sense many things that ordinary people couldn’t.
For example, whether this situation was good or bad, and... the connection between bloodlines.
As Lin Wan watched Lin Yao's face suddenly turn fierce after recognizing him, and felt the lack of any sense of connection between them, his heart was filled with turmoil.
To his surprise, Lin Yao wasn’t his biological brother?!
Upon realizing this, looking at the fierce Lin Yao, a strong sense of glee surged in Lin Wan’s heart.
Ha, what does it matter if those two spoiled Lin Yao? They probably never imagined that he wasn’t their biological child!
I wonder how those two would react when they find out the truth? Lin Wan thought maliciously.
"What’s wrong? Are you okay, Yao Yao?!"
Hearing the hurried footsteps and concerned voices of Lin Father and Lin Mother rushing out of the bedroom, Lin Wan felt very pleased as he looked over, unable to suppress the smile creeping onto his lips.
However, when they officially rushed into the living room, Lin Wan's smile slowly faded.
Fixing his gaze on Lin Father and Lin Mother, who rushed in, Lin Wan's eyes were filled with coldness.
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