Felix, with a maturity and coldness beyond his years, simply extended his right hand, palm up, in a standard, polite handshake gesture, aiming directly at the imposing head of the family.
This action instantly solidified the already subtly tense atmosphere.
Gabriel merely cast a fleeting glance at the young man's hand suspended in mid-air, his deep blue eyes devoid of any warmth.
His hands, clasped behind his back, showed no intention of moving. With this silent, absolute posture, he expressed his refusal.
Adrien stood to the side, watching the scene, his heart in his throat. He knew his father's temperament but also felt a hint of awkwardness for his cousin's predicament.
"Heh heh…" Amelie broke the deadlock at the opportune moment.
She stepped forward, her hands gently resting on her son Felix's shoulders, an impeccable, elegant smile gracing her face. Turning to Gabriel, she spoke in a tone that was half explanation, half teasing: "My dear, don't mind him. Your uncle… just isn't used to physical contact with anyone outside of family."
She cleverly used the word "family" to categorize Felix as an "outsider," both providing an excuse for Gabriel's behavior and subtly maintaining her own stance.
As she spoke, she turned slightly, her gaze inadvertently falling on Gabriel's left ring finger, which was clasped behind his back.
The simple wedding ring reflected a cool yet stubborn light from the sunshine streaming through the French windows.
Amelie's smile deepened, carrying a nearly imperceptible, needle-sharp edge.
"Oh, Gabriel, you are truly devoted," she said with a tone full of admiration and praise. "After all these years, you still wear Emilie's wedding ring."
She slowly straightened up, her gaze fixed on Gabriel, as if trying to discern even the slightest crack in that ice-sculpture-like mask.
"I suppose… you must have kept Emilie's ring safe as well, right?"
Her tone began to lose its gentleness, taking on a hint of interrogation: "Do you know how many messages I sent you, Gabriel?
I just want to… get those two rings back. They belong to my family, not yours."
A ripple finally appeared in Gabriel's blue eyes, like a stone dropped into a deep pool.
He looked at the woman before him, who looked exactly like his wife but had a completely different soul, his voice as harsh as two pieces of metal rubbing together.
"These two rings," he said, enunciating each word, "also hold special meaning for me."
He did not want to dwell on this topic any longer and turned to Nathalie, who had been waiting quietly beside him, giving her an instruction: "Nathalie, please take Amelie to her room to rest first."
Then, his gaze shifted to his son, his tone still calm, but slightly softer than before: "Adrien, you take Felix… to your room."
"Yes, sir." Nathalie, upon receiving the order, immediately stepped forward and gestured for Amelie to follow.
Amelie, seeing her offensive was ineffective, no longer insisted. She gave Gabriel a "we'll meet again" smile, and then, with elegant steps, followed Nathalie towards the guest room on the other side.
"Come on, Felix!" Adrien seemed oblivious to the undercurrents of the confrontation that had just transpired. He was delighted to have an opportunity to be alone with his cousin, and enthusiastically put his arm around Felix's shoulder, guiding him towards the wide spiral staircase.
As Felix ascended the stairs, his gaze subtly flickered towards the direction Gabriel had departed.
A complex, inscrutable light flashed in his eyes, which were strikingly similar to Adrien's.
But in the end, he said nothing, silently following Adrien upstairs… Adrien's room was as spacious as a small apartment. It was filled with all sorts of things he liked—game consoles, fencing equipment, a huge electronic screen, and a black grand piano.
"Look! This is the game I just finished! It's super cool!"
"And this! This is my new fencing mask, isn't it much cooler than the old one?"
Adrien, like an enthusiastic puppy, excitedly showed Felix his various "treasures," trying to bridge the distance between them in this way.
But Felix was like a discerning connoisseur walking into a museum.
He showed no interest in what Adrien considered incredibly fun "childish games." He merely surveyed the room casually, his eyes carrying an indescribable, scrutinizing gaze.
Adrien's enthusiasm was gradually cooled by Felix's indifference.
He sat on the edge of the bed, a little dejected, looking at his silent cousin, and quietly said, "Felix… are you… still prejudiced against me because of my father?"
Upon hearing this, Felix finally stopped his surveying.
He turned to look at Adrien, a faint, almost mocking curve playing on his lips.
"Prejudice?" he retorted. "Why would you think that?"
Then, without waiting for Adrien to answer, he posed another question: "Adrien, do you always listen to your father so obediently?"
"I…" Adrien was stunned. "He… he's just… very protective of me…"
"Protective?" Felix laughed.
He slowly walked in front of Adrien, then suddenly extended his arms and gave him a tight hug.
"Yes," he whispered into Adrien's ear, in an almost sighing, ambiguous tone, "He 'protected' you very well."
Adrien was somewhat flustered by the sudden hug.
He thought this was a sign that his cousin was finally willing to accept him, so he also reached out and awkwardly hugged him back.
However, what he didn't notice was that the moment Felix hugged him, concealed by his exquisitely designed vest, his right hand, like the most nimble magician, with an extremely skillful and professional technique, silently hooked out his phone from Adrien's pants pocket, and then quickly hid it in his own embrace.
All of this happened silently and seamlessly.
Except for… the little black kwami, who was peeking half its tiny head out of its jacket pocket, furtively observing everything.
Plagg's green eyes widened, and the entire kwami was stunned.
It had seen with its own eyes how the cold "fake Adrien" had stolen Adrien's phone under the cover of a hug!
Felix released the hug, his face returning to its calm, unruffled expression.
As if to divert Adrien's attention, he asked, "By the way, is that chess set we played with when we were little still here?"
"Of course it is!" Adrien immediately perked up. "I put it away, it's just… it's in the attic on the second floor of this room! Wait for me, I'll go get it!"
With that, he excitedly ran towards the small spiral staircase in the room that led to the second floor.
The moment Adrien's figure disappeared at the stairwell, the last trace of Felix's disguise also faded.
The gentle smile in his eyes was replaced by a cold, highly purposeful sharpness.
He quickly began to rummage through Adrien's room.
"Did you find it?" he called out loudly to the upstairs, using his voice to cover the sound of him searching through things.
"Almost, almost! There's too much stuff, it's a bit messy!" Adrien's somewhat muffled reply came from upstairs.
Felix's hand rapidly swept across the desk, drawers, bedside table… He seemed to be looking for something specific.
When he pulled open the bottom drawer of the bedside table, his movements stopped.
Inside the drawer, neatly wrapped in oil paper, lay a piece of… goat cheese, exuding a rich aroma.
A mischievous glint flashed in Felix's eyes.
He picked up the cheese and silently tucked it under Adrien's soft pillow.
After doing all this, he straightened up, his face once again resuming its harmless expression.
However, everything he did was seen clearly by an angry, tiny figure.
Plagg couldn't take it anymore!
It instantly phased through the floor, appearing before Adrien, who was rummaging for the chess set in the attic, like a small, angry black cannonball.
"Adrien! What is wrong with your cousin?!"
It yelled at Adrien in a furious whisper, not even bothering to wipe the cheese crumbs from its mouth: "First he rummaged through your room!
Then! Then he actually stuffed my prized aged goat cheese, which I've been waiting for two whole weeks, under your pillow!"
"What?" Adrien was utterly confused. "Plagg, are you sure you didn't see wrong?
Felix… he… perhaps he's just… not in a good mood because of his father's passing…"
Just then, the sound of the shower turning on came from downstairs, along with Felix's clear voice, audible through the door: "Adrien! Can I borrow your bathroom first?"
"Oh! Feel free!" Adrien responded loudly.
"Father passed away?" Plagg, ever tactless, immediately retorted: "When your mother passed away, I didn't see you turn into a thief, did I?"
This sentence instantly froze the smile on Adrien's face. His emerald green eyes also dimmed.
Plagg immediately realized it had said the wrong thing. It looked at Adrien's dejected expression, its tiny voice filled with regret and apology: "I… I'm sorry, Adrien… I… I didn't mean it…"
"…It's okay." Adrien was silent for a moment before shaking his head and softly saying, "I know you didn't mean to."
He finally found the dusty chess box, took it, and silently walked downstairs.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, shielded by the sound of running water, Felix leaned against the door, toying with the phone that wasn't his.
He easily unlocked the screen password—Adrien's birthday, ridiculously simple.
He tapped on the photo album, and a picture set as the main screen wallpaper immediately popped up.
The photo showed Ladybug's face, full of confidence and vitality, smiling.
"Superhero…" Felix looked at the photo, a complex, almost mocking smile appearing on his lips: "Of course he would like superheroes."
He casually swiped open the notification bar, and an unread message from Nino popped up.
[Adrien, what's going on with you? Why aren't you here yet? The whole class is at Chloé's hotel, only you're missing!]
Hotel?
Felix didn't understand what this meant. His fingers rapidly slid across the screen, quickly scrolling through Adrien's chat history, class schedule, and school forum notifications… Soon, he had pieced together the general sequence of events.
Felix, through the frosted glass door, called out to Adrien, who was waiting on the sofa outside: "Adrien, my luggage is still downstairs, would it be convenient to borrow a set of your clothes?"
"Of course, wear whatever you like!" Adrien's unsuspecting, cheerful voice came from outside, "Anything in the closet is fine."
The curve of Felix's lips deepened.
He opened the closet and precisely selected a set of branded casual clothes almost identical to Adrien's usual style, changed into them, and then meticulously tidied his hair, completely transforming himself into "Adrien" in appearance.
Next, he picked up Adrien's phone, which now belonged to him.
He didn't choose any complex background, simply stood in front of a pure white wall, and pressed the record button.
In the lens, his handsome face bore a fake, standardized smile, yet his eyes revealed an air of condescending arrogance.
In a gentle yet strongly detached tone, he spoke the pre-prepared lines into the camera, word by word, with perfect clarity.
Once the video was recorded, he didn't hesitate. He directly opened the class group chat and sent out this video, which was enough to ignite a storm.
After doing all this, all expression vanished from his face, returning to his calm, unruffled demeanor. He wiped away any potential fingerprints from the phone and walked out of the bathroom.
"Hey, you look pretty good in that."
Adrien saw "himself" walk out and joked with a smile. He was completely unaware that just moments ago, a conspiracy targeting him and his friends had quietly begun.
"It's alright." Felix responded indifferently, then sat down at the chessboard opposite Adrien. "Come on, let's continue."
The two continued their unfinished game of chess. The chess pieces made crisp tapping sounds on the board. Felix's gaze seemed focused on the game, but he was actually waiting for something.
During a seemingly casual movement to get up and pour water, he subtly, without anyone noticing, put the phone back into Adrien's jacket pocket... Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, in the Dupain-Cheng bakery, the air was filled with the sweet aroma of butter and sugar, a stark contrast to the coldness of the Agreste Mansion.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Marinette descended the attic stairs with light steps.
Her face showed a hint of fatigue after completing a masterpiece, but even more, an undeniable excitement and nervousness.
In her hands, she carefully held two freshly made, exaggerated, and imaginative pairs of sunglasses.
One pair perfectly blended the red, white, and blue colors of the French flag, with bold star-shaped frames. The other pair was even more outlandish — on two large lenses, almost covering half of her face, stood a shimmering, miniature Eiffel Tower model on each.
She saw Jaden sitting quietly on the living room sofa, holding the latest fashion magazine. The afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on his soft profile.
He was so engrossed that he didn't notice her coming downstairs immediately. Marinette's heart skipped a beat.
Jaden turned a page, seemed to feel her gaze, and looked up. When he saw the two masterpieces in Marinette's hands, a hint of genuine admiration flashed in his eyes.
"Finished?" He put down the magazine and asked with a smile.
"Uh... uh!" Marinette nodded quickly, somewhat unsure, and handed the sunglasses to him. "I... I don't know if I did well... I feel... it's a bit too exaggerated."
Jaden didn't answer immediately but took the Eiffel Tower sunglasses and examined them carefully.
He could see the exquisite craftsmanship and feel the effort and talent the designer poured into them.
"No, you did very well."
He looked up, meeting Marinette's gaze with a gentle yet serious expression. The affirmation in his eyes was like a warm current, instantly dispelling all her anxieties. "Even better than I imagined."
"Then... will Jagged Stone like them?" Marinette's heart fluttered with his praise, but she was still a little worried.
"Don't worry," Jaden returned the sunglasses to her, saying casually, "For real stars, mediocrity is the most terrifying thing.
They all like these quirky things that can show off their personality. He will definitely love this design."
Just in this warm and encouraging atmosphere, Jaden's phone in his pocket suddenly let out a crisp notification sound.
It was a message from the class group chat.
He casually picked up his phone and clicked on the video that had just popped up. Marinette also leaned in curiously.
The video footage was clear; it was Adrien.
He was wearing his usual clothes, and the background seemed to be in one of his rooms at home.
However, what he said next was like a bucket of ice water, dousing the warm atmosphere.
"...Hi, everyone. I'm very sorry I can't participate in the hotel practice with you all.
Seeing the results of your work, I... am very happy." The "Adrien" in the video had a fake smile on his face, but his tone suddenly shifted, becoming cold and arrogant, "But this also made me realize even more clearly that we... are not on the same level at all."
His gaze seemed to penetrate the screen, carrying a very uncomfortable sense of scrutiny.
"My father is right; mixing with people of different levels will only lower one's taste.
Especially..." He paused, his eyes becoming extremely sharp, as if singling someone out, "...Jaden.
I hereby solemnly declare, do not try to cling to me with so-called 'friendship' anymore. That only makes me feel... disgusted."
"Boom—!"
This video, like a bomb, simultaneously detonated in the class group chat, in Marinette's mind, and in Jaden's calm heart.
"He... how could he do this?!"
Marinette's face instantly flushed red, not from shyness, but from extreme anger.
Her big blue eyes were filled with incredible fire.
She had always paid extra attention to everything around Jaden because of her crush on him.
Now, seeing Adrien attack Jaden with such vicious words, her soft love instantly transformed into the sharpest, most protective armor.
"That's too much! Adrien he... he's simply ungrateful!"
She knew better than anyone how good Jaden was to Adrien.
It was Jaden who, when Adrien first came to school and was isolated, was the first to extend the hand of friendship to him, pulling him into that warm little group.
It was Jaden who, a few days ago in the hospital, stood up and shielded Adrien when he faced his father's suffocating pressure!
But now, what was his reward? "Not on the same level"? "Friendship is a misunderstanding"?
This was simply the most vicious trampling of Jaden's pure kindness!
Marinette trembled with anger. She instinctively looked at Jaden beside her, her eyes full of deep worry: "Jaden, you... don't be sad... Adrien he... he must have lost his mind..."
However, to her surprise, Jaden's face did not show the hurt or anger she had imagined.
He quietly watched the familiar yet strange "Adrien" in the video, his face expressionless, his always somewhat lazy dark eyes analyzing every detail in the footage.
(Felix... is he appearing at this point in time? Although the original plot is a bit vague, this imitation, so vivid yet full of malice and detachment, cannot be mistaken.
Interesting... It seems he wants to use such childish methods to sow discord?
However... I hope such a small matter doesn't hinder my plans for a peaceful life.
Otherwise... I can't guarantee you won't be the next Ivan...)
"Jaden..." Marinette grew more worried seeing him remain silent. "You... don't take it to heart. Adrien he... he must have taken the wrong medicine!"
"I'm fine."
Jaden snapped back to reality, giving her a reassuring, gentle smile. "Don't worry."
He paused, looking at the video, and commented indifferently: "However, for him to say that is indeed... too much."
...Meanwhile, inside the Paris Grand Hotel, this storm meticulously orchestrated by Felix was sweeping through every student's heart like a wildfire.
The lounge instantly erupted.
"What?! This... this was posted by Adrien?!"
Nino was the first to jump off the sofa. He stared at his phone in disbelief, repeatedly checking the sender's profile picture. "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Adrien is not that kind of person!"
"Let me see."
Max pushed up his glasses and leaned over. His robot, Marc, immediately shot a blue scanning light from its eyes, aimed at Nino's phone screen.
"Beep beep... Facial recognition match 99.98%, confirmed as Adrien.
Voice waveform comparison, match 99.95%."
Marc's synthesized electronic voice calmly reported, "...Scan results: no known external interference detected on the target."
"Which means..." Max's expression also became serious. "From a scientific perspective, this... is Adrien's true thought?"
"How could this be..." Kim, who was on guard at the hotel entrance, also saw the message.
He was completely stunned, almost dropping the walkie-talkie in his hand.
In his heart, Adrien had always been a kind, gentle, and caring brother to his friends. How could he say such hurtful words?
"He's too much! Jaden was so good to him!"
Rose, who was drinking juice with Juleka, flushed with anger.
Her eyes, usually full of sunshine, were now filled with disappointment and fury.
Juleka, sitting next to her, didn't speak, but her expression instantly turned gloomy, her hand tightly gripping the straw, a hint of coldness in her eyes.
Alya and Mylène, who were helping to tidy the guest rooms, also saw the video.
Alya punched a pillow directly, indignantly cursing: "That ungrateful bastard! Jaden shouldn't have helped him in the first place!"
And Marc and Nathan, who should have been drawing promotional art for the hotel, were so angry that they directly stopped painting.
"This guy... is simply unreasonable!" Nathan, usually gentle, was also very angry now.
Marc directly picked up his phone and started typing in the group chat, preparing to argue with "Adrien."
Alya, working at the front desk, felt her journalist's soul and friend's loyalty explode simultaneously the moment she saw the video.
She said indignantly: "This is slander! It's a blatant character attack! No, I must find Adrien and get to the bottom of this!"
Only Chloé was indifferent to this.
"Chloé, look, in the group chat..." Sabrina held up her phone, wanting to show her this earth-shattering event.
"If it's not a message from Jaden, don't show it to me."
Chloé was reapplying lipstick in a small mirror, saying without looking up, her tone full of impatience.
"But... this is about Adrien..."
"I said, I'm not looking."
Sabrina had no choice but to close her mouth... Agreste Mansion, design studio.
Gabriel was immersed in his own world. The stylus in his hand danced on the holographic projection, outlining perfect lines. However, at one point, his movements suddenly paused.
He looked up, a hint of confusion flashing in his deep blue eyes.
He felt it.
Several incredibly strong negative emotions, filled with anger, betrayal, and disappointment, were surging like a tide from a certain location in Paris.
But... strangely, these emotions all pointed to the same person—his son, Adrien.
This was not what he wanted.
Akumatization someone who harbors resentment against Adrien? What's the use of that?
Should he make him attack his own son? This did not fit his plan.
Just as he was puzzled, the studio door opened.
Nathalie walked in, her face showing a rare, mixed emotion of coldness and anger.
She didn't waste words, simply placing her tablet in front of Gabriel.
On the screen, the video recorded by Felix was playing.
Gabriel only took one look, only heard one sentence, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
He recognized that the person in the video was not Adrien at all.
It was Felix.
"What does he want?" Gabriel's voice was so cold it could form ice.
"The purpose is still unclear," Nathalie replied, her voice equally cold. "But what is certain, sir... no matter what he intends to do, he has already... interfered with our true plan."
Gabriel stopped all his movements. He slowly raised his head, his gaze penetrating the studio walls, as if seeing that other self who was stirring up trouble in his house.
His plan revolved around Jaden, the young man with the qualification for "Rewrite."
He needed to let the "bonds" between Jaden and his friends deepen step by step.
And Felix, this uncontrollable variable, this foolish, self-important act, was like a stone carelessly thrown into a precise chess game, instantly disrupting all rhythm.
He created unnecessary, chaotic negative emotions, he destroyed the trust between Jaden and Adrien, he made the entire situation deviate from Gabriel's intended trajectory.
"A... self-important idiot who only gets in the way."
Gabriel's voice was filled with undisguised, cold murderous intent.