Chapter 1: Slapped with a Paternity Test? I'm Done with This Rich Family's Charity!
Rumble—!
A crack of thunder tore through the night sky of Jinghai City. Torrential rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows like a screaming shrew, creating a sharp, rhythmic pitter-patter.
But that noise was far less piercing than the sharp sound coming from the living hall of the Lin family villa.
Slap!
A thick stack of A4 documents was slammed onto the coffee table, sliding half a meter across the surface. A sharp corner of the paper even sliced the back of Lin Ji's hand.
Blood seeped out, but he didn't even twitch a muscle. He simply lowered his head to glance at the cover—"DNA Paternity Test Report."
"Have you seen it clearly? Do you need me to read it out to you?"
Wang Xue, the noble lady on the sofa, had a face like frost. Her well-maintained features were now filled with undisguised disgust, as if the person standing before her wasn't the son she had raised for eighteen years, but a pile of nauseating trash.
The three red words "Not Biological" looked exceptionally jarring under the cold white lights.
Lin Ji didn't speak; he just reached out and wiped away the bead of blood from the back of his hand.
This day had finally come.
Ever since that youth named Lin Tian had shown up half a month ago, Lin Ji knew this scene would play out. He just hadn't expected the Lin family to discard even the last shred of decency by choosing such a "good" day.
Today was his eighteenth birthday.
"Are you a mute now? Weren't you quite the smooth talker in front of your Sisters usually?"
Seeing his silence, Wang Xue's anger flared even more. She pointed at the youth beside her, who was dressed in designer brands and wearing an innocent expression. "This is my biological son! A genius with an S-rank Talent! And you? You're nothing but a waste who stole his place!"
That youth, Lin Tian, was currently sitting timidly beside the father, Lin Zhenghai.
He was holding a cup of hot tea. Hearing Wang Xue's words, he quickly set the cup down and stood up with slightly red eyes. "Mom, don't say that... Brother Lin Ji surely didn't do it on purpose. Even though I didn't have enough to eat or wear in the orphanage and was bullied by the older kids, that was just my fate... I don't blame Brother for taking my place."
What a classic move of retreating to advance.
The stench of this 'green tea' act was so strong that Lin Ji almost couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.
As Lin Tian spoke, he seemingly unintentionally raised his right hand. Within his palm, a soft yet somewhat dazzling white halo was slowly circulating.
S-rank Talent—[Radiance].
In this world where the Red Moon had descended and supernatural abilities reigned supreme, what did an S-rank Talent signify? It meant he was a future powerhouse, the hope for the family's revival, and more importantly, a "miracle cure" capable of suppressing the female powerhouses who were on the verge of collapse due to the side effects of their abilities.
Even if it was a fake.
Lin Ji's gaze was calm as he looked at the impurity-filled light in Lin Tian's palm.
Only he knew that the thing wasn't capable of soothing mental agitation; instead, it was like rubbing salt into a wound.
"Xiao Tian, you are just too kind!"
Lin Zhenghai patted Lin Tian's shoulder affectionately, but when he turned to look at Lin Ji, his gaze instantly became cold and loathing. "Since the test results are out, our Lin family doesn't keep idle people. Lin Ji, from today onwards, you are no longer a member of the Lin family."
"Pack your things and get out."
Lin Zhenghai's voice was heavy, carrying the authority of someone in a high position.
Lin Ji finally raised his head.
He scanned the place where he had lived for eighteen years. The luxurious crystal chandeliers, the expensive leather sofas, and the massive family portrait hanging on the wall.
In the photo, nine peerless Sisters surrounded their parents, while he stood in the far corner, looking like an extra servant.
"Does Eldest Sister and the others... know?" Lin Ji suddenly spoke, his voice slightly raspy.
At the mention of those nine daughters, Wang Xue's expression shifted.
The Lin family's current status was entirely thanks to those nine monstrously talented daughters. Eldest Sister guarded the Northern Border, Second Sister controlled a financial conglomerate, Fourth Sister commanded the Dark Web... every one of them was a figure whose footsteps could make the world tremble.
But they were also famously protective, especially of Lin Ji.
"They are all very busy; there's no need to bother them with such a trivial matter." Wang Xue snorted, her eyes flickering. "When they return and see Xiao Tian's talent, they will naturally understand who their real brother is. Can a waste of an adopted son possibly compare to a biological brother with an S-rank Talent?"
Lin Ji nodded.
So they were taking advantage of the fact that the Sisters weren't around.
It made sense. If Eldest Sister Lin Qingge were home, Lin Zhenghai probably wouldn't even dare to take out this report. If Fourth Sister were home, Lin Tian might have already wet his pants in fear by now.
"Fine."
Lin Ji responded, clean and concise.
There was no crying, no kneeling to beg for mercy, not even a single extra word of explanation.
This reaction stunned Wang Xue, who had prepared a stomach full of vicious lines. Even Lin Tian, who was waiting to watch the show, was somewhat surprised.
This script isn't right?
Shouldn't he be weeping bitterly, hugging his parents' legs and begging them not to kick him out? After all, without the great tree of the Lin family, an unawakened ordinary man in this world could only sweep streets or do hard labor.
"You... you agreed?" Wang Xue looked at him suspiciously.
"Otherwise? Should I linger here and wait for you to feed me?"
A self-deprecating arc curled at the corner of Lin Ji's mouth. His gaze swept over the documents on the table and finally settled on the last page. "Since we're breaking ties, let's make it clean. Where is the severance agreement? Bring it here."
Now it was Lin Zhenghai's turn to be stunned.
The agreement he had prepared was right under the stack of documents.
Lin Ji reached out and pulled it out. Without even looking at the terms, he grabbed the pen on the coffee table and signed his name with a series of quick strokes.
The handwriting was messy, but it carried a sense of finality.
"Lin Ji, you'd better think this through." Lin Zhenghai looked at that name, and his heart skipped a beat for some reason, as if he were about to lose something important. "Once you walk out of this door, don't you dare use the Lin family's name to beg for help when you're starving or freezing to death outside."
"Don't worry. Even if I go begging, I'll steer clear of your doorstep." Lin Ji tossed the pen onto the table, making a crisp clatter.
He turned and headed upstairs.
"Stop! Where are you going?" Wang Xue shrieked.
"Packing my bags." Lin Ji didn't look back.
"You are not allowed to take a single thread from the Lin family!" Wang Xue shouted meanly. "The clothes and shoes you're wearing—even your underwear—were all bought with the Lin family's money!"
Lin Ji's footsteps paused.
Standing at the top of the stairs, he looked back at this woman who had given birth to and raised him... no, just raised him.
At this moment, the last flicker of what he called "family affection" in his heart was completely extinguished.
"Mom... don't be like that, it's quite pitiful." Lin Tian jumped out again to play the good guy, saying hypocritically, "Why don't we let Brother take his old clothes? I can't wear them anyway. Besides, it's raining so hard outside and Brother has nowhere to go. How about... letting him stay in the storage room?"
"Xiao Tian, your heart is just too soft!" Wang Xue was so moved she almost cried. She turned and snarled at Lin Ji, "Did you hear that? If it weren't for Xiao Tian begging for you, you'd be rolling out of here naked today!"
Watching this scene of maternal and filial devotion, Lin Ji felt a surge of nausea in his stomach.
Truly disgusting.
He didn't go upstairs. Instead, he turned directly toward the front door.
"Lin Ji! Where are you going? Aren't you taking your luggage?" Lin Zhenghai barked with a frown.
"I don't want it anymore."
Lin Ji waved his hand. His back looked a bit lonely, yet it exuded an unprecedented sense of relief. "Those things are too dirty. I'm afraid I won't be able to wash them clean if I take them."
"What did you say?!" Wang Xue shook with rage.
Lin Ji ignored the roar behind him.
He walked to the entryway, took off the high-end leather shoes he was wearing, and put on the pair of canvas shoes worth a few dozen yuan that he had bought with his summer job money.
Then, he pushed open the front door.
Rumble—!
Another crack of thunder exploded. The gale, carrying the torrential rain, instantly poured in, soaking his thin clothes.
The icy rain slid down his cheeks, but it gave Lin Ji a long-lost sense of clarity.
Finally... I'm free.
Eighteen years.
Since he was old enough to understand things, he had lived like a nanny. He had to coax his Sisters when they were in a bad mood, serve as a human punching bag when their spirits were agitated, and act as a vent for his parents' unhappiness. Everyone thought he was enduring humiliation for the sake of the Lin family's wealth and glory.
In reality, he was just repaying a debt.
Repaying the debt of being raised.
And now, the debt was paid, and the ties were severed.
Lin Ji stood on the steps and took one last look back at the brightly lit luxury villa. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he saw Lin Tian snuggling in Wang Xue's arms, acting spoiled. The family of three looked harmonious and happy.
"Goodbye, Lin family."
"I hope you can still laugh this happily when my Sisters come back and lose their minds."
A cold smile curled on Lin Ji's lips as he turned and disappeared into the pitch-black curtain of rain.
The moment he stepped out of the Lin family estate's gates, a crisp mechanical notification suddenly rang in his mind—
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host has severed worldly ties. God-level Savior System successfully activated!]
[Distributing Newbie Gift Pack...]
Lin Ji's footsteps paused. Rain dripped from the tips of his hair. He reached out to wipe his face and cursed at the empty street, "Fuck, that was damn timely."