Am I a Kamen Rider or the real young master who was switched at birth?

The crystal chandelier in the banquet hall illuminated every face.

The banquet hall of the Lin family's main residence was open tonight, with all doors wide open, and the antique crystal chandelier on the dome, nearly two meters in diameter, was lit up in its entirety, a rare sight.

The long dining table was covered with a dark blue tablecloth with a subtle jacquard pattern, and it was filled with exquisite pastries and drinks. Waiters and waitresses, dressed in matching white shirts and black vests, moved among the crowd, and champagne glasses on their trays swayed gently with their steps.

The hall was bustling with people.

Almost all the wealthy and powerful families in the eastern part of the Federation came.

There were military representatives in formal uniforms, wealthy women whispering to their husbands, several young people who had just graduated from military academy and were brought here by their families for social events, and diplomatic brokers who moved between various families.

Everyone's eyes kept glancing toward the main entrance of the banquet hall.

They were all waiting for the main character of the night to arrive.

The news about the Lin family's true young master, who had been missing for eighteen years, had been circulating widely in high society circles.

Some say he can conjure up a set of magenta armor out of thin air, making him impervious to swords and spears, and his combat power far surpasses that of many awakened beings.

Some say he took down a base for a silent beast fusion experiment in just one afternoon.

Some people say he is the last disciple of a reclusive master.

These rumors became increasingly exaggerated, and by the time they reached tonight's banquet, they had become "Young Master Lin killed a Lord-level Silent Beast with a single punch."

Lin Xingran stood by the window in the banquet hall. Tonight, she was wearing a wine-red velvet dress with a dark hand-embroidered pattern around the neckline.

Surprisingly, her hair wasn't a mess like usual. Instead, Su Wanqing had been fussing over it at the dressing table for almost an hour, barely managing to gather it into a loose low ponytail.

She glanced around at the groups of people around her, chatting and exchanging pleasantries with fake smiles while holding wine glasses, and couldn't help but yawn. After yawning, she wiped away the tears that had welled up in the corners of her eyes with her fingers.

"To be honest, I really don't like crowded places like this. I have to deal with the sudden attacks from elders every now and then. 'Xingran, how are your grades lately?' 'Xingran, do you have a boyfriend yet?' 'Xingran, your sister has become the student council president, what about you?'"

"And those overt and covert comparisons, like 'Look how outstanding the Han family's daughter is,' or 'Look how sensible the Zhou family's daughter is.' What does that have to do with me? Let them be outstanding, I'll just be a salted fish and keep to myself."

Lin Yumin stood next to her. Tonight, she wore a navy blue satin dress without any extra decorations, except for a very thin silver chain tied around her waist.

Her hair was tied into a neat low ponytail at the back of her head, revealing her beautifully shaped neck.

Hearing Lin Xingran's complaint, she turned her head slightly and calmly glanced at her with her dark brown eyes.

"Be serious, Lin Xingran. This is a banquet to celebrate Ye Yang's return, so you'd better stand up straight. Today, not only are there old friends of the Lin family, but also people from the military, the academy, and some people who came specifically to see Ye Yang's background. As the second sister, you at least need to appear reliable."

Lin Xingran yawned again and wiped her eyes.

"Okay, okay. I'm standing up straight, aren't I? Look at my posture, how dignified and elegant it is."

She deliberately straightened her back, then placed her hands together in front of her, and slightly raised her chin, mimicking a standard ladylike posture.

Lin Yumin glanced at her pretentious posture, her lips twitched slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Just then, Lin Yumin's gaze swept past the crowd and landed on the side door of the banquet hall.

Long Aotian was standing next to a long dining table laden with exquisite pastries.

Today he was wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit with extremely fine dragon patterns engraved on the dark gold cuffs.

His long hair was neatly tied back today, with only a few stray strands slipping down from his ears.

He was bending over, carefully helping Qin Buwen put some snacks on his plate.

Qin Buwen stood next to him, wearing a clean, dark blue long robe. His hair was combed, and his white beard was neatly trimmed.

He supported his aching back with one hand and pointed to the various snacks on the table with the other, slowly directing Long Aotian.

"That—that rose pastry, please take a couple more. And that—yes, that walnut and jujube paste cake, I had it once at your Dragon King Temple, it was quite good. This—no need for this, I can't chew it, give me the softer osmanthus cake."

Long Aotian held a plate in one hand and tongs in the other, his expression serious as if he were dealing with some important intelligence. He strictly followed his master's instructions, arranging each type of pastry neatly on the plate.

Lin Yumin walked quietly through the crowd towards them. She reached the two men, clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed respectfully in the manner typical of martial arts practitioners, saying:

"Mr. Qin, Mr. Long, it's wonderful that you could come. You two are honored guests at tonight's banquet."

Long Aotian carefully placed the plate of pastries on the table, then turned around and solemnly returned the greeting with his hands clasped in a fist and palm salute:

"Miss Lin, good evening. Master Meng is kind enough to bring Aotian to broaden his horizons. Tonight, our home is filled with distinguished guests; it's truly a lively occasion."

Qin Buwen still had half a rose pastry he had just stolen in his mouth. As he chewed, he casually glanced at Lin Yumin from head to toe.

He swallowed what was in his mouth, then wiped the crumbs from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, squinted, and nodded.

"Girl, you're in good spirits. Your complexion is much rosier than when you last came to Kowloon City, and you're not walking as unsteadily as before. It seems you've taken the medicine I prescribed on time, which is good. It means you're quite obedient."

Lin Yumin smiled, her tone unusually gentle: "I've almost recovered. My neck doesn't hurt anymore. I even went to the training ground last night and ran for half an hour. I feel no different than before. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Qin."

She paused, then tilted her head slightly as if remembering something, "I wonder if Mr. Yu Mian likes the gift she brought for him? The graphics card and controller were chosen according to the models Mr. Yu Mian requested last time, and a matching VR headset was also included. The shopkeeper said it's the latest model."

Qin Buwen's eyes lit up like two lumps of coal just pulled from a furnace when he heard "VR headset".

He slapped his thigh, then excitedly gestured with his hands in the air, raising his voice several octaves:

"I love it! I love it so much! I tried that VR headset all night last night—the immersive feeling, let me tell you, it's just like actually fighting! I almost threw out my back after playing three levels."

"Then I thought, could I use it to simulate acupuncture teaching? You can use this for remote consultations in the future, and when I insert needles into your body, you can see the distribution of acupoints in the virtual space—"

Lin Yumin listened attentively, nodding occasionally in agreement, a faint smile always on her lips.

On the other side of the banquet hall, against the wall, the Han siblings were standing side by side.

The Han family is the largest military-industrial family in the eastern part of the Federation, and their ancestors have been blacksmiths for three generations.

From cold weapons to energy shield generators, at least half of the equipment used by the Awakened Army is engraved with the Han family's anvil emblem.

The relationship between the Han and Lin families is even stronger than blood ties. Old Master Han and Lin Yuanshan's father were sworn brothers who crawled out of the pile of dead bodies during the Silent Beast Tide.

Han Li wore a navy blue suit tonight, his tie was tied very tightly, and his broad shoulders and thick back made the suit look very angular.

He held a glass of champagne he hadn't yet drunk, his gaze calmly sweeping over the entire room.

This is a habit of the Han family: when entering any unfamiliar place, they first confirm the location of all exits and key figures.

Han Ling was a whole head shorter than him. She was wearing a dark green short skirt with a few tiny pearls adorning the hem.

Her features are somewhat similar to Han Li's, but the lines are softer, and there is a more defiant and clever spirit between her eyebrows and eyes.

At that moment, she was idly poking at the juice in her glass with a straw, the ice cubes making a crisp sound as they collided against the glass.

She poked at the ice for a while, and was about to complain to her brother that the banquet was too boring, when her gaze was suddenly drawn to a scene at the other end of the banquet hall.

She saw Lin Yumin bowing slightly to an ordinary-looking old man, her posture respectful and solemn.

"Hey—brother, look over there." Han Ling nudged Han Li's arm with her elbow and gestured with her chin toward Lin Yumin.

"Lin Yumin was so respectful to that seemingly ordinary old man, and to that handsome man with long hair, whose steps were light and whose breathing was extremely steady."

"That old man and that handsome long-haired guy don't seem like ordinary people. Do you think they might be related to the case Lin Yumin has been investigating recently?"

Han Li glanced in the direction she pointed, his gaze lingering on Qin Buwen for a moment before looking at Long Aotian, who was serving Qin Buwen snacks.

He frowned slightly, then picked up his champagne glass, took a small sip, and said, "Keep your voice down. Don't ask questions you shouldn't."

Han Ling pouted and muttered, "They won't even let me say a word."

But her attention was quickly drawn to another direction.

She saw Lin Xingran standing alone by the window, listlessly tugging at her skirt.

Han Ling's lips curled up. She shoved the juice glass into Han Li's hand and said quickly, "Brother, I'm going to find Lin Xingran to play with. It's been so long since I've bantered with her, I'm itching to talk back."

Han Li subconsciously reached out to stop her. He watched his sister's excited figure running towards Lin Xingran, patted his forehead, and let out a soft sigh.

After all, her younger sister and Lin Xingran were notorious rivals at school.

The two disliked each other from the very first day of school, arguing all the way from the training field to the classroom, and then from the classroom to the cafeteria. Every time they met, it was like a small war.

He resignedly picked up the glass of champagne he hadn't yet drunk and strode after him.

Deep inside the banquet hall, at a relatively quiet round table, a woman dressed in a gorgeous cheongsam sat alone in a chair.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with gentle and refined features. Her eyes and brows exuded a softness that was like a gentle breeze, but the occasional glint of shrewdness in them reminded you that she was definitely not a simple person.

The Zhou family is the leader in the federal pharmaceutical industry, with a century-old foundation. The entire family possesses an extremely large pharmaceutical network and extremely high medical expertise.

This woman named Zhou Zhi earned two degrees from the Federal Medical Research Institute. Tonight, she wore a moon-white cheongsam made of the finest Suzhou embroidery fabric, with several orchids embroidered on it with extremely fine silver thread.

Her long, black hair was loosely tied back with a jade hairpin, and she wore a pair of small pearl stud earrings on her earlobes.

On the table in front of her was a cup of tea with a very faint lip print on the rim.

Her gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Lin Yumin, who was talking to Qin Buwen in the distance.

She glanced again at the dark green figure walking towards Lin Xingran, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

She picked up the teacup, gently blew on the steam rising from the tea, and then took a small sip.

Just then, the main entrance door to the banquet hall was slowly pushed open by a waiter.

A group of children dressed in small suits and skirts walked in in an orderly fashion.

Their clothes were clearly custom-made; the little boys wore miniature black suits with neat bow ties at the collar, while the little girls wore fluffy tulle skirts and sparkly hair clips.

They walked into the banquet hall hand in hand in two rows, then they all looked up at the huge crystal chandelier, let out a unified exclamation, and then covered their mouths with their hands.

The youngest girl almost slipped on the waxed marble floor, and the boy next to her quickly helped her up.

Ye Yang followed them in.

He wore a magenta shirt as a base layer tonight, with the dark gray suit he had tried on several times at the mall over it, and the magenta camera hanging on his chest.

He was holding the hand of the youngest girl in the orphanage with one hand, and with the other hand he was adjusting the crooked bow tie of the boy next to him.

Lin Ying walked beside him.

She wore a light blue tulle dress today, with tiny rhinestones adorning the hem, which looked like scattered stars under the lights.

She was bending over and whispering something to the little girl next to her, a quiet smile on her lips.

Aunt Zhang walked at the very back. Today she was wearing a dark purple suit that Ye Yang had specially picked out for her. The material wasn't expensive, but the cut was perfect, and she wore a tiny pearl brooch at the neckline.

She had her hair styled at the hair salon before coming; her gray hair was permed into small curls, making her look much more energetic.

She paused slightly when she saw the guests in their glamorous gowns, then turned to Ye Yang and asked in a low voice, "Ye Yang, won't this disturb you? Aren't so many of us causing you too much trouble?"

Ye Yang released the little girl's hand, then spread his hands and gave her a bright smile: "Of course not. Don't worry, these people are very good at pretending. Even if they feel bothered, they won't show it on their faces."

Aunt Zhang chuckled at his antics and gently patted him on the shoulder.

Ye Yang's appearance immediately became the focus of the entire venue.

The guests, who were holding champagne glasses, stopped talking and turned their attention to the main entrance.

Some people were seeing the legendary young master of the Lin family for the first time and found that he was much younger than they had imagined.

Some people noticed the camera on his chest and, recalling the rumors that he "could use his camera to capture hidden truths," began to whisper among themselves.

Others turned their gaze to the children behind him, dressed in matching little suits and tulle skirts, and different expressions appeared on their faces.

Han Ling stood next to Lin Xingran and opened her mouth slightly when she saw Ye Yang's outfit: a magenta shirt under a navy blue pinstripe suit.

She looked him up and down several times, then turned to Lin Xingran with a genuinely puzzled tone and said, "Doesn't your Lin family have a makeup artist? How could you let him wear this kind of clothes? This combination is too risky. Although it's not exactly ugly, an ordinary person would definitely not dare to wear it."

Lin Xingran put her hands on her hips, her tone carrying a hint of protectiveness, and said:

"My brother can wear whatever he wants! He just likes magenta, is that bothering you? I think it looks pretty cool. Besides, his transformation armor is always magenta, are you expecting the makeup artist to have the same aesthetic sense as the armor?"

Han Li stood behind his sister, his gaze falling on the group of children behind Ye Yang who were looking up in amazement. He asked thoughtfully, "Who are these children?"

Lin Xingran followed his gaze and said naturally:

"Oh, his little brothers from the orphanage. He grew up in an orphanage, and these kids are like family he grew up with. So he brought these brats over to freeload, since there are plenty of snacks at the banquet, and it would be a waste not to eat them."

Han Li was silent for a moment, then raised his champagne glass slightly towards Ye Yang, raising it in a toast to the boy who was bending down to wipe the little girl's mouth.

"It seems that Brother Ye Yang is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. In this circle, the quality of not forgetting one's roots even in wealth is more precious than any awakened ability. I must get to know this hero later."

He finished speaking, took a small sip of champagne, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

The surrounding guests gradually began to murmur among themselves.

"Is this the true young master of the Lin family? He's quite handsome, and looks a bit like Lin Yuanshan when he was young."

"Why is he wearing a camera on his chest? It's not appropriate to wear a camera in this kind of situation."

"I heard that camera isn't an ordinary camera; it can capture the truth hidden behind things—someone has seen it with their own eyes."

"I'd really like to see his armor. I heard it's magenta. Do you think if we talk to him about cooperation, we could get some technical specifications for military development?"

"You're dreaming. That's his individual skill, not mass-produced equipment."

Among these curious or scrutinizing gazes, one gaze stood out from the rest.

Wang Yu held a glass of whiskey that was already mostly drunk, leaning against the wall near the side door of the banquet hall.

He wore a dark blue suit tonight, with a dark red tie at the collar, and his hair was neatly combed.

He wasn't bad-looking, but there was always an unsettling smile on his lips.

His gaze swept through the crowd and landed on Ye Yang. Then, he slightly smirked, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

He then placed the empty glass on the waiter's tray next to him and gave a cold laugh to his companion:

"Sigh, even if he's the real young master of the Lin family, growing up in a place like that won't change his impoverished ways. Look at him. Bringing a bunch of orphans to the banquet hall to freeload, it's truly shameful."

Ye Yang straightened up and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Lin Ying heard it too. Her light gray eyes widened slightly, and she looked in the same direction.

Aunt Zhang stood among the children, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes, her lips pressed into a thin line.

She asked Ye Yang in a low voice, her voice tinged with self-reproach, "Ye Yang, shouldn't we have come? I knew we'd be causing you trouble—"

Ye Yang looked at Aunt Zhang, shook his head, and said, "No, Aunt Zhang. It would be troublesome if you didn't come."

Lin Xingran gripped the fabric on both sides of her skirt with both hands, and bounced away from Han Ling, the wine-red skirt trailing an arc on the marble floor.

"Wang Yu, are you deliberately picking a fight? You think I wouldn't dare hit you in front of so many people? How dare you talk about my brother like that—who do you think you are? Daring to insult my family at my family's banquet!"

Wang Yu leaned against the wall with his hands in his suit trouser pockets in a lazy posture.

He shrugged at Lin Xingran, saying casually, "Just stating the facts. I'm telling the truth. He did grow up in an orphanage, he really doesn't have much taste in clothes, and he did bring a bunch of orphans to freeload. What's wrong with that?"

With each word he spoke, Lin Xingran's breathing became heavier, and by the time he finished speaking, her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were cracking.

Just then, a middle-aged man walked out from behind Wang Yu.

Wang Chongshan wore an extremely expensive dark gray suit tonight, and his well-maintained face always wore a perfectly timed smile.

He walked over to Wang Yu and gently patted his son on the back of the head.

"You have no manners. Apologize to Young Master Ye and Miss Lin right now."

Wang Yu glanced at his father, then pulled his hands out of his pockets, casually cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Ye Yang and Lin Xingran, and said perfunctorily, "Excuse me—Young Master Ye, Miss Lin. I'm just a straightforward person, please don't take it to heart."

The banquet hall fell silent. The surrounding guests held their wine glasses, their gazes shifting back and forth between Ye Yang and the Wang family father and son.

Some people were whispering to each other, while others silently took a step back while holding their wine glasses.

Ye Yang stood there, looking at Wang Yu's perfunctory apology.

He didn't respond immediately, but slowly took two steps forward and stopped about a meter away from Wang Yu.

"Wang Yu, right?" Ye Yang said calmly.

Wang Yu tilted his head, a somewhat arrogant smile playing on his lips: "What advice do you have, Young Master Ye? Do you think what I said earlier was wrong? Or do you want to refute something—like, that your armor isn't actually that powerful? Or that you didn't actually grow up in an orphanage? Or—"

Ye Yang raised his hand to interrupt him, then said in a calm tone, "The Wang family, right? I wonder if your family's upbringing is such that you would be so disrespectful to others in front of the host at someone else's banquet."

"Furthermore—I'd like to ask Young Master Wang, what exactly does 'poor and shabby' mean? Who I brought to this banquet, how I grew up—is it any of your business?"

"I grew up in an orphanage. Every meal I had was earned through donations from kind people and the wages of the orphanage staff. Aunt Zhang took care of so many children by herself and never let any of us go hungry."

He took another step forward, the collar of his magenta shirt reflecting slightly under the light.

"Also, didn't your mother teach you to be careful about how you speak in public?"

At this point, he suddenly covered his mouth dramatically, then said in a feigned apology:

"Oh—right, you don't have a mother. I just remembered, your mother was beaten to death by your father during a domestic violence incident. So you didn't have a mother to raise you. I'm sorry, I really didn't know that. Please forgive me, don't take it to heart."

The banquet hall was deathly silent. Even the tiny crystal beads on the chandelier stopped swaying.

Everyone stood frozen in place. The Wang family's situation wasn't a secret within the upper echelons of the Federation, but no one dared mention it in public.

Wang Chongshan's first wife died at home late one night many years ago. The official conclusion was that she fell from the building accidentally, but rumors have circulated ever since.

The Wang family spent a great deal of effort and resources to suppress this matter.

Han Ling, sitting at the round table in the corner, opened her mouth into a small "O" shape. She didn't even notice that the straw she was holding slipped out of the cup and fell to the ground.

Han Li raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of surprise appearing on his usually composed expression.

Zhou Zhi stopped holding the teacup at her lips, the tea reflecting her slightly widened eyes.

She stared at Ye Yang for a long time, then gently pursed her lips.

Qin Buwen's chopsticks, which were holding a pastry, stopped in mid-air, with half a piece of uneaten walnut pastry still in his mouth.

He squinted at Ye Yang, then nodded to Long Aotian and said, "This kid has the same style I had when I was arguing with people on the forum back in the day."

Standing next to his master, Long Aotian whispered, "My senior brother's mouth is even more unpredictable than his transformation ability."

Lin Yumin stood next to Qin Buwen, a faint light flashing in her deep brown eyes, silently giving Ye Yang a thumbs up.

Lin Ying stood next to Aunt Zhang, covering her mouth with her hand, her light gray eyes wide open, her shoulders trembling slightly as she tried to suppress her laughter.

Lin Xingran simply stood behind Ye Yang with her hands on her hips, scanning the entire room with a look that said, "My brother is amazing."

A crack finally appeared on Wang Chongshan's flawless smile, and the smile in his eyes vanished completely.

He looked in Lin Yuanshan's direction, seemingly waiting for Lin Yuanshan to step in and restrain his son.

But Lin Yuanshan simply stood on the other side of the banquet hall, calmly watching this side, showing no intention of coming over to smooth things over.

Su Wanqing stood beside her husband without moving.

Wang Yu's face immediately turned ashen.

He took a step forward, his fist clenched tightly, but before Ye Yang could react, a tall figure had already firmly blocked Ye Yang's path.

Long Aotian had silently moved from the snack table to the side in front of Ye Yang without anyone noticing. Then he raised his right hand and casually placed it on Wang Yu's shoulder.

The palm strike didn't seem heavy, but Wang Yu was pushed backward by an irresistible force, slamming straight into the wall with a dull thud.

Long Aotian looked down at the arrogant young master in front of him, whose face was full of resentment but who couldn't break free from his grasp, and said in a low voice, "Young Master Wang, I hope you can keep quiet at my senior brother's banquet from now on, understand?"