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

More than half an hour later, Ye Yang finally finished touring the entire villa.

When he came out of the last storage room on the third floor, a thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead, and he let out a long breath.

The Lin family home is indeed large. On the first floor alone, besides the high-ceilinged living room we just entered, there is a formal dining room, a side hall, a tea room, a study, and a kitchen.

More importantly, the kitchen alone is bigger than his room in the orphanage.

Their refrigerator was much taller than everyone else's, and when you opened it, cold air rushed out. The food inside was neatly arranged, and the drinks alone took up a whole floor.

The second floor has a master suite and several secondary bedrooms, plus a small family living room, and the hallway is long enough to run in.

There is a gym on the third floor, which is fully equipped with treadmills, dumbbells, and more.

There is also a yoga area, with a row of green plants next to the yoga mats.

Next to the yoga room is a home theater, with a projection screen that takes up the entire wall.

At the end of the corridor is a storage room containing some old furniture and old photo albums.

Not to mention the backyard.

Ye Yang glanced down from the third-floor window.

There is a swimming pool in the backyard. This swimming pool is definitely the biggest Ye Yang has ever seen in his two lives. He really doesn't know why they built such a big one.

There was also a small garden nearby, planted with some kind of flowers, which looked colorful from a distance.

And there's that bamboo grove, where the bamboo grows taller than the villa, rustling in the wind. A stone path winds through the grove, leading to a small pavilion, where a stone table and four stone benches are placed.

Ye Yang leaned against the wall of the third-floor corridor and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand: "I've never sweated so much just from shopping at a store before. This is definitely a first for me."

As he was about to go downstairs, he passed a row of framed photos hanging on the wall of the corridor, all of which were photos of the Lin sisters from childhood to adulthood.

One of the photos shows Lin Yumin when she was about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing the custom-made uniform of an Awakened One standing on the podium.

She held a trophy in her hands, her face expressionless, but her eyes were bright.

There is a photo of Lin Xingran when she was twelve or thirteen years old, breathing fire at a target on the training field. The flames shot out from her palms, distorting the air, and she had an arrogant smile on her face that said, "I am the best in the world."

There is also a photo of Lin Ying when she was about seven or eight years old, sitting on the steps holding an orange cat.

She buried her face in the cat's fur, revealing only half of her small face and a pair of large, light gray eyes, her expression timid, as if she might be frightened by something at any moment.

Ye Yang stood in front of this photo for a while longer.

The Kobayashi Sakura in the photo hasn't changed much from now, but her hair was still black back then, not the silver-white it is now.

"That's what happened after she awakened her abilities," a voice suddenly came from the side.

Ye Yang turned his head and saw that Lin Yumin had also gone up to the third floor at some point. She stood two steps away from him, her gaze also falling on the photo.

"Her abilities are related to temperature. On the day she awakened, her hair turned completely white overnight. Her parents took her for a checkup and were relieved after confirming that it had no effect on her health."

Ye Yang nodded and glanced again at the little girl with black hair in the photo.

When I went downstairs, Su Wanqing was waiting for me in the living room on the first floor.

She was sitting on the sofa, holding a half-read book. Seeing Ye Yang come down the stairs, she closed the book, stood up, and asked, "How was it, Ye Yang? Finished shopping?"

Ye Yang jumped down from the last step of the stairs, his feet landing softly on the marble floor.

"Ah, all done shopping." He put his hands on his knees and took a breath, then straightened up and stretched his neck. "To be honest, I didn't expect shopping at a villa to be so tiring."

"Yeah!" Lin Xingran's voice came from the sofa.

She was huddled in the corner of the sofa, holding a bag of potato chips that she had somehow found, with a few crumbs of chips stuck to the corner of her mouth.

She chewed on a potato chip and mumbled, "I really don't know why they made the house so big? Let me tell you, I used to get lost all the time in this run-down villa when I was a kid. Lost in my own home! Can you believe it!"

She put the bag of potato chips on the coffee table, sat up straight, and gestured with her hands: "Once, I wanted to go find my older sister at night. I started from my room and walked for ten minutes, but I still couldn't find where her room was."

"The corridor was long and dark, and two of the lights were broken. I squatted in a corner of the corridor and cried for half an hour. In the end, the housekeeper found me."

She pointed to her eyes as she spoke, "Do you know what it feels like to be lost in your own home and so scared that you cry?"

Standing at the top of the stairs, Lin Yumin uttered three words without changing her expression: "You're stupid."

Lin Xingran sprang up from the sofa in an instant, so fast that two potato chips flew out of the bag and landed on the carpet: "Big sister's mean!"

She pointed at Lin Yumin, her fingers trembling like leaves in the autumn wind, her wine-red short hair swaying from side to side with her movements.

"You're always trying to sabotage me! You've always been like this since we were kids! I'm telling you, I'm going to tell Mom and Dad about that guy of yours—"

Halfway through her sentence, Lin Yumin's calm gaze swept over, causing Lin Xingran to abruptly stop the rest of her sentence in her throat.

Lin Xingran opened her lips, then closed them again.

She slowly lowered her hand, which was raised in mid-air, and her whole demeanor deflated visibly, like a balloon that had been punctured.

But she couldn't help herself, turning her head to the side and muttering to herself in a voice only she could hear: "...Silly girl."

Ye Yang blinked beside him.

He overheard something. Was Lin Xingran trying to say "boyfriend"? Lin Yumin has a "boyfriend"?

He wisely chose to say nothing, pretending that he was engrossed in studying the petals of the Phalaenopsis orchid on the coffee table.

Su Wanqing seemed oblivious to the subtle interaction between the two sisters, or perhaps she was already used to it.

She walked up to Ye Yang and asked with a smile, "Ye Yang, would you like to stay for dinner? What would you like to eat? Your parents will make it for you."

Ye Yang looked at her, then at Lin Yuanshan standing beside him, and waved his hand, saying sincerely, "No need for thanks, really. I made an appointment with the children today."

"The children?" Su Wanqing blinked.

"The children in the orphanage," Ye Yang grinned, his fingers unconsciously touching the lens of the camera on his chest.

"I promised to teach them how to fold origami cranes this afternoon. I taught them once before, but a few of the younger ones didn't learn it and kept asking me to teach them again, so I agreed."

He paused, then added, "Besides, if I were to move here, I still have a lot of things to pack up at the orphanage."

"Although they don't look valuable, some of these things have been with me for many years. Also, Aunt Zhang has treated me like her own son since I was a child. Every time I was sick, she would stay by my bedside. If I have to leave, I should at least say goodbye to her properly."

Su Wanqing was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Yuanshan.

Lin Yuanshan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the light, so his expression was not very clear.

But after a two-second silence, he nodded slightly.

Su Wanqing turned back, a gentle smile on her face, and nodded lightly, saying, "I see. Okay then."

She reached out and straightened the edge of Ye Yang's collar, which had been turned up. "Shall we send a driver to take you there?"

"I...I'll do it."

Just then, a soft voice came from the entrance to the living room.

Everyone turned to look at the same time.

Lin Ying appeared there at some point. She stood by the door frame, one hand gripping the hem of her skirt, the other hand holding the edge of her phone.

She lowered her head, her silvery-white bangs covering most of her face, revealing only two reddened ears and a pointed chin.

"I...I...I'll give it to you, it's...it's okay," she said in a very soft voice.

After she finished speaking, her neck turned red again, and her shoulders hunched slightly, like a rabbit trying to muster up its courage but still not daring to take a step forward.

Ye Yang nodded nonchalantly, then flashed a big smile and said, "Thanks."

Lin Ying looked up at him quickly, then quickly looked down again and nodded.

Just then, a loud and energetic shout came from the sofa: "Me too! Me too!"

Lin Xingran sprang up from the sofa, knocking the bag of potato chips to the floor, scattering a few crumbs. She didn't bother picking them up. "I was just about to go shopping with Lin Ying. Don't you agree, Lin Ying?"

She darted to Lin Ying's side and grabbed Lin Ying's arm. Then she turned her head and winked at Lin Ying vigorously.

She blinked her left eye once, then her right eye once, and then both eyes blinked hard several times together, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Lin Ying was a little confused by her sudden winking attack.

She looked at her second sister's winking face, hesitated for a second, and then asked with a somewhat innocent air, "Second sister, are your eyes bothering you?"

Lin Xingran's smile froze for a second. Then, maintaining her smile, she precisely found a soft spot on Lin Ying's arm and pinched it mercilessly.

"Yes!" Lin Ying was jolted awake by her pinch and finally realized what she was doing. She hurriedly stammered, "Yes, yes...we need to buy...buy things. With Second Sister."

Su Wanqing looked at the three children standing together, then turned and exchanged a glance with Lin Yuanshan.

The couple's eyes met briefly in the air, a tacit understanding forming between them.

Su Wanqing smiled with a hint of relief and said, "Alright then. It's a good opportunity for you two to get to know each other better."

Lin Yuanshan walked over from the French windows, stood next to Su Wanqing, nodded to Ye Yang, and simply said, "Come back soon."

Ye Yang was taken aback for a moment. Then he grinned and nodded.

……

The three of them came out of the Lin family's gate and walked onto the cobblestone path.

The afternoon sun had shifted from its zenith to the west, casting long, warm orange-gold shadows that swayed with their movements.

Ye Yang walked on the far left, one hand in his pocket touching the card, the other unconsciously patting the camera in front of his chest.

Lin Ying was walking on the far right, looking down at the tips of her shoes.

She gripped the hem of her skirt with both hands, her canvas shoes making almost no sound as she stepped on the stone slabs.

Lin Xingran swaggered down the middle, glancing at Ye Yang out of the corner of her eye every now and then.

None of the three spoke; the only sounds in the air were footsteps and the rustling of bamboo in the distance.

There was silence for about a minute.

Then Lin Ying suddenly spoke up.

"that……"

Her voice was so soft that Ye Yang on the far left almost didn't hear it.

But for some reason, Ye Yang's ears were particularly sensitive to Lin Ying's voice. Perhaps it was because she spoke with such difficulty that people couldn't help but pay more attention to her.

He turned to look at Lin Ying, and asked uncertainly, "Are you calling me?"

Lin Ying nodded gently. Her silver-white hair swayed slightly with the nod, the ends brushing against her shoulders with a soft rustling sound.

She stopped, took a deep breath, and then looked up at him.

"Um... I'm sorry... I... took your seat, and I've been wanting to apologize to you for so long."

"I wanted to say it in the car... but... but I didn't say it properly. Now... I want to formally say sorry to you."

After she finished speaking, she closed her mouth, her lips pressed into a thin line, and stood ramrod straight like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.

Ye Yang stared at her for a while. Then he chuckled softly and said in a relaxed tone, "Just because of that? I thought it was something serious."

Lin Ying stared blankly at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but didn't.

Ye Yang waved his hand casually and said, "It's nothing, and it's not your fault, is it? You were just a newborn baby back then, your eyes weren't even open yet, and you were being fed by others. This can't be blamed on you at all."

"Really...really?" Lin Ying's voice trembled slightly, and a tiny droplet of water clung to her eyelashes.

"Of course it's true." Ye Yang nodded firmly, then gave her a thumbs up.

Lin Ying stared at the raised thumb for several seconds, stunned.

Then she lowered her head, quickly wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, her shoulders visibly relaxed, and her fingers that were gripping the hem of her skirt loosened.

Ye Yang withdrew his hand and continued walking forward.

But a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: why did Lin Ying's words sound so similar to what the rumors were saying on the phone today?

The same mix-up, the same apology, the same excuse of "taking your spot".

Even their tone of voice is somewhat similar, although one speaks haltingly face-to-face, while the other uses emojis and text in online chat.

He rolled his eyes, glanced back at Lin Ying, and thought: Is it a coincidence?

It's probably just a coincidence.

Every day, so many babies are switched at birth—well, that's a strange way to put it.

But in any case, it's unlikely to be such a coincidence.

He put the thought aside for the time being and continued walking.

But he had only taken two steps when a figure blocked his way.

Lin Xingran darted around to his side and stood in front of him. She crossed her arms over her chest, stood with her legs slightly apart, and her wine-red short hair looked like a small flame in the sunlight.

She stared sharply at Ye Yang and lowered her voice, saying, "Let me tell you, don't try any of those 'real and fake young master' tricks."

"I'm not one of those silly rich girls in books, you know? I've read a lot of these novels, and I know all the tropes by heart. If you dare to do anything to Lin Ying—"

"Second Sister, what are you doing!" Lin Ying exclaimed anxiously, quickly stepping forward to grab Lin Xingran's arm, practically clinging to it, her white hair whipping around. "He...he said he was fine!"

Lin Xingran was pulled to the side by Lin Ying, but she still maintained the posture of crossing her arms and staring at Ye Yang.

Ye Yang blinked, then raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, and said with a smile in his voice:

"Okay, okay, got it, Second Miss. But why do you think I would bully Lin Ying? Let's not even talk about whether I have that thought—"

He stretched out his hand, pointed at Lin Ying, then at himself: "Even if I really had any bad intentions, I still couldn't beat her. She's an Awakened One, and I'm just an ordinary person. If I wanted to bully her, she could send me flying with one punch, right?"

The air was still for a few seconds.

Lin Xingran blinked, her mouth slightly open, her brain clearly engaged in some kind of intense logical calculation.

That seems to make sense.

She had stayed up all night reading so many novels about real and fake young masters, and the villains in her mind were all the kind who hid their fighting power and pretended to be weak to take advantage of others.

They may look like ordinary people, but they can actually crush a mountain with a flick of their wrist.

But she overlooked a most basic fact: the Ye Yang in front of her was really just an ordinary person.

There were no awakened superpowers, no hidden combat strength, and no old man in the ring.

Although Lin Ying has a speech impediment, she has always been among the top students in school training. In a real fight, even ten Ye Yangs wouldn't be enough for her to take on with one hand.

Lin Xingran's face suddenly turned a little red. Her eyes drifted to the left, then to the right, and finally back to Ye Yang's face, her lips twitching.

Then she suddenly reached out and grabbed Ye Yang's collar.

Ye Yang was stunned for a moment, thinking she was about to make a move.

Lin Xingran simply straightened his slightly crooked T-shirt collar and then roughly patted off a bit of dust that had gotten on his shoulder.

Lin Xingran cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Well, I was just testing you. Yes, testing. You did very well; you have the potential to be my younger brother."

Ye Yang's lips twitched; he was clearly not fooled by her rhetoric, but he still asked cooperatively, "Really?"

"Really." Lin Xingran said this nonsense with a straight face, her expression perfectly controlled. She slightly raised her chin, her eyes as determined as if she were about to join the Party.

"I'd give you 99 points. I deducted one point because I was afraid you'd get arrogant, because being my younger brother, Lin Xingran, isn't easy, you know? You have to go through layers of tests and hurdles. That was the first hurdle, and you passed it."

She spoke with such confidence and without a trace of guilt that Lin Ying was completely stunned.

Ye Yang looked at her, then grinned and said, "Okay, ninety-nine points it is. What kind of reward will I get when I get the hundred points?"

Lin Xingran was clearly not prepared for this question and was stunned for a moment.

"Rewards...we'll talk about rewards later!" She waved her hand, as if shooing away an annoying flying insect. "Get a perfect score first, then we'll discuss terms."

Ye Yang smiled and nodded, then continued walking forward.

Lin Ying walked at the very back, watching the backs of the two people in front of her.

Ye Yang walked along, taking pictures of the scenery along the roadside, while Lin Xingran walked beside him with her hands in her pockets, swaggering around.

These two people just think differently from everyone else.

One claimed to have 1999 skills, while the other said he only had 99 points, fearing he would become arrogant.

One genuinely felt that nothing was a big deal, while the other had been stubborn for eighteen years and never admitted that he cared about anyone.

She watched as Lin Xingran gestured at Ye Yang and said nonsense like "the next test will be even harder." Ye Yang nodded and took a picture of Lin Xingran with his camera. After being photographed, Lin Xingran got angry and tried to grab the camera.

Lin Ying lowered her head and smiled softly.

No wonder they're siblings.

She quickened her pace and followed. The shadows of the three people stretched slowly in the golden sunlight, eventually merging into the same light.