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

The auction was scheduled to begin at nine o'clock in the morning, and the Lin family mansion had been busy since seven o'clock.

The aroma of fried eggs and toast wafted from the kitchen, and servants moved quietly back and forth in the hallway.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely from the window at the end of the second-floor corridor, casting a pale golden glow on the dark wooden floor.

Ye Yang stood in front of the full-length mirror in his room, slowly and methodically fastening the cufflinks of his magenta shirt.

The cufflinks were specially picked out for him by Lin Yumin yesterday. A small, extremely fine dark red crystal was embedded in the silver base, which shimmered faintly in the light.

She said at the time that this crystal was called "blood marrow," a byproduct of the Han family's smelting of energy shields, which could faintly sense the surrounding energy fluctuations.

While it might not be used as a detector, it's always better to have an extra layer of protection than nothing when it comes to events like auctions.

He was still wearing the same dark charcoal gray suit over his shirt, and he hung the magenta camera around his neck, adjusting its position in front of the mirror.

Then he stepped back and examined himself.

The magenta shirt stands out against the dark suit, making the wearer look energetic yet not stiff.

He tilted his head and looked at it for two seconds, then nodded.

Then, he reached out and brushed aside the few unruly tufts of hair on his forehead before pushing open the door with satisfaction.

He had just stepped out of the door when he bumped into someone at the corner of the corridor.

In that instant, he first smelled a faint fragrance, and then felt a hand gently supporting his chest, helping him to steady his center of gravity.

He looked down and met Lin Ying's slightly widened, light gray eyes.

She wore a light blue shirt and white trousers, and her hair was loosely tied into a low ponytail with a very thin silver-gray hairband, making her look very refreshing.

After realizing who she had bumped into, Lin Ying's beautiful face began to flush red at a visible speed.

She quickly withdrew her hand from Ye Yang's chest and took two steps back in a flustered manner.

She lowered her head, her hands clasped together in front of her, and said in a soft but urgent voice:

"I'm so sorry—I—I didn't mean to. I just went to get something—I wasn't looking where I was going. Did I bump into you?"

Ye Yang couldn't help but laugh when he saw her looking like she had done something terribly wrong.

He rubbed the spot on his chest where the fabric had been stretched, then waved his hand and said gently, "It's okay—I was in too much of a hurry. You look great in this outfit, it suits you very well. What are you rushing off to get?"

Lin Ying's blush hadn't completely faded, and it deepened a little after hearing Ye Yang praise her.

She pointed to her bedroom door and said softly, "I...I forgot my invitation. I put it on the bedside table while I was tidying up. I meant to put it in my bag, but then I switched bags and forgot about it. I only remembered when I got to the stairs, so...so I was in a bit of a rush."

Ye Yang glanced in the direction of Lin Ying's room door, then looked away, crossed his arms, leaned against the corridor wall, and wore that familiar smile on his lips.

"Okay—I'll wait for you at the door. No rush, take your time."

Lin Ying nodded and prepared to walk past Ye Yang.

When she was halfway there, Ye Yang suddenly darted to her left from the wall. Lin Ying was startled for a moment, then quickly moved to the right.

Ye Yang took another side step and jumped to the right, almost blocking her completely in the corridor.

Lin Ying's face turned red again, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled up.

She gently patted Ye Yang's arm and said softly, "Stop fooling around—quick, quick, move aside. If you don't move aside, my older sister will come looking for us. She said she needs to be at the venue early today."

After being patted on the shoulder, Ye Yang stepped aside to make way for her.

Lin Ying walked past him with lighter steps. She glanced back at him as she reached the room door, then pushed it open and went inside.

The door closed gently behind her and reopened in less than a minute.

She held a pale gold invitation in her hand, the Lin family's silver eagle emblem on the letter surface gleaming faintly in the morning light.

As the two walked down the stairs side by side, someone was already waiting for them in the lobby on the first floor.

Lin Yumin stood beside the coffee table in the center of the hallway, using one hand to comb Lin Xingran's hair.

Lin Xingran wore a dark red short jacket with black trousers today, but her hair was still a mess. She probably had just gotten out of bed, and there were still a few unruly stray hairs sticking up on the back of her head.

Lin Yumin was standing behind her with a comb in her hand, intently combing her hair.

Lin Xingran slumped her head, yawning as she let her older sister handle her, mumbling indistinctly, "Big sister, be gentle."

"Don't move." Lin Yumin gently tapped the back of her head with a comb.

Lin Xingran straightened his back reflexively and then assumed a standard military posture.

She had been trained with this method by Lin Yumin so many times when she was a child that her body had developed muscle memory for it.

"Big sister is really fierce," she muttered to herself, but her back remained ramrod straight, and she dared not move again.

Ye Yang jumped down from the last step of the stairs, then raised his right hand and waved to the two of them, saying in a light tone, "Good morning, eldest sister and second sister."

Lin Yumin turned her head and her gaze lingered on Ye Yang for a moment.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips, then she looked away and asked while combing Lin Xingran's hair:

"Good morning. Are the cufflinks still comfortable? Blood marrow has a narrow range of perception for energy fluctuations, but it's always good to have an extra layer of warning in an event like an auction."

Ye Yang rotated his wrist, then looked down at the two silver cufflinks that gleamed slightly in the morning light. He then looked up, smiled, and said, "They fit perfectly. Thank you, elder sister."

Lin Xingran was finally freed from the torture of having her hair combed, and she turned around to look at Ye Yang.

After a few seconds of silence, she frowned slightly.

"Ye Yang—why are you still wearing the same outfit? I remember you have several formal dresses in your closet, right? Didn't you buy that navy blue one at the mall last time? Why are you still wearing this charcoal gray one?"

Ye Yang waved the camera on his chest, then patted the hem of his suit jacket, and said matter-of-factly, "This is enough. Save the navy blue one for the next banquet; this one is more practical. If we need to get involved in any fighting, the sleeves have more room to move."

He raised his hand as if to throw a punch, then casually lowered it.

Lin Yumin put the comb into her small bag, glanced around at everyone present, then nodded slightly and said in a steady voice, "If we are all ready, let's set off."

……

The engine of the Mechanical Decade roared in the morning breeze, its deep, powerful rumble mingling with the crimson energy patterns that flowed slowly across its body, drawing the attention of many early risers on the roadside.

Ye Yang drove the car to the marble-paved circular plaza in front of the Zhaixing Pavilion, and then parked it smoothly in the designated area with a neat side parking maneuver.

He took off his helmet and hung it on the handlebars, then looked up at the building in front of him that he had only seen in documents.

The Star-Picking Pavilion is a three-story circular building located in the most bustling central urban area of ​​the Federation. At this moment, its exterior walls are gleaming with a warm ivory-white luster in the morning light.

Six massive Roman columns stand at the entrance, their surfaces carved with intricate vine patterns that coil from the base to the top.

The dome is made of transparent tempered glass, allowing the crystal chandelier hanging inside to be seen from the outside.

Above the main gate is a huge dark wooden plaque with three large characters engraved in gilded lettering: "Zhaixing Pavilion".

The square was already filled with all kinds of luxury cars and limited-edition sports cars.

Bodyguards in various uniforms patrolled back and forth inside and outside the cordon, while several security personnel wearing the Han family's anvil emblem directed vehicles to park.

The check-in area was located at the main entrance, with more than a dozen lanes open at the same time. Long queues formed in front of each lane as invited buyers, holding their invitations, took turns being checked.

A number of reporters and photographers gathered at the edge of the square, taking pictures of every arriving guest with their cameras, their flashes going off incessantly.

A female reporter wearing a light blue business suit is standing in front of the camera doing a live broadcast.

She looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with frameless glasses perched on her nose, and the microphone in her hand bearing the logo of "Federal News Channel".

"The world's largest auction, held once every five years, is finally about to begin! Ladies and gentlemen, I am currently located at the main entrance plaza of the Star-Picking Pavilion in the central part of the Federation."

"As everyone knows, as the highest-level auction house in the Federation, the Star-Picking Pavilion is usually completely closed, and only opens its doors to invited buyers at the top-level auction held every five years."

"It is said that every item on display at this auction is priceless—from the Silent Beast Crystal Core unearthed from ancient ruins to long-lost high-level Awakener equipment, and rare materials that have no market circulation channels at all, there is everything."

"Furthermore, our reporters have confirmed that among the buyers attending tonight are not only representatives from several major federal families, but also many mysterious new faces—"

Ye Yang stepped off the Mechanical Decade ship, holding his helmet in one hand. He glanced at the female reporter before looking up at the magnificent building in front of him.

His brow furrowed very slightly, and his fingers unconsciously touched the magenta camera on his chest.

"I have a bad feeling about this—never mind, let's go in and take a look first."

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of an engine shutting off came from behind him.

A dark blue sedan stopped next to the Mechanical Decade, and Lin Xingran jumped out of the driver's seat.

She tossed her burgundy short hair and strode over to Ye Yang.

"Ye Yang! Why are you driving so fast? You have absolutely no team spirit! We chased you the whole way, and your older sister almost sped up to catch you, do you know that?!"

Ye Yang hung his helmet on the handlebars, then turned around and replied in an extremely calm tone, "Didn't someone just say that the loser of a race to the auction would buy milk tea?"

Lin Xingran's body stiffened slightly. She raised her chin, her eyes darting aimlessly around in the air: "That was a joke—who would be thinking about milk tea before the auction even starts? Besides, you're already here, so the milk tea thing is—"

At the same time, Lin Yumin got out of the driver's seat and then gently closed the car door.

Her gaze swept past the crowd to the main entrance of the Star-Picking Pavilion, and she said with a hint of wistfulness in her voice:

"The last time I was here was five years ago. Back then, my father brought the three of us to see the world's largest auction. Xingran and Hanshuang were racing each other in the square, running around the Roman columns several times, and in the end, they both got separated."

"After she was found by the bodyguard, she got a scolding from her father. By the time the auction officially started, she was so tired that she fell asleep and didn't see anything at all. Time really flies."

Lin Xingran's expression changed slightly, then she turned around and protested in a tone of shame and indignation, "Big sister—this kind of trivial matter doesn't need to be mentioned in front of outsiders!"

Lin Ying smiled slightly but remained silent.

Just then, the female reporter who had been doing a live broadcast turned around and her eyes met Ye Yang's.

Her eyes lit up behind her glasses, and then she quickly walked towards Ye Yang.

"Excuse me—are you Mr. Ye Yang? I'm Mi Xiaomi, a reporter from the Federal News Channel. We're here to provide live coverage of the Star-Picking Pavilion Auction today."

"After the clip of your speech at the banquet was released, it has been shared online. Could you spare a few minutes for an interview? It won't be long, just a few simple questions."

Ye Yang glanced at the camera pointing directly at him, then at the microphone with the station's logo on it in Mi Xiaomi's hand, scratched his head, and said, "Interview me?"

Mi Xiaomi nodded vigorously, then gently handed the microphone to Ye Yang and said in a light and quick voice:

"Yes! Mr. Ye, you've only recently returned to the Lin family, but your deeds have already spread far and wide. Everyone says you're a leading figure among the new generation of Awakened Ones, based on your words at the family reunion banquet and your record of independently resolving the Silent Beast incident. Do you have anything you'd like to say to your viewers who have been following you all this time?"

Ye Yang stared at the camera in silence for a moment. The morning breeze gently blew the stray hairs on his forehead, and the collar of his magenta shirt stood out in the morning light.

Then he raised his hand, pointed to the camera, and said in an extremely serious tone, "Don't catch a cold. Take care of yourself."

Lin Xingran, who was standing next to her, couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing.

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders heaving, her dark red short jacket swaying in the morning breeze as she shook.

Lin Ying also lowered her head, gently pressed her fingertips to her lips, and had a faint smile on her lips.

Mi Xiaomi held the microphone for a while, then pushed up her glasses, her eyes curving into two thin arcs behind the lenses. She thought to herself that this young master of the Lin family was too funny to talk to.

She quickly composed herself, moved the microphone forward slightly, and continued, "So, may I ask—is this your first time attending such a large auction? Are you nervous?"

Ye Yang tilted his head and thought seriously for several seconds, then said frankly, "To be honest, I don't know. I've never been inside, so I don't know what it's like. But—I think it would be an interesting experience."

Mi Xiaomi put the microphone away, then bowed slightly to Ye Yang and said sincerely, "Thank you, Mr. Ye, for taking up your time. I wish you a successful auction today and that you can acquire your desired item!"

Ye Yang nodded, then turned and walked towards the check-in area.

Mi Xiaomi turned to face the camera, tidied a stray hair behind her ear, then turned back to face the camera and said in a gentle voice:

"Dear viewers, we were honored to interview Mr. Ye Yang, who has recently garnered much attention. His approachable and somewhat humorous answers showed us a different side of the young master of the Lin family."

"What will he gain at today's auction? Will the legendary Kamen Rider reappear in the Star Pavilion? Let's wait and see."

"This is reporter Mi Xiaomi from Federal News Channel, reporting from the main square of Zhaixing Pavilion. The auction is about to officially begin, and we will continue to follow every exciting moment for you."