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

The night was as dark as ink, with a bright moon and few stars.

When Ye Yang carried Lin Ying back to the Lin family home, it was already late at night.

The ground lights in the manor cast swaying shadows of the trees, creating a silent atmosphere.

Ye Yang thought everyone was asleep and was quietly pushing open the main door of the house when the scene in the living room stunned them both.

The living room was brightly lit, and not a single member of the family was asleep. Instead, they were all sitting around the large leather sofa in the center of the living room, creating a lively atmosphere like a New Year's Eve vigil.

Lin Xingran was standing in the center of the living room, one foot on the edge of the coffee table, waving her phone in her hand. The screen showed a video of Ye Yang singing at a karaoke bar that evening.

She didn't even know when she changed into a T-shirt with the logo of the fan club that read "I'm just a passing online singer".

However, the smiley face on the logo behind it is severely distorted, with one eye bigger than the other.

"Let me tell you! I was standing right in front of him! He pointed at my eyes and sang 'A girl from a small town went to the big city'! I was completely stunned! Can you understand that feeling? Your idol, whom you've been a fan of for months, suddenly points at you and sings to you! And then tells you he's your brother!"

"Do you know what I was thinking at that moment?! I was thinking—I, Lin Xingran, the top fire control talent in the entire Federal First Military Academy, actually sang 'But the wind gradually blows the distance so far' to my own younger brother in a karaoke bar, and I even sang it off-key! He was standing in the audience listening to me sing the song he wrote! But he still said I sang it well, which is the most authoritative negative comment I've ever received in my life!!!"

Su Wanqing sat on the sofa with a thin blanket over her legs and a cup of now-cold herbal tea in her hand. With a wry smile on her face, she said, "Xingran, have some water. Your voice is hoarse."

The jasmine tea she drank before bed tonight was meant to calm her nerves and help her sleep, but now it won't calm her nerves at all; it's only good for calming her nerves.

Lin Yuanshan sat next to Su Wanqing wearing a dark blue bathrobe, with a silver eagle emblem of the Lin family embroidered on the collar.

As the deputy commander of the Federal Theater, he had seen countless grand occasions, but at this moment his brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression was as serious as if he were studying some important military strategy.

He held a piece of paper in his hand, which was an "Emergency Plan for Protecting My Younger Brother from the Han Family, the Zhou Family, and Other Unknown Forces" that Lin Xingran had drafted at the KTV that night.

The formal wording, detailed clauses, and high level of defense above were even more rigorous than the military region's operational plan. Even he wanted to stamp the draft after reading it.

Lin Xingran picked up another piece of paper, her tone serious and professional: "Listen to me—it's about Han Shuang! That little girl from the Han family! Today, she not only publicly declared at the KTV that she wanted to marry Ye Yang, but she also said she wanted her father to prepare the betrothal gifts and send them to the Lin family's doorstep!"

"She's already made the dowry list in her phone's notes app—I peeked at it while she was in the bathroom! The first item is the Han family's latest energy shield generator, the second is ten sets of custom-made armor parts, and the third is that her brother Han Li comes to our house once a month for free repairs! That's Han Li!"

"The most valuable thing the Han family possesses isn't their weapons, but Han Li's forging skills! She was even willing to sell her own brother to pursue my younger brother! Do you think this is normal?! We must take precautions!"

As she finished her impassioned speech, she held a third sheet of paper in her hand, on which were densely handwritten the charter of the "Lin Family Brothers Protection Group".

The first clause is "Han Shuang must not get within three meters of Ye Yang." Zhou Zhi's name is also listed below, but she was too excited when she mentioned Han Shuang and forgot about the other clauses.

"As for Zhou Zhi—she's usually such a composed person, but today she actually stood up! She stood up! Have you ever seen Zhou Zhi stand up in an informal setting?!" Lin Xingran continued, raising her voice by half an octave.

Su Wanqing nodded thoughtfully: "Zhou Zhi is a very good girl. She is gentle and generous, and her medical skills are superb. She is a good match for our Lin family."

"Besides, her grandfather and your grandfather were old friends—if this marriage goes through, your grandfather would probably be happy in heaven."

Lin Xingran immediately panicked, "Mom, is this the time to discuss marriage? This is an enemy situation."

Su Wanqing picked up her flower tea and took a sip. She neither agreed nor disagreed, but a smile of anticipation crept onto her lips.

Lin Yuanshan placed the emergency plan written on the back of the popcorn bucket on the coffee table, tapped the paper slowly with his fingertips, and finally spoke in a steady voice.

"I agree with Xingran's opinion on this matter. Ye Yang has only been home for a short time and needs time to adjust. The Han and Zhou families mean well, but it's too early to discuss these things now. Also, regarding the third point, 'Second Sister has the final say,' I'm not dead yet, and it's not your place to make decisions about the Lin family."

After he finished speaking, he folded the paper and put it into the pocket of his bathrobe.

Lin Yumin sat on the single sofa next to her father, with a tablet on her lap displaying a half-finished business plan.

She was wearing navy blue loungewear today, and her hair was loosely tied up with a silver hairpin, making her look very relaxed.

She raised her head and said in her usual calm voice, "I vote in favor of the proposal to protect my brother. Also, regarding Ye Yang's concert at the military academy, I have already sent the preliminary plan to the admissions office."

"The performance is tentatively scheduled for next week's school open day, which will be attended by a large number of students and parents from other schools. The current list of invitees includes a tactical speech by a retired military officer, a live-fire demonstration by awakened individuals, and a display of equipment sponsored by the Han family."

"Ye Yang's performance will be the grand finale, and I've already come up with the promotional point—'Not only can he fight, he can also sing.' The venue will be the school auditorium, which can hold several thousand people."

As she spoke, she turned the tablet around for everyone to see, "We've already released three versions of the poster concept art. The first version shows Ye Yang transformed into Decade and standing on stage with a microphone in hand. The second version shows Ye Yang singing on stage with a family portrait of the Lin family in the background. The third version—"

She swiped her finger across the screen, and Lin Xingran leaned over to take a look. Then she collapsed onto the sofa, laughing so hard she was shaking.

In the third poster, Ye Yang stands in the center of the stage wearing a magenta shirt. At the bottom of the poster is a line of very thin promotional text: "The Third Young Master of the Lin Family, Kamen Rider Decade, I'm Just a Passing-by Online Singer - First Offline Performance".

These titles were more outrageous than the last. When Ye Yang saw the big screen from the doorway, he almost burst out laughing.

Just as the atmosphere in the living room reached its climax, the living room door was gently pushed open.

Ye Yang stood at the door, one hand still holding the door frame, the other hand being gently tugged at by Lin Ying's sleeve.

Lin Ying stood beside him, her long, silvery-white hair slightly disheveled, with a few stray hairs on her forehead sticking up in the night breeze.

Her eyes sparkled under the warm yellow light of the living room, but when she saw the whole family in the living room, she subconsciously shrank her body a little behind Ye Yang.

Lin Xingran was the first to react. She turned around and saw the door was open, so she jumped off the edge of the coffee table, almost sending her slippers flying.

She put her hands on her hips and asked in a tone typical of a criminal investigator interrogating a suspect:

"Didn't you guys leave the karaoke bar a long time ago? Why are you so late? We've been having a meeting here for an hour! Where did you all go?"

Lin Ying lowered her head and did not answer. She was unsure whether her second sister would jump up on the spot if she told the truth.

"Lin Ying didn't eat much in the private room today. She got hungry just now, so I took her to the snack street to buy some late-night snacks." Ye Yang said, pulling Lin Ying further inside and protecting her behind him. He then held up the paper bag containing the snacks and shook it, speaking frankly.

Lin Ying gently tugged at his sleeve from behind and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't tell Second Sister I ate two servings of sizzling tofu." Ye Yang's lips twitched slightly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xingran immediately crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the two of them with an exaggerated expression of "being betrayed," her lips pouting so much they could hang an oil bottle on them.

"That's so mean! I didn't eat much at the karaoke bar tonight! I've only eaten one mint that Han Shuang gave me since I left the private room! Ye Yang, you're so unfair! You took Lin Ying to eat something delicious but not me!"

"Lin Ying, you too! You didn't even pack some for your second sister! Do you know how hungry I am?! I was so busy arguing with Han Shuang that I didn't even get any popcorn!"

Lin Ying peeked out from behind Ye Yang, holding up the slightly cool paper bag, and said in a soft, sweet voice:

"There's still half a plate of grilled tofu and two skewers of uneaten grilled squid left. I don't know if they're still hot—I ate them by the river for ages and still couldn't finish them."

"Second sister—second sister, you can have it if you want—but the squid tentacles are a bit tough. They won't be as crisp if the river wind blows on them for too long, so you'll have to chew them a little longer."

Lin Xingran paused for a moment, then quickly walked over and took the paper bag, muttering, "Never mind, half a portion is fine too, I'm starving," before turning and walking towards the kitchen.

"Auntie—heat up some tofu for me!!! And make me a bowl of noodles too!!! Add two eggs!!! I've burned so much energy tonight, one mint isn't enough!!!"

Ye Yang was pushed to the center of the living room by Lin Xingran. Before he could even catch his breath, he was locked onto by the eyes of the whole family.

Su Wanqing moved the thin blanket to the side, patted the spot next to her, and said with a hint of anticipation in her voice:

"Yangyang, Xingran said you sing really well and have a lot of fans online. Mom doesn't go online much and didn't know you like to sing—could you sing for Mom sometime? It doesn't have to be a formal concert, just something like a little something at home, like when Mom is making tea. You can just hum a few lines."

Lin Yuanshan didn't speak, but simply folded the newspaper in his hand and placed it on the coffee table, then looked at Ye Yang and nodded slightly.

Lin Yumin had already taken out her phone. She probably couldn't even count how many videos she had recorded today.

Lin Xingran poked half her head out of the kitchen, a smug smile on her face.

"Ye Yang! Your parents have never heard you sing before! The video your older sister recorded today is still being edited; the live version isn't out yet! You have to sing one! You can't sleep until you sing!"

Ye Yang glanced around, then his gaze returned to Lin Ying, who was standing behind him, gently smoothing the crumpled fabric of his shirt at the back of his waist.

He gently pulled Lin Ying closer to him, letting her sit in the seat closest to him on the sofa, then spread his hands and smiled at everyone.

"Okay, okay. But it's too late today, so I'll just sing a short part. Mom, don't record it—I'm not ready to be on TV yet."

Lin Ying gently tugged at the back of Ye Yang's shirt from behind and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "I'll pick a song for you."

She took the tablet from Lin Yumin, swiped her fingers across the screen, and found Ye Yang's playlist.

She saw a song ranked very high on the playlist. She had listened to that song countless times before going to bed, but hearing it tonight would feel completely different.

She handed the tablet to Ye Yang, whispered something in his ear that only the two of them could hear, then loosened the back of his shirt, quietly took half a step back, and gave him the stage.

Lin Yumin dimmed the lights in the living room by one notch, and warm yellow light streamed down from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, casting Ye Yang's shadow onto the off-white wall.

The wind rustling through the bamboo grove outside the window was very soft, just like the wind that had blown by the river earlier.

Ye Yang raised the microphone to his mouth, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes and smiled at his family members in the audience.

He started singing, the song Lin Ying had just whispered to him, "Little Dimples."

Su Wanqing put down her teacup, Lin Yuanshan placed the newspaper on his lap, Lin Yumin's camera never left her, and Lin Xingran leaned out of the kitchen, forgetting that she was holding a half-cooked fried egg with her chopsticks.

Lin Ying didn't sit on the sofa; she wanted to stand closer to him.

She placed her hands together in front of her, her light gray eyes reflecting all the warm lights in the living room, and the boy singing in the center of the light.