Growing up spoiled, he was raised in an environment where he was overly coddled. As a child, he never lifted a finger to help around the house, and even the slightest bump would send him running to the clinic. Because he resembled his father, the villagers frequently praised him, believing that with such a father, he must surely be destined for academic success.
“A golden phoenix flies out of a chicken coop,” they would say, and the original owner of this life took these words to heart.
Once he started school, he continued to shirk any responsibilities or chores. His mother, being the indulgent parent she was, allowed him to focus entirely on his studies without imposing strict demands.
The original owner’s father had been devoted to learning in his youth, and it was clear that the son took after him. Thus, he made excuses to steal time away from his studies.
His academic performance was indeed impressive compared to others in the village; he had better food and clothing, which made him feel superior among his peers. He looked down on his classmates, believing they were inferior and that he alone was the epitome of a true scholar.
He attended elementary school in the village, with his mother bringing him meals. When he transitioned to middle and high school, he refused to live in the dorms, so his mother rented a place near the school to ensure she could escort him daily.
Naturally, when he was accepted into a prestigious university in the capital, his mother followed him there as well. He found this arrangement satisfactory; after all, it was how their family operated. With only him and his mother left at home, his mother’s life in the capital wasn’t his concern.
His mother lacked an education but managed to make ends meet despite her husband’s compensation money, which was meant for his schooling and family support. To survive in the capital, she took a job at a restaurant that provided food and lodging during the day and ran a small food stall at night. She worked tirelessly, leaving her with little time outside of sleep.
The original owner was quick to place blame on his mother but was generous when it came to himself. Upon arriving in the capital, he encountered true wealth and realized that compared to others, his previous way of living was insignificant. His entire wardrobe barely measured up to the cost of someone else’s sneakers or watch.
Although he knew he could apply for financial aid at school, his pride kept him from doing so. He couldn’t bring himself to ask for help, as it would reveal his rural background and family’s poverty.
As a result, he found himself belittling his mother’s efforts while complaining about how his wealthy classmates mocked him for being so poor yet attending a university in the capital. His mother, determined not to let him be looked down upon, worked herself to exhaustion—serving breakfast in the morning, cleaning during the day, and selling food at night.
Greed knows no bounds. With a pair of branded sneakers, he felt he needed a full set of branded clothing, and after that, a watch. Naturally, he couldn’t be seen using a cheap phone while dressed head to toe in designer wear.
Yet it still wasn’t enough. Knowing his family could never afford to buy him a mansion or luxury car in the capital, he fixated on a younger student who was fond of him.
This boy was attractive and wealthy, but he couldn’t give him a child. The young man’s straightforwardness about his orientation had made waves when he arrived at school, gaining him immense popularity, and he had even expressed interest in the original owner publicly.
Despite being a straight man, the original owner reveled in the attention from a wealthy and good-looking individual. Look at how impressive he was; even other boys were drawn to him.
However, deep down, he looked down on this boy. In his view, a man’s primary purpose was to continue the family line. If a man didn’t like women and preferred men, that was simply foolishness. Should they become involved, if the boy were to cheat, it would be understandable; after all, he couldn’t provide him with a son, so that wouldn’t be his fault.
Fortunately, the original owner was focused on securing the boy as his own, so he didn’t voice his true thoughts. Otherwise, he might find himself in a serious predicament on the night streets.
The original owner successfully won over the boy, but not because of love; it was simply for the boy’s wealth. This lad, an only child raised with ease, was pure of heart. The original owner was attractive and knew how to play the part, and he had once been celebrated as a campus idol.
Initially, the boy was only following the crowd, but since a beloved figure liked him, he couldn’t simply let go. Thus, he became entangled in the original owner’s schemes.
The original owner told the boy he didn’t want anyone to know he was gay, so the boy kept it a secret while giving gifts, paying for meals, and maintaining the appearance that he was romantically linked to the senior.
To keep him firmly in his grasp, the original owner plied him with drinks, believing he had successfully captured his heart, while secretly eyeing the boy’s childhood female friend, who had fallen on hard times.
This girl was a childhood friend who leaned on the boy’s family for support, being sweet and charming, making her the ideal choice in the original owner’s mind for a future wife.
In the original owner’s view, they were a perfect match, from similar social standings to the fact they both lived with the boy, making it less likely for anyone to discover anything untoward.
His reasoning was simple: since the boy was gay, as long as he stayed away from other men, it wouldn’t count as cheating. How could a gay man’s interactions with women be considered infidelity?
However, the moment the boy was away, he tried to win over the female friend, only to be caught on camera by schoolmates who posted the photos online.
The school was buzzing with gossip about how the campus idol had supposedly been captured while a string of curious comments catapulted the post to popularity.
Soon, the boy’s friends noticed the situation and questioned why he was with the original owner and supposedly dating the girl. The cascading effect was astonishing.
It was uncovered that the original owner had been together with the boy. Evidence emerged of him sending flowers to the girl.
Ultimately, the truth came out that the original owner was not the rich second-generation he had pretended to be. Instead, he was a poor rural student who only had his mother, and their lifestyle depended on her working three jobs to buy branded clothes. The extravagant car belonged to his boyfriend, and the girl was indeed his childhood friend living in the boy’s household.
The original owner had often looked down on his classmates and sought attention, which made many boys uncomfortable, leading to the revelation of a lot of juicy gossip. For instance, his propensity to show off his ‘superior’ intelligence, despite his actual poor performance, only served to sullied his image further, as he consistently criticized local teachers, claiming foreign institutions were far better.