Avenging the Original Owner

Memories surfaced one after another in Fu Yanzhi's mind, playing out like a film.

In a hospital, the smell of disinfectant hung like an invisible net, steeping even the light in the corridor in cold. A woman pulled her faded, overwashed coat tight around herself, her gaunt hand rubbing a crumpled piece of cloth in her pocket over and over. It was a little garment worn by her son, who had died young, and its edges still bore milk stains that would not wash out.

The glass window outside the neonatal intensive care unit reflected her hunched figure. She stared at the innermost crib, where a child lay with his eyes closed and his little fists clenched tight, his eyelashes casting delicate shadows in the warm light. The child was exceptionally beautiful. She had picked her target. Just after a nurse finished her rounds and left, her footsteps fading into the distance, the woman shoved the door open, a cold wind carrying her trembling into the room.

She hurried to the crib and held her breath as she undid the child's swaddling, her fingers shaking so badly she could barely grip the fabric. The baby whimpered, and she immediately covered his mouth. Feeling his warm, soft breath against her palm, she suddenly wept, her tears splashing onto the swaddling.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." she mumbled, tucking the scrap of cloth into the child's arms. Then she bent down and picked up the baby from another crib—her son, who had been diagnosed with heart disease as soon as he was born. The doctor had said he might not live to be a month old. So she wanted to switch him into a wealthy family, so her son could survive.

She switched the two swaddled babies in her arms. They weighed about the same, yet it felt as though two lives were bearing down on her. She did not dare take another look at the healthy child and turned toward the door. Her soles scraped across the floor with a faint shuffling sound, especially piercing in the empty corridor. At the corner, she looked back. The light in the intensive care unit was still on, but within that warm glow, the fates of two children had been exchanged forever.

If the original owner had been there, he would surely have recognized the woman: she was the mother who had raised him. After watching, Fu Yanzhi felt an inexplicable sadness. Tears silently slipped from the corners of his eyes and fell onto his hand.

After wiping away his tears, Fu Yanzhi said to System 127, "The one who switched the original owner back then was his adoptive mother. You want me to make a move against her."

[Little Zhizhi, look more carefully. That wasn't the original owner's adoptive mother, but she was related to her. She's the adoptive mother's younger sister, and her name is Wang Ying.]

Fu Yanzhi frowned deeply, his eyes full of confusion. "You mean Wang Ying was the one who switched the original owner? Then why was it his adoptive mother who raised him?"

[Little Zhizhi, you don't know this, but after the original owner was brought home, he fell ill. When Wang Ying saw he was sick, she thought he wouldn't survive, so she abandoned him. The original owner's mother happened to find him and take him home.]

Fu Yanzhi fell silent for a moment, his heart a jumble of emotions. So the original owner's fate had been so full of twists and turns: switched at birth, then nearly abandoned.

Fu Yanzhi asked in confusion, "What about the original owner's biological parents? Do they know their child was switched?"

[They don't. After all, for all these years, they've believed the child they raised was their own flesh and blood.]

Fu Yanzhi clenched his fists. He would find Wang Ying and kill her to avenge the original owner. As for helping the original owner find his biological parents, Fu Yanzhi saw no need. The original owner was already dead, and he had transmigrated here only to complete his mission, so there was no need to acknowledge them as family.

Fu Yanzhi said, "127, where is the original owner's Wang Ying now? Give me the details. I'll finish her off within three days."

[Little Zhizhi, she's working as a nanny for the Fu Family in Hua City now. The Fu Family's young master is her biological child.]

"Hua City's Fu Family?" Fu Yanzhi sneered. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He had not expected her to be there, or to be together with her son. He murmured to himself, "But that won't stop me from avenging the original owner."

[Little Zhizhi, the Fu Family really is a powerful family in Hua City. This mission is very dangerous, but the rewards are also plentiful. As the saying goes, high risk, high reward.]

A sneer curved Fu Yanzhi's lips. "I'll be careful. She must pay for the mistake she made back then."

He began considering ways to get close to the Fu Family, his gaze growing resolute.

Three days was not much time, but Fu Yanzhi was confident he could do it. He decided to go to Hua City first, learn about the Fu Family and draw up a detailed plan. He stood and straightened his clothes, an unquestionable determination in his eyes.

Fu Yanzhi checked the time. It was already twelve o'clock. He opened a food delivery app on his phone, ordered several meals, and called Bo Qing. The call was answered immediately.

Bo Qing picked up and said, "Hello, big brother, what's wrong?"

Fu Yanzhi said, "I've ordered food for you. I have something to do, so I'm going to Hua City now."

Bo Qing thought for a moment. Hua City was close to Luo City, where they were; it was only an hour's drive away.

Bo Qing asked, "Then when will you come back, big brother?"

Fu Yanzhi replied, "I'll be in Hua City for three days. I'll come back after that. Stay home and take good care of yourselves while I'm gone. I'm transferring you some money now; keep it for you and your younger brothers to spend."

Bo Qing asked, "Big brother, what do you have to do in Hua City that will take three days? Isn't it only an hour from Luo City to Hua City?"

Fu Yanzhi said, "You don't need to know about this. Don't worry, your big brother will be fine."

Bo Qing said, "All right, big brother. Be careful."

Although Bo Qing was full of questions, he knew Fu Yanzhi did not want to say more, so he did not press him.

After hanging up, Fu Yanzhi transferred some money to Bo Qing, then drove to Hua City.

An hour later, Fu Yanzhi arrived in Hua City. Rather than go straight to the Fu Family, he checked into a hotel and began gathering information about them.

Using his hacking skills, Fu Yanzhi quickly gathered a great deal of information about the Fu Family. They wielded enormous influence in Hua City, their family businesses spanned multiple fields, and their security was extremely tight. But Fu Yanzhi was not afraid. He studied every detail carefully, trying to find an opening.

As he was absorbed in his research, his phone suddenly rang. It was Bo Qing.

Bo Qing asked worriedly, "Hello, big brother, have you arrived in Hua City? My younger brothers and I are really worried about you."

There was a trace of worry in Bo Qing's voice.

Fu Yanzhi's heart warmed, and he reassured him, "I'm here. Don't worry, I'll take care of myself. All right, second brother, I still have things to do. I'll hang up now. Goodbye."

Reluctantly, Bo Qing replied, "Okay, big brother. Get back to what you're doing."

After hanging up, Fu Yanzhi threw himself back into his planning. He discovered that the Fu Family would hold a charity dinner in two days, and the family's main members would all attend.

The nannies and servants, however, would remain at the Fu Family residence. This might be a good opportunity. A glint flashed in Fu Yanzhi's eyes, and he planned to make Wang Ying pay while they attended the dinner.

Fu Yanzhi first went to look around the Fu Family residence. He found it heavily guarded, and slipping directly inside would not be easy. However, he noticed that a vegetable delivery truck entered the Fu Family residence every afternoon, and an idea formed in his mind. Fu Yanzhi returned to the hotel to rest and wait until the next day to put his plan into action.

The next day, the Fu Family members all went to the charity dinner, leaving only the nannies, the butler and others at the residence. That afternoon, Fu Yanzhi deftly avoided the surveillance cameras and hid inside the truck without anyone noticing.

After the truck entered the Fu Family residence, he quietly slipped out while the kitchen was busy and hid in a utility room. He used the time to work out the nannies' routines.

Fu Yanzhi waited for the right moment and came out of the utility room. Deftly avoiding the servants, he headed straight for Wang Ying's room.

When he pushed the door open, Wang Ying was sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze. She looked terrified at the sight of Fu Yanzhi.

Wang Ying stared at Fu Yanzhi in horror. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

Fu Yanzhi said coldly, "Who am I? Don't you know? I'm the child you switched back then. Your child was a wild chicken that flew onto a branch and became a phoenix, but that phoenix should have been me."

At Fu Yanzhi's words, Wang Ying's face turned deathly pale, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. "No... impossible. How could you have found this place? And how did you find out about it?"

She backed away in terror and bumped into the table behind her.

Fu Yanzhi advanced one step at a time, his gaze as cold as frost and snow on a winter night. "Back then, you ruined my life for the sake of your own child. Now it's time for you to pay."

Wang Ying suddenly fell to her knees, clutched Fu Yanzhi's leg and begged, "Please, spare me. I had no choice back then. I didn't want my child to die."

Unmoved, Fu Yanzhi kicked her away. "Your lack of choice made me suffer so much."

He pulled a dagger from inside his clothes, its blade flashing coldly.

Seeing this, Wang Ying ran madly toward the door, shouting as she went, "Help!" But before she reached it, Fu Yanzhi caught up with her, seized her hair and pressed the dagger to her neck. "Did you think you could escape?"

Fu Yanzhi looked at her like a god of slaughter and said, "Today, it's time to pay for the mistake you made back then."

Wang Ying's legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, begging for mercy over and over. But Fu Yanzhi remained unmoved. He walked toward her step by step, raised his hand and brought the dagger down, ending her life with a single strike.

After killing Wang Ying, Fu Yanzhi was just about to leave when he suddenly heard an uproar outside. The butler had heard the commotion and brought a group of servants with him.

Fu Yanzhi frowned. He had not expected to be discovered so quickly. He swiftly hid behind the door, and when the butler and the others rushed into the room, he burst out. With his agility and extraordinary fighting ability, he knocked them all to the ground in short order. But the commotion drew more people, and Fu Yanzhi realized he could not afford to linger.

He fended off the people who came while looking for a chance to escape. Just then, he saw a window nearby and decisively smashed through it.

After landing, he used the cover of night to quickly disappear into the Fu Family's courtyard.

Back at the hotel, Fu Yanzhi breathed a sigh of relief. More than half the mission was complete. But he knew the Fu Family would not let the matter rest. He would have to be even more careful from now on and leave Hua City as soon as possible, before the Fu Family could pick up his trail. He packed his things and left that very night.

Fu Yanzhi took a taxi back to Luo City. When he returned to the villa, he checked his phone. It was already ten o'clock; his younger brothers should all be asleep.

Fu Yanzhi opened the villa door and stepped inside carefully. Without stopping in the living room, he headed straight for the third floor. When he got there, he saw that the light in Bo Qing's room was still on.

After putting his bag in his room and taking a shower, Fu Yanzhi came out and saw that Bo Qing's light was still on. He went downstairs and warmed a glass of milk, then knocked on Bo Qing's door. When he heard Bo Qing say "come in," he entered, and Bo Qing saw that it was Fu Yanzhi.

Bo Qing said in surprise, "Big brother, when did you get back? Have you finished what you went to do?"

"I just got back. It's done," Fu Yanzhi replied with a smile. "Why are you still awake so late?"

Bo Qing put down his pen and said, "Teacher Lin taught us a new problem today. I'm practicing it some more."

Fu Yanzhi nodded. "Oh, it's getting late. Stop writing for today. Drink this milk, then go to bed."

"Okay, big brother," Bo Qing replied. "You should get some rest early too."