Ming Lin's "imitation" was unconscious. He had been brainwashed by the words "my son" for so long that he believed no one could tell, and even convinced himself that this was who he really was.
Chu Yilan remembered correctly. They had met as children.
Back then, Chu Yilan appeared to have everything, but the chance at life Ming Mei and Old Master Ming had left him had already been all but exhausted.
To silence the gossip, Chu Changqi had treated the Ming Family courteously at Old Master Ming's funeral. Most people knew what had happened, but faced with overwhelming power, no one would speak up for a half-grown child.
Hidden in the bushes, Ming Lin had seen Chu Changqi standing in the shadows, with a dazed Chu Yilan kneeling beside him.
Even as a child, Chu Yilan seemed to have anticipated what would happen next.
It was only a little turtle a classmate had given him, but in Chu Changqi's hands, it seemed to become something especially interesting.
"You're keeping a living creature." Chu Changqi held the tiny turtle between his fingers and examined it closely. "You actually still dare to keep a living creature."
Chu Yilan said hoarsely, "It isn't mine. I have to give it back to my classmate..."
Before he could finish, Chu Changqi shot him a mocking glance.
"Son, lying isn't a good habit." With that, Chu Changqi tossed the turtle onto the ground and stepped on it with his left foot. The little creature had only just hatched and was terribly fragile. There was a crunch, its shell shattered, and the flesh inside died with it.
The light in Chu Yilan's eyes went out. He slowly rose to his feet, his expression too cold to belong to a child.
Chu Changqi, however, was thoroughly satisfied.