He Qingshan had been poor for twenty years and was about to be unable to afford school when a butler suddenly came knocking.
It turned out he was the real young master of a top-tier wealthy family, switched at birth.
The Jiang family was a century-old clan with a thousand years of heritage and generations of outstanding talent.
Top scientists, archaeology professors, foundation trustees, ace detectives, Oscar-winning actresses, inheritors of intangible cultural heritage... They had a place in every field.
Most importantly, they were filthy rich. They even had their own palace in the mountains, once a royal retreat!
He Qing tossed away his steamed bun and pickles and solemnly shook the butler's hand. "So this is my family."
On the way home, He Qing felt rather uneasy, influenced by the stories about switched-at-birth heirs his upperclasswoman had told him.
He had heard about the fake young master, Jiang Huan: handsome and suave, extraordinarily gifted, raised by the family as their heir from childhood, and so capable that everyone called him "the Crown Prince."
He was worlds apart from a poor country bumpkin like He Qing.
...Was he going to be the sacrificial foil in this story?
But to his surprise, Jiang Huan came out to welcome him in person. The moment he saw He Qing, he burst into tears of joy. "Your Highness! I've finally been waiting for you! Now that the real young master is back, I won't usurp your place anymore. Bye!"
He Qing: ?
Before anyone could react, Jiang Huan had already driven off, as if demons were chasing him.
What was going on?
**
He Qing was soon dazzled by the wealth and forgot all about the fake young master.
But gradually, he realized something was wrong.
At midnight, he could always hear strange sounds, like rats or people crying out, coming from inside the walls.
Every time he passed the altar for sacrifices to Heaven, the statue seemed to have shifted ever so slightly.
His grandfather, a scientist, seemed to be conducting evil experiments at home and keeping some kind of monster.
His second uncle, an adventurer who hated reading, had suddenly lost all his common sense and spent every day in the library. Once, He Qing happened to pass by and heard him say, "Oh, so this is what human civilization is like now."
His actress mother announced a global tour with a French theater troupe, performing the ancient play The King in Yellow.
The strange language his academically gifted older sister recited wasn't some obscure foreign tongue. It was the doctrine of a cult.
He Qing couldn't take it anymore, so he messaged the fake young master: [Come back.]
Jiang Huan replied instantly: [No.]
He Qing: [This is your home.]
Jiang Huan: [Your home.]
He Qing's adoptive parents had died young, and the Jiang family had more than enough food to go around, so Jiang Huan was forced to come back.
The two quickly forged a revolutionary friendship, spending one terrified day after another trying to survive and lie flat.
Jiang Huan: How about we come out as a couple and run away together?
He Qing: ?
He Qing: Have you gone crazy too?
The family couldn't stand having two lazybones around any longer and finally laid down the law: either the two of them inherited the family business, or they got out and married into other families as part of an alliance.
After a moment of silence, their revolutionary friendship quickly fell apart. They rushed to meet the prospective match, who was supposedly two meters tall and weighed 270 kilograms.
A gorgeous young woman hid her face behind a fan, her beauty enough to make anyone swoon. The butler introduced her as the "Daughter of the Swollen."
He Qing sensed something was wrong. "What normal person has a name like that?"
Jiang Huan's face went blank. "She has another name."
"What?"
"Nyarlathotep."
"..."
That night, He Qing grabbed Jiang Huan's hand and ran.
Jiang Huan raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
He Qing said solemnly, "Running away together."
Theme: Support each other and work hard to live.
