Chapter 2446: Another Me 15

The flashbulbs blazed brightly, and microphones were thrust forward one after another.

"Lai Donglai? Is Lai Donglai here?" a reporter shouted.

Lai Donglai was dazed by the scene, still trapped in the fear from just moments before.

A friend beside him, accustomed to flattery, lowered his voice and nudged him, "Donglai! Did you score too high, leak the news early, and that's why the TV station came for an interview?"

Jin Chen almost laughed out loud.

Lai Donglai, however, believed it, took a deep breath, straightened his back, and pushed through the crowd to step forward.

"I am Lai Donglai!"

The reporters immediately surrounded him, thrusting their microphones almost to his face.

"Lai Donglai, do you clearly know that your father, Lai Fendou, is suspected of cheating on his spouse for money, illegally occupying the huge estate of your uncle Lai Si, and long-term abusing his only son, Lai Chi?"

"Evidence shows that over your three years of high school you repeatedly snatched your cousin Lai Chi's academic results—is that true?"

"How can you enjoy what rightfully belongs to Lai Chi with a clear conscience, even leading his isolation and bullying at school?"

"Your father has just been taken away by the police for investigation—do you know about it?"

……

The private room fell terrifyingly silent in an instant.

Everyone's eyes widened; those who had just been flattering Lai Donglai froze, their expressions stunned and bewildered.

Jin Chen picked up the half‑cup of plain tea and took a slow sip.

"Little Chi, his surprise has arrived."

All color drained from Lai Donglai's face, his lips trembling.

He seemed not to understand, yet each word struck his heart.

"What… what? My dad… is under investigation?"

Jin Chen timely handed over his phone, being helpful: "No thanks needed—look for yourself."

Lai Donglai instinctively caught it.

On the screen was a local news video.

Lai Fendou was escorted by police, handcuffed, head bowed in disgrace.

Qiu Juan, behind them, was stopped while crying and shouting.

Headline: The truth behind the death of A City's former New Technology Group nouveau riche Lai Si—actually murdered by his own brother?! The True Young Master turned into a discarded child, the truth of usurping the nest!

"Heavens…"

"My heavens…"

"So it turns out Lai Chi is…"

The classmates fumbled for their phones to search, exclamations and gasps rising and falling.

Their gazes toward Lai Donglai shifted from flattery to naked contempt.

"So Lai Chi is the true heir of the Lai family? Lai Donglai's family are just poor relatives who came to rely on them?"

"No! Fake! All of it's fake!"

Lai Donglai flung the phone away as if scalded, shrieking hysterically, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

The reporters' questions continued.

Amid the chaos, a reporter turned the microphone toward Jin Chen.

"Lai Chi, can you tell us the truth of what you've experienced these years?"

Jin Chen set down his teacup and lightly tapped his finger on the table.

Deep in his consciousness, his voice grew extremely soft: "Little Chi, do you want to speak yourself?"

Lai Chi was no longer the little turtle he once was.

He now had the confidence that came from the name 'Jin Chen'.

"Mm, big brother, I'll do it myself."

Consciousness switched.

Lai Chi lifted his head, facing the blinding flashbulbs and countless gazes, his body tensed.

He opened his mouth; his throat was dry and tight, his voice hoarse yet firm.

"After my father died, the inheritance should have been mine, but Lai Fendou deceived my mother… saying he would take care of me, taking the money and house, and not spending a cent on me."

"My mother, abroad, doesn't know…"

Speaking in public after so many years required more courage than Lai Chi had imagined.

His voice trembled, yet grew stronger the more he spoke.

He paused, then said, "Lai Donglai stole my grades, told the teacher I cheated, and led everyone to ignore me, calling me a parasite."

With each sentence, Lai Donglai's face grew paler, and the surrounding classmates bowed their heads lower.

The camera focused on Lai Donglai's distorted face, then panned over those classmates.

Those who had once bullied Lai Chi immediately covered their faces, defending themselves: "We were just joking… who let him not explain himself…"

The reporters were laughing in anger.

The male student whom Jin Chen had educated on the balcony covered his face, speaking recklessly to the camera: "He hit us, hit us until we couldn't speak! He definitely has violent tendencies!"

The reporters looked at them, confused, momentarily at a loss, their expressions complex.

"... You're not speaking right now?"

This instead made the reporters more convinced of Lai Chi's unjust ordeal, their eyes filled with sympathy.

"Lai Chi," another reporter said gently, "after experiencing all this, what are your plans for the future?"

Lai Chi's gaze slowly shifted to the dazed and lost Lai Donglai.

He took out a portable hard drive from his backpack, held it up to the camera, and said, "Appeal, until they spit out every penny...."

After saying that, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

"Brother......"

"Little Chi is amazing, braver than I thought, Brother will reward you when I go back, and I'll take over." Jin Chen instantly sensed it and took over the body.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -10, total 56!】

After the reporters left with their material, the private room descended into chaos.

The classmates stared at each other.

Those who had once bullied Li Chi had faces burning with shame; some lowered their heads and slipped away, while others approached Jin Chen, stammering apologies.

"Li Chi, sorry, we were wrong before......"

Jin Chen didn't even lift his eyelids, sipping tea to himself, treating them as if they were air.

Li Donglai shoved the apologizing person aside, rushed up to Jin Chen, his eyes bloodshot.

"Li Chi! We've been brothers after all! Why must you go for the kill, not sparing a shred of brotherhood?"

Only then did Jin Chen slowly set down his teacup, lift his gaze, the corner of his mouth bearing a sneer so faint it was almost nonexistent.

He looked at Li Donglai and said, "Brothers? When your dad plotted to murder my Father for the inheritance, did you think of brotherhood then?"

"You stole my grades, led the bullying of me—did you think of brotherhood then?"

"Unless a slap lands on your face, you'll never know pain."

Jin Chen suddenly let out a low laugh, devoid of warmth.

He leaned in slightly, drawing close to Li Donglai, locking eyes at close range, his voice lowered to an extreme whisper, laced with cruel amusement.

"Did you ever treat Little Chi as a brother?"

Li Donglai trembled all over.

Jin Chen declared, word by word, "I am his true brother."

Having said that, he no longer looked at Li Donglai's instantly pallid face, turned and walked away.

His back was straight, aloof and detached.

Li Donglai froze in place.

Sure enough, it's true—Li Chi's body houses another terrifying personality!

Watching Jin Chen about to disappear at the doorway, Li Donglai was consumed by hopeless desperation and a frenzied desire for revenge.

No, this can't be—he can't meet his doom alone.

He fumbled for his phone in a panic, fingers shaking badly, desperately searching for Zhou Shuo's number.

The call connected, and he nearly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Shuo bro!"

"Shuo bro, save me, come quick! No… no, my Father didn't kill anyone—first come pick me up, I need to tell you……"

"……Li Chi is a lunatic! He has two personalities in his body!"

"What are you saying? The police are also looking for me?"