Chapter 1: Close Your Eyes, Inherit Billions

Chapter 1: A Fortune in the Blink of an Eye

"Young Master, are you certain you wish to choose love and forsake ten billion yuan?"

The man's left hand rested on the oak table before him, his right index finger lightly hooked around the coffee cup's handle. His brow was furrowed with an expression of profound disappointment, as if lamenting a lost cause. "Foolish!"

Jian Ruochen, lost in thought, murmured, "Huh?"

What was happening?

Wasn't he just sleeping in his dorm at the Chinese Criminal Police Academy?

Where was this place?

The man's tone was calm yet chilling. "Your father, Jiang Mingshan, is ruthless and overbearing, yet he dotes on his adopted son, Jiang Hanyu, indulging his every whim. Jiang Hanyu may appear gentle, but if he truly wished for your return, he would have interceded with your father on your behalf these past few years. Instead, you weren't even permitted to be registered on the Jiang family's household ledger!"

He paused briefly. "It's been three years since you were acknowledged, yet you still reside in rented accommodation."

Jian Ruochen frowned, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together.

Father?

His ancestors, for three generations, had sacrificed their lives for the nation, and he himself had been raised by the state since childhood. Where did this 'father' come from?

However, the name Jiang Hanyu did sound familiar.

Yesterday, he had accompanied his roommate to an antique market to browse for bracelets. Uninterested in polishing walnut handicrafts, he had squatted by a secondhand book stall, passing the time by reading a novel.

The book he had randomly picked up was titled "The Tycoon," a fictional urban BL novel, and Jiang Hanyu was its protagonist.

The story revolved around the sickly, universally adored protagonist, Jiang Hanyu, and his sweet, doting romance with the male lead, Lu Qian, set against the backdrop of 1990s Hong Kong.

On the surface, it was a sweet romance, but in reality, it was rife with bloodshed, violence, and every conceivable vice. Organ trafficking raced alongside high-speed trains; a single chapter could violate up to three laws, making readers clench their fists in anger and wish they could arrest the author on the spot.

He had only managed a few chapters before giving up, skimming through the rest with quantum speed-reading until he reached the ending.

In the end, this "perfect couple" had broken over a dozen laws yet somehow escaped justice, living happily ever after.

Jian Ruochen had been utterly shocked at the time.

Coincidentally, there was a universally despised cannon-fodder character in the book, also named Jian Ruochen, who served as a foil to the protagonist. To be with the male lead, he voluntarily gave up his inheritance of ten billion yuan and stayed with the Jiang family... Huh?

Wait!

Jian Ruochen suddenly looked down at his hands.

He had spent nearly four years at the police academy, and his hands had long developed calluses from firearms and physical training. In his spare time, he enjoyed studying magic, so he kept his nails neatly trimmed and clean.

But the hands before him were slender and delicate, weak and frail, with beautifully shaped half-moons at the base of the nails. They were meticulously groomed and rounded, even coated with a nude-colored protective polish. The nail polish was of poor quality, emitting a faint, paint-like odor.

These were not his hands.

A wildly absurd suspicion crept into Jian Ruochen’s mind. He looked up and studied the man before him.

The man appeared to be around fifty years old, with streaks of white hair at his temples. He had a refined and elegant demeanor, wearing frameless glasses behind which lay a pair of classically defined phoenix eyes. He was dressed in a meticulously tailored indigo-blue suit, with a gold chain attached to the third button of his vest.

The chain extended into the vest pocket, weighing it down. From the slightly raised circular outline on the pocket, it was clear the chain was attached to an expensive pocket watch.

Jian Ruochen stared intently at him, pulling the name of this British-style butler from his memory. "Luo Binwen, Butler Luo?"

"Yes," Luo Binwen replied. "My Chinese name."

Jian Ruochen pressed hard on the fleshy part between his thumb and index finger. It hurt.

Bad news: he had transmigrated.

Good news: the cannon fodder hadn’t yet refused the inheritance.

He had arrived just in time.

Jian Ruochen remained silent for a long moment. Luo Binwen took out his pocket watch and glanced at it.

8:00 p.m.

He had been persuading him in the café for over seven hours and was running out of patience.

"Young Master," Luo Binwen sighed. "I didn’t want to say this, but... Jiang Hanyu was diagnosed with myelofibrosis yesterday. This illness requires continuous blood transfusions until a successful hematopoietic stem cell transplant. You both have RH-negative blood. If you insist on staying with the Jiang family, you will likely become his mobile blood bank... Do you understand what I mean?"

Jian Ruochen understood perfectly.

But the cannon fodder in the novel didn’t. Upon hearing this news, he instead believed that by helping Jiang Hanyu recover from his illness, he could earn his father’s acceptance and marry the one he loved.

He offered nothing but sincerity to everyone, yet all he received in return was endless betrayal, exploitation, abandonment, and humiliation.

In "The Tycoon," Jiang Hanyu suffered from many illnesses. In the later stages, almost all of his vital organs were replaced with Jian Ruochen’s, until he needed a new heart.

In the end, "Jian Ruochen" was left battered and broken, dying at the age of 22 on a winter night, his body wrapped in a straw mat and sunk into Pier 8 of Hong Kong’s Stonecutters Island.

The plot was utterly absurd.

It made no sense, not just legally but also medically.

Luo Binwen noticed Jian Ruochen’s hesitation and immediately pressed further. "As long as you accept the inheritance, I will take you away from the Jiang family right now."

Just as Jian Ruochen was about to agree, someone grabbed his shoulder. The chill from the person’s hand sent a shiver down his spine.

"Jian Ruochen, come with me."

Jian Ruochen turned toward the voice and met a pair of anxious eyes.

Luo Binwen took a deep breath, barely stopping himself from standing up and cursing. Suppressing his anger, he demanded, "Lu Qian, what do you think you’re doing? Trying to steal him away?"

Other customers in the café turned to look at the commotion.

Lu Qian ignored them, his gaze fixed intently on Jian Ruochen.

Jiang Hanyu had just called him, crying about his illness and how he needed continuous blood transfusions. But where in Hong Kong could they find so much RH-negative blood?

With no blood source available, he thought of Jian Ruochen, who shared the same blood type.

To his surprise, as soon as he arrived, he overheard someone planning to take Jian Ruochen away from the Jiang family.

How could that be allowed?

If Jian Ruochen inherited that enormous fortune, he would surely slip entirely out of their control. What would happen to Jiang Hanyu then?

Lu Qian’s breathing grew rapid.

He looked down at Jian Ruochen’s side profile, glowing softly under the dim light. Though somewhat frail, his features bore a slight resemblance to Jiang Hanyu’s.

Doesn't Jian Ruochen like him? So much so that he doesn’t mind being Jiang Hanyu’s stand-in.

As long as he’s treated with a little gentleness, he definitely won’t refuse.

Lu Qian reached out, brushed the hair falling on Jian Ruochen’s cheek behind his ear, then crouched down to look up at him. “Come home. I’ll persuade Jiang Mingshan to honor the engagement between us.”

Jian Ruochen snorted.

When it came to subjects related to criminal psychology, he was the top student at the police academy, and Lu Qian’s acting was downright terrible.

He didn’t hesitate to call him out: “Your eyes were darting away when you said that, which means you have no confidence in your own promise and are just putting on an act.”

“Although you spoke with a gentle demeanor, one corner of your mouth curled down slightly, and the muscles under your eyes were tense.”

He paused, savoring Lu Qian’s expression of suppressed anger before continuing, “It shows you disdain me so much you can’t even fake a smile.”

Lu Qian’s mind was laid bare, and his expression went blank for a moment.

Before he could even defend himself, Jian Ruochen nodded to himself. “Ah, seems I hit the nail on the head.”

Luo Binwen couldn’t quite grasp Jian Ruochen’s thoughts.

Half an hour ago, this person had been uncooperative, like a robot that only knew phrases like “Mm,” “Oh,” and “I don’t want to.”

But now, those slightly upturned amber eyes shone with a rare brilliance, clear and vibrant yet bold.

It was the same face, yet the aura was entirely different, as if a beautiful doll had been infused with an incredibly vivid soul, radiating a mesmerizing, almost otherworldly allure.

Lu Qian slowly rose to his feet, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked down and asked, “Do you want to break off the engagement?”

Jian Ruochen glanced around, meeting the curious stares in the café, and was amazed by Lu Qian’s maneuver. “You stood up because, subconsciously, you wanted to use your height to pressure me, since you can’t persuade me with rational words. You raised your voice to make me feel embarrassed in public, hoping I’d give in to you under moral pressure?”

A master!

A PUA master!

Jian Ruochen rested his chin in his hand and shook his head. “Not gonna work, Lu Qian. Don’t twist the truth. The one engaged to you is the Jiang family’s young master. My household registration isn’t with the Jiangs, and my surname is Jian. The one who needs to fulfill the engagement with you is Jiang Hanyu, not me. Don’t get the wrong person.”

The mocking looks that had been waiting to see Jian Ruochen humiliated shifted to Lu Qian.

Moral pressure and social embarrassment don’t disappear—they just transfer.

Luo Binwen watched Lu Qian’s dark expression and allowed himself a slight smile.

So satisfying.

The young master has finally wised up. Excellent!

Luo Binwen grinned, eyes shining. “Yes, yes, yes! Young master, you can marry eight men simultaneously in the future if you want. No need to hang yourself on one rotten tree.”

Jian Ruochen: ?

Wake up, bigamy’s against the law.

So you’re a lawbreaker too.

He murmured, “This world is just too ridiculous.”

Everywhere you look, there are cases to handle.

What about criminal law and the police?

Are they gone?

Lu Qian’s face was stony, his fists clenched. “You’ll regret this.”

Jian Ruochen smiled.

The smile was fleeting, and Lu Qian was momentarily dazed.

The sharp, radiant Jian Ruochen was stunningly beautiful, a natural masterpiece. But he preferred Jiang Hanyu—sweet, soft, and fond of acting cute, like a soft, watery mochi ball, making it impossible to say harsh words to him.

Jian Ruochen’s face, though fragile and pitifully beautiful, was always hidden in cheap, drab clothing.

Lu Qian withdrew his gaze coldly, turned, and left the café.

It didn’t matter. If he wasn’t willing, so be it. The Lu family had ways. He would find a way to make Jian Ruochen submit. He would never let Xiao Han suffer.

Once the man was gone, Jian Ruochen tapped the table and said to the spaced-out Luo Binwen, “Butler Luo, the inheritance contract.”

Luo Binwen was momentarily stunned. “You’re giving up on Lu Qian?”

Jian Ruochen grunted in agreement. “To hell with love. I’m inheriting ten billion.”

After nearly eight hours of effort, he finally had results. Luo Binwen wanted to hire a symphony orchestra to play “Ode to Joy” on the spot.

He pushed the contract and a pen over to Jian Ruochen. “Young master, the contract is here. Please review it. Aside from the ten billion in cash, the inheritance also includes a manor, a multinational conglomerate covering industries like automotive, dining, real estate, media, and entertainment. All operations are managed by professional executives, so you don’t have to worry. Just kick back and collect the money.”

Jian Ruochen flipped through the pages. So much money…

He could never spend it all. Absolutely never.

He signed the contract, then pressed his fingerprint next to the date and the names of the assets. It was settled.

Luo Binwen’s face lit up with excitement. “Let’s go to your place to pack your things first. Your mother left you a hilltop villa at Lijin International Garden. From now on, I’ll take care of your daily needs.”

“Alright,” Jian Ruochen replied calmly. “How are we getting there?”

“I drove. I’ll take you to your current place to pick up your luggage first.”

The butler paid the coffee bill, gripped Jian Ruochen’s hand firmly as if afraid he’d run away, and all but shoved him into a silver Porsche parked by the roadside before driving him to the Da Shang Tuo Quarry.

He rambled on: “The Jiang family went too far. Not only did they not register you in their household, they even made you live next to a quarry. It’s so remote and polluted—not a place for people to live.”

“If Jiang Hanyu hadn’t been diagnosed with myelofibrosis, they would never have thought to bring you to the ancestral estate.”

Jian Ruochen didn’t respond.

In the novel, Jian Ruochen had lived in a rented room from beginning to end, never once having a room of his own in the Jiang family ancestral home.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hanyu, who enjoyed everything, even occupied a ten-square-meter bedroom in the ancestral home.

The original story didn’t spend much ink on the cannon fodder.

He was less like an independent person and more like a puppet to push along the main couple’s relationship, with parts that could be freely removed and replaced.

Jian Ruochen thought for a second. The Porsche’s leather seats were too soft, and this body was too frail. He had been awake for less than five minutes before he leaned back against the seat and fell sound asleep.

Ten billion’s great, but he’d still rather go back and take the police academy exam in a few days…

Just consider it a cathartic dream, where one can settle scores and pay back grudges; the brave get a head start on experiencing the joy of sending someone to jail.

"Young Sir, we're here."

Jian Ruochen drowsily opened his eyes, feeling his exhaled breath hot and feverish.

Luo Binwen pressed the back of his hand against Jian Ruochen's forehead, immediately took off his suit jacket to cover him, and turned the car's heater to the highest setting. "I didn’t think this through. Should we come back tomorrow?"

"No need. Since we're already here, may as well," Jian Ruochen straightened up, "it's just a cold."

After all, there wasn’t much to pack—probably just some documents.

Beside the Tai Shek Tok Quarry stood a row of shipping container homes, with steel stairs that made dull thudding sounds when stepped on.

Jian Ruochen followed Luo Binwen to the second floor. Before they even reached the door, they heard urgent knocking.

The containers had poor soundproofing, and soon a neighbor turned on the light and cursed angrily, "What’s with the knocking so late?"

Cantonese?

Jian Ruochen was dazed for a moment before remembering that the novel *The Tycoon* was set in a fictionalized Hong Kong.

Luckily, he was from Guangdong before he transmigrated, or he really wouldn’t understand the language.

Jian Ruochen sneezed against the wind. When he looked up, he met the gaze of a female police officer.

She held up her badge and said to Jian Ruochen, "Are you the tenant of this unit? I’m Senior Inspector Chen Yunchuan from the Sham Shui Po Police Station in West Kowloon. You’re being investigated in connection with a homicide case. Please cooperate with our work."

Jian Ruochen thought: Great, this world still has police.