Like a Child With a New Lease on Life

I've been kidnapped for ten years. When I finally get to go home, I find out that my parents have adopted a new son.

In order to prevent me from bullying the adopted heir, Jake Ewing, my parents decide to enroll me in a popular transformation reality show.

Every day, I have to compete with the pigs for food and a spot to sleep. Before I go to bed, an instructor will make me recite a hundred times how good my parents and Jake are.

If I ever make a mistake, I'll face harsh public punishment in front of the camera. I also have to apologize repeatedly until the director is satisfied with me.

Once the reality show is over, I finally transform into the perfect son and brother my family prefers.

But on the day the reality show is set to air, I choose to jump off the TV station's rooftop, killing myself once and for all. That's when my parents lose their minds.

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry."

I kneeled in front of my parents at the doorstep, mechanically repeating the vows I had practiced countless times.

"I've realized my mistakes. I swear from now on, I will treat Jake well. Everything will be about him first. He's the best. He comes first. His life is more important than mine."

As soon as I finished speaking, the director Arthur Black's voice rang out, "Cut!"

This transformation reality show had finally wrapped up.

Arthur said it was over, but I remained kneeling without getting up.

Mom and Dad, on the other hand, were beaming as they shook Arthur's hand, thanking him.

"Thank you for teaching Logan so well. Once the show airs, we'll definitely have all our relatives and friends watch."

Arthur smiled and turned to me. "Logan, remember to get along well with your family from now on."

As he spoke, he came over to help me stand up, but I flinched at the sight of his hand and instinctively backed away.

His hand froze in midair. Seeing that, Dad immediately scolded me, "What kind of attitude is that?"

When I remained silent, Arthur draped his arm around my shoulder and laughed it off. "It's fine. He probably just doesn't want to leave us."

After saying that, he gave me two hearty pats on the back and stared at me. "Just remember how good we've been to you."

I couldn't help but tremble and nod weakly.

After the crew left, Mom and Dad led me inside the house.

As soon as we entered, I noticed my younger brother, Jake Ewing, secretly rolling his eyes when he saw me.

But as soon as Mom and Dad looked at him, he immediately plastered a cheerful smile on his face and rushed over. "Logan! I really missed you! You've been gone so long. Let me show you your room!"

Without waiting for my answer, he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward my room.

As soon as the door closed behind us, his true colors emerged.

He sneered with pure malice. "Why did you come back? It would have been so much better if you'd just died out there."

I looked at him, unfazed. I was accustomed to this by now.

A few years ago, when the police first brought me back from the village where I had been trafficked, he had been just as nasty behind Mom and Dad's back, telling me to get out of the house.

However, I was their biological son. He wasn't.

Noticing I didn't react at all, Jake sneered.

In the next second, he hurt himself on the face and collapsed to the floor.

The room was soon filled with his cries. "Dad! Mom! Help!"

Mom and Dad rushed in quickly. Seeing the slap mark on Jake's face, Dad grew furious and shoved me roughly to the ground. "What have you learned? How dare you bully Jake? We shouldn't have brought you back here!"

Mom held Jake in her arms and looked at me with disappointment. "Jake treats you so well, and this is what you do to him?"

Dad pulled out his phone in front of me. "I'm calling your instructor right now to see if we can send you back!"

His words hit me like a loud buzz in my head.

It was Jake's recommendation that got me sent to participate in this transformation reality show in the first place.

During the filming, I was treated extremely harshly.

The production team made me sleep in a pigpen and made me compete with the pigs for food, claiming it was to teach me how to endure hardship. At night, I had to sleep in the corner of the pigpen.

Before sleeping, I had to listen to the instructor talk about how kind they were.