The Real Son Returned—The Fake Heir Panicke

I Saved All of Humanity, Yet My Rich Family Looked Down on Me and Treated Me as an Outsider.

On the very first day I was brought back into the wealthy Zamora family, they threw a welcome-home banquet for me. My younger brother picked up a shrimp—with the shell still on—and placed it in my bowl.

Then he turned to me and said, "This shrimp shell has nutrients. It can help strengthen your bones."

Wait... The Zamora family could be considered well-off.

So why were they so poor that they needed to eat shrimp shells for calcium?

As I sat at the table, trying to enjoy this rare family reunion, I suddenly froze.

It seemed they had all heard my inner thoughts.

——

I continued thinking in my head. 'Human stomach acid can't digest shrimp shells. If you really want to save money, just drink more milk. Besides, shrimp shells are basically kitchen waste.'

My brother, Cedrick, frowned.

'Forget it. This Cedrick... he might have decent looks, but his intelligence probably isn't very high. Better not argue with him.'

Cedrick unconsciously put down his cutlery.

'The institute's research project has already wrapped up. Clinical trials will begin soon. If it passes, I need to make him something to eat as soon as possible—to fix his genetic defect once and for all.'

Cedrick's eyes instantly reddened, his lips pressed tightly together. "It's all my fault for taking away my brother's life..."

"My brother must have suffered so much up in the mountains. Maybe I should be sent there too—then he wouldn't look down on me."

My mother, full of concern, pulled him into a comforting hug, while my father frowned deeply.

Only my sister, Adeline, slammed her silverware on the table and glared at me with pure disdain.

"What's the matter? I just gave you a shrimp, and you act like it's the greatest insult?"

"I said it back then—I didn't agree with you coming back at all. It's been so many years. Why did you insist on returning just to disturb our family?"

"Are you coveting the Zamora family's property? Let me tell you right now—aside from Cedrick, you won't get a single cent!"

My mother hugged Cedrick even tighter and turned to scold me.

"Why did you clash with your younger brother the moment you came home? Hurry up and apologize to him!"

I calmly set down my bowl and cutlery, then swept my eyes across these blood relatives.

I really don't want to eat garbage...

'Can't you see this pretentious act? He cried for so long without shedding a single tear. Do I really have to eat shrimp shells just to keep him from throwing a tantrum?'

'Why does my family seem to have such low intelligence? Will prolonged exposure to low-IQ individuals reduce intelligence by association? Once the medicine passes clinical trials, I should probably let them try it too.'

The dining table instantly fell silent.

They exchanged quick glances with one another. The atmosphere turned strange and tense.

'If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have listened to the professor. Why did I even come back? This feels like a low-budget short drama—boring and ridiculous.'

Adeline glared at me fiercely and said through clenched teeth,

"I'm warning you—don't even think about sowing discord here!"

"Don't think that just because you share Zamora blood, you can take advantage of anything!"

"These shrimp shells were originally for me to eat. If you don't know your place, don't even dream of integrating into this family!"

As she spoke, Adeline suddenly reached out—right before my eyes—and swept all the shrimp shells into her own bowl, crunching down on them loudly.

My father seemed completely used to this scene. He set down his chopsticks and looked at me calmly.

"Julian, right?" he said.

"You've been living in the mountains for years. It's normal if you're not used to city life yet."

"We'll arrange for you to start working in the company's cleaning department first. That way, you can gradually familiarize yourself with the business."

Then he turned to Cedrick, whose eyes were still red from crying, and gently rubbed his head.

"Cedrick, you were raised by us since childhood. Even without blood ties, you've long been our family."

"Your brother has never eaten shrimp before. He doesn't know that shrimp shells can supplement calcium."

"Don't be sad."