A pristine white space, a delicate little room, and through the window, a breathtakingly beautiful starry sky stretched out. Everything was so tranquil, serene, and peaceful, as beautiful as a dream, a poem, or a painting.
In the room, a man in his twenties with a striking red beauty mark between his brows and exquisitely handsome features sat with phoenix eyes brimming with madness. Despite the peaceful surroundings, he radiated an overwhelming sense of oppression and frenzy.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the man suddenly let out a low chuckle, which soon escalated into loud, unrestrained laughter, filled with sorrow and agony. A tear traced a glistening path down his refined cheek—a pain born from losing the most precious thing in his life.
The man’s name was Yi Lingfan. Originally, he had been just an ordinary orphan in a modern world where technology was steadily advancing. However, thanks to his exceptional academic performance—far surpassing even the typical “genius” label—he had become an outstanding prodigy. His looks were equally remarkable, though his introverted and shy nature made him seem aloof to outsiders. Still, he wasn’t particularly disliked. Despite giving off an untouchable aura, Yi Lingfan was quite popular and well-liked.
The small orphanage where Yi Lingfan grew up had poor living conditions, but the matron was kind and patient with the children. Though his childhood was materially lacking, Yi Lingfan considered himself happy—he had a home, a mother figure, and siblings.
Moreover, as a top student, he received scholarships and grants, making his life manageable.
Eventually, Yi Lingfan achieved the highest score in the national college entrance exams, nearly perfect, and was admitted into the mathematics department of a top-tier university, both nationally and globally. Respected professors held him in high regard. To save on tuition and become financially independent sooner, he accelerated his studies, graduating early—just as he had done before university.
His academic excellence led to recruitment by a prestigious national institution. After two years of work, he demonstrated outstanding ability, and his future seemed bright. But at the critical moment when he was about to be promoted, he died in a car accident.
Had it been an ordinary accident, Yi Lingfan might have lamented his bad luck without further thought. However, his death was no accident—it was a premeditated murder, orchestrated to take his life.
After death, for reasons unknown, Yi Lingfan lingered in the world in what seemed to be a spectral form, gradually uncovering the truth behind his demise.
A junior colleague in his department, Su Baiye, had graduated from the same university and program. With delicate features and charming dimples when he smiled, Su Baiye appeared sweet and well-mannered. Talented, hardworking, and pleasant in demeanor, he would have been the department’s brightest star—if not for Yi Lingfan.
As the saying goes, “The inferior is eclipsed by the superior.”
Su Baiye was indeed outstanding, but Yi Lingfan overshadowed him in every way. The only advantage Su Baiye had was his background: while Yi Lingfan was an abandoned orphan, Su Baiye was the adopted son of the prestigious Su family in the capital and the fiancé of another influential family’s heir.
Yes, in this world, same-sex marriage was legal.
Faced with someone infinitely superior to himself, Su Baiye’s resentment and jealousy were inevitable. Yi Lingfan was aware of this but paid it no mind—he had dealt with envy all his life. If he had bothered with every jealous person, he’d have been exhausted long ago.
So, Yi Lingfan simply distanced himself from Su Baiye, treating him as a stranger. He trusted his institution’s integrity—even Su Baiye and his fiancé couldn’t use underhanded means against him there. Thus, Yi Lingfan dismissed Su Baiye’s jealousy.
Unfortunately, this indifference ultimately led to his death at Su Baiye’s hands.
For Su Baiye, as long as Yi Lingfan lived, he would never rise. Only Yi Lingfan’s death could secure his future.
The root of this lay in Yi Lingfan’s true identity.
Su Baiye had been adopted by the Su family because they had lost their second son. The matron, heartbroken, developed psychological issues, prompting her husband and eldest son to adopt the illegitimate child of her best friend.
This arrangement allowed the friend to remain single without societal judgment while giving the matron an emotional anchor. That child was Su Baiye—treated as a true son in the Su household.
But this was all part of Su Baiye’s biological mother’s scheme.
She had always envied the matron—her loving parents, wealthy background, devoted husband, accomplished son, and her own brilliance as a celebrated socialite. Meanwhile, she came from an ordinary family with an abusive husband, a weak mother, and a life of mediocrity.
Her resentment drove her to steal the Su family’s newborn second son and abandon him, later maneuvering her own child into the Su family as the replacement.
Her goal? To have her son inherit everything that rightfully belonged to the matron’s lost child.
Had the eldest Su son not been old enough to remember and well-protected, he too might have been a target.
But it didn’t matter. She believed that if her son excelled enough, he could surpass even the eldest and claim the Su family’s vast fortune.
Thus, Su Baiye bore immense pressure—from the Su family and his biological mother.
Initially, he performed admirably, a model child—though still overshadowed by his elder brother. His engagement to a prominent man temporarily satisfied his mother’s ambitions.
Then Yi Lingfan appeared, rendering Su Baiye insignificant in comparison.
Being outshone by his elder brother was one thing, but being surpassed by a backgroundless orphan wounded Su Baiye’s pride. Worse, his fiancé showed signs of being drawn to Yi Lingfan—unsurprising, given Yi Lingfan’s superior looks.
Yi Lingfan bore a striking resemblance to the Su matron, which unsettled Su Baiye. He took care to prevent any contact between Yi Lingfan and the Su family, but when he accidentally obtained hair samples from both and confirmed their biological relationship through a DNA test, his darkness erupted.
*As long as Yi Lingfan lives, I’ll never rise!*
The thought of Yi Lingfan exposing his true identity and stripping him of everything was unbearable.
Su Baiye knew why his fiancé had chosen him—his status as the Su family’s second son provided the influence needed to suppress his fiancé’s illegitimate siblings.
Losing that status meant losing everything.
So, with no time to waste—lest Yi Lingfan’s rising prominence lead to an encounter with the Su family—Su Baiye orchestrated Yi Lingfan’s “accidental” death.
After all, if he had already stolen Yi Lingfan’s identity for so long, why not keep it forever?
With Yi Lingfan gone, no one would ever overshadow him again.
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