Chapter 55

Juan the Insider

“So, you’re saying…those two really are father and son?” After the bombshell Juan dropped on him, Scott stayed silent all through the next two meals until Juan began exercising again. Then, Scott finally spoke.

“Yes, the scent doesn’t lie. People with the same bloodline don’t always look alike, but the scent of their blood will have the same underlying tone.” Juan said calmly, jogging briskly on the treadmill.

“Do I…have that smell, too?” Scott asked cautiously.

“Just a little.” Juan replied.

Scott’s emotions grew more complicated.

He felt a slight relief, but even more confusion.

So, the fake young master was actually his father’s biological son, too? That would explain why he treated the other boy better. Trading one biological son for another—this couldn’t be accidental.

Did this mean he’d been abandoned on purpose?

And by seeking them out himself, had he ruined their plan?

Scott froze in thought.

Ignoring Scott’s inner turmoil, Juan continued running on the treadmill.

Unlike an ordinary treadmill, this was a luxurious panoramic treadmill. No equipment was needed, and as Juan started running, the scenery around him continuously changed in all directions—even above and below him. The landscapes were vividly realistic and shifted naturally, making it feel as though he was running through real environments. Additionally, a powerful air system adjusted the humidity and even scent of the air to match each setting, ensuring a fully immersive experience. At first, the butler and doctor had gently suggested that he try the treadmill, but now Juan was genuinely interested, moving seamlessly from one scene to the next. He had already run 43 kilometers.

Behind the gym’s glass, in a spot where Juan couldn’t see, several Buricha family members and doctors watched him run, their expressions deep and contemplative.

“Little brother has already run 43 kilometers, equivalent to a marathon,” said Nico, Scott’s adoptive brother—or rather, as it now appeared, his true brother.

“He did it in just two hours and ten minutes, faster than my own pace, and his steps seem effortless,” noted Jap, Scott’s cousin, who was highly attentive to fitness stats given his own training routine.

“Oh! Is that impressive? It looks like our little Scott really is healthy again!” Penny exclaimed, standing beside her son, exaggerating her tone. Smiling, she congratulated Nico and his father, “It’s thanks to the two of you that he’s recovered. You must be overjoyed to see him like this, right?”

“Haha, they’re so happy they’re speechless!”

Without sparing the pair another glance, she left with her son and husband.

Since her son wasn’t eligible for that family position, she had no intention of scheming; she simply didn’t like Brownie. He was only the son-in-law, yet he treated his father-in-law so well—as if he were his own father—and his career in the company climbed so high. Even after his wife’s death, he hadn’t remarried…

People praised him for his devotion, but she believed it was just ambition.

Ignoring her tone entirely, Brownie simply crossed his arms and watched the young man running, silent.

Unaware of what was happening outside, Juan just kept running.

His already sharp senses had become even keener after the black fire incident, and though he couldn’t see them, he knew there were people behind him. This was why he kept running, showing strength and stability to make them believe he was fully recovered—which was precisely his goal.

Otherwise, to a dragon, running in one spot seemed rather pointless.

After another half hour, feeling he’d made his point, Juan finally stepped off the treadmill. With a maid’s assistance, he wiped off sweat, drank some water, and, guided to the bathroom, took a shower. Dressed in fresh, clean clothes, he walked out of the gym only to run into the father and son duo.

Juan’s bright blue eyes fixed on the older man with a look of anticipation.

See? I’m healthy enough to go out… If his gaze had a voice, that’s likely what it would say.

The man seemed to catch on to his meaning, but only partially.

“You’re fully recovered? Then start studying. I didn’t push you in academics because of your health before, but now that you’re better, I expect you to study hard. If your grades are poor, I’ll punish you,” he said coldly.

When he received no response from Juan, he frowned. “Why aren’t you saying anything? When you see your father and brother, you should greet them, shouldn’t you? I overlooked many things because of your weak health before, but now that you’re well, you’ll be expected to meet every requirement. If you don’t understand proper etiquette, I’ll arrange for an etiquette teacher for you!”

With that, he left with a list of academic demands and teacher arrangements, taking his so-called adopted son with him.

Juan: …

“Do I really smell even a little like him?” Scott asked timidly in Juan’s mind.

For once, Juan was a bit unsure. After sniffing in the direction the man had left and then at himself, he finally gave Scott a somewhat tentative answer.

“I suppose.”

After all these years, Scott had become more at peace with his fate, thinking that, with his own life nearing its end, those two meant little to him. He wasn’t concerned anymore about their parentage; instead, he was curious about the scent Juan had mentioned.

“When you said they both smelled bad, I thought you just didn’t like them. Could it be that they actually do smell bad? Uh… and me too?” Scott asked.

“Yes, they really do. Their odor is stronger, while yours is faint, but if you sniff closely, you can catch it.” Juan replied as he walked toward Scott’s room. “By the way, your uncle has a sour smell, and your aunt has a bit of a sour scent as well.”

“Wow! So my cousin must smell really sour?” If he had a body, Scott felt he’d be staring wide-eyed.

“Indeed, he smells somewhat like pickled sour cucumbers,” Juan assessed.

“But if both my uncle and aunt are sour, do you think humans choose partners based on scent? They might not be able to smell it, but maybe there’s an innate attraction?” Scott was excited by the possibility.

After considering it, Juan nodded. “You might be onto something.”

So, they spent the rest of the time discussing scents.

The Bricha estate was large, and on their way back to Scott’s bedroom, they encountered many male and female servants, doctors, the butler, and secretaries. Scott asked about each one’s scent, and Juan told him what he detected.

By the time they reached the bedroom, the butler had already delivered a schoolbag and a wrist terminal to Scott’s room, along with a driver.

Here’s the translation of the text you provided:

—

“Second Young Master, here are your school supplies. Mr. Brownie instructed that you will start attending school tomorrow.” As he spoke, he placed the backpack and the holographic device on the nearby coffee table. Then he introduced the driver standing beside him—

“This is your driver, Aban. He will be the one to pick you up and drop you off for school every day. If you want to go anywhere outside, you can also instruct him.”

Pick up and drop off? Going out? Juan’s sensitive ears picked up these two key phrases, and he immediately asked, “Going out to school, does that mean by plane?”

Caught off guard by his question, the butler hesitated for a moment before replying, “No, just regular vehicles. Young Master, your school is not that far away.”

A vehicle is good enough! The main point is that starting tomorrow, I can go out!

The plan of exercising to show off his good physique has succeeded—Juan pursed his lips and looked intently at his future driver Aban, causing the young man to feel a chill down his spine, while Scott internally high-fived Juan.

“You’re really impressive! You can go out after just one day, while it’s been nearly ten years since I last went out…”

That night, the two individuals sharing the same body held the same level of anticipation for tomorrow. Then early the next morning, before the alarm went off, Juan woke up early.

After washing his face, he started combing his hair. Since Scott’s hair wasn’t long enough for braiding, Juan habitually styled his hair to the right and back, tidying his fluffy hair into a neat slicked-back look. When a refreshed Juan reappeared in the dining room, everyone was momentarily stunned.

“Look at Scott today; doesn’t he look a bit like Uncle?” Penny exclaimed dramatically, pointing at Juan, who hadn’t eaten yet because he was waiting for others.

The uncle she referred to was Scott’s grandfather, the creator of the Bricha family’s vast business empire and the unspoken king of Bricha City.

However, Juan still hadn’t met him until today.

“Indeed, he does look a bit like him,” Scott’s cousin, standing behind his wife, replied honestly.

Then his wife meaningfully addressed the arriving Brownie and his son, “As expected of a biological grandson, there are definitely some similarities. It’s not fake, but even with the same hairstyle, there’s still no resemblance at all…”

As she spoke, her gaze briefly lingered on Niko’s face before quickly shifting away. Grabbing the menu from the butler’s hand, she began contemplating her breakfast.

Brownie showed no signs of emotion, while Niko’s expression stiffened.

Seeing Niko’s hairstyle, Scott suddenly realized that Juan’s hairstyle today was surprisingly similar to Niko’s. Moreover, it was only with his aunt’s hint that he discovered: Niko’s hairstyle was quite similar to their grandfather’s!

Uh… So Niko has been imitating his grandfather’s hairstyle all along? At what age did Niko start styling his hair like that? Hmm… when I saw him, he had already been sporting this hairstyle, and in family photos, it looks like he started around five or six years old?

From his aunt’s hints, was Niko doing this to look more like his grandfather?

Starting to play tricks at such a young age, I really am no match for him!

In the face of Penny’s sarcasm and their son’s embarrassment, Brownie finally said, “Everyone admires my father’s way of handling matters; it’s only natural for the younger generation to yearn for it.”

This eased Niko’s embarrassment.

As for Juan, he was completely unaware that he had unintentionally matched hairstyles with someone. As the one who had started all this, he began to eat breakfast seriously once everyone’s meals had been served.

As usual, he ate a lot.

After finishing, he left and sat in the car driven by Aban, watching as the vehicle slowly drove away from the Bricha family mansion. He was filled with anticipation for his upcoming working life.

Seeing Juan curiously looking outside, Aban thought he was simply excited about the outside world since he hadn’t been out for a long time, and patiently began introducing the scenery along the way.

“Our Bricha City is built on the sea. You see how flat the ground looks? In reality, there’s water underneath, and it’s deep sea. Mr. Bricha, your grandfather, initially built just a sea platform here for underwater mining. Unexpectedly, when the apocalypse struck, strong surface movements reshaped many continental plates. He chose not to return to the land but instead built a new land here, which is how Bricha City and its many residents came to be.”

“Our piece of land was constructed using the latest technology and is very sturdy. Moreover, the location is great, calm and pleasant, plus the abundance of minerals has made everyone wealthy. Many outsiders want to move to our Bricha City!” The more he spoke, the prouder Aban seemed to become about living in Bricha City, and working for the Bricha family that created all this was something he took great pride in.

Although Juan couldn’t fully empathize with what he was saying, he could understand him a little by looking at the peaceful scenery outside.

He wasn’t wrong; Bricha City indeed looked very tranquil.

Unlike Eden, which was desolate outside but felt like a laboratory inside, and different from the remote and dilapidated Sunlight Base, Bricha City felt like a big city.

Hmm… it didn’t have the futuristic vibe of Eden’s outer city; instead, it resembled a pre-apocalyptic city from a historical documentary.

The buildings varied in height, with skyscrapers and two- or three-story houses. There weren’t many neon lights; the city was more adorned with plants, boasting a large number of trees and flowers. There weren’t many elevated roads, with only a few overpasses; instead, there were ordinary ground roads. Hover bikes existed but mostly traveled obediently on the ground.

“… Mr. Bricha is rather old-fashioned. Under his management, Bricha City looks no different from pre-apocalypse cities; it lacks the flashiness of other big cities, but it’s comfortable to live in! There’s less light pollution!” Clearly a loyal fan of the old Bricha, seeing that Juan hadn’t spoken for a while, he mistakenly thought Juan preferred the flashy new cities outside. He quickly explained, “Even though Bricha City looks old-fashioned, it’s filled with technology! Because we have a lot of underwater minerals, we’re rich, and Bricha City is one of the cities that uses the most new technology patents nowadays!”

Here’s the translation of the text you provided:

—

“Not only that, did you see the sculpture up ahead? That’s one of the most famous sculptures from a certain country before the apocalypse. It ended up submerged in the sea after the apocalypse, and it was Mr. Bricha who bought it back to display in our city.”

“Not just that sculpture! Look at the wall on the left and the pathway in the flowerbed on the right; they are all antiques! They are the crystallization of ancient wisdom and craftsmanship!”

“With both new technology and old antiques, Bricha City has deep cultural roots!”

Shifting his gaze away from those exquisitely crafted antiques, Juan nodded, acknowledging the driver’s words.

When he smiled, the driver beamed even more.

With his happiness, the car drove smoothly and quickly, and soon they arrived at Juan’s destination—

“Bricha University”

This was still the best institution in Bricha City, personally supervised by Old Bricha during its construction, and reportedly one of the best universities in the current world.

Once Juan’s car came to a stop, Niko and Jap’s cars also halted at the school gate.

Three identical cars, understated yet visibly luxurious. As the three stepped out, several students at the entrance began to whisper, their faces filled with envy, with many girls blushing immediately.

Clearly, everyone knew the identities of the people in the cars.

Well… not completely; they definitely recognized Niko and Jap, but who was the person who stepped out of the first car? Does the Bricha family still have someone like that?

Thus, people began to whisper among themselves.

In front of everyone, Niko and Jap nodded at Juan and then each went their separate ways, clearly already attending school here and now heading to their respective classes.

Juan didn’t linger at the school gate for long; soon a school official arrived in person, accompanied by a secretary to welcome him.

“Mr. Scott, your father said you would come to enroll today. You can choose your department yourself. I wasn’t sure about your interests and specialties, so I didn’t make any arrangements without your input. Please choose which department you would like to join,” the person who came to greet him was a vice-principal, who smiled warmly and appeared very friendly. As he spoke, he kindly handed Juan introductions to the various departments at the school.

Thus, the whole school knew that the new transfer student was the young master of the Bricha family, who had once been weak and sickly but was now healthy, able to enroll directly without taking exams due to his family background.

A relationship within a relationship.