Chapter 4: The Shadow of the Past

The large doors of the dining room were wide open, and from outside, one could already see a long table with about twenty seats, exquisitely decorated.

At the head of the table sat a man, with three others around him, two men and one woman. Everyone was eating, no one spoke, and the only sound in the room was the clinking of cutlery.

Based on their positions and appearances, Rayne quickly identified the identities of the four people.

At the head of the table, clearly the owner of this mansion, sat the father of the former "Rayne," named Cedar Lyle. He managed the vast wealth of the Lyle family, and his presence radiated the aura of someone born into affluence. When Rayne stepped into the room, he cast a brief, disdainful glance at him, then continued his meal without paying further attention.

To his right was a woman, older in age but carefully maintaining her beauty, still appearing youthful, perhaps in her thirties or forties. She wore tasteful makeup, looked incredibly elegant, and moved gracefully, occasionally speaking a few words to Cedar Lyle. This was the stepmother of the former "Rayne," named Ivy Lyle.

On her side, with one empty seat between them, was a young man with a very composed demeanor. He skillfully cut a tender, juicy steak with his knife and fork, eating with elegance. His face was striking, angular jaw, high nose bridge, sharp eyes, meticulously styled hair, and a tailored shirt that perfectly showcased his tall figure. This was the half-brother of the former "Rayne," named Kai Lyle.

On the left of Cedar Lyle sat a man whose hair was starting to gray. Because he had his back to Rayne, he could not see his features clearly, yet he could still guess his identity.

That man was the military uncle who had guided the former "Rayne" into the army, the only support he had in this household.

Rayne approached their seating area and, following the relationships in the novel, chose to sit next to that uncle.

The man’s slightly long gray-streaked hair fell naturally without styling, so from Rayne’s angle, his full face was not visible.

As Rayne pulled the chair next to him, the man turned his head to look at him. In that instant, Rayne froze for a moment.

When writing the novel, this uncle character was only mentioned briefly, never appearing directly, so Rayne had not named him, only giving a short description that he was a military man, a general…

He had never imagined what the uncle looked like. For him, minor characters didn’t require much attention, only their relationship to the main character mattered.

But seeing the man’s face and his gentle smile stirred an indescribable feeling in Rayne.

If not for his reason keeping him in check, he would have reflexively called the man “Dad.”

The former "Rayne"’s uncle looked exactly like the father Rayne had lost five years ago.

His father, Edwin Lyle, was not his biological father. He had adopted Rayne from an orphanage and raised him alone. Following his father’s footsteps, Rayne had joined the military and become a soldier like him.

He had once thought the two would be a father-and-son pair advancing together in the army, pursuing the ideals of a soldier’s life.

But in ways he could never foresee, Edwin would die. He died protecting Rayne, taking a fatal bullet meant for him.

Memories surged like waves, engulfing Rayne in an instant. He stood frozen, staring intensely at the face before him.

“Why are you standing there dazed? Sit down and eat.” The uncle, who looked like his father, said, pulling out a chair just enough for Rayne to sit.

Rayne regained composure, softly said “Yes” and sat down. He was still tense, holding his knife and fork, staring at his empty plate.

Ivy across the table glanced at him, her lips curling into a sarcastic smile, and she said mockingly: “Rayne, I’m not wrong, you really are careless. You’ve been away from home for so long, and now that you finally have a chance to come back on leave, you still have no sense, so much so that you need to be invited down to eat. Do you know how long your father has been waiting for you?”

Rayne restrained his personal emotions and looked up at her.

Ivy didn’t stop, her red-lipped mouth babbling on: “And when you came back, you didn’t even greet your dad. I wonder if you even care about him. You’ve spent plenty of time with your uncle, you can see him at the barracks, but at home, you should care about your dad a little. Is he less important to you than your uncle?”

Rayne didn’t interrupt, but each sentence felt like she was speaking for him, putting words into his mouth.

He glanced at Cedar. The man was still eating, though his face had darkened, clearly displeased.

Ivy had no intention of stopping, continuing her baseless accusations, paying no attention to anyone else, focusing solely on Rayne.

“Mom, that’s enough!” Suddenly a voice cut her off. She froze, looking at her son in disbelief.

Rayne also looked at Kai.

“He's not home on a usual leave. Didn’t uncle explain that to you, mom?” Kai lost his temper, confronting her, then shyly glanced at Rayne before lowering his eyes: “Uncle said you were injured, so you’re on leave to recover. How are you? Was the injury serious?”

The concern in Kai’s voice surprised Rayne, but he kept a neutral expression, replying lightly: “I’m fine.”

In his heart, he marveled, true to a prestigious family, this generation could act even better than the last.

According to the novel, Rayne and Kai had never been on good terms since childhood, their conflicts only grew with age, and in adulthood, their confrontations became more intense.

Kai followed his father’s path into business, working in the Lyle family’s corporation. He had great potential to inherit the family fortune, but the reality was uncertain.

First, being the child of the second wife, there were still many external shareholders in the company who would not allow someone to rise and seize power.

Second, Rayne held 8% of the shares, a significant influence, passed down from his late mother, untouchable even by Cedar. In contrast, Kai had not yet gained even 1%, being a young graduate only a few years into work.

Among other shareholders, the difference between Rayne and Kai was obvious.

Kai couldn’t bear seeing his brother benefiting without effort while he labored like a beast to climb to branch director. So he devised a plan to shake Rayne’s position in the eyes of the shareholders and the Lyle family.

He wanted Rayne to weaken from illness, forcing him out of the military, without uncle’s support, too tired to participate in the corporation, thereby reducing his value, making Kai the legitimate heir.

To execute this plan, he went through the black market, buying a virus from a “stuff” dealer. According to the seller, this virus would weaken the body without causing specific illnesses, usually used in brothels to train their “goods.” He planned to inject it into Rayne, causing his brother’s health to decline, making him unable to work, perpetually fatigued.

But the dealer wasn’t honest, giving him a new flu virus instead, then disappearing.

At the time of the transaction, no one knew this virus, seemingly harmless, would later cause a zombie pandemic.

Rayne thought of the story’s plot, looked at Kai’s seemingly sincere appearance, and, hiding a smile, asked: “How’s work these days? I heard you just got promoted?”

Perhaps hit in a sore spot, Kai looked uneasy, avoiding direct eye contact, gave a vague answer, then quickly changed the subject: “Try this dish, you probably rarely see it in the army, it’s been a while since you had it.”

As he spoke, he pushed a small plate of peeled shrimp toward Rayne. There was a larger plate of roasted shrimp with garlic sauce still unpeeled, just before, Kai had carefully peeled them himself, but now offered it to Rayne.

Rayne said nothing and didn’t touch it.

The meal continued in silence, only the sound of cutlery clinking.

Cedar didn’t speak the whole meal, soon standing and leaving the table. Ivy also stopped eating immediately and followed him.

Kai, perhaps feeling awkward, lingered briefly, saluted his uncle, and then left.

Only Rayne and the uncle remained in the dining room.

He noticed that Rayne ate very little, didn’t touch the shrimp Kai had given, seemingly uninterested in eating further. His eyes carefully observed him, adjusting his posture slightly, noticing the small mole behind Rayne’s left ear.

From Rayne’s angle, he couldn’t see, but the uncle smiled faintly. Then he placed a portion of chocolate mousse in front of Rayne: “This dessert isn’t bad, try it.”

Rayne had been disinterested in the meal, every dish felt bland, with no intention of trying dessert.

But perhaps influenced by emotion, he accepted the small piece offered by the uncle, slowly savoring it with a spoon.

The mousse was slightly cold, soft and smooth, melting instantly in his mouth. The chocolate was rich, slightly bitter, with the distinct aroma of cocoa spreading across his palate.

He turned to the man beside him and said honestly: “You were right, this dessert is delicious.”

“Mm.” The uncle squinted, smiling, then pushed his chair back and stood, patting Rayne on the back twice as he advised: “If you don’t want to be here, just go home and relax. Rest well, take care of your injury, understand?”

Before Rayne could respond, the middle-aged, gray-streaked man left the dining room.

Rayne stared after the figure, feeling a bit confused.

He… didn’t know where “his home” was anymore.

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