Chapter 5

Over the next few days, I deliberately feigned a worsening condition.

They thought I was too disoriented to hear or remember anything, so they stopped being cautious, conversing directly by my bedside.

“Bro, he won’t last much longer.”

Chloe’s voice was full of impatience.

Ethan scoffed, kicking the foot of my bed.

“Once he hands over the rest of his retirement savings, we’ll just dispose of him. The apartment and savings will all be ours.”

I lay there, my body cold.

The glasses camera live-streamed every word, every expression, crystal clear.

The comments instantly blew up.

【They’re not even pretending anymore! Are these really his biological children? These are demons!】

【I praised their filial piety before, I must have been blind!】

I appeared unconscious, but secretly, I had already sent the live stream recording, bank statements, and the forged matching report.

All of it went to Detective Miller, my retired police uncle.

As soon as the message was sent, I clutched the fruit knife I had secretly taken from the cafeteria, hiding it under my pillow.

To make one last big score, they decided to host a fully live-streamed “filial piety” birthday celebration on my sixtieth birthday.

They would publicly announce a successful bone marrow transplant and share the good news at the banquet to scam more donations.

As soon as the banquet ended, they planned to eliminate me.

Then they would claim I died on the operating table due to transplant failure.

They would walk away scot-free.

That day, the hospital room was decorated festively with red.

Ethan forced a smile.

“Dad, happy sixtieth birthday. May you live a hundred years.”

Chloe held her phone, live-streaming.

“Thank you, everyone, for your continued support! My dad will be fully recovered soon!”

The comments were already flooded with bots.

But the viewers of my secret live stream tacitly agreed not to expose their true nature.

They, too, wanted to see what these two “children” would do.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a menacing-looking stranger standing outside the door—one of their accomplices.

A fellow patient and a few enthusiastic netizens came in to wish me a happy birthday. Someone smiled and asked me,

“Uncle, your children are so devoted, you’re truly blessed.”

I offered a weak smile and a gentle nod, secretly adjusting the camera to high definition.

It captured them exchanging glances with the man outside the door and secretly passing him a note.

Chloe brought a cake and held it to my mouth.

One whiff told me something was wrong; the cream had a strange smell.

I pretended to eat it, but spit it out the moment they turned away.

The celebration soon ended, this “filial piety” birthday banquet was a complete success.

The final act was over.

My “children” stopped bothering to hide their true intentions.

Ethan looked at his phone, checking the payouts, and scoffed.

“Why were the donations from this live stream so low? But with the previous ones, it’s enough for us to make a clean break and disappear overseas.”

Chloe, after seeing off the guests one by one at the door, turned her gaze to me.

“We’ve been acting for so long, finally no need to pretend. Old man, you should just accept your fate.”

The secret live stream instantly erupted.

【Holy sh*t! They’re completely dropping the act! These two aren’t even human!】

【I pitied them before, now I want to slap myself twice!】

I slowly raised my eyes to them.

“You thought I wouldn’t recognize you?”

“You are not my son and daughter at all. From the first day you stood by my hospital bed, I knew.”

Both of them visibly froze, clearly not expecting me to have known the truth all along.

After a brief moment of shock, they burst into arrogant laughter.

“Didn’t expect you, old man, to be quite clever. Too bad, what good is knowing? You’re still at our mercy.”

I used all my strength to question them.

“What did you do to my real children?”

Chloe leaned closer to me.

“Your good children? They’ve long been buried on some distant hillside, their bones probably rotten by now.”

The live stream exploded completely.

【Animals! They’re absolute animals!】

【Call the police! Quick, call the police! These are murderers!】

Ethan saw my face turn pale and my breathing become rapid, assuming the drug in the cake was finally taking effect. He leaned in smugly to provoke me.

“They were crying and begging us back then, that sight was much more entertaining than you now.”

“Just wait patiently. Once that fake surgery tomorrow is over, you can go join them for a family reunion.”

With that, he reached out to tie me up.

The moment he came closer, I suddenly pulled out the fruit knife hidden in my sleeve.

Using all my strength, I plunged it into Ethan.