Time moved slowly for an infant.
For Li Wen, trapped in his weak, undeveloped body, the days crawled by. But his mind? It never rested.
At three months old, he had mastered his first game: being invisible.
He cried at the right times.
Smiled when expected.
Reacted to toys and voices like any ordinary baby.
Doctors called him healthy.
Servants cooed over him.
His parents barely noticed him beyond obligatory appearances.
Exactly how he wanted it.
---
Watching the Players
Lying in his crib, his eyes flicked lazily between the figures in the room.
The nanny — young, easily influenced.
The maids — some loyal, some spies for his uncle.
Bodyguards — trained professionals, but their loyalties? Bought easily enough in this house.
His father — cold, distant, obsessed with business.
His mother — perfect smile, but eyes that drifted anywhere but his face.
His grandfather — the only one who truly watched.
Li Wen remained quiet, harmless… waiting.
---
First Signs of Family Division
At family dinners, he was carried in and placed in his high-end stroller beside Madam Chen.
The adults talked in polite tones, but beneath the words, the tension was unmistakable.
His uncle, Li Jianyu, laughed too easily.
His father's jaw clenched ever so slightly at certain remarks.
His mother's eyes lingered on expensive jewelry worn by relatives' wives — status games, quiet resentment.
Even his cousins — just teenagers — already mimicked their parents' arrogance and subtle hostility.
Li Wen listened. Observed. Memorized.
In my first life, he thought, I was blind to this… thought I was above it. Look where that got me.
This time?
He was watching the chessboard from day one.
And no one knew.
---
Four Months Old — First Victory, Small But Sweet
Mrs. Zhang, the experienced housekeeper, visited again. Sharp eyes, old-school values.
She lifted him gently, studying him.
"Still quiet… clever eyes," she muttered.
Li Wen gurgled, reaching out — a small, clumsy gesture.
Her expression softened, just a little.
In his first life, she had been dismissed — replaced by a corrupt staff member loyal to his uncle. A small loss that snowballed into disaster.
Not this time, Li Wen thought.
A small, innocent act of reaching out… enough to plant favor early.
A tiny win.
The first of many.