Chapter 1

I went back to my hometown over Christmas break and happened to run into a research group from the city that was studying local traditions.

The group was led by a well-known university professor, Barbara Sullivan.

To show off the town's history, the mayor took them to our old family farmhouse. He pointed to the faded handwritten document hanging in the parlor and said it had been passed down in our family for generations.

Barbara narrowed her eyes and studied it for a long moment. Uncertain, she turned to ask the students with her.

At that moment, my uncle, Gary Meyer, saw his chance. He quickly pushed my cousin, Calvin Meyer, forward and asked, "Professor Sullivam, why don't you let Calvin take a look?"

"Oh? He knows how to evaluate old handwriting, too?" Barbara asked, looking somewhat surprised.

Calvin stepped forward confidently, clasping his hands behind his back as if he were putting on a show.

Meanwhile, I stood at the back and looked at the framed piece on the wall. It was something my great-grandfather had left behind.

I had been studying old handwriting and documents since I was a kid. So, I could tell at a glance that although the paper itself was genuinely old, the strokes lacked firmness and control, and the signature had clearly been added later.

Almost immediately, Calvin spoke up. "Professor Sullivan, I'd say this is an imitation from the early 1900s."

"Oh?" Barbara's eyes lit up. "What makes you say that?"

Calvin went on, echoing my exact thoughts. "It's trying to imitate early 20th-century handwriting, but look at this.

"The stroke doesn't have the right weight. It was clearly traced. The paper may be old, but the writing itself isn't worth much."

Barbara examined it again, then suddenly clapped her hands. "You're absolutely right! That kind of eye only comes from decades of experience!"

The others broke into applause and exclaimed, "He's a genius!"

"This isn't hard," Calvin said with a smirk. "You just call it like you see it, right?"

Uncle Gary, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. "My, my. Calvin's got real talent, huh?"

Then, he turned to me.

"Hey, Jasper, didn't you go to some top university? But you've been staring at it this whole time and still can't say anything," he mocked.

Truth was, Uncle Gary had never liked me. Ever since I was a kid, my good grades had earned me all my family's attention and support.

My grandparents even used the money from the farm to pay my tuition, while his precious son Calvin could only attend a community college.

The better I did, the more it seemed to get under Uncle Gary's skin, and he always had to take a few shots at me to make himself feel better.

Whenever people in town praised me for my good grades, he'd roll his eyes.

"What's the point of a degree? All that studying just makes you clueless. You can't even handle basic social situations. In the end, you'll just be working for someone else anyway!" Uncle Gary had snapped.

"Just look at Calvin! He may not be highly educated, but he knows how to think on his feet. He's going places!"

And now that Calvin had outdone me, Uncle Gary could barely hide his grin.

In fact, this wasn't the first time.

A few days earlier, Alice Smith, a town official, came over for dinner. I had just come up with a toast when Calvin beat me to it, earning applause from everyone at the table.

I was so stunned I couldn't get a word out. Seeing that, Uncle Gary mocked me in front of everyone. He said I had studied so much that I'd turned into an idiot who couldn't even speak.

After that, the way people in town saw me changed completely.