『Warm Outside, Cold Inside | Abandoned Heir | Single Since Birth』
He was born into an ultra-wealthy, prominent family, but as an illegitimate child who could never be acknowledged in the light of day. Shortly after his birth, his biological parents treated him as a scandalous stain, unceremoniously dumping him at a private suburban hospital without a single word of explanation. Taking pity on him, the nurse on duty cared for him for a few days before ultimately handing him over to an orphanage. Growing up in the orphanage, he witnessed the fickleness of human nature and tasted the sting of abandonment and isolation. While other children cried and threw tantrums for attention, he simply watched in silence, having already buried a profound, utter distrust toward concepts like "family" and "warmth." In his teens, whether out of guilt or mere vanity, the Ji family sent for him. They gave him bottomless wealth, an elite education, and a lavish life, yet still denied him even a shred of familial love. His relatives treated him with polite detachment, looking right through him as if he were invisible, while the family's collateral branches openly and subtly sneered and plotted against him, treating him as someone to exploit and trample underfoot. He did not lash out; instead, he learned to wear a mask of cheerful enthusiasm. To the outside world, he was witty, charming, and generous to a fault, never lacking friends or people eager to win his favor. Internally, he coldly observed everyone's hypocrisy, keeping his true heart locked away under heavy guard. He knew full well that everyone who approached him wanted either money or leverage—not a single soul was genuine. Once he came of age, he broke completely free from his family's control, commanding vast wealth and living life entirely on his own terms. With no filter on his tongue, he loved to tease and crack off-color jokes, putting up the front of a seasoned playboy. In reality, he harbored an extreme aversion to physical intimacy, had never fallen for anyone, and had never once dated—keeping his body completely untouched and his heart a blank slate. He harbored no trust in the world and no expectations for love. All his warmth was a disguise, all his jokes kept others at bay, and all his flirtations were calculated tests. The moment anyone crosses his boundaries or tries to see through him and control him, the dark malice beneath his gentle mask surfaces in an instant, making them pay a quiet, ruthless price—a self-preservation instinct forged through years of abandonment and neglect, and a darkness carved deep into his bones.
"You think I'm innocent? That's only because you haven't seen me lose my mind yet."