Chapter Three: The Rich Grow Richer

The Prodigal Son – Chapter Three: The Rich Become Even Richer

Sitting in the car, Xiao Tianci was still feeling somewhat dazed, as if he had lost himself. Only now did he realize that, although he had previously considered himself a man of some wealth, in truth he was no different from any ordinary person. Encountering such sudden, staggering fortune, he was overwhelmed.

Of course, having weathered some storms in his life, he managed to maintain his composure and not lose his dignity—at least, that's how he saw it after sobering up a little once he was in the car. However, in his state of extreme excitement, just as he began to feel good about himself, he managed to make a fool of himself.

After they got in the car, Xu Guowei handed Xiao Tianci a few documents. Xu, having recovered from his earlier excitement, began to explain things to him.

The Xiao family were a distinguished clan among the Chinese diaspora—one could say they were a top-tier family. They never made their affairs public, but those who reached a certain level in society would inevitably come to know and understand them. Thus, in the eyes of those who had some knowledge of the Xiao family, they were shrouded in mystery. Yet one thing was absolutely certain: their wealth.

The family controlled thirty-four percent of the shares in the world’s largest conglomerate, the Meihua Group, and owned countless other businesses as well. Though their numbers were not especially large, they were not few either. But who could have imagined that, all of a sudden, disaster would strike? The family held a grand gathering at sea, only to be caught in a hurricane, leaving no survivors.

This event shocked the global elite; the United Nations and governments around the world sent investigative teams, so great was its impact. If anything went wrong with the businesses the Xiao family was involved in, the world economy itself might be affected.

As the main enterprise of the Xiao family, Meihua Group’s other shareholders did everything in their power to search for the Xiao family’s heirs. Although all members of the family had perished, their wills were left in meticulous detail. If no one inherited the Xiao estate, all assets under the Xiao name would be donated to international charitable organizations—a result most shareholders wanted to avoid. Those holding Meihua Group shares were by no means ordinary people: global billionaires, important politicians from various nations, kings and princes.

Xiao Tianci, for his part, was a man of some accomplishment; he knew Meihua Group very well. As a businessman, there’s no way he could not have heard of Meihua. Perhaps ordinary people might not know it, but Meihua’s various holdings had already permeated every corner of the world. Founded in the year 2000, Meihua had been the world’s largest corporation for more than thirty years, yet no one had ever known that someone controlled thirty-four percent of its shares from behind the scenes. If this were true, that alone would make them indisputably the richest in the world.

Could this really be happening? Xiao Tianci desperately wanted to pinch himself, but with others around, he restrained the urge. Moments ago, he had been worrying about his company; now, suddenly, he was about to inherit thirty-four percent of Meihua Group. Damn it, it felt like a dream. Since graduating and quickly rising to an executive position, Xiao Tianci rarely acted as freely as he did in his student days, but now he was so overwhelmed with excitement that he couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Xu Guowei found Xiao Tianci’s reaction even stranger. From the investigation, Xiao was indeed accomplished, but compared with this inheritance, his achievements were negligible. Yet from the beginning till now, his demeanor had been remarkably calm.

Having finished his explanation, Xu Guowei observed Xiao Tianci, who seemed deep in thought, and couldn’t help but praise him, “Mr. Xiao, you truly have the composure and bearing of your illustrious family—steady as a mountain.”

On the surface, Xiao Tianci appeared calm, but inwardly he was tumultuous. Hearing Xu’s words, he replied without thinking, “Even so, I’m dizzy with it all!”

Xu Guowei was momentarily stunned, then chuckled quietly. Xiao Tianci, realizing what he’d said, thought to himself, “Luckily, I only let slip a little.” When Xu Guowei asked, the first thing that had popped into his mind was: “No, no, too much to handle—too much drink makes me dizzy, seeing a beautiful woman makes my feet stick, even riding a bike can send me up a tree, and suddenly inheriting an estate leaves me lost. It’s as if I’ve gone back to my university days.”

Both the poor and the rich react the same way when confronted with sudden, unearned fortune—they’re bound to be overwhelmed. Xiao Tianci couldn’t help but imagine, just like any ordinary person who daydreams about winning five million, what he might do.

He thought, “Well, this is it. The company’s problems are solved, but more importantly—ha, ha—I can finally pursue Tian Ni openly and honorably…”

He had little longing for food, drink, and other material pleasures; he’d already experienced much. Now, all his thoughts about the inheritance revolved around finally being able to pursue Tian Ni openly, without having to hide.

When the poor have been poor for a long time, and suddenly come into great wealth, their greatest wish is to vent all their pent-up desires, whatever they may be—food, clothing, travel, or something else. At this moment, Xiao Tianci’s mind was entirely occupied with plotting how he would pursue Tian Ni in his new identity.

Meanwhile, Xu Guowei and the other two conferred and began to busy themselves with video calls. Xu handed Xiao Tianci some documents and explained as he went. Though Xiao Tianci had become executive president of a subsidiary of Haotian Industries in his twenties, everything he faced now was entirely unfamiliar.

But that hardly mattered. Xu’s explanations went in one ear and out the other; out of ten sentences, Xiao Tianci might grasp one, and forget it before he could remember. It seemed his own words rang true—he really was dizzy!

When Xiao Tianci stepped out of the car, the motorcade had arrived at the airport. He was much clearer-headed now. Looking around, he realized they were at a military airfield, with a top-tier luxury jet parked in front of the convoy. He’d read about such planes, but never seen one, let alone flown in one.

“Where are we?” he asked.

Xu Guowei replied naturally, standing at Xiao Tianci’s side, “This is the city’s military district airport. Since we didn’t know what requirements you might have for the aircraft, we opted for the most comfortable model.”

Huh? Xiao Tianci felt a giant question mark rise in his mind: “Is there even such a thing as different models?”

Xu Guowei continued, “Mr. Xiao, let’s board. The other members of the legal team and Meihua’s shareholders have already been notified…”

Before he could finish, Xiao Tianci suddenly shook his head and smiled faintly, “Sorry, I haven’t had time to think it through yet, but I just realized I can’t go with you—I have more important matters to attend to.”

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