Chapter 27: The History of the Xiao Family (3)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The History of the Xiao Family (3)

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“Two years later, the Master did not reunite with Madam as planned. Madam wanted to find him, but it was the most intense phase of the struggle—even many powerful nations’ leaders were involved. The Master had no choice but to avoid Madam. He sent her away, and she left in heartbreak.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tianzi asked, “What happened afterward? Why didn’t Father go looking for Mother and explain everything?”

“At that time, Madam thought the Master couldn’t let go of the family’s wealth and the life of imperial luxury, that he refused to live a quiet life with her. She believed he had forgotten their vows by the sea and mountains. In anger, Madam left him completely. When the Master finally quelled the family’s internal strife, the Xiao family was in ruins—if he left then, it would collapse at once. He tried to find Madam, sent people, and went himself several times. If he had been willing to abandon everything, perhaps he could have persuaded her to return. But he still had to rebuild the family, fulfill his father’s dying wishes, yet also wished for Madam’s return. Madam grew even angrier, and at the time, threatened suicide unless the Master left her alone and stopped searching for her.”

Xiao Tianzi tilted his head, letting out a long sigh; tears shimmered in his eyes. Was his father wrong? Was his mother wrong? Neither had truly erred, so who was to blame? It couldn’t be himself, could it? He didn’t know.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Tianzi recovered somewhat and thought of another question: “Chief Steward, you said Meihua was named after my mother, but Meihua was founded over thirty years ago and I’m only twenty-seven…”

Chief Steward Lin Jian explained, “Meihua was created by the Master just after he met Madam, before they married. But Madam disliked it, so the Master didn’t pursue it further. Later, he revived the name for what is now Meihua Group.”

“So that’s how it is. No wonder Mother was so opposed to my studying business at first,” Xiao Tianzi mused, resting his chin on his hand. “But it’s odd—she was adamant at first, then suddenly changed her mind.”

“That’s because the Master spoke with Madam about it, and she agreed afterward.”

“I see—but wait, how do you know all these things? It seems like you know everything that happened, no matter when.”

Chief Steward Lin Jian answered matter-of-factly, “The Xiao family has an archive with records on every generation’s leader—their actions, events, even their words. As the current Chief Steward, I must be familiar with them. Many details I also learned from my father.”

Having finally clarified these matters, Xiao Tianzi thought a bit more and said, “That’s the past; now, let’s talk about what happened today.”

Chief Steward Lin Jian replied, “Those who were expelled from the Xiao family by the Master years ago, along with others defeated by him, formed an alliance. Their aim is to oppose the Xiao family. They were reckless for several years, until the Master had them designated as terrorists and used considerable force to suppress them. For years, there’s been no news of them, but now that you’ve taken over, they’re active again. Tonight’s incident was their doing. As for other enemies, the situation is complicated; even here, it’s hard to say who is friend or foe. But those from national governments won’t confront us directly.”

“Terrorists—interesting,” Xiao Tianzi mused. “These so-called terrorists are manageable, but as for the others—anyone who knows even a little about Meihua knows what makes it so coveted. It’s not just its tangible wealth; what my father created, Meihua’s real allure, is its control over advanced technology. The value of this technology far exceeds Meihua’s financial worth, but my father managed it well. If that’s the case, it’s likely some major countries are involved.”

Chief Steward Lin Jian replied with certainty, “The methods may differ, but their involvement is certain: espionage, infiltration, manipulation—these are their favorite tactics. The Master created many miracles. When Meihua became the world’s largest conglomerate, he invested heavily in research, and now that the technology is beginning to yield immense value, he’s gone. Moreover, because of the Master’s commitment to benefiting society, Meihua’s tech profits are extremely low.”

“That’s the key point. Because of this, I’m sure some nations are eyeing these technologies. And what about insiders at Meihua—could they leak secrets?”

Chief Steward Lin Jian said, “The Master’s designs are extremely thorough—without proper oversight, the technologies go through numerous procedures, many of which are programmed to self-destruct. If the process isn’t followed exactly, no one can obtain them. The core research lab is independent of Meihua, and only the Xiao family head can access it.”

The matter of the independent research lab had indeed been mentioned to Xiao Tianzi before by Chief Steward Lin Jian. Xiao Tianzi hadn’t paid much attention then, but now he realized it would become a focal point in the future.

Now, Xiao Tianzi’s mind had formed a general picture of the overall situation. He remembered someone was still waiting for him.

“These matters can wait. Now, let me ask—you’ve told me so much, but what about tonight?”

Chief Steward Lin Jian lowered his head. “I am willing to accept your punishment, sir. It was my fault not to inform you, but please rest assured, you were never truly in danger. The other party was only probing. Most importantly, I believe you should know—although the Xiao family is not short of money…”

Xiao Tianzi raised his hand, stopping Lin Jian from continuing. He already knew what Lin Jian meant. He stood, checked the time.

“Only this once.”

Having learned what he needed, Xiao Tianzi left those words behind, turned, and walked out—his bride was still waiting for him. As for everything else, it could wait. Chief Steward Lin Jian was stunned; he hadn’t expected it to end so abruptly. It seemed he still didn’t truly understand his master.