translator: Eve
editor: kara
On a certain island in the Pacific Ocean, private airplanes landed in an endless stream. It was the liveliest day this island had ever experienced since its formation.
A dignified middle-aged man swept a gaze over the two young men beside the Xiao Family’s madam. His eyes fell on Xiao Yuanmu, and a small smile appeared in his eyes. “You must be Yuanmu.”
Xiao Yuanmu nodded politely. “Mr. Guan.”
Guan Xiongpai patted him on the shoulder. “You can call me Uncle Guan like Baicong does. Guan Zhi mentioned you before. I had never expected you to be Old Xiao’s son. What a coincidence.”
“Dad, when did I ever talk about him?” Guan Zhi snorted from behind him. “I never did that.”
Guan Xiongpai’s dignified expression broke slightly. He glared at his son. “Didn’t you mention Yuanmu after you had come back from seeing your cousin in the Capital?”
Guan Zhi raised a brow. “I had mentioned Zhou Nan from the Zhou Family and Song Xuanhe from the Song Family. When did I ever mention Xiao Yuanmu?”
Guan Xiongpai coughed. He looked at Xiao Yuanmu, his expression unchanging. “Thank you for taking care of Guan Zhi when he was in China. We’ve troubled you.”
Xiao Yuanmu glanced at Guan Zhi and then looked away. “It’s nothing, Uncle Guan.”
Guan Zhi looked over when he felt Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze on him. He had just been about to ask if Song Xuanhe would come when he just so happened to notice Xiao Yuanmu was now speaking to the patriarch of the Xiao Family, who also happened to be his father. Xiao Yuanmu’s head was slightly lowered, and his dark eyes were tranquil and deep. His lips were slightly pursed, and he would occasionally say a few things. He looked calm and harmless. But for some reason, Guan Zhi ended up swallowing his words. He then looked away.
After the small talk, the Xiao Family patriarch had the butler take the Guan Family inside. As their figures grew distant, it also grew quiet around the Xiao Family. Xiao Baicong asked, “Song Xuanhe…is he your boyfriend? Is he going to come today?”
When Mrs. Xiao heard this familiar name, her expression changed slightly. She turned to look in the direction the Guan Family had disappeared to. A few seconds later, she shifted her gaze to Xiao Yuanmu.
Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes fell onto Xiao Baicong’s curious face. A few seconds later, he said in a chilly voice, “No.”
Mrs. Xiao was taken aback. She asked, “We sent the Song Family an invitation. Why isn’t he coming?”
Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze was serene. “I don’t want him to.”
Xiao Baicong smiled brightly. “And, here I thought you really liked that Chinese person named Song Xuanhe. Guess you don’t.”
Xiao Lin’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. He warned him in a flat voice, “Baicong.”
Xiao Baicong’s expression changed slightly. He pouted. “I was wrong, Father. When I found out that Ge liked someone, I had really wanted to see who that person was. I’ve been looking forward to this banquet a lot. I won’t do it again.”
Xiao Lin looked away. He glanced at his eldest son with his peripheral vision and saw that the other was still calm and unaffected as he had always been since the beginning. A complicated expression appeared in his eyes.
The butler brought the Guan Family to a specially prepared lounge. Shortly after, the butler returned to where the Xiao Family was. “Sir, Madam, the Hoffman Family has arrived.”
Xiao Lin nodded and looked at the private jet that had just arrived. “Yuanmu, I heard that Jung Hoffman visited your company yesterday.”
Xiao Yuanmu: “That’s right.”
“He wants to partner with you?”
“He wants a monopoly of the new energy source in D Country.”
The complicated expression in Xiao Lin’s eyes disappeared. He shook his head, a difficult-to-read smile appearing on his lips. “He’s asking for a lot.”
Xiao Yuanmu looked at the Hoffman Family, who had already hopped onto the shuttle bus. His tone was extremely flat. “If he manages to fulfill my request, I will agree to the partnership.”
Xiao Lin turned to look at Xiao Yuanmu. “What request?”
“A personal one,” Xiao Yuanmu said, “It has nothing to do with the company.”
Xiao Lin regarded Xiao Yuanmu pensively. His gaze then shifted to the shuttle bus that was getting increasingly closer. He pursed his lips and remained silent.
When Mrs. Xiao saw this, a sliver of worry emerged in her eyes. It might be because he had suffered a lot while growing up, but her eldest son kept them at a distance ever since coming back to them. Even though today was a lavish banquet held for the sake of formally welcoming him home, he seemed as unfeeling as ever. He didn’t look excited nor happy.
Moreover, his apathetic attitude was even more evident when he was interacting with her husband and youngest son. She didn’t know if it was because they were all men, but he treated them even more coldly than he did her. The difference was minute—neither her husband nor youngest son had picked up on it—but perhaps it was the connection between mother and son that allowed her to perceive the indifference Xiao Yuanmu had for the family. It was like he didn’t care about whether or not he had them, like he didn’t need them. She even felt like her eldest son actually preferred to be alone.
That was why she wanted to see Song Xuanhe so much. She wanted to see what the only person in this world who was able to make Xiao Yuanmu feel concern and love was like. She wanted to learn more about her eldest son from the lips of his beloved. She wanted to be involved with Song Xuanhe so that she could get closer to her own son through him. Most importantly, she wanted to know if Song Xuanhe was really worthy of being cherished by her eldest son like this.
Therefore, she had fought with her husband. She had disregarded the rule that the Xiao Family patriarch must not have a partner of the same sex and had stubbornly mailed out that invitation to the Song Family.
She hadn’t expected that even after all that trouble, Song Xuanhe wouldn’t be coming.
Mrs. Xiao’s smile faded slightly. Worry and fatigue appeared in her eyes. It had already been some time since they had found Xiao Yuanmu. She had tried all sorts of methods to get closer to him, but they had all failed. Except for Song Xuanhe, she didn’t know what else to do.
“I’m very happy that you could come to tonight’s banquet, Mr. Hoffman.”
The Hoffman patriarch shook hands and hugged Xiao Lin. He then looked at Xiao Yuanmu. He stuck a hand out and greeted him in D Country’s official language. “You’re Xiao Yuanmu, the Xiao Family’s long-lost eldest son, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Xiao Yuanmu met his gaze. He calmly shook his hand and spoke in an unhurried tone using D Country’s language. “The pleasure is mine, Mr. Hoffman.”
The Hoffman patriarch paused. He then smiled. “I’ve prepared a gift for our first meeting. I hope you’ll like it.”
“Thank you.”
The Hoffman patriarch shifted his gaze back to Xiao Lin. In Chinese, he said, “Your son, he’s excellent.”
Xiao Lin was also shocked upon finding out Xiao Yuanmu could speak D Country’s official language. He had never heard the other speak it before. There were also no records of him having ever learned D Country’s language before either. But when he thought about Xiao Yuanmu’s photographic memory and outstanding learning ability, he didn’t think much of it. He simply smiled. “Mr. Jung is also an exemplary young man.”
The Hoffman patriarch nodded proudly. “Although he’s got the family behind him, his company’s progress has exceeded my expectations. But, he’s still no match for your esteemed son. Young Mr. Xiao’s RE has grown rapidly. His research in that new energy source has been a great contribution to the world as well. Compared to him, Jung has a lot of room for growth.”
Jung stretched a hand out towards Xiao Yuanmu. “I apologize for what had happened in the past. It was the Hoffman Family’s fault for failing to provide adequate supervision. But, I have already promised you that I will conduct a thorough investigation, and the results will be out very soon. I hope that we will have the chance to work together after this matter has come to an end.”
Xiao Yuanmu nodded, his tone both polite and distant. “If there is a chance.”
A profound expression appeared on Jung’s stern face. He nodded.
When the butler came to lead them in, he whispered an address into Xiao Yuanmu’s ear as he passed him by.
Xiao Yuanmu’s expression didn’t change. He followed the other with his eyes.
The Hoffman Family’s arrival meant that seven out of the eight major financial groups were now present. The Xiao Family was now only waiting for the James Family.
Soon after, the James Family had arrived. They consisted of a tall Caucasian man and a comparatively petite East Asian woman. The two of them walked over hand-in-hand. After greeting Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Lin, the East Asian woman smiled. “You must be Yuanmu?”
Xiao Yuanmu raised a brow. The people from the other seven families had all called him “Mr. Xiao” or his full name. This was the first time someone had addressed him so familiarly. However, although he was wondering about this, it didn’t slow down his reaction at all. He nodded courteously. “Hello, Mrs. James.”
Mrs. James gave him a graceful smile and hugged him. “I’m Chinese. My Chinese name is Li Nianran. I’ve heard about you. I’m really happy to meet you.”
Xiao Yuanmu paused and then politely returned the hug. “I’m also happy to see you.”
Mrs. James let go and then smiled at Mrs. Xiao. “Both your sons have majestic and dignified bearings. You’re very fortunate.”
Mrs. Xiao had been astonished to see Xiao Yuanmu return Mrs. James’s hug. It took her a few seconds to respond to Mrs. James’s comment. “Thank you.”
Mrs. James’s smile was sweet. She chatted with Mrs. Xiao a bit before looping her arm around her husband’s arm and walking inside.
All of the important guests had arrived. The Xiao Family banquet had also begun without a hitch. After Xiao Lin had made a formal proclamation of Xiao Yuanmu’s identity, he brought him along to introduce him to the guests.
Xiao Lin introduced Xiao Yuanmu to all of the people he had planned on introducing him to before saying, “Go see your mother. She has people she wants you to meet as well.”
Xiao Yuanmu: “Okay.”
Xiao Lin took in his son’s handsome face. He became lost in thought for a moment. He raised his hand, paused for a moment, and then patted the other on the shoulder. “Go. Since you’ve come home, spend some more time with your mother.”
Xiao Yuanmu’s expression changed slightly. He nodded. “I’ll go find Mother.”
The banquet hall was huge, but it was easy to find Mrs. Xiao. Xiao Yuanmu made a beeline for her when he noticed her. But midway through his trek, his gaze was attracted by the people chatting by the glass dome.
The people who were chatting had also noticed him. Mrs. James waved him over.
Xiao Yuanmu paused and then headed in their direction. “Mrs. James, Auntie Song.”
Mrs. James’s smile grew deeper. She said, “We were just talking about you. Who would have thought you’d come over?”
Li Nianan sized Xiao Yuanmu up. When she saw that he was more-or-less the same as when she had last seen him, she smiled. “Long time no see.”
Kara: Ah…could this be leading to a meeting of the in-laws? (° o°)! Also, I kind of feel bad for Mama Xiao…she just wants to get along with her son, then again, you didn’t even bother looking for him all this time. (￢ε￢ )
xiin: maybe there’s more behind the scenes that we don’t see yet… also, what is up with the chapter titles @[email protected]
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