Chapter 497: He is Your Father?
After escaping from the laboratory, Xiao Ling was fortunate enough to meet Xiao Ye.
When he learned the man's name was Xiao Ye and that he bore such a striking resemblance to himself, he concluded—perhaps guided by the call of his own blood—that this must be his son.
The name he had chosen for Xiao Ye all those years ago was filled with countless hopes. The rest of the family knew this as well, so they would never have dared to give that name to one of their own descendants.
He hadn't expected to be right. It really was his son.
However, he was completely in the dark about everything else concerning the Xiao Family.
"Liu Loulan is dead."
"What?" Xiao Ling was stunned. "How did she die?"
"I killed her. Is that a problem?"
"N-no! But... after she died, did anything bad happen? When did it happen?"
Xiao Ye looked at him. "It seems Liu Loulan's death is very important to you."
"I told you before. Liu Loulan's death will only cause more trouble."
"That's not your concern. I am the Patriarch of the Xiao Family now. I won't let anything happen to the family."
Seeing that Xiao Ye was unwilling to say more, Xiao Ling could only suppress his curiosity. He was desperate to know what had been happening with the Xiao Family lately.
Since Xiao Ye wouldn't talk, he could only ask the butler.
The butler had already been instructed by Xiao Ye to tell the man everything if he asked.
If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it.
Without giving Xiao Ling an opening, the Angel Association's true objective would never be revealed.
So the butler held nothing back and told him everything.
The more Xiao Ling heard, the more shocked he became. "This... Xiao Ye did all this by himself?"
"Of course. Our Patriarch is a true prodigy. It's only natural that ordinary people wouldn't understand."
Beneath the mask.
Xiao Ling couldn't help but smile. "Good. This is very good!"
The butler gave him a quizzical look. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I'm just overjoyed."
He was, of course, happy that his son was so capable.
But at the same time, his heart ached with a bittersweet feeling.
His son was so outstanding, yet he hadn't been the one to raise him.
"By the way, can you tell me how Xiao Ye survived all this time?"
The butler, however, looked him up and down with a strange expression. "Your voice... it sounds familiar. Have we met before?"
Xiao Ling immediately shook his head. "No, we haven't. Can you tell me?"
The butler didn't press the matter and told him everything he knew.
When he learned that Xiao Ye had been adopted and raised in the mountains from a young age, learning martial arts and so on, a wave of heartache washed over him.
His son, who should have enjoyed a life of luxury and privilege in the Xiao Family, had instead endured a hard life in the mountains.
Xiao Ling walked to his room, dejected and with a storm of emotions in his heart. The memory of his late wife's face and voice, in particular, filled him with guilt.
'I've broken every promise I ever made to my wife!'
Watching his retreating back, the butler found him increasingly familiar.
'This man... why are his voice and his back so familiar? Even the way he walks seems like something I've seen before.'
'No, I have to tell the Patriarch immediately!'
With this thought, the butler immediately went to the study and recounted what had just happened.
Xiao Ye put down his laptop. "You found the way he walks familiar, too?"
"Yes, but not distinctly familiar. It's more like I've seen it somewhere before."
"His back, his voice, even his hands... I feel like I've seen them all before."
The more the butler thought about it, the more he realized just how many things about the man felt familiar.
"I've definitely seen this man before, and probably more than once. Is he a member of our Xiao Family?"
"But he knows nothing about the Xiao Family's affairs. That seems a little too contrived."
"Patriarch, you must be careful. Don't let someone scheme against you."
"Don't worry, I won't be." Xiao Ye picked up his teacup. "Are you sure he seems familiar? It's not just your imagination?"
'A clone could replicate a person's appearance and voice, but everything else would have to be learned.'
'Could it be that they had been observing Xiao Ling over twenty years ago? That they had collected enough data to allow a clone to mimic him so perfectly?'
'So perfectly that even the old butler, who hadn't seen Xiao Ling in twenty years, could sense the familiarity.'
"Alright, I understand. Keep an eye on him. If you find anything else, come and tell me."
The old butler nodded. He had already formed a plan in his mind. 'I have to investigate this man thoroughly and prevent him from harming the Patriarch!'
And so, Xiao Ling settled into the residence.
In his spare time, he would learn about Xiao Ye's life, and in doing so, he also came to understand a bit about the current Xiao Family.
"To think that the Xiao Family is still so prosperous today."
Just then, a young man walked in. It was none other than Zhu Chen.
He saw the masked man and raised an eyebrow slightly, but he was tactful enough not to ask any questions and went straight to find Xiao Ye.
"What did you call me here for?"
"I need you to read someone for me."
After speaking, Xiao Ye called Xiao Ling in.
Seeing it was the masked man, Zhu Chen understood. "Read him just like this?"
Xiao Ye nodded with a smile. "Yes. Read him like this first. We'll take the mask off last."
"Alright. Give me your date of birth. I also need to see your palm."
Xiao Ling complied with each request.
After examining them, Zhu Chen's brows furrowed. "Xiao Ye, I need to see your palm as well."
Xiao Ye held out his hand.
His expression changed slightly. "This man is a very close blood relative of yours. Your father? No, your father died long ago."
Although palm lines are determined by genetics, they can change over time. The changes are minor, however, and generally go unnoticed by the average person.
"Judging from his palm lines and date of birth, this man was born into a wealthy and distinguished family. But he lost his wife at a young age, was separated from his son, and suffered a great calamity in his middle years."
"He was kept from the light of day for many years, enduring endless torment. However, his later years will be excellent, blessed with wealth and showered in glory."
At this point, Zhu Chen was beginning to doubt his own reading. "I need to read his face."
"Fine." Xiao Ye nodded. "Take off the mask."
The moment the mask came off, Zhu Chen was so startled he stumbled back. "This man... his facial features match his palm reading. And... isn't that Xiao Ling?"
Xiao Ling had been a renowned figure back in the day; many people knew of him.
Zhu Chen, being slightly older than Xiao Ye, had seen Xiao Ling before.
He'd been brilliant since childhood and had a photographic memory for particularly striking people and things, which was why the memory was still clear.
"You're right. I am Xiao Ling."
Xiao Ling gave a bitter smile and looked at Xiao Ye. "Now you have to believe me, right?"
'His eyes are indeed filled with a world-weariness that a newly created test subject shouldn't possess.'
'But acting exists in this world. All it would take is making one's eyes a bit clouded and pairing it with a good performance to create the same effect.'
'I won't conclude he's the real Xiao Ling based on this alone.'
'The Angel Association's methods are endless. It would be perfectly normal for them to groom someone to be this similar.'
He looked at Zhu Chen. "Is there anything else? Say whatever you've found."