Chapter 432: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
The car door opened.
The Xiao Family's Fourth Elder was the first to get out.
He didn't leave immediately. Instead, he personally opened the rear door, as if an incredibly important figure was seated inside.
A pair of long legs stepped out, and a young man appeared in the Xiao Family's courtyard.
He bore a forty to fifty percent resemblance to Xiao Ye, especially around the brows, where they looked like they were cast from the same mold.
The young man's gaze swept around, and he sighed with emotion. "So, this is my home?"
The Fourth Elder nodded, but he still glanced around subconsciously. After making sure no one could hear, he lowered his voice. "Young Master, that impostor has already seized control of the entire Xiao Family."
"If you want to take it back, I'm afraid it will take a great deal of effort."
"It doesn't matter." The young man was very confident. "A fake is a fake. It can never become the real thing."
"Let's go. We'll go inside and meet him. Don't forget to start the live stream. If he tries to do anything to us, he won't be able to get away with it!"
After speaking, the young man took the lead and walked ahead.
The Fourth Elder fumbled with his phone for a moment before following close behind.
At the same time, a live stream channel quietly went active.
The title was: Xiao Family.
As the Xiao Family was a famous great family in the Imperial City, and with the Fourth Elder's people promoting it, countless viewers soon poured into the live stream.
The bullet comments scrolled by endlessly.
"What's going on? The Xiao Family? Are they live-streaming the daily life of a rich and powerful family?"
"They were known as a reclusive, aristocratic family that few people knew about before. Ever since the Xiao Family members started appearing in public, everyone knows them. Now they're doing a live stream? Don't tell me they're trying to make a living as influencers?"
"Are you kidding me? A family this rich needs to be influencers to make money? I bet they're just doing it for fun."
The Fourth Elder kept his phone in his pocket, with only the camera lens exposed.
The ancient and luxurious Xiao Family manor appeared on screen, immediately causing another round of groans from the audience.
"Now *that's* the life a rich person should live! Not like us, crammed into tiny apartments of a few hundred square feet!"
In the living room.
The Fourth Elder sat down. Remembering the things Xiao Ye had done in the past, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
But as soon as he thought of the benefits he would gain in the future, his fear was quickly replaced by greed.
As the saying goes: nothing ventured, nothing gained!
For the sake of the future, he'd just have to risk it all this one time!
The young man also sat down, acting as if he had returned to his own home. He ordered a maid, "Go, brew me a cup of good tea."
"Remember, it must be your Xiao Family's finest tea."
Only such tea was worthy of his status.
「In the study.」
When Xiao Ye heard the butler's report, his intuition told him this wasn't as simple as a casual visit.
After a moment's thought, he simply stood up and went downstairs.
The young man was currently savoring the fine tea, a look of satisfaction on his face.
Upon seeing Xiao Ye, he set down his teacup, his eyes revealing a hint of vigilance and provocation.
Xiao Ye averted his gaze and looked at the Fourth Elder. "What's going on here? Is this your illegitimate son?"
Other than being an illegitimate son, nothing else seemed to make sense.
An outsider wouldn't have eyes and brows so similar to a member of the Xiao Family.
"N-No, he's not!" Seeing Xiao Ye, the Fourth Elder was inevitably nervous. The authority Xiao Ye had established over this long period was no joke. "He is..."
"Allow me to introduce myself." The young man spoke up. "My name is Xiao Qi. In fact, I am my father's true child."
"Oh, and by the way, my father's name is Xiao Ling."
Xiao Ye frowned slightly. "You're Xiao Ling's son?"
"That's right. Father only had one son—me. Which means your identity is fake!"
The moment he said this, the live stream chat exploded.
"What's going on? The Xiao Family Patriarch is someone else?"
"A huge family like the Xiao Family, how could they not do a DNA test for a long-lost son? If Xiao Ye wasn't the Xiao Family's Young Master, how could he have become the Patriarch?"
"I agree, this seems fake. There's no way the Xiao Family would let a bastard into the family. The power of these prominent families is no joke."
"I get it now! This has to be a power struggle within a powerful family, just like the story of the real and fake Monkey King! Maybe it's two factions within the Xiao Family fighting for control!"
Xiao Ye looked at Xiao Qi and suddenly let out a soft chuckle. "How interesting. Someone actually dares to cause trouble for me."
"It seems you still don't know me very well."
With that, he shot a fierce look at the Fourth Elder. "Since you're the one who brought him here, that means you already believe his story."
Startled by his gaze, the Fourth Elder jumped to his feet, his face paling. "I..."
The young man's brow furrowed slightly. 'This Fourth Elder is so useless!'
'And he still managed to become an Elder?'
'Xiao Ye is such a young Patriarch. Logically, his actual power shouldn't even be greater than an Elder's.'
"Xiao Ye, don't you threaten the Fourth Elder. As an Elder of the Xiao Family, he naturally has to consider the family's best interests."
"I am the true Young Master of the Xiao Family. Of course he had to bring me back! Or should he just let an impostor like you continue to occupy a place that isn't yours, usurping what you don't deserve?"
'Usurping a place that isn't mine? Seizing what I don't deserve?'
A smile touched Xiao Ye's lips, but his eyes were ice-cold. "I am the son of Xiao Ling. That is beyond doubt."
"As for you, you're nothing but a pawn."
No matter who was using him, Xiao Ye had no intention of wasting time on such a person.
"Someone, throw him and the Fourth Elder out!"
"Starting today, the Fourth Elder is removed from his position and will no longer serve as a Xiao Family Elder. However, in light of his many years of service, he will be allowed to remain in the Xiao Family to live out his retirement."
"But from this moment on, he is forbidden from taking a single step outside the Xiao Family estate. Furthermore, everyone in his branch of the family is to be demoted. They will not be eligible for promotion for three years."
"After three years, their performance and merits will be evaluated to determine if their previous positions can be restored. Finally, their share of the profits will be reduced by fifty percent."
Having said his piece, Xiao Ye turned and left without another word.
The Xiao Family's men immediately came forward and unceremoniously threw the young man out.
As for the Fourth Elder, he was thrown back into his own residence, and the gates were sealed shut, forbidding him from leaving.
The live stream chat had already exploded into chaos.
"My God, Xiao Ye is so damn domineering!"
"He just threw them out like that? That's a Patriarch for you!"
The Fourth Elder finally came to his senses and quickly pulled out his phone. Not daring to show his face or make a sound lest someone recognize his voice, he hastily pressed the stop button.
The live stream ended. At that moment, there were three hundred thousand viewers online!
Soon, the affair of the real and fake Xiao Family Young Master quickly stirred up a storm online.
When news of this reached Xiao Ye's ears, he paid it no mind, saying only with indifference, "Have someone control the public narrative."
"For any parts that are slanderous, gather all the evidence and send out lawyer's letters. If they still don't delete the content, then sue them directly!"
The voice of the masses had no effect on Xiao Ye at all.
He went back to handling his own affairs.