The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

Meanwhile.

Xiao Qi returned to a villa, fuming. The moment he walked through the door, he smashed a nearby decorative piece.

"How audacious! I'm the true young master of the Xiao Family! That impostor actually dared to have me thrown out. He's got a death wish!"

"No, I can't let him keep up this arrogance. I have to get him out of there, and fast!"

"The Xiao Family is mine!"

Just as he was about to vent further, his phone rang. It was the Fourth Elder.

"Xiao Ye's status in the Xiao Family is extraordinary right now. It's best if you lay low for a while. We can discuss this later."

The Fourth Elder was genuinely afraid. He had barely stuck his neck out and received punishment instead of any reward.

He was an Elder in name only now. Stripped of his power, he had no real say in the Xiao Family.

"Useless! And you call yourself the Fourth Elder? You can't even handle a simple thing like this!"

"Use your connections and contact the others for me, now! Don't forget, I am the *true* young master of the Xiao Family."

"Or would you rather let some bastard from God-knows-where become the Patriarch of the Xiao Family?"

The Fourth Elder had managed to remain an Elder not just because he was clever and knew how to read the political winds, but because he genuinely harbored no disloyal ambitions.

Although he always looked out for himself, he had never done anything to harm the Xiao Family.

So, after confirming that Xiao Qi was the family's true young master, he had genuinely wanted to welcome him back to the Xiao Family and set things right.

He considered himself a man of the Xiao Family; he couldn't possibly allow the family bloodline to be tainted.

So, hearing this, the Fourth Elder relented. "Fine. I'll help you contact some people. But whether or not they believe you is up to you."

"Don't worry, I can convince them. Now hurry up and do it! If you still want to be the Fourth Elder, you'd better see this through for me, flawlessly. Understand?"

CLICK!

The call ended.

The Fourth Elder's face was etched with worry. 'Even if Xiao Ye isn't from the direct bloodline, I have to admit, he's far more capable than the average person. He's absolutely Patriarch material.'

'And this Xiao Qi... in every respect, he pales in comparison to Xiao Ye.'

He took a deep breath and made the calls anyway.

Before long, Xiao Qi received a response.

Early the next morning, he dressed and made his way to an upscale teahouse.

In the private room, a few Xiao Family Elders were already waiting.

Some were there out of curiosity, wondering if Xiao Qi was truly a member of the Xiao Family. Others, unable to stand Xiao Ye, desperately hoped he was.

Xiao Qi was a clever man. He entered the room and, without any preamble, produced a DNA test report. It showed that he was related to the Xiao Family.

"The reason I'm certain I'm Xiao Ling's son is because of this."

As he spoke, he took out a Jade Pendant.

The moment they saw the Jade Pendant, the Elders' expressions changed.

"How did you get this?"

This was Xiao Ling's personal Jade Pendant, a symbol of status in the Xiao Family.

The Jade Pendant was lost long ago, but they hadn't given it much thought, since Xiao Ling was still alive at the time.

It was lost, and that was that. Who could have imagined it would reappear now?

"This Jade Pendant was found in my swaddling clothes, along with a letter."

He produced the letter. "This isn't the original; it's a copy. I've placed the original in a bank's safe deposit box to ensure it isn't damaged."

The Elders nodded in understanding and took the copy to examine it.

"This… this is indeed Xiao Ling's handwriting!"

The letter explained that Xiao Ling had entrusted his son to another's care because he had discovered a plot against his own life.

Unable to protect himself, let alone his son, he gave the child to a trusted confidant so he could continue his investigation and ensure his son's safety.

This Jade Pendant was the token left with the child as proof of identity.

Xiao Qi picked up his teacup, an air of absolute confidence about him. "Well? You've seen the letter and the proof. You believe I'm the genuine article now, don't you?"

The Elders put down the letter and exchanged a look. One of them asked, "Then who is the person who raised you?"

"Hu the Third. You should have heard the name." With that, Xiao Qi clapped his hands.

Following that, a middle-aged man walked in.

He looked to be in his fifties but appeared much older than his years, his hair streaked with white.

The Elders were stunned.

"You… you're really Hu the Third!"

The man nodded. "That's right."

Hu the Third had been one of Xiao Ling's closest confidants. He vanished after Xiao Ling's death.

No one knew where he had gone. Some assumed he had fled out of fear for his own life.

They never imagined he had actually gone to raise Xiao Ling's son.

Hu the Third's voice was hoarse. "Xiao Qi is the Patriarch's son! The Patriarch entrusted him to me with his own hands!"

"All these years, I've kept him hidden, moving from place to place, always afraid he would be discovered."

"The reason I'm letting him come out now is because we can't wait any longer. The Patriarch's son must return to the Xiao Family. We absolutely cannot let an impostor usurp his rightful place."

This string of evidence was enough to convince them that Xiao Qi was the genuine heir.

Still, they had one lingering doubt. "But… Xiao Ye also had a DNA test done. It confirmed he's a member of the Xiao Family."

"Then he's probably some bastard son," Xiao Qi said, throwing Xiao Ye's own words from the previous day back at him. "Bringing in a total outsider would be too risky, but a bastard son is another story."

"As long as his DNA shows a familial link to the Xiao Family, no one would suspect a thing."

"So do you believe me now? No matter what, I am the son of the previous Xiao Family Patriarch, Xiao Ling. I should be the one to inherit the position of Patriarch, not him!"

"If you help me now, you will be rewarded as founding supporters who aided in my ascension. If you don't… well, don't blame me for being ruthless once I'm in charge!"

Xiao Qi had some cunning, at least. After this display of threats and promises, some of the Elders were indeed swayed to his side.

"Since you are the true heir, we will naturally support you. How could we let someone of dubious origin remain in power?"

Xiao Qi smiled, satisfied. "Exactly. For all we know, he could be the son of one of the other Elders!"

"Once he solidifies his position in the Xiao Family, that Elder will be able to lord over all of you. Is that a future you want to see?"

With just a few more words, the Elders became even more resolved to stand with Xiao Qi.

「One week later.」

A considerable number of Elders and other Xiao Family members had secretly joined Xiao Qi's faction.

The primary reason was that Xiao Ye's control was too absolute—so absolute that it terrified them.

Other Patriarchs, even Xiao Ling himself, had never been so thorough. Under their rule, there had always been room for people to engage in their own little schemes behind the scenes.