As one of Linhai’s commercial giants, the Xiao Group drew as much attention to its annual gala as to its yearly financial statements.
Not only would all its senior executives attend, but so would the central members of the vast Xiao family.
This year’s event was especially anticipated after the family’s repeated appearances in the headlines.
First came the rumored marriage alliance between the Xiao and Qiao families. Then Chairman Xiao Yi was attacked at Yalong Bay.
Afterward, Xiao Wenyu, the head of a Xiao subsidiary, was suspended amid suspicions that he was connected to the attack.
Both the media and the business community were speculating about whether Xiao Yi, reportedly hospitalized with injuries, would attend—and whether the entire board would appear as in previous years.
Of course, some were there purely for the chairman’s extraordinary good looks.
The blurry, secretly taken profile photograph leaked online had already swept across the internet. A clear frontal shot today would certainly generate plenty of traffic.
Yet while everyone awaited the board members’ arrival, Xiao Ji, previously rumored to be marrying the Qiao heiress, appeared before them.
Beside him was Song Liang.
He wore a white-and-gold formal suit, his hands in his pockets, his figure tall and slender. A composed smile rested on his clean, gentle features, while his lovely eyes swept across the hall with the boldness of someone surveying his own territory.
This almost entirely unfamiliar young man made a conspicuous entrance beside the Xiao Group’s future heir.
In an instant, he captured everyone’s attention.
Reporters, senior executives, and subsidiary heads all speculated in astonishment about his identity and the significance of his presence.
The media raised their equipment and began taking photographs furiously.
At the center of all that attention, Song Liang was perfectly at ease.
He even enjoyed it.
【I feel like I was born to stand in the spotlight with everyone watching.】
【I must have been one hell of an actor in my previous life.】
【… Maybe look at the protagonist’s face before you get too pleased with yourself?】
Song Liang glanced over.
Thunderous.
But that was fine. He didn’t care.
Turning back to the countless eyes and flashing cameras, he raised a hand and greeted the room.
It was like a signal.
The reporters immediately converged on them. Even some of the Xiao executives couldn’t resist approaching to ask about Song Liang and their relationship.
“Friends. Very close friends.”
As he spoke, Song Liang linked his arm through Xiao Ji’s.
Predictably, a chorus of gasps followed, along with an even darker expression on Xiao Ji’s face.
Amid the bustle, Xiao Yi finally arrived.
The first person he saw was Song Liang at the center of the crowd.
The moment their eyes met, the young man in white and gold offered him a slight bow.
His head remained raised, his gaze level, his lips curved in a smile.
It looked like a declaration of war.
No one could adequately describe how frightening Xiao Yi’s presence became at that moment.
Only the reporter in the corner, secretly capturing a clear shot of the chairman, nearly lost the strength in their legs even through the lens.
Then Xiao Yi gave that brief, faintly angry laugh.
The entire hall fell silent.
Every reporter instinctively lowered their equipment and looked apprehensively at the man who controlled the Xiao Group.
Only Yang Xuan pointed at Song Liang in shock.
“You… aren’t you… you’re…”
He stammered for some time without managing a coherent sentence.
Finally, Xiao Yi spoke himself.
Looking impassively at the young man beside his nephew, he said, “Song Liang.”
The name itself weighed little, yet he made it sound heavy.
Everyone’s breathing grew quieter, as though afraid of causing offense.
Only Song Liang answered with a smile.
“Hello, Uncle~”
Everyone: “!!!”
The words landed like a hammer.
The reporters who had been frightened moments earlier immediately raised their equipment and began shooting furiously.
The Xiao executives covered their mouths in shock, unable to believe what they had heard.
Uncle!
He had called their chairman Uncle!
Everyone knew the chairman had many siblings, but valued only one nephew: Xiao Ji.
And only Xiao Ji could publicly address Xiao Yi as his uncle.
Now this unfamiliar young man had done the same.
There was clearly only one explanation.
He was the partner Xiao Ji had chosen!
The Xiao employees present immediately took out their phones to search for his identity.
Before long, someone found a lead, and whispers spread throughout the hall.
Xiao Ji stood uneasily for a moment, then approached Xiao Yi and said quietly, “Uncle.”
Before he could continue, Xiao Yi interrupted.
“This is the person you chose?”
Xiao Ji’s expression stiffened.
After a long pause, he answered, “… Yes.”
Xiao Yi lowered his gaze to him, his dark green eyes deep and cold.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out.
Xiao Ji’s expression changed drastically. He hurried after him.
Yang Xuan was still staring at Song Liang in disbelief.
Unable to get a word out, he turned and rushed after his employer.
The reporters and employees watched it all unfold.
Excitement erupted. They took covert photographs of Song Liang while opening WeChat to share this explosive piece of gossip.
Only Song Liang remained composed from beginning to end.
Even after Xiao Ji abandoned him to follow his uncle, he summoned a server for a glass of champagne and took an elegant sip.
【You’re finished.】
“This champagne is rather good.”
【…】
It was still the Xiao Group’s annual gala, so the reporters didn’t dare go too far.
After surrounding Song Liang with cameras and a barrage of questions, they were escorted out by security.
The executives didn’t dare approach him either. They could only watch the mysterious young man finish his champagne and leave with effortless confidence.
Almost simultaneously, a flood of reports from the scene appeared online and reached the Xiao family.
Xiao Wenyu was lying low in his hospital bed. When he first heard the news, he assumed it was some new maneuver of his father’s.
Then he saw the photographs someone sent him and nearly sprang out of bed again.
“I knew it! I knew it! This was a setup!”
The moment he saw Song Liang’s face, cold sweat broke out.
He had searched for him for so long without success.
So Xiao Ji had been hiding him!
The brat had joined Xiao Ji long ago and pretended to jump into the sea right in front of him, deliberately setting a trap!
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.
He quickly called Xiao Guangjin and recounted what had happened on the yacht that night.
On the other end, Guangjin was startled to learn that Song Liang was the person assigned to administer the drug, only to change his mind midway and injure his son instead.
The more he considered it, the more he suspected Xiao Ji had recruited Song Liang to obtain evidence of his son’s drugging scheme.
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