The Reborn Aristocrat's Daughter-Chapter 210: Election for the Position of Family Head (2)_1

Xiao Muli followed Old Master Xiao back to the Xiao family home in City S.

The current Family Head of the Xiao Family was the eldest son of Old Master Xiao’s elder brother. Before returning, Old Master Xiao had informed his elder brother, the former Family Head, by phone about Xiao Muli’s plans to come back and compete for the position of Family Head.

Upon receiving this call, Old Master Xiao’s elder brother expressed an extremely welcoming attitude. Although the Xiao family seemed to possess boundless glamour, power, and influence, as the former Family Head, he was all too aware of the heavy burden carried by the family. To be honest, if it had been up to him, he wouldn’t have wanted his own grandson to take on the role of Family Head. Thus, he was more than welcoming of Xiao Muli, who had arrived to assume responsibility.

When Old Master Xiao arrived, his elder brother had already been waiting at the door for him.

"Ah, Little Brother, you’ve finally come back. Look at you, after so many years you couldn’t even come and see your elder brother. Are you really planning to wait until my funeral to see me?" chided Old Master Xiao’s brother as soon as Old Master Xiao arrived.

"Oh, come on, Brother, you know I’ve been busy, I haven’t had the time these years. You stepped down from the role of Family Head and didn’t come to see me either." Old Master Xiao retorted unapologetically.

As the two Old Masters quibbled, Xiao Muli stood behind Old Master Xiao with a cold expression on his face.

Meanwhile, the others who had been called by Old Master Xiao’s elder brother to welcome Xiao Muli and Old Master Xiao, glanced at Old Master Xiao before turning their attention to Xiao Muli.

Among them, several looks made Situ Xin particularly uncomfortable.

Clearly, not everyone in the Xiao family shared Old Master Xiao’s elder brother’s welcoming sentiment towards Xiao Muli and his group. For instance, the wife of the current Family Head, who was the son of Old Master Xiao’s elder brother, became quite unsettled upon hearing that Xiao Muli was returning to contest for the Family Head’s position.

She had always felt that the position of Family Head belonged to her son and that no one else was qualified. Indeed, this was what people in the family had also believed over the years. However, the sudden appearance of a challenger was something she found difficult to accept.

After learning that Xiao Muli intended to return and vie for the position of Family Head, she had complained to her husband several times, expressing disbelief at Xiao Muli’s audacity to come back and compete with her son for the position after having voluntarily withdrawn from the competition years ago.

The years of training with the Situ Family had honed Xiao Muli’s senses to be sharper than those of an ordinary person. As soon as he laid eyes on the family members present, he knew they harbored animosity towards him.

Although Xiao Muli usually maintained a cold expression, he understood the motives of people in society. Before arriving, he had known who was in charge of the Xiao family, and he recognized where the hostility he faced stemmed from.

If it had been in the past, should anyone have shown him such hostility, he surely would have turned and left. Moreover, if it weren’t for the factor involving Situ Xin, he, Xiao Muli, would not have even given the Xiao family’s affairs a second thought.

But now, things were different. Xiao Muli hadn’t turned and walked away, he simply ignored the hostility directed at him by the family.

As for Old Master Xiao and Grand Elder Xiao, they were engaged in such a lively conversation that they didn’t notice the tense atmosphere at all.

After Grand Elder Xiao finished chatting with Old Master Xiao, he turned his attention to Xiao Muli, "Hmm, not bad." Old Master Xiao, having been a disciplinarian and someone accustomed to superiority, was not someone people dared to stare at directly. Even his own son would break out in a nervous sweat when facing him. However, when he looked at Xiao Muli, Xiao Muli held his gaze firmly, without flinching or avoiding eye contact. This left Old Master Xiao with a far better impression of Xiao Muli than that of his own grandson.

Grand Elder Xiao averted his gaze from Xiao Muli and said to his younger brother, Old Master Xiao, "Your boy is good, much better than mine."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Xiao’s face immediately bloomed into a smile, and he replied rather immodestly, "Of course, you should see whose grandson he is."

However, someone else’s face soured immediately. A boy, slightly older than Xiao Muli and with a somewhat effeminate appearance, looked at Xiao Muli with eyes full of jealousy. He couldn’t see what was so impressive about this younger boy that warranted such praise from his grandfather—a man who had never complimented him before.

When that boy looked at him, Xiao Muli gave him a sidelong glance. Noticing the jealousy and malice in the boy’s eyes, he couldn’t help but frown and quickly shifted his gaze away. While Xiao Muli’s face remained expressionless, he took note of the boy in his heart.

"Your temperament hasn’t changed a bit. Here, this is your nephew, Yongxin. And this is his son, my grandson Xiao Li," Grand Elder Xiao introduced, completely sidelining the daughter-in-law he didn’t particularly like, as she always seemed to only care about power and money.

Old Master Xiao hadn’t wasted his years either, and he was well aware of what each person was thinking. However, he knew that if his grandson Xiao Muli were to contend for the position of Family Head, these encounters were an inevitable path. Therefore, he remained cheerful as ever while greeting everyone present, "Oh, it’s been so many years and Yongxin still looks the same. I remember when I last saw Xiao Li, he was just a little boy. Look how much he’s grown now."

"Uncle, you haven’t changed either. You’re still in such great shape," Xiao Yongxin spoke the truth, as Old Master Xiao’s health had greatly benefited from Situ Xin’s association over the years, better than that of most people.

"Little Grand Uncle," Xiao Li also set aside his dissatisfaction with Xiao Muli, wearing a smile as he greeted Old Master Xiao. Although Xiao Li’s character left much to be desired, having grown up in the Xiao family, he knew how to maintain appearances.

After exchanging pleasantries, even if some people were not fully content, Xiao Muli had managed to stay in the Xiao family home.

And with Grand Elder Xiao’s persistent persuasion, Old Master Xiao decided to stay as well, though his agreement was not without self-interest, for he still harbored concerns about Xiao Muli.