She was already a teenager in the photo while Ye Xiaoting was still a child. A daughter and a son, born from the same parents, yet their relationship wasn't better than those half-siblings.

  Ye Xixi was the eldest miss of the family and she was considered a decent candidate for the heir apparent of the family. However, when she was eight, Ye Xiaoting was born and the attention had been split between the two of them.

  She propped her arm and supported her chin as she slumped on her seat in a lazy manner.

  The Ye Corporation should have been hers. If not for that son-of-a-bitch younger brother of hers, everything would have hers right now.

  Ye Xiaoting looked overbearing since young while Ye Xixi was a decent businesswoman, her younger brother was ruthless and a risk-taker. Their grandfather used to tell them that Ye Xixi was the right person to succeed in the company, but their father thought otherwise.

  Thinking about it, Ye Xixi couldn't contain her anger. Even at the age of fifty-five, she still held unto her bitterness against their father, who couldn't see her worth past her gender. So what if she was a woman? She was better than Xiaoting, who only knew how to make reckless decisions for the company.

  Although Ye Xiaozu, her nephew, had now ascended to the position as the head of the company, Ye Xixi wasn't sure if Xiaozu would be able to manage the family business properly. If only if he was as smart as his dead sister, perhaps she wouldn't have to worry about him.

  The phone on top of the desk rang with a loud shrill, breaking the peaceful silence within the study. Picking up the call, Ye Xixi lazily checked her well-manicured hands.

  "What is it?" She asked the caller.

  "Your nephew met Miss Elaine Wu this afternoon. We couldn't catch what they were talking about, but later, they met Lu Tianxin and Gu Yuyao at the same mall." A man's voice could be heard from the other end of the line.

  "Is that so? Then where's my dear nephew right now?" She asked again. Ever since her nephew's return from Singapore, she'd kept an eye on him.

  With the board still not convinced of his capabilities as the newest head of the company, some had sought her out for a possible change in management. For them, he was still an inexperienced child who needed more experience to prove himself.

  "We followed them. Ye Xiaozu and Miss Wu entered Peach Blossom Garden, where Tang Moyu is currently residing. They haven't come out yet."

  "I see…" Her eyes went back to the family portrait. "Was Lu Tianxin's son with her when Xiaozu met her earlier?" She curiously asked.

  "No, if Lu Tianxin met Xiaozu today, it only means that he's found out about his sister's son. The question is, what would he do now? Leave the area before someone finds out you're following them." Ye Xixi said before hanging up.

  The fallen empress couldn't be underestimated. She was able to save her family's company in merely four months, definitely a great feat. Now, Tang Moyu had slowly rebuilt the reputation Feng Tianhua ruined five years ago and she was starting to get acquainted with prominent personalities within Shenzhen.

  Was it mere luck that Tang Moyu was able to resist Feng Tianhua's suppression? Or was it her own ability that had surpassed everyone's expectations? Was there someone supporting her from behind?

  Ye Xixi crossed her legs and shut her eyes, thinking about how to deal with her nephew. If he was anything like his father, she would be sure to oust him from his seat as early as possible, before their company plunged into nothingness.

  Of course, she knew about Ye Yimei's son. The girl had sought her help after she'd been kicked out from the family. Ye Xixi suspected that her niece kept her pregnancy, which eventually led to her own death.

  It was simply suspicious that out of the blue, Lu Tianxin had resurfaced a few months later with a baby in her care, with no known father registered. Ye Xixi didn't need to think hard and was able to connect the dots easily, but she had kept mum about the boy's identity from Ye Xiaoting.

  Poor Lu Tianxin. She was unnecessarily trapped and dragged into the awful situation the Ye siblings were in and had to sacrifice her own life to raise a child that wasn't hers. It was admirable how the woman remained strong throughout the years, without receiving support from anyone other than the meager shares she owned at Tang Enterprise.

  Perhaps, her niece did the right thing by leaving the child in Lu Tianxin's care. Because if her brother found out about Lu Ziluo's existence, even Ye Xixi wouldn't be able to predict how the boy would live under her brother's care.

  Ye Xiaoting had a horrible temperament anyway. It was already a miracle that Ye Corporation had still survived under his reign. However, with investors and shareholders doubting his ability to control, they started to eye the young Ye Xiaozu eight years ago.

  Also, Lu Ziluo intrigued Ye Xixi. She'd been keeping tabs on him and his foster mother for years and his Ye blood had become more obvious with each passing year. A little more and some might start suspecting the boy's parentage. Something that Lu Tianxin couldn't stop unless they moved away from Shenzhen.

  Ye Xixi picked up the phone again. It was time to end this facade and see if Ye Xiaozu was worthy to lead the Ye family.