One day, she received an anonymous email warning her that Heihachi Mishima had evil intentions and that she may be in danger. She continued to attend school, but grew bored of her daily routine with her theme park ambitions out of reach. She also had a panda bodyguard who doubled as a good friend. She began attending the Mishima Polytechnical School and befriended Heihachi’s grandson, Jin Kazama. Xiaoyu became a ward of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Amused, Heihachi promised to build her theme park if she won the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3. She approached him and threatened to fight him too. When Heihachi arrived, he discovered that Xiaoyu had beaten up his staff.

She was discovered by the staff on the yacht after they left port, and Heihachi Mishima was alerted to the situation. She left her family and stowed away on a yacht marked with the Mishima Zaibatsu’s name. Her chance came when she was on holiday with her family in Hong Kong.

Xiaoyu wished to seek him out to make her dream a reality, but was unsure how to get to Japan. Her teacher and distant relative, Wang Jinrei, told her about Heihachi Mishima, owner of the wealthy and resource-rich Mishima Zaibatsu. Ling Xiaoyu was a young, talented martial artist who dreamed of building the perfect theme park in China.