The Billionaire's Hidden Affection

Chapter 675 - 672: Hold On and Don’t Let Go 7_1

「Lakeside.」

Following her routine, Liu Daqing went for a walk after dinner. After taking a few steps, she saw her daughter hurrying towards her.

She stopped. "You’ve been coming home more often lately than in all the past few years combined."

Wan Dongmei forced a smile. "Do you think I want to? But how can I rest easy with you at home all alone?"

"All right, I’m doing well. No need for you to worry."

Wan Dongmei noticed her mother’s hair was snow-white, and she looked clearly more haggard. It was obvious she was extremely worried about their missing brother.

"Still no news from him?" Wan Dongmei asked.

Liu Daqing responded indifferently, "What do you mean no news? Haven’t photos of him with Rina already surfaced?"

「Hawaii.」

The photos had all come from Hawaii.

Wan Dongmei had assumed he was hiding in Antarctica, the Arctic Ocean, or even on the moon, but he turned out to be in the busiest of places.

Wan Dongmei forced a smile again. "What a coincidence! It’s as if they’re perfectly in sync, with photos of both of them appearing."

Liu Daqing’s gaze sharpened. "Who?"

"You’ll see."

Liu Daqing stared at the photos on her phone.

"This guy is Li Zhen," Wan Dongmei said. "Rumor has it he’s Yan Xixi’s new boyfriend."

"Yan Xixi moved on that quickly? What’s his background?" Liu Daqing asked.

"He’s a decent guy and Yan Xixi’s college alumnus. He’s currently pursuing his PhD at Cambridge. They really seem like a perfect match—a couple of true academic achievers..."

Wan Dongmei added, "They might even be the world’s most attractive pair of academic stars."

Liu Daqing glared. "Where did these photos come from?"

"Yan Xixi posted them herself on her social media feed. Now everyone in our circle knows..."

Wan Dongmei was suddenly curious. "Empress Dowager, what do you think they’re up to? Yan Xixi has always been low-key, never one for publicity stunts. Even when she was with our youngest brother, not a single photo of them ever leaked. But now, she’s completely changed her tune and is being very high-profile. I’ve heard many in our circle are secretly gritting their teeth in envy, Rina included..."

Liu Daqing said dismissively, "Beautiful women have always been the target of other women’s envy. That’s nothing new."

"But isn’t it strange for someone to act so out of character? Shouldn’t she be keeping a low profile or feeling sad right now?"

Liu Daqing repeatedly examined the set of photos. They weren’t being overtly affectionate, nor were there any overly familiar gestures. Yet, the vibrant young man and the lovely woman looked so well-suited, exuding an air of mutual respect that was pleasing to the eye. The expressions in their eyes clearly revealed they were a couple in love.

"Coincidentally," Wan Dongmei continued, "Li Zhen seems to be a distant relative of Huang Xiaojue’s. See? This world is so small; it always comes back to the same few people... What I don’t get is, is Yan Xixi with this man just to provoke our youngest brother?"

Liu Daqing said nothing.

"And look at these other photos," Wan Dongmei went on. "They’re all of her flaunting her car, her shop, things like that... Isn’t that too ostentatious? Flaunting such a luxury sports car, she’s acting just like a nouveau riche! Is it because she’s afraid people won’t know what she’s up to? It’s so strange. When Donglin was around, she rarely made public appearances. Now, she’s constantly out and about. That’s quite unexpected, isn’t it? Is she trying to prove she can live perfectly well without Donglin?"

Liu Daqing just looked closely at the photos, reading the captions word for word.

After studying them for a while, she resumed her walk. But after only a few more steps, she suddenly became enraged. "A mother always worries when her son travels far from home, but sons... they always forget their mothers once they have a wife!"