The mother and daughter arrived at the five-star hotel where the banquet was being held. They were greeted by several people whom they had known in the past. They were then welcomed by Tang Lilou. Tang Lilou had taken over their family business and didn’t pursue her career in cooking.

Right now, she was the matriarch of the Tang family, with her twin brother—Tang Liang—helping her once in a while.

“Xin Jie, I’m glad that you are finally here.” She beamed a smile at Lu Xinyi. Her eyes then caught the aloof young woman who was standing next to her second cousin. “And you brought Qingqing with you.”

“Hello, Auntie Lou. It’s been a while. I hope you are in good health.” Shen Lingqing gave the older woman a polite bow.

In the past, she and Lingtian used to spend a lot of time at the Tang Mansion when their maternal great-grandmother was still alive. However, ever since Tang Lingfei died of old age, they rarely came to visit the Tangs unless there was a special occasion.

“Hmm. It’s good that you are back. You don’t know how many times your mother told me how terribly she missed you when you were still studying overseas,” Tang Lilou said in response as she led the Shens inside the banquet hall.

“Is that so?” Shen Lingqing then gave her mother an inquisitive gaze. She hadn’t thought that her mother used to praise her and talk about her to others when she wasn’t around.

“I’m your mother. Of course, I would always worry about you and your siblings, regardless of where you go and how old you are,” Madam Shen said with a smile. “I’m just glad that you’re back home now.” She then gently squeezed her daughter’s hand.

Shen Lingqing remained seated next to her mother with a flute of wine in her hand. She watched as people came to greet her mother and occasionally glanced her way. It wasn’t lost to her how uncomfortable they became whenever their eyes met. They always tried to avoid her piercing stare and rather chose to talk to her mother instead.

“Qingqing, dear, don’t make them uncomfortable,” Lu Xinyi told her daughter when the last guest that came to greet her finally left.

“I’m not doing such a thing, Mom. I’m doing nothing wrong,” Shen Lingqing said, trying to fight the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn’t her fault that they couldn’t look her in the eye.

“Did your father tell you why you have to accompany me tonight?” Her mother asked.

“En.” The young miss of the Shen family nodded. “Aside from the fact that Zi Gege couldn’t accompany you tonight, Dad said that I have to meet some other potential business partners here to establish my presence in the circle.” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

“That’s right.” Lu Xinyi agreed with her. “I know that you are uncomfortable being surrounded by strangers, but it’s important to show your face and make your presence known once in a while. Since you have chosen this path, I suppose you know this by now.”

Shen Lingqing remained silent at that and took a small sip from her drink. Of course, she knew. Had she chosen to follow in her mother’s footsteps, she wouldn’t have to endure being here. She could always stay in the kitchen under the pretense that she was busy with work.

“You also didn’t want to be here, and yet you still came, Mom,” she said after a long silence between them.

“Damn right, you are.” Lu Xinyi laughed behind her hand. “I would rather stay home and wait for your father to come back than be here, trying to endure the nonsense talks of these women.”

“So then, why aren’t you at home?  Why did you choose to be here?” Shen Lingqing asked her.

Lu Xinyi smiled at that.

Ah, her daughter. So young and so cute. Wasn’t it only yesterday when she gave birth to her Little Qingqing?

“Because I have chosen to be with your father,” she said bluntly. “When I married your father, I wasn’t aware that he was the famous President Shen from the capital. I was just an orphaned girl, living paycheck to paycheck and hoping that I would be admitted to Silver Leaf Academy, where your grandfather once attended. Then, when I found out the kind of man I married, I realized that your father had done a lot of things for my sake, which only made me love him more.”

Shen Lingqing remained silent and stared down at her drink. She didn’t dare to interrupt her mother. The look in her mother’s eyes whenever she talked about her father was something Shen Lingqing could never understand.

“And because I love him, I want to share the burdens he has in life. I know your father didn’t want me to, given how much he spoiled me rotten to this day. But I cannot allow it. Just like you, Qingqing, your father hates being here… so I come here in his stead, ever since our marriage was known to the public. As the madam of the family, it’s my responsibility to share your father’s burden.”

Ah, how could Shen Lingqing forget? Her parents’ marriage was not publicized in the first year of their marriage. It had been big news in the capital when her father married the commoner granddaughter of the Sun family, but her father didn’t give a shit about what they thought and chose to be with her mother.

It was at that time when three people came to greet the two of them. People whom Shen Lingqing was looking forward seeing tonight.

“Madam Shen, good evening,” the old man in the group greeted Lu Xinyi and eyed Shen Lingqing.

The mother and daughter turned their heads to see who those were, each with a different reaction towards the others. Lu Xinyi kept a smile on her face, while her daughter’s mood worsened in an instant.

It was Liu Jinfei’s uncle, Liu Zhongyi, with his children.

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