The Billionaire's Hidden Affection-Chapter 691 - 688: The Frankness of a Foot-Scratching Big Man 3_1

According to Liu Daqing, Yan Xixi should have obediently stayed home back then, shut herself in, and quietly waited for everything to blow over. However, she refused to sit idly by and instead chose to make the first move.

"Of course, it’s good to turn misfortune into fortune. But if something serious really happens, who will be to blame? Who will pay the price for her? Hasn’t she thought about any of this?"

"Ms. Liu, when you went to meet with Old Zhou, you didn’t consider the consequences either."

Liu Daqing’s eyes widened.

"Mom, her temperament is just like yours."

Liu Daqing’s eyes widened further. "I’m already halfway into the grave; I have nothing to lose. How dare she compare herself to me?"

Once people get that stubborn, who cares if they’re knocking on death’s door?

"What? Now she’s blaming you and doesn’t intend to make peace with you?"

Wan Donglin was silent.

After a long moment, he said, "It was indeed my fault. I didn’t tell her anything."

Liu Daqing said disapprovingly, "You two aren’t even married. Why should she be privy to everything? Everyone in this world has secrets, let alone an entire family. The more people who know, the greater the danger. Sometimes, keeping things hidden is an act of kindness. You did nothing wrong in this. If she can understand, it means she loves you. If she can’t, well, then I’m sorry." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Ms. Liu, I have known for some time that you hoped I would break up with her."

"I’m glad you know!"

Liu Daqing said coolly, "Fifty years ago, I was younger than she is now and understood nothing. The Wan Family faced a catastrophic storm that nearly destroyed us. For almost ten years, your father never revealed a single family secret to me. There were several times I was implicated and besieged. I couldn’t bear the immense pressure and humiliation; I even attempted suicide a few times... but I survived. Only much later did I realize how wise your father was not to tell me any secrets. If I had known back then, I probably wouldn’t have been able to withstand the pressure and would have definitely let things slip. If that had happened, not only would I have been doomed, but the entire family would likely have been dragged down by me..."

"Your father was extremely tight-lipped and always cold towards me. In over ten years of marriage, I never felt any true marital affection from him. This caused our relationship to remain distant. I believed he never treated me well. It wasn’t until he fell gravely ill and entrusted all the family’s major affairs to me—yet, even then, I felt no gratitude towards him. It was only because we had three children that I felt I had to fulfill my obligations..."

Only then did Wan Donglin understand why his mother hadn’t shown any grief when his father had passed away. Throughout their lives, their relationship truly wasn’t like husband and wife, but more like that of a superior and a subordinate.

She continued, her voice perhaps a bit distant, "Even in the final period when he was critically ill, I was mostly indifferent. I didn’t feel he was very important in my life; whether he lived or died seemed to make no difference to me..."

Liu Daqing looked stunned for a moment.

"Donglin, perhaps you’ll blame me..." she said. "But that’s genuinely how I felt back then. So much so that later, when regret came, it was already too late..."

Sympathy flickered in Wan Donglin’s eyes. Actually, when he was a child, he hadn’t felt his father was very affectionate either.

"It took many years," Liu Daqing went on, "before I gradually understood that I couldn’t entirely blame your father. He was also forced by circumstances. For a family like ours, who can guarantee that there will never be great storms? Everyone is joyful when things are flourishing like brocade, but what happens when the tempest strikes? If Yan Xixi can’t even understand this much, she is fundamentally unfit to be your wife."