The Billionaire's Hidden Affection-Chapter 234: Scarf 5_1

Wan Donglin listened quietly.

"For all these years, my mother has turned a blind eye to that illegitimate child, enduring countless indignities. She put up with it her whole life, only for a major crisis to strike us now. The whole circle is buzzing with talk about this. For our family, it’s like rubbing salt in the wound. If anything happens to my father, you know things won’t end well for my mother either..."

"What do you want me to do?"

She said without hesitation, "I hope we can hold our wedding in two years. We need to present a strong, united front."

He laughed. "But we’ve already broken off our engagement."

"Donglin, please, I’m begging you this one time. In the future, whatever help you might need from me, I will definitely not refuse. My mother cries her eyes out every day, and I’m truly at my wit’s end."

Wan Donglin remained noncommittal. "You should go back for now. We can discuss this after the New Year."

Zhou Ting didn’t know what he meant. Is that a yes or a no? She felt anxious but had no choice but to bid farewell. Wan Donglin politely saw her to the door. Suddenly, she asked, "Donglin, weren’t you planning to go out?"

He gave a wry smile. "I just felt cooped up and wanted to go out for a walk. But it’s so late now... forget it. Maybe tomorrow."

When Zhou Ting’s car drove off, he let out a long sigh. I really didn’t expect Zhou Ting to push so hard. Her visit in the middle of the night definitely wasn’t just a casual stop; she was either checking on his health or seeing if there was another woman hidden in his apartment.

Just then, the phone rang again. He smiled bitterly. I’m certainly popular with the ladies tonight.

"Lady Daqing? What are your instructions?"

"Zhou Ting came to see you tonight, didn’t she?"

"She just left." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"What did she want?"

"She came to propose to me."

Liu Daqing clearly didn’t find his humor amusing. She asked seriously, "Donglin, what are your thoughts? Will you agree to the marriage?"

He was blunt and decisive. "Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"I don’t want to get drawn into their mess at a time like this, much less help the Zhou Family prop themselves up. Lady Daqing, I feel like a storm is about to break."

This was the first time he had clearly stated his position to his mother.

Liu Daqing was silent for a moment, then said, "Donglin, tell me the truth. Is there a girl you like?"

He paused, then countered, "What do you think?"

"I’ve been to your place several times and never seen a girl there. I didn’t think much of it before. However, when I got home and thought about it, something seemed off. That’s not like you. Considering all those girlfriends you used to have, could it be that every single one of them has kept their distance now that they’ve heard you’re sick?"

He gave a bitter laugh. "That’s exactly where I’ve failed."

"Not even one who’s willing to come and take care of you?"

That was one of the hardest questions he’d faced all night, even tougher to handle than Zhou Ting’s "proposal." After hanging up, he suddenly wondered: If I told Yan Xixi I was sick, would she come to see me? Would she?

He sat in silence for a long time, then picked up his phone.

Yan Xixi thought her alarm clock was ringing. She rolled over and sat up. A glance at the clock showed it was only six in the morning. She fumbled for her constantly ringing phone, but before she could answer, the call disconnected. Who the hell is this, disturbing me so early?

She was about to angrily toss her phone aside when a new message arrived: "Miss, may I come to your place this morning to pick up the scarf?"

She was so annoyed she almost stomped her foot. Is this guy crazy? Why is he making such a big deal about that scarf?

"Miss, if I said I was already outside your door, would you be willing to give me the scarf?"

She was suddenly on guard and immediately retorted, "How do you know where I live?"

(Some readers complain about the slow pace, so I just want to say this: I’ve never been careless with this book. I often write hundreds or even thousands of words, then delete and rewrite them if I feel they’re not good enough. Writing ten thousand words a day isn’t the issue. But do you really think novels that are heavily padded with filler and unnecessarily drawn out are good? Is it all just for the sake of speed?)