Du Yunhao couldn't help but sigh, "Aunt Ling, Daddy has already explained it very clearly, hasn't he? No matter what others say, he still wants Mommy. They're married, aren't they?"
Yuan Ling was stunned for a moment. "That's true!"
Du Yunhao shrugged and said, "That's it!"
Yuan Ling thought for a moment and said, "But something still doesn't seem right. Think about it, your father always had so many women around him, like that Helen. He endured it because of family ties, not wanting to embarrass her. Now it's Judy. He probably doesn't want to make her look too bad either, which is why he didn't deny it immediately, or even announce that he's married. If the same thing happens again in the future..."
Sisi had been listening intently to Du Yunhao and Yuan Ling's conversation, lost in thought, until now when she blurted out, "Yes! That's it! I know Qiao didn't provoke them, and what happened shouldn't be his fault, but..."
She bit her lower lip. "Is he really unable to get rid of them? What if, even if he publicly admits he's married, there are still women willing to be his mistresses and cling to him? What should I do then? Turn a blind eye? Or have a huge fight with him?"
“And…” She glanced at them hesitantly. “What’s most unbearable is that those women are all so beautiful, so of such high status. Every time I see them, I can’t help but feel ashamed of myself, and I can’t help but ask myself, why does he love me? I’m not a beauty, I don’t have any special status, I’m neither shrewd nor capable, nor am I an elegant and noble lady…”
"So every time I hear that a woman likes him, I can't help but wonder, will he finally realize that those women are far better than me, and then understand that he doesn't love me at all, and that his past feelings were just a temporary delusion?"
"Please, Mommy, you've been confused for ten years?" Du Yunhao exclaimed, unable to bear it any longer. "Is Daddy that confused?"
Sisi choked for a moment, "That...that was...that back then he liked my youthful innocence, and then I suddenly left him when we were at our closest. He didn't have time to realize how unremarkable I was, and what's lost is always more memorable than what's gained, so he missed me for ten years. But as time went on, he eventually realized that I wasn't a very good woman."
Du Yunhao seemed to want to argue, but then shook his head helplessly and said, "Forget it, forget it, you won't listen to anything I say now anyway. If you're really unhappy, then you should give Daddy a warning right now!"
The two women immediately leaned forward with great interest and asked, "What do you mean?"
Du Yunhao shrugged. "I'm warning Daddy not to go too far, or Mommy will leave!"
The two women looked at each other, and their four eyes slowly began to gleam with excitement.
"But please don't tell me where you're going, okay? I don't want to lie to Daddy."
"Aren't you coming with us?" Sisi asked in surprise.
"Have you forgotten I still have classes? Besides, the most crucial part of this plan is what I say and how I say it to Daddy. Without this step, it won't be effective." Du Yunhao secretly broke out in a cold sweat. What a joke! He was supposed to run around with these two silly women? He wasn't that foolish to torture himself like that!
"But……"
"Sigh, what's there to worry about? The little handsome boy is already nine years old and lives with his grandma. What do you have to worry about?" Yuan Ling said impatiently. "Besides, don't you want to experience a real bachelor life before entering into actual married life?"
Sisi's eyes lit up. "That's right."
"Of course! Don't you realize you're about to lose your freedom?"
Sisi nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, you're right. Okay, let's make some plans now. What do you think about going to the Arctic first?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ling and Du Yunhao couldn't help but roll their eyes.
In the study on the first floor of the Rox mansion, Joel sat behind his desk with a gloomy expression.
“Damn it, this is the second time!” David muttered. “Last time was alright, Helen only announced the engagement in the newspaper, but this time it’s a big deal, there’s even an engagement ball and TV coverage!”
Philip paced back and forth in front of his desk. "That old fox! He actually dares to cling to the Rox family; he's courting death!"
“He’s certainly clever and daring. I think it’s for Judy Sue,” Robert commented calmly, sitting at the table. “But didn’t you originally decide not to go? Why did you change your mind at the last minute?”
Joel raised his gloomy eyes and looked at them. "Richard Sue called me and told me that because I refused to be Judy Sue's dance partner, she tried to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills. Luckily, it was discovered early and a terrible thing didn't happen."
Philip froze in surprise. "Really?"
“Fifty-fifty,” David said thoughtfully. “Richard Sue, with his cunning and shrewdness, is very likely to use underhanded means to snatch this grand prize from you. Such a huge prize deserves a bold gamble.” He glanced at Joel, who looked even more sinister. “But Judy Sue’s affection for you cannot be ignored. Once a cold woman is aroused, it’s like a volcanic eruption that’s unstoppable. If she can’t have you, she might very well go down in flames.”
"Damn it!" Philip cursed and started pacing back and forth again.
"After the announcement that day, what did he say to you privately?" David continued.
Joel narrowed his eyes, and a dangerous atmosphere instantly filled the air. "He 'told' me that if I denied the marriage and embarrassed Judy Sue or even made her do something foolish, he guaranteed that the Rox family would be embroiled in a major scandal."
"My God! He's threatening you!" Philip exclaimed in disbelief.
David frowned as well. "What are you planning to do?"
"I won't……"
The four of them looked at Mary as she opened the door and came in. Joel asked, "What is it, Mom?"
"Jay is here."
Joel suddenly felt uneasy. "What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be with his mother?"
“I think…” Mary hesitated. “You should ask him yourself.”
Du Yunhao sat on the sofa, happily munching on juice in his left hand and snacks in his right. Shana gently brushed the crumbs off his clothes and refilled his juice bottle, while Rosanne busied herself peeling an apple, and Mina kept bringing out all sorts of snacks and pastries.
What chilled Joel was the duffel bag at his son's feet.
“Jay, what are you doing here? Where’s Mommy?” Joel and David sat down in front of Duyun Port, Philip went to the bar to pour drinks for the three of them, and Mary looked at Joel uneasily.
"Daddy," Du Yunhao said after drinking his juice and swallowing a small snack, "Mommy called me here."
"What did she call you here for? And what's going on here?" Joel pointed to the duffel bag.
“Mommy said she’s in a bad mood and wants to go wandering with Aunt Ling. She doesn’t have time to take care of me, so she told me to come find you.” Du Yunhao paused. “They took the first flight this morning. Don’t ask me where they’re going, because I don’t know. And don’t waste your time looking for them, because they forced me to teach them how to avoid your pursuit, so you definitely won’t find them.”
Joel froze upon hearing this, his empty eyes staring blankly ahead. The others looked at him anxiously and helplessly, unsure how to comfort him. Du Yunhao, however, continued to enjoy the snacks happily; he absolutely adored the snacks Mina made.
"Mommy says you're always surrounded by so many women, and they're all so outstanding that she can't compare to them no matter what. I guess you must have some feelings for them, which is why you can't bring yourself to be too ruthless towards them. What if one day you soften your heart and keep one or two mistresses on the side? I don't know whether she should pretend not to know or start a fight with you. The worst thing is, what if you compare them all and find that she's the worst one? What should she do then? Should she automatically step down and bow down?"
“Damn it,” Joel slammed his eyes shut in anguish. “Why can’t you trust me? Why?”
Mary and Rosanne sighed with red eyes. Philip brought over the whole bottle of wine. David looked at Joel, hesitant to speak, while Du Yunhao glanced at his despairing father with guilt and pity.