Shin immediately smiled from ear to ear, shooting Xati a smug look. "Did you hear that?"
"Of course she'll say that. You sound so pathetic," Xati scoffed before turning to his little sister. "Mila, do you love Big Brother too?"
The little girl sucked on her thumb again but still nodded.
Xati proudly lifted his chin.
"It's not even dark yet, and the mosquitoes are already buzzing around," Shin muttered.
The butler could only sigh, thinking that these two were at it again. It was always like this between them, and by now, he was hardly bothered anymore.
--
At the capital's Historical Conservatory, a piano concert had drawn an audience of renowned and influential musicians from around the world.
Onstage, Lianna rose from her seat and bowed gracefully to the audience.
The moment the performance ended, she was immediately surrounded by people, from enthusiastic fans and media reporters to fellow musicians, all eager to congratulate her and present her with bouquets.
Ever since the piano piece she had performed at Yeri's wedding ten years ago went viral, Lianna had never been a one-time sensation. Over the years, she had released one beautiful composition after another, steadily establishing herself as a globally renowned pianist and earning countless awards and recognitions.
People had even dubbed her 'The phoenix who rose from the ashes' after learning about her tragic past, when she had been accused of all sorts of things, including being a gold digger who had schemed her way into marrying Zahn Neri.
If this had happened back then, she would have felt uncomfortable with people bringing up her past. But she had long since made peace with it. Whatever people said no longer affected her.
"Lianna, what do you have to say about those claiming that the Neri family, especially Zahn, tried to clip your wings and bury a musical prodigy under the guise of marriage? Do you hate the Neri family?" one reporter boldly asked.
Lianna remained composed. "Zahn and I are friends. I'd like to say that we were both victims of circumstances back then, and life simply taught us a lesson as we moved forward. There are no grudges or unresolved issues between us. Thank you."
The reporter still wanted to pursue the subject, but Lianna had already turned away, and her team quickly stepped in to prevent any further questions.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting." Lianna placed the numerous bouquets on the table backstage.
Yeri smiled and waved her hand. "It's fine. You're so famous now that I can hardly see you these days. Congratulations, by the way. Another successful concert!"
Lianna chuckled. "Well, I owe much of that to you, my dear benefactor. Thank you so much."
If Yeri hadn't invited her to perform at her wedding, Lianna might not have had such an easy start. She knew there were countless talented pianists in the world, and standing out among them was no simple feat.
Moreover, Yeri had helped her secure a contract with SJ Entertainment and invested in her career.
"No need to thank me. You know I'm counting on you to make me even more money," Yeri joked.
The two laughed.
"Mom!"
Sean's excited voice came from the doorway as he entered, presenting Lianna with a bouquet of 999 roses.
"To the best mom and the most amazing pianist in the world!"
Lianna playfully ruffled her son's hair. However, at fifteen, Sean was already taller than her, forcing her to rise onto her tiptoes.
"I saw you in the audience, and I didn't see you carrying such a huge bouquet. So, be honest. Where did you get this so suddenly?"
Sean averted his gaze before turning to greet Yeri instead. "Hello, Aunt Yeri! You're as beautiful as ever!"
Yeri raised an eyebrow, smiling. She could see that Sean had grown up well and was happy despite having divorced parents. He was quite different from his father, Zahn Neri.
"Indeed, Yeri has always been beautiful. Nothing about her has changed over the years," Lianna agreed.
She wasn't merely being polite. Yeri genuinely looked no different from the day she had married Shin Keir.
Despite giving birth and shouldering the demanding responsibilities that came with the title of Madam Keir, her appearance remained unchanged, as though she had only married Shin yesterday.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and Zahn walked in.
"Congratulations on another successful concert. I've booked dinner at your favourite restaurant... for two," Zahn said casually, before glancing at Sean and Yeri as though they were the third and fourth wheels.
"For two? Did you forget how to count?" Sean said, crossing his arms.
"Sean, I'm your father. Where did you learn to be so sarcastic?" Zahn frowned.
Yeri struggled to suppress her laughter. Of course, she knew exactly where he'd learned it: Xati.
She recalled how gentle, sensitive, and emotional Sean used to be, often crying over the smallest things. But after spending a decade around Xati, it was hardly surprising that he had picked up a thing or two of that little demon's bad habits, stubbornness, and unreasonable attitude.
Lianna sighed before adding, "He's right. Why did you only book a table for two? Are you on a budget or something? Is Neri Hospital about to go bankrupt?"
Zahn "..."
Wasn't it obvious enough that he wanted a dinner date?
Over the years, the two had stopped bringing up their past. Lianna was no longer as guarded or dismissive toward Zahn as she had once been.
It wouldn't be wrong to say they had somehow returned to square one, getting to know each other all over again. Eventually, they had grown so close that they no longer minded roasting each other.
Before Zahn could respond, Saeki's loud voice interrupted them.
"Lianna! Where are you? I have good news! You've been nominated again for the Grammy's Classical Performance Award! By the way, take a look at all the endorsement offers lining up for you. We can't leave them pending!"
"When did a company's CEO start personally handling his artists' affairs?" Zahn interjected.
Saeki paused, his gaze sweeping over the people present before settling on Zahn again.
"Stone Face, do you not understand how big a deal Grammy recognition is? Ah, there's also the Philharmonic Honors. It's just as prestigious as your Nobel Prize in Medicine. If you don't understand that, then I'm not surprised you two are still friends."
Zahn "..."
Yeri covered her mouth to keep from laughing, while Sean snickered. "Dad is just as dense as ever."
Zahn shot his son a warning look, but Sean merely shrugged. "I'm already helping enough. I even brought your bouquet."
Lianna glanced at the 999 roses and pinched her son. "I knew it. This wasn't yours."
"Ow! I was just following Dad's script. He told me to bring it to you, then he'd come in looking cool and nonchalant."
Zahn "..."
How could he replace this son?
"Hahaha! Cool and nonchalant!" Saeki burst out laughing. "Why didn't you ask me instead? Stone Face, which dusty old book did you pull this stunt from?"
Zahn scowled at Saeki, embarrassed. "Ask you what? How to get divorced twice and married three times?"
Saeki's smug expression vanished.
"Sometimes, I wonder if you envied my divorce status and decided to surpass me," Zahn continued.
"That was only because my family forced me to marry women who were incompatible with me!" Saeki protested.
A year after Shin's wedding, Saeki's family had arranged a marriage for him, only for the couple to divorce two years later.
That same year, he remarried another woman chosen by his family, but the marriage ended just a month later, even faster than the first.
His family was so distraught that they no longer dared to arrange another marriage for him. Given Saeki's fame, the matter became highly publicised, and people began calling him the Divorce Honourable.
Then, five years ago, Saeki had finally had enough of his family's constant nagging about marriage. He approached Serenity Keir and proposed a strategic marriage.
Serenity, who was already a divorcee and later became known as Hadi's widow after his passing, surprisingly enjoyed a good public reputation.
To outsiders, she was a pitiful yet virtuous woman who had remained faithful to the Keir family and her marriage, despite Hadi having numerous women on the side and being a scoundrel during his lifetime.
Surprisingly, Serenity agreed to the strategic marriage, shocking everyone, especially Saeki's family, who weren't exactly pleased with his choice given that she was a widow.
Unlike Saeki's previous wives, Serenity had already dealt with her fair share of women outside her marriage because of Hadi. She couldn't be bothered whether Saeki was merely rumoured to be involved with other women or was actually seeing them, as long as he stuck to their agreement.
At present, Serenity had given Saeki a son who was now three years old, the same age as Shin and Yeri's daughter. At last, this had silenced Saeki's parents, who had constantly clamoured for a grandchild.
"I can't be blamed for being constantly surrounded by beautiful women. They're simply my artists, colleagues, or friends. After all, I'm running an entertainment company! But my ex-wives just couldn't understand that." Saeki continued rambling. "I'm not denying that I've had plenty of ex-girlfriends, but I'm not a cheater. Even more so now that I'm married with a son."
"Why are you explaining all this to me? If you're done here, you can leave," Zahn said.
"Did you hear me say they were incompatible with me? Besides, those socialite women were simply too entitled and demanding, not to mention paranoid! In short, it wasn't my fault! My divorce record doesn't diminish my expertise with women." Saeki continued defending himself. "Honestly, they don't have Serenity's maturity. And get this, she's actually very capable when it comes to helping me manage the company."
"Congratulations," Zahn replied flatly.
Yeri shook her head and stood up. "I should head home now. Brother Shin might be home by this time, and my little Mimi starts crying if she doesn't see me for too long."
"Ah, has Xati arrived yet, Auntie?" Sean asked.
Yeri looked at him, slightly surprised.
"He mentioned he was returning to the capital today, so unless his plans changed, he should be home by now," Sean explained.
"Then all the more reason for me to hurry home." Yeri muttered, already thinking of Shin and Xati constantly at each other's throats.