Chapter 456 - 290: The Confrontational Mother and Daughter

Chapter 456: Chapter 290: The Confrontational Mother and Daughter

"Welcome, beautiful lady."

Lin Chen’s attention was entirely focused on the woman getting out of the SUV, so he completely missed the terrible expression on Erica’s face as she stood half a step behind him.

The lady’s long, wavy hair glinted beautifully in the morning sun, dancing wildly in the forest breeze like a scene from a commercial.

Her features were sharp and delicate, her skin was fair, and she had a pair of brilliant, sapphire-blue eyes.

Europeans have rather mixed ancestry, so they can have any hair and eye color. Blue eyes like hers are quite common, so there was nothing particularly special about them.

Lin Chen smiled and stepped forward, about to offer to help with the luggage, when Erica grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and yanked him back.

"What are you doing here?"

Before Lin Chen could even recover from that sudden chokehold, he heard Erica demand in an exceedingly cold tone.

Huh?

??

??????????

’Something’s not right!’

’They know each other?’

’Judging by her tone, you’d think they were mortal enemies.’

He subconsciously looked at the lady in front of him again.

After being dragged back two steps, he could see her features more clearly.

He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now, looking at her with the idea that she might be related to Erica, he found that the lady’s facial contours seemed more and more familiar.

Although the woman wore exquisite makeup, it couldn’t hide the traces time had left on her.

This might not be so obvious on an Asian woman, but on a Western woman, it was impossible to hide.

Western women developed early; in their teens, they looked like they were in their twenties, full of youthful vitality.

Once they passed twenty-five, the signs would clearly appear on their faces.

After thirty, they would age at an exaggerated rate, which is the origin of the so-called "short blooming period" talked about online.

Asian women weren’t like that. Thanks to daily skincare, fitness, yoga, and Pilates, they could still look like they were in their thirties even when they were over forty.

Although it was a bit rude, once he felt the face was familiar, he stared intently for a while longer.

Connecting this with Erica’s hostile tone, an extremely bold possibility suddenly popped into his mind, like a bolt of lightning.

He turned his head, looking at Erica’s features, then at the lady’s features, and saw the clear guilt and helplessness in her eyes. Lin Chen’s throat bobbed as he silently swallowed.

’It’s really a case of "speak of the devil." They were just talking about her two days ago, and in the blink of an eye, she actually showed up!’

’Wait!’

’That’s not right!’

’Wasn’t this ’lucky fan’ chosen based on the number of likes on the video?’

’When the results were announced last night, I even private messaged her, asked a few questions to make sure she was able to participate before giving the okay. Erica saw the whole thing.’

’She didn’t notice anything from the personal information at the time...’

"I just wanted to come see you, to see how you’re doing."

The woman finally spoke. Her voice was as captivating as her appearance, possessing the unique composure of a mature woman, without the slightest hint of the assertiveness of a powerful businesswoman.

Lin Chen had assumed that a woman who could build a business empire from scratch would be incredibly assertive. He just couldn’t reconcile that image with the woman before him, who seemed almost timid.

"To see if I’m dead yet?"

Erica’s tone was icy, and her presence was imposing. In fact, she was the one who seemed more like a CEO.

But hearing those words, coupled with the fleeting look of heartache on the woman’s face, he couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore. He took a step forward, positioning himself between them.

"Erica, is that any way to talk to your mother? I don’t care what happened between you two, but at the very least, she’s been sending you money all this time. The fact that she even came all the way here proves she still loves you. Is it right for you to say things like that and break the heart of a mother who loves you?"

"The Erica I know wouldn’t do something like this. The Erica I know might be mischievous and often speaks without thinking, but at least she’s a kind girl who knows how to respect her elders."

’Respect her elders?’

’Who?’

’Me?’

’When have I ever respected my elders?’

Erica hadn’t expected Lin Chen to actually stand up for her mother, and even harshly criticize her to her face.

Countless grievances welled up inside her with nowhere to go. At the same time, she felt he had a point, but she wasn’t willing to back down, so she just turned her head to the side.

Only Lin Chen could see that, at some point, her eyes had already turned slightly red.

At such a critical moment, he couldn’t afford to indulge Erica’s temper. The priority was to defuse the tension between the two of them.

He turned around, forced a smile, and extended his hand.

"Hello, beautiful lady. I’m Lin Chen. Welcome. But to verify your identity, would you please introduce yourself?"

"Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

The woman looked with some surprise at her daughter, who stood with her neck stiff and her eyes slightly red but hadn’t turned and walked away. Then she looked back at the handsome young man in front of her, squeezed out a charming smile, and also extended her hand.

"Hello, I’m Marcia. Marcia Michelle, the founder of the Michelle Hotel, and also Erica’s mother."

"I have no such mother."

"Erica!"

Lin Chen shot her another glare. The girl stomped her foot, pouted her cherry-red lips petulantly, and actually turned her back on them completely.

"I’m sorry, Erica isn’t usually like this..."

"I know," Marcia nodded emphatically, tears glistening in her eyes. "It’s all my fault. All these years, I failed to fulfill my duties as a mother. She has every right to blame me."

Seeing the atmosphere grow heavier instead of easing, Lin Chen cursed inwardly. He hurried over to the open trunk and lifted out the woman’s luggage.

"Just find any hotel in town to stay at. Wait for my call, then come pick me up."

Marcia knocked on the car window, and the suit-clad driver nodded. "Yes, ma’am. I’ll take my leave now. Have a great time~"

’She has a personal driver??’

’Wait, she came to a place as remote as Albion Port in her own car?’

’I’m not sure which cities have branches of the Michelle Hotel, but based on this, there must be one in Vancouver, which is why she could drive here directly.’

’And she must have taken a ferry with the car.’

’If she left this morning, she would have had to set out at three-something, which is obviously unrealistic. So she must have arrived in Albany or Nanaimo last night.’

’In other words, she was so confident about getting the spot that she dared to set out half a day early.’

’I’m not sure how she did it, but for a billionaire, getting a few likes is probably not a difficult task.’

The woman’s suitcase was very light, so light it felt almost empty.

"It is empty, actually. I didn’t bring anything. I just brought it so I’d have something to carry back some local mountain specialties."

"Oh, I see."

Lin Chen nodded. This did indeed fit the requirement for bare-handed survival.

Glancing at Erica, who still had her back to them, Lin Chen rubbed his nose, turned to the side, and bowed slightly. "Well then, let’s talk as we go. Get in my car. I need to drive it into the forest first, otherwise I’m afraid it’ll get stolen if I leave it out in the open."

As soon as Marcia and Lin Chen got into the SUV, they saw that Erica had no intention of getting into the passenger seat. Instead, she started walking straight into the forest on foot.

"It’s a good thing she’s still willing to participate in this event. That’s a positive sign."

"Tell me about it."

Sitting in the back seat, Marcia let out a small sigh of relief. "The whole way here, I was worried she’d turn and leave the moment she saw me. It seems you’re more important to her than her own mother now."

"Uh... this is the footage for our first video, after all. We’re partners, and she’s very serious and responsible about her work. I don’t think it’s because of me."

"No, it is because of you."

Marcia shook her head, a knowing look in her eyes as she watched Erica’s retreating figure.

"If she were only being serious and responsible about work, she wouldn’t be here. She’d be back in Chicago, continuing her job as a forest guide. It’s because you showed up that she gave up her job there to come and be with you."

"I know this is a rude question, but as you know, she won’t even talk to me. I can only ask you."

"It’s been almost two months since you two met on the show, right? Without the cameras in the way, how far have things progressed? Have you slept together yet?"

SCREEE—

Lin Chen subconsciously slammed his foot on the brake.

"What’s wrong? What’s wrong? What happened?"

Erica had been walking leisurely not far away. She watched Lin Chen’s car drive past a few meters from her, only to suddenly slam on the brakes. Thinking something had happened, she darted forward, pressing her face against the window to peer inside.

"See? The first person she’s worried about is you. She only has eyes for you."

Although Marcia was also startled by the sudden stop, she subconsciously glanced at her daughter outside the window. Seeing her gaze fixed on Lin Chen, her eyes full of worry, she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

"It’s nothing, don’t worry. Maybe being alone with your mom made me a little nervous, and I accidentally hit the wrong pedal."

Lin Chen rolled down the window to reassure Erica, but who would’ve thought the girl would just pull open the door and hop in.

Lin Chen blinked, glanced at Marcia in the back seat, and she gave him an ’I told you so’ look.

"Stop lying. You can easily adapt to a high-pressure environment like a restaurant kitchen, but you get nervous sitting in a car alone with her? That’s an excuse for a kid. It won’t work on me."

Erica fastened her seatbelt and stared straight ahead, showing no intention of turning her head.

"So, what did you just say to him to get such a big reaction?"

"What do you think?" Marcia didn’t answer directly.

Who knew that such a simple question in return would make Erica instantly fly into a rage.

"Damn it! You didn’t ask him if he’s slept with me, did you?!"