Tokyo Three Generations

He always yielded and tolerated his strong-willed and fiery wife, leaving behind a "tale of being afraid of his wife" in the political arena. It is said that he never dared to talk back when the couple quarreled for decades, and his wife also controlled the family finances. One can imagine his status in the family - he was practically just a tool to continue the bloodline.

In the eyes of Takasaki Mio, who loves her son dearly, what's the point of her son becoming successful if he lives such a life? She would rather see her son living a simple and happy life by her side.

Unfortunately, the son didn't quite understand his mother's good intentions. He just looked at his mother with a puzzled expression, but didn't ask any further questions.

==========================

After parking their car in the garage, the mother and son came out together. At that moment, Minami and Mutsu also came out of the house to greet their two guests.

At this moment, Mio Takasaki is wearing a haute couture suit, her hair is meticulously styled, and her makeup is almost flawless; she is truly "fully armed."

The suggestion to "visit Wakaba Mutsumi's home" was just a sudden whim of Takasaki Mio, but now that it has been brought up, we must follow the proper procedures and etiquette.

Furthermore, since Mio Takasaki had never formally met Minami Mori before, her first visit needed to be even more formal.

In the brief moment the two mothers met, they also discreetly scrutinized each other with their own critical eyes.

Mio Takasaki's first reaction was amazement.

Although I had heard of Senmina Nami's name and seen her on screen before, seeing her up close now, she truly deserves the title of "naturally beautiful".

Moreover, thanks to her meticulous care, she shows no signs of aging; she's practically a larger version of Mutsumi Wakaba.

The mother and daughter together, one mature and charming, the other youthful and beautiful, are truly a sight to behold.

Standing before the two of them, Mio Takasaki, while not exactly feeling inferior, couldn't help but be amazed.

After her initial amazement, Mio Takasaki couldn't help but feel a pang of regret: "Such a beautiful woman, why did she become a thief?"

What a beautiful person she is, why did she have to be such a wicked mother?

Meanwhile, Minami also scrutinized the mother and son opposite her.

Although Mio Takasaki was unaware of those things, Minami Mori couldn't help but feel a bit competitive.

As the "ex-girlfriend," she also had a certain sense of superiority.

However, Mio Takasaki is also very beautiful, and her long-term role as a member of parliament's wife has given her a certain air of authority. Moreover, due to her long-term immersion in calligraphy, she also possesses a restrained scholarly air.

On their first meeting, even the usually proud and arrogant Senmina couldn't help but nod in approval.

Hmm, not bad, no wonder you could have such a son.

It's just a pity she was unlucky and married the wrong person... She chuckled to herself.

However, despite her laughter, she couldn't muster any real aura because she had leverage over the other party.

Of course, this was only a brief exchange of glances between the two women; it would be extremely impolite to scrutinize each other for too long.

After the initial examination, the two of them simultaneously smiled warmly.

"Mrs. Takasaki, it's truly an honor to have you grace us with your presence!" Minami Mori greeted Takasaki Mio with a perfect, warm smile. "We rarely have such a distinguished guest as you, even once a year."

"You flatter me," Takasaki Mio said with a smile, "We're just a small family, how could we possibly deserve such praise? It's my honor to have the opportunity to visit your home and, by the way, see the face of a big star!"

“What big star? I’m long past my prime.” Senmina said with a mix of self-deprecation and bitter smile. “In this day and age, there’s not much room for me anymore. I have to start planning my retirement.”

“Isn’t it lucky to have the opportunity to plan for retirement at this age?” Mio Takasaki replied with a smile. “Besides, I’m quite envious of being able to retire in such a luxurious mansion.”

That's no exaggeration, because the Wakaba family's mansion is truly luxurious, covering a huge area, and it's a modern-style residence designed by a professional designer.

In Tokyo, where land is incredibly valuable (even in non-core urban areas), it would cost at least several billion yen, if not two billion. The annual property tax alone would probably be at least tens of millions.

The Takasaki family wasn't lacking in financial resources, but their status as politicians prevented them from being so ostentatious; celebrities, on the other hand, earn money easily and aren't afraid of public criticism, so they can spend it as they please.

So Mio Takasaki was actually a little envious.

“I’m embarrassed by what you’re saying. My husband and I have worked hard all our lives and this is all we can save up for this one property. Your family is truly doing a great service to the country. We can’t compare to them…” Mori Minami chuckled again. “If you like it here, you’re welcome to come visit often. I’ll be happy to welcome you whenever I’m home.”

After the standard pleasantries, her gaze fell on Jun Takasaki behind Mio Takasaki.

"Oh, Jun-kun~ You've come too." She called out to him softly in the voice unique to actresses, her eyes full of charm. "I missed you quite a bit since we last met, I didn't expect to see you again so soon... Thank you for taking care of me before, I must treat you well this time."

As she spoke, she glanced at Wakaba Mutsu next to her.

Then, under her daughter's watchful eye, she walked up to Jun Takasaki and, with the demeanor of an elder, affectionately pinched his cheek.

Then she turned back to her daughter and asked with a smile.

"Mu, the Tsun-kun you've been longing for has come to visit. Aren't you happy today?"

90, Painted Skin

"Mu, the Tsun-kun you've been longing for has come to visit. Aren't you happy today?"

If Ye Mu knew that her mother, though seemingly well-intentioned, was deliberately putting her down in front of others.

But she couldn't admit she was unhappy in front of the Takasaki mother and son.

Besides, during this time, she has made some progress in her mental development and has gradually learned to ignore her mother's words.

So she nodded without a care in the world.

"Yes, I'm very happy."

Then, she walked up to the mother and son and bowed very politely and solemnly.

“Auntie, Chun, ever since I was warmly received by you last time I visited, I… I have been looking forward to this day. I am so glad that you could come to my home as guests. I will do my best to entertain you so as to live up to your kindness.”

Seeing how fluently and naturally Wakaba Mutsu handled the situation, Takasaki Mio and Takasaki Jun exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

As for Senmina, she found it even more incredible. She never expected her daughter to behave so well and speak so fluently and naturally.

This young lady has probably rehearsed this in her mind many times in private... and this has made her acutely aware of the true meaning of the saying "a daughter is not meant to stay at home once she grows up".

An ordinary mother would feel sad about this, but she wouldn't. In fact, if Mu were to be legally "taken away," she would probably feel relieved, since she wouldn't have to face the pressure from her daughter anymore.

However, despite saying that, she didn't intend to make her daughter happy so easily.

The distorted mother-daughter relationship over the years had long made her accustomed to tripping up her daughter. Although she had gradually stopped hurting her daughter in daily life after the last "lesson", this time was a rare opportunity.

It's rare to have guests like this at our door, so it's only natural to have some fun...

With this wicked thought in mind, she slightly curled the corners of her mouth into a meaningful smile.

Takasaki and her son didn't notice anything unusual about her smile, but Wakaba Mutsu instinctively felt a chill.

Just as a mother understands her daughter, no one knows a mother better than her daughter; she knows her mother all too well.

From childhood to adulthood, whenever friends came to her house, her mother would always find ways to cause trouble, which made her unwilling to let friends visit her again after she grew up.

And today... she especially doesn't want anything to go wrong.

She had only one thought in her mind—she absolutely could not lose face in front of Aunt Takasaki and Jun, and she could not let them feel that she was not worthy to stand in front of them.

She had been preparing for this for far too long and would not allow her mother to ruin it.

So she turned her head slightly and glanced at her mother, her eyes filled with wariness, helplessness, and even a hint of pleading.

It was as if it were saying, "Please don't cause me any trouble today."

Mio Takasaki didn't pay much attention to the interaction between mother and daughter; she simply responded gently to Mutsumi Wakaba.

"Child, don't be so serious. You've come to my house as a guest, so it's only right that I do my best to entertain you. There's no need to take it so seriously. I came here today just to see you and, incidentally, to meet the big star I've been admiring for so long. Just be normal and don't be shy."

After saying that, she reached out and stroked Wakaba Mutsu's cheek, then looked at Mori Minami, "Ms. Mori, I really envy you so much for giving birth to such a beautiful daughter... Tsk tsk, her skin is as clear and clean as ice jade, even better than others with beauty filters."

For her, the primary goal of her visit today was to support Wakaba Mutsu. Therefore, she deliberately acted extremely friendly towards Wakaba Mutsu in front of Mori Minami, in order to express her affection for Wakaba Mutsu—and even with a hint of warning, 'I've got this child under my protection, so don't bully her too much in the future.'

"You flatter me." Minami Mori already knew why Mio Takasaki came, so she wasn't surprised at all. She just smiled calmly. "Although Mutsumi is alright looking, she doesn't usually interact with people much, so she's not very good at social skills and doesn't have many friends at school. I've been troubled by this for a while."

"What's so great about social niceties? They're exhausting. It's much more comfortable to be alone." Takasaki Mio just smiled bitterly. "Since you two have already saved up enough for several lifetimes, there's no need for her to learn how to entertain guests. Isn't it good enough for her to live a life that suits her own taste?"

“That’s true, but as a mother, I still hope she can be more sociable…” Sen Minami sensed Takasaki Mio’s protectiveness, and she didn’t argue much. Instead, she turned her gaze to Takasaki Jun. “Actually, I envy you more, Madam. You have such an outstanding son. If Mutsu can grow up with him as a role model, then I won’t have to worry about anything.”

Seeing the other person praising her son, Mio Takasaki found it a little amusing.

After all, she knew that Senmina had previously suffered a setback at the hands of her son.

However, she was very well-mannered and didn't like to expose people's flaws in public, so she just smiled and said a few words of self-deprecation.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two mothers, led by Minami, led the four of them into the mansion.

Meanwhile, the servants had already prepared a large meal.

A variety of dishes were laid out on the table, but none of the three women had much of an appetite, especially the two mothers, who spent most of their time chatting.

Although Senmina Nami has a terrible personality, she is, after all, a famous actress. When she is not having a fit of rage over her daughter, she can handle almost any situation perfectly, and she can talk and laugh without showing any signs of a problem.

Mio Takasaki was no pushover either, so the two seemed to be secretly competing, smiling on one hand while clashing in secret, making the atmosphere quite strange.

However, since Minami had received a warning from Jun Takasaki, she deliberately avoided two topics—that she was the "ex-sister" and the recent scandal involving the Takasaki family.

For some reason, the two of them suddenly started talking about the photo of Wakaba Mutsumi and Takasaki Jun from before.

"To be honest, the first time I saw Mutsu was in that photo. I have to say, that photo was the one that amazed me. I fell in love with Mutsu even before I met her." Takasaki Mio continued to use exaggerated language to praise Wakaba Mutsu. "Excuse me, are there any other photos? I'd like to see more."

“No problem, please wait a moment.” Minami immediately agreed, then got up and went to a room next door. She then found a hardcover photo album and handed it to Mio Takasaki with both hands.

In this era where mobile phones and digital cameras are already ubiquitous, to still solemnly preserve physical photos in a deluxe photo album, just like decades ago, is truly the style of the wealthy.

However, the Takasaki family also has similar photo albums. After all, for Takasaki Mio, the years she spent growing up with her son are her most precious memories, and she likes to preserve them in physical form so that she can look back on them whenever she gets old.

After receiving the photo album, Mio Takasaki immediately began to carefully browse through it.

Sure enough, the room was filled with photos of Ruoye Muku, from childhood to adulthood, and as she had expected, they were all stunningly beautiful.

As expected, Wakaba Mutsu was a beauty from a young age.

From her early childhood, playing with toys and babbling as a child, to her teenage years, we have gradually witnessed the history of Wakaba Mutsumi growing into adulthood.

However, as she watched, Takasaki Mio felt something was off.

It's not that the people in the photo are weird, but something else is off on a different level, like a sense of incongruity.

……

After a moment, she figured out the source of this unease.

What about people?

In these photos, there are almost no photos of the mother and daughter together. Most of them are solo photos of Wakaba Mutsu. Even in the few photos with multiple people, there are only photos of Wakaba Mutsu with her father, Wakaba Takafumi, and Mori Minami... Except for when she was very young, there are no other photos of her.

"Why aren't there any photos of you all together? I was really looking forward to them!" she blurted out.

This seemingly casual question appears to have shattered the previously harmonious atmosphere.

"Because Minami-chan doesn't like it." After a moment of silence, Wakaba Mutsu answered softly.

She didn't say exactly what Minami Mori disliked, but Mio Takasaki immediately understood what she meant.

He was probably afraid that his daughter would overshadow him.

Can't even stand family photos? ... She was first puzzled, then surprised.

Furthermore, the nickname "Minami-chan" is also...

If she were unaware of the situation, seeing the way the mother and daughter addressed each other would only make her think that the two had a very close relationship. However, after learning the inside story, seeing this scene again, Takasaki Mio felt a chill run down her spine.

It was precisely because of this sense of incongruity that her gaze towards Minami changed, as if she were looking at a demon in disguise.

How could a mother do this...?

Her hand trembled slightly.

However, on the surface, she maintained her composure and handed the photo album back to Minami.

"Thank you, I was really engrossed in watching. Xiao Mu has always been so adorable since she was little..."

At this point, she couldn't help but emphasize her words, "Ms. Mori, I don't like to boss others around. As a mother, I know how hard it is to raise children, and I respect other people's ways of raising children..."

After all that buildup, she finally revealed her true intentions.

"However, in my personal opinion, there seems to be a big problem in your relationship with Xiao Mu, and it seems that the responsibility for the problem lies more with you."

Although she had already layered her nails, according to the rules of their social circle, it was extremely "rude" for a guest to criticize her host to his face. She would never have done so if it weren't for her affection for Wakaba Mutsuki.

Being criticized like that made Senmina Nami angry.

She had long known that Takasaki Mio's visit this time was ill-intentioned; she wanted to support her daughter, but she had no choice but to tolerate it because she was under someone else's control.

Right now, seeing that the other party has finally turned against her, she doesn't feel ashamed, but rather a little aggrieved.

I've already tolerated this much, and you still won't let it go?

It's all your fault!