“Silly girl,” she hummed, “do you realize how much we spent on that plane ticket? It’s several times more expensive than others for a reason. It’s perfectly fine to cause him a little trouble.”

Claire felt a wave of frustration wash over her.

At times, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she and her mother hailed from entirely different worlds, struggling to find a common ground for communication.

Furthermore, Claire knew her mother was resolute in her thinking. Once Elaine made a decision, it was nearly impossible for anyone else to sway her.

So, Claire opted for silence, merely reminding her, “Just make sure to tell me before the plane takes off. That would ease my mind.”

Elaine smiled and replied, “Sure, I’ll let you know. Now, don’t you worry about it. Tell my wonderful son-in-law to drive safely. I’ll hang up now.”

With that, Elaine abruptly ended the video call.

Once the video call was over, Elaine felt the urge to check her Moments again, which only fueled her irritation.

Just like the last time she posted about the private jet, not a single person had liked her update.

Elaine couldn’t help but mutter, “These people just can’t stand seeing someone doing better than them! It’s so tiresome, truly tiresome!”

As she vented, someone suddenly liked her post, which only aggravated her more.

The person who liked it was Souna, of all people.

Among her many WeChat friends, Souna’s likes were the least meaningful to Elaine.

While she was feeling down, Souna unexpectedly initiated a video call, and Elaine felt overwhelmed. For a moment, she considered just hanging up.

But then she thought, “If I don’t pretend to be unhappy today, it’s just like pretending.”

So, she pressed the answer button, looked at Souna on the other end, and forced a smile, saying, “Oh, Souna, what’s up?”

Souna quickly replied, “Sister Elaine, I just woke up! I saw your post about going back to China, so I thought I’d video call to say hello.”

Elaine raised an eyebrow in surprise. “It’s almost night here! You just got up?”

Souna hastily explained, “Oh, Sister Elaine, you must have forgotten! We’re on different time zones. It’s still morning for me!”

Realizing her mistake, Elaine nodded, murmuring, “How could I have forgotten? No wonder no one liked my post; they must all be asleep…”

Souna, with a charming smile, asked, “Sister Elaine, when are you arriving here?”

Elaine replied, puffing out her chest with pride, “My flight takes off in about an hour, but I won’t be returning to Aurous Hill.”

“What?” Souna’s disappointment was evident. “Where are you going if not Aurous Hill?”

Elaine beamed, “Charlie booked me a first-class ticket to Hong Kong Island! I’m going to spend a few days there. I have a good friend who has been inviting me to stay at her villa on Shi Xundao. I just couldn’t resist!”

Souna expressed her envy, “Oh my goodness, Sister Elaine! It’s always you! Who is this friend? We all know you have fabulous friends! Is it the one with the private jet?”

“Yes,” Elaine confirmed. “They are incredibly wealthy, worth billions! I heard they’re distant relatives of our domestic beverage king!” Feeling a sense of pride, Elaine couldn’t help but show off a bit more. “Do you know how rich my friend is? They bought three Raelfas in one go and said they’d give me one when the time comes!”