Macau casino mogul’s wife adores lingerie model daughter-in-law

Model Xi Meng Yao. Photo from Xi's Instagram

The model and her husband Mario Ho spoke about their married life on a Nov. 16 segment of the Chinese hit TV show "Viva La Romance." According to Ho, his billionaire mother adored Xi for her kindness, patience, cleverness, and good manners.

He added that Leong only approved his marriage to Xi after carefully researching his bride’s background. She collected opinions about Xi from hundreds of people from Shanghai, Xi’s hometown, to better understand her background and past. The billionaire businesswoman eventually felt satisfied with what she knew about Xi and gave the nod to her son’s wedding.

Ho said his current happiness with his married life is largely thanks to Leong’s carefulness.

Xi said Leong is a strict mother-in-law with high standards about her children’s behavior. She said she has always had the utmost respect for her husband’s mother and considers her a role model.

"My mother-in-law is hardworking and good at everything, so my husband grew up as a man with a growth mindset," she said. "He is not simply the adored son of a rich family, and his talent is what attracted me romantically."

The model also denied allegations that she married Ho for money.

"I married for love not money," she said. "I would never want to marry someone I do not have any feelings for, no matter how rich his family is."

Xi, 34, started her professional modeling career in 2009 by participating in a TV competition. She has since walked for many international fashion houses’ shows, including events held by Victoria’s Secret, Givenchy, Michael Kors, Balmain, and Karl Lagerfeld.

Ho, 28, completed his master’s degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The couple married in 2019 after Ho made a viral proposal using 99,999 roses.

Leong, 62, is the late casino mogul’s fourth partner. Forbes estimated her net worth at US$2.6 billion.