Chapter 33 – Quarrel

Shen Meina… was completely shocked.

In her impression, besides her closest siblings, her own children and husband were the ones who took care of her with meticulous attention to every detail. Even her best friend couldn’t achieve such thorough care. But the online friend Jian Mei found clearly exceeded her imagination. Lu Xingwang, on the other hand, didn’t talk much every day, but Jian Mei, who lacked self-control and critical thinking, spoke a lot every day. And Lu Xingwang always timely stopped him from some of his misguided thoughts and actions.

Although he always seemed strict, only parents could see that beneath that strict language was the original intention for the good of the child.

Shen Meina murmured to herself, “Is this for real?”

As she continued to watch, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She and Jian Shencheng had always provided for Jian Mei’s material needs, but this child didn’t seem to share everything with his parents. Instead, he opened up to a stranger and received much care from that stranger. Wasn’t this a great irony for parents?

…

Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly heard a voice from behind, “Mom?”

Shen Meina was startled, and her hand trembled, almost dropping her phone. Feeling inexplicably guilty, she turned around and looked at her son, who came out wearing pajamas, and asked in confusion, “Didn’t you go to take a shower? How you come so soon?”

Jian Mei looked at the hand behind her back, “Mom, what are you doing?”

The usually strong-willed mother stuttered, “I… I was checking your homework.”

Jian Mei turned his head and glanced at the nearby study desk, “Then why is Mom standing here by the sofa?”

“I… I finished checking and came here to rest.”

“Why did Mom take my phone when resting?” Jian Mei’s voice was clear, and his eyes looked at Shen Meina with such innocence, while the thoughts of an adult were so complex.

Shen Meina inexplicably feared being seen through and instinctively made up a lie, “Mom didn’t look, I just picked it up for a moment.”

Jian Mei stood still, quietly staring at her, and then calmly said, “But I just saw Mom going through my phone.”

…

Silence fell inside the room.

The usually strong-willed mother felt her face lose some dignity when her child spoke to her like this.

Shen Meina could only stutter, “Mom is doing this for your own good. Besides, there’s nothing scandalous or secret in your phone, so why worry?”

Jian Mei furrowed his brows slightly and said, “But Mom should ask for my permission before looking.”

“And…,” Jian Mei added softly, “Lying is wrong.”

Shen Meina didn’t expect her usually obedient and sensible son to argue with her like this. She became short-tempered and said, “Didn’t you also lie that you did the homework yourself?”

Jian Mei also choked up.

Yes, he did lie because he had promised Da Zhuang ge not to tell anyone.

Seeing him silent, Shen Meina finally regained some control. She cleared her throat and softened her tone, saying, “It’s wrong for Mom to sneak a look at your phone. But you’ve never lied before, and I looked because I was worried about you. Let’s consider it even, okay?”

Jian Mei pursed his lips and reluctantly nodded.

Shen Meina felt relieved that the crisis was averted. She sat down on the sofa and, with a somewhat assertive tone, asked, “So, can you tell me who this person is on your WeChat, what’s your relationship, and when did you meet?”

Jian Mei honestly said, “He’s my friend.”

Shen Meina furrowed her brow, “You haven’t answered my other questions.”

Jian Mei actually wanted to share his good friend with his family. After all, Lu Xingwang was his best friend so far, smart and capable. He wanted to show off a little. But due to the special circumstances, he had to downplay it, “We met during summer vacation. Just regular friends.”

Shen Meina felt that he was evading the questions, and it bothered her. “What’s his name? Where does he live? Is he in the same school as you?”

Jian Mei said, “I don’t know.”

?

Shen Meina became somewhat angry. Jian Mei had always relied on her for everything, and now he was being secretive. She became assertive again, “So, you’re friends with someone you know nothing about?”

Jian Mei pouted with a sense of grievance and said, “He’s a good person, not a bad person.”

“What does a little kid like you know?”

“…Dad said before, one shouldn’t make judgments about people and things they don’t understand.” Jian Mei didn’t want his mother to speak ill of his friend. “Mom doesn’t know him, so why say such things?”

This may have been the first time that a child in the early stages of adolescence argued with his mother.

Shen Meina was also shocked. Seeing her well-behaved child defying her like this, she immediately became angry and said, “Do you listen to your dad and not to your mom? Am I just making a fuss for no reason? Why would I say these things? Why don’t I go educate others? It’s because I care about you. You’re my son, that’s why I say these things.”

The intense conversation between the two reached downstairs.

Jian Shencheng originally didn’t want to get involved, but when he saw that things were almost out of control, he quickly ran upstairs. Upon arriving, he saw his wife and son looking angry, so he hurriedly asked, “What’s going on here?”

Shen Meina looked at her husband’s arrival and said, “Just look at what a good son you have. He is really pissing me off.”

Jian Mei remained silent.

Jian Shencheng came over and patted Shen Meina’s shoulder, asking, “What’s going on? Why are you arguing with our child?”

Shen Meina’s pretty face was flushed with anger. She looked at Jian Mei with slightly red eyes and said, “I’m doing it for his own good. If your friend isn’t a bad person, then does that make Mom a bad person?”

Jian Mei’s hand, placed by his side, involuntarily curled up. He lowered his head and murmured, “I’m sorry.”

Jian Shencheng sighed, “Alright, let’s stop talking about it.”

Shen Meina thought about how Jian Mei had never argued with her before. But now, this person of unknown origin, although seemingly not a bad influence on the child, must have brought some negative influence. Otherwise, why would Jian Mei behave this way?

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.

Shen Meina said, “Mom won’t harm you, but it’s best if you block this person. In the future, have less contact with people of unknown origin. Do you hear me?”

…

Jian Mei remained silent.

When a child plays dead, it’s the most frustrating thing. Shen Meina added, “Jian Mei, you’re still young. In the future, you will have many friends who genuinely care about you. Don’t be fixated on the present. The online world is vast and unpredictable. At any time, there can be countless changes. If one day your account gets lost or something goes wrong, you won’t be able to hold onto anything. Who will you turn to then, and what can you do? Mom is not against you making friends, but if this continues, the only person getting hurt will be you.”

Jian Mei’s lips moved slightly, “It won’t get lost…”

Shen Meina chuckled in frustration, “”You can’t prepare for all the changes. If you have any worries, you can talk to Mom and Dad. We can help you too. There’s no need to rely on an online friend. Besides, I already told you, there will be other friends in the future. Your classmates are also outstanding, you know.”

Jian Mei stood there obediently. After hearing Shen Meina’s words, he said, “It’s different.”

Shen Meina couldn’t believe it, “What did you say?”

“It’s different,” Jian Mei looked up at them, somewhat stubbornly. “Friends and parents are different. Parents are always busy and can’t always be with me or have time to listen to my nagging. Mom only wants me to be obedient and sensible, but friends don’t demand much from me, and…”

Jian Mei paused for a moment, speaking with determination and seriousness. “No one can be a substitute for someone else. Mom used to say that we should cherish the people in front of us. I don’t want to wait for other friends in the future. I might not be smart, but I’ve grown up, and I can distinguish between right and wrong.”

I want him.

Although the underlying meaning was not explicitly stated, it was clear to the parents.

This was the first confrontation between the growing child and the parents. The usually obedient child showed a stubborn insistence and temper for the first time, like a silent battle, and Jian Mei was not prepared to surrender.

Shen Meina gasped, “You!”

Indeed, she could choose to take strong measures to force Jian Mei to delete the person or confiscate Jian Mei’s phone to achieve her own goals. However, deep down, she realized that Jian Mei hadn’t committed any serious mistakes. Inflicting such severe punishment would cause too much harm to the child. Her goal was to protect the child, not to completely break their relationship.

Jian Shencheng didn’t want to see his wife and child arguing, so he quickly took his wife out. As he left, he reminded Jian Mei, “Go to bed early. Your mother is also doing it for your own good, you know.”

Jian Mei pursed their lips and remained silent.

Once the room regained its quietness, he slowly walked to the sofa and sat down, curling up on it. The child who had appeared stubborn and eloquent just now seemed like a deflated ball, huddled up in grievance. Jian Mei lowered their head and leaned against the sofa, only when he was alone did he let his guard down, gently wiping away tears.

This was his first fight with his parents, and it made him very sad. Of course, he knew that Mom was doing it for his own good, so he felt even sadder. At times, he regretted not talking nicely to his mother just now, and at times, he felt the bitterness of not being understood by his parents.

“Buzz…”

The phone vibrated.

Jian Mei turned his head in confusion and happened to see the screen lighting up. After looking closely, he realized that Shen Meina had accidentally sent a few garbled symbols to Lu Xingwang earlier due to shaking hands. At this moment, Lu Xingwang was puzzled.

But Jian Mei’s heart was filled with sadness, so he didn’t reply to the message immediately.

After a while, when Lu Xingwang asked if something had happened, Jian Mei finally sniffed and picked up the phone.His tears dropped onto the screen as he replied, “I had an argument with my parents.”

This was also unexpected for Lu Xingwang.

After all, in his perception, Jian Mei was

child with a good temper. If it wasn’t a serious problem then how would he quarrel with his parents?

Furthermore, apart from the initial contact where they exchanged garbled messages, such situations hadn’t occurred again. Lu Xingwang had a vague idea: [Is it because of me?]

Jian Mei didn’t want him to blame himself, so he said, “It’s not all because of you. It’s also because I didn’t put my phone properly.”

Lu Xingwang probably guessed the reason as well: [Do your parents know?]

Jian Mei said yes but was afraid that Lu Xingwang would think he couldn’t keep secrets, so he added, “But I didn’t say anything else. I’ve kept everything you didn’t want me to say a secret.”

The two of them were acting inexplicably, concealing and hiding things, as if they were involved in some unspeakable relationship.

It’s somewhat amusing when you think about it. If this were on the Stan Star, any common citizen or even a noble family member, anyone who could maintain such frequent and friendly interaction with the Empire’s Third Prince, it would undoubtedly be a matter of pride and something worth boasting about. But with Jian Mei, it had to lead to a big argument, making him cry.

However, the people they want to associated with, the ones they wanted to interact with, is the Third Prince. They hoped to be friends with the Third Prince, not with Lu Xingwang after the halo had faded. But now, he met a somewhat naive child who quarreled with his family over this Lu Xingwang whose halo had faded.

Lu Xingwang sat on the grassy field of the military base, leaning against a tree, and sighed faintly. Then, he pressed the call button and dialed Jian Mei’s number.

It took a while for Jian Mei to answer, and he sounded like he had been crying, his voice thick with tears. “Hello.”

Lu Xingwang asked, “Why are you crying again?”

Jian Mei sniffled, “Crying isn’t a crime.”

Lu Xingwang said, “Is it the first time you’ve argued with your family?”

“Yeah,” Jian Mei replied softly, “I don’t know if I went too far with what I said just now, but it really hurt my mom.”

Of course, he knew that Shen Meina cared about him, so when he thought about it, he couldn’t help but blame himself.

Lu Xingwang said slowly, “Do you regret it?”

“Regret…”

Jian Mei, in the midst of ignorance and reality, said, “I don’t regret it.”

Lu Xingwang’s mouth curved slightly, finding it somewhat endearing. His voice was deep, carrying a trace of indulgence that even the person involved wasn’t aware of. “What did you argue about?”

In the past, he was busy with all sorts of things and didn’t care about those non sensical things whether it was events in the palace such as arguments of his parents.But now, he took the initiative to inquire, willingly becoming a listener to a crybaby. Sitting beneath the tree, Lu Xingwang’s profile was handsome and sharp, bathed in moonlight. The person in military uniform appeared somewhat serious. Some young soldiers not far away, though separated by a distance, believed that the prince was discussing important national affairs with someone. They would never have guessed that he was actually trying to cheer up a child.

At this moment, Jian Mei desperately needed someone to confide in. He sniffed and began to speak, “I finished taking a shower and come out, my mom was looking at my phone, and then… anyway, she doesn’t care about my opinions at all. I know she does it for my own good, but I’m not happy at all with this kind of ‘good.’ Can you understand how I feel?”

Lu Xingwang said, “Mm.”

Jian Mei was momentarily drawn to his attention and asked, “Do you also argue with your family?”

How surprising! In his impression, Brother Da Zhuang was always calm and reliable, a guy who would never rebel. Could it be that he had rebellious days too?

Lu Xingwang said to him, “There were arguments when I was younger, but they stopped later.”

Jian Mei suddenly realized that Brother Da Zhuang’s mother had passed away, so there wouldn’t have been any later arguments. He had forgotten about it just now and inadvertently brought up someone else’s sad matter. He quickly changed the topic, saying, “When you were young, how young were you?”

Luo Xingwang thought for a moment and replied, “Five years old.”

At that time, he saw other children playing outside, and he wanted to join them. Naturally, Lady Lan caught him and scolded him severely. He was rebellious, feeling unjust in his heart. Why could other children do it but not him? The strict and sorrowful expression on his mother’s face during that time still vividly lingered in his memory.

Jian Mei’s voice came from the other end of the phone, dispersing some of the sadness. “And how old are you now?”

Luo Xingwang said, “Older than you.”

Jian Mei refused to accept it. “That’s not necessarily true.”

“I’m 14.”

“I’m also 14.”

Finally, Luo Xingwang seriously thought about his own birthday and spoke, “October 24th.”

Jian Mei was defeated. He was born in December, but now it’s already October 21st. So, if that’s the case, Da Zhuang’s birthday is coming soon. It’s a close call. If they hadn’t talked about this topic, he would have definitely missed it.

He sighed softly and said, “You’re actually older than me ai.”

Lu Xingwang raised an eyebrow and teased, “You seem upset.”

“Yeah,” Jian Mei murmured, “Why am I always the younger brother?”

Lu Xingwang paused and spoke slowly, “Well, you know how to build relationships and even claim someone as your own.”

This child really knew how to take advantage. He casually recognized Dazhuang-ge as his brother and became a member of the royal family.Even the street vendors selling lottery tickets wouldn’t dare to weave such a dream.

Jian Mei pouted, “What else can I be if not the younger brother?”

It was truly a soul-searching question.

Prince, who was always in control under the tree, was rarely stumped by a question. His handsome eyebrows furrowed, and he had to seriously consider the relationship between the two that even he had overlooked, or rather deliberately ignored. Even if he didn’t want to admit it, he had to admit that in his life, Jian Mei’s presence was like rapid growth, inconspicuous at first like wild grass, but once noticed, it had already spread boundlessly in a wilderness.

“Hello?” He took too long to think, and a soft voice came from the other end of the phone. Jian Mei’s voice, which had just cried, had a nasal tone, a bit obedient but full of doubt. “Is the signal bad? Why aren’t you speaking?”

Lu Xingwang responded, “I was lost in thought.”

Jian Mei felt relieved and softly asked the question that hadn’t been resolved earlier, tinged with a mischievous tone, “Then what should I be?”

Originally, he wanted to tease Lu Xingwang a bit and say, “Should I be your older brother?”

Little did he know…

There was another suspicious silence on the phone.

Then, to his surprise, he heard Lu Xingwang’s low voice, which could still be felt even through the phone, earnestly saying, “A friend.”

Jian Mei was stunned. “What?”

No one knew how precious these simple two words were coming from the Prince’s mouth. Lu Xingwang’s serious attitude towards everything made him particularly strict and cautious about every emotion.

It was something that even his former self couldn’t believe—making a promise of friendship to a complete stranger.

Moreover, he was very clear-headed.

While Jian Mei didn’t hear clearly, Lu Xingwang’s deep eyes and patient lips formed the word again, “Friend.”

Like a small pebble causing ripples in a pond, although it was a simple word, the moment it came out of his mouth, Jian Mei’s grip tightened on the hand he was holding. The previously sad mood seemed to dissipate with the wind, as if his sincerity had also been reciprocated. He had never been one-sided all along, and now he was also Da Zhuang’s good friend.

Jian Mei narrowed his eyes and whispered, “Alright, it’s a deal. We’re friends now, lifelong brothers!”

Lu Xingwang didn’t expect Jian Mei to promote himself.

He felt a bit helpless, but also amused. In fact, he had never told Jian Mei that he was the one who truly had no friends. Unfortunately, everlasting promises were just dreams. His own lifetime was too short, so short that he could only be a fleeting passerby in Jian Mei’s life. Fortunately, even if he left, he would be the first to leave. In that case, the pain of parting wouldn’t be too intense.

…

The next day

Early in the morning, when Jian Changjia returned from school to pick up something, he saw his younger brother sitting at the doorstep putting on his shoes.

He was puzzled, “Why are you up so early? It’s only five o’clock. Isn’t your school holiday today? Mom and Dad haven’t woken up yet. You’re skipping breakfast?”

Jian Mei lowered his head and said, “I won’t have breakfast at home anymore.”

Jian Changjia became even more curious, “Then where will you have breakfast?”

Jian Mei turned his face away, “I’ll eat outside.”

Even so, Jian Changjia noticed that his brother’s eyes were swollen, as if he had been crying, and it was strange for him to wake up so early today. It was clear that something was wrong.

Jian Changjia raised an eyebrow, “Did someone bully you at school?”

Jian Mei was startled. He looked up and saw his brother’s displeased expression, quickly shaking his head, “No.”

Jian Changjia was even more surprised. If it wasn’t at school, could it be his parents? That would be too strange. His younger brother had always had a weak constitution since childhood, so they had to be careful not to let his emotions fluctuate too much. Fortunately, he was well-behaved and sensible, so they never scolded him, let alone physically punish him. What happened this time?

Jian Mei held his small bag and, seeing his brother staring at him, finally whispered, “I had an argument with Mom.”

Unexpectedly, his brother didn’t blame him.

On the contrary, Jian Changjia smiled happily, “That’s great. Adolescence really speaks the truth. So, did you win the argument?”

Jian Mei pursed his lips, “It was a draw.”

Jian Changjia scoffed lightly, “Useless.”

Jian Mei turned his face away and muttered, “I’m leaving.”

“Come back.”

Jian Mei paused and looked at him in confusion. Jian Changjia said, “Aren’t you just avoiding Mom? Even if you go out for breakfast, can you avoid her once you come back?”

Jian Mei pressed his lips together. He hadn’t thought that far, he just didn’t want to face his mother. Seeing that his brother saw through the nature of the situation, he hesitated and said, “I… I’ll go to the park.”

Jian Changjia sneered, “Aren’t you afraid of being kidnapped?”

Jian Mei glared at him.

However, Jian Changjia walked over, slightly stooped, and leaned his arm on Jian Mei’s shoulder. The wild and rebellious teenager made the decision to take his naive younger brother out to see the world for the first time. “Let’s go. Today, your big brother is in a good mood. I’ll take you out to play!”