Jiang Ying Yue released a heavy sigh. Her usually stoic expression due to her bodyguard training cracked and revealed weariness. “Hui—I mean, Long Hui’s call went pretty well. At least, that’s what I think. The problem started when the video call ended and Little Jun couldn’t see his dad’s face on the phone anymore. My son started crying. Even I was surprised at how hard he was crying so I tried calling Long Hui again but I couldn’t connect at all. Ketch—I mean, the uh, the nanny told me that Long Hui turned off, I mean, he must’ve turned off his phone right after the call. That’s when Little Jun began throwing a tantrum. He was screaming ‘dada, dada’ at the top of his lungs.”
“Our poor Junie boy!” Dom exclaimed.
The others revealed sympathetic expressions. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you’re not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It’s very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
“Why didn’t you call us, Ying Yue?” Iris asked. “We could’ve helped you comfort Little Jun.”
Jiang Ying Yue shook her head. “I didn’t want to bother you because I know that you’re filled with worry for Sir Liwei, especially right now that he’s injured.”
Iris frowned. “What are you talking about? You sound like a stranger. Little Jun is mine and Liwei’s godson. He would never be a bother to us.”
Jin Liwei nodded in agreement.
“Thank you,” Jiang Ying Yue said and smiled warmly at them. “I know how much you all love and care for my son. I’m forever grateful to all of you.” She didn’t just look at Iris and Jin Liwei but the others as well. “But I really didn’t want to bother you especially since our friends came over today. I didn’t want to interrupt all of you with Little Jun’s tantrum. Besides, I figured that as a mother, I’m still capable enough to calm my own son. I don’t want to always depend on you. You already gave so much to us mother and son. You’ve given us such a wonderful, loving family and home. I know that if we ever need help, my son and I can always ask any of you for help.”
“Damn right you can ask us for help,” Chen Fei said in a domineering tone. “And you should! We don’t have any use for such a stupid thing as shyness among us especially if we’re having personal problems. If you don’t ask us, your friends, for help when you need it the most, then you can watch me kick your ass!”
Meimei scoffed before snickering at Chen Fei. “You, kick Big Sis Yue’s ass? Hah! You wish! Have you forgotten how strong she is? She can throw a man twice her size over her shoulders and you think you can kick her ass? Your puny ass doesn’t stand a chance against her!”
“Alright, you two. That’s enough.” Long Jinjing interrupted the two women’s increasingly caustic banter. Her voice was soft but firm. “There’s no need to make fun of each other like children.” She turned to Jiang Ying Yue. “Sorry about that, Ying Yue. Is Little Jun okay now?”
Jiang Ying Yue smiled at her. “Yes, he is. Thank goodness. He eventually got tired throwing a tantrum and fell asleep. His cat cousins are watching over him right now. The cats helped out a lot in calming him. Actually, a lot of the household staff came over to help me calm down my son. Even the chef tried bribing Little Jun with his favourite pudding.”
That made everyone chuckle and the atmosphere lightened a great deal. Upon hearing the cats’ role in calming down Little Jun, Dom puffed out his chest and preened like a proud mama, looking extremely proud of the cats for being such “responsible older cousins” as if he was the one who personally birthed them to this world.
“Little Jun throwing a tantrum just goes to show that we adults shouldn’t underestimate a small child’s sense of what’s going on around them,” Long Jinjing said, her voice sad. “They might not have a full understanding of the situation but they can still sense that something is off in their environment. In this case, Little Jun must have already sensed that he won’t be seeing his father on a regular basis anymore and became upset. That’s why he threw a rare tantrum.”
Nobody replied to her but they all knew that she was right. Long Jinjing especially felt affected because she could relate to the situation on a personal level. She could see herself in Little Jun. They were both illegitimate children and didn’t live with their fathers. Fortunately, Little Jun also had a kind, loving and devoted mother in Jiang Ying Yue, just like how Long Jinjing had her own mother, Sun Jingfei. Jiang Ying Yue would surely be able to raise and guide Little Jun into an upstanding individual despite their non-ideal family situation. Besides, the mother and son had all of them to assist them in whatever way they needed.
Watching all of these from her seat, Iris began to feel conflicted. She loved Little Jun and would do anything to protect him. Her heart ached knowing that the child was longing for Long Hui in an intrinsic way a child needed his father.
“Am I doing the right thing?” Her voice was a very soft whisper. The others didn’t hear her but Jin Liwei did.
He instantly knew that she was referring to her current antagonism with Long Hui and their direct clash in the Longs’ battle of succession.
“Never doubt yourself,” he whispered directly to her ear. “Having a complete family with both a mother and father together is what society dictates as ideal, but it’s not the best option for everyone. Not for many other people in the world and especially not for our godson.”
