THIS RAGGEDY LYING MOTHERER WITH TOO TIGHT UNDERWEAR JUST SAID SOME ED RAINBOW UNICORN BULL TO MY MOTHER!

He’s on drugs! He probably has a secret drug ring is sampling his own ing goods. There is no way in hell, heaven, or earth this bastard is lucid after spewing that nonsensical ery!

But, just look at him sipping his glass of water calm and collect while my mother is struggling to breathe. I am going to be disowned! How do I fix this can I say he was joking? What the hell am I going to say to fix this--

“Have you had a chance to browse the menu? Or would you like to see the wine list before you place your orders?”

When the did this server show up? Can’t she see there is a situation about to explode here?

“No, go the away we will let you know when we want to eat! Stop rushing us!”

I snatched the wine listing from her hand and dismiss her with a finger pointed toward the kitchen.

“Dayu!”

I look up at my mother’s harsh reprimand. Her face is full of worry and I can see a film of tears glistening over her eyes.

“Why are you behaving like this?”

I love my mother more than anything in the world, there is nothing I would not do for her. She is sitting here now crying because this bastard just shamed her son in front of her by saying such malicious lies. How am I supposed to act?!

“How could you speak that way to someone who is only doing her job? Do you want to shame me by behaving as though I didn’t raise you up right?”

My mother drops her head and I watched embarrassed and scolded as her shoulder shake from her sobs. I am a terrible son and that Wang Qing is the cause of it. I hate him. I hope he takes pleasure in this moment since I will kill him.

I reach for one of my mother’s hands, but she snatches it from my grasp.

“Mommy…”

I can barely whisper the word because I feel my throat tightening and closing off, robbing me of air.

Qing did this he made my mother ashamed of me. He has everything in life, and he blatantly in broad daylight stole my mother from me. I was already anger and disgusted with myself but felt even more so when I realized I had tears streaming down my face. I look across the table at Qing and er looked so impassive so calm as though he didn't just ruin my damn life! We made eye contact, briefly, and almost fleetingly so but I saw something flicker across his face. Was it regret? It was too late to feel sorry for what he has done, now that my mother thinks so little of me she is crying in an upscale restaurant unabashedly. I couldn't hate him more than I do at this moment if I tried.

Qing POV

This is not what I had in mind when I said the words. I watched this chaotic scene of emotions explode in front of me, and I am unsure how to remedy the situation. I was hoping she would scoff and ask the real reason I had called her out to lunch with us, none of what is happening now was supposed to happen. Maybe if Dayu hadn’t looked so pinched and choked up things would have gone smoothly, but he had bad suppressed look of guilt and shame on his face as soon as the words left my lips.

His mother is a cunning woman, and she knows her son well and took it as truth with Dayu reactions. Him yelling at the server didn't help the problem either. I sighed and was about to reach to comfort Auntie but Dayu beat me to it and was rebuffed. If she refused comfort from her own son, I would also warrant the same treatment. Dayu looked at me with such hurt and shame in his face I felt it ripple across the table and settle in my chest. I shouldn’t have done this. I played a game just to one up Dayu and now he is suffering from it. I never wanted to hurt my kitten.

I sat stone faced and quiet as mother and son let their tears fall. I reached in my pocket and removed the handkerchief and slid it slowly across the table to Auntie. She stared at it briefly before accepting it with a murmured thank you.

She dabbed her eyes, and gently blew her nose as she composed herself. I watched her take several deep breaths before she tried to speak again. Reaching her hand out she grabbed Dayu’s hands and squeezed them in her own.

“Feng Jian Yu, look at me.”

Dayu was still sobbing, but he met his mother’s eyes hurt flashing sharpening in them.

“I am sorry I have done you a disservice in raising you.”

Dayu was quick to voice his disagreement but his mother hushed him.

“ I am sorry that you seem to think my love is conditional. I wonder to myself if I have ever given you reason to think that there is anything you could do that would make me stop loving you. Your...relationship with Qing is something precious and if it makes you happy to be with him then it makes me happy as well. You are my son and I will always love you. And you should love who you want freely without worrying about losing me love. You will have my blessing no matter who you choose to love. It has always been me and you Dayu. Remember when you came home in elementary after being bullied by some kids, and we talked. What did I tell you?”

Dayu was a fountain of mucus and tears, but he still managed to stir something in my chest for him, even looking as disgusting as he was.

He quickly grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket in an attempt to mop the mess from his face, but mostly managed to scrub his face an angry red. After, the futile attempt of him trying to compose himself, he answered.

“You would always be at my back, even if the world condemned me. You would always love me because I am your son.”

Auntie wiped a stray tear from his eye and smiled. I watched amazed because my own family has never been as tactile or as understanding as it seems Dayu and his mother’s relationship. I watch with a small amount of envy as they smile at each and embrace. I cleared my throat and both of them turned to look at me. Auntie with a sweet smile and Dayu with disgust and contempt.

“Would you like to leave   we should go have the rest of this conversation someplace a little more secluded.”

Auntie nodded and patted Dayu’s hand. I stood to help her gather her belonging and slip into her coat. Dayu was shuffling around putting on his jacket when the waitress reappeared. Why did this girl have such awful timing,

“Are you leaving? Was nothing to your liking? I can ask the chef to prepare something special for you.”

I heaved a sigh and was about to dismiss her when Auntie responded.

“There was nothing on the menu that appealed to my boys, so I am taking them home to fill their bellies with a mother’s love for her sons. Thank you though.”

I had to smirk at the waitress’s distressed face. I left her a hefty tip for taking up her time. I was shocked for the second time by Auntie when she grabbed my hand and Dayu’s with the other.

“Let Mommy take you home and feed you.”

I allowed her to pull me along with her and Dayu. I tried to make eye contact with him, but he was steadily refusing to meet my gaze. I should have known better than to do this, but I was so wrapped up in winning that I didn’t think clearly. Now, there is something distant and cold between Dayu and I. Our relationship was perilous and rocky before this moment. But now there is a dark shift and I don’t know how to fix it.