Mama's Princess is Daddy's Beloved

Li Xue frowned when heard the lady apologizing. Folding her arms over the chest, she pressed her lips together to ask, "Why?" 

Chen Rui didn't understand first, so smiling she simply said, "Because I d-didn't want me to see like this. I usually am not this way, losing temper; it's just that this boy knows well to get on my nerves at some intervals of time." 

"Here, I was thinking that you really took me as your daughter. But I guess I was wrong." Li Xue said and her words of doubt only made Chen Rui ready to explain. But before she could, Li Xue came first to explain her reasons behind the words, "Otherwise why would you still hold the formality like this. This is not what I have heard and read the mothers doing usually." 

"Why?" Shin You Jun suddenly interjected and both the ladies turned to look at him. "I mean why do you have to read the things about mothers. Didn't you get to experience it with your own?" He asked and it immediately paused Li Xue in disdainful nightmares from the past. 

Chen Rui also felt the prick that the girl might have felt at the moment. Turning to the boy, she glared at him. "You Jun, you …" But before she could chide him, Li Xue interrupted to reply with a smile. 

"I never got the experience of it, since I had never been the choice of my mother. So yes, I could only read about mother's love in books and see it among the people around." 

She said and Chen Rui instantly felt guilty. While on the side, even Shin You Jun felt awkward. It was only after, he let that question out did he come to remember his words saying that the woman never had a good family experience. He never wanted to prick her painful nerves but unknowingly he did. And now, he didn't know how to bring everything back to usual. 

Coughing gently, he pointed an accusing finger towards Li Xue to say, "How big can you lie and that too on people's faces?" Though his tone sounded accusive, there was still a mildness in his words that didn't go amiss. "You have taken all the precious love of my mother, yet you are saying that you never got to experience mother's love. Aren't you being too ungrateful?" 

He said and Li Xue couldn't help but look at the boy speechlessly. For a day, she really had enough seen his character overturn. If she gets to see more, she would feel like she was blind before to guess the boy in the wrong attitude. 

"Ma, see, is she truly your precious daughter for whom you have neglected me. Get a glance of her ungratefulness now and you will immediately regret your decision from before", He said and Li Xue could only purse her lips at him. 

This boy really seemed to change at some point. But then again even if the seed of an apple changed, it would only become an apple. It would never turn into a mango. Similarly, even if someday this boy grows feeling of family to her, he would still not let go of the opportunity of talking against her like this ever. 

Right at the moment, a maid came from behind to interrupt politely, "Young Miss, your ordered honey tea is ready." 

Li Xue turned to see the maid and nodded before reaching out to take the tray in her hands. "Great, give it to me. I will do the rest." She said and then taking the tray at once turned to get the seat beside Chen Rui. 

Pouring the tea into the cup, she held the cup to the lady, "Ma, have this and you will soon get to feel better." She said and then assuring with the blink of eyes, she urged her to have it. 

Chen Rui couldn't reject. Taking the cup in her hands, she gently sipped the tea before blowing over it. Though her profuse coughs from before were all eased, there was still an itchy feeling down her throat that got soothed after having the gentle sips of brewed honey. 

  "How are you feeling now? Is it better?" Li Xue asked and the lady hummed with a smile. 

"Much better from before." 

Shin You Jun as well took a breath of relief as bending down, he as well poured a cup of tea. "Ma; have some more, you will get better soon." 

Chen Rui blinked. "I already have a cup in hand right now. How could I have another?" She said as a matter of factl, but the boy only pouted to complain. 

"You have accepted when Elder Sister gave you the cup. Now that I am giving, you are refusing. Will you still disagree that you are biased toward her? 

Chen Rui could just purse her lips at his words. Could he be more childish? While on the side, Li Xue also could just roll her eyes at his demand. To not put the lady on a tough spot, she meddled to say. 

"Hey, cry boy, having excessive of anything brings harm. Do you want to see Ma suffer just to prove to you that she loves you? Aren't you being too immature with such a simple thing?" She said and Shin You Jun could just shoot up to complain. But his words never came out seeing Li Xue raising her brows challenging him. 

"You … you … Don't make it sound like I don't care for Ma. If you are her dearest daughter, I am also his precious son. I agree to share her with you, not to give her away to you." He said and then took the sips of the tea on his own. "As for the tea, if this will harm her, I will have it instead. But later it would be me who will prepare the tea for her, not you. Do you get it?" 

Chen Rui could no longer feel that she could meddle into the fight of the two, so sipping the tea smoothly, she just looked from the sidelines.

Li Xue raised her hand up in surrender, before agreeing, "Fine as you say and wish. Moreover, I am just here for some time. Later, it would be just you with her, so I could only entrust her responsibility to you." 

"Entrust! Who is entrusting to whom? She is my mother and …" Before Shin You Jun could complete, another maid came to politely interrupt, "Young Miss, the cough syrup with thyme and ivy leaves are here." 

And before, Li Xue could say anything to them, the young prince was already there, taking the bottle in his hand to say, "Fine, you can go. I will take care of my mother. I will feed her this syrup as I am her son. Precious son!" He said, stressing aggressively over the last two words before walking to the side of his mother. 

But his steps only paused in confusion upon reaching the side of Chen Rui. Hesitating, he looked up at Li Xue only to ask, putting his ego at stake, "How much do I have to feed her?" 

Li Xue could only exchange the gaze with Chen Rui and suppress a peal of laughter. Then shaking her head, she walked up to him before helping him measure the syrup. "Here, take this measure when you feed her next time." She said and then handd the measuring cap back to him. 

Shin You Jun looked at the details before nodding and giving them to his mother. And then boasting, he said, "See, I can feed her too. It's not just you caring for her but also me."