Darren looked over his shoulder to see Dylan's mother standing at the doorway wearing a flowery apron and with her hands behind her back. Dylan's mother could be described as classical beauty. Even at the age of forty plus, with her five foot six height and willowy figure along with her soft features, she was really a woman who defied age in all ways.
One could tell from one look where Dylan got his looks from but what most people didn't know was, Dylan's temperament was also inherited from his mother. Obviously, Darren wasn't one of those people.
"Hi, beauty Weiwei!" Darren stood up to greet her with a smile and the anger on Dylan's mother's face was instantly gone.
She smiled back at Darren and said, "It's good to see you, Darren. I thought you almost forgot your beauty Weiwei."
"That's a sin I'd never dare to commit," Darren replied pleasantly.
Taking advantage of their distraction, Dylan shrank his existence and tried to slip away inconspicuously but how could his mother, Zhao Wei let him do that? She was a typical housewife but she was more astute then people gave her credit for.
"Where do you think you're running off to?" She held him back by pulling his collar taking Dylan by surprise.
"Mum, I didn't do anything," Dylan tried to convince his mother but she didn't look very convinced. He turned to look at Darren who raised his hands completely distancing himself from this matter. "Daz, how can you forget that we're brothers?"
"Didi, you're forgetting that since we are brothers then beauty Weiwei is my mother as well. In fact, that means, I will definitely cheer for my mother rather than my brother." Darren's reply left Dylan feeling dejected and alone. His best friend abandoned him so easily.
"Qiu Hedi, did I actually raise a son like you? I'm ashamed to know that you actually used a girl for your own purpose." Zhao Wei's words stunned Dylan. Who told his mother he used Bai Xiu? Did Bai Xiu do it? That E.A can do anything, I should not rule out this possibility. Poor Xiu was being implicated for no reason. "You actually took an innocent girl and forced her to play the role of your girlfriend. What kind of behavior is that?"
Zhao Wei finally brought her weapon which was... A feather duster with genuine ostrich feathers. Dylan couldn't believe his mother was gonna use this old school thing to beat him again. But so what if he believes it or not? He was about to be beaten and that was a certain fact!
Sure enough, soon the first strike was made on his head but instead of the soft feathers, he was hit with the metal handle. Dylan ran to hide behind Darren and said, "Mum, she really was my girlfriend."
"Oh, really?" Zhao Wei placed both her hands on her waist in an intimidating manner and went on, "Darren, does our Dylan has any girlfriend?"
"None that I know about," Darren answered honestly and while Dylan glared at him, Darren just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"My dear son, tell me a lie that I can actually believe." Dylan opened his mouth to retort when she cut him again, "Don't you dare make the excuse that Darren doesn't know about your girlfriend. You can forget to eat but you can never forget to spill the beans before Darren. He's like your diary and you have to tell him everything to feel at ease."
Dylan scratched his head. Why was his mother so right? His friendship with Darren was just like that. He just couldn't keep secrets from Darren.
"Mum, can't you let me go?" Dylan acted pitifully. "I really didn't like that blind date. She talked a lot and all about herself. She even splashed water on my face."
Zhao Wei's anger rose an octave. She pulled his ear and battered him with the duster as she said, "How can you be my son? You actually let that puny little girl treat you like that? It was the first date and instead of respecting that fact that you came clean about your relationship, she actually dared to throw water?"
Darren was left smiling at the side. See, it was this easy for Dylan to placate his mother. Because for Zhao Wei, only she was allowed to bully her son. The rest were not allowed. Not now and not ever!
After thoroughly beating her son, she softened her tone and said, "You don't worry. Mother will take revenge for you. What does she think of herself to actually dare touch my son? Hmph!"
Turning towards Darren, she pulled him towards the dining room as she talked, "Let's have an early dinner. I made everything to Darren's liking."
"What about me?" Dylan asked with a grievance.
"Become a man like Darren first and then ask for the same treatment," Zhao Wei replied with a not so kind look to Dylan.
"Are you sure I'm your son?" Dylan asked just to make sure.
Zhao Wei gave a pensive look as she said, "I also have doubts. Maybe you got exchanged with Darren in the hospital. Aiyo, I wish that's true."
Darren chuckled and said, "Beauty Weiwei, should I start calling you mother?"
"You both!" Dylan gaped at them in disbelief. "You guys are ganging up on me now." He was distressed.
The three of them sat down at the glass dining table with Zhao Wei and Dylan on one side and Darren right opposite of them. However, even though Dylan was closest to his mother, all the dishes were actively being picked out for Darren. There was a huge mountain of side dishes on Darren's bowl now.
"Mum, give me some too," Dylan tugged at his mother's arm.
"Dylan, what are you three? Pick your own food." Dylan was speechless at this response. He was three? What about Darren? Was he three as well? But Dylan didn't dare to say it out loud.
"Beauty Weiwei, where is uncle?" Darren asked seeing how it was already 7 in the evening and Chairman Qiu had yet not returned home.
When Zhao Wei stayed silent, Dylan spoke up, "Mum, are you two still fighting?" Zhao Wei didn't give him a reply at all. "Are you guys teenagers? Why is your fight taking a month? Just solve it already. The idea of having two Christmases was nice back in high school. Now, I need both my parents together."
Zhao Wei slapped his head saying, "Why is your brain so abnormal? Now, you're at the age where you can handle yourself even if we divorce."
Dylan shook his head vigorously, "No, I can't. No, I won't. I don't want to at all. So, you both solve whatever is going on before I have anxiety and depression because of you both."
Zhao Wei held her forehead as she felt really worried about this son. When he was supposed to act like a spoiled child, he was sensible and now that he was supposed to act sensibly, he was being a baby.
"Dylan, you're a very successful businessman." Dylan smiled at this compliment, feeling proud. "But you're a failure in your personal life." Dylan's smile stiffened as she finished.
Darren, however, had other views. Dylan had always been sensible otherwise he wouldn't have managed to become the successful businessman he was today. His childlike behavior was just for the people who really mattered in his life like Darren and his mother. He could act like a spoiled child before them because in his heart he knew that these two would give in to him eventually. They had his back. And that thought was enough.