The people always deem you the way they want you to be. We don’t have control over how someone thinks about us or through which filters they are looking at us. Everyone has the entitlement to think but no one has the right to judge.

  But we forget this very easily. We love to judge everything around us. It’s like judging will bring the feeling of sanctimonious to us. And the more someone tries to please us, the more we have the cause to believe that he’s faking it.

  But our human nature doesn’t allow us to stop trying. Therefore, we keep trying to impress the people around us.

  Mother Ye became that person for Xu Mey. She was trying to impress her with all her might and Mother Ye was holding on to her prejudice against her for some unknown reason.

  The food that Xu Mey spent 4 hours to make, when Jun asked his mother, "Mom, how’s the food? It’s delicious right?"

  She replied with a dry, "Hmm……" with a nod and that was done unwillingly.

  Father Ye didn’t hold back in his praises, "Our daughter-in-law is so filial. She has a unique taste in her hands. She’s such a nice child." All the while, his eyes were following the reactions of her best friends giving away the fact that he was only trying to please them.

  And Our overprotective four bros were keeping a solemn expression. They have been keeping an eye on every single interaction without getting involved themselves. Whenever Father Ye tried to strike a conversation with them, they either nodded with a practiced smile or replied in monosyllables.

  It was almost late at noon when both the parents decided to leave. Both Ye Jie and Xu Mey walked them back to the door leaving the best friends behind in the back garden.

  "So, we don’t like his parents, right?" Wu Wang started with his question looking at the others.

  "Don’t worry. We are on the same page this time." Lin Shen answered his question while sipping on his rose tea in a poised manner.

  "Yet, you guys think that Ye Jie is right for our honey Mey." Wu Wang grumbled while rolling his eyes.

  "He and his parents are both different, Wang. We can’t judge a child based on his blood." Li Qiao added looking in the direction of the door that led to the living room.

  Wu Wang raised both his hands to emphasize, "I still think, we should consider divorce."

  "Shut up, Wang!" He Jian’s voice was calm and low but his tone gave Wu Wang a shiver. "Relationships are no joke. Just because your own became one. Don’t try to make Xiao Mey’s like yours."

  Wu Wang stared at He Jian with pursed lips. He didn’t have a reply to that. "That was a low blow, Jian." Li Qiao said to He Jian and turned to Wu Wang. "Even though Jian said it in the wrong way but he is not wrong, Wang. It’s only been a week. We should observe for a while longer." Lin Shen showed his agreement with a nod.

  "Whatever!" Wu Wang grumbled as he reclined back in a wicker chair with both arms crossed over his chest.

  There was silence for a moment before He Jian broke it, "’Pearls don’t lie on the seashore, you have to dive into the ocean to get them.’ Since they found our pearl like Xiao Mey so easily. They are taking her as a pebble."

  "Maybe they believe in, ’Better to have a diamond with a flaw than a pebble with none.’" Wu Wang sat straight as he said.

  "Our Mey-Mey is neither a diamond with a flaw nor a pebble without any flaw, she’s our precious little girl. No matter what they think about her, that doesn’t concern us." Lin Shen joined the conversation placing his empty cup on the table.

  They were immersed in their own debate that they didn’t notice when Xu Mey came behind them. They only noticed her when she spoke, "Is it just me or my mother-in-law seems to hold a grudge?" There was a frown between her brows.

  Li Qiao stood up and pressed her frown with his fingers saying, "It’s not just you. We all noticed that." Knowing that she wasn’t being paranoid, she relaxed a bit.

  "Oh! So, did you guys see the way she treats my husband?" Hearing ’my husband’ from her mouth was a bit odd for all of them but they didn’t let it show on their faces.

  He Jian wore his gold-rimmed glasses as he said, "If our Xiao Mey noticed it then isn’t it obvious her brothers noticed it as well."

  She was familiar with their natures and naturally, she was aware that their eyes were following exactly what she was seeing. It wasn’t very obvious but she and her friends had a habit of noticing the subtle changes.

  During the meal, Mother Ye kept filling up Ye Jun’s bowl with food but she only placed a rib in Ye Jie’s bowl once. And even at that Ye Jie showed a very gratifying expression. Then when Ye Jie asked about the meal, she didn’t reply at all. But when Ye Jun asked, she gave a reply even though it was not worth mentioning at all.

  Her mother-in-law’s attitude didn’t fit in the criteria of what she was told. According to the world, Ye Jie was his parents’ favorite son for being so filial. But what Xu Mey saw was a completely different story. Only Father Ye treated him like the eldest son. As for Mother Ye’s behavior, she wasn’t so sure about it anymore.