After Xu Mey managed to wake everyone up, she went back to the kitchen and asked the helper to serve the breakfast while she herself pulled out her cellphone which had been vibrating persistently for a while. She sat down at the chair and was surprised to see that the group chat had come alive because of her one photo.
She scrolled to the top of the conversation and started reading...
Wu Wang: "Do you have to show off early in the morning?"
Li Qiao: "Wang, our Mey is not showing off. She's shoving her perfect family at our face."
Lin Shen: "Will you both stop it?"
He Jian: "Is it just me or our little princess and champ are really growing up fast?"
With only one sentence He Jian managed to alter the whole direction of the conversation making Xu Mey laugh out as they continued bickering...
Wu Wang: "Now that Jian has mentioned... I should get my baseball bat ready."
Li Qiao: "What for?"
Wu Wang: "Obviously, to ward off stupid boys from around our little princess. Duh! I should even teach my Niu how to fight."
Lin Shen: "She's still too young for that. And besides, Wang, your son is only five. Stop teaching him unnecessary things. No wonder Ziyi doesn't let you spoil him."
Wu Wang: "Shen Shen, you don't know anything. Playboys can do anything."
He Jian: "Of course and our experienced playboy would know it better than all of us."
Xu Mey pursed her lips before she burst out laughing at how He Jian taunted Wu Wang. She finally joined the conversation as she typed, "Ouch! That was a direct shot at Wang Ge's pride and his dark past."
Wu Wang: "Oh look, my show off queen finally joined the conversation after feeding me with dog food for the whole day."
Xu Mey: "Awww! Wang Ge, why are you jealous? You also have a cute little boy."
Wu Wang: "I'm not jealous of you. It's your husband's bond with his kids that's making my heart burn."
Xu Mey could feel Wu Wang's resentment through his text. But then again, the bond between her Ah-Jie and her kids was no joke. At times, even she was jealous of it. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Jie was a natural when it came to raising kids. He made it seem so effortless that she often teased him as being a father material.
Xu Mey: "Wang Ge, where is your wife?"
Wu Wang: "Ziyi went to the hospital. Some urgent surgery came up."
Li Qiao: "That explains why our Wang has the time to chat."
Wu Wang: "What do you mean? I'm not like you who forgets friends whenever Kim is around."
Lin Shen: "Ignore these jerks, Meymey. I heard there is a talent competition at Bao and Juan's school. My little Song told me about it."
Since Lin Shen's daughter, Lin Song was only a year younger than Bao and Juan, she was quite close to the twins. Also, they all went to the same school. So, it wasn't surprising for Xu Mey that Lin Shen knew about the talent competition.
Xu Mey: "Yes. It's next week."
He Jian: "Send the date. I need to clear my schedule."
Li Qiao: "Me too."
Wu Wang: "Don't forget me."
Xu Mey smiled at their enthusiasm and said, "Only Juan is participating and if I told the school that my whole family is joining, I'm afraid the school auditorium might not be able to accommodate us."
Wu Wang: *Shocked emoji* "Xiao Mey, you don't want your brothers to come? How mean of you!"
He Jian: "Even if our Mey doesn't want us to join, we'll still be there. How is it possible that our family's drama queen is participating and her uncles are not there to cheer for her?"
Lin Shen: "I'm afraid our drama queen won't even let us live if we didn't show up."
Xu Mey: "Brothers, now you're talking about my daughter as if she's a monster."
Li Qiao: "Not sure if she's a monster or not. But trust me, I'm not even that scared of my wife as I am of your daughter."
Right at this time, Jie entered the dining room with Little Juan on his back. Seeing her mother's eyes glued on the cellphone, she got off her father's back and went up to Xu Mey.
"Mom, are you talking to uncles?" Looking at her curious eyes, Xu Mey nodded. "Good," saying that Little Juan directly snatched the cellphone from her mother and recorded a voice message, "Dear Uncles, you better be there for Juan's talent competition performance. Otherwise, Juan will be upset and if Juan cried... Then you know what will happen."
Xu Mey looked at Jie as she heard her daughter's overbearing words but obviously Jie didn't stop her. Why would he? He finally had someone who could control Xu Mey's friends. And that was a blessing he couldn't thank for enough.
Soon, Xu Mey's phone rang and she picked up the group call, she heard He Jian's voice, "Our little precious niece doesn't have to worry at all. Uncle will be there."
"My baby niece, I still value my life. I'm already clearing my schedule for the whole week. I'll be there even if the sky falls," was Wu Wang's earnest reply.
As she heard these words, Little Juan gave a smug smile and nodded in satisfaction as she said, "Juan likes the sound of that very much."
"Stop bullying early in the morning, little sister," came Little Bao's serious voice as he took his seat at the dining table.
"When did I bully?" Juan retorted innocently. When Bao gave her a pointed look, she added, "Nevermind."
"Our little master, why aren't you participating? Even Little Song is gonna perform," came Li Qiao's voice from the phone.
Bao reached out his hands to pick up his glass of milk and replied in a sophisticated and yet bored manner, "That's a childish competition. It isn't suitable for a mature kid like myself."
Everyone had a moment of silence before Lin Shen spoke, "But our little master can dazzle the world with his talents through this competition."
Bao was still unruffled as he looked at his father who had a hunch what his son was about to say. And precisely that's what Bao said, "Do I, Zhu Bao have to prove my talent to others? Others' opinions of me are of no concern."
Everyone except Jie: "..."
This kid really had something against the norms. He never acted like a typical kid. It seemed he really managed to inherit his parents' shrewdness and maturity. The only problem was... He picked up these habits too soon for his age.