Chapter 305: Worsened Impression of the Monarch
Ye Ming fell silent for a moment before replying, "Either is fine. She won’t mind things like that."
In Shi Lan’s limited interactions with the Director, she had always come across as a gentle and kind person. She had even encouraged and praised Shi Lan during her first graduation ceremony.
However, she could sense that the relationship between Ye Ming and his mother, the Director, was distant. He always called her "Teacher," after all. The only reason Shi Lan had connected the two was because she had come across a biography of the Director while researching the Monarch online.
Shi Lan had been quite surprised when she first discovered the Director was Ye Ming’s mother. It explained why he’d told her to find the Director for help if she needed it when they returned to the Capital Star.
But other than that, she had never seen them interact much. The Director hadn’t even attended Ye Ming’s recent birthday banquet.
So, she couldn’t help but ask, "By the way, Ye Ming, why do you call your mother Teacher?"
Jiang Xia had asked the same question before, but Ye Ming hadn’t said much in response. Now, however, in front of Shi Lan, he was ready to share what was on his mind.
"I suppose it’s a habit. They divorced when I was seven. In my childhood memories, my mother was a stern, teacher-like figure. My father, the Monarch, was even busier with his duties, so my mother took on the bulk of my education. She was always very demanding of me."
"Of course, I understand. As the future heir, her methods were entirely reasonable. It was only natural for her to be strict with me."
"As for the title, the impression was formed in my childhood. I also heard many other people call her Teacher, and somehow, all these years, it just never changed."
Ye Ming’s tone was calm and even as he spoke, but Shi Lan could still sense the faint disappointment and sadness hidden beneath his words.
She wrapped him in a big hug. "It’s okay," she soothed. "Things will get better. The Director is a good person, and so are you."
Ye Ming rested his chin lightly on the crown of Shi Lan’s dark hair. His throat bobbed, and he lowered his eyelids, hiding the vulnerability in his gaze. "It wasn’t always like this, actually. When they first divorced, my mother still came to see me often, and I would frequently go to her place to play."
"But Father always said that as the heir, I couldn’t just leave the palace as I pleased. He said it was dangerous outside and that I had to guard against arrogance, impatience, and frivolity. He made me spend more time studying and training, and he would often keep me company himself. Then, before I knew it, my mother just... stopped coming to see me."
He, too, was confused, wondering how he and his mother had simply drifted so far apart.
Shi Lan didn’t know much about families of divorce. Her own biological parents were both alive, but unfortunately, she had always been treated as an extra, a burden to them.
Still, Shi Lan felt she could tell whether or not a child was loved.
She didn’t think the Director was a cold person, and Ye Ming must have felt the same way; otherwise, he wouldn’t have told her to seek the Director’s help when she needed it.
’Perhaps, because he’s the heir, he needed to grow and be tested. Maybe the Director deliberately kept her distance so as not to interfere with his development.’
Shi Lan gently patted his back and got straight to the point with two key questions. "Do you hate her? Are you willing to call her Mother?"
Ye Ming considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "I don’t hate her. I’ve thought about calling her that, it’s just... it’s been like this for so many years. I can’t bring myself to say it."
"It’s strange, really. I’ve obviously spent much more time with my father, but subconsciously, I trust my mother more."
"Is that so?"
Shi Lan blinked, puzzled. Her impression of the Monarch was actually quite good, though she didn’t know much about him. But then a very serious question occurred to her. "Was it the Monarch’s order that sent you to be locked up on Black Star?"
Ye Ming hummed in affirmation. Perhaps that was why he had been brooding over it for the past three years. He felt that his father had abandoned him.
Shi Lan’s heart sank, and she pursed her lips tightly.
’From what Ye Ming said before,’ she thought, ’many of the Prison Directors on Black Star wanted to harm them. Logically, Black Star is where high-ranking, powerful people are imprisoned. Every single Prison Director appointed there should be thoroughly investigated. So why were these people with ulterior motives allowed to take those positions?’
Remembering that the characters in the book had indeed died, Shi Lan suddenly felt that the Monarch wasn’t so innocent after all.
As their biological son, Ye Ming must have sensed something as well, which would explain why he chose to trust the Director, the parent with whom his relationship seemed more distant.
In an instant, Shi Lan’s impression of the Monarch took a nosedive.
However, she didn’t voice her thoughts about the Monarch to Ye Ming. Instead, she just said, "The Director is a good person. Trust your intuition; it isn’t wrong. And you’re mother and son, connected by blood. No matter what happens, you’re family, and that’s a bond that can’t be severed."
"Mhm. It’s so good to have you, wife."
In the past, Ye Ming had no one to confide these worries to. Now, with Shi Lan, he had someone to listen and be by his side, and he didn’t feel quite so sad anymore.
A flicker of emotion crossed his eyes. The warmth in his chest swelled until his entire body felt feverish. He couldn’t stop himself; he scooped her up by the waist with one arm, and in a flash, they tumbled onto the bed, one on top of the other.
His green eyes gazed at her, filled with deep adoration. He nuzzled his soft black hair affectionately against her neck, his lips ghosting over her collarbone as he murmured, "Lanlan, let’s stop talking about these troubles for now. Let’s enjoy our night."
A faint tremor ran through Shi Lan. She placed her hands in his smooth, dark hair and hummed softly in agreement...
「The next day.」
Ye Ming must have mentioned their conversation to the Director, because Shi Lan received a friend request from her.
She accepted it immediately. Before she could type a greeting, a message from the Director popped up: [Lanlan, I hope you don’t mind me calling you that?]
Shi Lan quickly replied: [Of course I don’t mind. Hello, Director.]
’I’ll stick with calling her Director for now,’ she thought. ’Switching to ’Mother’ all of a sudden would just feel unnatural.’
On the other end, the Director’s expression fell slightly when she saw the title, but she felt she had no right to ask Ming’er’s wife to change it. After all, her own son still called her "Teacher."
She brushed past the title and instead sent an address: [Lanlan, this is the address of my medical studio. Would you like to meet this afternoon?]
[Okay. Would two o’clock this afternoon work for you?]
’That way, I can have lunch with Ye Ming and rest for a bit before going,’ she thought.
Besides, in her experience, interviews and appointments were often scheduled for two o’clock, making it a generally convenient time.
[Yes, that works. I’m not busy these days. The school is on break.]
Shi Lan felt relieved at the Director’s response. She also asked if she needed to prepare or bring anything else. The Director gently reassured her not to be nervous, telling her that she just needed to show up.
At that, Shi Lan’s fondness for the Director grew even more.