Mama's Princess Is Daddy's Beloved

Shin Tingming looked at Shen Donghai nonchalantly before asking him to take a seat. The two sat across as their eyes remained at each other.

Shen Donghai was edgy in his stance but in front of the royal authority, he tried his best to maintain his calm. Yet the anger was too evident through his balled-up hands and agitation laced in his gaze.  "Brother, won't you say anything?"

Shin Tingming wasn't interested in reading people but out of a habit from all these years and shaped sharp eyes, he has grown prone to it now. "Yesterday, I have gone out of the city to check the site of our upcoming project. So, when everything happened, I wasn't in the palace. I heard it only in the later afternoon from Mr. Cao." He said with his calmness, looking into his eyes.

His expressions have always remained hard to read, so when Donghai tried, he failed terribly. Thinking that his brother would be in his support, he was partly relieved in his heart. After all, until he got him in his favor, he would regain all face he has lost from the last day. At that time even Her Highness Chen Rui would also not be able to change it.

Giving a smile of satisfaction, Shen Donghai was relieved. "Ahh thank goodness, I believed you brother. I knew you won't do any bad to me and my family. But do you even know what happened in your absence?"

He said taking a pause before continuing again. "Sister-in-law has suspended Bingling from the Cultural project, staking all our relationship from the previous years. Yesterday when Bingling returned home, she was crying so hard. Don't get me wrong brother but this was something I had never expected to come with you around here."

He said expecting Shin Tingming to accept his words. But what he heard next, stiffened him out of his wits at his spot.

"Why?" Shin Tingming questioned with a little tug on his brows.

"What 'what', Brother? I knew you were …"

"Why didn't you think that it would have happened still the same with me around?" Shin Tingming asked. "Did I ever make you feel that my judgment lacks justice?" His tone was very casual and simple but the effects it held were not simple.

Shen Donghai's confidence wavered. All this while, people thought that he was very close and could say anything without offending him. He believed the same as well. But it was only today he came to understand the simplicity their relationship held was not for he was capable but for he never experienced what he was experiencing now.

The extreme tranquility laced with the straightforward and cold aura of the man.

"Brother, I … I was …"

"Donghai, I appreciate our relationship from all these years but if that healthiness in our bond made you feel that I won't mind people harming my family for the sake of some relationship. Then let me tell you, you were wrong to think that. I would never stand low if someone comes to harm my children." Shin Tingming made his stand clear as he stood, towering the man's sitting figure.

Shen Donghai felt a kind of insult in his tone, but given the tone of strictness the man held in his words, he couldn't dare to come out clearly bold. His hand chafed among each other as suddenly he realized something weird in the words. "What did you say? Your children? Brother, wasn't she just some model?" He stood up, raising his tone.

And that's where Shin Tingming lost his calm."She is my daughter. Li Xue. Not just any girl, people could randomly talk about." His eyes turned sharp like a lion who has just spotted some hunter casting a preying gaze at his cubs.

Shen Donghai didn't understand. But something in that raised voice warned him about his limits. Still ignoring that warning, he took a step ahead to question. "Your daughter? Brother, what are you saying? Shen Bingling should be one you should have considered as your own. But now you are claiming some other as your daughter? What does that mean? Are you getting biased to Sister-in-law?"

Shin Tingming's expression didn't change. Instead, he turned more off his body to look properly at the man in front of him with a gaze of intimidation. "Is there a reason for me to not get biased to her? She had been right to do what she did. Or now, are you questioning Her Highness's decisions?"

"Sorry, Your Majesty, but I am not questioning Her Highness's decision. I am questioning her credibility of doing so?" Shen Donghai knew that he has crossed his line by saying so, but in the given situation, he just doesn't want to lose. He couldn't believe that for some outside girl, the royal couple would be ready to stake strong support from their side. Furthermore, if he downed here today, what would he say when he walked out from here. People were already talking about him; he can't give them another topic.

At this moment, Chen Rui walked in from a distance. Along with her, Li Xue as well companied.

"How is my credibility questioned? Shen Donghai, are you sure that you got the full report of what happened there?"

The man's eyes turned to look at the royal lady before trailing to look at Li Xue with disdain. "Of course, I have heard it all, Your Highness. But I could simply not believe that for some outsider like her, you would be willing to push away the girl who held you so dear. I just couldn't believe that you would treat Bingling like that".

Chen Rui smiled. "I wouldn't if she has not dared to cross the rules and lines drawn for everyone's safety. But since she had crossed, I had to cross my personal set rules as well. After all spoiling, the kid excessively had never been in our habit."

"Personal set rules? Your Highness, I don't see favoring own people has ever been in the personal set rules? Hasn't it been on the common rules for every royale? Then how come you still punished my daughter so harshly. This girl was just some model. A little compensation for her life would have been good for her as well. But staking the dignity of the princess, as you did, don't you feel you staked the dignity of the royales as well?"

He said and Li Xue felt the things going out of control. Though she would never agree to what the man was saying, at the moment, her agreement was not something she saw as important. Instead, what felt important was the deteriorating relationship between the people. She thought to interrupt to make things better but before she could a strong firm voice came to claim the authoritativeness.

"Shen Donghai, from when my daughter's life became equal to the little compensation? Do you forget who I am? Or do you not feel necessary to consider it now?"

It was Shin Tingming who said so. His voice and words almost flinching everyone at the scene. Especially Li Xue. Her eyes turned to look at the man in disbelief. Though she had been hearing them calling her as their daughter for a while now, still today laced with such confidence and authority it felt different. For a moment she felt that it was not some false things she was hearing, but she was actually their daughter.