His mother's shoulders shook with the violence of her sobs. Chu Yun's hand hung frozen in midair, halfway towards her, he was afraid that touching her would only make things worse.
Only Xiao Zai's warm hand around his own under the table prevented him from getting up to his feet and leaving like his father.
Xiao Zai didn't say anything, but his steady presence was enough to comfort Chu Yun in the face of his mother's sadness.
An odd thought struck him. He didn't think he had ever upset his mother before -- or his father, for that matter.
All his life, Chu Yun had always been the perfect son. Neither of them had ever raised their voice towards him, and his father had definitely never walked out on him.
Even when things were rocky for a while there, and he kept to himself and told both of them very little -- they didn't pressure him, trusting him to know what was best, and act accordingly.
