Never Judge

"Mom, Dad." Guan Ming said with a smile as he waved at his parents from the entrance of the Villa.

"Ming." His mother greeted as both of his parents walked over to him.

"Is something wrong, Ming?" His father asked as he noticed that Guan Ming seemed to be in much darker spirits today. "Is there a problem with the company?"

Guan Ming couldn't help but give his father a sad smile. He had been so detached from everyone since he and Camilla were separated that his father always thought that the only thing he cared about was the company.

"No dad, it's not that." Guan Ming said.

"It's the girl, you idiot." Guan Ming's mother, Lu Ning, scolded her husband.

"The one our Ming has been in love with for years?" Guan Ming's father asked as he looked at his wife in disbelief. "I'm sorry for not having thought of her, Ming. I'm just not used to thinking of you caring for something other than work." His father apologized.

"It's fine dad, she was the reason why only work mattered, all I wanted was to be free and to be able to be with her again." Guan Ming said with a sigh as he looked up at the setting sun.

"The sun sets here are beautiful, way better than back home." Lu Ning remarked as she broke the awkward silence.

"It is most beautiful because you are here." Her husband said as he gently pecked her lips.

"Gross." Guan Ming grumbled as he turned around and entered the Villa.

His parents simply laughed off his remark as they followed right behind him.

Guan Ming wasn't exactly disgusted by his parents' very public display of affections, as a matter of fact he welcomed it. He had seen them grow cold towards each other as time passed and it made him happy to see that their love still burned quite vividly away from the public eye.

He couldn't help but wish that his love for Camilla and her love for him would endure as much as his parents'.

"Is Camilla alright? Is something wrong?" His father asked, catching Guan Ming by surprise.

"You know her name?" Guan Ming said as he gave his father a confused look. He didn't expect his father to remember Camilla's name, let alone be concerned about her. 

"I listen to your and your mother's stories more than you think." The older man said with a chuckle as he led his wife to the dining table. 

The villa was staffed with people that Ray and Cedric trusted, so Guan Ming and his family knew that they could speak freely. Guan Ming even chose to bring only a few of his staff along on Kashmere in fear that a spy may be among them.

"Dinner, sir?" A maid asked, to which Guan Ming simply nodded. 

"She was in danger recently." Guan Ming admitted to his parents.

"Part of your plan with the Reyes kid?" His father questioned with a raised eyebrow. "You should have added that she wasn't to get involved in the deal with him."

"She was already involved by the time I arrived, dad." Guan Ming said, clearly unhappy with that fact. "Plus she's the type that would still have gotten involved even if I told her not to."

"Who is this Reyes kid to her? Why is she so willing to put her life in danger for him and his family and friends?" Guan Ming already knew where his father's suspicions led. He couldn't help but shake his head as he held back a laugh.

"Dad, it isn't like that between them." Guan Ming explained.

"I couldn't help but ask, loyalty like that can be very dangerous." His father said in a dark and serious tone.

"Camilla was abandoned by her parents at a very young age, and the abandonment was not the simple kind where she was dropped off at an orphanage. She was left to die by her parents." Guna Ming said as he recalled Camilla's story. "It was the Reyes Family and their friends that saved her."

"So she owes them her life?" Guan Ming's father asked him.

"I know you are worried dad, but I don't think Cedric and I will ever be on different sides." Guan Ming said as he tried his best to reassure his father. 

Guan Ming was aware that it looked quite worrisome that the woman he loves is indebted to another family, but he knew Cedric and he knew Camilla, they would never hurt him that way.

"I just want you to be careful." Guan Ming's father warned him. "It's been years since you last saw Camilla or Cedric, they could have changed." 

"And whose fault was it that your son couldn't see the woman he loved or his friend?" Lu Ning suddenly asked her husband. 

Guan Ming was surprised with how strong his mother sounded, she was often the more submissive and calm one in the relationship. This time, it seemed like Guan Ming was getting a glimpse into how their relationship was in the past.

"Ning, I never meant to harm our son." His father said in a loving tone as he tried his best to calm his angry wife. He reached out and gently stroked her hand as Lu Ning relaxed a little but kept her eyes locked on her husband.

"You were too busy trying to please those parasitic relatives of yours that you forgot about what we fought for, our love." Lu Ning reminded her husband.

"I failed you and Ming." His father said as he looked at Guan Ming with sad eyes. 

"Dad, when I was younger I was furious at you." Guan Ming said as he looked down at the plate in front of him. "I hated you so much that I ran away."

"I'm sorry I did that to you, son." His father, Guan Hao, said as he reached out to his son.

"Now that I'm older I understand why you did what you did." Guan Ming said as he looked up at Guan Hao with a smile.

"Don't let him off that easily, Ming." Lu Ningg said as she gave her son a warning look, making Guan Ming laugh.

"Don't worry mom, I just hope dad will change in the coming years." Guan Ming said as he laughed at his parents. He couldn't remember when they were last this happy, nor could he remember when he last felt his family was this complete. The only part that was missing in his life now was Camilla, and he swore to do everything to make up for their lost time together.

"I swear to make up for all of my shortcomings for the rest of my life, my xingxing." Guan Hao told his wife who began to blush. 

If Guan Ming could recall correctly that was the name his father called his mother when they had started dating and early on in their marriage, before things went cold, it meant star, his father's star.

"Mom, dad, I have to leave first thing in the morning." Guan Ming announced as he broke the moment.

"To go to Camilla?" Lu Ning asked her son.

"No, I can't see Camilla until this matter with Lucius Ting is settled. It's dangerous for her if we are seen together, just know that whatever you see in the news is mostly fabricated to work in our favor." He said as he tried to reassure his parents.

"Stay safe and try to keep us updated." Guan Hao told his son with a nod.

Guan Ming smiled at his father as he waved for the waiting maids to serve their dinner.