Chapter 888 Oftentimes, Personality Is More Important
Elise felt that he was being too pushy and asked sternly, “Let me ask you this. Who’s the reason why things have come to this? Would this have happened if you had kept your word? You didn’t do what you should’ve done in the first place, so why do you expect others to tolerate your mistake?”
Irvin looked a little shamefaced, but he stood by his reasoning. “It’s been several days since we agreed that he could get a dessert as a reward if he finished his workbook, and we shouldn’t be holding to the same old standard. People should constantly strive to do better instead of holding to the lowest passable standard and feeling good about themselves when they have achieved it. I’m only doing this for his own good.”
“But… you didn’t tell me about this beforehand.” Chubs was so aggrieved that his eyes were red.
“That’s because you don’t hold yourself to any form of expectations. Didn’t you notice that Specky has progressed twice as much as you have? You have eyes, too, you know.” Irvin was a little furious and didn’t hold back with his sharp remark.
Chubs had nothing to say. He slowly lowered his head as the situation became a stalemate.
After giving it some thought, Elise decided to be the mediator. “None of you is in the wrong. Why don’t I decide how we can resolve this?”
Neither one of the boys answered.
“I’ll take your silence as your agreement, then.” She decided with a smile. “Alright, here’s what I think. Chubs has just completed the first stage, so he gets to have a dessert as a reward. From now on, it’s time for him to begin the next stage of his learning progress. If he finishes the task within the time Irvin has set, he gets another dessert as a reward!
“However, he won’t get the reward if he fails to finish the task, and Irvin will make adjustments to the tasks as well. Chubs will get a reward each time he meets expectations and a small punishment if he doesn’t. Either way, from now on, the process must be fair and transparent. You need to discuss things calmly instead of fighting. Understood?”
Chubs nodded eagerly. “Understood!”
“What about you, Irvin?” Elise made a funny face in the hopes that Irvin would give in.
However, he turned away in a huff. While he neither agreed nor objected, it was clear from his body language that he wasn’t satisfied with the outcome at all.
“I’ll take Chubs down for his reward then, yeah?”
Elise tested the waters by standing up, and after noting Irvin’s lack of response, she took Chubs downstairs.
Once they disappeared down the stairs, Alexander spoke up. “Are you dissatisfied with the way Mommy has resolved this?”
Irvin stubbornly looked off into the distance without denying it.
“Do you think Mommy’s favoring an outsider?” Alexander raised his voice and took on a more severe tone. “Answer me.”
“Well, isn’t she?” Irvin replied exasperatedly.
“It seems to me that you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong,” Alexander remarked coolly.
“What did I do wrong? It’s not my fault he’s not very intelligent.” Irvin glared at Alexander in discontent.
“But you already knew he wasn’t very intelligent when you met him. You’re the one who chose to be friends with him, so you’re also responsible for not doing a good job of teaching him. Being someone who is capable isn’t the only requirement to become a great person; you also need to have the courage to take on responsibility instead of pushing it onto others. Doing that will only hinder how far you can go in life.” Alexander gave his true, earnest advice.
Irvin let out a sigh. “But he’s too dumb. Am I supposed to waste so much time on him every day?”
Alexander crouched down and placed a hand on Irvin’s shoulder. He looked his son straight in the eye and said, “You have to know that people aren’t required to be intelligent before they can have friends. Oftentimes, a person’s character is far more important than the number of mathematical questions he can solve.”
Irvin became thoughtful after hearing that, and after a long while, he bowed to Alexander. “I think I know where I went wrong.”
With that, he turned back to his study with a solemn expression.
Half an hour later, the door to the study creaked open slowly.
Chubs stuck his head in and peered into the room. When he saw that Irvin was standing on the balcony with his back to everyone, he opened the door just a little bit wider so that he could squeeze in. Then, he bent down and tiptoed toward his desk.
Specky spotted Chubs and was about to greet him, but Chubs shushed him.
Chubs wiped the sweat off his brow as he glared at Specky in vexation. Are you trying to get me into trouble?!
After finally making it to his desk, he was about to pull the chair out when Irvin turned around all of a sudden. The two boys looked straight at each other.
“Hehe.” Chubs chuckled sheepishly before apologizing, “I’m sorry, Irvin. I played with Lexi for a bit before coming over. As for the cake, I only ate one slice. Just one! I didn’t eat more than that!”
Irvin quietly stared at Chubs. He had a serious, complicated look in his eyes that made him look like a grown-up instead of a young boy.
Chubs noticed the awkward atmosphere. He started sweating again as he averted his eyes guiltily.
At long last, Irvin’s boyish, decisive voice rang out. “Look at me, Chubs.”
Chubs gulped and mustered the courage to look at Irvin. He was trembling a little, and his hands fidgeted beside him.
It had been the same ever since the day he met Irvin. Although they were the same age, whenever Irvin became serious, the aura that emanated from him would make Chubs feel compelled to submit to him.
“As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. In order to be friends, we need to be like-minded people who have the same interests and values. That’s how we can form a lifelong friendship without ever turning away from each other. I don’t like being complacent. I will always strive to do my absolute best in every situation, and I expect the people around me to be the same so that we can get along easily.
“Being my friend means that every day will become even harder than the day before. You can leave now if that scares you. We’ll still be friends, but I won’t force you to do anything you don’t like.”
Irvin finished and stood there calmly to wait for Chubs’ response.
Chubs scratched his head and thought about it for ages before trying to negotiate. “Can I… I mean, can you make adjustments to the task once a week instead? Make it fewer and further between?”
Irvin sighed in disappointment. Although this wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, he had to act as if he wasn’t affected by it. “Sure. Anyway, you can go home now.”
He doesn’t need to work hard anyway. I expected too much from him. Chubs’ eyes lit up. Is he making it up to me? Is he letting me go home early because of our fight today?
“Okay.”
Despite feeling overjoyed, Chubs didn’t dare to let his happiness show. He got his bag and walked out the door as told.
However, he started singing cheerfully once he walked out the main door.
He had no idea that as a result of his lack of discernment, Irvin, who was still upstairs, endured the pain of having a friend walk out on him for the first time.
…
Wendy led Prince Caleb and Princess Diana to a Victorian-style building.
The hall was grand and brightly lit. Everything was already set up, and once they took their seats, the models began coming down the runway to start the fashion show of clothing that was yet revealed to the public.
Every single article of clothing the models were wearing was the proudest creation recently designed by the renowned designers that Wendy had found. Tens of the latest trends and ideas from the top designers in the world all gathered together on the stage in a series of bold, dazzling clashes.
However, the wondrous feast for the eyes did not seem to pique the royal couple’s interests. Their expressions remained lackluster throughout.
In fact, by the time the last model finished her walk, the look on Princess Diana’s face was the most scathing it could possibly be.
As soon as the music stopped, Prince Caleb rose from his seat in relief. “Okay. It’s over, right? We can leave now, yes?”
