"Harvey, do you know what you're doing?" Xavier's cold eyes fixed on Harvey, questioning him.
Little Harvey said aggrievedly, "I don't want to lose Mommy."
"Go to confinement yourself. You're not allowed out for a week," Xavier said angrily.
Little Harvey quickly ran to Lu Wanqing, grabbed his mommy's hand, and said, "Mommy, come with me!"
Xavier stared into Harvey's eyes.
Harvey stubbornly said, "If Mommy doesn't stay with me, you'll definitely sneakily abandon Mommy when I don't know."
"She's just returning to where she belongs," Xavier said displeasedly.
"But that place doesn't have Harvey." Little Harvey cried for the first time since he was born. Tears fell, and he quickly wiped them away. He wouldn't cry. A man should bleed, not cry!
"Boss, Harvey is still a child," Uncle Wu couldn't help but speak up for little Harvey.
"Yes, and Harvey is amazing. He could pilot a spacecraft by himself to bring Lu Wanqing back. That's so cool, it has the spirit of our Undying Star Pirates! I like it!!" another pirate chimed in.
Pirates were rarely sentimental, but little Harvey was different. Everyone liked his personality; he was usually the group's comedian. Seeing little Harvey being reprimanded by their boss, they couldn't help but speak for him.
"I'm not crying!" Little Harvey was indeed crying, but he didn't want to. The tears wouldn't stop, and he became anxious. He tried to explain himself, but the more he spoke, the more tears flowed.
Lu Wanqing's heart ached. She quickly went over, hugged little Harvey distressedly, and defended him, "Alright, Xavier, I'll go to confinement with Harvey."
Lu Wanqing didn't know what else to do. All she knew was that Harvey desperately craved his mother's love.
"Where is this confinement?" Lu Wanqing asked.
The spaceship was silent. No one dared to answer Lu Wanqing's question, not even looking at Xavier.
Lu Wanqing quickly realized the problem: Xavier was the boss of the ship.
Lu Wanqing looked at Xavier. She hesitated and then said, "Xavier, is there really no other way?"
Xavier looked at Lu Wanqing.
Lu Wanqing hesitated and then said, "Perhaps I can talk to them and ask them not to pursue us."
"Are you sure?" Xavier looked at her, a half-smile playing on his lips.
Lu Wanqing: "???"
Xavier continued to stare at her, "Colluding with pirates, can you bear the charge?"
"Or have you decided that you want to stay with us forever, a pirate wandering the interstellar space?"
"Your four children in the Imperial Capital, you don't want them anymore?"
"For Harvey alone, are you willing to give up your other four children?"
Lu Wanqing's mind went blank. Her thoughts were a complete void. She stared blankly at Xavier, and after a long while, she realized that Xavier was considering her future.
He was scowling and speaking harshly, yet he was protecting her future. He didn't want her to be charged with colluding with pirates.
This way, even if she returned later, she could claim she was kidnapped and forced by pirates, making her innocent. All the time spent with Harvey in the pirate gang wouldn't implicate her future or affect her life.
But... Harvey's longing for his mother truly broke her heart.
"How about you find a desolate planet and leave me there now?" Lu Wanqing thought and then spoke up.
Little Harvey wanted his mommy so badly. He had wanted his mommy every day since he was born but never got her, which was why he acted this way. However, Lu Wanqing knew that if she stayed with the Undying Star Pirates, she would truly drag them down, and that was not something she wanted to see.
"Are you going to confinement?" Xavier's cold eyes stared at little Harvey.
Little Harvey's hands, resting by his sides, clenched tightly into small fists, his eyes turning red.
Lu Wanqing watched, her own eyes also turning slightly red.
Lu Wanqing, thinking, couldn't help but say to Xavier, "I'll talk to Harvey alone."
Lu Wanqing then reached out, took Harvey's hand, gently lowered her voice, and said softly, "Harvey, shall we go to your room and talk alone, okay?"
Little Harvey's eyes were red as he looked at his mommy.
Lu Wanqing sighed and couldn't help but reach out and gently rub the little one's eyes, saying, "If you feel very sad, it's okay to cry occasionally."
Little Harvey finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
Lu Wanqing was extremely heartbroken and hugged the little one.
Lu Wanqing took little Harvey back to his room.
Lu Wanqing waited quietly until little Harvey's tears stopped. Then, Lu Wanqing took out a tissue and carefully wiped the little one's tears.
"Do you feel any better?" Lu Wanqing asked.
Lu Wanqing had also cried, so she knew that when you felt truly miserable, letting yourself cry it all out actually made you feel much better.
"Yes," little Harvey nodded.
Lu Wanqing felt heartbroken, but there was truly no other way.
"Harvey, if Mommy stays on the ship, it will bring danger to everyone in the pirate gang. Do you know that?" Lu Wanqing said in as gentle a voice as possible.
"Harvey, the people in the pirate gang are the uncles who watched you grow up, your dad, and Grandpa Wu. You have a good relationship with them, right?" Lu Wanqing asked.
"Yes," little Harvey responded, his voice muffled.
"So, if they are caught by the Federation because Harvey brought Mommy back, and they are all arrested, sent to prison, or even lose their lives, will Harvey be happy?" Lu Wanqing asked.
Little Harvey quickly shook his head, "I don't want that."
Lu Wanqing rubbed little Harvey's head and said heartbrokenly, "So Harvey needs to be sensible. It's not that Dad doesn't want to let you keep Mommy on the ship; it's that there's no other way. Dad is the boss of the pirate gang, and he has to be responsible for everyone in the entire gang."
"Little Harvey is also growing up. You need to learn to protect those around you, right?"
"Don't burden everyone because of your own selfish desires," Lu Wanqing said.
Little Harvey felt miserable. He was silent, not wanting to speak.
Lu Wanqing said, "Harvey, do you remember? Mommy has a planet."
Little Harvey nodded, "Yes."
Lu Wanqing said, "Water Land Planet is Mommy's planet. So, from now on, how Water Land Planet is developed will be entirely up to Mommy. Mommy will specifically leave a passage for you. Whenever little Harvey misses Mommy, you can come in anytime. As long as you avoid outsiders' eyes, we can be together freely on Water Land Planet, okay?"
Little Harvey's eyes lit up. He looked at his mommy expectantly, "Really?"
Lu Wanqing nodded, "Yes."
Little Harvey was instantly super happy. He stopped crying and burst into a smile. He hugged his mommy tightly and said happily, "Mommy is amazing! More amazing than Daddy!!!"
Daddy couldn't solve it, but Mommy could. He thought Mommy was incredible, even better than Daddy!