Chapter 8

Cheng Yu clicked his tongue and shook his head, saying with a look of disgust, "Forgive me for being blunt, but they're my parents, not yours. I've been sick of watching this for years. Haven't you acted enough?"

After saying that, Cheng Yu could not be bothered with Zhao Jinchui's reaction and headed upstairs. At the corner of the second floor, he ran into Cheng Shao, who had been hiding there eavesdropping. Cheng Yu paused slightly and was about to walk around Cheng Shao to continue upstairs when Cheng Shao grabbed one of his arms, hooked an arm around his shoulders, and shoved him into a third-floor bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Cheng Yu frowned and pushed Cheng Shao away with a disgusted look. "Sneaking around like that."

"I was worried that you spoke too harshly just now and Dad and Mom might scold you later." Cheng Shao sighed and reached out to ruffle Cheng Yu's hair. "Why are you so stubborn? Can't you soften your tone a little?"

Cheng Yu slapped away Cheng Shao's paw with a look of disdain. "Can't be bothered with you. I'm going upstairs to sleep."

Watching his younger brother's cocky retreating figure, Cheng Shao could not help smiling.

Chapter 8

When Cheng Yu woke up, night had already fallen. The room was dim. The night breeze stirred the curtains, and moonlight spilled through the gaps as they opened and closed, casting the furniture in shifting shadows.

Hugging his blanket, Cheng Yu sat dazed on the bed for quite a while, once again confirming that he was still in the dream and had not woken up.

"It even has a continuing plot." Cheng Yu scratched his cheek and got out of bed to head downstairs.

Cheng Kaiyun and his wife were sitting in the living room with the two elders, chatting and watching television. When Chen Lingyun saw Cheng Yu lazily coming downstairs in loose loungewear, with a bird's nest for hair and slippers on his feet, she frowned. "All you do every day is eat and sleep. You can even sleep through an entire day. What a waste of time. At your age, you don't have a single good living habit. After sleeping all day, how are you supposed to sleep tonight?"

Cheng Yu did not even bother lifting his eyelids. He walked straight behind the sofa and put his arms around Chen Simiao and Lin Sufen's shoulders. "Good evening, Grandpa and Grandma."

"Ah~" Chen Simiao smiled and patted Cheng Yu's shoulder. "You slept all day. Are you hungry? Do you want dinner now?"

Cheng Yu's head was still foggy from sleep, and he was not that hungry. He circled around the sofa and squeezed in between his grandparents. "I'm not hungry. Let's wait a little longer."

"Then we'll wait a while. Your brother hasn't finished his homework yet, anyway." As Lin Sufen spoke, she picked up a slice of watermelon from the fruit platter and handed it to Cheng Yu. "Have some fruit first. You must be thirsty after sleeping so long."

Chen Lingyun rolled her eyes angrily. "Dad, Mom, you spoil him too much."

Then she asked Cheng Yu, "This morning, you were talking to Uncle Zhao as if you knew exactly what you were saying. Since when did you understand economic trends so well?"

"Read more news, newspapers, and financial magazines every day." Cheng Yu ate his watermelon as he replied, "Then read the postmortem articles by economists and financial experts. Something this big would not be completely forgotten even after ten years."

"Give you an inch and you take a mile." Chen Lingyun curled her lips almost imperceptibly, then scolded him again, "You spend so much time and effort paying attention to all that irrelevant nonsense, yet you don't know how to study properly. You need to understand that you're still a student. Studying is your duty. There's no need to worry in advance about things only adults need to care about. When it's time for you to worry about them, you won't be able to avoid them anyway."

Cheng Yu tossed aside the watermelon rind without much interest. Then Chen Lingyun asked, "Did you call Pei Yan today?"

Cheng Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why would I call him?"

"You got him into that state!" Chen Lingyun rolled her eyes speechlessly. "Pei Yan is only being magnanimous by not holding it against you. But you need to know better yourself. Our family and the Pei Family are longtime family friends, and Pei Mining is also C&C Jewelry's largest raw material supplier. You were so good at lecturing people today, so why don't you lead by example when it comes to yourself?"

"Your mother's right!" Cheng Kaiyun chimed in from the side. "Also, you must watch your attitude when you speak. You're still a child. How can you be so rude when talking to adults? The Cheng Family's upbringing does not permit kicking someone when they're down. Don't think that just because Uncle Zhao is in trouble now, you can look down on him. If word gets out, people won't think Uncle Zhao did anything wrong. They'll only think you have no manners."

"What does this have to do with manners?" Cheng Yu hated it most when Cheng Kaiyun and his wife kept bringing up upbringing at every turn. "I dislike Zhao Jinchui because his character is bad, his ability is bad, and there isn't a single thing about him that I can respect. Let's stick to the facts, okay? Can you two stop making everything into some grand moral issue every time you speak?"

"Look at that attitude!" Unable to outargue Cheng Yu, Cheng Kaiyun could only patiently instruct him. "Sticking to the facts is professional conduct adults should have at work. You're still a child. You only need to obey and do as you're told. You're not old enough to discuss matters with your elders on equal terms."

"What twisted logic." Cheng Yu scoffed. "I should be the one asking you not to start making unreasonable arguments every time you can't win against me, okay?"

"How is that making unreasonable arguments?" Cheng Kaiyun was so angry that he slapped his thigh. "Can't you change that temper of yours? Stop being so stubborn all the time. I say one thing and you throw back ten. Can't you just listen to advice? I'm your father. Would I ever harm you?"

"You can't harm me." Cheng Yu shot back matter-of-factly. "With your indecisive personality, if you don't change, you'll only end up harming yourself."

Cheng Kaiyun was practically steaming with rage. "Is that how you speak to your father? You've got some capability now, your wings have hardened, and you don't even respect your father anymore?"

"I merely stated a fact." Cheng Yu said helplessly, "If you insist on taking it that way, that's your own problem."

Cheng Kaiyun had no response and turned to look at Chen Lingyun. Chen Lingyun could not be bothered to argue with Cheng Yu over such trivial matters. She was only curious about why Cheng Yu wanted Zhao Jinchui's plot of land. "The housing market is doing so badly right now. So many major real estate companies have seen their stock prices plunge, and many people are speculating that housing prices in China have already hit their peak and have no room to rise further. Do you really think speculating on land can make money? What if you get stuck with it?"