Chapter 12

Cheng Yu squeezed his bandage-wrapped hand and said flatly, "I'm not in the mood."

Cheng Shao paused, then said, "Then what do you want to do? I'll go with you."

Cheng Yu sat on the bench with his legs sprawled out, his back, usually so straight, slightly hunched. His expressionless face showed a trace of exhaustion. He ran a hand through his hair, exposing his smooth, full forehead and widow's peak. His eyes, reddened from staying up all night, were laced with bloodshot veins; the tip of his nose was faintly red, and his thin lips were pressed into a straight line. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly whenever he swallowed.

The air was so quiet that one could almost hear the faint catch in Cheng Yu's breathing.

Feeling wretched, Cheng Shao patted his younger brother on the shoulder. When Cheng Yu did not react, he gently pulled him into his arms.

Cheng Yu, who had always hated being touched, surprisingly did not struggle. He stayed quietly in Cheng Shao's arms for two or three full minutes before shoving him away with a slap. "Let's go to the amusement park."

It was summer vacation, and the amusement park was especially crowded. Most visitors were parents with children or young couples on dates, so the pairing of Cheng Shao and Cheng Yu, two grown boys, looked somewhat strange. Especially since the brothers were both exceptionally handsome, well-mannered, and dressed head to toe in designer brands. From the moment they lined up to buy tickets, they had drawn stares and hushed comments from the surrounding visitors.

Fortunately, the awkwardness ended when Pei Yan arrived shortly afterward—three boys at an amusement park were clearly less strange than two.

Yet Cheng Yu's mood only worsened. "Why are you here?"

Pei Yan smiled. "I came to keep you company."

Cheng Shao explained, "I asked Pei Yan to come. You know I'm afraid of heights. I can't ride the roller coaster or go bungee jumping with you, so I had Pei Yan come play with you."

Cheng Yu said coldly, "Didn't he have a concussion?"

Cheng Shao froze for a moment, then looked apologetically at Pei Yan. "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's fine." Pei Yan waved with a grin, though inwardly he was thrilled. "When I was discharged yesterday, I specifically asked the doctor. He said I was completely fine."

After a pause, Pei Yan gave Cheng Yu a fawning smile. "I never thought A-Yu would be so attentive, even worrying about me like this."

Cheng Yu rolled his eyes. "Stop flattering yourself. I'm worried you'll get yourself into trouble again, and your parents will blame me for it."

Pei Yan only smiled without replying. He took off his backpack, rummaged through it, and tossed a pair of brand-new boxing gloves to Cheng Yu. "I know you're in a bad mood. If roller coasters and bungee jumping aren't enough to let it out, I can box with you too. Whether you want me as a sparring partner or want to hit me while I don't fight back, I'm at your service."

Cheng Yu tossed the boxing gloves back. "Forget it. I'm afraid I'll give you internal injuries again."

Cheng Yu had practiced Xingyi Boxing with his grandfather since childhood. It had initially been for fitness, but after all these years, he had developed real skill. With all the anger bottled up inside him now, he feared he would not be able to control his strength. If he hurt Pei Yan again, he could not afford to compensate him.

Cheng Yu stormed into the amusement park, feeling that life in this dream was utterly miserable—somehow even worse than his days at the sanatorium. He had no idea when this nightmare would end. He would rather return to that padded room than see Chen Lingyun again.

Cheng Shao and Pei Yan, left behind, exchanged a glance. Pei Yan asked quietly, "What happened this time?"

Pei Yan had rushed over, and Cheng Shao had not explained much over the phone. Even now, Pei Yan was still confused. All he knew was that Cheng Yu and Chen Lingyun had fought again. The key was that this mother and son fought every day. By all rights, Cheng Yu should have become immune to it long ago. Why had he gotten so angry this time?

Hearing that, Cheng Shao shook his head helplessly and explained the situation in a few words. Pei Yan clicked his tongue. "Wait, I don't think I understand. It was obviously that Zhao guy who had ulterior motives, and Feng was the one breaking the law. A-Yu was just taking precautions. Shouldn't Auntie be praising A-Yu for being smart and thoughtful? What kind of mindset is this, tearing into him like that?"

Cheng Shao could not figure out what Chen Lingyun wanted either. But no matter what, Chen Lingyun was his biological mother. Even if she was going through menopause, as her son, Cheng Shao could not say too much. He could only shake his head with a bitter smile. "...Anyway, A-Yu is very angry right now. Help me cheer him up."

"Don't worry." Pei Yan threw an arm around Cheng Shao's shoulder, patted his chest like they were sworn brothers, and promised grandly, "Leave it to me."

However, once they actually started riding the attractions, Cheng Yu still insisted that Cheng Shao and Pei Yan wait below. He rode the roller coaster three times by himself, went bungee jumping twice, and drove ten laps in a go-kart. When he came down, perhaps because the wind had been too strong, his eyes were bright red.

"Let's go!" Cheng Yu pressed his lips together. "It's noon. I'll treat you to lunch."

Seeing Cheng Yu with his hands in his pockets, looking cool and aloof as though nothing had happened, Pei Yan felt awful. He truly could not understand how a mother could be so cruel as to give her own son the silent treatment.

"A-Yu, you..." Pei Yan began with difficulty. He wanted to tell Cheng Yu that if he was truly upset, he could cry. But when their eyes met and he saw Cheng Yu's deep, cool gaze, Pei Yan could not get another word out. He knew that with Cheng Yu's pride, he would never shed tears in front of anyone.

Staring at his own reflection in Cheng Yu's eyes, Pei Yan's mind suddenly short-circuited, and he changed the subject. "A-Yu, do you want to watch me do a chemistry experiment?"

Cheng Yu looked slightly stunned. "What?"

Chapter 12

Yanjing No. 1 High School was the high school Cheng Yu had once attended. He finished his first year there, then, during the summer vacation between his first and second years, Cheng Kaiyun and his wife forcibly sent him abroad to study.

Cheng Yu still remembered that when Chen Lingyun forced him onto the plane, he was only sixteen, with three months and eight days left until his seventeenth birthday. With the lives of Pei Yan and his maternal grandparents hanging over him, everyone had cursed him as a jinx. He had dragged his suitcase alone through a ten-hour flight to Paris. When he first arrived, he knew no one, knew nothing, and could not even speak a word of French.

Although the entire world believed France to be a romantic country of freedom, equality, and fraternity, the French were not actually all that warm or friendly toward Chinese people. Cheng Yu had just arrived, could not communicate, did not understand the customs, and was excessively handsome and slight. It was easy to imagine how much unfair discrimination and harassment he suffered.