Chapter 25

Zhou Xiyuan's attention was entirely on her husband and son, so she did not notice Cheng Yu's movements at first. Cheng Shao noticed, but said nothing. He casually took the tea egg from Cheng Yu's hand, quickly peeled it, and placed it in Cheng Yu's bowl.

Cheng Yu wiped his hands, silently finished his porridge and tea egg, then took another custard bun and slowly nibbled on it.

After taking care of her husband and son, Zhou Xiyuan turned back to Cheng Yu. Seeing that he had unhurriedly eaten one bowl of porridge, one tea egg, and one custard bun before preparing to leave the table, she asked in surprise, "You're eating so little. Is the food not to your taste?"

Cheng Shao smiled and answered, "No. This is how much he normally eats in the morning."

Cheng Yu nodded and urged Cheng Shao, "Hurry up. We're going back to the hospital after you finish eating. Pig Strong has brought the contract over."

Hearing this, the three members of the Pei Family could not help asking, "You really want to enter the entertainment industry? Will your parents agree?"

Cheng Yu asked in return, "Why should I need their approval for something I decided myself?"

Pei Zhennan and his wife exchanged looks. After the Cheng brothers left by car, Zhou Xiyuan hurriedly called Chen Lingyun to tip her off.

The Cheng brothers had just arrived at the hospital when they ran into a furious Chen Lingyun in the corridor.

"What exactly are you making a fuss over?" Chen Lingyun was seething. Zhou Xiyuan had called her during the shareholders' meeting. She had not even had time to hold the meeting before rushing to the hospital, all to stop Cheng Yu from signing the contract. "Do you know who you are? The second young master of C&C Jewelry wants to enter the entertainment industry and become an actor? Is the Cheng Family not embarrassing enough for you already?"

Cheng Yu frowned. "With all due respect, it has never been one's identity that is shameful."

Cheng Yu glanced at the passersby in the corridor who were straining their ears for gossip and said softly, "Please mind your manners in public."

Chapter 25

Shaped by his past experiences, Cheng Yu hated arguing in public more than anything. So after saying those two sentences, he did not wait for Chen Lingyun to react and simply walked past her into the hospital room.

Inside, Tianguang Entertainment's president, Cheng Tianguang, and Pig Strong had already arrived. They stood side by side before the bed, one looking thoroughly awkward and the other trembling, clearly not expecting this scene.

Cheng Yu did not mind. Smiling, he asked his grandfather, "Did you sign it for me?"

Before Chen Simiao could speak, Chen Lingyun, who had followed them in, snapped, "You are not allowed to sign it."

Chen Lingyun glared angrily at Cheng Yu, clearly dissatisfied with what he had said in the corridor. But she also knew that if they truly started arguing, she would definitely not be able to outtalk him. She could only complain to Chen Simiao, "Dad, could you stop indulging him in everything? You actually agreed to let him become a singer and enter some talent show. What is there to join in that filthy circle? Do you think he has not embarrassed me enough already?"

The moment she said that, Cheng Tianguang and Zhu Jianxin, standing nearby, became extremely awkward. They knew that a family on the level of C&C Jewelry might not think much of the entertainment industry. Still, having it pointed out to their faces made them lose face.

Especially Cheng Tianguang. He was, after all, the president of Tianguang Entertainment and Cheng Yu's future boss. To have his profession insulted like this in front of his own employee... Fortunately, Cheng Tianguang was thick-skinned and broad-minded, and did not take Chen Lingyun's insinuations to heart. With a slight smile, he dissolved the awkwardness himself and calmly said, "President Chen, you worry too much. I can assure you that Tianguang Entertainment is absolutely a legitimate talent agency. We have the most professional production and publicity teams, dedicated to building up the Chinese music scene—"

Before he could finish, Chen Lingyun cut him off without ceremony. "With all due respect, anyone can say nice things like that. But he is my biological child. As his mother, I have to take responsibility for his future. He is only sixteen this year, already rebellious and stubborn by nature, and he is extremely curious. He wants to try anything he sees. As far as I know, many artists in your entertainment industry have especially chaotic private lives. Musicians like you in particular love being unconventional and treat decadence as art. I do not want my son to be influenced by that environment and led astray."

"Or can you guarantee that if I entrust my child to you, you will protect him properly and ensure that no one will lead him astray?"

Cheng Tianguang was left speechless. It was not that he did not trust his company's environment, but with Cheng Yu's temperament, whether he chose to be good or bad would probably depend entirely on what he wanted. Even if they tried to stop him, they likely could not.

Chen Lingyun snorted coldly and turned to Chen Simiao. "Dad, do you think my concerns are reasonable?"

Though she was asking Chen Simiao, her gaze was fixed directly on Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu frowned impatiently. "There is no reason in them at all. What gives you the right to assume I will be led astray just based on your imagination? Are you using things that have not even happened to deny my current decision because you care about me, or because you want to satisfy your own need for control?"

Cheng Yu's accusation was too sharp, and Chen Lingyun clearly could not accept it. "Cheng Yu, how can you speak to me like that? I'm your mother. Would I ever harm you?"

Cheng Yu said, "Other than these tired old clichés, can you say anything logical?"

Seeing that mother and son were about to argue again, Chen Simiao gave a light cough and interrupted them.

Compared with the mother and son who fought whenever they met, Chen Simiao was clearly more cultivated and knew how to consider his guests' feelings. Seeing that Cheng Tianguang and Zhu Jianxin did not look too pleased, he smiled and explained, "My daughter has a straightforward temperament. She is only worried that entering the entertainment industry at such a young age will affect A-Yu's studies and change his character. It is not that she holds any prejudice against the industry itself."

Cheng Tianguang nodded with an awkward smile, but before he could speak, Chen Lingyun angrily took over. "This is not prejudice. Everyone knows how chaotic the entertainment industry is. I do not want Cheng Yu entering this circle for his own good."

"But your opinion is not important." Cheng Yu glanced at Cheng Tianguang and Zhu Jianxin, who were still awkwardly standing there, and could not be bothered to keep tangling with Chen Lingyun. He asked, "Where's the contract?"