Chapter 3

It wasn't like he was chasing a wife. Did he really have to be this submissive?

The more Zhou Xiyuan thought about it, the more indignant she became, rolling her eyes in anger. If Cheng Kaiyun and his wife had not still been there, and if the hospital room had not been so crowded, Zhou Xiyuan would have loved to grab Pei Yan by the ear and give him a proper scolding.

How could anyone be this stupid?

Chapter 3

Although Zhou Xiyuan's movements were subtle, everyone present was perceptive enough to notice. Chen Lingyun, who had always been proud and concerned with appearances, felt even more humiliated. Yet with so many people watching, she could hardly slap Cheng Yu again, so she had no choice but to take it out on the child's father. Her dagger-like gaze carved into Cheng Kaiyun again and again, practically accusing him of, "Look at the wonderful son you raised."

Cheng Kaiyun, long accustomed to being caught between his wife and son, rubbed his nose with a bitter smile. Just as he was about to say a few words to smooth things over, Pei Yan said cheerfully, "It's almost noon. You should all go eat first. A-Yu can stay here with me."

The moment he finished speaking, Zhou Xiyuan stopped him. "Better not. A-Yu is just a child. How would he know how to take care of someone? Mom should stay and keep you company."

Pei Yan smiled and retorted, "Then you don't know him well enough. A-Yu is actually great at taking care of people. Whenever our school organizes volunteer work, whether at nursing homes or orphanages, he's always especially thoughtful and attentive. He's just sharp-tongued and cold-faced, but he's actually soft-hearted and kind. Otherwise, he wouldn't have jumped in to save me the second he saw me fall into the water. That fishpond was so deep! So dangerous! Most adults wouldn't even dare go in."

"So A-Yu actually cares a lot about me. He's just too embarrassed to say it." As Pei Yan spoke, he smiled brightly and pleaded with Chen Lingyun, "Auntie, please don't blame A-Yu when you get home. He must have been terrified too."

Pei Yan's words disgusted Cheng Yu so badly that goosebumps rose all over his skin. He rubbed his arm, about to refute him, when Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement. "That's true. Then Cheng Yu can stay and keep you company. After all, he was the one who pushed you into the water. It's what he should do."

Hearing Chen Lingyun deliberately stress the words "what he should do," even Zhou Xiyuan and Pei Zhennan, who were still holding back their anger, could not help but sneer.

This mother and son pair really were something else.

Cheng Yu raised a brow and was just about to snap back when someone lightly patted his right shoulder. Turning around, he saw Cheng Shao suppressing a smile as he said, "Then we'll have to trouble our A-Yu. What do you want for lunch? I'll have the restaurant deliver something for you."

Zhou Xiyuan might not have been pleased with Cheng Yu, but she greatly admired Cheng Shao, the Cheng Family heir who excelled in both character and academics. She immediately smiled. "A-Shao is still the thoughtful one."

The words on Cheng Yu's lips were swallowed back down.

After her son caused such a huge mess, Chen Lingyun genuinely wanted to treat Pei Zhennan and Zhou Xiyuan to a meal as an apology. The two families were not only old family friends but also close business partners. Though Pei Zhennan and Zhou Xiyuan were dissatisfied with Cheng Yu's attitude, the matter had not ultimately led to serious consequences. They had to give her that courtesy.

After the group filed out, only Pei Yan and Cheng Yu remained in the hospital room.

Lying in the hospital bed, Pei Yan watched Cheng Yu walk over to the sofa tucked away in the farthest corner, one hand in his pocket and a cocky expression on his face. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to avoid Pei Yan, yet had been forced to stay by his mother's orders, leaving him stifled and gloomy. Pei Yan could not help but laugh as he coaxed, "A-Yu, why are you sitting so far away? It's inconvenient to talk."

Cheng Yu leaned against the sofa, closed his eyes, and ignored Pei Yan completely.

Pei Yan continued, "Are you hungry? I have fruit here. Want an apple?"

"Is it too sunny over there? Why don't you come sit closer?"

"Are you tired? If you want to sleep, you can come over here. I'll give you half the bed. Sleeping on the sofa is too uncomfortable."

"...Or you can sleep in the bed, and I'll sit on the sofa."

"Your clothes are still wet, right? Why don't you change first? There's a shower in the room. Go take a shower. I'll have someone bring some clean clothes over. You can wear mine for now."

Cheng Yu turned over, presenting his back to Pei Yan and turning a deaf ear to someone's endless chatter.

After a pause, Pei Yan clutched his stomach and pretended to be weak. "I'm hungry. I really want an apple. A-Yu, peel one for me?"

Cheng Yu rolled over and sat up, giving in helplessly. "...I'll call a caregiver for you. Can you stop bothering me now?"

"I don't want a caregiver. I only want an apple peeled by you." Seeing Cheng Yu finally respond, Pei Yan beamed. "I like watching you peel apples with a butterfly knife. You look especially cool when you use a knife. Teach me sometime, okay?"

Cheng Yu rolled his eyes, unwilling to respond.

Pei Yan rubbed his head and cried that he was dizzy again. "Do I have a concussion and lack of oxygen or something? Why is my head so dizzy? Maybe I need to eat an apple peeled by A-Yu before I can get better."

"I think you don't have a concussion. You're just brain-dead." Cheng Yu looked at Pei Yan as though he were an idiot. He got up, walked over to the bedside table, unpacked the beautifully wrapped fruit basket, took out an apple, and sat down beside him to peel it.

The midday sun was blazing, its golden rays pouring through the window and forming a halo around Cheng Yu. The boy's fingers were slender and long. One hand lightly held the red apple while the other deftly spun the fruit knife. The cold blade reflected a warm, crystalline gleam beneath the sunlight, making the boy's fingertips look almost transparent.

Pei Yan's gaze gradually traveled from Cheng Yu's hands to his face. Cheng Yu was always expressionless when he handled a knife. Pei Yan still clearly remembered the first time he had met Cheng Yu. Someone had tipped Cheng Shao off that people were blocking the younger brother who had just started middle school outside the school gates. On Cheng Yu's first day of school, he had thrown a whole deskful of love letters into the trash, making quite a few girls cry.

The brother-obsessed Cheng Shao had immediately dragged Pei Yan outside the moment he heard the news. After circling more than half the campus, they finally found Cheng Yu at the school's back gate. Cheng Yu had only been twelve then. The exquisitely handsome boy, prettier than a girl, wore an oversized school uniform and sat atop a red brick wall. The butterfly knife in his hand spun swiftly and nimbly, its blade even leaving flashing afterimages beneath the sun, like a real butterfly trembling its silver-white wings as it darted between Cheng Yu's long, fair fingers.