Page 9

The Sword Forum Chen Simiao mentioned was a morning exercise group organized by a bunch of retired old men and women with nothing better to do. Its members were all prominent figures in the antiques, jade, and jewelry trades. Every last one of them was old but sharp as a tack, practically foxes in human skin. They especially loved teasing the younger generation.

Thinking of those grandpas and grandmas who would start touching him the moment they saw him—ruffling his hair and pinching his cheeks—Cheng Yu shook his head in firm refusal. "No."

Seeing that, Chen Simiao did not force the issue. Smiling, he handed Cheng Yu a dry towel. "Wipe off your sweat."

Cheng Yu took the towel and draped it around his neck. He was a bit of a clean freak by nature. Although he enjoyed extreme sports, he hated the sticky feeling of being covered in sweat. He tugged at his T-shirt. "I'm going to take a shower first."

Chen Simiao reached out and patted Cheng Yu on the shoulder, reminding him carefully, "Don't use cold water when you shower. It's getting cold out. You'll catch a cold easily."

Cheng Yu nodded. By the time he came downstairs after showering, the whole family was already seated at the dining table.

Chen Lingyun pulled a long face as she looked at her fresh and clean younger son, then could not help nagging, "The sun must have risen in the west today. You actually got up this early."

Cheng Yu kept his eyes on his food and sat down beside his grandfather, turning a deaf ear to Chen Lingyun's provocation.

When Chen Lingyun saw that Cheng Yu was ignoring her, she continued nagging. "You should've started doing this ages ago. You're so young, yet you sleep in every morning. You should be like your brother and get up at five every day to memorize vocabulary. All you ever think about is having fun. You'll be in your second year of high school when school starts again. If you don't start making good use of your time, what kind of university do you think you'll get into?"

Cheng Yu lowered his head and drank his porridge, still saying nothing. Cheng Shao could not help trying to smooth things over. "Actually, A-Yu is very smart. He learns everything especially quickly—"

"He learns everything quickly, sure. He just refuses to study properly." Chen Lingyun snorted, then shifted targets and began criticizing Cheng Shao. "And don't always speak up for him. You only scored 698 on your final exams this time. You didn't even break 700. You dropped to second in the grade, a full seven points behind that boy Pei Yan. Tell me, what are you thinking about all day? You'll be in your third year of high school when school starts again. Don't think you can slack off just because you had a good foundation before. My son, Chen Lingyun's son, either does nothing at all or does it to the very best."

"I think you should stop playing games too. I'll have someone take apart the computer in your room later. You can have it back after the college entrance exams."

"Mom!" Cheng Shao frowned and was about to speak when Chen Lingyun cut him off brusquely. "Enough. It's settled."

Cheng Shao pursed his lips in frustration. He wanted to explain to Chen Lingyun that he was not playing games. He wanted to learn the thinking and techniques behind game development, while also picking up knowledge about the internet and programming. He was very interested in that field and believed the industry would definitely have a promising future. Unfortunately, there was no getting through to Chen Lingyun. In her eyes, using a computer was a distraction from proper pursuits, whether he was learning programming or playing games.

Cheng Yu watched Cheng Shao's dejected appearance coldly and suddenly found it a little amusing. He still remembered that after Cheng Shao had been driven out of C&C Jewelry by him, he had started a game studio with a group of classmates. Later, one game had earned him tens of billions, swelling the company's market value by nearly a hundred billion and finally giving him the capital to fight Cheng Yu. But by then, Cheng Shao had become extremely composed. Cheng Yu had not seen this Cheng Shao, whose disappointment showed so easily, in a very long time.

He even missed it a little.

As Cheng Yu watched Cheng Shao and smiled, Chen Lingyun was observing Cheng Yu as well. Seeing him smile for no apparent reason, she could not help asking, "What are you laughing at now?"

Cheng Yu frowned impatiently. Although he liked seeing Chen Lingyun in his hallucinations, he still felt uncomfortable whenever she scolded him. But then again, since this was already a hallucination, why could Chen Lingyun not treat him a little better? Did she really have to find fault with him at every turn?

"Can't I even smile now?" Cheng Yu set down his bowl and chopsticks, stared straight into Chen Lingyun's eyes, and fired back word by word. "Does seeing me smile make you that uncomfortable? Do I have to cry before you'll be happy?"

"Cheng Yu, how can you speak to me like that? I'm your mother, after all. Can't you show me even the most basic respect?" Chen Lingyun felt that she had been speaking to Cheng Yu properly. But Cheng Yu's behavior clearly showed that he had no intention of communicating with her properly.

Cheng Kaiyun took hold of Chen Lingyun's tightly clenched fist and gave it a soothing pat. After Cheng Yu left the hospital yesterday, the couple had worried that something was wrong with him, so they had stayed behind to speak with the doctor for quite some time. By now, they had basically confirmed that Cheng Yu did indeed have moderate bipolar disorder. They did not know how he had developed it, but the doctor had advised that besides taking medication and getting regular checkups, he also needed guidance and care from family and friends.

And the first step of guidance was communication. Although Chen Lingyun repeatedly insisted that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the way she communicated with her child, that Cheng Yu was the one overthinking things and clinging to prejudice against his mother, she had still decided, at the doctor's suggestion, to be more patient and communicate properly with Cheng Yu.

Unfortunately, things got off to a bad start. These two mother and son really should not open their mouths—once they did, they started fighting.

Cheng Kaiyun pressed at the space between his brows, his head throbbing, and cut in. "A-Yu, we also spoke with the doctor at the hospital yesterday."

Cheng Kaiyun paused, seemingly choosing his words, before saying slowly, "You noticed in time that something was wrong and went to see a doctor for an examination. That was a very mature thing to do. Dad is very proud of you. Dad also admits that over the years, your mother and I were busy with business and did neglect you in some ways. But your mother and I truly love you. If there's anything you can't work through, just say it. Don't bottle it up inside, all right?"

"There's nothing I can't work through." Cheng Yu pushed away his bowl, all appetite gone. "I'm full. Enjoy your meal."

Chen Lingyun watched Cheng Yu get up and head upstairs, then angrily pinched Cheng Kaiyun's arm. "Look at that attitude of your son's! Am I the one who doesn't want to communicate with him? He clearly doesn't want to say a single word to me."

"I must have owed him in a past life. How much did I suffer to give birth to him? I lost my job, and I, a university-educated intellectual, had to go out and set up stalls to sell things just to earn money and support the family. I got up early and came home late every day, and I couldn't even get a hot meal. Have I ever shorted him a single cent? His food, clothes, toys, and everything he used—wasn't every single thing the best? He never studies. He either runs off to dance and box or gets into fights with people. What's wrong with me saying a few things to him? I'm his mother. Am I not even allowed to criticize him? I say a few words to him, and he gets bipolar disorder? Just because I said a few harsh things out of spite when I gave birth to him, I'm never going to be able to live it down for the rest of my life?"