Chapter 115 Director’s Invitation

Chapter 115: Director's Invitation

People are greedy. The more they get, the stronger their desires become, and they only sink deeper.

At this moment, Cheng Feng complained of a headache from the sea breeze and came to Shang Xu's room to rest, but now he never wanted to leave.

Curled up on the bed with Shang Xu's unique scent lingering around him, he simply couldn't bear to go.

Shang Xu entered the room and saw Cheng Feng curled up as if fast asleep. He walked to the bedside and gently patted the quilt, wanting to wake him and send him back to his own room.

"Cheng Feng, Cheng Feng."

But Cheng Feng kept his eyes shut, feigning sleep, stubbornly refusing to move. Yet he was very tense in front of Shang Xu, his long eyelashes trembling slightly. He buried his face in the quilt for effect, pretending to be uncomfortable, and turned over with his back to him.

Shang Xu seemed not to notice his little act and didn't call him again, turning instead to go straight to the adjacent room.

Cheng Feng glanced at the closed door. A hollow feeling settled in his chest.

He had just been thinking that Shang Xu might stay and sleep with him. In the end, it was just wishful thinking on his part. How could a young master like him be willing to squeeze into one room with Cheng Feng?

The next morning, Cheng Feng went to the ship's railing for some fresh air. As he gazed at the endless sea, he suddenly saw a large fish leaping and thrashing on the water's surface.

He quickly took out his phone to take a picture, thinking he'd show it to his mom later.

Just then, a man walked over and came to stand beside Cheng Feng.

Noticing someone nearby, Cheng Feng turned his head to look. It was a middle-aged man who had a rather aggressive air, though a pair of glasses lent him a touch of refinement.

After spending these years with the Shang family, Cheng Feng had learned to recognize some top brands. The man's clothes were all bespoke, the watch on his wrist was clearly worth a fortune—probably tens of millions or even more—and even his glasses were clearly no ordinary pair.

He gave the man only a brief glance before averting his eyes and turning to leave, not wanting to invite trouble.

But then the middle-aged man spoke up, "You're Cheng Feng, right?"

Cheng Feng stopped in his tracks, a slight frown forming. Who was this? A friend of that fat guy from yesterday? Here to make trouble?

"What is it?" His tone was distant, wary.

The middle-aged man smiled, his gaze settling on Cheng Feng's face. "Your mother is Ye Jingyuan, right?"

No one had called his mother by her full name in a long time.

Cheng Feng asked, "You are...?"

_Could he be an old friend of Mom's, or a relative?_

Middle-aged man: "I'm a very old friend of your mother's. We've known each other for many years. How is your mother now? Where is she? Is she okay?"

"In the hospital," Cheng Feng replied, somewhat surprised. _How did he recognize me?_ But he answered anyway, remaining guarded. He wanted to see what the other was driving at.

The man looked taken aback. "Is your mother sick? Or does she work at the hospital?"

"Sick."

The man's face was filled with genuine concern. "What's wrong with her? Is it serious?"

Cheng Feng was taken aback. This person couldn't produce anything to prove he was Mom's friend, yet here he was, digging for details right off the bat. It felt off.

He decided to sound the other person out first. After years of being on the receiving end of schemes, he was wary of meeting someone with ill intentions.

"How long have you known my mother?"

The middle-aged man lowered his gaze in thought, as if recalling distant memories.

"Over ten years. Nineteen years ago, she suddenly disappeared. We searched for a long time but found no trace of her. Later, the news we found was that she had died. Everyone said she was dead, but I couldn't believe someone like her would die so easily. She was too good a person. I always felt she had to be alive.

I saw your piano competition video and remembered your name. You're the spitting image of her, as if carved from the same mold. So I came to ask, and it turns out you really are her son. Since she has a child, I'm thinking, perhaps your mother is still alive."

"What's your name?"

The middle-aged man glanced at him sideways.

"My surname is Li, Li Yao."

Cheng Feng was silent for a moment, thinking that since he knew Mom, he might know her hometown, know where her relatives were.

His heart tightened. "You... do you know where my mother's home is? Does she still have any family?"

"Your mother's family... they're all gone." Li Yao's voice was gentle, but it hit Cheng Feng's heart like a stone.

Cheng Feng froze, standing there dazed for a long time, his heart feeling stifled and panicked.

Although he had never met his maternal grandparents since birth, hearing this news suddenly still made him unbearably sad.

If one day Mom's mind clears up and she realizes she has no family left, how devastating that would be.

Li Yao adjusted his glasses, his tone puzzled. "Your mother is still here. If she's still in this city, why has she never contacted us? What exactly happened to her? Why didn't she come find us?"

"My mother's mental state isn't very good. She doesn't remember much, and usually doesn't talk much." Cheng Feng said softly.

Li Yao's brow furrowed slightly. He looked very anxious, the concern in his eyes deepening. "Which hospital is your mother receiving treatment at? How long has she been treated? Has she not recovered yet?"

Cheng Feng didn't say which hospital his mother was in. He still maintained a certain level of wariness towards the other person, after all, they had just met. "Several years. She's gotten a little better, but the doctor said the psychological trauma she suffered is too severe, very difficult to cure completely."

"What exactly did your mother go through? Why does she have such a severe mental illness? Did she experience something terrible? Do you need my help?"

Li Yao sighed, his eyes even reddening, and continued, "How about you take me to see her? Maybe seeing an old acquaintance, she might remember something."

Cheng Feng always felt this person seemed especially like an old lover of Mom's. He seemed to be concerned like a lover would be. However, he still didn't relent. "You and my mother knew each other since childhood? Starting from what age?"

Li Yao saw through his wariness. "You don't believe me?"

"No, I just..." Cheng Feng pursed his lips. Alright, he indeed didn't dare to trust a stranger he just met.

This person kept asking questions right from the start, every sentence revolving around Mom's whereabouts. His sixth sense told him this person was definitely not simple, and he absolutely must not reveal Mom's location easily.

Li Yao softened his tone. "Don't worry. Your mother and I met when we were six. We were childhood sweethearts. I truly want to see her. I've been looking for her for so many years, I miss her very much. If the hospital your mother is staying at isn't ideal, I know a very skilled psychologist. Your mother could go there for a consultation, it might help."

Cheng Feng shook his head. The hospital Shang Xu arranged for Mom had professional, responsible doctors, and the security was extremely tight. Outsiders couldn't get in at all; it was especially safe.

He trusted Shang Xu completely. Anyone else might harm him, but Shang Xu would never harm him. But this Li Yao, whom he had never met before, was not necessarily the same.

Cheng Feng wasn't sure if the other person was good or bad. If he was genuinely asking about his mother's condition out of goodwill, there was no need to completely offend him. He spoke half-truths, leaving room, not completely shutting the door. "Thank you, but no need to trouble yourself. The doctor treating my mother is very skilled. She needs rest and quiet now. The doctor said she shouldn't be disturbed by outsiders for the time being. When she gets a bit better, I'll contact you and take you to see her."

Li Yao didn't insist either. He just exchanged contact information with Cheng Feng, saying he would visit when his mother was better. Right after finishing, he received a phone call and hurriedly left.

That night, Cheng Feng still insisted on sleeping in Shang Xu's room. Even when Shang Shaohao and Zhang Yuantao came to get him to go back to his own room to sleep, he refused to leave.

Shang Xu didn't drive him away either, letting him be.

These past couple of days, with Shang Xu around, Shang Shaohao and Zhang Yuantao had also become much more restrained. They no longer dragged him and Liang Wenfan to those messy places, only choosing quieter spots to hang out, and they stopped casually flirting with girls, staying on their best behavior.

Cheng Feng actually thought this was quite nice. Aside from that incident earlier in the trip, this cruise had been rather enjoyable overall.

To be honest, it was probably because he got to sleep in Shang Xu's bed. The place where Shang Xu slept carried a faint, clean, crisp scent—not too strong or cloying, but addictive to smell. Lying there felt like being held by Shang Xu, and he slept very soundly.

They spent five days playing on the cruise ship before returning to school.

Back at school, some time later, Cheng Feng learned from Shang Shaohao that Shang Xu had shut down the operation running that cruise ship. The ship now belonged to the Shang Group, the people on board had all been released, and the shady sex trade that used to happen there was gone.

Hearing the news brought him little joy, only bewilderment. He realized once again how vast the gap between him and Shang Xu still was—there seemed to be a huge chasm between them, one he might never be able to cross.

In the days after returning to school, Cheng Feng worked even harder than before, packing his schedule extremely tightly with nothing but livestreaming and studying. Even when Shang Shaohao invited him out to have fun, he declined.

One time, while Cheng Feng was running on the sports field to exercise, a man who carried himself with a calm, substantial demeanor approached him and handed him a card.

"Hello, student. I'm Chen Qiuhai, the assistant director for 'Chasing Midsummer.' You've got the exact look and vibe we need for the third male lead in our new drama. Would you be interested in filming a campus series?"