The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Past Events (1)

Inside the venue, Lu Chaoqing, completely unaware of the trending searches, was still immersed in the thrill and excitement from earlier.

Her lipstick had faded a bit due to the lip contact just now, and the makeup artist was busy touching it up. Interaction with the audience was expected to last quite a while, and she had to follow the schedule to subtly promote their movie. In truth, Lu Chaoqing was quite looking forward to this film; after all, it was her first time seeing herself living someone else’s life on the big screen. More importantly, it was during the filming of that movie that she realized her feelings for Lin Chumu were shifting.

The events of last night felt like a dream, leaving her with a dazed, surreal sensation even now. It wasn’t until her assistant repeatedly called her name to remind her to go on stage that Lu Chaoqing hurriedly took a sip of water and rushed over.

The sea of light sticks in the darkness became the warmest presence, illuminating the various smiling faces in the audience. Lu Chaoqing scanned the crowd—there were familiar faces she had seen at other offline events and new faces she had never met before. After she emerged in a change of clothes, the waving of the light sticks became even more vigorous.

“Lu Chaoqing! Lu Chaoqing!”

The crowd was chanting her name, but as the movie trailer began to play, it quickly changed to “Xiang Yunchen,” the name of her character in the script. The version of the trailer shown at the birthday party was slightly different from the one promoted on Weibo; it was a re-edited version with more focus on the subplots. The moment that ambiguous kiss scene flashed by, the screams from the audience reached a deafening crescendo.

Standing on stage, having finally changed into a slightly thicker outfit, the girl smiled sweetly: “On January 12th, please make sure to come to the theater to see my debut work~” The fans below shouted “Definitely!” in unison.

To be honest, since her birth, this was the first time Lu Chaoqing had celebrated such a lively birthday. In the past, it was at most a gathering of family or a few relatives and friends. Thinking about it gave her a slight pang of longing for her old home. However, her actual birthday wasn’t today; today should be Lin Chumu’s birthday.

When the revelry died down around 8:00 PM, Lu Chaoqing arranged for the security guards to see the fans off. Once she confirmed no one was left behind, she headed backstage. She had prepared a birthday gift for Lin Chumu long ago, wanting to surprise her today. But as she quietly walked over, she caught the other woman on the phone. In all the time she had known Lin Chumu, she had never seen her make such an expression.

“Not going back… Xiaoqing? I’m surprised those words can even come out of your mouths.”

Upon hearing her own name, Lu Chaoqing, who had intended to avoid the conversation, reflexively stopped in her tracks. She turned her face with curiosity to look at Lin Chumu’s tall and elegant silhouette. In the cold draft by the window, the woman wore only a coat that wasn’t quite enough to ward off the chill. Her exposed ankles were as white as jade, looking even more delicate against the thick darkness of the night.

With just a bit of guesswork, Lu Chaoqing roughly understood who was on the other end of the line.

The original host’s biological parents had passed away a long time ago. Even Lin Chumu, who had been swapped at birth, only vaguely remembered what they looked like and didn’t know much more. Lin Chumu was only a few years old when the Lin parents died, so the people calling now were likely those relatives.

However, despite being at an age where she should have been raised by relatives, she ended up in an orphanage. Lu Chaoqing could guess that those people were certainly not saints; at the very least, their relationship with the Lin parents wasn’t good. The original host had no further contact with the Lin family in the storyline. Lin Chumu had seen them a few times, but because the detailed plot hadn’t reached a trigger point, Lu Chaoqing couldn’t see it. Judging from Lin Chumu’s current tone, it likely wasn’t anything pleasant.

The person on the other end seemed to still be saying something, but Lin Chumu impatiently moved the phone slightly away from her ear, as if being even an inch closer would allow the invisible sound waves to defile her. Her elegant, long brows were tightly furrowed.

“Get lost.” This was also the first time Lu Chaoqing had heard her swear, even if she was just calling them “insane.”

Before she had a chance to hide, Lin Chumu turned around, and their gazes met from a distance. She seemed to have noticed Lu Chaoqing listening over there long ago. She didn’t avoid her at all, instead gesturing gracefully for her to come over. The girl rushed over like a Samoyed as usual, bringing a gust of cool air with her as Lin Chumu pulled her into an embrace.

Even though she had just been standing in the drafty window, the woman’s embrace was very warm; otherwise, she wouldn’t have boldly opened her arms to invite her. Lin Chumu’s coat was one size larger than usual, easily wrapping Lu Chaoqing inside. The temperature of their bodies pressed together completely melted the winter chill. As they sank together onto a cramped small sofa, Lu Chaoqing sat astride her lap, nestling completely into Lin Chumu’s arms.

Lin Chumu still carried that reassuring, familiar perfume, but with less of the minty coolness and more of the warmth of peach blossoms.

“Who was Sister talking to just now?” Lu Chaoqing didn’t hide how much she had overheard. “Is it the relatives from my side?”

Upon hearing the word “relatives,” Lin Chumu’s brow twitched. She paused for a moment before reacting. Her voice remained steady and gentle, but it was tinged with a hint of indignation. Lin Chumu usually wasn’t someone who showed much emotion; in fact, when they first met, Lu Chaoqing had to rely entirely on guesswork to understand her. For her to be unable to hold it back now meant she was likely truly angry.

“Specifically, it should be your… maternal aunt?” Lin Chumu paused. “And your maternal uncle and paternal uncle are all together.”

“Ah?”

Paternal uncles and maternal aunts usually don’t socialize much together; after all, they aren’t typically that close. Moreover, these people likely didn’t care much about Lin Chumu, otherwise, they wouldn’t have let a child of only a few years old live in an orphanage. Now that they saw Lin Chumu had reclaimed her identity and returned to the Lu family, the only reason Lu Chaoqing could think of for so many people to gather was to leach off her success.

“Are they asking you for money?”

“…That’s only one aspect.” If it were just money, Lin Chumu would have hung up without a word. But this time, it involved things from back then, making it impossible for her to remain calm.

Perhaps some things shouldn’t be known by Lu Chaoqing, so she could remain carefree for the rest of her life. But continuing to hide it and keeping her in an ivory tower would be, in some ways, a form of disrespect.

A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind. Lin Chumu took a deep breath and finally looked at the girl in her arms with resolute eyes. Under her calm, sea-like gaze, she slowly revealed the reason for her emotional outburst: “It involves the cause of death… of our parents.”