The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 114

Xu Chengjin actually slept for quite a long time. Her mother had come up to call her halfway through, but Xu Chengjin was unwilling to get up, directly shrinking into the quilt and acting like a spoiled child: “No, Mom, let me sleep a little longer.”

Mother Xu was quite indulgent toward her. Seeing this, she didn’t say much, only reminding her not to sleep too long or she would wake up with a headache. Xu Chengjin hummed in agreement, but in reality, her consciousness had long since drifted beyond the ninth heaven; she didn’t even remember what she had answered.

She slept until five o’clock in the evening before waking up. When she woke, her mind was in a haze. She sat up blankly, her hair a messy tangle, staring into space with drooping eyelids. She didn’t need to check to know she had overslept. Back at home, if Si Yu were there, she would have forced her to get out of bed. Now, with no one taking a hard line, she had simply slept through the time.

“What time is it?”

Xu Chengjin rubbed her eyes. The moment she turned on her phone, she was nearly blinded by the brightness. She slammed her eyes shut to dodge the light, then squinted as she turned on the lamp. The sky was getting dark earlier and earlier now.

After waiting a moment, she reopened her phone. Sure enough, Si Yu had sent several messages: [Time to get up.]

Si Yu: [The other party has canceled.]

Si Yu: [You’ve slept overtime today.]

Si Yu: [The other party has canceled.]

Si Yu: [Forced Smile JPG.]

Si Yu: [Reply when you’re awake.]

Xu Chengjin could imagine how speechless Si Yu must have been on the other end. She curled her lips into a smile and dialed a video call back to Si Yu. The other party picked up quickly, and the “old artist” immediately began speaking with sarcasm: “So, Little Sister is finally awake. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I didn’t have this sister anymore.”

One couldn’t blame Si Yu for being annoyed. Once before, Xu Chengjin had overslept, resulting not only in a long-lasting headache but also an inability to sleep at night, tossing and turning until midnight. It threw her entire schedule into chaos, which wasn’t good for her health.

“You’re not allowed to scold me.”

Xu Chengjin was very bossy. She gave a “humph” and asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

“I’ll eat in a bit.”

Si Yu didn’t actually intend to lecture her. On the screen, Xu Chengjin’s hair was a mess and her eyes looked at her with a pitiful, aggrieved expression. Si Yu’s irritation vanished in a single second.

“What do you plan on eating?”

Xu Chengjin also noticed her own disheveled state. She ran a hand through her hair, not caring too much. “What time are you coming over tomorrow?”

She missed Si Yu.

Si Yu glanced at the auntie (housekeeper) and said, “There are braised ribs and noodles.”

“That’s quite simple.”

Xu Chengjin teased, “And here I thought President Si would be eating some grand feast of fish and meat.”

Si Yu was amused. “I’ll head over around nine tomorrow morning.”

“Oh.” Xu Chengjin licked her lips. She flipped out of bed, taking her phone with her. She placed the phone on the shelf of the washstand so Si Yu could see her directly. “The trouble should be over by tonight. I’ll head downstairs after I wash my face.”

“Okay.”

Seeing this, Si Yu didn’t speak further. She kept her head down, handling the matters at hand, while sounds of splashing water and humming came through the screen.

“Done.”

Xu Chengjin had pinned her hair up. She admired her own handiwork for a moment, then turned her head to show off to Si Yu: “How is it? Is it round?”

“Round!”

Si Yu was very supportive. “Perfect.”

“That’ll do then.” Xu Chengjin was satisfied, her brows filled with a look of pride. “I’m going down now.”

“Okay, bye-bye.”

“Bye-bye.”

Xu Chengjin waved while hanging up the call. She went downstairs directly in her pajamas. Sure enough, at this hour, the kitchen was preparing dinner. The Xu family ate quite early; everyone had their own things to be busy with in the evening, so there was no need to specifically set aside a long time for dinner.

“You slept for a long time.” Jin Xi was eating potato chips and had just opened a bottle of yogurt. “Headache?”

“I’m fine.”

Xu Chengjin sat on the other side of the sofa. She looked at the snacks in Jin Xi’s hands with an envious gaze, eventually picking through the pile to find two plums to eat. “Let’s find a variety show to watch.”

“What should we watch?”

Jin Xi searched around and found a dating show that had been very popular recently. “I’ve been seeing clips of this show online these past few days. I personally think it’s alright.”

“How about we pack you up and send you in?” Xu Chengjin raised an eyebrow at Jin Xi. “Turn you directly into a… international superstar.”

Jin Xi squinted at Xu Chengjin and let out a dry laugh. “International superstar? More like a 58th-tier faded star.”

“You can’t say that. After all, money makes the world go ’round.”

Xu Chengjin thought the plums tasted pretty good. She noted the name, planning to buy some when she went back. “How many celebrities are built by smashing money into them?”

“That’s true, but I’m afraid after I debut, I’ll only be spat on by people. Better forget it.”

Jin Xi knew Xu Chengjin was joking, but she still replied seriously. “Want to play games together tonight? Wu Boran invited both of us.”

“Not playing.”

Xu Chengjin wasn’t interested in games, but she caught the key phrase. “Since when did you and Wu Boran get so close?”

Jin Xi knew she was suspicious of that kind of relationship and immediately stopped her: “Don’t overthink it. I’m just playing with her, and every time she plays with me, she’s just asking about your situation.”

“And how do you answer?”

“I tell her to go ask Si Yu.”

Jin Xi also found a plum of the same kind Xu Chengjin was eating, but the moment it entered her mouth, her expression twisted from the sourness. “So sour.”

“It’s okay.”

Xu Chengjin grabbed two more bags. Just as she was about to continue eating, she was stopped by Mother Xu: “Still eating? Aren’t you going to have dinner in a bit?”

Xu Chengjin silently put them back.

“I just took a call from your aunt. She said she’s landed and will be back in a while.”

Mother Xu couldn’t help but smile as she spoke. She still wanted to reconcile with her sister.

However, Xu Chengjin silently exchanged a look with Jin Xi. The two of them averted their gazes tacitly without saying anything.

“Dinner will be ready in a little while. You two stop eating,” Mother Xu warned in a low voice, then turned to the cold-faced Xu Jing and said, “Keep an eye on your two younger sisters.”

Xu Jing: “Oh.”

Jin Xi “tched”: “Acting…”

Xu Chengjin: “…”

She figured it was better not to speak.

Regarding Xu Lihua, she and Jin Xi really wanted to see what kind of person she was, and whether they would gain any other information the moment they saw her. Their emotions were stable, without any particularly large fluctuations.

“Sister.”

Ten minutes later, Xu Lihua walked through the front door of the Xu house. She was wearing a beige windbreaker over a black tight-fitting top, her hair tied high, and her makeup was clean. The first impression she gave was that she was very cool, and likely had a decent temper.

“You’re back. Put your luggage inside first.” Mother Xu was rarely a bit formal. She cleared her throat. “The room is already prepared for you. Someone will help you take your luggage up in a bit. Come sit down and eat first.”

“Okay.”

Xu Lihua’s expression was faint. As if she felt no discomfort at all, she changed her shoes and walked in, giving each of the three juniors a red envelope. “Auntie hasn’t come back to see you all these years. I didn’t expect you all to have grown so big.”

She only gave Xu Chengjin and Jin Xi a fleeting glance, primarily speaking to Xu Jing: “Xiaojing, long time no see.”

“Welcome home.”

Xu Jing stood up and gave Xu Lihua a hug. After a thought, she introduced Xu Chengjin and Jin Xi to her: “This is Xiaojin, and that is Xiao Xi.”

“I know.” Xu Lihua nodded, her smile faint. “You two seem to have a very good relationship.”

Xu Chengjin spoke up first: “Thank you for the red envelope, Auntie. You’re very beautiful.”

“You’ve stated a fact.” Xu Lihua didn’t say much more. She walked to the dining table and sat down, saying directly, “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

Mother Xu nodded and turned to tell the kitchen to start serving the dishes. “Old Xu, bring out that red wine I’ve been collecting. I want to have a couple of glasses tonight.”

“And you three, come sit down.”

It wasn’t hard to see how happy Mother Xu was at this moment. “It’s been so many years; I wonder if your tastes have changed.”

“I can eat anything.” Xu Lihua also curled her lips into a smile, her eyes becoming much softer. “We should have a good drink tonight.”

Listening to their conversation, Xu Chengjin slightly lowered her eyes. The next second, she heard Jin Xi say, “Another one.”

“Talk less.” Xu Chengjin gave Jin Xi a quiet look and walked toward the dining table. She was hungry too and really wanted to eat.

Once everyone was seated, dinner began. Xu Chengjin didn’t want to attract anyone’s attention, so she spent the whole time listening to them chat without saying a word. The dinner was good, though not as tasty as what Si Yu made.

When Xu Chengjin was nearly finished, she picked up her phone to message Si Yu: [Xu Lihua came back early.]

Si Yu: [What do you think of her?]

Xu Chengjin: [She seems alright. If I didn’t have my preconceived stereotypes, I think I would like her.]

Si Yu: [I’m checking. It should take about two days.]

Xu Chengjin: [No rush.]

Just as she finished sending the message, someone called her name: “Xiaojin.”

“Hmm?”

Xu Chengjin looked up with a face full of confusion. “What is it?”

Xu Lihua was looking at her, propping her chin on her hand. “I heard from your mom that you were the one who discovered you weren’t her biological child. Can you tell me how you found out?”

“How I found out?” Xu Chengjin’s voice trailed off slightly. She carefully observed Xu Lihua for a few seconds before saying, “Jin Xi and I were university classmates, and we were quite close. Once, I went to her house and ran into Chen Fang—oh, Auntie, you probably don’t know who Chen Fang is.”

“Chen Fang is the bad person who kidnapped Jin Xi. We were chatting then, and as we talked, I felt something wasn’t quite right. It seemed Chen Fang didn’t like Jin Xi, and the two didn’t look alike at all. I kept it in mind and had someone investigate. Who would have thought? One check and it turned out Jin Xi wasn’t Chen Fang’s child.”

Xu Chengjin looked at Jin Xi and raised an eyebrow. “Then I wanted to find Jin Xi’s biological parents. Does Auntie want to guess how I found them?”

Xu Lihua frowned. “I don’t really want to guess.”

“Then I don’t really want to say.”

Xu Chengjin directly acted as though she were being willful. Of course, she didn’t know how to explain it, so she had to fudge it for now.

Jin Xi followed up smoothly: “Xiaojin helped me a lot. Back then, I was always bullied by Chen Fang’s family. It was Xiaojin who helped me.”

“Is that so…” Xu Lihua’s brow smoothed out. She quirked the corner of her mouth. “Then I won’t ask further. I was very shocked when I heard the news. I didn’t expect such a malicious incident to occur. Jin Xi, you’ve suffered out there all these years.”

She spoke these words with quite a bit of emotion, as if she truly pitied Jin Xi’s hardships over the years. “Now that you’ve returned to your parents’ side, it’s a blessing in disguise.”

Jin Xi gave a polite smile. For some reason, from the moment she saw Xu Lihua, she didn’t like this woman. The more the woman spoke, the stronger the discomfort in her heart became.

“Then, Xiaojin, have you thought about finding your own parents?”

As soon as Xu Lihua said this, Mother Xu became a bit unhappy. “Lihua, Xiaojin is my daughter, mine and your brother-in-law’s. Why look for other parents? The culprit hasn’t even been found yet.”

“Maybe Xiaojin’s parents are also looking for her. In any case, it’s not as if our Xu family can’t afford to raise a few more people.” Xu Lihua poured herself a glass of wine and raised it. “Since the matter has already happened, there should be a perfect ending.”

“Auntie is right.” Xu Chengjin suddenly spoke up. She leaned against her chair, her expression somewhat weary. “I think we should catch that bad person. Who could have swapped Jin Xi and me so quietly? It must have been someone close to us. If we want to find my biological parents, we should start checking from the hospital.”

“I heard Auntie left after I was born. I wonder if Auntie noticed any suspicious people back then?”

Xu Chengjin stared straight at Xu Lihua. “Perhaps it would be of help.”

Xu Lihua didn’t even blink. She carefully recalled the scene from back then, and after thinking for a moment, said, “Really, no. Back then, you were sent into an incubator right after you were born. After all, your health was poor at birth, and critical condition notices were issued several times. We couldn’t go see you often. If we could have kept an eye on you then, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.”

“So that’s how it was.”

Xu Chengjin looked a bit disappointed. She could only say, “Alright, this matter can’t be rushed. We’ll take it slow.”

After speaking, she went into the kitchen to take her medicine. Then she said, “Then I’ll head upstairs first. You guys chat.”

“Okay.”

Mother Xu knew Xu Chengjin needed more rest and didn’t stop her, though she added a comment afterward: “You slept for such a long time this afternoon; will you be able to sleep tonight?”

Without turning her head, Xu Chengjin replied, “I’ll be able to.”

Of course she couldn’t sleep; she was just using an excuse to get away. Although she couldn’t be 100% certain that the events back then were Xu Lihua’s doing, she felt it definitely had something to do with her.

After returning to her room, Xu Chengjin took a shower first. After cleaning herself up, she made a video call to Si Yu. The first second it connected, she said with a smile: “Did you miss me?”

“Well, I missed you.”