The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 25

“Si yu…”

Xu Chengjin released her grip on Jin Xi’s clothes, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise: “Why are you here?”

Her intention was merely a normal question, but in this current situation, it seemed to take on a different meaning.

Siyu looked down and gave a slight, forced chuckle. She exhaled: “Did I interrupt you two? If so, I’m very sorry. I really just happened to be here today.”

There was a restaurant just ahead on this road. She had just left the restaurant when she saw Xu Chengjin crying… and holding onto Jin Xi’s clothes while doing it.

Xu Chengjin understood the implication in Siyu’s words and immediately explained: “No, I didn’t mean to blame you at all.”

Siyu looked Jin Xi up and down. She motioned for her assistant to come over: “Take her to change her clothes.”

“I don’t need to—”

Jin Xi immediately refused Siyu, her manner neither subservient nor overbearing: “I’m going home soon, and besides, I can’t afford the clothes General Manager Si provides.”

Siyu gave a cold laugh: “It’s going to rain in twenty minutes. If you don’t want to wake up with a fever tomorrow morning, then I won’t stop you.”

“I’m only being kind because we’ve met a few times.”

Siyu’s final words trailed off softly. Her gaze shifted back to Xu Chengjin. The person in front of her had completely red, swollen eyes and a red nose from crying. She looked very pitiful, but upon seeing her, Xu Chengjin’s eyes flickered away, an expression of guilt on her face.

“It seems your voice is hoarse from crying. Go back and get some rest. I’m leaving.”

Siyu finished speaking and turned to walk away without any lingering hesitation. Xu Chengjin urgently tried to reach out and stop her, but was blocked by Jin Xi: “Don’t go.”

Xu Chengjin paused, watching Siyu get into her car, her expression becoming complex. She sniffed, and said softly, “I have an appointment with Wu Boran, so I won’t stay with you. Go home soon and take a shower so you don’t get sick.”

“And you must take what I just said to heart.”

Xu Chengjin wiped her tears. Her voice was already hoarse, and now, tired from crying, it sounded soft and cottony. She waved to Jin Xi: “I’m leaving.”

Jin Xi’s eyes were also red. She gave a faint smile and managed a soft, “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Xu Chengjin opened the car door and got in. She reported an address and then sat watching the scenery outside the window. She thought of the way Siyu had left, and couldn’t help but worry that the other woman might be angry.

Should I send a message?

Xu Chengjin pondered for a long time, then opened her phone, intending to explain to Siyu:

General Manager Si,just now I—

Before she could finish typing, the other person seemed to have anticipated it and sent her a message:

I know you didn’t mean it that way.No need to explain.

When Xu Chengjin saw this, the stone hanging in her heart finally dropped. A faint smile appeared on her lips. Just as she was about to delete the text in the dialogue box and type something new, Siyu sent another message.

Siyu:

I’m wondering if I put too much pressure on you, or if I    interfered too much in your life. That might be why there’s such a difference in how you act around others compared to how you act around me. I will unbind the bracelet later. I will try to appear in front of you less often during this period.

“What exactly are you talking about?”

Xu Chengjin was completely stunned. She looked up in confusion, wanting to reply but not knowing what to say. An inexplicable surge of anger rose in her heart. What the hell was Siyu thinking?

Did the villain turn silly from plotting?

Or was it because she was close to the protagonist that she was being manipulated by the plot to stay away from her?

“Huh?”

Xu Chengjin leaned against the seat, the smile gone from her face, replaced by a serious look. She typed quickly:

I have a dinner appointment that should finish around eight o’clock. I’ll wait for you at the restaurant entrance then. If you don’t come, I won’t leave. Let’s talk about everything face−to−face.

No matter what…

Xu Chengjin turned off her phone and narrowed her eyes, staring ahead—there couldn’t be any misunderstanding between them!

“You can go back.”

Xu Chengjin said flatly to the driver outside the restaurant where she was meeting Wu Boran: “I’ll go back myself.”

The driver hesitated: “Miss, perhaps I should…”

“Go back.”

Xu Chengjin turned and smiled at the driver. Her tone was gentle, but her attitude was impossible to ignore: “I’m going in now. I hope I won’t see you again when I come out.”

She was already ten minutes late, which was her fault. Wu Boran hadn’t sent any messages to rush her, but Xu Chengjin knew the other woman must be angry.

“Oh, look who decided to show up?”

Wu Boran saw Xu Chengjin walk in immediately, her tone sarcastic: “Anyone would think we’d have to wait until tomorrow to see you.”

Xu Chengjin sat down opposite Wu Boran and offered an apologetic smile: “I’m sorry, I was late because I had something come up.”

“I’ll make it up to you later.”

She asked the waiter to start serving the dishes. Seeing Wu Boran remain silent, she apologized again: “It’s my fault for not being on time. Let me think about how I can compensate you.”

Xu Chengjin’s tone was completely sincere. Wu Boran had waited for her for a long time and was planning to say a few harsh words, but when she saw Xu Chengjin’s slightly swollen eyes, her attention immediately shifted.

“Xu Chengjin.”

“Hmm?”

Xu Chengjin obediently looked up, her eyes full of confusion: “What’s wrong?”

“What were you doing just now?”

Wu Boran stared intently at Xu Chengjin’s eyes. The corners of her eyes were still red; she had clearly cried her heart out. What kind of person or what kind of thing was worth Xu Chengjin getting so emotionally distressed?

Xu Chengjin didn’t really want to bring up the matter with Jin Xi, so she casually made up an excuse to get past it: “Nothing much, just had a sudden issue.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she froze. Wu Boran’s approaching figure was reflected in Xu Chengjin’s pupils. She murmured: “Wu Boran.”

“How swollen are your eyes?” Wu Boran lifted Xu Chengjin’s chin to examine her closely. She frowned and asked the waiter to bring her a hot egg. “I won’t ask what you did, but how could you cry this much?”

“Your voice is hoarse too, more like a little duck now.” As she spoke, Wu Boran’s hand became restless again, squeezing Xu Chengjin’s lips flat. She snickered, “Let’s see what you’ll do if your voice doesn’t recover.”

“It will.”

Xu Chengjin softly retorted: “It won’t be like you said.”

Wu Boran curled her lips. The waiter soon delivered two hot eggs. She touched one and found it too hot, so she asked for a cloth to wrap them in, intending to reduce Xu Chengjin’s swelling.

“I’ll do it myself.”

Xu Chengjin saw that Wu Boran wanted to help her and subconsciously refused: “I can do it.”

Wu Boran clicked her tongue: “Didn’t you say you wanted to compensate me? Then you have to listen to me until this meal is over. Now put your hand down.”

“That’s strange,” Xu Chengjin said, but her hand still dropped. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the egg rolling over her eyelids, and the pressure of Wu Boran’s hand pinching her cheek. The other woman had some calluses on her hands, but they weren’t obvious. If it weren’t for this cheek-pinching action, she wouldn’t have noticed.

Wu Boran saw Xu Chengjin remain perfectly still, and her smile became more unrestrained: “Comfortable?”

“Mhm.”

Xu Chengjin’s response was lazy, clearly enjoying the service.

“All done.”

Wu Boran massaged her for a long time, and only sat back down when the swelling had somewhat subsided: “Don’t cry like that next time.”

Xu Chengjin nodded. She peeled the eggshells. Exactly two eggs, one for each of them—perfectly fair!

Wu Boran didn’t say anything, just quietly saved her egg to eat last.

The meal didn’t take very long. When they left the restaurant, Wu Boran planned to drive Xu Chengjin home. She had a driver’s license, and although she hadn’t driven in front of Xu Chengjin recently, today was a good time to show off her skills.

“Let me take you back.”

Wu Boran cleared her throat: “I drove here.”

Xu Chengjin nodded, her focus entirely on looking for Siyu, not noticing Wu Boran’s barely contained pride: “I still have something to do. You go back first. Be careful on the road.”

“Ah?”

Wu Boran was stunned: “That’s it?”

Xu Chengjin was also confused: “Is there more?”

Wu Boran: “…”

“Then I’ll be heading back.”

Wu Boran bit her lip, but still maintained basic politeness on her face: “It’s raining now, remember to use an umbrella.”

“You too.”

Xu Chengjin waved to Wu Boran and watched her leave her sight.

As soon as the person left, Xu Chengjin’s mood dropped. She looked around but didn’t see Siyu, and there was no reply to her message.

Now that she’d calmed down, who did Xu Chengjin think she was? How could Siyu possibly show up just because she told her to? That message of hers was probably overestimating her own importance.

The temperature difference at night was quite significant. Xu Chengjin stood next to the door, sheltering from the rain. The person at the reception desk noticed and wanted to invite her inside, but Xu Chengjin refused: “No need, I’ll be leaving soon.”

After speaking, she lowered her eyes, a hint of vulnerability showing. Her breathing was light but quick; it was truly cold today.

A fine drizzle was floating down from the sky. Xu Chengjin reached out her hand to test the size of the raindrops. The drops landed on her hand, neither heavy nor light, but impossible to ignore.

“Maybe I should take a taxi home.”

The moment Xu Chengjin’s words fell, a familiar figure appeared in front of her, and the umbrella tilted towards her.

Siyu arrived in a rush, bringing the wind and rain with her. Her speech was much faster: “I was in a meeting just now and didn’t see your message. Have you been waiting long?”

She looked Xu Chengjin up and down: “Why didn’t you go inside to wait? What if you catch a cold? Don’t you know your health isn’t…”

Xu Chengjin didn’t wait for Siyu to finish speaking. She reached out and grasped Siyu’s wrist, then raised her eyes to meet the other woman’s gaze.

The pair of bracelets was vibrating fiercely at that moment, clamoring.

“I knew it—”

Xu Chengjin curved her eyebrows: “You can’t bear to leave me.”