The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 26

Xu Chengjin’s breathing grew heavier. Her eyes were very bright, and she seemed a little smug about having discovered this fact.

Si Yu felt the vibration from the bracelet, which was connected to flesh and bone, making her blood tremble.

“Let’s get in the car first, the temperature is too low at night.”

Si Yu held Xu Chengjin’s hand back, leading her towards the car, with the umbrella almost entirely sheltering Xu Chengjin.

Xu Chengjin followed behind Si Yu, looking at her back, and only now did she feel the difference between the two of them.

She remembered that Si Yu’s family life was not particularly good. It was like a common trope in novels: Si Yu was the designated villain, and her childhood had always been shrouded in shadow.

Si Yu’s father had an affair. He was originally a man who married into the Si family, but he committed such an act. Si Yu’s mother directly beat him half to death. Afterward, Si Yu’s mother’s mental state was never particularly good. She often yelled and screamed at Si Yu, either hitting or scolding her.

The other members of the Si family didn’t particularly like Si Yu either, so Si Yu’s early years were almost entirely solitary. Si Yu spent more than ten years living such a lonely life.

Later, when Si Yu gained power, the people around her changed. They began to fawn over Si Yu, acting as if the pain they had inflicted on her all those years ago didn’t exist at all.

However, Xu Chengjin had initially only focused on Si Yu’s adult demeanor: ruthless, and unscrupulous for the sake of profit. Si Yu was ambitious and daring.

“Si Yu.”

Xu Chengjin was placed inside the car by Si Yu. Only after sitting down did she realize that the other person had driven over herself. The car’s heater hadn’t been turned off, so she didn’t feel cold sitting inside.

“If I hadn’t come, were you planning to stay here forever?”

Si Yu didn’t sit next to Xu Chengjin. She sat in the driver’s seat, her tone low: “The things I said before were just spoken without cooling down. My emotions were running high, you don’t need to take it to heart.”

The light in the car was dim. Xu Chengjin could only clearly see Si Yu’s profile with the help of the streetlights. She was silent for a few seconds, then leaned closer to Si Yu: “I was planning to leave if you didn’t show up in another five minutes.”

Xu Chengjin carefully held Si Yu’s hand. Their bracelets were one black and one white, a rare matching set available on the market.

She lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, “I won’t let myself be wronged, but I definitely would have felt resentful.”

“I don’t think you’re annoying.” Xu Chengjin clasped Si Yu’s hand, her breath brushing against Si Yu’s neck. She said, “I just don’t know how to interact with you. I really like the gift you gave me. I cried today because Jinxi did something to hurt herself for my sake.”

“I hope…”

Xu Chengjin’s hand was held in reverse by Si Yu. She was caught off guard, meeting Si Yu’s gaze. The other person’s eyes were fixed on her; even her pupils reflected Xu Chengjin’s image.

“Let’s not have misunderstandings between us,” Xu Chengjin touched Si Yu’s face lightly with her other hand. “Don’t cut off contact with me.”

Perhaps it was the guilt surging in her heart, or perhaps it was her genuine fear of the fatal ending arriving. Regardless of the reason, Xu Chengjin couldn’t help her eyes turning red. She forced a smile, lowering her head somewhat awkwardly: “I didn’t mean to cry.”

But the next second, her face was gently cradled by Si Yu. Xu Chengjin’s tears dropped into Si Yu’s palm without warning. She pouted a little, feeling wronged: “You scared me, I thought you were angry.”

“I won’t be.”

Si Yu wiped away Xu Chengjin’s tears with her thumb, gently comforting her: “Don’t cry, your voice is already hoarse.”

“It’s been hoarse since I woke up this morning.” Xu Chengjin sniffled. She held Si Yu’s hand and rubbed against it slightly, “Does it sound awful?”

“A little.” Si Yu smiled, but was more worried. “Do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up? Do you have a fever?”

As she spoke, she checked Xu Chengjin’s forehead. Seeing that her temperature was normal, she breathed a sigh of relief: “No fever.”

“It should be fine by tomorrow,” Xu Chengjin exhaled. She was a little tired, so she released Si Yu’s hand and leaned back, “So tired.”

“Of course, you’re tired from crying. It’s also normal to feel drowsy right after eating.”

Si Yu’s tone tonight was exceptionally gentle. She took a small box of candy from the car’s hidden compartment and handed it to Xu Chengjin: “Want a piece of candy?”

Xu Chengjin didn’t pay much attention at first, softly saying “Yes” and taking the box. But when she clearly saw the brand, she immediately became excited: “Hasn’t this brand been discontinued for a long time?”

“I opened a small production factory myself, but it’s not for sale to the public.”

Si Yu’s voice sounded somewhat strained for some reason: “Try it and see if it tastes any different from what you used to eat?”

Xu Chengjin nodded. She took a piece and put it in her mouth, her eyes brightening with joy: “It’s the same taste. I used to love this candy so much I almost ruined my teeth. I felt so sad when their production was stopped later on.”

“Do you like it a lot too?”

Xu Chengjin shook the candy box and leaned close to Si Yu’s seat to ask, “Can I have this box of candy?”

“Of course you can. If you want more, I can bring it to you in the future, but there’s a limit. Too much candy isn’t good.”

Si Yu turned to look at Xu Chengjin. Seeing her happy, she couldn’t help but curve her lips: “I stumbled upon this candy by chance and couldn’t forget it, so I decided to open a factory myself.”

Xu Chengjin met Si Yu’s gaze, the smile on her face never fading: “Then we really are fated. Even the things we like are similar.”

“Mhm.”

Si Yu didn’t dwell on the topic. She took out a ticket for a musical and handed it to Xu Chengjin: “Then, do you want to go see a musical together?”

Xu Chengjin lowered her eyes, looking at the ticket Si Yu offered. She hesitated for only a second before taking it. She glanced at the date—two days later, which was a weekend. She had no classes, so the date was quite well chosen.

“Thank…” Xu Chengjin was about to say thank you, but then suddenly remembered something. Her eyes darted, and she slightly raised her tone: “If I hadn’t come to find you, who were you planning to go see it with?”

“I bought them specifically for you and me.”

Si Yu heard the probing in Xu Chengjin’s words. She raised an eyebrow at Xu Chengjin: “I’ll take you back to school, it’s very late.”

“Okay.”

Xu Chengjin didn’t refuse. There was a blanket and some small snacks prepared in the back seat. She looked around, feeling that this might not be the car Si Yu usually drove, or perhaps even a CEO liked small snacks?

A contrasting charm?

Xu Chengjin speculated in her heart but didn’t ask. Even after getting out of the car, she waved goodbye politely.

“Send me a message when you get to the dorm. I’ll head back now.”

Si Yu seemed to have something urgent, and drove away immediately after speaking. Xu Chengjin could only nod in agreement. Holding the candy and the musical ticket, she watched Si Yu leave.

“Does she really like candy that much?” Xu Chengjin looked at the packaging of the candy box. She didn’t know if it was designed this way on purpose; there was nothing on the exterior, not even a production address.

She narrowed her eyes, recalling the initial online discussions about why the brand stopped production—it was said to be due to a broken capital chain. She hadn’t expected Si Yu to have a specialized supply source.

Xu Chengjin had some guesses, but because she lacked concrete evidence, she could only put it aside for the moment, deciding it wouldn’t be too late to investigate later.

She silently let out a sigh of relief and began walking towards the dormitory building. The campus was still brightly lit at this hour. Many people were walking and chatting on the campus roads, or buying things to take back to the dorm for a snack. The entire campus was filled with a vibrant atmosphere.

Xu Chengjin’s pace wasn’t fast. She actually enjoyed this atmosphere and looked around everywhere. Distracted for a moment, she didn’t notice the person waiting for her ahead.

“Student Xu.”

It was a very cool-looking girl, with ear and lip piercings, green and blue dyed hair, and dressed in a very… flashy style—at least a style Xu Chengjin had never attempted.

Xu Chengjin stopped. She looked at the person in front of her and smiled lightly: “Is something the matter, student?”

“Do you have a partner?” The girl expressed her intentions very directly, “I want to date you.”

Xu Chengjin: “…”

Xu Chengjin: “?”

She was truly puzzled now: “What do you mean?”

The girl snapped her fingers at Xu Chengjin: “I’m saying I like you. Want to try dating me?”

Xu Chengjin smiled politely: “I’m sorry, I don’t currently have any intention of dating. My apologies.”

“It’s okay if you don’t, we can slowly build up to it.” She spoke with total righteousness, “Your looks really fit my aesthetic, truly. I have money, I can take you to eat good food, take you to have fun, and let you experience things you haven’t experienced before.”

Money?

“The one thing I’m not short on is money.” Xu Chengjin realized that this person was just being unreasonable. Her expression also turned cold, “I need to go back. Please move aside.”

The girl didn’t budge at all: “It’s rare to see you around. How about we exchange contact info?”

Seeing Xu Chengjin remain still, she continued: “Look, we don’t know each other now, but we will after chatting. Let’s exchange contact details.”

The girl took out her phone as she spoke: “Are you adding me or am I adding you?”

The meaning in her words gave Xu Chengjin no opportunity to refuse.

Xu Chengjin wasn’t going to indulge her. She turned to leave, but was blocked again: “Don’t go.”

“I said I don’t want to date. Don’t you do some basic research before pursuing someone?” Xu Chengjin frowned, “I’m not short on money at all. My family is very wealthy. Your forced behavior makes me feel very uncomfortable. Please don’t make a scene in public, okay?”

The girl’s smile also faded: “I’m being sincere.”

“I’m not being insincere either.”

Xu Chengjin didn’t want to waste any more time with the other person. She turned to walk away, but the girl tried to grab Xu Chengjin’s arm. Just as she was about to touch her, her wrist was suddenly seized by someone, and she was then forcefully shoved back two steps.

Xu Chengjin sensed something was wrong. She immediately turned around. As soon as she did, she saw Wu Boran standing in front of her, radiating a gloomy aura: “What are you trying to do?”

“Who told you to touch her?”