The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 28

After sending the message, Xu Chengjin turned off her phone. She bit her lip, knowing the action carried a slight hint of coquetry, yet she had sent it anyway.

In truth, she felt a little embarrassed about it.

When Xu Chengjin turned her phone back on, Si Yu had already sent several messages: [How did you fall? Did you slip, or were you dizzy?]

[Did you treat the wound?]

[Do you need me to drive you to the hospital?]

[It must hurt a lot, isn’t it? How deep is the wound?]

Looking at Si Yu’s messages, Xu Chengjin curved her lips and quickly typed: [It’s treated, don’t worry, and my roommate has a car; she can take me.]

After she sent the message, Si Yu didn’t reply for a long time. Xu Chengjin narrowed her eyes, but the smile at the corner of her lips didn’t hide. She tapped the screen: [Why aren’t you talking? Are you tired too? Goodnight, then.]

Si Yu: [No.]

This time, Si Yu replied quickly, immediately followed by a voice message. Xu Chengjin raised an eyebrow, found her earphones, and put them on. She clicked on the voice message and heard him say, “I’m thinking it’s good that there’s someone to pick you up and drop you off, but it’s a pity I can’t even be your errand boy.”

Errand boy?

Friend turned into a little follower?

Xu Chengjin exhaled. She took off her earphones and quickly replied to Si Yu: [I’m going to sleep. Please just say goodnight to me.]

She then exited the chat window with Si Yu, leaving a red “1” notification on it.

Xu Chengjin was thinking about another person—Jin Xi.

The other party hadn’t sent her a single message so far, but Xu Chengjin didn’t plan to actively seek out Jin Xi either, afraid of putting pressure on her.

Xu Chengjin subconsciously picked at the pillowcase with her fingers. She closed her eyes and flipped the phone over. In fact, she could understand Jin Xi’s sense of inferiority. Living in a suppressed environment for a long time and then encountering people from a different social stratum would naturally lead to this reaction. She could completely understand it, and besides…

Her life should have been Jin Xi’s.

Ha.

“I also wish you sweet dreams.”

Xu Chengjin murmured, as if talking to someone else across the distance:

“Goodnight.”

She didn’t know who this sentence was directed to, or whose dreams it disrupted.

Morning Meeting

Xu Chengjin had an early class the next day. She got up early. After spending a few days with Wu Boran, her movements were much bolder. After getting ready, she planned to leave, but was stopped by the sleepy Wu Boran: “How’s your wound?”

“Walking might look a little weird,” Xu Chengjin was afraid of pain. Moving that leg caused a stinging sensation, so her steps were much smaller, trying to make herself look normal.

“Okay, be careful on the way.” Wu Boran shrank back into bed, her voice barely concealing her fatigue.

Xu Chengjin smiled and closed the door. She replied, “Okay, you go back to sleep.”

She didn’t go to the cafeteria this morning, too lazy to take the detour, so she just brought a bread to eat. However, she didn’t have much appetite today and only ate half of it.

Jin Xi arrived at this moment. She naturally sat next to Xu Chengjin and handed her what she had in her hand: “Want to drink this? It’s milk tea I made myself.”

“Yes!”

Xu Chengjin nodded forcefully: “That’s amazing! Thank you for making this for me so early in the morning.”

Jin Xi’s smile was faint: “It’s nothing, as long as you like it.”

“Are you unhappy?” Xu Chengjin took two sips, held the cup in her hands, and the smile on her face faded. Her expression became worried, “Why are you unhappy?”

Jin Xi was silent for a few seconds before speaking: “It’s nothing, just some messed up things at home.”

“Did your mom talk to you?” A flash of displeasure crossed Xu Chengjin’s eyes, but her tone didn’t change much, “What did she say? Did she ask you for money?”

“Sort of. She said I wouldn’t take her to see a doctor, and she also heard from somewhere that you and I are friends, and said I should try to ‘get a sum of money’ from you.”

Jin Xi’s tone was extremely disappointed, looking genuinely sad. Xu Chengjin first comforted her: “Don’t think too much. I will be your friend forever.”

Jin Xi’s smile was a little strained: “Mm, I know.”

“Did your mom… only say these things?” Xu Chengjin keenly sensed something was off, “Does she know I’m a Xu family child?”

Jin Xi nodded: “She met many dignitaries when she was young, so she naturally knows about you. She thinks I should become better friends with you, so maybe I can climb up, and get a chance to get close to the Xu Group.”

Xu Chengjin was stunned and let out an “ah.” Just as she was about to say something else, the teacher walked in. She sat up straight, quickly reviewing what Jin Xi had just said in her mind.

She originally thought she and Jin Xi had switched identities, meaning they had switched parents, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case. It looked like Jin Xi’s foster mother didn’t know they had switched identities, but only knew Jin Xi was not her biological child.

Could there be more to the story of what happened back then?

Xu Chengjin lowered her eyes, a shadow covering her downward-cast eyelashes, completely obscuring all emotions in her eyes.

It seemed she still needed to meet Jin Xi’s foster mother.

Jin Xi didn’t notice Xu Chengjin’s abnormality; she simply thought the other party was studying seriously. She looked sideways at Xu Chengjin several times, and seeing her constantly taking notes, she also began to listen carefully to the lecture. The two sat upright, and didn’t exchange another word afterward.

Lunchtime

“Are you still going to work part-time at noon?”

Xu Chengjin began to pack her things. She suddenly remembered something and took out her phone to transfer one thousand yuan to Jin Xi: “I said I’d pay for your time for one day; I almost forgot to give you the money.”

Jin Xi immediately refused upon seeing the amount: “This money is too much; I can’t take it.”

“You…” Xu Chengjin looked at her with a complicated expression, “Do you think your time is that cheap?”

“Just take it. I only gave you the minimum price. I’m a black-hearted businesswoman.”

As she spoke, Xu Chengjin couldn’t help but laugh. She finished all the milk tea Jin Xi had specially made for her and packed up the items on the desk. She planned to go eat: “You haven’t answered if you’re going to work part-time?”

“I’m not going.” A smile also appeared in Jin Xi’s eyes. She took Xu Chengjin’s bag, not caring whether the other party was willing or not, “Today—”

Jin Xi leaned close to Xu Chengjin’s ear and whispered, keeping her voice low. Every word fell precisely into the other’s ear, her breath brushing against Xu Chengjin’s neck: “The money is still too much. Let me serve Miss Xu for a day today.”

Xu Chengjin felt the warmth near her ear. She turned her head to look, and her eyes were now mixed with a hint of tenderness. She reached out and pinched Jin Xi’s ear: “Really?”

“Really, Miss Xu. If you ask me to go west, I definitely won’t go east.”

“So obedient, huh.”

Xu Chengjin turned around and met Jin Xi’s gaze. Her hand was on Jin Xi’s shoulder, moving down closer to her heart: “Then you have to go have a meal with me.”

“Okay.”

Jin Xi also played along, leaning closer to Xu Chengjin: “What do you want to eat?”

“Let’s eat rice. I want rice with toppings (gaijiaofan).”

Xu Chengjin was not particularly picky about food. She adapted quite well to the environment here, but she could also be very demanding, refusing this and that.

Moreover, her body didn’t allow her to eat too much.

“Okay, let’s go now.”

Jin Xi held Xu Chengjin’s bag and walked out with her. Anyone who saw her now could feel her good mood.

In fact, Jin Xi’s emotions were also quite open, quite bare.

Xu Chengjin’s walking now didn’t show that she had hurt her leg, and her face didn’t betray any signs of pain, so Jin Xi hadn’t noticed.

They were still walking and chatting, until Xu Chengjin received a call from Xu Jing when they reached the crowd.

Her voice abruptly stopped, and she motioned for Jin Xi to be quiet: “Sister.”

“Are you free at noon? I’ll take you out for a meal.”

Xu Jing’s voice was a little hoarse, which made people feel uncomfortable.

Xu Chengjin immediately refused: “I have plans with someone today. Sorry, sister.”

Xu Jing was silent for a moment on the other end, then said, “Then come out. I just want to say a few words to you.”

“Okay.”

Xu Chengjin asked Jin Xi to wait for her for a short while, speaking quickly: “My sister is here. I’ll go say a few words to her. Can you wait for me?”

She genuinely felt apologetic, thinking perhaps it would be better to clarify over the phone, as there was no need to meet in person and make Jin Xi wait.

However, Jin Xi was accepting. She told Xu Chengjin to hurry: “I’ll go grab a spot for you in the cafeteria. Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you.”

“Okay.”

Xu Chengjin quickly slipped a milk candy into Jin Xi’s hand: “I’ll be right back!”

She quickened her pace significantly, barely resting halfway. By the time she found Xu Jing, she was almost out of breath. She opened the car door and slumped inside: “Sister…”

“Why are you rushing so much? No one is chasing you.”

Xu Jing looked disapproving: “What if your heart starts hurting later?”

Xu Chengjin tilted her head up to regulate her breathing. Her throat felt fiery, as if something had cut it: “Jin Xi is waiting for me.”

“What’s wrong with her waiting for a bit?” Xu Jing retracted her gaze. She closed her eyes, and her tone was light, “It’s just a meal. You can just postpone it.”

Xu Chengjin didn’t reply to Xu Jing’s words. She closed her eyes and asked in a low voice, “What do you need me for?”

Xu Jing finally brought the topic back. She clasped her hands in front of her, her gaze fixed straight ahead: “I’m going on a business trip.”

“How many days?”

Xu Chengjin opened her eyes. She sat up straight, wanting to ask more, but was choked, coughing twice: “Where are you going for the business trip?”

“This time, I should be away for about ten days.”

Xu Jing turned to look at Xu Chengjin. Her eyes were low and dark. She reached out and grasped the other’s hand: “I might not be able to rush back early.”

“Then you won’t be able to attend my birthday?”

Xu Chengjin frowned. She moved her lips, wanting to say something but swallowing it all back.

She pulled her hand away and curled up backward. What good would it do to say anything? Xu Jing still had to be busy with work. She could understand, but she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

Xu Jing had already missed her birthday twice.

This time, too…

“Xiao Jin.”

Xu Jing suddenly spoke. She stared intently at Xu Chengjin. There was clearly no guilt in her eyes. She said: “Do you want me to stay with you?”

“If you want me to, Sister can stay with you forever.”

Xu Jing squeezed out the last few words from her chest, her blood, her bones:

“Until the moment you die—”