The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 29

The words Xu Jing spoke didn’t sound like a joke at all, it was as if she was genuinely pleading for something.

Xu Chengjin couldn’t fully understand what Xu Jing meant, but she felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine, like a snake crawling behind her. She frowned and looked at Xu Jing: “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.”

Xu Jing suddenly returned to normal. She turned around and no longer looked at Xu Chengjin: “I’ll try my best to rush back. Do you want any gifts?”

Xu Chengjin clasped her hands, bit her lip, and turned her head to look at the people coming and going outside the car window. Then, she took a deep breath before saying: “Anything is fine, I like whatever you give me.”

“That’s not necessarily true. I see you’re quite close to Wu Boran and Jinxi. What do I, your older sister, count as in your heart?” Xu Jing sneered, lowering her eyes, “Family, right?”

Xu Chengjin was bewildered by Xu Jing’s words. She was silent for a few seconds before speaking: “Isn’t that right? Aren’t you my family?”

“Family for life…”

Xu Jing nodded. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, and after a few seconds, she said in a hoarse voice, “Go find Jinxi. I have to leave now.”

Xu Chengjin didn’t move. She took a deep look at Xu Jing, still feeling uneasy: “Sister, what exactly did you want to tell me?”

“Get out of the car. I have things to do, so I’m leaving first.” Xu Jing unlocked the car door, flashed a smile at Xu Chengjin, “Video call me when you have time. And remember what I said, if you can’t get used to the dorm, just come back. Someone at home will always be waiting for you.”

Xu Chengjin’s lips moved. Her eyes met the other person’s gaze directly. This feeling of powerlessness came again. She always felt that Xu Jing was troubled by something, something that couldn’t be resolved, giving Xu Chengjin a constant feeling of helpless inability to break free.

“I’ll go now.”

Xu Chengjin opened the door and left. She didn’t want to face Xu Jing’s gaze anymore, nor did she want to listen to those cryptic words. She pursed her lips and walked forward, against the flow of people.

She never looked back.

But Xu Jing kept staring at her—

Xu Jing sat in the car, laughing self-deprecatingly. The next second, she raised her hand and slammed it onto the steering wheel. Her arm was trembling from the excessive force. Xu Jing couldn’t utter a single word. She gasped heavily and finally closed her eyes to calm down.

Xu Chengjin… Xu Chengjin…

She clenched her hand, silently repeating the name once more. Xu Jing slowly raised her eyes, which were now clearly bloodshot. She started the car expressionlessly, leaving the spot as if nothing had happened.

And all this was just a disturbance to a speck of dust, which soon returned to calm. It seemed that it had always been this way from beginning to end; no relationship could be altered, and all emotions were suppressed at this moment.

No liberation, no… breathing room.

Xu Chengjin quickly found Jinxi waiting for her at the cafeteria. She hurried to sit across from Jinxi and apologized, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Not at all, I just sat down a little while ago.” Jinxi put away her phone and smiled, “What kind of rice bowl do you want?”

“Tomato and scrambled eggs, I guess.”

Xu Chengjin remained seated. She watched Jinxi go to order, and soon she brought the meal over, as if her earlier promise to serve her all day was real.

Jinxi handed chopsticks to Xu Chengjin: “Here, let’s eat.”

“Thank you!”

Xu Chengjin put her hands together in gratitude. The food here was quite delicious, and she felt it suited her taste: “Are you not going to your part-time job this afternoon either?”

“No, I’m not.” Jinxi lowered her head and ate quickly, occasionally glancing at her phone, as if waiting for a message.

These movements accurately fell into Xu Chengjin’s sight. She tentatively asked, “Is someone waiting for you?”

Jinxi shook her head: “No.”

Xu Chengjin put down her chopsticks. She carefully observed Jinxi’s expression, and after a few seconds, she quietly spoke: “Did you quit your part-time job?”

As soon as she said this, Jinxi’s eating paused. She seemed surprised that Xu Chengjin had guessed, and the sadness on her face was not well hidden, which Xu Chengjin immediately caught.

Jinxi still insisted: “Working one job for too long makes you tired, so I wanted to switch to a new one.”

“Is that so?”

Xu Chengjin didn’t say whether she believed it or not. She picked up her chopsticks again to eat: “Let’s eat.”

Jinxi also wanted to avoid the topic. She immediately lowered her head and started eating: “Yes, you eat more too.”

Eating more was impossible. Xu Chengjin couldn’t eat much. Her face was pale, completely drained of color: “Since you don’t have a part-time job this afternoon, you should rest well.”

Jinxi wiped her mouth. After hearing this, she immediately refused: “I promised to stay with you. I’m fine.”

“I have things to do.”

Xu Chengjin spoke with hardly any strength. Her stomach was upset, and her lower abdomen was constantly cramping. The stabbing pain made her not want to eat anything or do anything.

She raised her hand to cover her lower abdomen, rubbing it with very small movements. Xu Chengjin curled her lips: “I need to go back and take medicine at noon, and I want to sleep for a while this afternoon.”

Upon hearing this, Jinxi stopped talking. She got up, walked to Xu Chengjin, and bent down, sounding worried: “Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Your complexion is terrible.”

“It’s normal. My health has been poor since I was little. Being ill for a long time gives you a sickly look.”

Xu Chengjin held Jinxi’s hand. She stood up and coughed twice. She felt like she had walked too fast when she went to see Xu Jing, and now her heart felt uncomfortable, and her breathing was rapid: “I want to go back.”

“I’ll take you.”

Jinxi also noticed something was wrong. She immediately half-hugged Xu Chengjin and walked forward: “Are you really okay?”

“Mhm.”

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Xu Chengjin’s forehead. She bit her lip, unable to speak any extra words. She was helped to the dormitory entrance by Jinxi: “Just to here…”

She leaned on the dorm door, then reached out to take her bag. Xu Chengjin forced herself to find the key despite her trembling hands. She opened the door and didn’t forget to say goodbye to Jinxi: “See you later.”

“See you later, or how about…”

“No need.”

Xu Chengjin walked straight in and closed the door. No one was in the dorm at this time. The bag in her hand slipped to the floor, and she couldn’t hold it in anymore, rushing into the bathroom to vomit until she was dizzy.

She hadn’t eaten much this morning, and now with the vomiting, it felt like her internal organs were being emptied out. Eventually, all that came out was sour liquid. Xu Chengjin’s body kept trembling. She closed her eyes for a moment, ignoring the faint blood streaks she had vomited, and raised her hand to flush the toilet. The next second, she collapsed onto the floor.

Xu Chengjin’s lower abdomen still cramped incessantly. She leaned against the wall, curling up her body. Her hands were shaking badly, and the pain in her chest was so intense she couldn’t utter a word. The bracelet on her wrist also emitted a “beep, beep” alarm sound. She glanced at it and wanted to take it off and throw it aside.

But she reconsidered and didn’t do it.

Xu Chengjin sat on the floor alone for a long time. The cold tile initially made her body shiver, but now she had warmed it up. She was covered in sweat, and her back was completely soaked. Her hair clung stickily to her skin, making her look a bit messy.

Her phone kept ringing. This time, Xu Chengjin had the strength. She got up, washed her face, and rinsed the floor. Seeing there was nothing else to do, she pushed the door open and walked out.

Xu Chengjin picked up her fallen bag. She found her phone and answered the call without looking. When she put it to her ear, she heard the other person’s breathing—rapid and nervous, as if afraid of disturbing her.

So timid.

“CEO Si.” Xu Chengjin swayed and sat down on the chair. She rested her head on the desk, her voice sounding muffled and slightly indistinct, “Is there something you needed to call me for?”

“I’m at your school gate.”

Si Yu’s side could indeed hear various noisy sounds, as if she had arrived a long time ago. She continued, “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, I am.”

Xu Chengjin closed her eyes. She could still manage a smile: “I just had a slight stomachache, and I was resting in bed, so I didn’t hear you call me.”

Si Yu was silent for a while before speaking: “Little liar.”

Xu Chengjin: “…”

“I’m not lying to you.”

Xu Chengjin opened her eyes, sighing: “CEO Si, do you believe in fate? Someone controls your life, making you destined for death.”

Si Yu seemed to have returned to her car. Her tone was calm: “Xiaojin, humans are destined to die. That is a fact no one can change.”

“But I’m afraid.”

Tears streamed from the corner of Xu Chengjin’s eyes, which were full of grievance: “Every time, I feel like I’m going to die, but I just can’t die. Si Yu, do you know why? Because it’s not my time to die yet, so I won’t die. Then I’ll fall into pain again, a cycle that repeats—”

“Xu Chengjin.”

Si Yu interrupted her: “You won’t. Don’t be afraid. I will always look out for you.”

“Can I come to you?”

“No.”

Xu Chengjin choked up, answering sadly: “No, I don’t want you to come to me.”

Si Yu chuckled: “Are you afraid I’ll see you crying?”

“Of course not.”

Xu Chengjin also laughed: “I look especially messy right now.”

Si Yu said “Ah,” and then said: “Then I should definitely come over and take a look. I’ll take a picture and post it on Moments.”

“You’re too mean then.”

Xu Chengjin’s mood improved a little. She let out a breath and suddenly remembered something. She hesitated for a moment and then said: “Can you help me find out why Jinxi’s part-time job was terminated this afternoon?”

“What?”

“Help me check what happened to Jinxi yesterday, okay?”

Xu Chengjin felt that something must have happened. Given Jinxi’s personality, she would never resign voluntarily.

That excuse was ridiculously poor.

“Okay, I can help you.” Si Yu turned on the air conditioning in the car, realizing she was also drenched in sweat from the fright, “But how will you thank me?”

“Fair warning, I’m a tough person to deal with.”

Si Yu’s eyes were full of smiles. She turned to take out a candy, thinking Xu Chengjin wouldn’t give her an answer so quickly. Just as she took the candy out, just before she could put it in her mouth, Xu Chengjin gave her answer:

“Good sister, I beg you, please help me—”