The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 30

Good sister—

Xu Chengjin called her “Good sister”?

Si Yutang hadn’t finished eating either. She let out a soft chuckle, afraid Xu Chengjin would notice, but in the next second, she couldn’t help but let the corner of her lips curl up. She lightly coughed, “Alright then…”

She raised her eyes to look into the rearview mirror, the emotion and the smile on her face completely unable to conceal her current excitement: “I’ll help you.”

Xu Chengjin heard the subtle change in Si Yu’s tone. She let out a breath and said softly, “Go back quickly. I’m going to take a shower and want to rest in bed.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you once I have a result.” Si Yu didn’t dwell on it. She hung up the phone and immediately called her assistant, “I’m in a good mood today, so I’m giving you a raise.”

Assistant: “…Yay!”

On the other side, after hanging up the phone, she immediately grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom. Xu Chengjin’s bathing speed was not slow. She had noticed her body wasn’t feeling well, and washing for too long might cause her to faint, so she didn’t waste any time. Wearing pajamas, with a towel draped over her shoulder, she pushed the door open and walked out.

Wu Boran was already back. She looked like she had just finished playing ball; her clothes were soaked with sweat, and her hair was dripping. She looked at Xu Chengjin and smiled, “Back so early today?”

“Mhm.”

Xu Chengjin washed her clothes and took them out to dry. Without looking back, she said, “Go take a shower quickly, you’re covered in sweat.”

“Alright.”

Wu Boran had intended to do that anyway. She quickly found her clothes. Seeing Xu Chengjin focusing on hanging hers up to dry, she narrowed her eyes and asked, “Do you still have classes tonight?”

Xu Chengjin came in with the basin, her voice very low, as if she didn’t have much energy: “No, why?”

“Should I order takeout for us to eat together tonight?” Wu Boran had won her game today, so she was in a particularly good mood, and her words were no longer sharp. “Also, is your wound better?”

“Much better.”

Xu Chengjin truly had no energy left to deal with Wu Boran. She wearily climbed into bed. The air conditioner was set to the perfect temperature, yet she felt a chill. She sat up, wrapped the quilt around herself, and buried her head inside: “I’m sleepy. I want to sleep for a bit.”

Wu Boran sensed Xu Chengjin’s coolness, but didn’t think much of it; being tired after a day of classes was normal. She then took her clothes and went into the bathroom to shower. After finishing, she casually glanced at the trash can. Wu Boran had been humming a song, but she instantly froze when she clearly saw what was inside the trash can.

She took two steps forward, lowered her gaze, and examined it carefully for a moment. After confirming what it was, she immediately pushed the door open, wanting to go ask Xu Chengjin. But halfway there, she remembered she hadn’t dried her hair. After a second of internal struggle, she immediately went back to blow-dry her hair.

Xu Chengjin’s sleep was not deep. She still felt uncomfortable, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong. The sound of the hairdryer in her ears was faint and indistinct, which made her extremely irritable, as if something was scratching at her heart.

She didn’t know how long it took for the sound of the hairdryer to disappear. Xu Chengjin couldn’t open her eyes at all. Her breathing was much heavier, and she was curled up in bed, shivering. She wondered if it was her imagination, but she felt the bed shake slightly.

No…

It didn’t seem to be her imagination.

Xu Chengjin gripped the quilt tightly. She struggled to open her eyes, and the next second, she gasped. Her waist trembled twice from the shock. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she still looked completely dazed, not having fully reacted.

“Xu Chengjin?”

Wu Boran’s face suddenly appeared above Xu Chengjin’s. She looked worried and reached out to check Xu Chengjin’s temperature: “Are you feeling very unwell?”

“No…”

Wait!

Xu Chengjin abruptly sat up. Startled, she kept moving backward, her pupils wide with shock: “Why are you climbing onto my bed?”

Wu Boran was kneeling on Xu Chengjin’s bed. Perhaps because she was too anxious, her hair was a mess. Her gaze was fixed on the person in front of her: “I called you for quite a while and you didn’t wake up. I had no choice but to climb up here.”

“Is that so?” Xu Chengjin relaxed slightly. She lowered her head, panting. Her neck curved down, the arch looking like it could be gripped and tightened with a single hand.

Xu Chengjin closed her eyes for a moment. She looked up again, her messy strands of hair giving her face a simple elegance, and adding a hint of vulnerability that made people want to cherish her.

“Thank you. I might have been having a nightmare.”

Xu Chengjin leaned back. Her neck was completely exposed to Wu Boran. Her pale skin was dotted with some sweat. She bent her legs, her eyes looking a little dejected: “What time is it?”

“Seven o’clock. You didn’t sleep for long.” Wu Boran couldn’t take her eyes off Xu Chengjin. She clenched her hands on her lap and asked softly, “Did you spit up blood?”

Xu Chengjin’s eyes trembled. She looked sideways: “What?”

“I saw bloody tissues in the bathroom trash can.” Wu Boran’s gaze fell on Xu Chengjin’s legs. Even though the other person’s legs were currently hidden under the quilt, she was very sure, “That wasn’t blood from your wound, was it?”

Xu Chengjin was silent for a few seconds. She suddenly laughed: “I didn’t realize Miss Wu was a detective; you even discovered this.”

Wu Boran felt Xu Chengjin’s words held a sting, and she didn’t like hearing it: “I’m worried about you.”

“Thank you. I already know your good intentions.” Xu Chengjin rubbed her eye. She bit her lip, and the next second, her lips curved into a smile, “I’m fine. It’s just a reaction to some medication.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Wu Boran felt the matter wasn’t that simple. She stayed rooted in place: “I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up, otherwise, I won’t feel at ease.”

After saying that, she intended to take Xu Chengjin’s hand, but for some reason, just as her hand was about to make contact, she impulsively looked up. In that moment, she met Xu Chengjin’s incredibly indifferent gaze.

That look made Wu Boran’s heart tremble. Her movement froze in mid-air. After a moment of deadlock, she slowly withdrew her hand. The emotion in her eyes sank, and she called out, “Xu Chengjin.”

That one call seemed to break some kind of barrier. Xu Chengjin smiled again, as if the person from a moment ago didn’t exist. Her smile was still so gentle: “It’s fine. I know my body well. It hasn’t reached the point where I need to go to the hospital.”

“I understand.”

After saying that, Wu Boran started to climb down from the bed. She scratched her head and stiffly changed the subject: “Are you hungry? Should I order takeout for us to eat together?”

“Sounds good.”

Xu Chengjin pulled open her bed curtain. Her body was completely relaxed now: “I’ll tell you in a moment what I can’t eat. You can start ordering.”

She found her phone and checked it. She seemed to have only slept for half an hour. There were many messages, especially from Jin Xi, who had sent quite a few, constantly asking about her condition. However, because Xu Chengjin’s state wasn’t good, she had no mind to deal with other things and had kept ignoring the person.

Xu Chengjin immediately placed a call, and the other party quickly answered: “Xiao Jin, are you feeling better now?”

“Much better. I didn’t pay much attention to the messages on my phone.” Xu Chengjin bent her legs and pressed her body down, resting her upper body weight on her legs. She said with a smile, “Have you eaten?”

Jin Xi hummed, “Yes, I have. I was very worried about you.”

“I can feel it.” Xu Chengjin let out a soft breath, her fingers gripping the quilt cover. “I’ll be eating soon too. My body is much better. It was probably too hot this afternoon, and I had a slight heatstroke reaction.”

“Then I’ll bring an umbrella next time.” Jin Xi reacted quickly. She also seemed relieved, and her tone wasn’t as tense: “That way we can reduce the amount of sun exposure.”

Xu Chengjin hummed in response, praising Jin Xi: “You’re really good, very quick to react.”

Jin Xi let out two nervous laughs. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by the person on the other end of the phone, but the one who interrupted her wasn’t Xu Chengjin, it was Wu Boran.

“Look at these dishes, are they okay?” Wu Boran handed the phone over, and with her peripheral vision catching Xu Chengjin’s phone, she raised her voice, “You don’t mind that I just climbed onto your bed, do you?”

“No, not at all.”

Xu Chengjin was focused on choosing the dishes. Although she had a sense of possessiveness and territoriality over her belongings, Wu Boran’s actions were ultimately because she was worried, which Xu Chengjin could understand, so the feeling of resistance wasn’t that strong.

She didn’t pay much attention to that sentence, but Jin Xi certainly did—she was currently in a narrow room, which could only fit one bed, and there wasn’t even a window. Her phone was the only thing she had to communicate with the outside world.

And what did she hear…

“You’re eating with Wu Boran?” Jin Xi controlled her tone to sound as normal as possible, “Are you eating out or?”

Xu Chengjin yawned. She handed the phone to Wu Boran and answered the question, “We’re ordering takeout in the dorm. Since neither of us has eaten, we might as well share.”

Jin Xi simply said, “Oh. So that’s what it is.”

“Mhm.”

Xu Chengjin rubbed her waist. She narrowed her eyes and asked, “What did you eat tonight?”

“I stir-fried some shredded potatoes.”

“You only ate that much?” Xu Chengjin hissed, and said, “Next time, I’ll take you out to eat something good.”

Jin Xi didn’t refuse this time: “Okay.”

“So obedient this time.” Xu Chengjin lowered her eyes. She gave two muffled coughs, “Don’t worry about me, I…”

“What do you want to drink?” Wu Boran interrupted Xu Chengjin, seemingly unintentionally, “What kind of milk tea?”

Xu Chengjin didn’t seem angry at all for being interrupted. She turned her head and replied to Wu Boran, “I won’t have any.”

“I’ll bring you some tomorrow!” Jin Xi immediately replied, “The ones from outside aren’t healthy anyway.”

Xu Chengjin let out a laugh. She checked the time, felt it was about right, and said, “Then I’ll hang up now. See you tomorrow.”

Jin Xi: “See you tomorrow.”

After hearing the reply, she hung up the phone, intending to get off the bed and wait, but before she could make a move, she received a message from Si Yu: [I’ve found out some things about Jin Xi.]

Xu Chengjin’s eyes widened slightly. She immediately typed: [What exactly is going on?]

At the same time, she marveled at Si Yu’s quick efficiency. It seemed she had taken her matter seriously and hadn’t made her wait.

Si Yu’s chat box showed “The other party is typing…” for quite a while. It was almost a full minute before Xu Chengjin received a response. Si Yu said:

[It’s Xu Jing.]