The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 41

The cake was huge, and Si Yu had prepared more than just one; everyone present could get a slice.

Si Yu was very wealthy and also very thoughtful.

The leader stepped onto the stage and gave a long speech, finally handing the microphone to Si Yu, who only spoke a few words: “I hope everyone has a good time tonight.”

“I also prepared a gift for the first-place winner. We’ll start slicing the cake once the presentation is over.”

Si Yu finished and handed the microphone back. She took out the medals she had prepared long ago and individually presented them to the people on stage, until only one remained—Xu Chengjin.

Xu Chengjin stood in the center of the crowd, her eyes following Si Yu until the person walked toward her.

Si Yu’s steps were steady. She held a medal and walked over to Xu Chengjin: “This is your medal.”

The medal looked no different from the outside. Xu Chengjin slightly lowered her head to let Si Yu put it on her, and she softly said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Si Yu left after saying that, seemingly not spending too much time on Xu Chengjin. She took out a lighter to light the candles on the cake, and then gently blew out the flames under everyone’s gaze.

Xu Chengjin, who was standing behind them, picked up her medal and looked at it, discovering that the back was engraved with her initials—xcj.

Not only that, but her medal was also solid gold.

Xu Chengjin smiled silently. She watched as the cake was distributed slice by slice. Everyone got a piece, and she was no exception, receiving one that Si Yu personally brought over to her.

“Don’t eat it. You’re allergic to strawberries, and there’s strawberry jam in here.”

Si Yu instructed in a low voice before leaving, leaving Xu Chengjin holding the cake plate in place. She lowered her eyes, wondering how Si Yu knew she was allergic to strawberries. Did she look up her files?

Unlikely. Xu Chengjin’s allergies were very private information, known only to her parents and Xu Jing.

Xu Chengjin suppressed her concern. She wiped a bit of cream with her fingertip and quickly smeared it on Jin Xi’s face. Before she could laugh, a mischievous hand suddenly touched her face. Hui Lan stood behind her, looking smug: “Hehe, gotcha.”

“Well, well.”

Xu Chengjin wasn’t angry; instead, she enjoyed the fun. Since she started it, others naturally followed suit, and the atmosphere on the scene was very cheerful.

The welcome party finally ended successfully. Jin Xi also went with Hui Lan and the others for a celebratory meal. Wu Boran had wanted to wait for Xu Chengjin to return to the dorm, but she refused: “You go back first. I’ll leave a little later.”

Wu Boran didn’t say much. She sighed, “Alright, then make sure you get back early.”

“Okay.”

Xu Chengjin sat in the lounge and changed into her casual clothes. She organized the gifts and placed them aside; the logistics staff would come to collect them later.

“Hi.”

Si Yu suddenly appeared at the doorway of the lounge. She held a small cake box in her hand and placed it in front of Xu Chengjin. In her other hand, she held a small bag, which again made a sound of things bumping together.

Xu Chengjin felt it was a little familiar, very much like… the small cookies Si Yu gave her before.

“This is specially prepared for you. If you can eat the cake, that’s best. If you can’t, I’ll eat it.”

Si Yu didn’t notice Xu Chengjin’s gaze. She focused on opening the cake box and took out the small cake inside. The cake design was exquisite, made to look like a small fish playing in the waves: “Come on, try the taste.”

Xu Chengjin picked up the cake. She took a bite, but instead of commenting right away, she asked: “Is this place particularly hard to book?”

“It’s okay. As long as the money is right.” Si Yu naturally wouldn’t say anything else. She raised an eyebrow at Xu Chengjin, “It’s enough that it tastes good.”

“Then I really must thank you properly.” Xu Chengjin took off the medal she was wearing and picked up the bag next to her. Without even opening it, she asked directly: “How did the cookies turn out this time?”

Si Yu seemed to have anticipated this moment. She cleared her throat twice: “Naturally, they’re an improvement from last time.”

Xu Chengjin opened the box. Sure enough, the shapes were much more perfect than the last batch. She noticed Si Yu was constantly watching her, so she slowly picked one up and looked left and right. Seeing that Si Yu was about to speak, she finally took a bite. Her eyes were full of surprise: “It’s really good! Delicious!”

“As long as it’s delicious, it was very simple.” Si Yu silently sighed in relief. She took out another fork and quickly dug a piece of cake into her mouth, “I’ll be leaving in a bit.”

“Mhm.”

Xu Chengjin didn’t react much: “Be careful on the road.”

Si Yu hissed: “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

“Say what?” Xu Chengjin looked innocent, “Should I say something?”

Si Yu was silent for a few seconds: “Praise me.”

Xu Chengjin had already planned what to say next, but being interrupted by Si Yu like this, all her words were swallowed. She chuckled, not expecting Si Yu’s wish to be so simple.

“You just want praise?”

Xu Chengjin stood up, holding a cookie. She walked naturally toward Si Yu. The next second, she was pulled into the other person’s arms, and she naturally sat on the lap of the person in front of her. Xu Chengjin whispered: “Let’s take a picture too.”

Si Yu’s pupils trembled. The corners of her lips couldn’t help but curve up: “Then I’ll take it.”

“Mhm.”

After saying that, Xu Chengjin held the cookie in her mouth. She slowly moved closer to Si Yu, as if to feed the cookie to the other person. At that very moment, the camera “click” recorded the scene.

“Don’t let anyone else see it.” Xu Chengjin’s hand stroked Si Yu’s face, and she lowered her voice: “This is your reward. Do you like it?”

“I like it.”

Just as Si Yu was about to embrace Xu Chengjin, the other person flexibly stood up and slipped out of her arms.

“I’m taking the cookies. You eat the cake. See you later.”

Xu Chengjin picked up the bag of cookies and left. She winked at Si Yu, not hiding the smile in her eyes: “I’m leaving.”

“Be careful… on the road.”

Si Yu’s hand was suspended in the air. She smiled helplessly and then picked up the cake and quickly finished it.

It was quite sweet…

.

After the welcome party was Xu Chengjin’s birthday, which conveniently fell on the weekend. Since there were no classes, Xu Chengjin could go straight home. She sent invitations to the people she knew and made it clear that they didn’t need to bring gifts; their presence was enough.

Xu Chengjin returned home the night before. Her father had already prepared dinner and was waiting for her to eat. Her mother also smiled and waited for her return: “Little Bao, come quickly and eat. Your sister will be back a little later.”

“Sister is coming back today?”

Xu Chengjin hadn’t received any message from Xu Jing. She lowered her eyes: “I see… what time roughly?”

“Around eleven or twelve at night. Tomorrow, I’ll be hosting other elders. You just need to show your face.”

Her mother peeled a few shrimps for Xu Chengjin: “Dad and Mom will handle the rest.”

“Okay.”

Xu Chengjin nodded, and she looked up obediently: “Thank you, Mom.”

“Thank you, Dad, too.”

Xu Father and Xu Mother exchanged glances, then both looked at Xu Chengjin, their eyes full of loving kindness.

Xu Chengjin planned to wait for Xu Jing to return. Her parents had plans for the evening and might not come home. Right now, she was the only one at home. She turned on the TV for background noise and curled up with her legs tucked on the sofa. The TV volume wasn’t loud, and she could hear clearly when someone opened the door outside.

Xu Jing had been very tired lately, and she had rushed back. Her eyes showed the weariness of travel, but a smile curved her lips when she looked at the gift she had prepared in her hand. When she opened the door, she didn’t expect Xu Chengjin to still be downstairs.

“Little Bao?”

Xu Jing put down her suitcase, not noticing anything unusual: “Why aren’t you upstairs resting? Look at the time.”

“I was waiting for you.” Xu Chengjin didn’t turn to look at Xu Jing; her gaze seemed fixed on the TV. The person behind her was busy carrying her luggage upstairs, “I’ll go up after watching a bit more.”

Xu Chengjin “Mhm-ed.” When Xu Jing came down after tidying up her things, Xu Chengjin suddenly spoke: “Sister, is work tiring?”

“It’s alright.” Xu Jing took a drink of water and walked toward Xu Chengjin, “How have you been lately?”

Xu Chengjin looked sideways: “I’m okay. Mom told me today that she found a job for Jin Xi.”

Xu Jing immediately stopped walking, frowning: “Why would she find a job for Jin Xi?”

“Because I asked her to.” Xu Chengjin chuckled softly, but there was clearly no smile in her eyes, “Sister, what do you think? Why would I find a job for Jin Xi.”

“How would I know what you’re thinking? You’re always so soft-hearted.”

Xu Jing put down her cup and turned to go upstairs, but Xu Chengjin spoke directly: “Why did you make Jin Xi lose her job?”

Xu Jing abruptly turned around, her eyes flashing with shock: “What did you say?”

“Do I really need to repeat it?”

Xu Chengjin stood up and walked toward Xu Jing. She chuckled lightly: “You should know best what you did. Why would you bully a student?”

Only disappointment remained in her eyes: “Jin Xi and I are friends. That doesn’t mean you can bully her.”

Xu Chengjin turned to walk upstairs. Xu Jing immediately followed her after snapping out of her daze: “Xiao Jin, listen to me!”

“Listen to what? If I didn’t bring it up today, would you ever have been willing to admit it!”

Xu Chengjin reached her room and was about to close the door, but Xu Jing clearly didn’t want to end the conversation. Her tone was hurried: “I was just emotional at the time. I was planning to arrange a job for her when I came back this time!”

“What kind of emotion would make you take it out on Jin Xi? She didn’t even meet you that day!”

Xu Chengjin completely ignored Xu Jing’s explanation. Her voice was very light: “What exactly are you trying to do? Why do I feel like I don’t know you anymore?”

“Xiao Jin—”

Xu Jing’s voice was urgent: “Listen to me…”

“Bang.”

The door was closed, and Xu Jing was directly shut out. Her eyes were shocked. She wanted to say something but held back. She murmured: “Xiao Jin.”

It was midnight.

Xu Jing closed her eyes, slowly bent down, and said in pain:

“Happy Birthday, my Xiao Jin—”