The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 42

Xu Chengjin shut the door and slumped onto the bed. She lay flat on her back, her breathing a little shaky. She hadn’t wanted to be angry, planning to speak calmly with Xu Jing, but the other party’s unwillingness to admit anything had still enraged her.

She truly seemed to not understand Xu Jing anymore…

“Bad older sister.”

Xu Chengjin buried her head in the pillow. She took a breath: “I don’t want to talk to her anymore.”

She hadn’t looked at her phone this entire time, nor had she noticed the time. It was only after her phone started constantly beeping with notifications that she picked it up to check.

It turned out today was already her birthday.

Many people had sent her wishes, and despite her unhappiness, Xu Chengjin replied to them one by one.

Xu Jing hadn’t messaged her or knocked on the door. Xu Chengjin twisted her head to look several times, confirming no one was there before sighing: “Not even going to try and persuade or coax me?”

She frowned, wanting to turn off her phone, but just before she could, Si Yu video-called her. Xu Chengjin was lying on the bed, a pillow under her face, almost burying herself in it. Her hand slowly tapped the answer button: “Hello.”

“Happy birthday…”

Si Yu had just finished work and returned. She was a little drunk, sitting in the back seat of the car, half-closing her eyes: “Happy birthday.”

She was slurring her words a bit. Xu Chengjin watched Si Yu for a while before speaking: “Are you drunk?”

“A little.” Si Yu smiled silently. She held up her hand and gestured a small distance, “Just this much.”

Xu Chengjin was silent for a few seconds: “Are you feeling unwell?”

Si Yu shook her head: “I’m not. But why are you unhappy?”

She realized it was already past midnight, so she hadn’t managed to send her wishes on time. Si Yu blinked: “…Xu Jing is back, right?”

It only took Si Yu a moment’s thought to guess why Xu Chengjin was unhappy. She “Mm”-ed: “Don’t be unhappy. Today is your birthday.”

Xu Chengjin puffed out her cheeks. She poked the screen, switching the size of their video feeds back and forth: “Is your stomach hurting?”

“It’s alright.” Although Si Yu was the head of the Si family, she had gone through a lot of hardships climbing up, even drinking herself into the hospital before. “I’m used to drinking.”

“What are you saying?”

Xu Chengjin disagreed. She sat up, hugging the pillow: “Drinking is so bad for your body. Did you eat dinner tonight?”

“A little.” Si Yu’s face was already flushed; alcohol easily showed on her. “It’s fine. I took a hangover pill. When I get back, I’ll have the nanny cook some porridge.”

Xu Chengjin’s eyes were full of worry: “Really…”

“Tell me about you.” Si Yu steered the topic away. She smiled at Xu Chengjin: “Did Xu Jing say anything to you?”

Xu Chengjin knew what Si Yu meant. She didn’t dwell on the previous topic and obediently answered Si Yu: “She said she was just being emotional, which is why she targeted Jinxi. She also said she would arrange a job for Jinxi. After that, I ignored her.”

Si Yu’s stomach ached a little. She took a few shaky breaths, forcing herself to maintain her composure: “Don’t you understand Xu Jing’s feelings?”

The question was nonsensical. Xu Chengjin looked puzzled: “What feelings?”

“…Nothing.”

Si Yu shook her head, giving a wry smile: “It’s best if you don’t know.”

Xu Chengjin felt like something was hidden, and she quickly pressed: “What exactly is it?”

“Xiaojin.”

Si Yu closed her eyes, leaning her head back. Her voice sounded much weaker: “Drive a little slower, I’m feeling a bit unwell.”

The driver’s voice also came through the phone: “Understood.”

“If you’re feeling unwell, find a doctor to check on you.”

Xu Chengjin’s attention was completely diverted. She felt Si Yu’s complexion looked quite pale: “Aren’t you CEO Si? Why do you still have to drink so much with people?”

Xu Chengjin’s question made Si Yu laugh. She refocused her gaze on the screen: “I’m not the world’s richest person. There will always be people more powerful than me, and there are many old foxes keeping an eye on you. A few rounds with several people add up.”

She braced herself, trying to sit up straight: “But it’s fine. I’m still going to attend your birthday party today. I won’t just collapse.”

“Is that the point?” Xu Chengjin was so frustrated she almost laughed: “Your health is naturally the most important thing! You always say my body is frail, are you trying to ruin your own health too?”

Her tone was heavy; she was clearly angry. Si Yu acutely sensed her emotion and immediately said: “No, don’t be angry. I won’t drink this much next time. I was just afraid you’d be unhappy, wasn’t I?”

Xu Chengjin pursed her lips. She said dryly: “When you get back, you absolutely must take your medicine, go to bed early, and handle work during the day. Health must be the priority.”

Right now, Si Yu would agree to anything Xu Chengjin said. She nodded immediately: “Okay, I promise to obediently take my medicine when I get back, alright?”

“Who knows.”

Xu Chengjin turned her head, letting out a “Hmph”: “Maybe you’ll just trick me when you get back.”

Si Yu’s eyes curved in a smile. She gently rubbed her stomach with her other hand: “Don’t worry. I’ll take a picture for you when I get back, a picture of me taking the medicine.”

Xu Chengjin still didn’t say anything. Seeing this, Si Yu added: “Please believe me, Commander!”

“Fine, just hurry up and go back to rest.”

Xu Chengjin saw the situation and stopped joking with Si Yu. Just as she was about to continue, Si Yu suddenly interrupted her: “I can’t talk now. I have an incoming call. I need to take it.”

“Alright.”

Si Yu had never hung up the phone so abruptly before. Xu Chengjin instinctively thought there must be something urgent regarding work. She pursed her lips and hung up the phone, her face full of worry.

On the other side, Si Yu immediately asked the driver to pull over. As soon as the car stopped, she crouched by the roadside and vomited until she was dizzy and disoriented. Her face was pale, and her lips were colorless. She had truly drunk too much today.

“CEO Si, you’re spitting blood.” The driver was startled. She quickly prepared to call Si Yu’s assistant, but the other party interrupted her: “I’m fine. This is an old issue. Deal with the scene, and I’ll give you a raise later.”

Si Yu stood up and slowly walked back into the car. She opened the door and lay down: “…Don’t tell anyone else. I know what’s happening.”

The driver hesitated but still didn’t call anyone else. She quietly cleaned up the mess and drove Si Yu home.

With all the upheaval, Si Yu didn’t get home until almost 1 AM. After she recovered on the sofa, it was nearly 3 AM. Xu Chengjin had messaged her a long time ago, but she hadn’t heard the notifications.

Xu Chengjin: [Were you feeling sick to your stomach just now?]

Xu Chengjin: [Take some medicine when you get back. If it’s really bad, go to the hospital. Alcohol isn’t a good thing, don’t drink so much next time.]

Xu Chengjin: [I’m going to sleep. You don’t need to message me anymore. Goodnight.]

“Goodnight…”

Si Yu gave a hollow laugh. She raised her arm to cover her eyes and whispered:

“Goodnight.”

The Xu family took Xu Chengjin’s nineteenth birthday very seriously. They rented a large estate for Xu Chengjin’s banquet, and Xu Chengjin spent the entire afternoon having her hair and makeup done.

She wore a blue dress. The skirt was layered and long, and the pattern on the dress, when reflected by the lights, looked like ocean waves, making it particularly enchanting.

She also wore a matching necklace, and her makeup was on the cooler side. At first glance, she looked like a stunning, aloof beauty.

“Our little treasure is so beautiful.”

Xu’s father and mother had already given Xu Chengjin their birthday gift, a very valuable vase, which was worth a fortune. Coupled with the scale of the banquet, they had clearly spared no expense.

Xu Jing also gave her birthday gift, an expensive violin. Xu Chengjin had learned the violin and was quite good, but due to certain reasons, she had gradually set it aside. Xu Jing explained why she gave this gift: “Do whatever you like to do. Older sister will always be behind you, protecting you.”

It was meant to be the best of wishes for her.

“Mom.”

Xu Chengjin held Xu mother’s hand. She was wearing white lace gloves and a very delicate ring, making her look particularly like an angel—cool yet elegant.

“Once the makeup is done, let’s go out.”

Xu mother patted Xu Chengjin’s hand, her face full of pride: “Those people have been waiting for a long time.”

Xu Chengjin nodded. She slowly stood up, raising a perfectly appropriate smile: “Okay.”

The guests outside had indeed arrived very early. Although this was a birthday banquet, it was also a place for networking. Many people brought their children to the event, making the scene quite grand.

Jinxi also rushed back very early. She walked in with her invitation letter, her eyes showing no fear of the unfamiliar environment, but more a sense of longing and anticipation. Wu Boran followed closely behind; the two basically arrived one after the other.

“You’re here.”

Wu Boran was dressed quite formally today. She had come with her family. Seeing Jinxi, she proactively walked over: “Are you scared here?”

“No, not scared.”

Jinxi told the truth: “It’s just that I’m getting some unfriendly looks.”

Wu Boran “Hmph”-ed. She crossed her arms: “That’s completely normal. There are always some people who think they’re amazing just because they have a little stinking money, but they’re nothing, really.”

She quickly scanned Jinxi, her tone arrogant: “Forget it. I’ll be merciful today. You just follow behind me. That way, no one will say anything about you.”

Jinxi blinked. After a few seconds of hesitation, she still followed behind Wu Boran. At least for now, she didn’t sense any hostility from her.

Or rather, the other person genuinely seemed to be helping her.

The two walked together, and the deeper they went, the more they felt something was off. They looked towards the place where the crowd was gathered—it was Si Yu, who was being surrounded.

Si Yu clearly saw them too. She smiled at them, but her eyes held a hint of disdain. They clearly understood what she mouthed:

“Little kids.”