The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 47

Xu Chengjin’s voice was tinged with grievance, making Si Yu’s heart ache: “If you don’t like it… I’ll get you a different gift, please don’t cry.”

Si Yu knew she must have said or done something wrong. When she handed the key to Xu Chengjin earlier, the other person was clearly surprised and delighted. She had thought Xu Chengjin would be very happy.

“Then what are you going to give me?” Xu Chengjin was held in Si Yu’s arms, and she sniffled, “I don’t want a big house anymore.”

Si Yu chuckled softly: “Alright, no more big houses. Let me take a few days to think about what to give you.”

“I don’t want a backup option either.”

What Xu Chengjin said was a bit unclear—what did she mean by a backup option? But she also felt a bit dramatic; she needed Si Yu to prepare a unique gift just for her. The gift Si Yu prepared was supposed to be meant for her from the very beginning. When she heard Si Yu say that the house was bought to be given to someone, she felt an inexpressible sense of wronged feeling.

Not only did that sentence make her feel bad, but it also made Xu Chengjin unable to stop thinking: had Si Yu perhaps considered someone else for this house before? Rather than constantly suffering this internal conflict, she’d rather give the key back.

“Actually, I prepared another gift for you today,” Si Yu’s fingers gently wiped away Xu Chengjin’s tears, and she whispered, “It’s right here in this manor. Would you like to go see it?”

“I…” Xu Chengjin hesitated, placing her hands against Si Yu’s chest. After a few seconds of silence, she finally nodded, “Okay.”

Si Yu managed a smile, though it was somewhat bitter. She picked up the manor key and began to lead Xu Chengjin out: “Come with me.”

They walked through the second-floor corridor, which was currently deserted. They held hands, walking freely in this area. Si Yu was extremely familiar with this place; she had fantasized countless times about bringing Xu Chengjin here, countless times about this very moment. She should have been happy, but instead, her heart was filled with profound disappointment.

“I spent a lot of time on this. The roses inside were all cultivated by me.”

Si Yu hadn’t told the full story. Not only were they cultivated by her, but she had planted every single one. Whenever she had time, she would come to water and loosen the soil. It was practically grown by her alone.

She had planned to give it to Xu Chengjin on her birthday. Given that their relationship had been good lately, Si Yu’s original thought was to hand over the manor key and then bring Xu Chengjin to admire these roses. Unfortunately, the best-laid plans often go astray; instead, Xu Chengjin had become unhappy.

“You planted these?”

When Xu Chengjin saw the large expanse of bright red roses, she felt a profound shock. She bit her lip: “…Are they specially planted for me?”

“Yes. I studied a lot of knowledge, and I planted every single one myself. I’ve been tending to them for a long time, just waiting for this day.”

Si Yu slowly stepped back. Her hand found the switch for the flower room, and she whispered, “Don’t rush, there’s something even more beautiful.”

The next second, the lights in the flower room turned on. Fireworks began to bloom from the very center of the greenhouse roof. A large number of fireworks fell to the side, then gradually disappeared, like small asteroids landing on the Earth’s surface. Xu Chengjin found it hard to describe the feeling of seeing this scene. She stood rooted to the spot, taking it all in.

“Si Yu…”

Just as Xu Chengjin spoke, the next moment, the disappeared particles of fireworks began to reappear from where they had vanished, converging towards the center like shooting stars. Blue light fell on Xu Chengjin’s face, revealing her excitement clearly.

After the particles gathered into a ball, it exploded, filling the air with stars and simulated auroras, highlighting the flower room and the person standing inside to the pinnacle of beauty.

“This is the second gift I want to give you,” Si Yu hugged her from behind, coaxing, “Don’t be sad. Everything here was set up by me alone. Even what you just saw was code I wrote, special effects I created. Do you like it?”

Xu Chengjin didn’t push Si Yu away. She smiled, turning her head to look at Si Yu, who was waiting for her reply. Her eyes were red at the corners: “I love it. I really, truly love it.”

“Thank you.”

Xu Chengjin turned around in Si Yu’s embrace so they were facing each other. She said, “This is the most special birthday I’ve ever had. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t say that.” Si Yu covered Xu Chengjin’s lips with her hand, smiling very gently, “There are many years ahead. I’ll prepare gifts for you for many years. Maybe I didn’t do so well this year, but next year—”

“Si Yu.”

Xu Chengjin pulled down Si Yu’s hand. After a few quick breaths, she said, “Actually… I really like this manor.”

Her completely different statement left Si Yu bewildered: “But didn’t you just say you didn’t like it?”

“You said this manor was specifically bought to be given to the suitable person.” Xu Chengjin spoke cautiously with every word. She tried to avoid Si Yu’s gaze, but the other woman cupped her face and turned it back. She gave a slight laugh, “I think I might be a little dramatic.”

“When I heard you say you’d give it to the suitable person, I started wondering if you had other candidates in mind, and that I wasn’t the only one.” Xu Chengjin stared fixedly at Si Yu, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I couldn’t help but cry.”

Si Yu hadn’t expected her casual remark to make Xu Chengjin overthink so much. Without a second thought, she began to explain: “I never, ever thought about giving this manor to anyone else. I always felt that you are the mistress of this manor.”

She pulled out the key, her voice hurried: “Look, your name is even on this key.”

“A ‘Jin’ character,” Si Yu said, pointing to a spot on the key. “Even the key was specially prepared for you. I’ve never considered anyone else. I swear I…”

“Don’t say anymore.” Xu Chengjin covered Si Yu’s lips. She took a proactive step forward, her eyes fluttering. “I believe you.”

“I know why you were unhappy,” Xu Chengjin reached out and hooked her arms around Si Yu’s neck. She whispered, “This dress I’m wearing today doesn’t look very good with the bracelet you gave me. I thought it didn’t match well. I didn’t expect them to give me a watch and a bracelet.”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to wear the bracelet.” Xu Chengjin smiled at Si Yu, sounding a bit apologetic, “They put a lot of thought into my birthday too.”

“Si Yu!”

Xu Chengjin’s tone suddenly changed, and she immediately tried to pull her hand away. Her palm was damp. Si Yu was actually…

“What are you doing?”

Her hand was caught. She flinched, but her feet didn’t move back. Her breathing quickened, and her chest rose and fell rapidly: “Si Yu—”

She parted her lips and quickly licked them with her tongue. She said:

“No kissing allowed.”