The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 49

Si Yu’s demeanor was forceful, clearly carrying anger. With her hands on her hips, she swaggered over, “Can you define the relationship between Xu Chengjin and me based solely on your unilateral view?”

“Don’t you think what you’re imagining is insulting?”

Si Yu pressed on, “You don’t trust Xu Chengjin, you just imagine things yourself. Do you think Xu Chengjin and I would be hooking up here? Or do you think I’d be doing something else?”

Without waiting for Xu Jing to answer, she continued, “Even if we really had some kind of relationship, that would be between Xu Chengjin and me. You disrespect me, and even more so, you disrespect your sister!”

Xu Jing was completely unfazed by Si Yu’s words. She sneered, “My sister and I grew up together, I know her best. What’s going on between you two, you know perfectly well. She grew up under our protection, and is only nineteen years old now, while you’re already in society. Withdraw your intentions, our Xu family will never agree.”

Si Yu’s face was devoid of a smile. She looked directly at Xu Chengjin behind her, then retracted her gaze and said softly, “You can try, but I’ll give you a suggestion, Xu Jing, you’re too conceited, or rather…”

Her eyes scrutinized Xu Jing from head to toe, with a mix of assessment and amusement, “You know best what you’re thinking in your heart.”

“Let’s go.”

Si Yu directly bumped past Xu Jing. She walked up to Xu Chengjin and frowned, “Don’t argue.”

“I won’t.” Xu Chengjin lowered her eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips, “You go back first. Be careful on the road. You drank today, be mindful of your stomach discomfort.”

“Mhm.” Si Yu nodded, her voice very gentle, “I’m leaving. Talk to you later.”

Xu Chengjin nodded, “Okay.”

She watched Si Yu leave until she couldn’t see her back anymore before withdrawing her gaze. Xu Jing had been standing beside her, waiting for her to speak. Xu Chengjin just stood there, in a standoff with Xu Jing. She bit her lip, her face filled with unwillingness.

“Xiaojin—”

As soon as Xu Jing spoke, Xu Chengjin raised her hand, intending to strike, but just as the slap was about to land, Xu Chengjin held back. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice sounding normal, “Forget it, I don’t want to argue with you today.”

She finished speaking and turned to leave, but was grabbed by the wrist by Xu Jing, who completely restrained her, “Don’t go. I want to say a few words to you.”

“What do you want to say?” Xu Chengjin tried to pull her hand away, but Xu Jing didn’t let up, “Say that those words you just said didn’t mean what I thought they meant?”

“However, your worries are also reasonable.” Xu Chengjin turned around, her eyes filled only with indifference, “After all, it’s possible I really might be with someone else, but that has nothing to do with you.”

“Every time you try to interfere with everything I do, and you don’t give me a chance to explain, or rather, you simply don’t trust me.”

Xu Chengjin felt a spasm in her lower abdomen. The sharp pain almost made her unable to speak. She strongly held herself back from showing it, and continued, “Don’t you know why our relationship was so bad before? You hid from me, you weren’t there when I needed you, but whenever I wanted to have time that belonged to me, you interfered again. Xu Jing, what exactly do you want to do!”

The last few words she uttered were barely audible, “Why don’t you ever answer my question?”

Xu Jing also noticed Xu Chengjin’s physical state. She immediately stepped forward to support Xu Chengjin, “I… I just want to protect you.”

It was always the same line of reasoning.

Xu Chengjin gave a bitter smile. She forcefully pushed Xu Jing away, her eyes holding emotions Xu Jing couldn’t understand. She said, “There will be a day when we will no longer have this kind of relationship. The plot cannot be shaken, just like you can never tell me the truth. I’m already… tired of hearing these words from you.”

Since Xu Chengjin could remember, Xu Jing would often tell her, “Sister, I will protect you for life.”

“Don’t worry, no one will be able to bully you in the future.”

“Sister will protect you, don’t be afraid.”

“…”

Xu Chengjin remembered those words spoken in her youth for a lifetime, but now they sounded particularly jarring.

She took a deep breath, then smiled helplessly, “I’m tired. I want to go back first.”

“Xiao jin!”

For some unknown reason, a panic arose in Xu Jing’s heart. Her brows were tightly furrowed, “I’ll take you back.”

“No need.”

Xu Chengjin covered her lower abdomen and leaned against the wall to rest for a while. Seeing that her condition had improved slightly, she went downstairs to find Jin Xi and Wu Boran. The two were sitting nearby watching others socialize. As soon as they saw her coming down, they immediately walked over. Jin Xi was the first to notice Xu Chengjin’s strange state. Her eyes widened instantly, and her tone was anxious, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Xu Chengjin’s face was pale, her forehead and neck covered in sweat. Even her makeup couldn’t conceal her bloodless lips. She leaned against Jin Xi’s arms and said softly, “I want to go back to the dorm.”

“I’ll go tell your parents.”

Wu Boran reacted quickly. She turned to find Father and Mother Xu, briefly explaining Xu Chengjin’s situation before getting permission for them to leave first. Wu Boran did not mention that Xu Chengjin was feeling unwell; clearly, Xu Chengjin did not want to tell them either.

“I didn’t drink. I’ll drive.”

Wu Boran had driven herself there. She let Xu Chengjin lie in the back seat to rest and asked Jin Xi to sit in the passenger seat, “Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine, I’ll be okay in a bit.” Xu Chengjin lay obediently in the back. Her skirt fell to the floor, and her hair was scattered, covering her face slightly, giving her a sickly beauty, “It must have been because I was too anxious just now, I got a stitch.”

Xu Chengjin closed her eyes. At this moment, she still had the presence of mind to joke, “It looks like I should learn to drive too in the future, otherwise it’s inconvenient to go anywhere.”

“I can be your driver.”

Wu Boran immediately responded, “You rest well, don’t talk anymore.”

Xu Chengjin smiled, “I’m really fine. I know my own body.”

Jin Xi couldn’t help but turn her head. Seeing Xu Chengjin’s appearance, her eyes were full of distress, “How pale your face is, and you still say you know yourself? I think one day we’ll have to pack you off to the hospital.”

“No, don’t.” Xu Chengjin slowly opened her eyes. Her breathing was heavy and deep, “Jin Xi, if one day I lied to you, would you forgive me?”

Jin Xi didn’t understand why Xu Chengjin suddenly changed the topic, but still answered honestly, “Of course I would.”

“I mean… something very serious.” Xu Chengjin’s lips moved, but unfortunately, she couldn’t utter a single sound. No one knew what she wanted to say, “So serious that you might not be able to accept it.”

This time it was Jin Xi’s turn to be silent. She seemed to have thought for a long time before giving her answer, “Yes, because I believe you would have your own reasons.”

It was precisely because she thought for so long that the sentence sounded particularly sincere.

Xu Chengjin let out a muffled laugh, “Reasons…”

She was the beneficiary of the situation.

What reasons could she possibly have?

Xu Chengjin closed her eyes again and began to regulate her breathing, “Okay, with your word, I feel relieved.”

Xu Chengjin was very tired. She felt like she could barely make it back to the dorm.

After they got out of the car, Xu Chengjin went back alone. She asked Wu Boran to drop Jin Xi off first. It was late, and it wouldn’t be safe for her to go back alone. The two neither objected nor agreed, only expressing concern for Xu Chengjin’s health.

But after Xu Chengjin got out of the car, she really seemed to feel much better. She stood by the road, watching the two leave. Only after they had driven far away did she relax her tense body.

“Cough…”

Xu Chengjin bent over and retched. Her hands trembled incessantly, and her legs felt weak. She coughed for a long time, feeling the taste of rust in her throat.

“It’s really far.”

Xu Chengjin slowly walked back to the dorm alone. Her attire was actually quite eye-catching, and many people cast their gazes towards her, but Xu Chengjin no longer had the energy to care. She struggled up the stairs and opened the dorm door. As soon as she walked in, she couldn’t help but collapse onto the floor.

“So tired.”

Xu Chengjin took off her high heels and placed them aside. She tilted her head back, gasping for breath. After adjusting for a long time, she still didn’t feel better, so she planned to lie down on the bed for a while. When she got up, she picked up her high heels and placed them neatly to the side. She almost forgot that this wasn’t her own dorm.

She walked towards the ladder, suddenly realizing she couldn’t climb up at all. Xu Chengjin murmured softly, “The school should really change the way they build the bunk beds. They invested so much money, but not even on the dorms.”

She gave a bitter smile. She was originally going to sit on the chair to catch her breath, but before she could sit down, her vision instantly went black. Xu Chengjin couldn’t stand steadily and fell directly onto the floor. If she had been just a little more off-target, she would have hit the desk.

Xu Chengjin’s vision was constantly blacking out. She bit her lip tightly, trying to use the pain to alleviate the symptom, but even though her lip was about to break, it was useless.

“Cough, cough, cough—”

Xu Chengjin suddenly started coughing. She felt her chest cavity being squeezed, as if some heavy object was pressing on her, making her unable to breathe, unable to gasp for air. She covered her mouth with both hands, feeling something flowing out between her fingers.

Wu Boran returned at that very moment. She dropped Jin Xi off at her doorstep and immediately drove back. For some reason, she felt a restless premonition and thought Xu Chengjin’s state was particularly strange. She had rushed back to feel at ease.

She quickly opened the door and found Xu Chengjin slumped on the floor, her waist bent, seeming to be in extreme pain, “Xu Chengjin, are you alright…”

Xu Chengjin seemed to hear someone talking to her. She turned around blankly, supporting herself on the ground with both hands, and tilted her head in confusion. What she didn’t realize was that her hands were completely covered in fresh blood, and blood was still dripping from the corner of her lips. Fresh red bloodstains were on her messy skirt, a truly shocking sight.

Yet, she asked, completely unaware:

“Is that Wu Boran who came back?”