The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 52

“Where did you go?”

The sound Xu Chengjin made was so faint she could barely hear it herself. After speaking, she couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh: “I truly… thought I was going to die back then.”

It was hard for her to recall exactly what happened then, but the feeling was particularly clear. The sense of suffocation and terror swept over her like a tide—it was so horrifying…

When she was very young, Xu Chengjin often thought it would be better to just die and stop suffering from the illness. But whenever that moment came, she felt like a coward, and her will to live would reach its peak again.

Xu Chengjin knew she was quite timid.

“The Si family is about to be completely turned upside down.” Si Yu gently stroked Xu Chengjin’s hand. When she first came in, she saw that Xu Chengjin was sleeping restlessly and wanted to wake her up several times, but was afraid it would make her uncomfortable.

Si Yu’s tone was very gentle, like someone soothing a child: “No one can control me anymore.”

The Si family’s highest authority had died. Si Yu had gone back to wear mourning clothes and incidentally handle the aftermath. Who could compete with her?

No one could compete with her.

“Turn… the lights on.”

Xu Chengjin’s speech was still very slow. As the room lights turned on, she instinctively closed her eyes. Her haggard appearance immediately filled Si Yu with guilt: “I wish I hadn’t left in such a hurry that day.”

“Why are all of you, one after another, blaming yourselves?”

Xu Chengjin asked Si Yu to help her sit up. Her hands were full of needle marks, and the back of her hands were bruised in large patches. Her cheeks were much thinner; she looked as if a gust of wind could knock her over. “Am I speaking… strangely?”

She could speak slightly longer sentences now, but still wasn’t very fluent. Xu Chengjin smiled: “You look very different today.”

Si Yu had come dressed all in black. Her face was grim, and one could still feel the heat and air from outside on her, yet the sense she radiated was exceptionally cold. Her outfit made her look quite cool.

“Do I look good?” Si Yu stood up and turned a few circles in front of Xu Chengjin, but when she faced her directly, she couldn’t control the redness in her eyes: “I was late.”

“Why… didn’t you send me a message?”

Xu Chengjin still didn’t quite understand, and Si Yu seemed to have consistently avoided answering the question. It didn’t matter, she could ask one time, two times.

“They all came… to see me.”

Xu Chengjin’s questioning made Si Yu fall silent, and the previous atmosphere between the two gradually became strained. The smile on Xu Chengjin’s face slowly faded: “Did something happen?”

“Nothing,” Si Yu continued to apologize. “I won’t be like this again. This time it was my…”

“What happened?” Xu Chengjin spoke slowly, enunciating each word. She looked earnestly at Si Yu: “Was there something that made it impossible for us to contact each other?”

She seemed anxious, even her speech flowed more smoothly: “You came to see me secretly at night, but will you still come during the day?”

Si Yu’s lips moved. She pressed her lips together and subconsciously avoided Xu Chengjin’s gaze: “The family matters haven’t been completely handled yet, and I’ll be very busy these next two days, so it will be difficult for me to come see you. I will try my best to make time during the day, but don’t wait for me specifically.”

Xu Chengjin blinked very slowly. She said “Oh,” and then lowered her head, hiding her disappointment: “Then… will you send me a message?”

“You said you wouldn’t let me wait.”