The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 6

Wu Boran’s entire body stiffened. Her fingers curled slightly, but she quickly returned to normal. With a cold expression, she pulled her hand back.
“Too much sweetness isn’t good. Be careful or you’ll get cavities.”

Xu Chengjin stepped back two small paces. Her brows and eyes curved as she smiled, the candy in her mouth making her words a little muffled.
“Okay then, I’ll listen to you.”

“I’ll head to the infirmary first. I still have class later—see you then.”

Xu Chengjin gave Wu Boran a little wave. After gathering the books she needed for class, she walked out. Her dizzy head kept her from thinking too much. She pushed open the door and left, seemingly unaware of the eyes burning into her back.

She could clearly feel the fever, planning to get an injection at the infirmary first. If that didn’t work, then she’d head to the hospital.

She was sick of hospital stays.

B University’s campus was huge. By the time Xu Chengjin reached the infirmary, she was drenched in sweat, lips pale, her breathing almost uneven.
“So tired…”

Her stamina was never good. Just as she pushed the infirmary door open and stepped inside, she bumped straight into someone coming out. She lost her balance, stumbling backward. Her only thought was how unlucky she was today—falling yet again.

Luckily, the other person reacted fast, grabbing her arm in time.
“Careful.”

“Tha—” Xu Chengjin’s words cut off the moment she recognized the voice. She looked up, emotions flashing in her eyes.
“Jin Xi.”

Jin Xi seemed surprised that Xu Chengjin remembered her. A fleeting daze crossed her face, but she quickly recovered, her voice noticeably softer.
“You’re burning up.”

“Mm.” Xu Chengjin responded lightly, and the next second Jin Xi was leading her inside the infirmary.
“Are you sick too?”

She was placed in a corner seat. The doctor asked her to take her temperature. Jin Xi sat beside her, not leaving.

There was still a glow in Xu Chengjin’s eyes. She turned her head toward Jin Xi, lifting her lips in a faint smile. Despite her poor state, she looked almost pitiful.
“Where are you feeling unwell?”

Jin Xi met her gaze, her voice low.
“I scraped my arm—just here for some medicine.”

“What happened?” Xu Chengjin frowned. She genuinely liked Jin Xi. If not for the barrier between them, she might have already tried to befriend her.

Jin Xi rolled up her sleeve, revealing the wound on her elbow. Though medicated, the gash still looked frightening, pus seeping through the powder. The sight made Xu Chengjin’s chest tighten.

Her lashes trembled. She lifted her hand, wanting to touch, but pulled back at the last second. Her voice was soft.
“How did this happen? Did someone hurt you?”

“No.” Jin Xi stared at her, re-bandaging the wound without lowering her sleeve. Her tone was calm, as if she had been through this countless times.
“My family’s place often has conflicts. I fell off my bike.”

Xu Chengjin’s lips parted. She tugged lightly on Jin Xi’s sleeve.
“The weather’s hot—be careful not to get an infection.”

“I will.” Jin Xi’s reply was natural. She stretched out her hand toward Xu Chengjin.
“You can take out the thermometer now. Let’s see the fever.”

“Oh.”

Xu Chengjin pulled it out, holding one end while sneaking glances at Jin Xi. Just as she was about to lift it, Jin Xi caught her wrist. Xu Chengjin’s breath hitched, but she didn’t resist.

“Thirty-nine degrees.” Jin Xi leaned closer to check. Her face grew serious.
“I’ll call the doctor.”

“Okay.”

Xu Chengjin answered quietly, watching as Jin Xi fetched the doctor. Tilting her head up, she obediently replied to the doctor’s questions. Soon, the doctor prepared an IV drip. Looking at the bottles and tubes, she bit her lip, uneasy.

How long would this take?

She stretched her arm out, eyes glued to the doctor’s every move. No matter how many times she had injections, she could never stop herself from watching.

Just as the needle pierced her vein, her vision went dark—someone had covered her eyes. Heat spread across her skin, accompanied by the faint bitter scent of Jin Xi.

She didn’t struggle. Jin Xi must have thought she was afraid of pain and tried to shield her.

“All done.”

Jin Xi let go and chuckled lightly.
“Were you scared?”

Xu Chengjin’s fingers curled. She ducked her head with a small smile.
“Scared to death.”

“Ah…” Jin Xi rubbed her palms together, lowering her gaze. After a pause, she asked,
“Last night… are you okay?”

Xu Chengjin leaned back against the chair, exhausted. Her voice turned lazy.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“That person… do you know her?” Jin Xi hesitated, but asked anyway. She had seen Xu Chengjin being taken away by that woman—someone clearly of a different class.

Just like Xu Chengjin and her.

Xu Chengjin nodded, meeting her eyes.
“I know her. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Good.” Jin Xi finally relaxed. She checked the time—class was about to start. After hesitating, she spoke.
“You should tell your advisor. I’ll explain to the professor.”

“Okay, thank you.” Xu Chengjin smiled softly, tilting her head back to look at Jin Xi.
“Sorry to trouble you.”

Jin Xi shook her head, biting her lip.
“It’s no trouble.”

“In the afternoon, I’ll be working at the café. Want to come by for a drink?”

She took out her phone, squatting in front of Xu Chengjin.
“Let’s exchange contacts.”

Seeing her crouch down, Xu Chengjin narrowed her eyes playfully. Her fingers brushed a strand of Jin Xi’s hair. Looking down at her, she smiled.
“Sure.”

Xu Chengjin spent the whole afternoon on the IV drip. Thankfully, her fever broke, though her body still felt weak.

Jin Xi had already sent her the café address. Since Xu hadn’t eaten anything all day, she grabbed a piece of bread from a convenience store on the way.

The café where Jin Xi worked was fairly busy, though most customers just picked up to-go orders. Xu found a seat, and barely had she sat down when Jin Xi brought her a slice of cake.

“I—”

“Shh. Just eat it.” Jin Xi bent closer, voice gentle.
“Feeling better?”

Faced with her warmth, Xu couldn’t help lowering her own voice.
“Much better.”

“Coffee?” Jin Xi touched her forehead. Satisfied she no longer had a fever, she relaxed.

“You go work. I don’t need coffee for now.”

Xu waved her off.

Jin Xi, reassured, returned to the counter.

The cake looked lovely, strawberry flavored. Xu was already full, but unwilling to reject the gesture, she ate small bites until she found herself enjoying it.

Pretty tasty.

Scrolling through short videos on her phone, she didn’t notice the world around her until a shadow loomed over her table. Looking up, her smile froze, ears turning hot.

Si Yu… what was she doing here?

“Seems Miss Xu isn’t all that happy to see me.” Si Yu carried a bag, setting it down at her side. Her eyes never left Xu Chengjin.
“You’re not feeling well, are you?”

Xu was startled that she noticed so quickly. Covering her face with both hands, she mumbled,
“It’s fine.”

“Mm.” Si Yu didn’t press further.
“I came in for coffee. Didn’t expect to run into you.”

“Quite the coincidence,” Xu replied, still wary—even after what happened between them the night before.

She pressed her lips together, then tried cautiously,
“I left in such a rush, I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“It’s fine.”

Si Yu’s eyes fell to the cake in front of her. She pulled the tray slightly closer.
“Is this flavor any good?”

“It’s good!”

Xu glanced toward the busy Jin Xi, starting to rise to order another slice for Si Yu. But she quickly sat back down. Just as she was about to explain the crowd, she saw Si Yu pick up her fork—

“I already ate from it!” Xu grabbed her wrist instinctively, shocked by her lack of boundaries.
“You can’t eat my cake.”

Si Yu blinked, a smile playing in her eyes. With a soft “ah,” she pulled back her hand, propping her chin on one hand.
“I just didn’t want the fork to fall. I wasn’t trying to eat it.”

Xu froze, then gave a sheepish laugh, licking her lips.
“Sorry, I overreacted.”

“Your reaction’s normal.” Si Yu sighed.
“After all, what are we to each other?”

Her voice softened further.
“And you seem to dislike me quite a bit.”

With that, she lowered her gaze. Xu thought she glimpsed genuine disappointment in her eyes.

What did that mean?
Was she pretending?

Xu didn’t answer. She scooped another bite of cake, but her eyes stayed on Si Yu. She couldn’t deny it—Si Yu was exactly her type.

Beautiful. Wealthy. Powerful.

The perfect girlfriend.

Noticing Xu’s silence, Si Yu looked up—and saw her smiling at her. Her heart skipped. She was about to speak when she caught sight of Jin Xi approaching. Quickly, she lifted the bag at her side.

“Xiao Jin.”

“I can call you that, right?”

“Mm.”

Xu didn’t object. With Si Yu’s status, it was natural.

“These are the clothes you left at my place last night. I hand-washed them myself.”

She deliberately stressed hand-washed. Xu’s eyes flew wide, completely missing the fact that Jin Xi had just walked up behind her—

Si Yu’s gaze slid to Jin Xi, lips curling into a mocking smile. Raising a brow, she said warmly:

“Don’t worry, no one else touched them.”