The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 68

Xu Chengjin looked at the person in her arms who was tilting her head up to look at her. Wu Boran looked so well-behaved, as if she would do whatever Xu Chengjin said. It truly made one’s heart soften, but—

“If you are still willing to be friends with me, then don’t say these things anymore in the future.”

The moment the words left Xu Chengjin’s mouth, she clearly felt Wu Boran freeze. She slowly released her hands, pulling a distance between them. “I’m going to take a shower. It’s getting late, and you should get some rest early too. You have class tomorrow.”

Wu Boran’s gaze followed Xu Chengjin the entire time. She tilted her head, seemingly struggling to understand the words she had just heard. She blinked and suddenly spoke up: “Do you have someone you like?”

Xu Chengjin’s footsteps paused. She turned around holding her clothes; though her expression hadn’t changed, she gave off a much colder aura.

But Wu Boran didn’t seem to notice. She let out a light laugh. “A girl? Which girl would be liked by you?”

“Why?” After asking, Wu Boran began to question herself. “Why would you fall for someone else? Why would you like anyone at all?”

Xu Chengjin was amused by Wu Boran. She exhaled a breath. “You’re drunk. I am a human being. I have seven emotions and six desires; naturally, I will like people.”

“Who do you like!”

Wu Boran suddenly stood up. She walked quickly to Xu Chengjin and grabbed her wrist firmly. Her eyes no longer held any of the previous cloudiness. “Who do you like?”

“I will fall for someone; does it matter who?” Xu Chengjin tilted her head. She tried to struggle out of Wu Boran’s grip, but the other woman held on tight, as if Xu Chengjin would vanish the moment she let go.

“It matters.”

Wu Boran seemed to be drunk again. She let out a sob. “How could it not matter?”

“Xu Chengjin.”

Wu Boran hugged Xu Chengjin around the waist. She slowly crouched down until she was finally sitting on the floor. She bowed her head, her hands clutching Xu Chengjin’s hand in a death grip as she whispered incessantly, “I can’t tell… I can’t tell the difference…”

Xu Chengjin lowered her eyes, her gaze filled with pity. “Don’t be sad.”

She cupped Wu Boran’s face, her thumb gently wiping away the tears. “Everything will pass.”

“Will it?” Wu Boran leaned into Xu Chengjin’s hand. She looked up, gazing at Xu Chengjin. It was so strange—she was so close to Xu Chengjin, yet she felt so far away, as if the distance between them was insurmountable.

Xu Chengjin proactively moved closer to her. Her lips curled into a smile, her eyes entirely reflecting Wu Boran’s shadow. She said, “It will.”

“Wu Boran, you will be happy.”

The sports meet arrived as scheduled. Both Jin Xi and Wu Boran had signed up. Xu Chengjin followed her other classmates to cheer them on. In truth, she hadn’t even recognized all of her classmates yet, but she still had to attend the opening ceremony. Some people were volunteers and had to stay on the track, while others left to tend to their own business. Since Xu Chengjin didn’t know many people, she followed someone at random.

Recently, the temperature had dropped significantly. The weather had suddenly turned much colder, and people were no longer wearing short sleeves and shorts; most had changed into light autumn clothes. Xu Chengjin had also changed into appropriate attire: a white short-sleeved top, beige wide-leg pants, and her hair was pinned up. Her makeup looked very bright, which brought out a healthy glow in her complexion.

Ever since Si Yu mentioned sending her medicine, it truly hadn’t stopped for a single day. Sometimes when Si Yu couldn’t make it, she would send her secretary. This made Xu Chengjin feel her sincerity. She drank every drop of the medicine every time. Whether it was a placebo effect or not, she felt her body was indeed getting better, no longer as frail as before.

“Xu Chengjin!”

Hui Lan appeared out of nowhere. She looped her arm through Xu Chengjin’s, smiling. “What are you looking at?”

“Waiting for my roommate’s race,” Xu Chengjin explained patiently. As soon as she finished speaking, a milk candy was pressed into her hand. She was slightly startled but unwrapped it and ate it anyway.

Hui Lan looked around. “Which one is your roommate?”

“Wu Boran, number 43.”

Xu Chengjin glanced at Hui Lan. “Did you sign up for any events?”

Hui Lan shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. “They originally said I could be the announcer, but wasn’t I bumped off the list?”

She gritted her teeth as she spoke. “Having connections is so great, isn’t it? They have to snatch everything.”

Xu Chengjin smiled silently. She patted Hui Lan’s hand. “Retribution will come.”

“Let’s not talk about those disgusting things.” Hui Lan didn’t really want to dwell on it. “You’re waiting for your roommate here, so… what about Jin Xi?”

“Her race is in the afternoon. She’s at her part-time job right now.”

Xu Chengjin explained, catching the underlying meaning in Hui Lan’s words. She shook her head. “Jin Xi and I aren’t what you think.”

“But she definitely has feelings for you.” Hui Lan was certain. She said confidently, “I was just like that when I liked someone before. I bet she definitely has ‘different’ feelings for you.”

Xu Chengjin’s eyelashes flickered. She looked at Wu Boran, who was warming up, and retracted her gaze a second later. “So, did you guys end up together?”

Hui Lan paused, stuck in place for a good while before saying, “She was with me, but we broke up later.”

“Is that so?”

Xu Chengjin’s tone was light. She looked directly at Hui Lan. “It doesn’t sound like a peaceful breakup.”

Hui Lan let out an “Aiya” and scratched her hair. “She cheated and I caught her. She said I couldn’t give her what she wanted. Later, she got dumped by that person and wanted to get back with me. No way!”

She spoke with heavy emphasis, as if she truly wouldn’t repeat her mistakes. But Xu Chengjin laughed softly. “I saw you chatting with a girl on the street yesterday. She seemed very emotional. If I’m not mistaken, she was probably there to ask for a reconciliation. Are you planning to say yes?”

Having her thoughts exposed, Hui Lan lowered her head and bit her lip. “I just feel like… maybe things weren’t the way I thought. Maybe there’s a turning point.”

“She’ll tell you that she was forced by circumstances at the time, that she never actually wanted to break up with you, and now that her troubles are gone, she’s come back hoping you can forgive her, right?” Xu Chengjin gave a mocking smile. She poked Hui Lan over her heart. “If she can lie to you once, there will be a second time. You will always be her backup plan.”

“What kind of ‘helplessness’ justifies cheating and saying those things?” Xu Chengjin withdrew her hand and shrugged. “Anyway, you’ve definitely investigated it. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

Hui Lan’s face fell into a look of defeat. Her eyes darted around, and after a moment of silence, she said, “The gap between us is quite large. Her family background isn’t good—or rather, she needs money, so…”

“Not everyone can use that as an excuse.” Xu Chengjin interrupted Hui Lan, her words earnest. “Jin Xi isn’t like that. You should know her life isn’t exactly easy, yet she works her part-time jobs every day without fail. I’m not trying to compare the two; everyone pursues different things. It’s just because I consider you a friend that I’ve said this much.”

Hui Lan sniffled and said in a muffled voice, “I know.”

“Then, suppose you and Jin Xi were together, and there was a huge gap in status and identity… would you stay firm?”

When Hui Lan asked this, Xu Chengjin also fell silent. She thought about it and finally gave her answer: “No.”

“I probably wouldn’t. Regardless of who it is, I would stop that relationship from starting in the first place. No matter who…”

Xu Chengjin repeated it a few times. She knew Hui Lan was thinking about her and Jin Xi, assuming the “disadvantaged” party was Jin Xi. But it wasn’t. No one knew when that time bomb would go off, or when Jin Xi’s identity and hers would be swapped. At that point, she would truly have… nothing.

She was a pessimist, but this was the reality she had to consider. No one could guarantee that those who said they liked her or loved her would stay by her side for a lifetime.

“The race is starting.” Xu Chengjin changed the subject and found a place to sit. She took out her phone and started recording. “Do you want to grab lunch together?”

“Sure.” Hui Lan accepted readily. She also took out her phone and snapped a few random photos. She didn’t even know who was participating or what the event was; she just liked the excitement and was wandering around.

Xu Chengjin smiled without responding. She held up her phone, dutifully filming Wu Boran. If she didn’t film it well, she would definitely be held accountable.

Since this morning, Wu Boran had been pestering her, saying she had to make her look good and that it would be best if she were the only person in the entire frame. Xu Chengjin couldn’t win the argument and had to agree.

Fortunately, her photography skills were decent, and the video turned out well.

Unsurprisingly, Wu Boran won the race. Her performance was outstanding; she even accelerated during the final lap, causing many people to cheer. Hearing the noise, Xu Chengjin walked down toward the spectator stands. She waited nearby with water. “Are you tired?”

Xu Chengjin handed the water over. Wu Boran was drenched in sweat, but her eyes showed no fatigue—only the arrogance of a champion.

“Not tired. It felt great! Did you see? I left them behind by a whole lap.”

Wu Boran was incredibly proud. She took a few gulps of water. “Am I impressive?”

“Awesome.”

Xu Chengjin gave her a thumbs-up. She showed Wu Boran her phone. “I’ve already filmed the video and sent it to you. Check it out later.”

“Of course I trust your skills.”

“Aren’t you afraid I took ugly photos?” Xu Chengjin laughed. Just as she was about to continue teasing, she noticed two girls walking toward them, their faces filled with uncontrollable shyness and anticipation.

Xu Chengjin blinked. She quietly took a step back. “Someone is looking for you.”

“Who’s looking for me?” Wu Boran turned her head in confusion, only to find two girls asking for her contact information, saying they thought she was incredibly cool just now and had summoned the courage to ask for a friend request.

Wu Boran was silent for a moment, trying to find an excuse to refuse. “Sorry, I have things to do. My friend—”

She turned around, only to find that Xu Chengjin had already backed far away, as if terrified of being near her.

Heh.

Her friend had run away.