The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 74

Xu Chengjin fell silent. She seemed to prefer silence most when she was around Si Yu, but every time she grew quiet, it made Si Yu feel uneasy and panicked.

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

Si Yu pinched Xu Chengjin’s face, forcefully meeting her gaze. She was breathing heavily. “How can we clear up the misunderstanding if you don’t speak?”

Xu Chengjin met Si Yu’s eyes. She bit her lower lip; the words she had originally intended to clarify simply wouldn’t come out. She was angry, and though she knew this behavior wasn’t ideal, she still hesitated to speak.

This reaction caused Si Yu to lose her patience completely. Si Yu pulled Xu Chengjin’s body directly toward her. Her eyes were somewhat fierce, and her tone wasn’t much better: “You always stay silent. Do you think I can just guess what you’re thinking?”

“Something that could be solved with a single sentence—do you really have to wait until our conflict escalates to an irreconcilable point before you’re willing to talk?”

Si Yu was already suppressing her temper, but looking at Xu Chengjin’s closed mouth and silence, a sense of powerlessness surged from her heart and instantly consumed her. This lack of response left her feeling helpless in the moment, unsure of what to do.

“You should go back first.”

Si Yu released her hold on Xu Chengjin and sat up straight. She turned her head toward the window on the other side, deliberately averting her gaze and pulling quite a bit of distance between them. “I’ll take Jin Xi’s matter to heart. Don’t worry, I’ll get you a result as quickly as possible.”

“Si Yu.”

Xu Chengjin’s face still held the warmth of Si Yu’s touch. She bit her lip and proactively reached out to take Si Yu’s hand. “I know you’re angry. I want to express my apologies first. I’m sorry.”

“No need for that.” Si Yu turned her head to look at Xu Chengjin and smiled, but the smile was far too fake, as if it had been forced out.

“No.”

Xu Chengjin leaned closer to Si Yu, her eyes drooping slightly. “Today I went out to eat with them. There was Jin Xi, Wu Boran, and a friend I met through a stage play. At the dinner table, she told me that Si Yu has a ‘white moonlight’—someone she couldn’t be with years ago, so that person went abroad. Now that the white moonlight has returned to the country, Si Yu even went specifically to pick her up. I heard the rumors are pretty much certain.”

After she finished speaking, the strength with which she held Si Yu’s hand lightened significantly. Xu Chengjin gave a light laugh. “What do you think? Is it true?”

“What white moonlight? What ‘abroad’ bullshit? Where did these rumors even come from? I’ve never even heard of this.”

Si Yu gripped Xu Chengjin’s hand just as she was about to let go. She narrowed her eyes with a look of displeasure. “Who is this friend?”

“Answer me first: Did you go pick up a friend?”

Xu Chengjin’s waist was supported by Si Yu, and her whole body pressed closer to the person in front of her. She lowered her head, looking directly at Si Yu. “Who was it?”

“I did pick someone up.” Si Yu did not deny the question, but her brow did not unfurrow. “That friend is someone I’ve known for a long time. I’ve been collaborating with her on overseas markets. When my business partner returns to the country, shouldn’t I go pick her up?”

Si Yu felt these rumors were simply ridiculous. “Furthermore, she has a partner. She hasn’t been back in years. We’ve known each other since we were sixteen, and she started collaborating with me back then. It’s been eight or nine years in a flash. She has worked hard abroad all this time; I couldn’t possibly not pick her up when she returned. Wouldn’t that make me too heartless?”

“I’ll emphasize this again: she really has a partner—they’re even married. After I picked her up that night, I dropped her off at her hotel. If you don’t believe me, I can call her right now.”

Si Yu reached for her phone as she spoke, but was promptly stopped by Xu Chengjin. “I believe you.”

“I believe everything you say.”

Upon hearing Si Yu’s explanation, Xu Chengjin felt a great sense of relief in her heart. Belatedly feeling embarrassed, she tried to pull back but found she couldn’t move. Her tone was awkward. “I saw photos people took of you. I felt I shouldn’t believe it, and that you aren’t that kind of person. When I called you then, I wanted to ask clearly, but I couldn’t manage to be completely without doubt.”

“Si Yu.”

Xu Chengjin was pulled halfway into Si Yu’s arms. The driver’s seat had been adjusted backward, but as long as Xu Chengjin leaned back, she would still hit the steering wheel. Having something hard pressing against her lower back was uncomfortable after all. She pressed her hands against Si Yu’s lower abdomen, though she didn’t use much force. “What are you doing?”

“Xu Chengjin.”

Si Yu lifted a leg slightly. She relaxed her body and leaned back, now narrowing her eyes as she looked at Xu Chengjin. “Come a little closer.”

“No.” Xu Chengjin was nudged again by Si Yu’s leg. She bit her lip and stared at the person in front of her with annoyance. “Why should I come over?”

Even as she said it, her hands were already sliding up along Si Yu’s clothes—from the hem to the collar, and finally to the neck. “You’ve trained your body well.”

“I thought you knew that.” Si Yu took Xu Chengjin’s hand and pressed it against her own face. “Do you really not remember anything from that night?”

Xu Chengjin gave a light laugh. “You seem very attached to what happened that night.”

“Then… is it okay?” Si Yu sat up and hugged Xu Chengjin, her hand tugging at the corner of Xu Chengjin’s clothes. “Is it okay?”

“What is okay?”

Xu Chengjin’s fingertips brushed across Si Yu’s face. She lifted her body slightly, and her clothes hitched up a bit as a result. She laughed softly. “Do you want to kiss me?”

“You can’t.” Xu Chengjin successfully leaned against the steering wheel, though the sensation of her waist being suspended still made her feel a bit uneasy, and her gaze began to wander. She suddenly squeezed her eyes shut, her body flinching slightly before she turned her head to look aside.

It was an indescribable feeling, like a feather landing on her body. She was clearly so thin, and her body was so cool, yet in a short amount of time, she felt her temperature rising.

Was it because she had caught a cold?

Xu Chengjin reached out and held Si Yu’s hand. The corners of her eyes were slightly flushed, but her tone remained calm. “That’s enough.”

“I need to go back to the dorm.”

Si Yu’s breathing was a bit erratic. She licked her lip. “Won’t you have a meal with me?”

“If you beg me and make me happy, I might show some mercy and go to dinner with you.” As Si Yu tidied Xu Chengjin’s clothes bit by bit, Xu Chengjin looked at Si Yu’s fingers. “I’m very busy, President Si. I already have an appointment.”

“With whom?”

Si Yu buried her head in Xu Chengjin’s embrace and let out a long breath. “Earlier, you said you wanted a political marriage. I went back and thought about it. Under what circumstances would your family let you go into a political marriage? Generally speaking, given how much your family values you, they shouldn’t let you marry someone just like that.”

Xu Chengjin sensed something was wrong and frowned. “What are you… trying to say?”

She suddenly had a very bad premonition. Sure enough, in the next second, Si Yu raised her head, her eyes shining as she looked at her. “How about—”

“I just make the Xu family go bankrupt.”