The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 77

“Sister.”

Xu Chengjin put down her phone and stood up. She didn’t rush toward the door immediately. “Someone is here to see me.”

Xu Jing paused her eating. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Xu Chengjin for a few seconds. Xu Chengjin didn’t have many genuine friends; many people approached her only for the Xu family’s wealth. If their motives were too obvious, it made Xu Chengjin uncomfortable.

Currently, the only people who could successfully find their way here were likely Wu Boran and Jin Xi. Oh… and there was also Si Yu.

Heh.

“Go open the door then. Don’t keep them waiting.”

Xu Jing looked calm. She took a sip of her porridge, but her peripheral vision was locked onto Xu Chengjin. The moment the door opened, she heard the other girl’s somewhat surprised voice: “You both came.”

Both…

Jin Xi came too?

Xu Jing pretended to go into the kitchen to get something. She stood up and stole a quick glance at the scene by the door. Sure enough, both of them were there. She gave a low “tsk,” thinking these two really knew how to pick their timing—they arrived exactly at the right moment.

“Did we interrupt you?” Jin Xi handed over the shopping bag in her hand, her smile very gentle. “I made these cookies and small cakes.”

“That’s amazing.” Xu Chengjin stepped aside and brought out disposable slippers for the two of them. “I’m having breakfast. Have you eaten?”

Wu Boran put on the slippers and replied casually with her head down, “We’ve eaten. We were just worried about your health, so we came to check on you together.”

She wasn’t about to tell Xu Chengjin that the two of them had bumped into each other on the way and had been bickering the entire time.

“Then sit for a while. I’ll finish my meal first.”

Today was the weekend, and since no one had classes, they weren’t worried about time. Jin Xi’s part-time job was going well too; the family she worked for was giving the child a break, which in turn gave Jin Xi some time off.

“Xiaojin, bring the fruit over.” Xu Jing brought out a plate of sliced fruit. Although she didn’t particularly like these two, she still had to maintain the etiquette of a host on the surface.

Xu Chengjin walked over quickly and said obediently, “Okay.”

“Do you have any plans for today?” Jin Xi took the fruit plate. Xu Jing’s knife skills were quite good; the fruit was sliced beautifully. “Do you want to go out and play?”

“Today?”

Xu Chengjin was a bit puzzled. Why was everyone making appointments for today? Was there some kind of spell on this day?

Jin Xi nodded. “How about an amusement park? I heard there’s one that’s been quite popular lately. I checked, and there are plenty of rides you should be able to handle.”

“Amusement park?” Xu Chengjin questioned again and let out a soft laugh. “What’s the name?”

Jin Xi said the name, and Xu Chengjin laughed immediately after hearing it. “What a coincidence. I was planning to go there with my sister today.”

“Then we can go together.”

Wu Boran reacted quickly. She immediately stood up and looked at Xu Jing nearby. “Sister, what do you think?”

Could Xu Jing say no?

She forced a rather unnatural smile. “Of course, no problem. We’ll go together after lunch. I still have a few things to do this morning.”

“Thank you, Sister.”

Wu Boran sat back down. She raised an eyebrow at Xu Chengjin and waved her phone. “Want to play a game?”

Xu Chengjin was almost finished with her meal. She wiped her mouth and thought for a few seconds. “But I don’t know how.”

“It’s fine. We’ll play something simple just to kill time.”

Wu Boran nudged Jin Xi with her leg and said dryly, “Are you playing?”

“I’m in. Don’t blame me if I’m terrible.”

Jin Xi took out her phone and started downloading. Xu Chengjin had already helped her file a lawsuit against Chen Fang. Barring any surprises, that money could be recovered. She would no longer give Chen Fang money anyway; after all, Chen Fang had kept a portion of the compensation from back then for that other child. Since there was money for medical treatment, why should Jin Xi continue to suffer?

Consequently, she had changed her phone and was no longer working day and night like before. Her entire spirit seemed much better now.

The three of them sat on the sofa chatting and laughing. Any sleepiness Xu Chengjin had felt was mostly gone. However, she still took her medicine faithfully. Lunch was cooked by Xu Jing, and immediately after eating, Xu Chengjin went to take her medicine. After drinking the Chinese herbal tea, she frowned and said, “I’m going to nap for a bit.”

“Go ahead.”

Xu Jing naturally prioritized Xu Chengjin’s well-being. She watched Xu Chengjin go upstairs, and the moment the girl disappeared from sight, the smile on her face vanished instantly. “I’m going to book the entire venue for the afternoon. Do either of you have an objection?”

“Isn’t booking the whole place a bit too extravagant?” Jin Xi wasn’t used to this way of going out. She felt that if they were going out to play, it should be lively. “Since we’re going, the atmosphere is better with more people.”

“More people means more danger. My priority is her safety. Without safety, there is no fun.”

Xu Jing sat on the sofa with her legs crossed. She picked up a piece of fruit with a toothpick. “Besides, I have money. What’s it to you?”

Wu Boran: “…”

So funny.

Jin Xi stopped talking after hearing that. She sat on the other side of the sofa. The three of them formed a sort of three-way standoff, but clearly, no one was backing down.

Xu Chengjin, in her dreams, was completely unaware of these things. She thought the three of them were getting along well. When she woke up, she felt refreshed and in a good mood.

She hadn’t slept for long—only about forty minutes. Knowing they were going out, Xu Chengjin specifically changed into casual clothes, applied very light makeup, and put her hair up. She looked at herself in the mirror; she looked youthful and vibrant, unlike her previous listless self.

“Let’s go!”

Xu Chengjin was quite looking forward to this outing. Her tone rose unconsciously as she spoke. She curved her lips. “Hurry up.”

“Okay.”

Xu Jing packed the things they needed for the trip and took the lead to drive. Wu Boran had driven her own car today, so she and Jin Xi took one car while the two sisters took the other, driving out one after another.

Xu Chengjin sat in the back seat. Few people ever sat in Xu Jing’s car; it was usually used to pick her up, so many of the items in the car were things she had added. Sitting there felt like having her own little world, making her feel relaxed in body and mind.

“How long will it take?”

Xu Chengjin took a photo and sent it to Si Yu. She didn’t know if Si Yu was back yet; if not, it would probably take a while to get a reply.

“Fifty minutes. If you’re tired, sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you up.”

Xu Jing answered all of Xu Chengjin’s questions. She glanced at Xu Chengjin through the rearview mirror. “I’ve booked the venue over there, so you can play whatever you want. Have a good time today.”

“Mm.”

Xu Chengjin nodded and laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make sure I have fun.”

Just as she finished speaking, a message popped up. Xu Chengjin looked down and saw it was a reply from Si Yu.

“He replied so fast today,” Xu Chengjin muttered. She clicked on the message:

Si Yu: [Who are you with? Your sister?]

Xu Chengjin typed: [Jin Xi and Wu Boran happened to come see me, so the four of us are going together. Are you not busy today?]

Si Yu: [I’m back. Just got home a little while ago. I plan to eat and rest for a bit.]

Xu Chengjin: [Rest well. I’ll take pictures for you later. Speaking of which, I haven’t been out to play in a long time.]

Si Yu: [Have a good time this time. Follow Xu Jing and don’t get lost.]

Get lost.

Xu Chengjin laughed helplessly. [I’m not a child anymore. Besides, my sister booked the whole place.]

Si Yu: [That’s good. I was going to say I’d come find you, but I realized I’m too tired. I’ll take you out next time.]

Xu Chengjin: [Health comes first!]

Si Yu: [How is your health, then?]

How was her health… there was a slight improvement, but not much. Moreover, she hadn’t told Si Yu about her previous low-grade fever. Being asked so suddenly made her feel a bit guilty.

Xu Chengjin thought about how to reply. Just as she was about to type, Si Yu’s message broke in first: [I know you were sick. Don’t think about hiding it from me. Are you better now?]

Xu Chengjin bit her lip and smiled silently. [Much better. The fever is gone, and I’ve taken precautions to stay warm. I won’t catch a cold and get a fever like before.]

Si Yu: [Go and have fun then.]

Their conversation ended there. Si Yu’s last message didn’t continue the topic, only telling her to have fun.

He was quite kind.

Xu Chengjin put her phone aside and began to focus on the scenery outside.

The amusement park had already been cleared, and the visitors had been compensated accordingly. At this moment, the park was exceptionally quiet.

Xu Jing’s main goal was to take Xu Chengjin to play, so every attraction had to be something Xu Chengjin could participate in. They first went on a common scenic train. There was nothing scary about it; on the contrary, the scenery was exceptionally beautiful. There were some slopes and dips in the middle, and the ride felt quite good overall.

There were also costumed mascots in the park playing with them. They played games together, and if they won, the mascot would give them a prize. The prize wasn’t expensive—just a doll—but the sense of accomplishment at the moment of receiving it was very strong.

Xu Jing didn’t particularly participate in these activities. She followed behind the three of them. Seeing how happy they were, she couldn’t help but smile. She even took a moment to go out and buy some snacks and drinks.

“You guys go play. I’ll wait here.”

Xu Jing put the things down and found a place to sit. “I’ll book a restaurant for dinner tonight.”

“Okay.”

Xu Chengjin didn’t insist on Xu Jing joining. She followed Jin Xi and Wu Boran to play other attractions. Even though she was sweating and felt the heat, it still felt amazing!

The feeling of being able to play with friends like this was just too good!

Xu Jing naturally understood Xu Chengjin’s feelings. The smile on her face never faded. Seeing the three walk away, she took out her phone to have someone book a restaurant, but in the next second, a call came in. After answering, she had just said, “This is Xu Jing…”

In the next instant, her pupils shook with shock, and the color drained from her face.

Xu Chengjin had no idea what had happened. They had just reached an attraction and were about to enter when they were stopped by Xu Jing’s shout: “Xiaojin!”

Xu Chengjin turned around blankly. The next moment, she heard Xu Jing say:

“Dad was in a car accident—”