The Sickly Fake Daughter, But a Beloved Darling of All - Chapter 80

Xu Chengjin’s condition was critical. The violent emotional fluctuations she had experienced in such a short period had caused her to fall into a deep, prolonged coma. A critical illness notice had even been issued at one point, and Xu Jing had kept watch at the hospital for several days without closing her eyes.

“Ah Jing.”

Mother Xu returned with food and set it down in Father Xu’s ward. “Has your sister woken up yet?”

She had lost a significant amount of weight over the past two days, and her lack of energy was apparent at a glance. “What did the doctor say?”

Xu Jing picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. Father Xu was severely injured and remained conscious for only short periods each day. The dark circles under Xu Jing’s eyes were so prominent they were impossible to miss. She took a sip of water. “The doctor said it should be in the next day or two. Her vitals have been quite stable these last two days. How is things on Jin Xi’s end?”

“That child has suffered so much. I visited the place where she used to live. That woman, Chen Fang, is her adoptive mother. According to her, someone delivered the child to her and gave her a large sum of money, but she doesn’t know who that person was.”

Mother Xu’s expression was grim. “The police have already intervened in the investigation. I plan to discuss officially bringing Jin Xi back into the family once your father is in a better state. We cannot let our child live as an outsider forever.”

“Mhm.” Xu Jing had not yet fully adjusted to the fact that Jin Xi was her biological sister. This shift in identity reminded her of the arguments she’d had with Jin Xi in the past…

“I’ve found a better apartment for Jin Xi for now. The matter of her returning home will have to wait until Xiaojin wakes up so we can discuss it. I don’t know why Xiaojin didn’t say anything before; if it weren’t for this car accident, I’m afraid it would have been a long time before we knew.”

There was no trace of blame in Mother Xu’s tone. “I questioned her too harshly back then; I’m afraid I scared her into thinking I was blaming her. Logically, given that child’s temperament, she shouldn’t have kept quiet out of fear. There must be some reason why she hid it until now.”

“Her health is poor; we must consider her first in everything.” Xu Jing set down her chopsticks and let out a silent sigh. “Is Jin Xi… coming today?”

“Yes. Since she has no classes on the weekend, I asked her to come over. I’ve had her quit all those part-time jobs; she won’t have to suffer like that anymore.” Mother Xu lowered her eyes to hide her complex emotions. “Her hands are covered in calluses, and her body still bears scars from being beaten by Chen Fang as a child. Da Bao, we absolutely cannot let Chen Fang’s family or the mastermind behind this go unpunished.”

“And this car accident was also intentional.”

Mother Xu poured a bowl of soup for Xu Jing, her voice slightly hoarse. “There have been a lot of people making petty moves in the company these past two days. Why don’t we take turns? If you don’t rest, your body will collapse.”

Xu Jing shook her head in refusal. “I won’t, Mom. I know my own body. You go ahead and do what you need to do; once we get through this period, everything will go back to normal.”

“Mom.”

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Mother Xu immediately turned around and smiled when she saw it was Jin Xi. “Come in and sit. Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

Jin Xi’s clothes were no longer simple or worn out. Mother Xu had bought her many well-fitting clothes and even arranged for someone to style her hair. She now carried an air of quiet elegance.

“Then let’s eat together; there’s enough for three.” Xu Jing quickly prepared lunch for Jin Xi. “Don’t worry about Dad; he’ll speak up if he’s hungry.”

Jin Xi nodded and pulled up a chair to sit between the two of them. “How is Xiaojin?”

“Still asleep. The doctor said it shouldn’t be much longer.” Xu Jing served a bowl of soup for Jin Xi, her gaze lingering on her with a subtle complexity. “How are things at school?”

“The same as before, no real changes.” Jin Xi took a bite of food. “A few classmates I’m close with noticed the change in my clothes and asked, but Wu Boran helped smooth things over and deflected their questions.”

Mother Xu nodded upon hearing this and offered unreserved praise. “That child from the Wu family is a good one. We should invite her over for a meal sometime.”

“Okay.”

Jin Xi gave a gentle smile. From her initial disbelief to her current state, she had slowly begun to accept—and even crave—this life. Mother Xu treated her exceptionally well, and though Xu Jing was still a bit awkward, she had begun to show genuine concern. The two of them no longer bickered.

“Let’s eat.”

Mother Xu’s appetite hadn’t been great lately. After finishing, she went to check on Xu Chengjin’s status. After the doctor confirmed everything was normal, she left the hospital. Jin Xi and Xu Jing planned to stay and watch over Xu Chengjin together. With help hired for Father Xu, they weren’t worried about him being unattended.

“Xu… Sister.”

Jin Xi called out to Xu Jing somewhat stiffly. Seeing the other stop in her tracks, she spoke up: “Xiaojin will be alright, won’t she?”

“She hasn’t woken up yet.” Xu Jing turned to look at Jin Xi, her brow furrowing slightly. “You don’t need to worry about us blaming her. To be honest, our bond with her is much deeper than it is with you. She is the one we raised and pampered since childhood; there are many things for which we simply cannot bring ourselves to reproach her. But Jin Xi, rest assured, you are part of this family, and we won’t let you suffer any more grievances.”

Jin Xi bit her lip, her voice softening. “I completely understand and I’m not unhappy at all. I just wanted to say that there must have been a reason why she hid the truth about our identities. After we met at university, she helped me a lot. You should be able to verify these things.”

“We did find out. It wasn’t just her; Si Yu was involved as well. She likely asked Si Yu to handle your family matters. But as for why she did it, we’ll have to wait until she wakes up to know for sure.”

Xu Jing continued walking. The ICU area was crowded, so they found a quiet spot to stop. “I’ll handle things here at the hospital; you just focus on school.”

“Xu Chengjin is very important to me.”

A slight smile played on Jin Xi’s lips. “I want to stay with her.”

Xu Jing: “…”

“Suit yourself.” Xu Jing didn’t push the matter further. She frowned as she looked out the window. “If you need money, just come to me. Don’t be timid about it; just be open. Once Xu Chengjin wakes up and stabilizes, we will likely go public with your identity.”

Jin Xi nodded, but a thought immediately occurred to her: “Then, what will Xiaojin’s status be?”

“We’ll decide that when the time comes. With two people sick in the family right now, those matters can wait.”

Xu Jing checked her phone. “Is there anything else?”

Jin Xi opened her mouth, hesitated, then finally spoke: “I feel like when Xiaojin revealed my identity that day, she was in a lot of pain. It was as if someone was forcing her to say those things. I don’t think she didn’t want to say it; rather, she seemed to be afraid of something. But in that moment, she also seemed unable to control herself. I’m worried that something happened that we don’t know about.”

“Are you sure?”

Xu Jing’s expression grew heavy. She scowled and let out a low “tsk.” “I understand. I’ll have someone look into it. Don’t worry.”

“By the way, Si Yu contacted me. She wanted to come as soon as she heard about Mom and Dad’s accident, but she couldn’t get in touch with Xiaojin. When she found out Xiaojin was sick, she kept wanting to visit. I thought I’d let her come today.”

Jin Xi felt a bit uneasy, as she had acted on her own initiative, but Xu Jing didn’t scold her. She simply patted Jin Xi on the shoulder and said, “Fine. Their relationship is much better than I imagined.”

“Mhm!”

Jin Xi nodded vigorously with a light smile, before quickly looking away.

Si Yu arrived in the afternoon. Xu Jing took her to see Xu Chengjin. Visitation time for family was limited to only thirty minutes a week. Originally, Xu Jing had intended to go in herself, but as soon as Si Yu arrived, she said, “I hope I can be the one to go in and see her.”

“On what grounds?”

Xu Jing’s face chilled. “You are just an outsider.”

“Xu Jing, your family has time every week, but I won’t be able to come often. Let me go in.”

Rarely did Si Yu’s voice sound so soft. Xu Jing looked at the unconscious Xu Chengjin and, after long consideration, finally agreed. She could sense that Xu Chengjin’s attitude toward Si Yu was different.

Ultimately, it was just her own sense of insecurity speaking.

But from now on, it would be different. No one would be able to stand in their way.

Si Yu didn’t know everything that had happened during this time. She put on the protective gear and waited for the nurse to let her in. Once inside, it felt as though all sound had been cut off. Xu Chengjin lay there silently, motionless on the hospital bed. Various instruments were attached to her; Si Yu couldn’t even imagine how uncomfortable she must be.

“Xiaojin.”

Si Yu stood by the bedside and forced a smile, trying to keep her tone light. “How did you end up in the hospital the moment I stopped watching you for a few days? Don’t you hate being in hospitals?”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come to see you these past few days. I thought you just didn’t want to talk to me. Once you’re better, we’ll go out and have fun together. I promised you, and I’ve been busy these days trying to clear my schedule so I can spend time with you. I didn’t expect your illness to be this severe.”

“You’ve lost so much weight. Once you’re a bit better, I’ll cook for you, okay? You need to eat more and gain some weight, otherwise, in the future, it will be easy to…”

Si Yu’s voice choked up. She blinked rapidly, trying to force back the tears. “Let’s not talk about that. I asked your doctor, and they said you’ll wake up soon. I’ll come every day from now on, so I hope you see me the moment you wake up.”

“Xiaojin.” Si Yu leaned down, wanting to touch Xu Chengjin’s hand. Just as she was about to, she hesitated, her hand suspended in mid-air. “We can’t have every reunion after being apart happen in a hospital.”

By the end, Si Yu’s voice had lost its composure. She took a sharp breath, struggling to keep from breaking down.

“My cat—”

She stopped abruptly. She noticed that Xu Chengjin’s heart rate had suddenly accelerated. Si Yu instinctively looked for a doctor, her face turning deathly pale. “Xu Chengjin!”

What was happening?

Si Yu stepped back. Just as she was about to turn and run out for help, she met Xu Chengjin’s weary gaze. Her feet froze in place. Her lips trembled, and tears fell instantly. She was speechless.

Thank goodness—

Xu Chengjin had awakened.