Chapter 42: Not the Real Daughter
The moment she stepped out, she was swept off her feet.
Jian Yu instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
She looked up, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"You were in the shower for so long, baby. Were you deliberately avoiding me?"
Xi Yu’s eyes were red-rimmed, his long lashes still slightly damp.
The collar of his pajamas was low and slightly open. He must have just gotten out of the shower. The exposed skin was strikingly pale.
So pale it was almost blinding.
He looked like he wanted to give her the cold shoulder, but he forced himself to hold back, managing a tight smile.
"Baby, why are you ignoring me?"
Xi Yu glanced up from under his lashes, his voice soft and placating. "Baby, I’m sorry."
’I’m sorry, but I’ll do it again.’
’If Ling Yanzhi could pull that stunt, so could he.’
Jian Yu stared in shock at his captivating face, feeling a thrill of temptation.
"It’s... it’s okay."
’I feel like I missed something.’
Her fingers brushed past his earlobe, slowly tracing a path upward to the flushed corners of his eyes.
’He’s already acting so vulnerable. Shouldn’t I give him a little reward?’
’What was it the Matron said earlier?’
Jian Yu blinked and tentatively called out, "Ayue."
Xi Yu’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly lowered his head.
"It sounds so good when you say it, baby. I love it when you call me that."
He’d never been so aggrieved in his entire life.
He had wanted to disappear for a while to cool off, but he couldn’t bring himself to be so cruel and had pathetically come crawling back.
He never expected such a wonderful surprise.
He pressed his face into her hand, letting her fingers caress his eyes.
"Baby, can you say it one more time?"
Deep, husky, magnetic—his voice was utterly enchanting.
Jian Yu’s fingers curled slightly.
Just then, an undeniable force gripped her arm.
She turned her head to meet Ling Yanzhi’s gaze, which was so calm it was unnerving.
"And what about me?"
Ling Yanzhi lowered his gaze, holding a cup of goji and red date tea.
He repeated succinctly, "Baby, what about me?"
Both men had changed into pajamas, clearly fresh from a shower.
Xi Yu had the kind of physique that looked slim in clothes but was ripped underneath—a classic lean-muscle build.
As for Ling Yanzhi, his muscles were prominent whether he was dressed or not—more defined than Xi Yu’s, but not in the least bit exaggerated.
He exuded both a sense of power and raw sex appeal.
’Are they sure they’re not trying to seduce me on purpose?’
Jian Yu stared, mesmerized. ’Lucky me, getting to feast my eyes on this.’
She looked down at the hand Ling Yanzhi had on her arm.
His fingers were long and slender, his knuckles well-defined. He had a strong, somewhat sexy wrist.
A thrilling warmth spread through Jian Yu. Unable to resist, she reached out and took hold of one of his fingers.
Realizing what she’d done, she decided to "fish in troubled waters" and gave his finger an extra feel.
Meanwhile, she didn’t forget to say, "Let go. You’re hurting me."
She pushed him away weakly—all bark and no bite.
Ling Yanzhi loosened his grip slightly, completely ignoring her feeble attempt.
"Baby, you call him Ayue. What should you call me?"
Ling Yanzhi’s tone was coaxing as he looked at her dazed little face.
Xi Yu retorted indignantly, "Can’t you see she doesn’t want to?"
He now had the upper hand, putting Ling Yanzhi at a disadvantage.
’How could he possibly stand by and watch the other guy score a point back?’
Steam rose slowly from the goji and red date tea, veiling Ling Yanzhi’s expression.
Ling Yanzhi’s expression grew visibly dejected. "Be a good girl. Finish this before you sleep."
He released Jian Yu’s arm and held out the cup, his eyes downcast. "It’s alright, baby. I can wait until you’ve figured it out."
Jian Yu took the cup, her mouth slightly agape.
Xi Yu stared at him, shocked and wary.
Jian Yu hesitated.
She couldn’t resist. "Would it be weird to call you Yan Zhi? Do you prefer Ayan or Yanyan?"
Xi Yu froze, his face darkening as he gritted his teeth.
"Either is fine. You can call me whatever you like, baby." Ling Yanzhi’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
A faint smile touched his lips. "Though, I do think Yanyan sounds a little nicer."
Completely smitten, Jian Yu murmured, "Yanyan."
"Good girl," Ling Yanzhi murmured, leaning in for a kiss.
Xi Yu, who was still holding her, turned to the side, dodging the kiss.
The air suddenly fell silent.
Jian Yu could no longer see Ling Yanzhi.
The goji tea sloshed in the cup, nearly spilling on her.
’Health first.’
She lowered her head and took a sip of the goji tea. She still wasn’t used to the taste.
Xi Yu saw her frown, her face scrunched up in distaste.
"Is this stuff really going to work? I’ll have someone bring over some real medicine."
Ling Yanzhi came around and pinched Jian Yu’s cheek.
"The medicine works fast, but the doctor said her body can’t handle too much of it. He recommended traditional therapies for her recovery."
Ling Yanzhi straightened up. "Professor Lin’s medicine hasn’t worn off yet. Let’s wait a month and re-evaluate then."
Jian Yu’s ears perked up.
She agreed that Professor Lin’s medicine was excellent, but unfortunately, the ingredients were rare, and there was only one dose.
She’d heard it was effective on Awakeners, too. If it fell into her hands, many would probably consider it a waste.
"The Matron bought me some special medicine," Jian Yu said, taking a small bottle from her Space Ring.
She made a point to add, "She sent it a week ago. It’s a hundred thousand Star Coins per pill."
A week ago, the Matron hadn’t yet received their money.
A hundred thousand Star Coins a pill. While she might have earned a lot for the Matron, for her to be willing to buy such expensive medicine was a huge financial sacrifice.
Ling Yanzhi could tell she was making excuses for the Matron.
Even though it was her own earnings paying for it, he still smiled and played along. "Yes, the Matron really does dote on you, baby."
Xi Yu nodded.
Satisfied, Jian Yu lowered her head and continued to drink her healthy goji tea.
Xi Yu adjusted his hold on her, carrying her over to a nearby seat. "What have you found out about the Qin Family?"
"No leads on the necklace. It was too long ago; I can’t find any useful information."
Ling Yanzhi’s gaze sharpened. "However, I did some more digging on Qin Shen Yuan and Xie Li. I can confirm with one hundred percent certainty that they are not blood-related."
Jian Yu stared blankly, still holding her cup.
’Not blood-related?’
’But the female protagonist was so sure the Qin Family would acknowledge her.’
’Did Mrs. Qin have an affair? Are both she and Qin Xianzhao imposters? Was there never any real heiress or fake young master?’
’Yikes, that would be terrible.’
Ling Yanzhi added, "Xie Li and Qin Shen Yuan were married for half a year. They did have a daughter, who was switched with Qin Xianzhao. But their daughter didn’t survive to adulthood."
He paused briefly. "And before that, Qin Shen Yuan and his ex-wife never had any children."
Ling Yanzhi looked at Xi Yu. "Hasn’t Qin Xianzhao been assigned to your unit? You can ask him about the necklace he wears when you get a chance."
"Right," Xi Yu nodded.
His gaze drifted downward.
"If you can’t finish it, just drink a little. You’re doing great, baby. We’ll take it slow."
Xi Yu took the cup from her and put it away in his Space Button.
’This man was way too good at sweet-talking.’
Jian Yu felt her limbs go weak just from listening to him.
"It’s ten o’clock," Ling Yanzhi announced, right on schedule.
Jian Yu was carried to the bed and set down, and something was tucked into her arms.
"Your panda, baby."
One on her left and one on her right, they slowly lay down beside her.
Jian Yu sat up, stunned. "You’re going to sleep here together?"
"Mhm." Ling Yanzhi’s arm wrapped around her waist, gently pulling her back down.
Xi Yu reached out to catch her, letting her head rest on his arm.
One’s arm was across her stomach, the other’s was behind her back. Each man had claimed a side.
Jian Yu pulled her legs in.
Her face was bright red. "I don’t think this is a good idea."
Ling Yanzhi and Xi Yu said in unison, "We think it’s a great idea."
Jian Yu: "..."
’She instinctively forgot about all the other weird guys she’d known—the unattractive ones, the poor ones, the bad-tempered, low-class ones.’
’She’d never felt so popular in her life.’
’Two handsome men who met all her criteria, both fighting for her attention... this was the kind of thing that only happened in dreams.’
’What a sweet dream.’