The Sickly Girl Becomes a Scum Alpha - Chapter 39

Chu Ci didn’t know if she should tell Jian Sui the truth—that her adoptive parents had lied even about her being “picked up,” when she had actually been stolen by them.

Such a malicious act was enough to cancel out the only kindness they had ever shown Jian Sui. However, explaining how she knew would be difficult.

After some thought, Chu Ci decided not to say anything for the moment. Jian Sui definitely had to know, but she would wait to have someone investigate it first, then let the truth reach Jian Sui through a third party.

While Chu Ci was hesitating, Jian Sui was watching her. Chu Ci simply couldn’t hide things in her heart; everything was written on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

Hearing her voice, Chu Ci snapped back to reality. She pondered for a second. “Jian Sui, do you want to find your biological parents?”

Jian Sui froze, her expression complex. Chu Ci quickly added, “I’m just asking casually. You don’t have to answer.”

“No, I just haven’t thought about that question in a long time.” Jian Sui reminisced. “When I was little, they always said my parents didn’t want me because I was disobedient—that I was a bad child and they threw me away. Growing up, it wasn’t that I never felt resentful about why I was the one abandoned. But later, I let it go. They gave me life and let me grow up; at most, we’re just even. As for finding them, I think I’ll pass.”

As a child, Jian Sui had wondered if her life, so different from her peers, was because she wasn’t biological, but she realized as she grew up that wasn’t it. Anyone has the right to be loved; it was just her bad luck to have encountered poor adoptive parents. It wasn’t her fault they didn’t love her.

As for her biological parents, she had once hoped they would suddenly appear to rescue her from her misery, and she had resented them for the abandonment. But later she felt that any expectation was better placed on herself, and resentment changed nothing.

Now, even if she could find them, it wasn’t important to her anymore. Even if found, they would just be strangers related by blood; it held no meaning. The original abandonment had already signaled that both sides were unrelated.

Chu Ci listened intently. She finally understood why Jiang Xun called Jian Sui’s mind exceptionally strong. Surviving such a demeaning environment was hard enough, yet Jian Sui had grown into such an excellent person.

“Maybe you weren’t abandoned. Your adoptive parents might have said that just to keep you down. Even the story of how you came to their house might not be what they say. After all, they don’t look like the kind of people who would kindly adopt a random child from the street.”

Unable to speak plainly, Chu Ci could only drop subtle hints. At the very least, she wanted Jian Sui to know she wasn’t truly abandoned.

Jian Sui looked at her quietly. “Do you want to help me find them?”

“Since we’re handling the legal severance of your relationship with them, I thought if you wanted to look, we could. It’s primarily up to your wishes.”

If Jian Sui firmly disagreed, Chu Ci wouldn’t force it. Whether they looked or not, it was all for Jian Sui’s sake.

The back of the car was silent for a long time. Truthfully, Jian Sui had no expectations left for her biological parents, but looking at Chu Ci, who was always thinking of her, she couldn’t bear to refuse.

“Actually, looking for them is fine. Like you said, maybe they didn’t abandon me on purpose?”

Jian Sui finally agreed.

Chu Ci breathed a slight sigh of relief. “Don’t worry. Even if we find them, whether you acknowledge them or not is up to you. I just want you to know you weren’t abandoned.”

Even though Jian Sui had come to terms with it herself, Chu Ci still wanted her to see the truth.

At this moment, Jian Sui wasn’t even thinking about her biological parents. Looking at Chu Ci’s earnest eyes, she suddenly felt an impulse to ask: So you will never abandon me or leave me, right?

Just as the words were on the tip of her tongue, Chu Ci’s phone rang.

The atmosphere in the back seat was instantly shattered. Chu Ci glanced at her phone; it was Cao Xi.

“It’s done! It’s done! The shareholders’ meeting is tomorrow, Monday. Shengyun Investment is yours!” Cao Xi’s excited voice blared through the phone as soon as the call connected.

“Tomorrow?” Chu Ci was surprised. It was that fast?

“Yes! From what I know, Zhao Zhu’s flight is tonight. She’s way more anxious than I am. I just showed a bit of hesitation, and she immediately dropped the price significantly. She threw it at me like a hot potato. Then, when I subtly leaked to the other shareholders that the major shareholder was cashing out to run away, everyone else dumped their shares too. Heavens, this simple joy is so fulfilling!”

Cao Xi bragged triumphantly. She had been playing a double agent on both sides, hiding her identity from Zhao Zhu while acting her heart out for Qian Quan and the others. Finally, she could close the net! Now that everything was set in stone, she couldn’t tell anyone else, so she had to call Chu Ci to share.

Chu Ci understood Cao Xi’s hard work. “You’ve worked hard. I’ll treat you to a big meal later to reward our great hero, Cao Xi.”

“Then I’m definitely going to fleece you for a feast!” Cao Xi’s excitement calmed down as she got back to business. “Everything is arranged for tomorrow. We’re just waiting for you, Chairman Chu. Can you make time?”

“I can. But maybe not as ‘Chairman Chu.’ I’m planning to give this company away.”

Chu Ci looked at Jian Sui. Jian Sui’s expression shifted from confusion to surprise; she seemed to understand something.

However, the one who was more unsettled than the person involved was Cao Xi. “What? No wonder you changed your mind! Tell me immediately which little vixen you’re giving it to! I, Cao Xi, worked my tail off to win this territory for you, and you’re just giving it away? You’re really pulling a ‘setting beacon fires to amuse a mistress’ move here!!”

Cao Xi was agitated, her piercing voice echoing in the back seat.

Jian Sui, realizing she was the “little vixen”: …

To be fair, she wasn’t angry. She even had trouble suppressing the upward curve of her lips.

Chu Ci rubbed her temples. “Listen to me. This is for Jian Sui.”

“Not even for her! Did she feed you some… goose?” Cao Xi’s machine-gun output stopped abruptly, ending in a literal honk of surprise.

Chu Ci couldn’t help but laugh out loud, which angered Cao Xi on the other end.

“Chu darling, you’ve turned bad! Why couldn’t you just tell me? You two transferring things from the left hand to the right hand counts as giving it away? You made me get excited for nothing, and you have the nerve to laugh!”

Amused by Cao Xi, Chu Ci looked at Jian Sui, who was also stifling a laugh. Her mouth worked faster than her brain: “Well, ‘setting the beacon fires’… it’s all for the sake of making the beauty smile…”

“Ahem, let’s talk about tomorrow’s arrangements. I want to complete the transfer directly.”

Braking her own thought, Chu Ci’s face flushed slightly as she coughed twice and quickly changed the subject.

Jian Sui also tucked away her smile, but her mood grew even more joyful. Such firm and direct choices made her never doubt Chu Ci’s heart.

Chu Ci and Cao Xi communicated the details for tomorrow’s plan. By the time they reached home, the call was over. Since Chu Xiong was on a business trip, Zhao Zhu was in Cantras, and Chu You had been sent to Zhao Zhu’s mother’s house, the massive home was empty except for the two of them, which felt much more comfortable.

Chu Ci was finally home after staying in the hospital for so long. She stretched comfortably and looked at Jian Sui. “To the study to talk details?”

Jian Sui had the same idea.

Sitting in Chu Ci’s study, Jian Sui looked at the documents for Shengyun Investment. Honestly, she was shocked. Hearing Cao Xi and Chu Ci talk so casually in the car, she thought it was just a small company Chu Ci was giving her to play with. But looking at Shengyun’s scale—compared to it, her Bamboo Dream Original was like playing house.

“This is too…” Jian Sui didn’t know how to describe it. It was no longer a matter of being expensive or not.

“Don’t be fooled by the surface. It’s actually a huge mess inside; you’ll have your hands full.” Seeing Jian Sui was about to refuse, Chu Ci handed her another document showing Shengyun’s current state.

Jian Sui fell silent after reading it. Why did she feel it was even more impressive? The fact that it could remain in its current state after Zhao Zhu’s meddling showed how incredibly solid its foundation was.

“There’s one more thing I want to make clear.” Chu Ci didn’t want to hide anything regarding Chu Xiong. They needed to cooperate to avoid being exposed.

“Go ahead.” Jian Sui waited after composing herself.

“My dad talked to me before. He wants you to return to the family and be a full-time housewife—meaning giving up Bamboo Dream,” Chu Ci said bluntly. “For the time being, you might have to endure some grievance. Let Zhao Rong and the others manage Bamboo Dream for now. You go to Shengyun Investment. This way, we’re following the old man’s wishes.”

Jian Sui wasn’t surprised by this, as Chu Xiong had approached her before. But what truly exceeded her expectations was that Chu Ci had given her Shengyun for this reason. Calling it “following Chu Xiong” was an extreme understatement.

“Leaving Bamboo Dream to Zhao Rong is no problem. I can cooperate and stay home, but I cannot take Shengyun Investment.”

If it was meant as compensation, Jian Sui absolutely couldn’t accept it. First, the compensation far exceeded the loss. Second, Chu Ci had saved Bamboo Dream during its last two crises. Without Chu Ci, Bamboo Dream would be gone; how could she possibly need compensation?

Chu Ci knew Jian Sui wouldn’t accept it easily, but there was no way she was taking back what she planned to give. It was just a matter of changing the approach.

Seeing Jian Sui’s persistence, Chu Ci took a sip of water. She was about to “act pitiful,” but the water went down the wrong way. A violent, earth-shaking cough erupted. She gripped the desk, her head down as she coughed heart-wrenchingly.

Startled, Jian Sui immediately stood up to pat Chu Ci’s back to ease the discomfort, but the coughing wouldn’t stop. At first, Chu Ci was simply choked, but the violent coughing triggered her fragile respiratory system and heart. It grew worse and worse.

Jian Sui panicked and was about to take her to the hospital. But before they could stand up, Chu Ci’s legs gave way. She slumped half-kneeling on the plush carpet and coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Chu Ci!”

This was the second time Jian Sui had seen Chu Ci cough up blood. The bright red blood on the dark carpet wasn’t as visually shocking as last time, but it made her even more terrified—it felt like the dark carpet wasn’t just soaking up blood, but Chu Ci’s life.

“…I’m fine, don’t worry.” After spitting out the blood, the coughing eased. Suppressing the sharp pain in her throat, Chu Ci placed her hand over the back of Jian Sui’s hand and comforted her softly.

“We’re going to the hospital.” Jian Sui’s hand trembled as she wiped the blood from Chu Ci’s mouth. Looking at her blood-stained lips, it felt like a flower blooming to its limit, exhausting its last ounce of life…

[Ding! Torment and Abuse progress +2! Current score is 34/100. Host, please keep up the good work!]

“Just have Jiang Xun come over. I know my own body.” Hearing the mental notification, Chu Ci wasn’t panicked at all. She took the opportunity to mention Shengyun again.

“Jian Sui, we both know the state of my body. The Chu family is too big, and there are too many people watching from the shadows. I’m useless… take Shengyun and use it as practice. Do it for my sake, please…”

Every word was grounded in reality. Even though Chu Xiong only had Chu Ci and Chu You right now, and Chu You wasn’t a threat yet, Chu Xiong had many siblings. Going back a generation, the main and branch families of the Chu clan were massive. These people seemed to be doing their duty quietly, but everyone coveted the Chu Group and the position of the family head.

Once Chu Xiong stepped down, Chu Ci’s only options were succession or death. Even if she wanted to stay out of the conflict, as the first-in-line heir, she was destined to be a target. No one would believe someone could be indifferent to such temptation. Only if Chu Ci was tough enough and capable enough could she suppress these “demons and monsters.”

But clearly, that was difficult with her body.

Chu Ci’s voice grew weak. She looked up at Jian Sui. The coughing had brought a rare flush to her face, her eyes were misty, and her lips were stained with blood—the sharp contrast against her transparently pale face made Jian Sui’s eyes ache.

Jian Sui accepted it. She would grow at the fastest speed possible. Only this time, it was harder than just standing by Chu Ci’s side; she had to stand higher and pull Chu Ci under her wing.

When Jiang Xun arrived, Chu Ci was being forced to lie in bed by Jian Sui. She could clearly see Jiang Xun grumbling as she walked in.

“Such a heavy grudge?” Chu Ci felt much better now, aside from some chest tightness and a sore, raspy throat.

“I know cases exist of people choking to death on water, but I didn’t think such an absurd thing would happen to my patient. Have you reached the point where you can no longer care for yourself?” Jiang Xun didn’t feel much about human life and looked forward to the autopsy, but the pathological development before death was also vital. Any external factor could cause a major deviation. Furthermore…

Sitting by Chu Ci, her hand paused while opening the medical bag. Jiang Xun didn’t know what it was, but she felt something in her was quietly changing. Perhaps it was rare to meet such a cooperative patient; she wanted Chu Ci to live.

No matter. Shaking her head, she took out the stethoscope, pulled back the covers, and listened to Chu Ci’s heart. After a careful check, there were no major issues. She just needed to be careful, have an IV drip, and rest for a few days.

It was getting late. Jiang Xun stayed by the bed watching her, while Jian Sui checked the time and realized it was almost past Chu Ci’s dinner time.

“I’ll go downstairs and prepare some food. Doctor Jiang, stay and eat with us. Thank you for tonight.” Jiang Xun wasn’t one to be polite and agreed immediately.

Jian Sui went downstairs. Chu Ci was drowsy, and Jiang Xun sat in the nearby chair reading Chu Ci’s medical history.

“Was your hobby extreme sports before?” One sentence from Jiang Xun scared off all of Chu Ci’s sleepiness. “Hmm?”

“Your health was so good before; how did it suddenly become like this?” Since the original host was an extreme sports enthusiast, she had regular check-ups. Every record showed that before this year, her health was excellent, even exceeding normal standards.

Chu Ci closed her eyes silently. How could she explain?

Actually, it was a good thing the original host’s body was so healthy; combining it with her own terminal-stage constitution was dangerous. The fact that Chu Ci could still appear like a normal person most of the time was already a miracle.

“Pretending to sleep?” Jiang Xun was a doctor; she saw through the clumsy disguise instantly.