Chapter 9 Stepbrother

Luo Xincheng didn't feel any aversion to visiting his seriously ill father in the hospital.

Although her parents divorced a long time ago, their divorce was not based on conflicts of interest or dramatic reasons such as lovers or illegitimate children. It was simply because they were incompatible and could no longer live together.

The two were in a business marriage back then, with no emotional foundation. They simply felt that the other's family background and appearance were similar to their own, and that they both had their own careers instead of being parasites on their families. After finding each other agreeable, they chose to get married in order to appease their families.

In the early days of their marriage, the two were quite polite to each other, so they got along well and had a sweet and harmonious period.

However, they are both inherently strong-willed and domineering, both at work and in life, and are used to giving orders. So, as they become more familiar with each other and their true nature is gradually revealed, the sparks between them become increasingly intense.

Normally things are fine, but once they disagree and have a conflict, it gets really bad. They're like oil and water, neither willing to back down, preferring to argue until the world turns upside down rather than admit defeat. Even after they had a child, their tempers didn't subside at all. At most, they would change the location of their arguments to try and avoid letting Luo Xincheng hear them.

It was Luo Anjiu who first brought up the idea of ​​divorce.

It is said that Wang Jinlin was very reluctant when he first heard about the decision. After all, it is rare to find a partner who is so smart and successful that he would never hold him back. Even if the two of them are incompatible and argue every time they meet, there is no need to give up such a rare business partner.

Then Luo Anjiu said painfully, "The thought of having to face your annoying, deadpan face for the next few decades makes me feel like my life is bleak. I get really angry when I see you now, and my blood pressure is so high. If this marriage continues, I'm afraid I'll die young."

Wang Jinlin: "..."

He dared not say it, but his blood pressure had actually risen considerably. Every time he went to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor would say that he had too much liver fire and advise him to be more easygoing and get angry less...

Therefore, for the sake of their own and their child's physical and mental health, Luo Anjiu and Wang Jinlin quickly notified their respective parents and lawyers to complete the division of property. Apart from a slight disagreement over the custody of their child, the two could be said to have divorced amicably.

After the divorce, Luo Xincheng lived with her mother, but she also maintained close contact with her father's side of the family.

He's busy with work and travels all over the world, so he doesn't have much time to spend with her in person. But every holiday, he would send her a large sum of money to check on her and show his concern. After returning from a business trip, he would also have his assistant send her gifts...

Even though he wasn't quite to Luo Xincheng's liking in some ways, it has to be said that he was already one of the few 'good fathers' in this circle. So when he heard that he had been admitted to the hospital, Luo Xincheng was genuinely worried about his health and sent a message to his father that night saying that he would visit him in the hospital the next day.

Dad: [I'm fine, no need to come over.]

Dad: [Your leg injury has just healed, it would be better if you rested at home.]

Luo Xincheng was somewhat dissatisfied, feeling that his refusal was too discouraging: [I'm very worried about you! I won't feel at ease until I see you with my own eyes!]

Dad: [...You're very kind, but tomorrow might not be a good time. How about you come over the day after tomorrow?]

Luo Xincheng keenly sensed something was wrong: [Why not tomorrow? Who will be there tomorrow?]

Dad: [...Who else could it be but your stepson?]

Upon seeing the words "stepbrother," Luo Xincheng couldn't help but chuckle coldly.

She took a deep breath: [Why should I have to adjust my schedule to match his?]

She then said, "[Let him come see you another day. Anyway, he's always very well-behaved, he'll definitely listen to you, right?]"

The chat box displayed "typing..." for a while. Luo Xincheng waited and waited, wondering if he was going to pass the problem to his assistant again.

So, in a fit of anger, he typed: [Where is he? Did he give his phone to his assistant again?]

Dad: [Okay, I told him to come the day after tomorrow.]

Hearing him say that, Luo Xincheng felt a little better, but only a tiny bit: [It's all your fault. I was in a good mood, but you had to bring up that sore subject.]

dad:[]

At this point, the chat interface suddenly fell silent.

A while later, a new private message popped up, with the contact name "Assistant Li".

Assistant Li: [Excuse me, Miss, Chairman Wang has a headache and his eyes feel dizzy when he looks at the screen, so he gave me his phone.]

Assistant Li: [What time are you planning to arrive tomorrow? Would you like me to pick you up?]

Luo Xincheng frowned: [Are you saying he's so angry with me that he doesn't want to look at his phone?]

Assistant Li hurriedly replied: [That's not true. It's just that Chairman Wang is getting old and can't stay up late anymore; he gets quite weak at night.]

Luo Xincheng: [...Alright then, tell him to get some rest.]

She paused for a moment, then continued, "[I'll go myself; you don't need to come pick me up.]"

Assistant Li: [Okay, Miss, you should get some rest too^^]

Luo Xincheng didn't reply to him again. She opened her father's chat interface, sent him a goodnight message, and then put down her phone.

The following day at noon.

Mia, the newly arrived life assistant, prepared lunch for Luo Xincheng.

"Madam said that drinking coffee on an empty stomach is bad for the spleen and stomach, so she only told the kitchen to make you some nourishing soy milk." As she spoke, she handed the warm soy milk to Luo Xincheng.

Luo Xincheng took a couple of sips of soy milk. "Has the fruit basket I asked you to order last night arrived?"

"We've arrived," Mia said with a smile. "Which car would you like to take today? I'll put the fruit basket in the car later."

Luo Xincheng unlocked her phone and started scrolling. "Whatever, you can just talk to the driver."

By the time we finished our meal, which was neither early nor late, it was already 1 p.m. when we went out.

"You don't need to come to the hospital with me. A SA will deliver clothes and a bag this afternoon. Can you help me pack them and put them in the cloakroom, and then you can go home after get off work?"

As they walked into the garage, Mia handed her a handbag, her smile radiant. "Yes, Miss!"

Luo Xincheng was momentarily blinded by the bright white teeth that she revealed when she grinned, and couldn't help but think to herself that her mother always chose mature, steady, and serious assistants for herself, so why did she choose such an enthusiastic one for her?

She's not good at dealing with this type of person...

*

The hospital where Wang Jinlin lives isn't far from the villa area where Luo Xincheng now lives, but today is the weekend, and traffic jams have wasted a lot of time.

She got sleepy halfway through the journey and fell asleep without realizing it. The driver woke her up when they arrived at their destination. She checked her phone and noticed that her father had sent her a message asking if she had left yet.

She yawned and replied succinctly with just two words: "[We're here.]"

Then he picked up the fruit basket and went into the hospital.

She walked unimpeded to Wang Jinlin's ward, pushed open the door, and took in the entire ward.

The window was half-open, and the afternoon sunlight slanted in, making the stark white ward bright and full of life.

Wang Jinlin sat pale-faced against the headboard, listening attentively to Assistant Li standing by the bedside reporting on his work.

Less than an arm's length away from Assistant Li, in the spot where his back was to the door, a blond young man was sitting in a chair, quietly peeling an apple.

Upon seeing that figure, Luo Xincheng's smile instantly vanished.

At that moment, the blond youth who heard the door open turned around.

“…Sister?!” He was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened in surprise. “You’re here! I was just talking to Dad about whether we would run into each other.”

He smiled, his eyes crinkling, his platinum-blonde hair swaying slightly, almost blending into the bright sunlight.

Luo Xincheng rolled her eyes in boredom, finally understanding why her father had specifically asked her if she had gone out.

“Sister?” she said calmly, but there was always a hint of sarcasm in her tone. “I don’t remember my parents ever having a younger brother.”

She casually handed the fruit basket and handbag to Assistant Li, who came to greet her, and gave the blond youth a nonchalant glance.

"Isn't it wrong to randomly claim kinship with outsiders, Xing Chenyi?"

The young man whose name was called froze, and subconsciously turned his head to look at Wang Jinlin on the hospital bed. Seeing that Wang Jinlin just rubbed his temples with a faint expression and did not show any other reaction, the young man's expression became even more unpleasant.

“…Sister is joking.” He forced a dry laugh, his tall frame shrinking awkwardly into the chair. “I still prefer the name Wang Chenyi…It’s really rare that you still remember the name I used so long ago.”

Luo Xincheng chuckled, "It must have been hard for you. You gave up such a rare and pleasant-sounding surname and turned around to treat such a rustic surname like 'Wang' like a treasure."

Hearing this, Wang Jinlin finally couldn't help but cough twice, "It's not that rustic, is it?"

Luo Xincheng sighed, then spoke with a sense of relief.

"Oh dear, luckily I have my mother's surname, otherwise, with the surname Wang, whatever I'm called sounds like I'm destined to go bankrupt as the weather gets colder."

Wang Jinlin didn't understand the outdated idiom "the weather is cold and the king is ruined," but he instinctively disliked the word "bankruptcy."

"Don't make jokes like this casually." His expression darkened slightly. "Be careful to avoid any ominous implications."

Luo Xincheng gave an indifferent "oh," then turned to see Wang Chenyi staring at her expectantly, but quickly lowering his head when she looked at him, looking pitiful as if he wanted to look at her but didn't dare to. The fire in her heart immediately flared up again.

"Why are you looking so pitiful?" she looked down at him and chuckled lightly, "It's like I've bullied you."

Wang Jinlin glanced at her hesitantly, then remained silent.

Assistant Li closed his laptop, focusing his attention on his nose and remaining completely still.

Seeing that no one was trying to smooth things over, Wang Chenyi, under Luo Xincheng's mocking gaze, smiled awkwardly and said, "That's not true. My sister is very friendly. It's just that I have a naturally melancholic look, so I often look unhappy."

Luo Xincheng was taken aback, but then laughed at his forced attempt to tell a lie. "Really? I thought I was some kind of fierce person, that you'd be so scared."

Turning to Wang Jinlin, she accused him, "Didn't I tell you to tell him to come again? You didn't actually tell him at all, did you? You just agreed to appease me?"

No!

Before Wang Jinlin could explain, Wang Chenyi quickly interrupted, "Dad told me last night, but I had a job scheduled for tomorrow due to some reasons, so my schedule is full for the next few days. I only have time to come to the hospital today."

He spoke earnestly and gently, "It's all my fault. Dad only found out about the changes on my end this morning. Sister, if you're really angry, just scold me. Don't be angry with Dad."

"?" Luo Xincheng rolled her eyes at him. "Who's angry with him? I'm only angry with you."

“And,” she corrected him patiently, “I’ve told you not to call me sister, why don’t you listen? Is my name so unpleasant that you can’t bring yourself to say it?”

Wang Chenyi lowered his head sadly and said dejectedly, "But you are my sister... Although you have always been unwilling to acknowledge my identity, I call you that just to express my closeness."

Expressing affection? It's clearly a provocation!

That green tea bitch, a stepson who insists on making himself sound like an illegitimate child...

"Expressing closeness?" Luo Xincheng clicked his tongue. "If you really want to be close to me, why didn't you bring a fruit basket to visit me when I was hospitalized after my car accident? What, is your closeness just lip service?"

"..."

The smile on Wang Chenyi's lips grew increasingly stiff, and the last trace of his composed demeanor seemed to crumble.

A note from the author:

It was supposed to be scheduled, but it was posted automatically instead. [Sigh]

It seems I haven't sent out any red envelopes since I started writing this post. [cat paw emoji]

Randomly selected items will be given away in the comments section! [cat paw]