Whoever Falls in Love First is the Dog - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: It’s Just a Pity—She Is Chen Yanxing, Not Xia Xinx i

As soon as Chen Yanxing finished speaking, the room fell into complete silence.

Shen Jingli frowned noticeably, glanced at Chen Yanxing, and sneered, “Shen Mengke?”

“Who else could it be?”

Chen Yanxing replied as she put away the phone and turned to return it to Lin Qian.

“Xixi has a girlfriend? When are you bringing her home for mom to meet?”

Chen Yanxing froze slightly at those words, her hand still extended.

The hospital room wasn’t small, but it wasn’t particularly large either. Just now, when the words “girlfriend” were spoken at the doorway, they had been said deliberately in a lowered voice—yet Xia Lingxuan still heard them clearly.

It was intentional, of course. But Chen Yanxing hadn’t really planned to come out in front of elders. She was afraid it might shock them.

Yet the two elders before her seemed completely unfazed, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Chen Yanxing withdrew her hand and sat down casually. “In a few days.”

Hearing that, Xia Lingxuan immediately brightened up—because Chen Yanxing hadn’t denied calling her “mom,” and was even willing to bring her girlfriend home to meet them. That, in her eyes, was an indirect acknowledgment.

“Aunt Xia, long time no see!”

While speaking, Shen Jingli and Xia Jihe entered the room. Xia Jihe closed the door behind them, and Shen Jingli approached to glance at Chen Yanxing, then turned to Xia Lingxuan. “Aunt Xia, how are you lately? Is the new doctor helping?”

Xia Lingxuan nodded, smiling up at her. “Thanks to you—for saving Xixi and Jihe, and finding someone to help with my leg.”

“No worries. If there’s one thing I have plenty of, it’s connections. Aunt Xia, if you ever need anything, just ask me.”

As she spoke, Xia Jihe had already pulled a chair over for Shen Jingli to sit on. The moment Shen Jingli sat, she looked up and met Chen Yanxing’s eyes, offering a slight smirk.

Chen Yanxing quickly looked away and pursed her lips uncomfortably. Ever since she woke up, Shen Jingli had shown nothing but hostility, making it hard for Chen Yanxing to feel any warmth toward her.

“She saved me?”

Chen Yanxing had caught on to the key point in the conversation and looked at Shen Jingli in disbelief. Shen Jingli simply smiled.

“I was in Yuncheng—you know that. I was just on a call when the accident happened, so of course I rushed over.”

Chen Yanxing didn’t respond to that. In the brief silence, Xia Lingxuan took the chance to interject, “Xixi, let me formally introduce you. This is Jihe—your cousin—and this is Jingli, Jihe’s girlfriend.”

Xia Lingxuan spoke so casually that it took Chen Yanxing a moment to process what she had just said. It wasn’t until the words “girlfriend” sank in that she fully realized: in the Xia family, being gay wasn’t unusual.

She looked at Xia Lingxuan again. Judging by appearances, Xia Lingxuan seemed like she’d be even more rigid than Chen Zhiyu…

Indeed, appearances can be deceiving. But with this realization, the original plan of using Shen Mengke’s role as a girlfriend to pressure the Xia family into rejecting her was clearly no longer viable.

She’d have to think of something else.

As Chen Yanxing remained lost in thought, Xia Lingxuan had already started opening a gift box she had just received.

“I ran into Li Miao downstairs just now—seems she was here to visit someone. When she saw me, she handed me this box of pastries.”

“Li Miao? From Chen Group?” Xia Jihe walked over to help her open the box, casually chatting. “Zhang Xiuzhu went to their company to discuss business recently and got stabbed—he’s in the hospital now.”

Xia Lingxuan froze mid-motion. “Stabbed?”

Xia Jihe nodded. “Love affair gone wrong—some ex, apparently… What is this?” She peered at the contents of the box with confusion.

Xia Lingxuan frowned too. “What kind of thing is this? She had the nerve to gift this?”

Lin Qian chuckled from the side. “Madam, that’s from Cloud Pastry House. It’s super trendy right now.”

Xia Lingxuan looked up, puzzled. “It just looks like ordinary pastries.”

Shen Jingli laughed. “Aunt Xia, it’s a trendy restaurant—most of their stuff is artificially colored and doesn’t taste great.”

Xia Lingxuan immediately shoved the box into Lin Qian’s hands. “Exactly. I was going to give it to Xixi to eat.”

Then she turned her gaze back to Chen Yanxing. “Xixi, is there any kind of pastry you like? Mommy’s good at baking!”

Just as Lin Qian was about to throw the box out, Xia Jihe took it from her. “Auntie, I’m heading to work.”

Xia Lingxuan nodded. Xia Jihe glanced at Shen Jingli. “You’re coming with me.”

Shen Jingli pouted in protest but still stood up. “Aunt Xia, I’ll be going too.”

“Alright, come visit anytime.”

Shen Jingli smiled, then looked at Chen Yanxing. “I’ll come visit you again, cousin~”

Chen Yanxing shuddered at that final word. She looked away and said coldly, “No need. I’m not into sweets.”

“What about your girlfriend? What does she like to eat?”

“She…” Chen Yanxing hesitated, then said, “She’s not picky. She likes anything that tastes good—except peanuts.”

Xia Lingxuan smiled. “Lin Qian, got that?”

“Got it, Madam. Don’t worry.”

The truth was, Chen Yanxing didn’t know what Shen Mengke really liked. From what she had seen, aside from avoiding peanuts, she ate everything.

Thinking of Shen Mengke again, she suddenly remembered the phone call earlier. She had hung up so abruptly—she hadn’t explained anything properly.

She turned to Lin Qian. “I’d like to make another call.”

Lin Qian immediately handed the phone over with both hands, but this time, the call didn’t go through.

Shen Mengke frowned at the screen as it dimmed again.

So rude! Chen Yanxing was unbelievably rude!

After confirming the number was a scam call, Shen Mengke had blocked it and tossed the phone aside before heading downstairs.

Someone was still waiting for her.

Shu Yun looked up with a smile as she came down. “Yin Zhi just said he wants to tweak a scene. He’s waiting for you.”

“Huh? What scene?” Shen Mengke hurried down and sat beside Shu Yun. On the coffee table in front of them was the revised script for Wen Xin.

Since Shu Yun took over the project, Wen Xin had gone through major changes—from actors to the script. But the new screenwriter, Yin Zhi, was indeed talented. He made an already impressive script even more compelling.

According to Shu Yun, Yin Zhi was a fresh college graduate she met while traveling abroad.

Shu Yun believed the market belonged to young people. Ever since Yin Zhi received the script, he had fearlessly restructured it, enhancing emotions and adding characters—without disrupting the original plot.

Perhaps it was a generational thing. Director Qing’s version had focused more on plot, sometimes overlooking secondary characters’ emotional arcs. Yin Zhi’s rewrite made every character’s feelings feel justified.

The lead actress had also changed—from Xu Shinei to Shu Yun herself, and Shen Mengke was acting alongside her in this drama.

It was their first contract together, and Shen Mengke was taking it seriously.

Upstairs, the phone that had been tossed onto the bed buzzed non-stop—but downstairs, the three of them were enjoying an animated discussion.

It wasn’t until evening that Shen Mengke received a call from Chen Yanxing again.

After sending Shu Yun and Yin Zhi off, Shen Mengke had showered and returned to her room. Just as she sat down, the phone rang again.

The number was from Mingcheng—but a different one.

“It’s me.”

Shen Mengke put the call on speaker, tossing the phone aside as she dried her hair at the vanity.

“Get to the point,” she said.

“Yeah. Don’t come to Mingcheng.”

Shen Mengke paused mid-motion, frowning into the mirror. “Are you messing with me?”

Not that she had actually planned on going.

“No. They’re coming to Jiangcheng to see you.”

“They?”

“My… birth mother.”

Some things can’t be explained in a few words. But some ideas can be conveyed in one sentence.

Shen Mengke listened quietly. She quickly pieced together the logic.

Chen Yanxing wasn’t the biological daughter of the Chen family. She was now the only daughter of the Xia family, but didn’t want to acknowledge them. So she simply admitted she was gay in front of them. She thought the Xia family would be as conservative as the Chen family. She even wanted Shen Mengke to show up in Mingcheng as her girlfriend to help drive a wedge.

Who would’ve guessed the Xia family was so accepting? Xia Lingxuan even wanted to send Shen Mengke a gift.

So Chen Yanxing changed tactics, claiming Shen Mengke was arrogant and refused to come—prompting Xia Lingxuan to suggest they visit her in Jiangcheng instead and combine the trip with a surgery consultation.

Now, Chen Yanxing wanted Shen Mengke to act like an overbearing, parasitic girlfriend, while she herself played the loyal and thoughtful one—hoping that would make the Xia family reject her.

After all these years, what kind of mother would want to accept a daughter who didn’t grow up with her and was full of “bad traits”?

Chen Yanxing’s plan was sound. Shen Mengke, though skeptical, agreed—for the sake of their contract.

“When are they coming?”

“Tomorrow.”

Xia Lingxuan was so involved in Chen Yanxing’s affairs that after confirming her health was stable, she immediately had her discharged.

At home, she prepared an entire floor as a room for her. Decorated in soft pink and blue hues, it was romantic and cozy.

Chen Yanxing had never lived in such a room before. She stood in the doorway, hesitant to enter.

This room had been prepared for Xia Xinx i—but she wasn’t her. Biologically, yes. Emotionally, no.

“Xixi, don’t you like it?” Xia Lingxuan looked up at her.

“Uh… no, it’s not that.” Chen Yanxing hesitated, unsure how to explain.

“This room has been designed by Madam for years,” Lin Qian said from behind. “Normally, it would reflect your preferences, but since you’ve been in the hospital, we had to make do. Any changes you want, we can make later.”

Chen Yanxing’s feelings were a whirlwind.

How could living in a room like this be called “making do”?

She scanned the spotless room. Famous paintings adorned the walls. Plush toys filled the bed and couch. Every living convenience was thoughtfully arranged—including a piano tucked in one corner.

Noticing her lingering gaze, Lin Qian added, “You might’ve forgotten, but you took piano lessons when you were very little.”

Xia Xinx i was supposed to grow up in a loving home like this. What kind of person would she have become?

Graceful, intelligent, well-mannered? She certainly wouldn’t have met Shen Mengke…

It’s just a pity—she is Chen Yanxing, not Xia Xinx i.