Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Qiao Xi Finally Made It Through…

Qiao Xi finally made it through to Friday. After her afternoon class, she had just finished tidying up her belongings and hadn’t even left the dorm when she received a call from Qin Shuyao.

“Xiao Xi, are you done with school?”

“Yes, just finished class. What’s up, big sister?”

Qin Shuyao was currently downstairs by Qiao Xi’s dorm building: “I’m here to pick you up to go home. Xiao Xi hasn’t been home for a long time. You should come home for dinner this week, right?”

Qiao Xi’s steps paused, and her face turned pale. She had already planned her date with Shen Ya for the weekend. How could her sister suddenly intervene? She frowned and wanted to refuse, but couldn’t utter a single word despite opening her mouth several times.

“I’m downstairs at your dorm. Where are you, Xiao Xi? I’ll come get you.”

What?!

Her sister had come to the school to catch her without saying a word! Luckily, Shen Ya was busy today, and Qiao Xi hadn’t left yet, or her sister would have made a wasted trip and might have gone elsewhere looking for her. There was no other choice; she could only resign herself to going home with her sister.

Speaking of which, after being recognized by the Fang family, she hadn’t been home for a while. She had promised to treat both families equally, and if she didn’t go back, her mothers might get upset.

“I’m in the dorm right now. I’ll come down to find you, big sister.”

“Alright. I bought you milk tea. We’ll go back to Mom’s place for dinner tonight.”

The call ended. Qiao Xi quickly sent a message to Shen Ya: [Teacher Shen, my sister came to school to drag me home. I won’t be able to see you tonight.]

Shen Ya probably hadn’t finished work yet, so she didn’t reply immediately. Qiao Xi didn’t dare to delay. Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian didn’t have afternoon classes and had already left after lunch. After locking the dorm door, she rushed downstairs in a flurry.

Qin Shuyao was wearing a long dress and short boots today. She held a cup of milk tea in one hand and was sending a message to Jiang Yunxi on her phone with the other. She was the same age as Shen Ya, and their figures were similar. However, Shen Ya was cold and aloof like a red plum in the snow, while Qin Shuyao was confident and proud, like the most dazzling white swan in the pond.

“Big sister!” Qiao Xi’s face lit up with a smile as soon as she saw Qin Shuyao. She happily ran over, gave her a hug, and then said in a sweet voice: “I was dreaming about you last night, big sister. I didn’t expect you to actually come pick me up today. Is this what they call a mental connection?”

“Always so sweet-talking. Did you really miss me?” Qin Shuyao sounded skeptical but was secretly pleased. She patted Qiao Xi’s back: “Take the milk tea. Let’s go to Mom’s house.”

Qiao Xi took the milk tea, inserted the straw, and offered it to Qin Shuyao to take the first sip.

“That’s enough, you drink it. It’s too sweet.”

Qiao Xi took a sip of the milk tea and held Qin Shuyao with one arm. She asked: “Where’s Dr. Jiang?”

“Working overtime.”

“Oh. I thought you’d wait for Dr. Jiang.” Talking about this, she suddenly remembered the previous situation: “Has Dr. Jiang thought things through?”

Qin Shuyao gave a cold “heh” and didn’t answer.

Qiao Xi understood from Qin Shuyao’s expression. It seemed her Dr. Jiang had once again run away at the last minute: “Then what did Dr. Jiang say this time?”

“What else could she say? It’s just asking me for a little more time.”

Qiao Xi laughed and, taking advantage of Jiang Yunxi’s absence, secretly complained to Qin Shuyao: “Dr. Jiang sounds like a irresponsible heartbreaker when she says that.”

Qin Shuyao also curved her lips, implicitly agreeing with Qiao Xi’s remark.

“So, are you planning to drag this on forever, big sister?”

“Of course not.” Qin Shuyao let out a breath through her nose, confident and bold: “I’ll give Jiang Yunxi one more week. If she’s still unwilling to act, I’ll take the initiative to clarify our relationship with the mothers.”

Qiao Xi was both surprised and not surprised by this. It was already remarkable that Qin Shuyao had endured for so long. Qiao Xi had thought she would come clean to their mothers much earlier.

Her eyes darted around, and an idea sparked in her mind. Why not take advantage of Qin Shuyao’s eventual confession to reveal her own relationship with Shen Ya to her sisters?

This way, her sisters would have to deal with the mothers and might not have time to bother her. Although this was a bit irritating, Qiao Xi didn’t care about that.

Qiao Xi returned to her own home. Shen Ya originally thought she would be spending the weekend alone again, but when she returned home after work, she saw Zhou Ziqian leaning against the front door, winking at her: “Finally waited for Boss Shen to return.”

Shen Ya stopped and frowned: “Something wrong?”

“Of course! I’m calling you home for dinner.”

“What?”

Zhou Ziqian yelled towards her own apartment: “Let’s go, Fang Moyao! Boss Shen is back.”

In a moment, Fang Moyao, looking sleepy, walked out. The two flanked Shen Ya, who had just emerged from the elevator, one on each side. Still confused about the situation, Shen Ya was inexplicably dragged back into the elevator by the two.

“Where are we going?”

“Home,” Zhou Ziqian said naturally: “Little Sister Xi went back to the Jiang family, so we’re going back to the Fang family for dinner today.”

“What?! Going back to the Fang family for dinner?” Shen Ya paused in shock, but she was already being led to the parking lot.

“But I haven’t prepared anything.” This was too sudden. How could she show up empty-handed?

“What do you need to prepare to go back to your own home?” Zhou Ziqian looked at her confusedly: “Oh, I know. Boss Shen hasn’t gotten used to her identity yet, right? Okay, to help Boss Shen adapt quickly, I’ll call you ‘Sister-in-Law’ from now on.”

As Zhou Ziqian spoke, she put her arm around Shen Ya’s waist: “Sister-in-Law.”

Shen Ya pulled Zhou Ziqian’s hand away and decided to ask the slightly more serious Fang Moyao: “Is it appropriate for me to go there so abruptly?”

Fang Moyao countered: “Why do you think it’s inappropriate?”

“I… I’m an outsider.”

“An outsider?” Fang Moyao opened the car door and got in. When Shen Ya was seated in the back, she said calmly: “We already consider you family, yet you still treat us like outsiders?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Shen Ya was clumsy with words and didn’t know how to defend herself. She saw a hint of Qiao Xi in Fang Moyao. Could it be that they were indeed family? Their mouths could always say things that left her speechless.

“Then what preparation do you need to go back to your own home?” Fang Moyao changed the subject: “Or are you implying that you don’t need to be close to us just because Xiao Xi isn’t around?”

“No, I absolutely did not mean that.” Shen Ya sat upright, her fingers slightly curled from nervousness. Of the three in the car, her expression was the most serious.

“From now on, come home for dinner on the weekends if you don’t have other plans. Once Xiao Xi makes your relationship official with the Jiang family, you’ll need to figure out how to balance your time between both families.” Fang Moyao’s tone was somewhat commanding. Although she looked lazy, she was still the eldest. No matter what, Shen Ya, despite being mature and independent, was a few years younger and should call her “sister.”

Shen Ya had never experienced familial affection since childhood, so all this was new to her. Fang Moyao’s words were essentially telling her to get used to the feeling of belonging to a family soon and to quickly integrate into this new family.

A warmth spread through Shen Ya’s heart. Although she had met the Fang family elders once, she was still anxious about visiting again.

When she arrived at the Fang family home and saw the normal family dynamics, she secretly observed and learned everything.

After meeting Shen Ya last time, Fang Hongjing had returned home and bought a few more things for Shen Ya with Zhou Ran. She had learned a little about Shen Ya from Fang Moyao and Zhou Ziqian—she was a poor child.

Shen Ya felt awkward at first arriving empty-handed, but she soon realized that no one in the Fang family cared except her. The feeling was as if a junior had been busy with work all week and was finally coming home for a family reunion on the weekend.

Infected by this family atmosphere, Shen Ya gradually relaxed, even without Qiao Xi by her side.

That evening, Shen Ya stayed at the Fang family home. Knowing that the Fang family had even prepared a separate room and bought new clothes just for her, even with her utmost effort to control her emotions, her eyes still reddened in front of everyone.

When Zhou Ziqian saw this, she teased her: “Well, well, well, a rare sight! The Iceberg Beauty shedding a tear. I must record this wonderful opportunity.”

However, she only said it, never actually pulling out her phone, let alone recording. Shen Ya quickly adjusted her emotions because of the joke.

Late at night, Shen Ya lay in the unfamiliar room, wearing the clothes the Fang elders had bought for her, feeling as if she were dreaming.

Fang Hongjing’s words to her that day still echoed in her ears. After dinner, Fang Hongjing and Zhou Ran had taken her out for a walk. They asked about her well-being the entire way and reminded her: “Come home often whenever you have time. Yao Yao and the others live across the street. We love having people around and having our children with us. If it weren’t so far from your workplace and Xiao Xi’s school, we would want you to live here.”

Shen Ya followed them, listening silently.

Zhou Ran then took her hand and told her: “Whether it’s the Fang family or the Jiang family, they are your homes now. Come back whenever you like, without any psychological burden.”

These words warmed Shen Ya, allowing her to put down her guard and sleep soundly, even in an unfamiliar environment.

For the two weekend days, Qiao Xi stayed with her mothers and sister at the Jiang family home, while Shen Ya stayed with the elders at the Fang family home. They could only chat via phone, but at night, they would video call when they were alone in their rooms.

On Monday morning, before Shen Ya left the Fang family for work, the elder gave her an insulated food container. Inside was homemade soup, intended for her lunch. Shen Ya did not decline this time, accepting the heartwarming gesture.

Having stayed at the Fang family for three nights, Shen Ya gained a lot, acquiring the long-awaited familial affection. She seemed to be enveloped in a new light, no longer so cold and aloof.

Over these two days, Fang Moyao and Zhou Ziqian subtly inquired about when she planned to make her relationship with Qiao Xi official with the Jiang family. Knowing they were still playing the “courting my lover” game, Fang Moyao suggested she take the initiative.

Zhou Ziqian sent her a compressed file, mainly filled with inappropriate and illicit content. Shen Ya outwardly showed disdain, but late at night when everything was quiet, she couldn’t resist the temptation to open and read it carefully.

She saw a sentence at the beginning of one file: The three must-do things for lesbians in this lifetime: cohabitation, having a cat, and seeing the sea.

Although she didn’t know why these three things, Shen Ya realized they had already accomplished the first two, and seeing the sea was supposed to happen during the New Year but they missed their chance.

Since she still owed Qiao Xi a confession, why not choose the seaside for it?

This would not only make up for the missed opportunity but also completely reassure Qiao Xi. With a plan in mind, Shen Ya decided not to delay, as the longer she waited, the more variables there would be.

To surprise Qiao Xi, she secretly booked a flight to Zhoucheng and reserved a room at the previous seaside hotel, planning to pick Qiao Xi up immediately after school on Friday.

For this, she even specially requested Friday off work.

In the following days, she continued to make and deliver snacks to Qiao Xi at school after work. One afternoon, she even returned home briefly to take Eleven to the pet groomer for a bath.

That evening, when picking up Eleven, she thought Qiao Xi hadn’t seen Eleven in a long time, so she brought the cat to Qiao Xi’s school.

Holding Eleven in her arms, Eleven garnered a lot of attention along the way. Whether it was due to the large crowd or Eleven recognizing the place where she was found, the cat was very curious about her surroundings. Although held obediently, her eyes were constantly observing everything around them.

Near Qiao Xi’s dorm, Shen Ya took out her phone with one hand and called Qiao Xi.

“Teacher Shen?”

“Are you busy? I’m downstairs at your dorm building.”

Qiao Xi thought Shen Ya was there to drop off food again. She said: “I just got back from the cafeteria. What delicious food did Teacher Shen bring?”

“It’s not food.”

“Huh?”

Shen Ya smiled: “You’ll know when you get here.”

Both were close to the dorm now. As Qiao Xi rounded a corner, she saw a familiar figure walking toward her.

Even though it was late and the light was dim, Qiao Xi recognized Shen Ya immediately.

She put away her phone and ran toward Shen Ya, the wind blowing her fringe. Arriving in front of Shen Ya, she saw Eleven, her eyes brighter than the streetlamp beside her.

“Eleven!” She reached out and took Eleven from Shen Ya’s arms, hugging and kissing Eleven: “Did you miss Mommy?”

Qiao Xi buried her nose in the cat fur: “You smell so good. Did you just have a bath?”

“Yes, I took her to the pet groomer at noon today and just picked her up.”

“Did Teacher Shen just get off work?”

Shen Ya nodded slightly: “I just finished work. I came straight here after picking her up.”

Qiao Xi asked: “Has Teacher Shen eaten yet?”

“Not yet.” Shen Ya said: “Auntie came over and made some dumplings today, so she asked me to come back and eat them tonight.”

“That’s great. I plan to apply for off-campus housing next year so I can eat home-cooked meals too.”

Knowing Shen Ya hadn’t eaten, Qiao Xi felt bad keeping her, but the meeting time was short, and she was reluctant to let her go. She could only hug Eleven and, under the cover of night, quickly kissed Shen Ya’s corner of the mouth before pulling away.

The kiss was fleeting. Doing such a thing in public made Qiao Xi both bold and shy. Even though she was the one who initiated the kiss, she was too embarrassed to lower her head afterward.

The kiss was short, but it allowed Shen Ya to catch the sweetness of it. She licked her lips, leaned in, and pinched Qiao Xi’s chin, lifting her head.

In the moonlight, she saw Qiao Xi’s face flushed, her eyes hiding the passion, boldness, sincerity, and bashfulness of youth.

“You kissed me, so why are you afraid to look now?”

The question made Qiao Xi feel awkward. She was indeed bold but also easily embarrassed, especially when Shen Ya became dominant. She would get even shyer.

“Little rascal.”

Shen Ya suddenly leaned closer, her breath brushing Qiao Xi’s face. Qiao Xi was visibly flustered, her eyes darting around, unwilling to settle on Shen Ya.

Qiao Xi heard a teasing laugh. The warm air enveloped her, as if even her heart was covered in Shen Ya’s scent.

“Did you miss me?”

Yes!

She missed her, of course!

She missed Shen Ya every moment!

Her thoughts couldn’t be contained, all exposed in Shen Ya’s eyes. The laugh became clearer, and she could feel Shen Ya’s body temperature.

Slightly damp lips pressed against Qiao Xi’s mouth. The kiss was as light as the evening breeze and as gentle as the moonlight.