Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Qiao Xi Received Treats Every Day…

Qiao Xi received treats from Shen Ya every day, and Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian also benefited. Unfortunately, the time she could spend with Shen Ya each day was limited. She also wanted to sneak out and stay with Shen Ya every night, but with so many eyes watching, once or twice was acceptable, but non-stop rule-breaking might lead to other problems if discovered by others.

Anyway, summer vacation was just a few months away. She would immediately apply for off-campus housing when the second year of university started.

Seeing Shen Ya for just ten minutes a day didn’t alleviate Qiao Xi’s longing; it intensified it. This weekend, she was determined to go back to Shen Ya’s place. Since she had spent last weekend with her mothers, it was fine not to return. For her grandmother’s side, she first sent a message to her aunt:

[Auntie, I’ll be with Teacher Shen this weekend, so I won’t be coming back.]

She figured since she messaged the Fang family, she might as well send one to her mothers just in case: [Mom, I’m going to Shen Ya’s this week, so I won’t be coming back. If my sisters ask, please say I’m busy with other things at school.]

Confident that everything was covered, she just waited for school to end on Friday.

On Friday, Qiao Xi had been thinking about picking up Shen Ya from work after school since noon. When the time arrived, she was the first one out of the classroom.

Qiao Xi went back to the dorm to drop off her things and took out her phone, ready to call a ride-hailing car. She planned to eat in the city center tonight. The restaurant from the New Year’s dinner had good food, and she wondered if she could still reserve a private room.

Just as she took out her phone and opened the ride-hailing app, Shen Ya’s call popped up. Qiao Xi said, “Huh,” and answered: “Teacher Shen?” Shen Ya should still be teaching at this time. Why was she calling?

“Class is over, right?”

“I’m in the dorm, about to leave. Aren’t you at work, Teacher Shen?”

“Come down. I’m downstairs at your dorm.”

Qiao Xi was surprised. Although full of questions, she didn’t delay since she would see Shen Ya right away. When they met, she would naturally find out why Shen Ya was looking for her now.

Exiting the dorm building, Qiao Xi saw Shen Ya at their usual spot. The temperature had risen these past few days, so Qiao Xi was only wearing a light jacket. Shen Ya wore a light brown trench coat and short boots. Today, she had filled in her eyebrows and applied a light layer of lip balm, making her lips look very hydrated.

“Teacher Shen!”

Qiao Xi rushed into Shen Ya’s arms as usual, rubbed her head against Shen Ya’s neck, and then looked up: “Teacher Shen, why are you here now? I was planning to pick you up from work.”

“I came to pick you up.” Shen Ya patted her head. “Let’s go. We’ll be late.”

“Late for what? Where are we going?”

Shen Ya took Qiao Xi’s hand and led her towards the parking lot: “You’ll know when we get there.”

The more Shen Ya kept silent, the more curious Qiao Xi became.

Settling into the car and buckling her seatbelt, Qiao Xi asked again after Shen Ya stepped on the gas and started the car: “Didn’t you work today, Teacher Shen?”

“I took time off. My colleagues often cover for me, so it’s easy for me to ask them to cover my classes now.”

“Oh.” Qiao Xi nodded. “Teacher Shen, where exactly are we going?”

Knowing Qiao Xi would keep asking questions, Shen Ya still kept it a secret. She only said: “Guess?”

So mysterious. Qiao Xi asked: “Is there a reward for guessing correctly?”

“Yes.”

Qiao Xi straightened up and asked curiously: “What is it?”

Shen Ya curved her lips into a subtle smile. Instead of telling Qiao Xi, she said: “There will be a penalty for guessing wrong.”

This time, Qiao Xi didn’t ask what the punishment was. After all, the previous penalties were always similar: either Shen Ya spanked her two times, or she was thoroughly exhausted in bed. Either way, Qiao Xi considered both a reward.

But she couldn’t say directly that she wasn’t afraid of the punishment, or Shen Ya would surely laugh at her.

“Why aren’t you asking anymore?” Shen Ya teased: “Doesn’t Xiao Xi want to know what the punishment is?”

Qiao Xi could clearly see Shen Ya was intentionally teasing her. She gave Shen Ya a resentful look, but the other person was driving, staring straight ahead at the road, completely oblivious to her frustration.

“Teacher Shen is very naughty,” Qiao Xi muttered. But her voice lacked any authority, sounding less like a scolding and more like she was pouting and wanting to be spoiled.

The curve of Shen Ya’s lips deepened, and her eyes sparkled with amusement.

Qiao Xi felt wronged. Shen Ya was getting naughtier and naughtier. She was nowhere near the dull, honest person she used to be. She regretted ever thinking Shen Ya was a block of wood. If Shen Ya was a block of wood now, it was a black one, cut open to reveal a dark core.

She decided to ignore Shen Ya for the time being. She knew the roads, and there were only a few places they could be going. She would figure out their destination along the way.

Qiao Xi’s idea was good, but Shen Ya drove onto the highway. Watching the toll booth slowly receding in the rearview mirror, she glanced toward the airport direction. Could Shen Ya be taking her to another city?!

When the car drove into the airport parking lot, Qiao Xi gasped. Even after getting out of the car, she still thought this might be a group activity and expected to see Fang Moyao and Zhou Ziqian soon, but she was wrong again.

She saw Shen Ya take two suitcases from the trunk, hand one to her, and then take out both their IDs from her handbag. It wasn’t until Qiao Xi confusedly received the plane tickets that she finally understood the destination of this trip.

“Zhoucheng?” Qiao Xi sat in the waiting area: “Are we going alone?”

“Does Xiao Xi want to go with other people?”

“Of course not, it’s just…” She noticed Shen Ya giving her a cool, commanding side-eye, making her feel like she’d been caught daydreaming by her homeroom teacher in a high school class. “I was just a little surprised.”

Qiao Xi rested her head on Shen Ya’s shoulder: “Teacher Shen, what made you decide to take me to Zhoucheng?”

“We missed each other in Zhoucheng during the New Year, and I felt it was a pity.” Shen Ya put her arm around Qiao Xi’s shoulder, leaned down, and kissed her head: “Besides, we’ve never traveled alone before, have we?”

“Don’t you like this arrangement?”

“Of course not!” Qiao Xi lifted her head and sat straight. “I’m just so surprised. I didn’t expect Teacher Shen to plan a trip without telling me. I thought Teacher Shen was…”

Qiao Xi didn’t finish the rest of the sentence.

“Thought what?”

Shen Ya raised an eyebrow, staring at Qiao Xi’s face. Only when Qiao Xi’s head lowered more and more did Shen Ya smile meaningfully and complete Qiao Xi’s unfinished sentence: “You thought Teacher Shen was a block of wood.”

Qiao Xi, whose secret thoughts were exposed, felt her face burning, but she still argued: “I never said that.”

Shen Ya laughed. She took Qiao Xi’s hand, threading her fingers through Qiao Xi’s so their hands were tightly clasped. “We haven’t been able to talk properly for over a week. I missed you too.”

These gentle words made Qiao Xi’s body tingle as if she had been touched by electricity. She tightened her grip on Shen Ya’s hand. The warmth of their palms exchanged and quickly melted into each other’s bodies.

As night fell, a silver wing streaked across the sky, leaving behind only a gradually fading sound.

Only the Fang family knew about Shen Ya’s trip this time, but to maintain the surprise for Qiao Xi, no one mentioned it. With Shen Ya and Qiao Xi gone, Fang Moyao and Zhou Ziqian naturally returned to their own home.

Meanwhile, the Jiang family, on the other side of the city, was under a low-pressure atmosphere.

Qin Shuyao had told her two mothers that she and Jiang Yunxi would be home for dinner tonight. The two Jiang elders weren’t used to having outsiders live in the house, so they didn’t have a live-in housekeeper. Usually, the two mothers ate out, and only cooked themselves when their daughters came home.

Today was no exception. The two mothers personally cooked, waiting for their daughters to come home from work.

Qin Shuyao and Jiang Yunxi worked together and usually went everywhere together. Today, as soon as they arrived home, their two mothers noticed the slightly subtle tension between them.

Normally, Qiao Xi, though the youngest, was the family’s mediator. Any awkward atmosphere would be dissolved by Qiao Xi’s laughter and words. But with Qiao Xi absent today, and the two mothers never heavily interfering in their three daughters’ affairs since childhood, they refrained from asking many questions, even if they sensed a disagreement.

Dinner started off fine. Qin Shuyao’s expression was normal, but Jiang Yunxi looked solemn. From the moment she greeted them until now, she hadn’t said a word. Even while eating, she kept her head down, looking preoccupied.

The two elders casually asked: “You haven’t had any problems at work recently, have you?”

Qin Shuyao spoke first: “No.”

Jiang Yunxi glanced at Qin Shuyao, then shook her head: “No, everything’s fine.”

“That’s good.” Jiang Zhiqing still brought it up: “If you have any issues, please discuss them properly in private.”

“Got it, Mom.” After saying this, Jiang Yunxi quickly looked at Qin Shuyao again. Seeing that the other person showed no intention of speaking, she frowned and shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth.

After dinner, Jiang Yunxi cleared the table, put all the dishes in the dishwasher, and came out after cleaning the kitchen and dining area to find Qin Shuyao sitting between the two mothers, talking. She sat down on a single-seater sofa nearby.

Qin Shuyao quickly scanned Jiang Yunxi with her peripheral vision and, in the middle of casually chatting with her two mothers, suddenly said: “Mom, Mommy, there’s something I want to tell you.”

Jiang Yunxi’s heart tightened, and she quickly tried to stop her: “Shuyao, come upstairs with me.”

Qin Shuyao ignored Jiang Yunxi. She took her two mothers’ hands and placed them on her lap: “Mom, Mommy, Yunxi and I have been together for over a year. We truly love each other and hope to have your approval.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Yunxi immediately stood up from the sofa. Her face was pale, and she opened her mouth several times but couldn’t make a sound.

The air immediately fell into an eerie silence.

Ten seconds later, Jiang Zhiqing forced a smile and gently asked: “What did you just say, Shuyao? Mom didn’t quite hear you.”

Qin Shuyao took a deep breath. Just as she was about to repeat herself, Jiang Yunxi took a step forward and quickly interjected: “Mom, Mommy, I love Shuyao. We’ve been together for a long time.”

“Nonsense!” Jiang Zhiqing’s face instantly changed: “Do you two even know who you are?!”

Jiang Yunxi had long anticipated this reaction from her mother, which was why she had been afraid to confess. But Qin Shuyao couldn’t wait any longer. She couldn’t stop her. Since Qin Shuyao had already made the choice for her, she would never stand back and be afraid to face it.

Jiang Yunxi knew she was the eldest sister in the family. No matter what happened, she should be the one to bear it. There was no justification for pushing her sister forward.

“Mom, Shuyao and I are not blood-related. We’re not even on the same hukou (household registration) book. If that’s the case, why can’t I be with her? Why can’t I love her?”

Qin Shuyao was two years younger than her. She first met Qin Shuyao when she was five years old. That was when Jiang Zhiqing told her she would have a sister. At that time, the same-sex marriage law had just been promulgated. The new system challenged old beliefs, so not many people chose to register their marriages back then.

Jiang Zhiqing later told her that as women, they would understand and support each other. Since they were living life together anyway, whether they had the marriage certificate didn’t matter. Therefore, the two mothers, despite being deeply in love for many years, never registered their marriage. Thus, she and Qin Shuyao actually had no legal kinship.

Jiang Zhiqing and Qin Yunxin knew Jiang Yunxi spoke the truth, but they had long treated Qin Shuyao and Jiang Yunxi as their own biological children. They couldn’t accept this reality immediately.

Qin Yunxin sighed and asked them: “Is it have to be each other?”

“Yes, it has to be Jiang Yunxi for me.” Qin Shuyao released her two mothers’ hands and stood up, walking toward Jiang Yunxi.

This time, she held Jiang Yunxi’s hand: “Mom, Mommy, Yunxi and I have no legal relation to begin with. Even if we take our IDs to register tomorrow, the Civil Affairs Bureau will approve it. I’ve loved her for many, many years. I can’t live without her.”

What more could the two mothers say? Since childhood, they had never scolded Qin Shuyao. Even when Qiao Xi made mistakes, she would be reprimanded, but only Qin Shuyao had been universally loved and spoiled by the family, always getting whatever she wanted.

At home, she had a loving mother, indulgent sister, and obedient younger sister. Qin Shuyao had never suffered or faced difficulties, which was why she was so proud, confident, bold, and assertive, never giving up on something she had decided on.

Precisely because Qin Shuyao spoke, the two mothers couldn’t bring themselves to use harsh words on her, but they still couldn’t accept it, at least not now.

Qin Yunxin sighed again. She stood up, didn’t look at the two of them again, and turned to walk upstairs.

“Mommy!” Qin Shuyao tried to stop Qin Yunxin, but Jiang Zhiqing blocked her hand.

Jiang Zhiqing’s face was stern: “Who was the one who initiated it?”

Jiang Yunxi: “It was me.”

Qin Shuyao: “It was me, Mom.”

After speaking, the two exchanged a look, and Qin Shuyao smiled subtly at Jiang Yunxi.

Jiang Zhiqing was furious. They were flirting with their eyes right in front of her. Did they even see her as their mother anymore?!

“Jiang Yunxi, come upstairs with me.” Jiang Zhiqing stood up and said this with anger, no longer wanting to look at the two of them. She turned her back and started walking upstairs.

When only the two of them were left in the living room, Qin Shuyao held Jiang Yunxi’s hand and said: “I’ll go with you.”

“No need. Just wait here for me. Mom won’t make things difficult for me. They just need time to adjust.” Jiang Yunxi patted Qin Shuyao’s hand to reassure her.

Jiang Zhiqing waited in the study on the second floor for quite a while before Jiang Yunxi finally arrived. As soon as she entered the room, Jiang Zhiqing coldly ordered her: “Close the door.”

Jiang Yunxi closed the door behind her. Although Qin Shuyao wasn’t by her side now, she was much calmer and more composed than at the beginning.

“Mom.” She approached the desk but didn’t sit down. She stood in front of Jiang Zhiqing. Her back was straight, and her facial features were slightly sharp, making her look much more valiant than Jiang Zhiqing.

“Slap!”

Jiang Zhiqing slammed the desk heavily and immediately scolded: “Even if you two are not blood-related, you’ve lived together for so many years! Don’t you have any sisterly affection at all? How can you distinguish what kind of feeling you have for Shuyao?”

“Mom, I’m not three years old. I’m 32 this year. How could I not distinguish love? Shuyao never called me ‘big sister’ since she was little, and I never called her ‘little sister.’ As long as I can remember, she’s always called me Yunxi. In our eyes, we’re more like childhood sweethearts, companions. I’ve had a crush on her for many years, and she’s also liked me for a long time. We only confessed to each other the year before last and officially got together at the end of the year. Xiao Xi and Yunyi know about our relationship. They’ve already accepted and approve.”

“Xiao Xi and Yunyi know?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Zhiqing closed her mouth and mentally muttered Qiao Xi’s name. She knew her two older sisters were together for so long and didn’t even tell them.

“Even so, Yunxin and I need time to accept this.” She understood the reasoning, but she couldn’t overcome the hurdle in her heart. She wanted to scold them, but seeing that her child was also deeply devoted, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Jiang Zhiqing felt irritated. She waved her hand at Jiang Yunxi: “Go, go. Until your Mommy and I accept this, don’t come back to bother us.”