Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Jiang Yunxi’s Expression Softened…

Jiang Yunxi’s expression softened. As she reined in her commanding presence, the atmosphere between them was no longer tense. Jiang Yunxi picked up the teacup and took a sip of the fragrant tea.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and the waiter wheeled in the serving cart. Dishes that were appealing in color, aroma, and flavor were placed on the table. Jiang Yunxi looked at the dishes and let out an emotionless chuckle: “It seems you really want to convince me today. You’ve done quite a bit of homework.”

“Yes, I did ask Jiang Yunyi and Fang Moyao.” The dishes on the table were not Jiang Yunxi’s favorites, but Qiao Xi’s usual orders whenever she came here. “Jiang Yunyi told me that every time you go out to eat, the dishes ordered are invariably Xiao Xi’s favorites. Even when Xiao Xi isn’t with you, you do it subconsciously.”

Over the years, Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao had become accustomed to this. To foster a harmonious relationship among their three sisters, the mothers rarely interfered in their affairs. From the day Qiao Xi was brought home, Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao learned how to care for a child. Although the family had a nanny specifically for Qiao Xi, whenever they were home, Qiao Xi would surely be attached to them.

Jiang Yunxi started eating, but Shen Ya showed no intention of stopping the conversation. So far, the situation was much better than she had expected, so she didn’t have to worry about not being able to discuss the past.

“I remember when we first started, we weren’t like enemies as we are now.” In fact, Shen Ya had forgotten many things, but recently, scattered memories had resurfaced: “We also had a period where we interacted like friends. When did everything change?”

Jiang Yunxi didn’t answer. She reached for the plate of food in front of her.

“It was when you realized that I seemed to be developing feelings for you, wasn’t it?”

Jiang Yunxi’s hand paused. Two seconds later, she continued her movement, still silent, perhaps deep in thought.

“I asked myself countless times whether you truly never developed any feelings for me. I couldn’t read you then, nor did I understand what the emotion growing inside me was, but now I’ve realized.” Shen Ya paused, giving a helpless smile: “You hid it too well, Jiang Yunxi.”

“We were both very young back then. You were holding a secret, and that secret left you confused and bewildered. It was at this time you met me. I actually don’t look much like her, but you thought I resembled her back then.”

Shen Ya took another sip of tea: “Later, you discovered that she and I were two extremes, but that coincidentally resolved your confusion. Unfortunately, you didn’t dare, and couldn’t, fall for her at the time.”

Jiang Yunxi had stopped eating at some point. Her fingers gently rubbed the rim of the teacup as she quietly listened to Shen Ya’s story.

“You originally wanted to continue being friends with me, but you found that I was like an emotionless machine, only passive, never fighting, never striving—not truly living like a person.” Shen Ya laughed self-mockingly at this point.

“You became stricter and colder. You thought that by provoking me, by crossing my bottom line, you could ignite my resistance and give me a personality of my own. Unfortunately, I was unreformable, like a puppet without boundaries. In the end, I disappointed you.”

Jiang Yunxi gently swirled her teacup, watching the rising steam. She curved her lips as if she had heard something interesting: “Continue.”

“You weren’t heartless toward me. You just couldn’t stand my self-pity and were frustrated by my lack of ambition. That’s why you gradually lost patience with me. Consequently, to outsiders, you seemed ruthless and cruel, even to people close to you.” At this, the gloom in Shen Ya’s eyes was apparent, and she gave a bitter smile: “It’s a pity I only realized this now.”

“Who analyzed this for you?” Jiang Yunxi asked: “Jiang Yunyi or Fang Moyao?”

But as she spoke, she felt something was wrong. She quickly shook her head, dismissing her guess: “It wasn’t them. I don’t like dealing with Fang Moyao; she wouldn’t understand me. Jiang Yunyi certainly doesn’t have the time for me. In her eyes, I’m probably just an ill-tempered, cold-blooded jerk.”

“I’ve been remembering things from the past two days and noticing details I missed before.” Shen Ya said: “Coupled with what Jiang Yunyi, Fang Moyao, and Xiao Xi have said, I vaguely realized that you are not as cold-hearted as everyone perceives.”

At this point, Shen Ya asked the one question she couldn’t figure out: “Why have you never explained yourself?”

Jiang Yunxi had always appeared to march to the beat of her own drum. She never explained anything she did, whether good or bad. She accepted whatever outsiders thought of her. In fact, Jiang Yunyi was similar, but she was milder, and her actions weren’t as extreme as Jiang Yunxi’s.

Thinking about it carefully, Jiang Yunxi seemed like the type to offer patience and help at first, but perhaps her methods were somewhat extreme. She seemed to favor breaking down before building up. Unfortunately, not everyone could understand her approach. When her patience ran out and she couldn’t discern their true intentions, she would completely lose interest, withdraw her help, and cease to care about their fate.

But there were always exceptions.

Like Qiao Xi, and like Qin Shuyao.

Everyone has favorites. Jiang Yunxi’s heart had long been split in two: half given to the sister she raised herself, and half to the childhood friend she grew up with.

A cold snort escaped Jiang Yunxi’s nose: “Explain what? A waste of breath.” She didn’t have that much time to care about such things. Few people in her circle were close friends. She didn’t care about the opinions of irrelevant people. Besides, no one ever said those harsh words to her face, so why should she care?

She had originally thought Shen Ya, like Shuyao, was a proud and confident person, and that her interest in the club circle was merely for relaxation and stress relief. Everyone has their little habits. Shen Ya never inquired about her private life, and she naturally followed the rule not to ask too much.

They had initially made a pact: no romance, just games. They had indeed gotten along well at first. She thought perhaps she and Shen Ya could become friends.

But later, she truly couldn’t stand Shen Ya’s character. She had subtly and openly mentioned it to Shen Ya many times. Those conversations were only known to her and Shen Ya. She did see Shen Ya making changes, but it wasn’t enough.

Perhaps Shen Ya had been stuck in the mire for too long. Although she wanted to break free, she always lacked the courage and perseverance. Just as she was about to take another step and offer a helping hand, she discovered Shen Ya’s heart had changed.

Shen Ya had actually violated their agreement. Or perhaps her proximity had led to a misunderstanding on Shen Ya’s part. She could have ignored it, pretended not to know, but if she reached out and pulled Shen Ya from the depths, and Shen Ya still couldn’t stand on her own, she couldn’t help Shen Ya for a lifetime.

Since no one knew her true intentions anyway, she decided to force Shen Ya’s hand in the most brutal way. She hoped to see the day Shen Ya emerged from her cocoon, but unfortunately, she lost that gamble.

The earliest memories had become blurred. All that remained in their minds were the cruel, painful, and unpleasant recollections. She thought she and Shen Ya would never interact again, but who would have thought she would encounter a completely transformed Shen Ya?

What exactly had happened during this past year and more?

Jiang Yunxi wouldn’t ask directly. Although she saw Shen Ya’s change, it was obvious it had to do with Qiao Xi. The thought of her sister being taken by Shen Ya still angered her.

She picked up her chopsticks again and served herself some food, her smile gone. She said sternly: “You’re paying today.”

“Of course.”

Seeing Jiang Yunxi like this reminded Shen Ya a bit of Xiao Xi when she was feeling put out. She couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, but when Jiang Yunxi’s gaze swept over, she immediately closed her mouth, pretending nothing had happened.

Jiang Yunxi snorted again. After a few bites of food, she casually asked: “Are your family matters sorted out?”

“Yes,” Shen Ya replied: “When you interact with more people and broaden your horizons, your mindset naturally shifts. That applies to Shen Qiuyu, and it applies to me too.”

She curved her lips, a hint of sweetness in her eyes: “Xiao Xi is wonderful. She showed me more possibilities and helped me find direction.”

“Oh.” Jiang Yunxi said coldly: “So you mean to say my previous methods were wrong.”

“There’s no right or wrong method. Perhaps it just wasn’t suitable for me.” Shen Ya was amused. This was the first time she could communicate with Jiang Yunxi so calmly and comfortably, and she was seeing another side of Jiang Yunxi.

Jiang Yunxi didn’t intend to talk about the past with Shen Ya anymore. She was here today to understand Shen Ya and Xiao Xi’s situation. She asked: “Where do you live now? Do you see Xiao Xi often? When did you get together?”

“After Fang Moyao and Xiao Xi reconnected, she let me live in her house opposite Jianglan University, so I live there now. I go to the school to see Xiao Xi every day after work. As for when we got together, it was around the New Year.”

So, it seemed Xiao Xi and Shen Ya hadn’t been together for very long. No, wait. Based on her understanding of Xiao Xi, it would take a long time for her to accept someone. This meant Xiao Xi and Shen Ya had been involved for quite a while.

Jiang Yunxi: “When did you and Xiao Xi start interacting?”

“New Year’s Eve last year. We met on the street, and after that, we couldn’t be separated.”

“You!” Jiang Yunxi pointed her chopsticks at Shen Ya: “Xiao Xi was still in high school last year, and you actually…”

“You misunderstand.” Shen Ya interrupted Jiang Yunxi, explaining: “We didn’t have those kinds of feelings back then. Most of our meetings were for me to tutor her. Our relationship only gradually changed after she started university.”

Jiang Yunxi breathed a sigh of relief. Good, Shen Ya still had some boundaries.

“Wait a moment, you said you live opposite Jianglan University now?” Jiang Yunxi caught an inconsistency: “Where did you live before?”

Shen Ya didn’t hide it: “Opposite the Girls’ High School, in Xiao Xi’s apartment.”

Jiang Yunxi nearly choked. The two had been interacting right under her nose for so long, and she hadn’t noticed at all. Not only that, she knew Fang Moyao would pull a trick like this. That person actually sneakily tried to steal her sister, quietly moving Xiao Xi under her own nose.

Jiang Yunxi was furious. She naturally didn’t have a kind expression for Shen Ya: “To be honest with you, even though I see you’ve changed, I still don’t feel comfortable leaving Xiao Xi with you.”

“I know.” Shen Ya understood. If Jiang Yunxi had been pleasant to her today, something would have been seriously wrong. “Even if I promise anything now, you won’t believe it. In that case, let’s leave it to time.”

Jiang Yunxi raised an eyebrow. Shen Ya was indeed different. At least the current Shen Ya didn’t annoy her anymore. “Shen Ya, if you want people to respect you, you must first respect yourself.”

The phrase sounded familiar. In the distant past, she seemed to have heard it from Jiang Yunxi before. But she was confused then. Hearing it again now felt like a signal from Jiang Yunxi—a reluctant acceptance, but one that still required careful observation.

“Thank you.”

Jiang Yunxi scoffed. She took her bag from a nearby chair, opened it, and pulled out two sets of ‘Ping’an Kou’ (safety knot) bracelets, one black and one red. Jiang Yunxi first handed the black one to Shen Ya: “Let me state upfront, I accept you only because Xiao Xi likes you and the mothers approve of you. That doesn’t mean you pass my test.”

This was beyond Shen Ya’s expectation. Although surprised, she reached out and took the bracelet: “Th-thank you.”

Jiang Yunxi placed the red one in her palm: “This is for Xiao Xi. I’m coming to pick her up from school on Wednesday. Don’t tell her about today. I’m curious to see what she’ll say about your relationship with her when she talks to me.”

“Then I’ll give her this bracelet on Thursday.”

With the gifts given, Jiang Yunxi’s expression improved slightly. She brought the topic back to the past: “I won’t apologize to you. I believe I adhered to our agreement. At the start of every game, I asked for your consent. During every activity, I repeatedly asked if you could still handle it, if you wanted to pause or refuse, or to say your safe word. I don’t believe I was wrong. If you still think I was cold and ruthless to you before, then I truly have nothing to say.”

She never thought there would come a day when she could clear the air with Jiang Yunxi. In fact, Jiang Yunxi didn’t need to apologize to her. It was she who had violated the agreement. When they played, Jiang Yunxi had indeed repeatedly asked her. She could have paused, refused, or said her safe word, but she never did. She thought the misunderstandings must have arisen from her continuous head-shaking. Jiang Yunxi was right; no matter what it was, she should have fought for it herself.

Shen Ya shook her head: “You don’t need to apologize to me. We had an agreement back then. Right and wrong are no longer clear. Let the past be the past.”

Jiang Yunxi came today precisely to resolve the ill will with Shen Ya. She wasn’t against Shen Ya and Qiao Xi being together; she just couldn’t accept the deceit. Moreover, the Shen Ya of the past was truly not a suitable partner. She couldn’t handle things well. If Shen Ya’s attitude on Saturday night hadn’t shown a change, she wouldn’t have given her a chance.

With things cleared up, the food on the table tasted much better. Their conversation revolved around Qiao Xi. Shen Ya shared the little things that had happened between her and Qiao Xi recently. Jiang Yunxi maintained a sour face but listened carefully, occasionally giving her an approving look.

However, when Jiang Yunxi heard that Fang Moyao and Zhou Ziqian had also moved back to the house opposite Jianglan University, she could no longer maintain her previous composure.

“I knew Fang Moyao had ill intentions!” Jiang Yunxi’s eyes blazed, as if Qiao Xi had already been abducted by Fang Moyao: “You keep an eye on her for me. Fang Moyao is extremely cunning. Don’t let her lead Xiao Xi astray.”

Then, she scoffed: “No, that old sly fox Fang Moyao! Xiao Xi only just reconnected with the Fang family, and she’s already been instigated to sneak my wine! This is outrageous!”

“So only Fang Moyao and Zhou Ziqian live across from you?” Jiang Yunxi suddenly turned and asked Shen Ya.

“Yes.”

“Good, I understand.”

Shen Ya wasn’t sure what Jiang Yunxi was planning, but judging by her hostile expression, it wasn’t anything good. But it didn’t concern her, and she might even get to watch a good show.

Thinking about it, what kind of sparks would fly if Jiang Yunxi and Fang Moyao clashed? That sounded a little exciting.