Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 122

Chapter 122: The Words That Had Been Held Back…

The words she had held back for a long time were finally spoken. She no longer had to hide. Qiao Xi clutched the sides of her pants. All the courage from a moment ago had melted into the spoken confession. Now, locked under two gazes, cold sweat broke out on her back. Her scalp tingled. Why haven’t they responded yet?

The living room fell silent. Even the slightest breathing sound was magnified in the stillness. Her heart was pounding in her throat. If her two sisters didn’t say something soon, she would have to think of another plan.

“Xiao Xi means you are dating Shen Ya, who is 11 years older than you?” Qin Shuyao’s voice was calm, unhurried, and lacked warmth. Without a smile, her face was as placid as an undisturbed lake: “When did this happen? Do the mothers know?”

“More accurately, we only officially got together around the New Year. The mothers know. On New Year’s Eve, I confessed to Teacher Shen first, but she rejected me. I thought I had no hope, but thankfully, thankfully, Teacher Shen thought it through later and finally agreed.”

A confession on New Year’s Eve?

Shen Ya hadn’t mentioned this to them. Shen Ya actually rejected Qiao Xi? Their Xiao Xi was so excellent, how could she be rejected?

The two exchanged glances, feeling a mix of conflicting emotions. On one hand, they thought how could Shen Ya reject Qiao Xi? On the other hand, they were annoyed that Qiao Xi had gotten together with Shen Ya so early.

They decided to put this issue aside for a moment. When Jiang Yunxi spoke again, her tone was somewhat stern: “Who else knows about you two being together?”

“Uh…” Qiao Xi picked at her fingers: “Mom, Sister Yunyi, Sister Moyao, Sister Qianqian, Great Aunt, and Grandma all know.”

“So, Xiao Xi told everyone, yet hid it only from Yunxi and me.” Qin Shuyao’s tone shifted: “Are Yunxi and I outsiders in Xiao Xi’s eyes?”

“No! Of course not!” Qiao Xi became anxious. She took a step forward, meeting Qin Shuyao’s gaze, and realized that Qin Shuyao’s eyes were slightly red at the corners. She felt terrible for letting her sisters misunderstand.

She squatted down between them, first grasping Qin Shuyao’s hand, then pulling Jiang Yunxi’s wrist. “How could I treat my sisters as outsiders? I just didn’t know how to explain it to you. I knew my sisters might not accept it. Doctor Jiang had a misunderstanding with Teacher Shen before and didn’t like me getting too close to her. I heard some things from Teacher Shen about what happened between you. I don’t understand your kind of ‘game,’ but I respect your preferences. Teacher Shen is a wonderful person. Although she seems cold on the outside, Doctor Jiang, do you know that Teacher Shen is actually a very soft-hearted person?”

Qiao Xi felt transported back to New Year’s Eve a year ago. On that bustling, crowded street, she spotted that lonely figure who seemed isolated from the world. The cold person suddenly gained a layer of color after she approached with her little rabbit lantern.

“It was me who acted shamelessly and begged Teacher Shen to take me back. It was also me who deliberately approached her, wanting to lure her to my apartment. Unfortunately, Teacher Shen saw through me, but I eventually found an opportunity and finally managed to ‘kidnap’ her into my home.”

When talking about this, Qiao Xi couldn’t hide her smile: “It was actually always me looking for opportunities to get close to Teacher Shen. Even though Teacher Shen always discovered my tricks and lies, she still indulged me. She would patiently tutor me, worry if I was nervous before the college entrance exam and counsel me, and would always prepare my favorite food and wait for me to come home. She is like the moon in the sky—cold from afar, but the closer you get, the softer her moonlight is.”

Listening to Qiao Xi’s words, Qin Shuyao and Jiang Yunxi naturally felt the deep love she held. It was similar to how they felt towards their mother—desperate to display all their love.

But at the same time, they were annoyed. Their carefully raised sister was already dating so quickly. And not only was she dating, but she was guarding them like thieves, which truly disheartened them.

Yet, Qiao Xi was their only cherished sister. Everyone else had agreed. If only they disagreed, wouldn’t that just push Qiao Xi’s heart further away? She truly presented them with a difficult situation.

But they were also relieved that the person Qiao Xi fell in love with was Shen Ya. After all, she was someone familiar. The current Shen Ya had changed significantly and could be considered a good partner. Besides, if they encountered other difficulties in the future, they would always be there.

Realizing this was one thing; not having vented their frustration was another. They had agreed yesterday that they absolutely had to scare Qiao Xi today.

This ‘bad cop’ role naturally fell to Jiang Yunxi, who had always played the stern one.

Jiang Yunxi’s face was grim, her eyes deep. She forced out a cold snort from her nose and said, “What if we don’t agree? You have such a large age gap. How can you be sure you’ll be happy in the future? Besides, Shen Ya may not be a suitable partner. She’s fundamentally unreliable.”

Qiao Xi’s worst fear came true. She gripped Jiang Yunxi’s hand, urgently trying to refute: “Age is absolutely not a problem. No one can say what will happen in the future. On what basis do you assume that I won’t be happy with Teacher Shen? I don’t need Teacher Shen to always stand in front of me. Even if something happens that Teacher Shen can’t solve, I will stand in front of her to protect her.”

In a flash, Jiang Yunxi saw Qiao Xi as a little wolf. She had thought she was still a wolf cub needing protection, but she was already baring her teeth at her.

In that moment, neither Jiang Yunxi nor Qin Shuyao knew whether this unnecessary, deliberate obstruction was meant to vent frustration or just add more fuel to their argument.

“Xiao Xi.” Qin Shuyao pulled her to sit beside her: “You are currently in the honeymoon phase, so naturally everything looks perfect. But once the initial passion fades, can you guarantee that your feelings for each other won’t change?”

“What about you two, then?” Qiao Xi retorted: “How can my sisters be sure that you will be happy forever?”

Qin Shuyao was speechless. Though Qiao Xi was challenging her, she shot a look at Jiang Yunxi, as if saying: Look at the good sister you raised.

Jiang Yunxi looked slightly innocent when Qin Shuyao met her eyes. She blinked and passed the blame: She has been corrupted by bad influence. It’s all because she’s been too close to Fang Moyao lately and learned bad habits.

Qiao Xi couldn’t understand the silent communication between her two sisters. She was only focused on how to convince them.

“You hid this from us for so long. If we hadn’t pressed you today, who knows how long you would have kept it a secret? Since you are so inseparable, why were you secretive and afraid to face us boldly?” Jiang Yunxi didn’t want to argue with Qiao Xi any further, afraid that this little brat would truly render her speechless. “No need to say any more. Shuyao and I absolutely do not approve of you two, at least for now.”

Qiao Xi had prepared for the worst, but when it actually happened, she was so sad she could barely breathe. She knew her sisters were biased against Teacher Shen, and a few words from her wouldn’t be enough to resolve this prejudice.

It looked like she had to fight a long battle.

Her two sisters hadn’t given her a good look all afternoon, but Qiao Xi wouldn’t give up. She could indeed just leave, and their disagreement wouldn’t change anything, as Shen Ya had already been accepted by the elders on both sides. But she had loved her two sisters the most since childhood, and she naturally wanted their blessing too.

Qiao Xi did not run away from home that night. She stayed obediently and slept at home. The next day, her two sisters drove her back to school but didn’t give her a smile when she left.

She sighed all day long. Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian looked at her distraught state and thought the sky had fallen.

But for Qiao Xi, it wasn’t much different from the sky falling.

She had originally planned to bring Shen Ya home this weekend to formally introduce her to the mothers, but since her sisters disagreed, she was conflicted about going back. Having not returned to the dorm for two consecutive nights, she wanted to stay out again tonight.

However, there was a dorm check tonight. Qiao Xi thought hard and still felt she needed to see Shen Ya. Fortunately, she was well-liked and found an excuse to get a leave slip to go home. She urgently needed Shen Ya to recharge her batteries.

Classes finished early today, and Qiao Xi didn’t linger at school. When she got home, the door to 502 was shut, and no sounds could be heard from inside. She went back to 501 and opened the door. The house was indeed quiet, and Shen Ya’s slippers were still on the floor.

Qiao Xi took out her own shoes and changed into them. She decided to personally cook dinner for Shen Ya tonight. She had already placed an online order before arriving and was just waiting for the grocery delivery.

She had never cooked before, only knowing how to boil instant noodles and heat frozen food. The groceries she bought today were pre-processed by the supermarket, saving her the effort of preparation.

Just as Qiao Xi was heating the oil, preparing to pour in the vegetables, Shen Ya opened the front door. She immediately saw Qiao Xi’s shoes next to her own slippers. The lights were on in the house, and listening closely, she could hear activity in the kitchen nearby.

Shen Ya changed her shoes, put her bag on the living room sofa, and casually tied her long hair back with a hair tie. Pushing open the kitchen’s glass door, she choked and coughed. Qiao Xi was flustered, and the hot oil splashed onto the back of her hand.

“Hiss~” Qiao Xi winced.

Shen Ya waved her hand in front of her nose, then came up behind Qiao Xi. She turned on the range hood first, then took the spatula from Qiao Xi’s hand: “Go sit outside, I’ll take over.”

“Teacher Shen!” Qiao Xi didn’t leave. She stood nearby, watching Shen Ya expertly stir-fry the vegetables in the wok. She said, “I wanted to cook dinner and wait for Teacher Shen to get off work, but…”

“Xiao Xi doesn’t need to deliberately learn anything. Leave things like cooking to me.”

Qiao Xi was frustrated. She had clearly memorized the steps, so why did the actual execution turn into such a mess? Where did things go wrong? Could it be that she truly had no talent for cooking?

Shen Ya knew what Qiao Xi wanted to make just by looking at the ingredients. They were already processed, so all she had to do was cook them.

In no time, Qiao Xi carried the three dishes and one soup to the dining table.

Shen Ya washed her hands and brought out two bowls of rice: “Not going back to the dorm tonight?”

The familiar opening line made Qiao Xi wonder if she had become a bad student in Shen Ya’s eyes. Well, Shen Ya was a teacher after all, and she probably found it hard to accept students violating school rules.

“I took leave.”

“Oh?”

Qiao Xi picked up a chicken wing and placed it in Shen Ya’s bowl: “I missed Teacher Shen, so I found an excuse not to return to the dorm tonight. This time it’s officially approved.”

“Mhm.” Shen Ya didn’t intend to ask what the excuse was.

“Teacher Shen.” Qiao Xi put down her chopsticks. She deliberately sat beside Shen Ya today. She turned now and hugged Shen Ya. Thinking of her sisters’ words yesterday, her eyes became a little moist: “My sisters didn’t agree to our relationship.”

Afraid that Shen Ya would be affected by her emotions, Qiao Xi quickly looked up and smiled: “But it’s okay. I’ll convince them sooner or later.”

Shen Ya put down her bowl and patted the back of her hand: “I met with Jiang Yunxi on Monday night.”

“What?!” Qiao Xi looked at Shen Ya in surprise: “Did Doctor Jiang make things difficult for you?”

“I had lunch with your other sister, Qin Shuyao, yesterday.”

“This…”

“The safety knots are from Jiang Yunxi, and the jade gourds are from your other sister, Qin Shuyao.” Shen Ya didn’t explain much. Her lips curved, and her eyes held a gentle, faint smile.

Qiao Xi looked at Shen Ya, then down at the gifts in her hands. The jade was of excellent color and not cheap. If her sisters separately gave Shen Ya gifts, didn’t that mean: “They’ve already approved of us?!”

Shen Ya nodded.

“Oh, wow!” All Qiao Xi’s previous sadness and melancholy vanished. “My sisters played a trick on me!”

Heaven knew how upset she was yesterday, and she didn’t dare tell Shen Ya directly for fear of worrying her. She came today to properly comfort Shen Ya, afraid Shen Ya would overthink things. It turned out her distress was for nothing.

“My sisters are so mean!” If Fang Moyao tricked her, fine, but why were Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao acting too?

Shen Ya picked up the safety knot bracelet strung on a red string and put it on Qiao Xi’s wrist: “The jade gourds will need a string woven onto them. I’ll take them out to get that done in a couple of days.”

Seeing Qiao Xi still pouting, she patted the back of her hand again: “The day I was in Zhoucheng, I posted a Moment. Jiang Yunxi saw it and came to find me, so I arranged to meet her on Monday night. Jiang Yunxi and I did have some misunderstandings, but they’ve been resolved. Xiao Xi, you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

“Moment?” Qiao Xi searched her memory: “But I don’t remember seeing Teacher Shen post anything?”

“I only posted it to lure Jiang Yunxi out at the time, so I blocked you.”

So, her anxiety had been watched by Shen Ya all along. Shen Ya truly was a soft-hearted person. The thought of Shen Ya facing all her family members alone without her knowing brought tears to Qiao Xi’s eyes.

She put down the jewelry boxes and leaped into Shen Ya’s arms: “Teacher Shen, I love you so much. I’m going to cling to you tightly for the rest of my life and never let you go.”

“I won’t leave.” Shen Ya hugged her with one arm and lowered her head to kiss the top of her hair: “I’ll be with you for this entire lifetime.”