Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Confession and the Price

Qiao Xi’s panic was completely exposed. She could no longer maintain a cheerful expression, and her eyes shifted elsewhere, unable to meet Shen Ya’s gaze. Head down, hands clutching her sleeve, she stood before Shen Ya, looking exactly like a student who had been caught misbehaving.

“I…”

“Whose apartment is this?”

“It’s mine.” Afraid Shen Ya wouldn’t believe her, Qiao Xi took out her phone, opened the photo of the property deed, and handed it over: “Mom bought it for me the year I graduated from junior high. My sister won’t come here without my permission, and they won’t interfere with what I decide to do with this apartment. So, Teacher Shen, rest assured, my sister has no idea.”

Shen Ya asked again: “Did you know this agent before today?”

Qiao Xi shook her head: “No, I didn’t. I spoke to her just now when we went to the convenience store to buy water. I’m sorry, Teacher Shen, I didn’t mean to lie to you, but I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Didn’t mean to lie to me?” A slight puff of air escaped Shen Ya’s lips, followed by a light chuckle from her nose.

“Teacher Shen, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong.” Qiao Xi begged for mercy: “I will never lie to you again. Teacher Shen, please be the bigger person and forgive me this one time.”

Qiao Xi clasped her hands together in a begging gesture. She was a master of acting spoiled and submissive. With just a few blinks, a thin layer of moisture gathered in her eyes.

Although Shen Ya kept her face stern, she found herself somewhat defenseless against Qiao Xi’s shamelessness. However, the feeling of being deceived still displeased her. Therefore, she hardened her heart, raised her hand, and firmly flicked Qiao Xi on the forehead.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

To Qiao Xi, this sounded like a final ultimatum. Whether Shen Ya would pursue her actions today would likely depend on her next performance.

Qiao Xi endured the pain on her forehead and, after much deliberation, decided to be audacious one last time.

Qiao Xi suddenly shrank down and, before Shen Ya could react, swiftly hugged her legs. Then, she squeezed out two tears and started feigning a loud cry: “I just wanted to help Teacher Shen! None of those other apartments were as good as mine! Why would Teacher Shen rent from someone else? My price is cheaper than theirs! Why won’t Teacher Shen consider me?”

With Qiao Xi clinging to her like a koala, Shen Ya gained a clearer understanding of the extent of Qiao Xi’s shamelessness. How exactly did Jiang Yunxi raise her sister into this cheeky, brazen rascal?

Although she didn’t want to admit it, her impression of Jiang Yunxi was gradually being dispelled by Qiao Xi’s repeated acts of mischief.

Shen Ya felt helpless. She had never had to comfort anyone before, nor did she know why she, the ‘victim,’ had to turn around and console the little rascal who was still clinging to her leg.

The cries grew louder, sounding as if Qiao Xi had suffered the greatest injustice. Shen Ya’s ears hurt from the noise, and she was afraid the agent outside would hear the commotion inside.

It didn’t matter if Qiao Xi was shameless, but Shen Ya still cared about her dignity.

At the end of her tether, Shen Ya nudged Qiao Xi with her knee: “Get up.” Her voice was still cool, but beneath the coolness was an embarrassment only she was aware of.

Qiao Xi was surprisingly obedient. She actually let go of Shen Ya’s pants and stood up, her eyes red, whether from crying or rubbing, it was hard to tell. “Do you want me to rent this apartment that badly?”

Qiao Xi nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

Shen Ya’s eyebrow subtly arched. A flash of playful calculation crossed her eyes. After being played by the little liar so many times, it was time to teach Qiao Xi a lesson. “Little liar, write a 2,000-word self-reflection and hand it in to me tomorrow morning. Then, I’ll consider whether or not to rent this apartment.”

Qiao Xi’s face fell. When she used to lie, the most she got was a few scoldings from her sister and mother. A little bit of acting spoiled and she was off the hook. But the same trick used on Shen Ya not only failed but resulted in a cold stare and a 2,000-word self-reflection.

She racked her brain but couldn’t figure out where things went wrong. She thought she had been flawless, yet how could Shen Ya have guessed the owner was her just by looking at the apartment? Was it because it was too close to her current home that she became suspicious?

If so, Shen Ya was far too intelligent.

After her lie was exposed, Shen Ya didn’t let Qiao Xi follow her anymore. Qiao Xi could only watch longingly as Shen Ya and the agent left. Once the door closed, Qiao Xi went back to her bedroom, crestfallen, and sat there for an hour.

The document on the computer screen was still blank. Qiao Xi had never written a self-reflection in her life. Shen Ya was treating her like a child and punishing her.

Since she was in the wrong, the only way to seek Shen Ya’s forgiveness was to accept the punishment. She had wanted to ask the experienced Xia Cong’an for help, but then she remembered that her friend had an extremely shrewd older sister. She was afraid Xia Cong’an was too foolish to keep a secret, and if her sister found out, her Doctor Jiang would probably know too.

Reluctantly, Qiao Xi opened a certain website, logged into a throwaway account, and wrote a post starting with, “I have a friend who…” Since she couldn’t write it herself, she decided to seek help from netizens.

After Shen Ya left Qiao Xi’s apartment, the agent noticed Qiao Xi wasn’t there and asked about her. Shen Ya didn’t explain, only saying that the apartment viewing itinerary for the day was over. As for whether she would rent and which apartment she would choose, Shen Ya simply said she would give an answer tomorrow.

Without Qiao Xi to smooth things over and keep the conversation going, the agent couldn’t get Shen Ya to open up. The atmosphere between them felt suddenly chilled. Since Shen Ya kept silent, the agent had no other recourse.

The car ride back was quiet. Halfway through the journey, the rain started falling again. By the time Shen Ya returned home, it was already past lunchtime. Seeing the heavy rain, Shen Ya didn’t feel comfortable ordering takeout, so she decided to cook and eat the last of the noodles at home.

The steaming noodles gave off a fragrant scent. Watching the white mist rise, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to return the clothes Qiao Xi wore last time. She was preparing to move in the next few days, and the landlord of the current apartment had already scheduled a time for others to view the place.

Although she would be moving out soon, she didn’t want strangers intruding into her safe space before she left.

Qiao Xi’s impromptu decision today did disrupt some of her plans, making her lose the motivation to continue viewing other apartments. She was very satisfied with Qiao Xi’s apartment; the environment and location were much better than the ones the agent had shown her, and even the rent was attractively cheap.

The unfortunate part was that it was Qiao Xi’s apartment. She chose not to renew her lease precisely to get away from everything related to Jiang Yunxi. However, Qiao Xi was Jiang Yunxi’s sister. If she actually rented that apartment, would she be forever unable to let go and continue to harbor feelings?

Qiao Xi was a good kid. She had probably noticed how shabby and unsafe the other apartments were, which was why she went to great lengths to trick her into seeing that specific apartment. Qiao Xi was indeed thoughtful, but the thing Shen Ya feared most was kindness extended to her out of sympathy or pity.

Regardless of whether Qiao Xi had such intentions, Shen Ya thought it likely she wouldn’t rent Qiao Xi’s apartment.