Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Done Deal

Shen Ya picked up her phone and contacted the agent, asking if she had any recommendations for short-term rental apartment-hotels. She planned to move into an apartment-hotel temporarily as a transition, then slowly choose a satisfactory apartment after the New Year.

【Sister, why don’t we consider that apartment from today again?】

After learning the apartment belonged to Qiao Xi, Shen Ya found the agent’s reaction strange. When she showed no interest in Qiao Xi’s apartment, the agent began constantly trying to sway her decision.

It wasn’t hard to guess that Qiao Xi had probably promised the agent some benefit.

Shen Ya replied: 【I want to look into short-term apartment rentals to have more options.】

【I have some, Sister. There are a few apartment units near your workplace. I happen to have photos and videos of them. I’ll send them to you now. If you like any, we can go see them in person tomorrow to get the details.】

Shen Ya gave her confirmation, and the agent sent over many photos and videos.

She had lived in studio apartments more than once before. Places like hotels lacked a sense of belonging and were extremely poor value for money, but they had the advantage of being well-decorated and allowing her a short buffer period with their flexible leases.

Shen Ya selected two or three apartments that looked clean and tidy, deciding to view them tomorrow and also check out the residential apartments she hadn’t finished viewing today.

The rain fell for a day and a night. The bare branches outside were covered with a thin layer of white frost. At the same hour, there was no knock on her door today, but a small red dot appeared on Shen Ya’s phone indicating an unread message.

Only when Shen Ya was sitting in the agent’s car did she open her phone and tap the unread message.

Yesterday, she had been annoyed by Qiao Xi’s lie. To punish the little liar, she had asked for a 2,000-word self-reflection. When obedient, this little liar was indeed cute and likable. She had actually sent her a document with two large words: 【Self-Reflection】.

Shen Ya clicked it open and first checked the word count—exactly 2,000 words, no more, no less.

Qiao Xi was well-behaved and lively, yet mischievous, with a vibrant personality. She always brought a sense of freshness, leaving Shen Ya feeling both helpless and tempted to tease her. After all, she felt a powerful vitality from Qiao Xi, something she herself lacked. Only when she was near Qiao Xi would her heart feel a slight ripple.

Qiao Xi’s self-reflection provided some amusement for Shen Ya’s otherwise dull journey. She read it carefully, word by word. Qiao Xi’s reflection seemed sincere but was essentially all formalities. She wondered if Qiao Xi had simply copied a few paragraphs from the internet, blended them together, and then made a few edits.

【Did Teacher Shen read it? I really know I was wrong. Can Teacher Shen forgive me?】 Qiao Xi, having timed it right, sent another message, followed by a crying puppy emoji.

Shen Ya neither replied nor looked at her phone again; she closed it. She decided to let Qiao Xi wait—she couldn’t respond until she had finished viewing the apartments. Qiao Xi was too good at acting spoiled and wheedling. Shen Ya couldn’t resist her, and she was afraid that her settled decision would change because of Qiao Xi’s enthusiasm.

The agent first took her to the remaining residential apartments from yesterday, and without exception, they all had their own set of problems. After seeing Qiao Xi’s apartment, these minor issues became difficult for Shen Ya to accept.

Finally, she followed the agent to the apartment building near her workplace. She had rented a small apartment before she moved into her current place.

“Sister, although this is an apartment building, the security is quite good. Look, the entrance lobby and elevators are kept very clean.”

“Mm.”

The agent took her up to the twentieth floor. After viewing two units, Shen Ya made a decision. These apartments were decorated in a style almost identical to hotels, so viewing more of them wouldn’t make much difference. Since that was the case, why waste any more time?

“I’ll take this one,” Shen Ya told the agent. “Please keep an eye out for other residential units for me.”

The contract was signed that day. The agent told her she could move in anytime. Shen Ya nodded her thanks and, after leaving the real estate office, hailed a cab back to the apartment building.

The small, two-story apartment was about fifty square meters, enough for her alone. Although it looked clean, she still went out to buy some cleaning supplies and started scrubbing.

She spent the entire afternoon cleaning, completely missing the messages on her phone.

…

Qiao Xi scratched her ears and cheeks all day at home. She had sent the message early in the morning. When no reply came at first, she comforted herself that Shen Ya was too busy or hadn’t woken up yet.

When noon arrived and she still hadn’t received a message, her heart sank halfway, but she still held onto hope. Maybe Shen Ya was just busy.

Yes, she shouldn’t be too anxious. Besides, Shen Ya was genuinely angry yesterday. It was normal for her not to reply temporarily when she was upset.

Qiao Xi patted her face, forcibly suppressing her restlessness. The person who made the mistake had no right to be anxious. All she could do now was wait for Shen Ya to reply to her proactively.

Closing the chat window that had been open for so long, Qiao Xi dug out her test papers and buried herself in practice problems. She needed a sea of questions to temporarily forget about the matter.

She studied from noon until the evening. The door to her room was opened twice, first by Qin Shuyue and then by Jiang Yunxi, who brought her food and drinks. Fearing she was studying too hard, they also stayed for a while to chat with her.

Everyone in the family knew that once she was engrossed in her books, she would forget to eat and sleep. Thus, her abnormal behavior today went unnoticed by her two sisters.

Qin Shuyue brought her dinner, and afterward, Jiang Yunxi brought her dessert. Qin Shuyue instructed her: “Xiao Xi, don’t overwork yourself. Leave the dishes after you finish eating. Yunxi and I will come to get them later.”

“I know, Sister.”

Jiang Yunxi casually picked up her test paper to review it. After a quick look, she put it down and rubbed her head: “Get some rest soon. You have school tomorrow.”

“Mm, you too, Sister. Good night.”

While Qiao Xi was talking to her sisters, she noticed the chat application on her computer screen flickering out of the corner of her eye. Her heart jumped, but since her sisters hadn’t left yet, she couldn’t show too much excitement.

Qin Shuyue left her room with Jiang Yunxi’s arm tucked in hers. Qiao Xi waited for a minute, then rushed to the door and locked it from the inside.

After confirming there would be no surprise attacks from her sisters, she flew to the desk, grabbed the mouse, and clicked on the flashing chat application.

When Shen Ya’s chat window popped up, her heart felt like it was waiting for a scratch-off lottery ticket. After waiting all day, Shen Ya finally replied. But when she saw the sentence on the screen, her smile instantly froze, and her heart, like a roller coaster, plunged straight down.

【I have rented an apartment.】

Her mind went blank. Hadn’t they agreed that she would consider renting her apartment if she wrote the self-reflection? Why wasn’t she even given a chance? She never thought Shen Ya would suddenly change her mind. So, the reason she hadn’t replied to her today was because she was out viewing apartments?!

Qiao Xi placed her hands over the keyboard. She didn’t know how to reply or if Shen Ya was still angry about her lie yesterday. Now that the matter was settled, her many schemes were useless.