Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Sun and the Shadow

Qiao Xi only noticed the video Shen Ya sent after she had taken a shower. When the call ended, she thought she had upset Shen Ya again, but she never expected the other woman to take her words to heart.

Curiously, she clicked on the video. It was a simple apartment, sparsely furnished, clearly a standard rental unit. Not only was the decor basic, but even the quality of the appliances was poor—worse than the apartments Shen Ya had viewed yesterday.

Qiao Xi’s heart twisted again. Why would Shen Ya rather live in an apartment like this than give her a chance? If it truly was because of her sister, then Shen Ya’s feelings for her sister must run incredibly deep.

She felt a surge of impulse, wanting to run next door and confront her sister, but she took a step and then stopped. What right did she have to question her sister? Perhaps the truth was not what she imagined.

“Sigh.” Qiao Xi sighed, throwing herself back onto the bed. All she wanted was for Shen Ya to live more comfortably. Why was it so difficult? If it had been Xia Cong’an or Yu Tiantian, they would have likely already packed their bags and barged into her house.

Qiao Xi rolled left and right on the bed, hugging her phone. This was harder than grinding through test questions. She couldn’t be too aggressive, nor could she do nothing. Perhaps she just needed to wait for an opportunity?

Qiao Xi opened the chat box and typed a few words: 【How long does Teacher Shen plan to live there?】

A while had passed since Shen Ya sent the video, and she received no reply, as expected. She remembered Shen Ya mentioning she was going home before hanging up. Perhaps the other woman was currently on her way.

But Qiao Xi fell asleep without ever getting a reply from Shen Ya.

…

The night was deep. Qiao Xi was sprawled on the bed and had drifted into a dream. Jiang Yunxi had just finished having a moment with Qin Shuyue to warm up their feelings. She happened to go downstairs to get water and gently pushed open Qiao Xi’s door as she passed by.

The room light was still on. It was already past midnight. Frowning in concern for Qiao Xi’s health, she softly called out, “Xiao Xi?”

However, the room remained quiet. She waited for a moment, and when no reply came, she fully pushed the door open and walked in.

Before getting close, she saw Qiao Xi asleep on the bed, her hand still clutching her phone, with the blanket pooled beside her. Jiang Yunxi smiled and shook her head. She quietly approached and slowly took the phone from Qiao Xi’s grasp.

“Mmm… Teacher Shen…” Qiao Xi mumbled, but Jiang Yunxi didn’t catch the words. She asked, “What?”

The room remained silent.

Jiang Yunxi didn’t dwell on it. She plugged the phone in to charge, then gently grabbed one of Qiao Xi’s hands to turn her over, pulled the blanket over her, and reached out a finger to lightly tap Qiao Xi’s nose.

“What happy thing are you dreaming about? You’re even smiling in your sleep.”

Unfortunately, Qiao Xi, deep in her dream, couldn’t respond.

The winter night was long. Qiao Xi had a comfortable sleep. Before dawn, she opened her eyes to the prompting of her alarm clock.

Her first action was to grab her phone and open the chat app. To her surprise, Shen Ya had not replied.

However, this wasn’t the first time this had happened, so she was much more composed. Although she didn’t know if Shen Ya was awake yet, she typed a few words in the chat box: 【Good morning, Teacher Shen!】

【Mm, morning.】

Seeing the reply, Qiao Xi’s remaining drowsiness vanished instantly. She threw off the blanket and jumped out of bed, a spontaneous smile curving her lips. On her way to the bathroom, her fingers didn’t stop typing: 【Teacher Shen is up so early? Is it because you’re moving?】

Shen Ya was sitting on the living room sofa at home. She hadn’t slept all night. Her eyes were shadowed, and her gaze was dull.

She was moving out of the apartment she had lived in for two years today. As time ticked by, her reluctance intensified, but she knew she had to let go. To distract herself, she had organized and packed her belongings overnight, moving them to the living room, waiting for the movers to arrive in the morning.

Qiao Xi’s message was like a nutritional supplement, giving her weary body and mind new energy: 【Mm.】

Looking at the time, Qiao Xi should be heading to class soon. Shen Ya couldn’t help but add another instruction: 【Focus in class.】

【Got it, Teacher Shen! See you tonight then?】

【Mm.】

Whether by chance or because of the attention from the little sun, the weather today was good—no rain, just sunshine. The light scattered the dark clouds. Was this a sign that good luck was on its way?

In the past, she would never have thought this way, but Qiao Xi’s playful words on New Year’s Eve inexplicably came to mind.

She thought that if Qiao Xi were around, she would probably be saying some strange and whimsical things right now.

…

Just past nine, a knock came at the door. Shen Ya opened it to find three women in matching uniforms. Shen Ya welcomed them in, and after a brief conversation, the three quickly and skillfully began moving the luggage out.

Shen Ya didn’t have many belongings. Everything was moved out in under an hour. The moving company’s truck was quite large, allowing her to travel with it.

The already sparse furniture made the apartment seem even more empty after her quick sweep. The scenes that had taken place in the apartment with Jiang Yunxi reappeared in her mind. She gripped the front door handle tightly, trying to lock those memories deep inside.

At that moment, a bright voice suddenly rang in her mind: “Teacher Shen!”

The hazy shadows before her were being replaced. Shen Ya seemed to see a few strands of Qiao Xi’s hair swaying slightly as she bounced. Her bright eyes sparkled with spirit, and Qiao Xi, like a magician, held out a piece of candy to her.

Qiao Xi’s eyes curved into crescent moons. Her bright smile made the air around her gradually warm up. The unpleasant memories were shattered one by one by countless rays of light.

Shen Ya remembered that while packing yesterday, she had slipped a bag of online-purchased candies into her purse. She quickly opened the bag and took out a piece of candy.

The color of the candy was exactly the same as the one Qiao Xi had given her. Shen Ya eagerly unwrapped it and put the candy in her mouth. The fruity fragrance, mingled with sunshine, instantly spread across her palate.

A warm beam of light shone into the room from the balcony. A breeze from nowhere blew the light and shadow. Shen Ya gently closed the door, locking all the bad memories and the feelings that had ended before they even truly began inside this room.

Leaving here meant a complete farewell to the past four years. She released the doorknob, turned around, took a deep breath, and let it out forcefully.

The sweetness of the candy prevented Shen Ya from having any lingering sadness or sentimentality. She had long adapted to the company of solitude, but she would not give up pursuing the sunshine and warmth that belonged to her.