Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Confrontation

The day before New Year’s Eve, Shen Ya went to the supermarket to stock up on food for herself. Most shops would be closed during the New Year period, and she wanted to take this opportunity to rest well at home. She was already prepared not to leave the apartment for the next few days.

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, her phone was quiet; even Qiao Xi hadn’t contacted her again. That night, after being harassed by her mother, she had forgotten to reply to Qiao Xi, and after missing the chance, she didn’t know what topic to bring up to continue the conversation.

She thought that for a family like Qiao Xi’s, the New Year must be very lively. What was Qiao Xi doing now? Was she laughing and talking with relatives and friends? In any case, it certainly wouldn’t be as cold and quiet as her place.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.

…

The tightly drawn curtains completely blocked out the light in the room. The air in the unheated apartment was cool. The person on the bed was curled up on her side, tightly wrapped in a blanket. Her already restless sleep was slowly broken by continuous knocking at the door.

Her brain hadn’t fully awakened, and Shen Ya’s vision hadn’t focused. Memories slowly returned to her mind with the uneven ‘thump-thump’ sounds. She blinked twice, squeezing out physiological tears, then turned over to lie on her back.

She didn’t know who would come looking for her on New Year’s Eve morning. The first figure that flashed in her mind was Qiao Xi. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, then reached for her phone on the bedside table. There were a few unread messages in the chat app. The topmost one was from Chen Xi. She frowned, skipping over it to tap on the chat box below.

【Good morning, Teacher Shen!】

The message was sent an hour ago. Shen Ya thought for a moment and replied: 【Morning.】

The knocking downstairs stopped the moment she sent that word, but immediately following, a voice call notification popped up on her phone.

The caller was not Qiao Xi, but her sister Chen Xi. Shen Ya pinched the bridge of her nose and pressed ‘answer’ just before the call automatically disconnected.

“What is it?”

“Finally answered the phone. Didn’t you see all the messages I sent?” Chen Xi sighed in relief but quickly brought on a tone of resentment and blame. “I’m at your door. Mom sent me.”

“Did I not tell you there wouldn’t be a next time? Why didn’t you inform me beforehand!?” Shen Ya’s anger flared instantly. She hated this feeling of being forcibly invaded in her private space.

“That’s because you didn’t contact Mom, right? It’s New Year’s Eve today. Mom was afraid you wouldn’t be willing to come back, so she sent me to fetch you.” Chen Xi’s voice was a little frantic. “Sister, I’ve been outside for a long time. Are you home? Can you open the door for me?”

Shen Ya held her breath. Her mother clearly knew her resolute attitude, yet she still sent Chen Xi over. What was this? Coercion and force? Did she think Shen Ya wouldn’t leave her own sister out in the cold?

She laughed in anger and pressed her chest. “Go back and tell her, even if she came to invite me, there’s no way I’m going back.”

“But… Sister, why drag me into the conflict between you and Mom? If I go back now, Mom definitely won’t be happy. Besides, she said if you refuse to come back, I should just stay with you. Sister, I don’t want Mom nagging me either. What does your conflict have to do with me…”

Shen Ya snapped: “If you know this is between her and me, why did you get involved?!”

Chen Xi was also getting angry. She retorted: “But she’s my mom! Am I supposed to disobey her?”

Shen Ya closed her eyes, her chest heaving violently. Sure enough, how could a child raised by her mother see her as a person?

Perhaps she should be crueler and leave Chen Xi outside. She didn’t believe the other girl would wait forever. “Do as you please.” With that, she hung up and turned off her phone.

Shen Ya pressed the phone under her pillow, intending to rest a little longer, but now she was not only wide awake but also irritable. She simply threw off the blanket and got out of bed.

Directly opposite the second-floor bedroom was a walk-in closet combined with a workspace. The room was small and already filled with her belongings, but despite the clutter, it was neatly organized. She found a few articles of clothing from the closet and changed, then picked up the black hair tie from the small desk nearby.

She gathered her long hair and tied it into a casual low ponytail with the black hair tie. Just as she started walking downstairs, the knocking at the door resumed. The apartment’s soundproofing wasn’t great. Even before she reached the door, she could hear Chen Xi’s intermittent shouts. Shen Ya ignored it. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door, blocking out some of the noise.

…

After being hung up on, Chen Xi called several times but got no response. Fuming, she called Shen Qiuyu, immediately complaining that Shen Ya had left her stranded outside the door. Shen Qiuyu coaxed her for a bit and promised her an extra 200 yuan for her trouble if she brought Shen Ya home.

For the 200 yuan, Chen Xi suppressed her temper, but she still felt resentment towards Shen Ya. She couldn’t understand why her sister was so hostile towards her. They barely had any contact, and she hadn’t provoked Shen Ya. Even if Shen Ya and their mother didn’t get along, she shouldn’t take it out on her.

Chen Xi felt wronged. She could have thrown a fit and left. After all, she hadn’t seen Shen Ya at home since she started college. She didn’t understand why her mother insisted on having her sister come back this time. Their mother often complained at home that Shen Ya was an ungrateful wretch, neither filial nor obedient. If her mother disliked Shen Ya, why maintain contact?

Her resentment shifted from her mother to Shen Ya. If the other person had opened the door, she wouldn’t have to suffer this injustice. The more Chen Xi thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. When she knocked again, there was more anger in her hits. She hammered the door heavily, taking out all her frustrations on the front door.

Perhaps the noise was too much. The next-door neighbor was also disturbed. A woman in a thick bathrobe opened her own door. She was annoyed from being woken up. Seeing Chen Xi relentlessly banging on the door, she yelled: “Stop knocking! Don’t you have a phone? You’re so loud!”

Startled by the shouting, Chen Xi flinched. She stopped her hand, slightly tilting her head. Her eyes quickly swept over the woman next to her. Seeing the woman’s unhappy expression and tall stature, she didn’t dare to loudly retort, only whispering: “She won’t answer her phone, what am I supposed to do?”

The apartments were close, and there was no one else in the corridor. Even Chen Xi’s soft voice was heard clearly by the neighbor. The woman ran a hand through her messy hair and snapped: “Well, if she doesn’t answer, she doesn’t want to deal with you! Don’t look for trouble on New Year’s Eve. Go away and stop knocking, or I’m calling the police.”

Chen Xi’s face flushed. She had never been treated this way before. Not only was she locked out, but she was also being stared at by a stranger with such a hateful gaze. She couldn’t bear it anymore, so she cried out, almost sobbing: “The person inside is my older sister! She’s fighting with Mom and won’t open the door, leaving me out here! How is that me looking for trouble!”

The woman impatiently “tsk’d.” She remembered the apartment next door had only recently been occupied by a young woman. “Is she really your sister?”

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.” Chen Xi took out her phone and opened her chat history with Shen Ya. She had saved Shen Ya’s contact as ‘Sister,’ and the history showed the money she received last time and the recent voice call logs. “I’m not lying. My mom sent me to ask my sister to come home for dinner. She won’t open the door, so what do you think I should do?”

“Alright, alright, I don’t have time to get involved in your family matters.” The woman found it troublesome but didn’t want Chen Xi to keep knocking and disturbing her sleep. “I’ll call her for you. If it doesn’t work, you should just go home first. Your sister is an adult. She must have her own reasons. Since the conflict is between her and your mom, they should resolve it themselves. Why are you getting involved?”

Chen Xi mumbled again: “I didn’t want to come either.”

The woman didn’t reply. She walked to Shen Ya’s door, saw the doorbell on the fingerprint lock, pressed it twice, and then tapped the door three times with her knuckle: “Neighbor, are you there?”

A minute later, Shen Ya opened the door. Seeing the unfamiliar woman standing outside, her eyes showed confusion, but when she saw Chen Xi’s head poking out from behind the woman, she immediately frowned and her expression hardened.

“This girl says she’s your sister. Maybe you two should solve your family conflict behind closed doors?” The woman stated her purpose: “It’s not good for her to keep knocking and disturb everyone, right?”

Shen Ya glared at Chen Xi behind the woman. Her voice was cold and commanding: “Come here. Apologize.”

“Wha…” Just as Chen Xi spoke, Shen Ya’s gaze pierced her like an ice blade. She didn’t dare to meet Shen Ya’s eyes again. The heavy sense of pressure was like an iceberg, easily suffocating her. Already unfamiliar with Shen Ya and intimidated by her icy exterior, Chen Xi lowered her head, reluctantly whispering three words: “I’m sorry.”

Seeing this, the woman didn’t say anything more. She stepped aside and ushered Chen Xi into Shen Ya’s apartment: “Fine, you two talk it out.”

Having finally gotten Shen Ya’s door open with the help of someone else, Chen Xi was afraid of being kicked out again. She quickly slipped into Shen Ya’s apartment. Shen Ya indeed hated the forced intrusion, but she also didn’t want to bother the next-door neighbor with her personal issues. She closed the door, her eyes not lingering on Chen Xi, and simply said: “I don’t have slippers for you.”

Shen Ya had ‘Unwelcome’ written all over her face, but Chen Xi knew it and brazenly chose to stay: “But that girl who was at your place last time was wearing slippers.”

“So?” Shen Ya opened the shoe cabinet. There was indeed a pair of cartoon-printed slippers inside, but she didn’t pick them up. Instead, she found two disposable shoe covers: “Only these. Go outside if you don’t want to wear them.”

Chen Xi pouted. She was reluctant but had no other choice. She took the shoe covers and put them on, then followed Shen Ya into the room. Her eyes darted left and right, examining the apartment. She often saw places like this online. “Sister, your apartment is quite nice. I saw online that people call it an ‘influencer’ apartment.”

“Find a place to sit. Don’t touch my things.” Shen Ya said this, then opened the refrigerator. She pulled out the freezer drawer and took out the dumplings she and Qiao Xi had made last time.

Chen Xi didn’t listen to Shen Ya. She leaned nearby, watching Shen Ya boil the dumplings. She counted the number of dumplings dropped into the pot, confirming Shen Ya hadn’t prepared any for her. She rubbed her stomach and said pitifully: “Sister, I haven’t had breakfast either.”

“What does that have to do with me? Go find the person who sent you here.”

Chen Xi’s attempt to complain was rebuffed. Her lips slightly curved upwards in frustration. She couldn’t keep things bottled up at her age. Today’s events had already made her feel miserable. Now that it was just her and Shen Ya, she couldn’t hold back the words pressed in her heart any longer: “I didn’t provoke you. Why are you so hostile towards me? No matter what, I’m still your sister. Why are you taking out your conflict with Mom on me?”

Hearing this, Shen Ya dropped her chopsticks and turned around, her eyebrow arched, her tone sharp and icy: “She told you to come, and you obediently kept hammering my door. When I tell you to leave, you complain about me. I don’t expect you to treat me like a sister, but at least you should know how to spell ‘respect’.”