Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: A Hellish New Year’s Eve

Shen Ya had long known that today was a “Feast at Hong Gate.” Even though Chen Xi pulled her into the room, Shen Qiuyu would never allow her to keep running away.

In Shen Qiuyu’s territory, someone quickly stepped forward to call Shen Ya out of the room, sparing Shen Qiuyu the need to do it herself. These relatives all wore benign smiles, but in Shen Ya’s eyes, they were all mask-wearing devils.

She knew these relatives too well—they were people with little success outside, earning little money and frequently suffering slights. But once they returned home, they transformed into “abusers,” attempting to use their ridiculous ‘elder’ status to bully weaker juniors.

Shen Ya walked out of the room and quickly scanned the living room. All the seating was occupied. The eyes of these relatives held only malice. Their various intentions weren’t even attempted to be hidden, as if they still thought she was the easily manipulated child she once was.

“You haven’t been home in so long, why are you hiding in the room as soon as you get back?”

“Your mother said you’re a teacher now? The salary must be high, right? I see the neighbor’s kids paying hundreds for tutoring.”

“Being a teacher is good. It sounds nice and gives face. The job is stable and profitable. Oh, our family has certainly produced someone successful.”

“Isn’t Chen Xi taking the college entrance exam next year? You should tutor your sister more. Then, your family can have two university graduates in the future.”

“My little niece is starting middle school soon. When she comes over, you can tutor her too.”

“We’re all family. You, as the older sister, should help out as much as you can. That way, everyone can save some money, right?”

…

These relatives chattered away, openly discussing how to extract her final value right in front of her. No one asked if she was willing, if she had time, or if she wanted to teach. To them, these matters were already decided.

Shen Ya thought Shen Qiuyu must often talk about her to these people, which gave the relatives the audacity to make so many unreasonable demands today. It was probably with Shen Qiuyu’s tacit approval.

The living room was noisy, and the kitchen sounds of cooking added to the clamor. The house was small, yet she had to endure these foul remarks.

Shen Ya wanted to leave. If they weren’t getting to the point, why should she stay?

“Why are you just standing there? Don’t you know to come and help?” Shen Qiuyu held a spatula and glared at Shen Ya irritably. “Wipe the table. The food is almost ready.”

Shen Qiuyu was clearly accustomed to ordering her around. Whether in the past or now, she never treated her like a person. Although she hated to compare, the reality was that while both she and Chen Xi were Shen Qiuyu’s children, only Chen Xi was cherished.

She treated the command as wind passing her ears. Not only did she ignore her, but she turned back to Chen Xi’s room and retrieved the wooden chair.

Shen Ya returned to the living room with the chair, and when the chair touched the floor, it made a “loud bang” that made everyone look her way.

Under the gaze of all the relatives, she calmly sat down, crossed her long legs, placed her bag in her lap, and reached for the pre-cut fruit on the table, taking a bite: “Tutoring me? Fine. I told her $600 per lesson before. Didn’t she tell you?”

The scene instantly fell silent. The few relatives who had just spoken looked embarrassed, and the surrounding glances intensified with malice.

After a brief silence, someone broke the deadlock, forcing a smile to smooth things over: “Oh, we’re all family. Talking about money hurts feelings.”

As soon as the words fell, others immediately agreed.

Shen Ya let out a short, scoffing laugh through her nose. “Since we’re family, I’ll be direct. Shen Qiuyu brought me back because she wants you to persuade me to marry the demolition beneficiary. Marriage requires money, too. How much can each of you contribute?”

The hard-won lively atmosphere cooled down again. At the mention of money, none of the relatives dared to meet her gaze. Those who usually loved to show off and lecture others with their ‘elder’ authority immediately shut up.

Shen Ya finally had some peace and quiet. Shen Qiuyu, however, raised her spatula and pointed it at her, cursing: “How dare you speak to your elders like that? Did you read books for dogs to eat?!”

“I was never taught manners as a child, so I’m this vulgar. If you don’t like it, I’ll leave.”

Shen Ya grabbed her bag and was about to stand up, but Second Aunt quickly pressed her down and then gave Shen Qiuyu a look: “Alright, alright. Stop arguing on New Year’s. Qiuyu, you cook first. Shen Ya just got back, let her relax.”

Sure enough, these relatives bullied the weak and feared the strong, and they were several degrees of separation away from her. Seeing her tough attitude and willingness to talk back, they stopped trying to make trouble for her.

…

Since there were too many people today, one table couldn’t fit everyone. Therefore, those who didn’t drink alcohol and the children sat at a smaller table. Shen Ya originally planned to sit next to Chen Xi, but Shen Qiuyu had already reserved a seat for her at the main table.

Shen Ya had forgotten how long it had been since she sat here to eat Shen Qiuyu’s cooking. The New Year’s Eve dinner was naturally sumptuous, but she had absolutely no appetite. The wine glass in front of her was filled, and those disgusting faces urged her to drink it all.

She figured there would definitely be more arguments later. With alcohol, she might be able to perform better. These people probably didn’t realize her alcohol tolerance wasn’t low; having frequented the Blank, she had naturally developed a tolerance for drinking.

Two small cups of baijiu went down, and her stomach started to burn. Shen Ya ate some food to line her stomach, and Shen Qiuyu’s voice sounded at that moment: “Since everyone has time during the New Year, I’ll give you that woman’s contact details later. Add her, and arrange a time to meet her in the next few days.”

“When did I agree to meet her?”

Shen Qiuyu stopped eating. Her temper was hard to control whenever she saw Shen Ya, so her words were naturally barbed: “You look down on someone with such good conditions? Do you know how much money she’ll get after the demolition?! I’m your mother; would I ever harm you?”

“Enough.” Shen Ya put down her chopsticks, her voice calm and measured. “In your eyes, money is naturally more important than I am.”

Shen Qiuyu slammed her chopsticks down, her neck turning red with anger. She glared, pointing at Shen Ya’s nose like she wanted to devour her: “Why do you talk so horribly? Money isn’t important? Who am I doing this for? I’m just thinking that with money, your life will be better! And you see me as selling my own daughter?”

Shen Ya’s lips curled up slightly. The angrier Shen Qiuyu got, the happier Shen Ya felt. She tilted her head to meet Shen Qiuyu’s gaze, her eyes full of contempt and ridicule: “Whether it is or isn’t, you know perfectly well in your heart.”

She saw Shen Qiuyu raise her hand, a slap aimed at her face. But Shen Ya was prepared. She stood up and dodged before the slap landed. Only after the slap missed did she finally realize that Shen Qiuyu was indeed old; not only had her reaction slowed, but her strength was less than half of what it used to be.

Shen Ya caught Shen Qiuyu’s hand before she could grab anything to throw at her. “You say I haven’t been home for years, then tell me, do I even have a home anymore? You used to be desperate to send me away. Now you remember I have use, huh? You know very well whether you’re doing this for my benefit or for that person’s demolition payout!”

“You! You!” Shen Qiuyu’s eyes bulged. She clutched her other hand to her chest, looking like she was about to have a heart attack from anger: “You brute! I wasted my time raising you as a daughter! I am your mother! Let everyone see, this is how you treat your own mother!!”

“If you want to settle accounts, I’ve got a lot recorded here. Should I bring them up one by one today, so everyone can see how you treat your daughter?”

Shen Qiuyu’s hand, which had been hitting her chest, now lashed out at Shen Ya. Shen Ya wouldn’t tolerate it anymore. Since Shen Qiuyu had “invited” her over repeatedly, she would make sure Shen Qiuyu understood the consequences of calling her here.

Shen Ya grabbed the wine glass and smashed it at Shen Qiuyu’s feet. Glass fragments scattered on the floor. Her action shocked everyone else at the table. When some relatives tried to pull her away, she flung Shen Qiuyu’s hand off and swiftly grabbed the wooden chair she had been sitting on, smashing it onto the dining table.

Dishes and bowls flew everywhere, and soup and water splashed onto everything. The scene immediately dissolved into chaos, with screams and footsteps following and intertwining. Shen Qiuyu was too stunned to speak. She sat frozen in place, looking from the wrecked table to Shen Ya.

A cold glint seemed to flash in Shen Ya’s eyes. Watching the look of terror on Shen Qiuyu’s face, she opened her mouth, her voice low as if burned by the strong liquor: “From the moment you drove me out of this home, did you really think there was any mother-daughter affection left between us? Since you wanted to send me away before, you should stop meddling in my affairs from now on!”

With that, Shen Ya turned and left. She grabbed her bag from Chen Xi’s room and didn’t stop again.

As soon as she was outside, she called a ride-sharing car for herself. She knew Shen Qiuyu was only temporarily intimidated. Once she recovered, she would definitely cause more trouble. Therefore, Shen Ya set her phone to silent and immediately turned it off after getting into the car.

Even though she had left the old city district, Shen Ya felt that the stench of decay clung to her. Despite the sufficient heating in the car, she didn’t feel a hint of warmth. An invisible, intangible layer of frost seemed to cover her body, blocking all external warmth.

Shen Ya leaned back against the seat. The streets were starting to get lively at this time. Outside the car window, she saw a child holding a sparkler, lighting it with her mother’s help. The girl waved the sparkler in her hand, tiny sparks scattering in the air.

The young face showed a joyful smile under the twinkling light. The girl’s mother held the small hand, bending down slightly to embrace the child, waving the silver light together with her.

Even after the sparkler died down and the sparks vanished into a wisp of smoke, the mother and daughter hugged happily. Shen Ya thought she saw the little girl whisper something in her mother’s ear, and then they both burst out laughing.

The traffic light turned green, and the car sped away, leaving the mother and daughter behind. Their smiling faces quickly vanished from Shen Ya’s mind.

Every New Year, her greatest fear was encountering scenes like this on the street. Seeing other mothers cherish their children always made her heart ache as if pierced by needles.

She didn’t know what motherly love was and couldn’t comprehend the warmth of the mother-daughter bond. Every time she saw such a sight, she secretly envied it. She used to fantasize about it happening to her when she was a child, but after her hopes were dashed, she stopped having any longing for it.