Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Interrupted Conversation

The interrupted conversation had no need to continue. The meal could already be considered over the moment Jiang Yunxi stated that their ‘game’ had reached its end. But out of politeness and her own private sentiment, Shen Ya still returned to the private room before leaving.

Jiang Yunxi now held a high school practice book in her hand, intently checking the written content. Hearing the sound, she simply looked up and nodded slightly.

The heart that had just been persuaded to accept the situation began to beat violently and uncontrollably again upon seeing Jiang Yunxi. Shen Ya gripped her bag tightly, her fingertips turning white. Even as she struggled to control her emotions, she couldn’t meet Jiang Yunxi’s gaze.

She was truly terrible at lying to Jiang Yunxi. The excuse she had planned on the way back to the room was now stuck in her throat. She pursed her lips, unable to move, until Jiang Yunxi slightly frowned and asked, “Why don’t you come over?”

Shen Ya knew she couldn’t hesitate any longer. Her unusual behavior would attract Jiang Yunxi’s attention. They were supposed to part amicably, as they had agreed before the “game” began, and not bother each other. Yet, the sadness felt like a fierce wave repeatedly washing over her brain and heart.

It’s time to leave, Shen Ya warned herself.

If she didn’t say something soon, even the last bit of decency would likely be shredded. Shen Ya’s lips trembled. She quietly took a deep breath and spoke in an unpracticed tone: “I just got a call from a colleague; I have to go back and cover a class for someone, so… I’ll be leaving first.”

“Alright.” Jiang Yunxi didn’t say much, seemingly uncaring.

Shen Ya’s heart ached. Jiang Yunxi truly would not spare her another moment of attention. She didn’t even ask again about the half-finished sentence Shen Ya had been interrupted from speaking earlier. Shen Ya turned around, forcing her gaze away, leaving the heart that beat for Jiang Yunxi, along with the brief warmth she had received over the years, behind in the private room.

The heavy rain outside had turned the street outside the restaurant into a small stream. The server handed her an umbrella and asked, “Hello, would you like me to call a taxi for you?”

Shen Ya took the umbrella and thanked her. She looked up at the grey sky. The cold wind rushed into her clothes from all directions. She sniffed, opened the umbrella, and hung her bag on her wrist. Her hand reached into her coat pocket and touched a piece of candy that still held a faint warmth.

She was startled at first, then let go of the candy, as if it could burn her hand. After a brief pause, she finally grasped the candy in her palm: “No, thank you.”

Her black leather shoes stepped into the accumulated water. Shen Ya no longer cared if the sewage would dirty her shoes. When she reached the bus stop, she happened to see an empty taxi parked nearby. The rain was falling harder, and there were no pedestrians to be seen on the road.

“Miss, it’s raining this hard, want a ride?” The car window lowered, and a woman who looked about forty years old shouted to Shen Ya. “The buses are slow in this kind of downpour.”

Shen Ya had originally planned to take the bus for two stops and then transfer to the subway, but since the driver offered, she figured the heavy rain had negatively impacted the driver’s business. She pulled open the back door, sat down, and then closed her umbrella. The heat was on in the car, and once she closed the door, the outside wind and frost were shut out.

As the car started, Shen Ya turned her head for one last look in the direction of the restaurant. From now on, she would be alone again, perhaps not even having the qualification to dream beautiful dreams.

…

When she returned home, the sky was completely dark. Occasionally, lightning flashed, followed by rolling thunder.

Shen Ya got home, changed out of her damp shoes, and padded barefoot in the darkness toward the living room sofa. She placed her bag on the coffee table and then turned on the white floor lamp nearby. She sat under the warm yellow light, looking at every corner of her home, her mind slowly emptying.

Her home was very clean, and due to the lack of possessions, it felt spacious. It was a rented apartment, a two-bedroom, one-living room unit, not large, but conveniently located, and the rent wasn’t high.

She had moved many times. When she first graduated from university, she had little money and had to share a tiny bedroom and bathroom with others, leaving her with virtually no privacy.

Later, she saved some money and was finally able to afford her own private apartment. She rented this unit two years ago. Every meeting with Jiang Yunxi, aside from outside locations, had been in this room. This apartment held many memories of her ‘game’ with Jiang Yunxi.

She remembered that the lease for this apartment was expiring soon. The landlord had sent her a message asking if she wanted to renew. She didn’t know why she was hesitating. Leaving here and finding a new apartment would be time-consuming and exhausting, and she might not find one better than this. But staying here meant she would never truly move on from Jiang Yunxi.

Whether she was willing to part with it or not, she knew she had to make a decision. She took out her phone, found the landlord’s contact, and drafted a message, informing the person that she had made up her mind and would be moving out before the contract expired.

After hitting send, that last lingering thought seemed to be crushed as well. Shen Ya turned off the floor lamp and stood up from the sofa in the darkness. Even without light, she could move freely in this room.

Shen Ya pushed open the bedroom door and turned on the light. When she closed the bedroom door, the living room outside became lifeless again. She began to handle her unfinished work inside, making herself busy, hoping to stop herself from overthinking.

But she was, after all, not an emotionless machine. As time passed, when she finally stopped, memories surged like a tide, overwhelming her once more.

Shen Ya sighed. She suddenly remembered the candy Qiao Xi had given her. Her coat was in the living room, so she stood up and quickly left the room again.

The coat was draped over the sofa. Feeling the pocket, she took out the piece of candy. She didn’t like sweets. In her memory, the number of times she had eaten candy was minimal. The white wrapper was printed with the flavor and a string of English letters. That string of letters looked familiar to her.

Shen Ya opened the wrapper and first held it to her nose to smell it. The fruit aroma was stronger than the milky scent. With a curious mind, she put the candy in her mouth. As the sugar coating dissolved, the sweetness of fruit and milk spread through her mouth. She felt as if she was seeing a lush orchard, where the air was filled with the faint scent of fruits and vegetables, sweet but not cloying.

This trace of sweetness was like an invisible thread, passing through her throat to her chest, first clearing some of the gloom, and then sliding down to her stomach. These threads then became seeds that rooted and sprouted in her stomach, bearing warm and nostalgic fruit.

It was true, just as Qiao Xi had said: this candy was delicious.

The taste also felt familiar to Shen Ya. It seemed that long, long ago, someone had given her a bag of this same candy.

She held the candy in her mouth, reluctant to immediately chew and swallow it, only hoping that this piece of candy could maintain the warmth for a little longer. She unfolded the wrapper, noted the English letters on it, and then carried the wrapper back to her bedroom.

With the wrapper laid flat on the desk, she opened a web page and logged into a shopping website. She typed the letters from the wrapper one by one. Sure enough, she found the brand of candy.

She had only intended to look, but staring at the candy picture on the website, Qiao Xi’s smiling face popped into her mind. Jiang Yunxi had a lovely sister. Looking back now, the girl’s smile was truly as sweet as this candy.

This candy had a magical quality, allowing the previously melancholic Shen Ya to relax slightly. As her thoughts drifted, she no longer focused only on the things that made her unhappy. She picked up the mouse and added every flavor of this candy to her shopping cart.

…

The night was deep. The eye-care lamp on the desk remained on duty. The textbook filled with notes was open on the surface. Qiao Xi propped up her face with one hand and twirled a pen with the other. Her mind wasn’t on homework but on the cold, aloof face she had seen today.

Before today, she thought her sister had long lost contact with Shen Ya. After all, the last time she saw Shen Ya was in middle school. During that meeting, she had accidentally witnessed a secret of her sister’s. She hadn’t told anyone, choosing to seal that scene deep in her memory forever.

It was because of that accidental encounter that she had always assumed Shen Ya and her eldest sister were dating. But after that, she never saw Shen Ya again, nor did she hear any news about her from her sister.

Meeting her again today only intensified her suspicion about her sister’s relationship with Shen Ya. If they weren’t lovers, then how should she explain the scene she had witnessed back then?

The tediousness of her studies made her extremely interested in her sister’s secret. She was like a little fish in a pond, who, after finally seeing someone throw out a handful of bait, couldn’t resist the temptation to bite the hook and find out the truth, even knowing the risk involved.

Shen Ya was beautiful. If she became her sister-in-law, that wouldn’t be so bad.

Qiao Xi closed her book and fetched her tablet. She recalled Shen Ya’s appearance today, wanting to capture the woman’s beauty in her drawing.

…

Downstairs in the living room, Jiang Yunxi was sitting on the sofa, talking on the phone with a woman. A fluffy golden retriever lay at her feet, panting with its tongue out, rubbing its head against her calf.

While stroking the Golden Retriever’s head, Jiang Yunxi said to the person on the other end of the line: “Shen Ya and I have broken up. I don’t plan to get involved in this circle anymore.”

The woman on the phone chuckled softly. Before she could ask any questions, Jiang Yunxi spoke another sentence: “Shuyao and I are together. Please keep it a secret for us.”

The laughter abruptly stopped. The previously pleasant call suddenly fell into an eerie silence after Jiang Yunxi’s statement. Jiang Yunxi seemed to have anticipated this reaction, so she just played with the Golden Retriever’s ears, waiting for the other end of the line to make a sound again.

“Are you insane? Don’t you know that you two are…”

“I know.” Jiang Yunxi interrupted the woman’s words, her tone firm: “I am perfectly clear about what I am doing, so don’t waste your breath giving me a lecture.”

After an extremely brief silence, the woman sighed, apparently not wanting to continue the topic with Jiang Yunxi. She asked in a deep voice, “Then did she say anything to you?”

“Who?”

“Shen Ya.”

“No.” Jiang Yunxi’s eyebrow arched slightly, and her tone turned provocative. She asked with a touch of mockery: “Odd, why are you so interested in Shen Ya? Could it be… you have feelings for her?”

The woman made a light “Tsk” sound, her tone unpleasant, filled with strong impatience: “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

The phone was hung up without waiting for Jiang Yunxi to say anything more. She tossed the phone onto the sofa, her gaze shifting to the Golden Retriever. With a slight smile, she murmured softly, her meaning unclear: “How truly boring.”