Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Night’s Confidant

The two of them tacitly avoided mentioning what had just happened. When Shen Ya came downstairs, she had already reverted to her usual indifference. She carried clothes in her hands, but instead of directly handing them to Qiao Xi, she placed them in the bathroom. The two exchanged a glance. Although Qiao Xi still wore a smile, the distance they had so painstakingly narrowed was now marked by a dividing line again.

Qiao Xi entered the bathroom and found that Shen Ya had prepared the same white shirt for her as last time. The shirt was wide and long, not Shen Ya’s usual style. She hadn’t paid attention last time, but today she picked up the clothes and inspected them carefully. When she recognized the pattern on the cufflink and the brand name, an emotion she couldn’t quite place arose in Qiao Xi’s heart. The brand was one her Doctor Jiang liked, and even the style was the same. Could this shirt have been left by Doctor Jiang?

If it really was her sister’s shirt, did that mean her sister had also stayed overnight at Teacher Shen’s house before?

Strange. In her memory, her sister would never stay overnight alone unless she was at school or on a business trip; at least, she had no memory of it. If it wasn’t her sister’s, did Teacher Shen buy it herself? But why would she buy an ill-fitting shirt?

Qiao Xi, filled with questions, turned on the shower. As the warm water flowed over her body, she suddenly patted her own head. In the time she had spent with Shen Ya, she had forgotten that her initial goal in finding Shen Ya was to investigate what had happened between Teacher Shen and her sister! Now, this shirt was the best piece of evidence. Regardless of whether her Doctor Jiang had ever liked Teacher Shen, Teacher Shen definitely had Doctor Jiang in her heart. But her Doctor Jiang was already with Sister Shuyao. Had Teacher Shen moved on from her sister?

…

Shen Ya was sitting on the living room sofa resting when a phone vibration sounded nearby. Her first instinct was to search for her own phone from under the cushion, but her phone was quiet, without any messages or calls. Her eyes looked up, settling on the other phone lying face down on the coffee table.

It was Qiao Xi’s phone. She had no intention of picking it up; she figured that since Qiao Xi had placed the screen face down, it meant she didn’t want Shen Ya to see anything. However, the vibration was incessant, and it wasn’t the sound of a message. Shen Ya stood up, walked to the bathroom door, and raised her hand to knock: “Qiao Xi.”

The sound of running water inside muffled Shen Ya’s knock, so Qiao Xi didn’t hear it.

Shen Ya knocked again, harder. Even from a distance, she could still hear the phone on the coffee table vibrating continuously. Perhaps something urgent had happened to the person on the other end, which was why they were desperately trying to reach Qiao Xi. Shen Ya apologized internally, then pressed the doorknob and pushed the bathroom door open a narrow crack.

“Qiao Xi.”

“Ah? Ah!” Shen Ya’s voice suddenly startled Qiao Xi. There was no curtain to cover the shower, and even with the wet/dry separation, she could clearly see her body’s outline through the glass door. In a panic, she could only use her hands to cover herself. Even as she tried to compose herself, her voice was trembling: “W-what is it, Teacher Shen?”

Even though the small gap didn’t allow for a clear view of the inside, Shen Ya still turned her back, refusing to pry into Qiao Xi’s privacy. “Your phone keeps ringing. I don’t know who it is. Do you need me to bring your phone over?”

“N-no, no need. I’m almost done bathing.”

“Okay.” With that, Shen Ya closed the door again.

Qiao Xi waited a moment longer. The soundproofing in this small apartment wasn’t great where it should be. In the bathroom, she couldn’t hear any footsteps outside and wasn’t sure if Shen Ya had left. Forget it, she thought. She sped up her showering. She had anticipated her phone ringing. To prevent Shen Ya from seeing the caller ID, she had placed the phone face down. Soon, she would have to hide in the bedroom and make excuses to convince her sister to let her stay out tonight.

The white shirt was very long, covering her thighs when worn. Qiao Xi opened the bathroom door like a thief, first peeking out with just her eyes. Only after confirming Shen Ya wasn’t outside did she feel relieved enough to fully open the door and step out.

“Teacher Shen, I’m done bathing.” Qiao Xi walked into the living room and picked up her phone from the coffee table.

Shen Ya nodded. She saw Qiao Xi had tied up her hair, but there were still stray wet strands around her neck, with droplets of water slowly running down her skin. Shen Ya quickly averted her gaze: “Mhm. Go back to the room and rest.”

As she spoke, Qiao Xi’s phone vibrated again. The hand holding the phone felt numb from the vibration. She glanced down at the screen; sure enough, it was a call from her Doctor Jiang. She urgently wanted to avoid Shen Ya while answering the call. “Okay, I’ll go up first then.” She turned and quickly ran up the stairs, but paused right after stepping onto the first stair, looking back: “Teacher Shen, you’re not planning to sleep in the living room again, are you?”

Qiao Xi was too meticulous and sensitive. Shen Ya had no such intention, as the sofa in this small apartment was even narrower than the previous one, making it impossible to sleep on. Besides, she had already shared a bed with Qiao Xi once. After the first time, the psychological burden for the second time was much lighter. She replied: “No.”

“That’s good. I’ll wait for you to come up, Teacher Shen.”

Shen Ya wanted to say something more, but Qiao Xi was fast. She was gone before Shen Ya could speak. Shen Ya let out a breath, first shaking her head, then recalling all the lovely ways Qiao Xi had acted in front of her today. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, a smile escaping from the corners of her eyes.

Qiao Xi hid in Shen Ya’s bedroom, and the smile on her face instantly vanished. After closing the door, she opened her phone with trembling hands. Seeing more than a dozen missed calls and countless messages, her face went pale, and she almost dropped the phone: “I’m dead, I’m dead.”

As composed as she had been in front of Shen Ya, that was how panicked she was now. She was about to answer Jiang Yunxi’s call, but her hand slipped, and she accidentally pressed the hang-up button.

The vibration stopped, and her heart sank.

Qiao Xi stood petrified. After what felt like an eternity, her phone vibrated her palm again. Qiao Xi snapped back to attention. This time, she controlled her hand and finally accurately hit the answer button. Her hand was a blur, and before the phone reached her ear, she heard Jiang Yunxi’s grinding teeth and sharp question: “Why didn’t you answer the phone for so long? Where are you? Shuyao and I are coming over now.”

“Sis, I know you’re angry right now, but please don’t be angry yet.” Qiao Xi’s voice was soft enough to melt water. Although not answering the phone made her sister mad, Qiao Xi had been dealing with such situations for all her life. She adjusted her emotions and deployed her skills of pouting, being spoiled, and playfully making trouble: “Didn’t Sis tell me that you absolutely can’t get angry during the New Year, or you’ll have bad luck all year?”

“Qiao Xi!”

“Hehe…” Qiao Xi gave an awkward laugh. She thought, since she had already bathed, she had to stay at Shen Ya’s place tonight. So, she adopted a “nothing to lose” attitude: “I’m not coming home tonight. I’ll meet you directly at the temple in the morning!”

“Don’t…”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll definitely meet up with Mom and the others early tomorrow. You and Sis don’t worry. Okay, gotta go, my friend is calling me. I wish you sisters a fun night! I won’t go home and bother you! Happy New Year, Sis!”

Qiao Xi could guess what Jiang Yunxi was about to say as soon as she opened her mouth, so she quickly interrupted her “spell.” After saying all that, she rapidly ended the call. Although this meant she would definitely get lectured tomorrow, thankfully it was New Year’s, and her family would never hold a grudge against her on such a special holiday.

With her sister’s call handled and her whereabouts clarified for the night, Qiao Xi was finally able to relax and stop worrying about going home.

She put her phone under the pillow and lay down on the side closest to the wall. After several days, she could share a bed with Shen Ya again. This bedroom was even smaller than the one in the previous apartment. Because of this, Shen Ya’s scent was even stronger. She felt less like she was lying on a bed and more like she was lying in Shen Ya’s embrace.

Qiao Xi pinched her palm, snapping out of her wild thoughts. She was indeed very tired today. Lying on the soft bed, enveloped by the scent she loved, Qiao Xi’s eyelids grew heavier. Yet, she hadn’t forgotten that she had to wait for Shen Ya to come up.

She tried hard to stay awake. When she was truly sleepy, she took out her phone to check it. Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao had both sent her messages, cautioning her to be safe, and her friends had sent New Year’s greetings. She struggled to keep her eyes open to reply, but ultimately, she couldn’t resist the exhaustion.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs occurred shortly after Qiao Xi fell asleep. Shen Ya walked in. Today, she wore a black nightgown that covered her knees, and her long hair was casually tied up at the back of her head. Water droplets from her hair slowly flowed down to her collarbone as she moved.

Fresh out of the shower, Shen Ya’s face was slightly flushed. She walked like a cat, making no sound as she stepped into the room. She sat on the edge of the bed and saw Qiao Xi was lying on her side, facing away, without a blanket. She noticed Qiao Xi’s phone screen was still on in her peripheral vision. “Qiao Xi?”

The soft call received no response. Shen Ya knelt on the bed and first picked up the blanket to cover Qiao Xi, then picked up the phone placed next to Qiao Xi’s head.

Although she wasn’t interested in Qiao Xi’s privacy, the screen displayed a familiar sight. She saw Jiang Yunxi’s profile picture from the messaging app. In just a second, she turned off the screen and put the phone back next to Qiao Xi.

She had expected her heart to race because of this, but after putting down the phone, no other emotion arose. The three words “Jiang Yunxi” no longer seemed to be a taboo in her heart. Recalling their past interactions, there was no ripple of emotion.

She wondered, had she finally moved past all her feelings for Jiang Yunxi?

No one had ever taught her what love or liking was. Only after meeting Qiao Xi did she see a different world. It turned out that care and kindness didn’t need to be exchanged for anything else. It turned out that sincerity was so heartwarming.

When she lay down in the blanket, she was surprised to find that Qiao Xi was not just a little sun, but a little heater. The bed was already warm. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling. This was the second time she had slept with Qiao Xi. Compared to the first time, she no longer felt resistant or repelled. She thought that perhaps it was because Qiao Xi was simple and adorable, living in a world she envied, a cute little angel full of sunshine, integrity, and countless good intentions. She sought light and loved warmth, which was why she had lowered her guard so quickly around Qiao Xi, allowing her to slowly get closer.