Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 38

 Chapter 38: The Scars She Tried to Hide

“Teacher Shen!!”

Qiao Xi was a step too late. Shen Ya hadn’t looked at her again before going inside. Now blocked outside the door, she could hear intermittent sounds of arguing from inside the apartment. The woman’s voice was sharp and grating, occasionally spiking with dialect Qiao Xi couldn’t understand. But judging by the vicious tone, even without understanding the words, Qiao Xi knew the woman was verbally abusing Shen Ya.

“Teacher Shen?” Qiao Xi didn’t know Shen Ya’s door code and hadn’t registered her fingerprint. She could only use the most basic method, knocking and calling out to Shen Ya. She had no idea what was happening and was extremely worried about Shen Ya’s safety: “Teacher Shen, open the door! What happened??”

“Don’t knock anymore. They won’t open the door until they’re done fighting.” Chen Qian, standing beside her, patted Qiao Xi’s shoulder. When Qiao Xi stopped and turned to look at her, Chen Qian spoke with a look of accustomed resignation: “That’s my mother. She and Sis have a conflict, and they argue like this every time they see each other.”

Qiao Xi should have guessed. Chen Qian was here, and the woman, even without a clear look at her face, must be a relative of Shen Ya’s. But she never expected the woman to be Shen Ya’s mother. In the time she had spent with Shen Ya, Qiao Xi had inferred and guessed that Shen Ya had issues with her family. Shen Ya’s loneliness and sorrow on New Year’s Eve were still fresh in her memory. Though Qiao Xi was not her mothers’ biological child, she grew up in a home full of love, so she couldn’t comprehend how a mother could barge into her daughter’s home and, in front of outsiders, point her finger at her daughter and utter such nasty words.

What angered her even more was Chen Qian’s indifferent remark. Qiao Xi rarely got truly angry and had never flared up at anyone in public, but this comment ignited the fury in her heart. She clenched her fists, her usual smile gone from her face. Her little sun was hidden by storm clouds. She challenged Chen Qian in a cold voice: “So, you treat this as a matter of course?!”

“This… I-I mean, what can I do?” Attacked by Qiao Xi’s sudden hostility, the neighbor woman nearby also glared fiercely at her. Chen Qian shrunk her neck, not daring to look at either of them.

“Teacher Shen just moved here. You’re the only one who has been to her home. From what I know of Teacher Shen, she would never give her home address to someone she has conflict with, even if that person is her mother.” Qiao Xi advanced a step with every sentence. The closer she got to Chen Qian, the more flustered Chen Qian became, stepping backward: “If you hadn’t brought your mother here, how would this have happened today?”

Qiao Xi was charming and lovely, with a slight dimple when she smiled. Though subtle, anyone who saw her smile would be warmed by her innate friendliness. But this didn’t mean she had no temper. Her appearance made her seem unthreatening even when angry, but as she grew up, she learned to mimic Jiang Yunxi’s angry expression. Although less forceful than Jiang Yunxi, it was enough to intimidate peers.

Chen Qian didn’t know Qiao Xi or her relationship with Shen Ya. Now cornered against the wall, with Qiao Xi’s words hitting her like a machine gun, her first instinct was to deflect responsibility. She didn’t believe she had done anything wrong: “But she’s my mom! She asked me where Sis moved to, so how could I not tell her? This… this has nothing to do with me. I don’t want to see them fight either.”

“Fine, it has nothing to do with you, right?” Qiao Xi raised her fist as if to strike Chen Qian’s face.

The wind from the punch swept past Chen Qian’s eye. Her face went pale with fright. She raised both hands to shield her face. Before the pain arrived, her mouth started screaming. She turned her head and closed her eyes, but after waiting a while, Qiao Xi’s punch never landed. Chen Qian secretly opened a slit of an eye; there was no sign of a fist in front of her face.

Realizing Qiao Xi had tricked her, her face turned red as a boiled shrimp.

“She asks you something, and you answer. She tells you to do something, and you do it. Did you ever consider Teacher Shen’s feelings?! She’s your mother, so isn’t Teacher Shen your older sister?!” Qiao Xi had a belly full of words she wanted to say, but now wasn’t the time to scold Chen Qian. She had to figure out exactly what happened and how to get the door open. She grabbed Chen Qian by the collar, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded like it could crush bones: “What exactly happened?”

First intimidated, then threatened by Qiao Xi, Chen Qian, who was naturally weak-willed and only brave at home, was on the verge of being scorched by the flames. Naturally, she told Qiao Xi everything.

After Shen Ya overturned the dinner table on New Year’s Eve, Shen Qiuyu was initially frightened by Shen Ya’s attitude. The New Year’s Eve dinner was ruined. After Shen Ya left, their relatives gradually departed. The next day, Chen Qian’s family and her mother’s older sisters (Da Yi and Er Yi) returned to Shen Qiuyu’s hometown. Back home, Shen Qiuyu saw the woman she wanted to introduce for Shen Ya’s blind date. Although she couldn’t speak to her, the relatives around her kept mentioning the money they would get from the house demolition, which slowly reignited Shen Qiuyu’s idea.

She hadn’t forgotten Shen Ya’s reaction, but then her relatives kept telling her that Shen Ya was her daughter, after all. If she made a scene like before, wouldn’t Shen Ya agree? Once they got married and secured the money, if Shen Ya truly didn’t like the woman, she could just divorce her. They wouldn’t lose anything. Shen Qiuyu took these words to heart. In her view, if she could remarry and start a new family with someone else, Shen Ya had no reason to refuse such a good deal.

So, on the second day after returning to Jianglan City, Shen Qiuyu found out where Shen Ya lived from Chen Qian.

“Well, I should have never helped you knock on the neighbor’s door that day.” The female neighbor couldn’t help but roll her eyes after hearing the story. She was straightforward and didn’t know Chen Qian, so she spoke without hesitation: “Your family truly doesn’t treat your sister like a person. If you ask me, the neighbor is only being bullied because she’s too nice to people like you.”

Chen Qian quickly distanced herself: “What does that have to do with me? I can’t persuade my mom!”

“If you hadn’t brought her here, could the neighbor have been bullied? Your mom came straight here, smashing the door and hitting people, and you? You stood far away, afraid of being affected.”

“I-I…”

“Stop!” Qiao Xi had understood and knew the whole story. In her eyes, both Chen Qian and Chen Qian’s mother were selfish bad people who completely disregarded Shen Ya’s feelings. This was the first time Qiao Xi had experienced something like this. She didn’t know what Shen Ya thought of these two now, or why she hadn’t called the police when they caused a scene in her home. What should she do to help Shen Ya?

Qiao Xi closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. She was regulating her emotions and quickly brainstorming solutions. The jumbled mess of thoughts in her mind finally offered a thread. Following it, she slowly organized her thoughts. When she opened her eyes again, there was a new resolve: “Call your mother now. Tell her someone called the police and they’ve arrived.”

“My mom might not answer the phone.”

“Just call her! Stop with the nonsense!” The female neighbor was clearly less forgiving than Qiao Xi. She took three steps forward, pressing Chen Qian’s shoulder and demanding her phone.

Chen Qian was surrounded by the two women. Her hands were shaking, let alone daring to make eye contact with them. However, she didn’t hand over the phone. Instead, under their watchful eyes, she dialed Shen Qiuyu’s number. The first and second calls went unanswered, just as Chen Qian said. Qiao Xi didn’t give up. If calls weren’t answered, then she would use voice or video calls. As long as the phone kept ringing, she didn’t believe Shen Ya’s mother could completely ignore it.

Fortunately, her gamble paid off. The incessant ringing interrupted the argument inside the room. As soon as Shen Qiuyu answered the phone, she roared at Chen Qian: “What! Didn’t you hear me talking to your sister?!”

Qiao Xi snatched the phone and put it on speaker. Chen Qian looked helpless and aggrieved. She opened her mouth and mouthed “police” to ask Qiao Xi what to do next. Qiao Xi prompted her with the words “police,” and Chen Qian immediately spoke to Shen Qiuyu: “Mom, the noise was too loud, someone called the police. They’re here now. Hurry up and open the door!”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before a voice impatiently replied: “Fine, I know.”

The call ended. Chen Qian reached out to snatch the phone back, but Qiao Xi turned away. She put down the gift bag she was holding and took out her own phone from her pocket, then added Chen Qian as a friend. “I’ll be watching you. If you ever bully Teacher Shen again, I won’t let you off!”

“I…”

“Don’t try to shift the blame to me. Since you can choose your mother, why can’t you choose your sister?” Qiao Xi scoffed coldly: “If you truly don’t want Teacher Shen to be bullied, stop being an accomplice. If you can’t be a sister, you don’t deserve to call Teacher Shen ‘Sis’.”

Qiao Xi heard the sound of the lock clicking open on Shen Ya’s door. She tossed the phone back to Chen Qian. The moment the door was opened, she picked up the gift she had brought and quickly squeezed into the apartment. As soon as she appeared, she was pulled into an embrace by a cold hand gripping her wrist. Shen Ya looked Qiao Xi up and down. Only after seeing that she was completely unharmed did she let out a sigh of relief.

Shen Qiuyu had been pushed aside by Qiao Xi. She regained her composure and glanced outside, but saw no police. She asked Chen Qian, who was standing outside the door: “What’s going on? Where are the police?!”

The room was a mess. Most of the items on the kitchen counter were smashed. The oil, salt, and vinegar were scattered everywhere, and messy footprints soiled Shen Ya’s carefully maintained little home. Shards of broken pieces were splattered everywhere, and the white walls were smeared with grease. The sharp-eyed Qiao Xi noticed what looked like a smear of red blood among the broken glass. Then she noticed Shen Ya was hiding her right hand. Without a word, she grabbed Shen Ya’s wrist, but Shen Ya stubbornly resisted, refusing to let her see her palm.

Shen Qiuyu didn’t get a response from Chen Qian. She cursed a few angry words and closed the door again. Seeing the extra person in the room—a girl about the same age as Chen Qian—she completely disregarded Qiao Xi. She slapped the shoe cabinet twice: “Where did this kid come from? Shoo, shoo.”

Qiao Xi had been engaged in an eye battle with Shen Ya, insisting on seeing the injured hand, while Shen Ya adamantly refused. They hadn’t spoken a single word, but the emotions flowing between them were complex.

Qiao Xi knew this was not the time to argue. She had to get Shen Ya’s mother to leave first. She voluntarily released Shen Ya’s wrist and turned to face the woman. Her gaze was contemptuous as she surveyed the surroundings. “Tell me to ‘shoo’? Who are you? Do you know whose house this is?”

“Whose house is this? This is my daughter’s house!” Shen Qiuyu yelled: “I should be asking who you are! Trespassing in someone else’s home, what kid are you? Wait until I call the police and have them arrest you!”

“Pff…” Qiao Xi laughed out loud. She lifted her chin, her stance arrogant. Even facing someone older than herself, there was no respect in her eyes. “Your daughter’s house? I don’t recall getting a new mother. This is my family’s apartment. My mother rented it to this Teacher Shen. It’s the New Year, and my mom told me to bring something to wish Teacher Shen a Happy New Year. Who are you, coming to my house to smash things and harass my tenant?”

Then, she patted the grease-splattered wall: “Do you know how much this wall paint costs?! And these dishes, the floor tiles? This apartment was just renovated, and you came in and broke things! Now you’re yelling at me! Call the police, you say? Fine! What kind of skill is it to bully a kid like me? You just wait. I’m calling my mom now. If you don’t pay for the repairs today, you won’t leave this door!”

The more Qiao Xi spoke, the angrier she got. Her usual personality was gentle; this spoiled-brat persona was imitated from Xia Cong’an. Seeing that Shen Qiuyu was intimidated, she pressed her advantage, picking up her phone and pretending to make a call: “I’m calling the police right now! My family spent over a hundred thousand [Yuan] renovating this apartment, and the materials were all top-notch. I remember my mother still has the renovation receipts. Wait until my mother and the police arrive; you’ll be paying compensation!”

Shen Qiuyu cared about nothing but money, and the mention of “over a hundred thousand” hit her hard. She instinctively moved forward to snatch Qiao Xi’s phone to stop her from calling, but Shen Ya knew Shen Qiuyu too well. The moment the woman made a move, Shen Ya blocked Qiao Xi behind her.

Qiao Xi, hiding behind Shen Ya, still wasn’t backing down. She held Shen Ya’s shirt with one hand, sticking half her face out. She seemed frightened by Shen Qiuyu’s reaction, but her demeanor was still arrogant and condescending.

Qiao Xi pointed at Shen Qiuyu and shouted: “Oh, so you want to hit me now, huh? I’m telling you, I’m a minor! If you hit me today, I won’t settle for anything less than a few hundred thousand, or I won’t get up! We’ll see who the police arrest when they get here!”

Unable to grab Qiao Xi, Shen Qiuyu redirected her anger at Shen Ya. She couldn’t out-talk Qiao Xi and was half-dead with rage from Qiao Xi’s words. Her chest heaved violently, as if she had been shocked. She pointed at Shen Ya, but before she could speak, Qiao Xi countered her again: “What are you doing? What do you want? Oh, I know! You’re one of those people who deliberately cause trouble, like they talk about online! You wait. I’m recording this now. I’ll post it online in a minute.”

Qiao Xi opened the camera and started recording: “Look, everyone! This person, pretending to be my teacher’s mother, came over and smashed my teacher’s house! Now she’s threatening to hit us! My teacher and I are afraid to touch her because she’s old. What if she falls down and files a false claim? Family, what should we do when we run into something like this?!”

Shen Qiuyu had lived most of her life without meeting a child as brazen as Qiao Xi. She was extremely concerned with appearances. Now, afraid of Qiao Xi recording her, she covered her face and yelled: “Don’t talk nonsense! What are you talking about!! Stop filming, do you hear me!!”

“Shen Ya, why aren’t you stopping her!!!”

“Look, everyone, she’s threatening my teacher again! I’m so scared! Is she going to attack us now? How can there be such a bad person!!”

Shen Qiuyu was dizzy with anger. If it were Shen Ya, she would definitely have struck her, but Qiao Xi looked like a rich kid. She was genuinely afraid that if she hurt Qiao Xi, she would not only have to pay money but also go to jail. Helplessly, she decided to leave first.

Seeing Shen Qiuyu turn to leave, Qiao Xi became uncooperative. She jumped out from behind Shen Ya and followed Shen Qiuyu haughtily. The video was still recording, and she continued: “Don’t run! Pay up first! You think you can break my family’s stuff and just walk away?! I recorded everything! Running away won’t help you! I’m calling the police right away! You think you can run and we won’t find you??”

Shen Qiuyu opened the door and walked out. Seeing the bewildered Chen Qian, she snapped: “Let’s go!”

Chen Qian only had time to glance at Qiao Xi and Shen Ya before Shen Qiuyu grabbed her wrist and dragged her away. Shen Qiuyu walked fast, as if terrified Qiao Xi would catch up and demand compensation. She never expected the landlord’s daughter of the apartment Shen Ya rented to be so sharp-tongued. She had truly hit a brick wall today. She retreated sullenly, full of suppressed anger.