Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 48

 Chapter 48: The Warmth of Kinship

The taxi stopped in a parking spot by the road. Shen Ya pulled Qiao Xi’s hand, instructing her carefully and seriously: “Wait for me in the car, don’t get out. Wiggle your finger if you hear me.”

Qiao Xi gently scratched her palm with her index finger.

A response was a good sign. Shen Ya felt slightly reassured. She asked the driver to wait and quickly got out of the car, heading toward the few remaining shops on the commercial street.

At this hour, not much was left in the cake shops. The display case by the counter only had a few scattered small cakes. Shen Ya picked the cutest one and paid for it.

When she returned to the car, Qiao Xi was still in the same position as when she left. Only after Shen Ya sat down did Qiao Xi secretly turn her head and glance at her.

Afterward, silence returned to the car.

The car drove into the community’s underground parking lot. Shen Ya got out of the back seat and walked around to the other side. Qiao Xi obediently opened the door and stepped out, but she still avoided making eye contact, as if escaping something.

Shen Ya hung her bag over her shoulder, holding the small cake in her left hand and Qiao Xi’s wrist in her right. Qiao Xi’s presence was very subdued on the way. She wasn’t as enthusiastic as usual. Although she didn’t resist Shen Ya’s touch and followed her closely, Shen Ya felt that Qiao Xi wanted to run away.

Shen Ya entered the door code. After pushing the door open, the room was pitch black. Shen Ya first pulled Qiao Xi inside, closed the door, and turned on the light. The harsh brightness left Qiao Xi’s awkwardness with nowhere to hide, or perhaps returning to the familiar home helped relieve some of her emotional burden.

With no outsiders present and having escaped the noise of the banquet hall and the meaningful looks of others, Qiao Xi was visibly recovering. She took the initiative to open the shoe cabinet and take out slippers. Before Shen Ya could stop her, she quickly locked herself in the bathroom.

Shen Ya looked at the closed bathroom door and sighed inwardly. She put the cake on the living room coffee table. She wasn’t skilled at comforting people, so she hadn’t dared to speak casually all the way here, afraid that her words would only upset Qiao Xi further instead of comforting her.

Shen Ya kept an eye on the bathroom. She paced back and forth, worried that Qiao Xi might be overthinking things alone inside, so she decided to go over and ask.

In front of the bathroom door, Shen Ya first listened closely for any movement inside. She seemed to hear the faint sound of running water. Then, she raised her hand and knocked: “Qiao Xi?”

Qiao Xi heard Shen Ya’s voice. She turned off the faucet, used a facial towel to wipe the water from her face, and checked her state in the mirror. She forced a smile, making her usual happy face. After confirming that she looked flawless, Qiao Xi walked over and opened the bathroom door.

“Teacher Shen.” Qiao Xi smiled: “I’m fine. I just hadn’t heard words like that in so long, so I was stunned for a moment. Sorry for worrying you.”

After speaking, Qiao Xi squeezed past Shen Ya and headed toward the living room, saying: “I saw Teacher Shen bought something delicious. What is it?”

Shen Ya followed behind Qiao Xi. The girl sat cross-legged on the carpet in the living room. Qiao Xi moved the small cake on the coffee table in front of her. She looked surprised and, like her usual little sun self, spoke affectionately: “Wow! Teacher Shen bought me a cake! I thought I wouldn’t have any cake today.”

“Birthdays always have cake, don’t they?”

Shen Ya came to the coffee table. She bent down and unwrapped the cake box. After placing it down, she found one candle from the bag. The cake was too small for two candles, so she only used the most basic kind. Although the candle was solitary, Shen Ya placed the sparkling birthday hat on Qiao Xi’s head.

She still remembered how Qiao Xi helped her celebrate her birthday last time, so she lit the candle and turned off the room lights. The candlelight was faint, casting soft shadows on their faces. Shen Ya knelt next to Qiao Xi: “You have to make a wish on your birthday.”

“Teacher Shen learns fast,” Qiao Xi joked with a smile.

The light was too dim for Qiao Xi to see Shen Ya’s expression, which was good, meaning Shen Ya wouldn’t see her forced smile. Qiao Xi closed her eyes. She meant to make a wish, but her mind was blank. She had thought of a wish yesterday, but hearing the gossip again today seemed to have shattered it.

“Have you made a wish?”

Shen Ya’s voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of scaring Qiao Xi if she spoke too loudly. But this gave Qiao Xi a new idea.

【She wished that Shen Ya would be safe and happy, and that everything would go smoothly for her forever after.】

Qiao Xi opened her eyes, smiled, leaned in, and blew out the candle. The last bit of light in the room vanished in a wisp of white smoke. Shen Ya reached out to turn on the light, but Qiao Xi grabbed her wrist: “Teacher Shen, can you not turn on the light yet?”

“Okay.”

Although they were facing each other, they maintained some distance. This was Qiao Xi’s current safe distance. If she were facing her sisters and mothers right now, she would definitely control her emotions and pretend nothing had happened, but Shen Ya was different. She had seen Shen Ya’s vulnerability and her private secrets. In Qiao Xi’s view, they were kindred spirits, so they could reveal their scars to each other.

She held Shen Ya’s wrist without letting go, as if drawing courage for herself. “Teacher Shen heard everything, didn’t you? Don’t you want to ask me anything?”

Qiao Xi’s tone carried many emotions. Despite being upset, there was still a hint of forced cheerfulness. Shen Ya considered it before saying: “Then, are you willing to tell me?”

“Oh, there’s nothing that can’t be said,” Qiao Xi released Shen Ya’s hand. She leaned back slightly, palms braced on the floor for balance, and spoke in a lighthearted tone: “Just as Teacher Shen heard, I’m actually not Mom and Mommy’s biological child. I was adopted. One of my birth mothers died in an accident before I was born, and the other died of illness after giving birth to me. My current two mothers were friends with my birth mothers, so they took me in out of pity.

“I have no blood relation to my sisters, or my mothers, but I know I’m lucky. My mothers love me very much, and my sisters love me very much. They never let me suffer, and they even… even cut off contact with relatives in our hometown after they gossiped about me. I know I’m very happy, even without my birth mothers. Actually, I shouldn’t care what those people say. Being talked about won’t hurt me anyway. I…”

Qiao Xi choked up, but she still didn’t want Shen Ya to notice, so she kept smiling, even though her smile looked worse than a cry.

“Qiao Xi.”

Shen Ya cut her off.

Qiao Xi lowered her head. Crystal tears hid in the darkness and dissolved into the carpet.

“You don’t need to keep smiling when you’re unhappy.” Shen Ya shifted her knees and moved closer to Qiao Xi. She could finally touch Qiao Xi’s face. Her thumb gently wiped across it, leaving a damp trail: “You used to hug me and cry. Why are you trying to be so strong this time?”

Qiao Xi raised her hand to wipe away her tears. Even though Shen Ya couldn’t see her movements, she still shook her head. This was different from before. Her past tears were fake, but now, she knew she was losing control of her emotions. She didn’t want Shen Ya to see her ugly state. She wanted to maintain an optimistic image in Shen Ya’s heart.

But Shen Ya was so gentle. Despite being such a cool-headed person, she still sensed her feelings at a time like this. They were indeed kindred spirits.

However, she didn’t want to worry Shen Ya. After a moment to compose herself, she managed to control her tone and continued: “I’m not trying to be strong. Mom said that when you encounter difficulties or internal struggles, only by bravely overcoming them can you become stronger and truly fear no one’s judgment. Otherwise, these troubles will stay bottled up, becoming a bomb that can affect me at any time. I thought I didn’t care anymore, but today… today…”

Qiao Xi fell into a warm embrace. Shen Ya gently patted her back, her technique clumsy, sometimes light, sometimes firm, but it provided the comfort Qiao Xi desperately needed right now.

“You can be vulnerable, and you don’t need to force yourself to be strong,” Shen Ya’s voice was cool but not aloof. She was trying to make her words sound warmer, so she spoke slowly: “I think your two mothers’ original intention was just to make you strong, not to force a smile even when you’re unhappy.”

“Qiao Xi, you don’t have to please anyone. Don’t you always advise me like a little adult? Why are you overthinking things yourself now?”

Qiao Xi’s eyes were pressed against Shen Ya’s shoulder. Shen Ya quickly noticed that the skin there was wet. The difference between Qiao Xi’s real tears and fake tears was so great. Even now, crying, she was deliberately trying not to let her shoulders shake or make any sound.

This only made Shen Ya feel more heartache for Qiao Xi. Qiao Xi was not born a little sun and didn’t know how to love people around her from childhood.

When did Qiao Xi start learning to use smiles to disguise her struggles?

She wanted to bring warmth to everyone around her, wanted to avoid disappointing her family, and wanted to be the pride of her mothers and sisters.

Only then did Shen Ya realize how many burdens and pressures Qiao Xi had placed on herself. She didn’t know if Jiang Yunxi had noticed Qiao Xi’s pretense over the years, or perhaps she had discovered it but never found the right opportunity to talk to Qiao Xi openly.

“Teacher Shen, I’m not strong at all. By running away from the banquet today, am I disappointing my mothers again?”

“No,” Shen Ya stated firmly: “Although I haven’t interacted with your family many times, I can tell that your mothers love you very much. I don’t think they want to see you put such heavy pressure on yourself. When you left tonight, they probably only felt worry and self-reproach.”

“I…”

Shen Ya gently held her shoulders. Even though she couldn’t clearly see Qiao Xi’s expression, her hand accurately touched Qiao Xi’s cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb, and she added: “Do you want to call your mother now to let her know you’re safe?”

Could she?

Normally, she would definitely inform her mothers of her whereabouts to prevent them from worrying, but her emotions weren’t stabilized yet, and she was afraid she would upset her mothers.

But what Qiao Xi hadn’t expected was Shen Ya’s level of initiative tonight. Shen Ya not only accurately picked up the phone from the coffee table, but also turned on the screen, grabbed Qiao Xi’s hand, and placed the phone in her palm.

In the past, Qiao Xi was the one comforting Shen Ya when she was unhappy. Now their roles were reversed, and the care Shen Ya provided was no less than what Qiao Xi gave. Qiao Xi affirmed once more in her heart that Shen Ya was a very gentle person inside.

She drew some courage from Shen Ya. Perhaps the other person was right; she was overthinking things today. She knew her mothers loved her and would worry about her, so what was she afraid of now?

Qiao Xi sniffled. After unlocking her phone, she opened the contacts, found her mother’s number, and pressed dial.

The call connected faster than Qiao Xi expected. She didn’t move away from Shen Ya. Hearing her mother call her “Xiao Xi,” she couldn’t help but let the tears fall again.

“Xiao Xi, are you with Xiao Shen?” Jiang Zhiqing’s voice was filled only with worry.

“Yes,” Qiao Xi secretly glanced at Shen Ya: “I’m with Teacher Shen.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Before Jiang Zhiqing could finish, the phone was snatched by Qin Yunxin beside her: “Xiao Xi, we know everything. It’s our fault for not planning properly and making our Xiao Xi upset. Good girl, our Xiao Xi is so wonderful, you’re our mothers’ pride. Those people don’t understand that our Xiao Xi is the best child in the world.”

“Mommy…” In that instant, all of Qiao Xi’s grievances from the night melted away in her tears. She no longer suppressed her sobs, crying like a child who had burrowed into her mother’s arms for comfort, even through the phone.

“You sound so sad. Do you want to come home now? We can come and pick you up.”

Qiao Xi raised her head. She saw Shen Ya’s slightly silver-glowing eyes in the darkness. Since she had chosen to come back with Shen Ya tonight, she wanted to follow her heart.

“Mommy, I want to stay with Teacher Shen tonight. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Qin Yunxin agreed readily. Besides, Qiao Xi was truly an adult starting today, and it was time for them to let the fledgling fly free: “When Xiao Shen is free another day, invite her over for a meal.”

“Mhm, I will. Thank you, Mommy.”

“Silly child, why are you being so polite with your mother? Alright, since it’s your birthday, be happy. Be careful if you go out to play, and call us if anything happens, okay?”

Knowing her family’s acceptance, Qiao Xi’s sorrow disappeared. Thinking back, she truly had been overthinking. No matter how much gossip those people spread, her mothers and sisters would always stand by her side.

After so many years, she finally fully understood the meaning of family that her Mommy had taught her as a child.

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Xi regained some of her energy. She put the phone back on the coffee table and stood up to turn on the light. Having cried for a long time, her eyes were red, and her nose was pink.

She rubbed her nose awkwardly: “I’m going to wash my face. Teacher Shen, wait for me.”

Watching Qiao Xi run off, Shen Ya also changed her posture, sitting obliquely on the carpet.

Qiao Xi ran fast and came back quickly. The clean water washed away the tear stains on her face and the sadness in her heart. Qiao Xi sat back down on the carpet and took the candle out of the small cake.

The cake was only palm-sized, normally a single serving. Qiao Xi found two small spoons from the bag and handed one to Shen Ya: “Let’s eat it together, Teacher Shen.”

Shen Ya took the spoon and dug out a small piece first. Qiao Xi then dug a spoonful from the other side of the cake.

“I didn’t expect Teacher Shen to bring me back. Thank you for tonight, Teacher Shen.”

“You’re welcome. You said it yourself, we are friends.”

After her status was recognized by Shen Ya, even the cake tasted sweeter. “Teacher Shen, do you want to hear my childhood story?”