Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: The Little Sun’s Story

The two of them sat on the carpet, their arms touching as they leaned against the sofa. Qiao Xi’s posture was casual—one leg tucked, the other bent and held by her arm—while Shen Ya had both legs stretched out, pressed against the carpet.

The sugar in the cake relaxed their moods. Shen Ya was moved by Qiao Xi’s offer. She was genuinely curious about Qiao Xi’s past. In fact, she really wanted to know what Qiao Xi had experienced to become so sensible and mature, like a little sun capable of warming everyone.

Shen Ya nodded and said, “I will listen carefully.”

“Pffft…” Qiao Xi was amused by Shen Ya’s serious look. “Teacher Shen, you’re so cute, you sound like you’re leading a meeting at work.”

Shen Ya closed her mouth, the teasing making her ear tips burn.

Seeing Shen Ya’s expression return to the unruffled calm of a still lake, Qiao Xi put aside her playful thoughts. She tapped her chin, considering, “Let me think about where I should start.”

“I’ve got it!” Qiao Xi held up a finger and turned her head to look at Shen Ya. “Let’s start from when I found out I was adopted.”

“I remember it was…”

It was a cold spell in March, with continuous overcast skies and rain. The temperature had risen for a few days, only to be beaten back by a cold front. Rainy weather always brings a sense of melancholy.

Home visits were being conducted for primary school enrollment. Jiang Zhiqing had received a call in advance, so on the day of the visit, the entire family dressed in relatively formal clothes.

Qiao Xi was to attend Jianglan Experimental Primary School, which both Qin Shuyao and Jiang Yunxi had attended and was considered one of the best in Jianglan City.

The home visit was meant to understand the family’s basic situation. Qiao Xi was a special case because she was adopted, which required checking certain documents.

Qiao Xi, nearly six, couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of a home visit. She only knew her mother had told her to answer whatever questions she was asked.

Jiang Zhiqing had spoken to the visiting staff beforehand, so no adoption-related questions were asked of Qiao Xi, and the staff only quickly glanced at the documents.

The visit didn’t last long. After the staff left, Jiang Zhiqing asked Qin Shuyao to take the documents on the table back to her study. Just then, a small hand grabbed Qin Shuyao’s skirt hem. She looked up, smiling sweeter than candy: “Sister, I want to go too.”

Qin Shuyao stroked her head and said, “Okay, Xiao Xi can go with her sister.”

A room on the third floor was Jiang Zhiqing and Qin Yunxin’s home office, where all important documents were kept.

As soon as they entered, Qiao Xi hugged Qin Shuyao’s leg and pleaded, “Sister, let me put them away.”

Qin Shuyao continued stroking Qiao Xi’s head: “But the cabinet is very high, Xiao Xi can’t reach it.”

“Yes, I can!” Qiao Xi pouted stubbornly: “I can step on Mom’s chair and put them away!”

With that, she went to push Jiang Zhiqing’s executive chair. Before Qin Shuyao could reply, she had already taken off her shoes and climbed onto it.

Qin Shuyao placed the documents on the desk. Afraid Qiao Xi might fall, she first stabilized the chair and then supported Qiao Xi with one hand: “Then be careful, Xiao Xi. Sister will give you the documents.”

Qiao Xi had already opened the top cabinet door. “Sister, hurry up and give me the documents.”

“Alright, slowly, don’t rush,” Qin Shuyao cautioned while reaching for the documents.

The documents were neither heavy nor numerous. Qiao Xi took them with both hands and placed them in the open cabinet. Just as she finished, she noticed something stiff among the papers. Driven by curiosity, Qiao Xi moved the paper files aside.

What appeared before her was a certificate. Although Qiao Xi was not yet six, she already knew many characters. Just as she was about to pick it up to study it seriously, Qin Shuyao’s voice interrupted her: “Are they put away, Xiao Xi?”

Qiao Xi hastily stuffed the certificate back to the bottom and covered it with the paper files: “Done, done!”

At her young age, she couldn’t hide anything. So, after climbing down from the chair, she didn’t dare look into Qin Shuyao’s eyes. Afraid Qin Shuyao would ask, she fabricated an excuse: “Sister, my stomach hurts, I need to go to the toilet.”

Qiao Xi’s face was pale, and a cold sweat seemed to break out on her forehead. Qin Shuyao didn’t suspect anything. She picked up Qiao Xi, looking worried, and quickly left the study, heading toward the bedroom bathroom: “Does it hurt very much? Should Sister and Mom take Xiao Xi to the hospital?”

Qiao Xi hugged Qin Shuyao’s neck, shaking her head: “No need, I’ll be fine after going to the toilet.”

Qin Shuyao took her into the bathroom, which had a special child seat for her on the toilet.

Once Qin Shuyao put her down, Qiao Xi quickly pushed her away: “Sister, please go out.”

Qin Shuyao didn’t overthink it, assuming she was just shy. “Alright, alright. Sister will wait right outside the door for you. Xiao Xi, call me when you’re done.”

“Got it.”

Qiao Xi watched Qin Shuyao leave. When she heard the bathroom door close, her whole body relaxed. Qiao Xi propped her chin on her hands resting on her thighs, recalling the certificate she had just seen.

Although she had only seen a portion of it, she recognized the characters. The certificate had some writing, and the name “Jiang Zhiqing” was listed after Adopter, while her name was listed after Adopted Person.

She knew the meaning of adoption. There was a pet store on the way to her kindergarten, and she had seen notices about adopting puppies posted on the door. She had been fascinated by the puppies and had dragged her nanny to look at the notices in front of the shop.

At the time, she had pointed to the notice and asked the owner: “Miss, what does this mean?”

The pet store owner was young but very warm. She didn’t ignore Qiao Xi because she was a child. Instead, she knelt down and patiently explained: “It means there are puppies in the store that need adopting.”

“Adopting?” Qiao Xi didn’t understand the meaning then. She only asked, “How much money does it cost to adopt?”

The woman stroked her head and smiled: “It doesn’t cost money. The adopted puppies are ones that others abandoned and didn’t want.” After speaking, the woman took the puppy needing adoption out of its cage: “See, this is a puppy that needs adopting. Do you like it, little one? You can tell your grown-ups at home.”

Qiao Xi still remembered the appearance of that puppy: two round black eyes, ears drooping on both sides of its head, and pink paws. When the owner held it, its tail was tucked between its legs, and it looked a little scared.

So, was she like the puppy, up for adoption?

The puppy was discarded, unwanted by others. What about her? Was she also a child who was abandoned and unwanted by her birth mothers?

Realizing she was different from her sisters, tears blurred her vision. Qiao Xi dared not ask her mothers and sisters. She was afraid her suspicion would become reality. So, she could only pretend not to know anything, as if that would prevent everything from happening.

But her crying eventually caught Qin Shuyao’s attention. She quickly came to her. Qin Shuyao knelt down and pulled tissues from the side to wipe Qiao Xi’s tears: “What’s wrong? Does it hurt a lot? Should Sister and Mom take Xiao Xi to the hospital?”

Qiao Xi instantly threw her arms around Qin Shuyao’s neck and burst into loud sobs. The fear of being abandoned terrified her. Six-year-old she couldn’t bear such pressure, so she cried and shouted: “Sister… wuwuwu… Sister, don’t abandon me…”

The nonsensical words made Qin Shuyao smile helplessly. She didn’t know what children of Qiao Xi’s age were thinking, so she could only hold her, gently rubbing Qiao Xi’s back, and asking warmly: “Silly child, how could Sister abandon you? Why would Xiao Xi think that?”

Qiao Xi just shook her head and cried loudly. Qin Shuyao picked her up, put her pants back on, and carried her out of the room: “Sister loves Xiao Xi very much, and Mom loves Xiao Xi very much, so we won’t abandon Xiao Xi.”

“R-really?” Qiao Xi stopped crying momentarily. She sniffled, staring intently at Qin Shuyao, wanting to be sure the words were true.

“Of course it’s true. Xiao Xi is so cute, why would we bear to abandon you? Sister wishes she could hide Xiao Xi away.”

With Qin Shuyao’s assurance, Qiao Xi’s worry was once again suppressed. Her sisters and mothers were good to her. She had clearly felt her mothers’ love since she was small. So, even if she was adopted, her mothers and sisters shouldn’t abandon her again, right?

In the days that followed, Qiao Xi secretly watched everyone in the family. She found that her mothers and sisters were unchanged, and she was still doted on by her family. Qiao Xi began to believe again that she would never be discarded like that little white puppy.

One day after kindergarten, she held her nanny’s hand and passed the pet store again.

As she approached the store door, she called out: “Miss Owner, has that puppy been adopted?”

More than a month had passed since she last asked. Perhaps the puppy had found a wonderful family, maybe just like her, with loving sisters and mothers.

But to her surprise, the owner brought out a puppy from the cage. The little white puppy had grown much bigger and wasn’t as nervous or scared as the first time they met. It struggled in the owner’s arms and even barked a few times at Qiao Xi.

“Someone adopted it, but they brought it back two weeks later.”

“Why?” Qiao Xi was confused. “Can adopted pets be returned?”

“Yes,” the woman said: “Naughty puppies might be returned. After all, everyone likes obedient puppies.”

In that moment, Qiao Xi’s heart plummeted again. All the color drained from her face. She felt like she had become that little white puppy. If she was naughty one day, and made her sisters and mothers unhappy, would she also be sent away?

It was a bright sunny day, so why was rain falling in her heart?

Qiao Xi returned home lost and disheartened. She shut herself in her room and flung herself onto the bed, burying her body in the quilt. Tears wet the sheets that smelled of her sisters. The room was quiet; no one would know she was secretly crying.

She didn’t want to leave her sisters, didn’t want to leave her mothers, and especially didn’t want to leave this warm home.

The owner’s words kept replaying in her mind. So, if she was good, if she was obedient, wouldn’t she become the next little white puppy?

Qiao Xi worried and was afraid for a long time. The thing she feared never happened, and gradually, she relaxed again. Whether the little white puppy at the pet store found a good home, she didn’t know, because she never went near that pet store again. Perhaps she was afraid of hearing something else.

After starting primary school, she became more sensible. Her family never had to worry about her studies. She used her sisters’ old study schedules to demand perfection from herself. Although her mothers and sisters never placed any demands on her, she added invisible pressure on herself.

In the blink of an eye, the first semester was drawing to a close, and winter vacation arrived as scheduled. Near the Spring Festival, a relative in Jiang Zhiqing’s hometown was getting married, so their family of five planned to return to the village for the New Year.

Originally, her Big Mom’s family of three was also going, but they changed their plans at the last minute for a trip abroad, so they asked Jiang Zhiqing to bring gifts to the folks back home.

This was Qiao Xi’s first time visiting Jiang Zhiqing’s hometown. She was curious about everything. She had thought the countryside would be run-down, but the homes here were all self-built, three- to four-story modern houses.

As soon as they got out of the car, Qiao Xi was pulled by her two sisters and instructed on how to address everyone. In Qiao Xi’s eyes, these were all strangers she was meeting for the first time, yet she had to call them “Auntie” and “Cousin-in-law” all the way in.

From the moment they entered the house, Qiao Xi’s head felt like thousands of small birds were chirping at once. The house was crowded and bustling, and her head kept buzzing.

These unfamiliar relatives showered Qin Shuyao and Jiang Yunxi with compliments. Young Qiao Xi didn’t understand the flattery and pandering hidden in their words. She only knew that when they praised her sisters, she was happy too.

After praising Qin Shuyao and Jiang Yunxi, these relatives automatically ignored Qiao Xi. At the time, she didn’t know why these relatives looked at her sisters with such envy, but when their gaze shifted to her, they showed jealousy and disdain.

It was as if her sisters were naturally elegant white swans, and she was merely an ugly duckling who had stumbled into the flock.

A hand rested on Qiao Xi’s shoulder. Qin Shuyao glared at the snobbish relatives, her temper flaring: “Our Xiao Xi is excellent too. Her teacher says she has a talent for drawing and will surely become a great artist one day.”

A relative retorted: “All art teachers say that, or how else would they sell their classes? If you ask me, things like drawing are just hobbies. What matters is good grades.”

“Exactly, colleges don’t care how good you are at drawing.”

Qin Shuyao’s face began to freeze. Jiang Yunxi pressed her hand, responding politely: “Our Xiao Xi won an award for painting at six, and she got perfect scores and was first in her grade in the final exams this term. Even her teacher praised her intelligence and made her the study committee member. Our Xiao Xi is very outstanding. She will be even better than Shuyao and me.”

Jiang Yunxi was only in her early twenties then, but her demeanor was already remarkably calm and composed. She spoke slowly and steadily, and when she looked at people seriously, she was quite intimidating.

The relatives looked embarrassed and offered a few perfunctory compliments about Qiao Xi’s intelligence.

Realizing that Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao were not easy to mess with, no one brought up the topic of them again.

Later, Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao took Qiao Xi back to their room. Because many people had returned to the village, the three sisters shared one room. As soon as they entered, Qin Shuyao started cursing.

Jiang Yunxi chuckled: “These people are such gossips. Do you really expect to reason with them?” She opened a suitcase and took Qiao Xi’s towel and small hanger from a sealed bag: “Xiao Xi, come here, Sister will wipe your face.”

Jiang Yunxi held Qiao Xi’s hand with one hand and the items with the other. Before entering the bathroom, she instructed Qin Shuyao: “Don’t be angry. Go get Xiao Xi’s favorite beef jerky.”

Although the bathroom wasn’t as spacious as the one at home, it was bright and clean. Qiao Xi stood to the side, hanging her head. She hadn’t said a word since the confrontation. Jiang Yunxi wet the towel and knelt down, only then noticing Qiao Xi’s red eyes: “Are you upset?”

Qiao Xi shook her head.

“These relatives don’t know Xiao Xi, so they don’t know how excellent Xiao Xi is. Don’t worry about them, because even their praise for Shuyao and me wasn’t sincere.” Just as Jiang Yunxi finished speaking, a tear dropped onto the cartoon-patterned towel.

Jiang Yunxi’s eyes crinkled in a smile, and she teased: “Little crybaby.”

“I am not a little crybaby,” Qiao Xi refuted loudly, her voice trembling with a sob.

Her appearance—crying while denying it—made Jiang Yunxi laugh out loud: “Whoever is crying is the little crybaby.”

Qiao Xi quickly grabbed the towel herself and wiped her tears dry: “I’m not crying.”

“Alright, alright, our Xiao Xi is not a little crybaby.” Jiang Yunxi stood up. After rinsing the towel, she led her out of the bathroom: “Let’s see what delicious snack Sister Shuyao found for our Xiao Xi.”

To Qiao Xi, the countryside was colder than the city, and the air held many strange smells. But as long as she didn’t interact with those unfamiliar relatives, she wouldn’t feel the malice. Besides, her sisters were still there with her.

The next day in the village, after returning from a walk outside with her sisters, Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao asked her if she wanted to draw. Qiao Xi readily agreed. She happily took her sketchbook and pencil up to the top floor with her sisters.

The top floor was quite large, and the sunroom occupied only a small corner. Jiang Yunxi locked all the windows, set up the sketchbook for Qiao Xi, and then told her: “Xiao Xi can draw here. We’ll go downstairs to talk to the elders and come back for you soon.”

“Mhm!” Qiao Xi had already opened her sketchbook and picked up her pencil.

Before leaving, Jiang Yunxi still reminded her: “Don’t open the doors or windows. If you have any trouble, come downstairs to find us. Be good, we’ll be back soon.”

The two sisters left. They thought nothing could happen at home, and since the doors and windows were locked, everything should be fine.

It was a bright sunny day. The sunroom kept out the biting cold wind, leaving only the warmth of the sun.

Qiao Xi held her pencil, drawing a little yellow dog she had seen by the roadside earlier. The dog was lying on the gray steps, looking carefree and relaxed.

Lost in her drawing, Qiao Xi didn’t notice two children arriving behind her. The sketchbook was suddenly snatched away, and the pencil dragged a long line across the paper.

“Give it back!” Qiao Xi couldn’t stand anyone touching her sketchbook. Even her mothers and sisters would ask before picking up her drawings.

“No.” The taller child stuck out his tongue at her, flipping through her sketchbook randomly, mocking her drawings as he looked.

Qiao Xi reached out to grab it: “Give it back!” But her strength was limited, and she couldn’t take it. Angrily, she yelled at the two children: “I’ll tell my sister!”

“What sister? They’re not your sisters at all. You’re not Auntie’s biological child. They’re related to me by blood, they’re my sisters, not yours!”

Qiao Xi’s face turned white. For a moment, she couldn’t think of a word to refute.

The secret she had kept hidden in her heart was spoken out loud, and in such a humiliating way. Her hands trembled, and tears streamed down her face. She had tried so hard to ignore this fact, so why did they have to keep reminding her that she wasn’t her mothers’ biological child?

The two children continued to mock her, then tore her drawing and crumpled it into a ball, throwing it at her head. Qiao Xi felt cold to the bone. What they tore wasn’t just a simple drawing.

These drawings were all the memories she had made with her mothers and sisters in the many places they had visited, clearly recording the time she had created them.

Now, the children’s actions felt like they were mocking her—that her beautiful memories were all empty fantasies that could be easily destroyed with a poke.

“Let’s go. We don’t play with unwanted kids.”

The torn sketchbook was thrown on the floor. Qiao Xi didn’t know why these people held so much malice toward her. She crouched down, gathering all the crumpled papers and picking up the shredded pieces one by one.

Qin Shuyao spotted the pencil in the hands of the two children who had just run downstairs. She immediately stood up and shouted coldly: “Stop!” She walked up to them and took the pencil: “Where did you get this?”

Qin Shuyao’s tone was icy, and her presence was intimidating. The children who had just been bullying Qiao Xi were now shrinking like quails, but one still lied: “My mom bought it.”

“Is that so? Do you know how much this pencil costs? Do you know what brand it is? Do you know what this pencil is used for?”

Qin Shuyao’s questions grew sharper, interrupting the adults who were still chatting nearby. Qin Yunxin naturally noticed the pencil too. She walked over and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Shuyao held up the pencil: “They took Xiao Xi’s pencil.”

Jiang Yunxi had already run upstairs. The pencil was specially bought for Qiao Xi’s drawing. It was very expensive and couldn’t be found in an ordinary stationery store. Thus, there couldn’t possibly be a second one in this small village.

Jiang Yunxi pushed open the glass door. When she saw the sketchbook, which Qiao Xi cherished, torn to shreds, her anger peaked.

The child she had raised was squatting on the floor, crying and trying to piece together the shredded papers. Each colored fragment was like a piece of Qiao Xi’s shattered heart.

Jiang Yunxi walked up to Qiao Xi, gathered all the fragments and crumpled papers into the sketchbook. She pulled Qiao Xi up, held her in her arms, and took the sketchbook. She led Qiao Xi out of the sunroom and back into the house. She placed the sketchbook on the table, pulled out a chair, and placed Qiao Xi on the seat: “What happened, tell Sister?”

Jiang Yunxi couldn’t find a tissue, so she used her fingers to wipe Qiao Xi’s tears: “Be good, Sister is here. Don’t be afraid.”

Seeing Jiang Yunxi felt like seeing a beam of light approaching her. Qiao Xi rushed into Jiang Yunxi’s arms and cried loudly. It was as if Jiang Yunxi’s presence allowed all her grievances to be voiced.

But Qiao Xi didn’t dare to tell the whole truth, only saying the drawing was torn by the two children. She was afraid that revealing the truth would mean losing everything completely. So, she only asked again: “Sister, am I an unwanted child?”

“Nonsense. How could Xiao Xi be unwanted? Xiao Xi is our family’s treasure. Be good, let’s wash your face. Your eyes are all swollen from crying.”

Jiang Yunxi went into the bathroom, took out her phone, and called Qin Yunxin. After a brief conversation, she came out of the bathroom with a wet towel.

As she was wiping Qiao Xi’s face, Qin Yunxin pushed open the bedroom door. Jiang Yunxi went over and whispered to Qin Yunxin with her back to Qiao Xi. Qin Yunxin’s gaze swept over the broken sketchbook, and she patted Jiang Yunxi’s shoulder: “You go downstairs. I’ll stay with Xiao Xi.”

After Jiang Yunxi left the room and closed the door, Qin Yunxin came and sat next to Qiao Xi: “Xiao Xi, come here, Mommy will hold you.”

Qiao Xi lowered her head, walked over, and straddled Qin Yunxin’s lap. She hugged Qin Yunxin’s neck and cried even harder than before.

Qin Yunxin stroked the back of her head, a faint smile on her lips: “If Xiao Xi doesn’t like it here, we’ll leave.”

Qiao Xi froze. She lifted her head, tears still clinging to her eyelashes: “C-can we?”

“Of course we can,” Qin Yunxin said, smiling brightly: “There were bad people here who bullied our Xiao Xi, so there’s no need to stay.”

“Mommy… Am I an unwanted child?”

Although Qiao Xi asked carefully, Qin Yunxin realized something: Qiao Xi might already know about her background. But she didn’t expose Qiao Xi’s little secret. Instead, she softened her voice and said to Qiao Xi: “Xiao Xi, do you know what family means? Family means that no matter what happens to you, they will always appear by your side to protect you, comfort you, and take care of you, just like now.”

“You are Zhiqing and my youngest child, and you are Yunxi and Shuyao’s sister. We are family, and that’s a fact that will never change.”

After Qiao Xi finished this sentence to Shen Ya, her gaze seemed to drift far away, as if she was still savoring the sense of security and warmth her family had given her.

Shen Ya turned her head and asked, “What happened next?”

“Later…” Qiao Xi’s smile was like a gentle breeze. Her words were filled with the deep love her family had given her: “My mother cut off all contact with those relatives. Although many people came to persuade Mom not to break the harmony over such a small matter, Mom still defended me. She not only made them pay for the damages but also firmly disowned that relative. Even the mediators were scolded.”

Qiao Xi’s family was indeed warm in a way Shen Ya could never have imagined. Even though Qiao Xi was not their biological child, they loved and cared for her so meticulously. This, it turned out, was what family meant. Qiao Xi described a family completely unlike hers. She was envious but not jealous, only happy that Qiao Xi could have such a wonderful family.

But it was a shame about the drawing book.

“Oh, right. Teacher Shen, don’t you think it’s a shame the drawing was torn?” Qiao Xi turned to face Shen Ya: “That drawing was pieced back together by my two sisters. We even drew new content onto the fragments that couldn’t be repaired. Now, my mothers keep that sketchbook in the safe.”

Shen Ya was stunned. Could broken things really be repaired? This again went beyond Shen Ya’s understanding. She thought that the sketchbook could be repaired because Qiao Xi received far more love than she ever realized.