Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: The Best Teacher in the World

Jianglan University started late, so Qiao Xi still had a few days of holiday, but Shen Ya was different; she had to get up early for work tomorrow. Although Shen Ya didn’t teach at a public school, her tutoring center could enroll students repeating their final high school year, and their class schedule was no different from regular high school seniors.

Qiao Xi could stay up all night, but she was reluctant to keep Shen Ya awake with her. They were tired today. After Qiao Xi tidied up the living room, Shen Ya had already finished showering and come out.

Because Qiao Xi was staying over more often, Shen Ya had specially cleared a small closet in her walk-in wardrobe just for Qiao Xi’s clothes. Qiao Xi was currently wearing the pajamas Shen Ya had bought her. Since Shen Ya moved in, Qiao Xi was staying over more often. She had never spent the night in this apartment before, so she naturally didn’t have pajamas here.

But one day after celebrating Shen Ya’s birthday, when Qiao Xi visited again, she found a brand-new, washed set of short-sleeved pajamas. They were printed with bear patterns and looked absolutely adorable. Qiao Xi had asked Shen Ya about them at the time, and Shen Ya had simply said, “I passed a store, saw they were cute, and bought them.”

But Qiao Xi knew Shen Ya was usually busy with work. Her workplace was near the subway exit, and the surrounding area only had eateries. The clothes must have been bought by Shen Ya specifically for her. Qiao Xi didn’t expose the lie, only happily accepting the gift.

Qiao Xi turned off the room light as she got into bed. Shen Ya beside her had already closed her eyes, seemingly trying to drift off, but Qiao Xi wasn’t sleepy yet. She had received Shen Ya’s blessings three times today, and each time she heard “Happy Birthday” from Shen Ya, her heart thumped as if struck by a drumstick.

“Can’t sleep?”

Shen Ya, who had her eyes closed, suddenly spoke. She opened her eyes, her pupils emitting a faint silver glow in the dark. She turned her head, meeting the gaze of Qiao Xi, who had just rolled over.

Qiao Xi suddenly smiled. Even though the smile wasn’t clearly visible, Shen Ya could feel Qiao Xi’s good mood. She asked again, “What are you laughing about?”

“I’m a little excited.” Qiao Xi scooted closer to Shen Ya. “After today, I’m an adult. In a few more days, I’ll be starting university. Teacher Shen, I’m a real grown-up now!”

“Mhm.”

Qiao Xi moved closer still. Her hand under the quilt stealthily touched Shen Ya’s wrist. Feeling Shen Ya’s body stiffen, she quickly said, “Teacher Shen, can you let me hug you? When I couldn’t sleep before, my sisters would hug me. I know it’s bad to disturb Teacher Shen’s sleep, but… but just for a moment, just for a little while, okay?”

Shen Ya could never resist Qiao Xi’s pleas. Besides, it wasn’t an unreasonable request. In fact, Qiao Xi could easily have just clung to her, but she still chose to make the request with such a pathetic expression.

The nickname “little rascal” truly suited Qiao Xi.

Shen Ya’s hand outside the quilt patted her abdomen: “Come here.”

With permission granted, Qiao Xi no longer cautiously probed. She immediately reached out and hugged Shen Ya’s waist, resting one foot lightly on Shen Ya’s leg. Qiao Xi clung to Shen Ya like an octopus, burying her head in Shen Ya’s neck.

Shen Ya felt as if a ball of fire was enveloping her. She knew Qiao Xi was like a little stove in the winter, but now, pressed close, she could better feel how Qiao Xi’s body temperature was as fiery as her personality.

Qiao Xi’s nose seemed to be moving slowly, tickling her slightly. She couldn’t resist gently patting the hand wrapped around her waist and softly rebuking her: “Don’t move.”

In the next moment, Qiao Xi truly quieted down, but her nose was still pressed against Shen Ya’s skin. Shen Ya could clearly feel Qiao Xi’s every breath, which made her heart itch even more than the previous rubbing.

If Shen Ya didn’t know how simple Qiao Xi’s thoughts were, she would have suspected Qiao Xi’s actions were deliberate.

Qiao Xi closed her eyes after settling down. She loved Shen Ya’s scent. Also, unlike her, Shen Ya’s body temperature wasn’t as high, and hugging her felt extremely comfortable. It reminded her of the warm scenes from her childhood, being comforted to sleep while nestled among her sisters.

The peaceful and comfortable environment slowly calmed Qiao Xi’s excited heart. Without external disturbances, drowsiness swept over her. Before long, she fell asleep, holding Shen Ya.

Shen Ya, however, was still wide awake. Being held like this made it impossible for her to fall asleep immediately. She needed time to adapt to being pressed close to someone while sleeping.

In the past, she probably couldn’t have imagined allowing a girl so much younger than her to breach her safe zone. Qiao Xi was a sudden, unexpected event in her life, but one that she was very fond of.

As the moonlight climbed onto the treetops, there were only a few lights left in the community’s houses. The two people in the room maintained the same position as when they fell asleep. Tonight, a fragrant breeze enveloped them, leading them into beautiful dreams.

The next morning, it was Shen Ya’s phone alarm that woke them. When Qiao Xi opened her eyes, she found that most of her body was draped over Shen Ya, and Shen Ya’s sleeping position had only slightly shifted.

“Good morning, Teacher Shen.” Qiao Xi, fully recharged right after waking up, released Shen Ya and climbed out of bed. After a night’s sleep, a single strand of hair was sticking up on her head.

Shen Ya found her appearance a bit silly, and the sight of it made her laugh before she was fully awake. She slowly sat up, smoothed her hair with her hand, and said, “Morning. You go wash up first. What do you want for breakfast?”

“I’ll eat whatever Teacher Shen makes.” Qiao Xi got off the bed, put on her slippers, and ran into the walk-in wardrobe to find clothes.

After getting up, Shen Ya took a short-sleeved robe from the hanger. She casually draped it over herself, loosely tying the belt. Coming out of the bedroom, she headed straight for the kitchen. Unlike when she first moved in, Qiao Xi’s apartment now had a sense of life and domesticity.

She opened the refrigerator, pondered for a moment, and finally decided to cook some small wontons. She had bought them from the supermarket two days ago and hadn’t opened them yet. Today was a good day to try them. Qiao Xi looked thin, but her appetite was excellent, so she cooked a generous amount.

Shen Ya took a black hair tie from her robe pocket and loosely tied her hair into a low ponytail, leaving a few strands hanging over her shoulders.

Before the wontons were ready, Shen Ya heard footsteps behind her. Suddenly, Qiao Xi’s hands reached out in front of her and placed the diamond necklace around her neck.

“Don’t forget, Teacher Shen.” Qiao Xi finished putting it on and then moved to the side to admire it. “This necklace is too perfect for Teacher Shen, so beautiful.”

Shen Ya tightened her grip on the strainer. She hummed a response, then said, “The necklace is indeed beautiful.”

Qiao Xi, however, showed a hint of mischief. She blinked her eyes, feigning innocence, and replied, “But I was praising Teacher Shen just now.”

Sure enough, after she said that, a blush visibly rose to Shen Ya’s neck, and Qiao Xi received a completely harmless glare.

Unable to hold back her laughter, Qiao Xi quickly covered her mouth and backed away, afraid Shen Ya would rap her on the forehead again. Shen Ya truly had no way to deal with Qiao Xi and could only give her two fewer wontons when serving the meal.

After breakfast, the two left the house. Shen Ya was still in her shirt and trousers. She carried her bag in one hand and a sun umbrella in the other, keeping the UV rays out. Before leaving, Qiao Xi had sprayed a lot of sunscreen on herself and quite a bit on Shen Ya too. Normally, Shen Ya took the subway, but today, with Qiao Xi, she didn’t want the girl to suffer, so she secretly called a ride-share car.

When she opened the car door, she saw Qiao Xi’s surprised expression. Without a word, Shen Ya ushered Qiao Xi into the car and then sat in the back seat herself.

Upon arriving at work, Shen Ya first took Qiao Xi into her classroom, assigned her the very last seat, and quietly told her she had a meeting to attend first.

The repeating class started earlier than regular school. Classes had already begun at the beginning of August. For these students, every minute was crucial. As a math teacher, Shen Ya was naturally busy, teaching more than one class.

Qiao Xi was settled in the back of the classroom. Although they arrived early, there were already many students inside. After Shen Ya left, the students started talking among themselves.

Seeing a new face, the girl closest to Qiao Xi sat down in the seat beside her: “School started a month ago, why are you only just showing up?”

Qiao Xi pointed to herself: “Me?”

“Of course! What was your college entrance exam score? I actually passed the Tier 1 line, but I didn’t get into the university I wanted, so I’m repeating. What about you?”

“I… um… it was alright.”

The other girl assumed Qiao Xi was embarrassed to say, as Qiao Xi wasn’t the only one in the class who didn’t disclose her scores. The girl sighed, “I worked hard for a whole year, thinking I’d be free, but who knew I’d have to scramble for another year. Now I don’t even know if I can score this high in the exam next year. To be honest, I’m starting to regret it.”

“Why?” Qiao Xi asked her.

“I’m just afraid I won’t get into my dream school next year. Wouldn’t that be a whole year wasted?”

Qiao Xi told her, “The teachers here are very experienced. I think they can definitely help us get into a good university next year.”

“Wow, what a formal answer,” the girl laughed at her, then continued: “But Teacher Shen is indeed patient and responsible. She just seems a bit unapproachable, but after you get to know her, you realize she’s actually easy to talk to.”

“Right!” Qiao Xi was overjoyed to hear the girl praise Shen Ya, a hundred times happier than if the praise were directed at herself. It gave her the feeling that the treasure she had found was finally being discovered by others. “Teacher Shen is truly excellent, highly capable at her job, and a very responsible and good teacher.”

“Pfft.” The girl laughed again. “You sound like Teacher Shen’s biggest fan.”

It wasn’t wrong to say that. She genuinely adored Shen Ya and believed in her heart that Shen Ya was the absolute best person in the world.

Thump-thump.

A fair hand knocked on their shared desk. Qiao Xi and the girl beside her looked up simultaneously. Shen Ya stared at them expressionlessly. Qiao Xi suddenly realized the classroom had become quiet, leaving only the sound of their chat.

“What are you talking about? Come up here and tell me?”

In that instant, Qiao Xi felt transported back to her high school days. She gazed at Shen Ya in a daze, and when Shen Ya’s eyes swept over her, she immediately caught a hint of a smile in them.

Qiao Xi’s heart melted into sweet jam. She chuckled internally. Her Teacher Shen was certainly learning to be playfully mean.

The girl beside her had already returned to her original seat, ducking her head like a quail. But Qiao Xi actually stood up and said to Shen Ya, “Teacher Shen, I was wrong.”

Shen Ya hadn’t expected Qiao Xi to play along. She paused slightly, then saw Qiao Xi suddenly lean in, quickly scan the classroom, and then lower her voice to a volume only Shen Ya could hear: “I was just saying that Teacher Shen is the very best teacher in the world.”

After the words were spoken, a crimson flush crept up Shen Ya’s neck, even her ear tips looked like they might drip blood.