Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 53

 Chapter 53: A New Chapter Begins

“Teacher Shen.”

Hearing the voice, Shen Ya turned her head. Qiao Xi was running toward her with a bright smile. When she noticed Qiao Xi leaning forward, she instinctively raised her hands to catch her. Her palms rested on Qiao Xi’s back, feeling the warmth radiating from her body. She asked, “Were you just somewhere else?”

“Mhm. I was out eating with my family just now, so I didn’t check my phone. I even forgot to wear my watch today. I’m sorry, Teacher Shen, for making you unable to contact me.”

Shen Ya patted her back: “It’s alright.”

“When did Teacher Shen get here?” Qiao Xi pulled away from Shen Ya’s embrace, took her backpack off, found a sun umbrella inside, and opened it. Unfortunately, she was shorter than Shen Ya and could only hold the umbrella up high.

Shen Ya took the umbrella from Qiao Xi’s hand: “I’ll take it.”

“Teacher Shen hasn’t eaten yet, right?”

“I have.”

Qiao Xi linked her arm with Shen Ya’s and chuckled, “Teacher Shen always says I’m a little liar, but I think you are the big liar. This is exactly when work ends. How could Teacher Shen have time to eat coming straight from work?”

Even though Qiao Xi had exposed her, Shen Ya’s expression didn’t change. She had already prepared for both possibilities. If Qiao Xi hadn’t noticed, that would have been fine, as she couldn’t bring herself to say she came just to eat with her. However, given Qiao Xi’s cleverness, she was bound to see through her obvious lie.

Shen Ya simply gave a soft “Mhm” in response to Qiao Xi’s teasing.

“Then I’ll take Teacher Shen out to eat.”

“No need.” Shen Ya already had a plan. She said, “Let’s go to the cafeteria.”

The cafeteria?

Oh, right, she hadn’t visited the cafeteria yet. Jianglan University had several cafeterias. Rumor had it that the North Cafeteria had a wide variety of dishes and tasted good, though it was relatively more expensive. But that was fine. Her sister had topped up her campus card with a lot of money today, so treating Shen Ya to a meal was no problem at all.

“Okay, then I’ll treat Teacher Shen to a meal as an apology for missing your call.”

Qiao Xi hadn’t expected Shen Ya to come at all, especially on a workday when she had classes all day and traveling from work would take time. Now, Shen Ya was standing beside her, sharing an umbrella. This was enough to prove that Shen Ya held her in a very important place in her heart.

“Didn’t Teacher Shen have classes today?”

“I took the afternoon off.”

Qiao Xi turned her head to look at Shen Ya. She hadn’t expected her to put down her work temporarily for her. Qiao Xi felt a little embarrassed, but also happy because of Shen Ya’s actions. No one dislikes the feeling of being constantly cared for.

They walked along the small path. Petals blown off by the breeze drifted past them, carrying a floral fragrance that chased away the summer heat. The road was shaded by green trees on both sides, and they could see a few lazy kittens basking in the sun on the grass.

Despite the picturesque scenery and the surrounding noise, Qiao Xi’s eyes were fixed only on Shen Ya. She noticed a fine layer of sweat forming on Shen Ya’s neck, a faint pink color creeping onto her delicate face, and tiny glints of coolness emerging from her amber pupils with every flutter of her eyelashes.

Shen Ya’s face was cool, but her heart was not cold. Qiao Xi felt as if she was seeing a fiercely burning heart hidden inside a frozen glass sculpture.

Qiao Xi’s heartbeat felt irregular. She simply couldn’t take her eyes off Shen Ya’s face. Why was Teacher Shen so beautiful? Why was there such a strong contrast in her personality? And why was she so gentle to her?

She couldn’t deny that some unspeakable and indescribable thoughts were stirring in her heart.

“Is there something on my face?” Qiao Xi was staring straight at her, just like the first time they met. This gaze didn’t offend Shen Ya, but it made her feel slightly uneasy, and her face was slowly heating up.

The sound of Shen Ya’s voice brought Qiao Xi’s scattered thoughts back. She immediately averted her gaze, now the embarrassed one, and her words became incoherent.

Shen Ya didn’t intend to pursue the matter. She simply changed the subject: “Is your dorm room set up already?”

“Mhm.” Qiao Xi nodded: “My sisters and mothers came. Oh, right, Teacher Shen, do you want to come see my dorm room later?”

“Can I?”

“Of course! Oh, Teacher Shen, you won’t believe how lucky I am this time. Do you remember the two friends I told you about, Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian? They are actually in the same dorm as me.”

Shen Ya raised an eyebrow. That was indeed a coincidence. Qiao Xi was very lucky; even when moving away from home to live on campus, she still had reliable and close friends accompanying her.

Shen Ya thought for a moment and then asked, “Is it okay for me to meet them?” She remembered that Xia Cong’an’s sister was a friend of Jiang Yunxi. Would meeting them cause trouble for Qiao Xi?

“What are you saying, Teacher Shen? It’s perfectly fine.” Qiao Xi’s mind worked quickly. She let go of Shen Ya’s arm, turned her back to walk, and said, “I know! Is Teacher Shen afraid my sister will find out?”

“Don’t worry, those two are very reliable. We’re the iron triangle, you know. If they try to tell tales…” Qiao Xi spoke, clenching her fist and shaking it in front of Shen Ya: “I’ll beat them up severely.”

Shen Ya scrutinized Qiao Xi up and down. She honestly couldn’t imagine Qiao Xi’s small stature hitting anyone. If she remembered correctly, Song Wanning’s sister, Xia Cong’an, was taller than Qiao Xi.

She suppressed a smile but didn’t hide the amusement in her eyes. Was Qiao Xi telling her that she was not a secret to be kept?

Qiao Xi’s hand linked onto her arm again, and her head tilted to rest on Shen Ya’s shoulder: “Didn’t I promise Teacher Shen before? I want to introduce Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian to you as friends. Don’t let our young age fool you; we’re just as good as our sisters.”

“Mhm, I believe you.”

Qiao Xi, this little sun, was indeed warmer than Jiang Yunxi. Every day spent with her felt like living under bright sunshine. She believed that anyone Qiao Xi considered a good friend must have extraordinary qualities—at the very least, they would be good-hearted and good kids.

It had been several years since Shen Ya graduated from university. She originally thought she would feel out of place returning to a campus environment, but Qiao Xi beside her injected new vitality. Walking on this flower-strewn, tree-lined path, she was reminded of the scenes from her own first days in college.

Only this time, she had company.

Today was the day for freshmen registration, and it was currently lunchtime. The cafeteria was packed. Qiao Xi handed her campus card to Shen Ya, asking her to go get some delicious food and instructing her not to be frugal. Qiao Xi, meanwhile, would look for an empty table.

Shen Ya looked thoughtfully at the campus card in her hand. The moment Qiao Xi handed it over, a small image flashed in her mind: Qiao Xi, like an adorable little rabbit, placing all the food she could find in front of her.

She let out a silent, knowing smile. Thankfully, Qiao Xi had walked away, or the little rascal would tease her again.

Shen Ya had long heard about the Jianglan University cafeteria. Today was too crowded, so she only took a quick look around. Knowing Qiao Xi had already eaten, she casually picked a few small dishes and a bowl of rice.

Passing the dessert section, she also bought a mango pudding and a cup of milk tea for Qiao Xi, and an iced Americano for herself.

Qiao Xi had already found a spot and sent her a message. As Shen Ya searched, Qiao Xi was able to spot her instantly in the crowd. She saw the hand waving high in the air. Shen Ya carried her tray and approached Qiao Xi.

The two-person table was just big enough to hold the food Shen Ya brought back. Qiao Xi took out her phone and took two photos of the food: “Looks good.”

Shen Ya handed her a pair of chopsticks and placed the pudding and milk tea in front of her: “Want to try?”

“Teacher Shen really knows me.” Qiao Xi picked up the chopsticks and first tried the roast duck from one of the small plates. After a bite, she exclaimed with surprise, “It tastes really good, no worse than an outside restaurant!”

“Mhm.” Because Jiang Yunxi was a Jianglan University alumna, Shen Ya had paid attention to many things about the university before, but she never had a chance to try the cafeteria food. Now, thanks to Qiao Xi, she finally got to experience the university life she had wished for.

Qiao Xi was full earlier, but the walk with Shen Ya had helped her digest a bit. Moreover, having Shen Ya by her side stimulated her appetite. She tried all the dishes on the table before moving on to the pudding.

However, the first spoonful she scooped up, she held out to Shen Ya’s mouth. Shen Ya was startled, seemingly embarrassed to be fed like this in public. But Qiao Xi didn’t pull the spoon back. She didn’t think friends feeding each other was abnormal.

Seeing the expectation and excitement in Qiao Xi’s eyes, Shen Ya didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm, so she opened her mouth and took the pudding. Qiao Xi pulled the spoon back, scooped up another bite, and put it in her own mouth. When Shen Ya realized they had shared a spoon, her toes, hidden in her black leather shoes, curled up tightly.

“This pudding is good too.”

Qiao Xi said this, then scooped up another spoonful and held it out to Shen Ya, acting as if she hadn’t noticed anything. Shen Ya thought, Qiao Xi is indeed simple. How can I let myself overthink such a small matter?

She opened her mouth again and took the pudding, but this time she added, “You eat it. I’m feeling a bit full.”

Qiao Xi’s expression didn’t change. She still smiled with narrowed eyes, the faint dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth: “Okay. This was a rush, but next time Teacher Shen visits, I’ll take you to eat something delicious.”

They stayed in the cafeteria for a while, but the crowd hadn’t thinned out. Neither wanted to monopolize the table, so they left the cafeteria after finishing their meal.

Coincidentally, the North Cafeteria was very close to Qiao Xi’s dorm. Noon was the most intense time for the sun, and Qiao Xi didn’t want Shen Ya to be exposed to it, so she suggested they go back to her dorm to rest.

Since it was freshman registration day, non-students were allowed into the dorms. Qiao Xi walked along, introducing her dorm to Shen Ya. In just half a day, she had already quickly integrated into her new environment.

The dorm building was filled with parents, senior students, and fresh-faced freshmen. The new dorm had an elevator. Qiao Xi took Shen Ya up to the 6th floor. She stopped in front of room 625. Looking at the room number, she suddenly exclaimed, “Huh? My dorm number is Teacher Shen’s birthday!”

Shen Ya was also very surprised. It seemed that ever since Qiao Xi appeared, too many coincidences had occurred between them. It was as if destiny had specifically sent Qiao Xi to her to heal her.

Before pushing the door open, they could hear laughter inside.

Qiao Xi grasped the doorknob, opened the door, and then tilted her head, her smile blending with the sunlight: “Welcome, Teacher Shen, to my new life.”