Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: The Seeds of Affection

Qiao Xi’s cuteness lasted less than three seconds. The moment she stepped into the dorm, a square throw pillow flew directly at her face. She had no time to react, much less dodge. The pillow hit her squarely, sending her reeling backward. Shen Ya, seeing this, quickly caught Qiao Xi from behind.

Qiao Xi fell into a warm embrace, her head landing perfectly between Shen Ya’s chest. Shen Ya rubbed her nose and asked worriedly, “Are you okay?”

The pillow hadn’t hurt much, but the impact made Qiao Xi see stars, like a magnificent galaxy. Fortunately, Shen Ya had caught her, or she would have definitely fallen on the floor. But on second thought, having Shen Ya witness her in such an embarrassing state, she vowed to go in and throttle Xia Cong’an!

Qiao Xi was certain the pillow must have been thrown by Xia Cong’an. She straightened up from Shen Ya’s embrace, too mortified to look Shen Ya in the eye. She just lowered her head and said to Shen Ya, “Teacher Shen, could you please wait for me outside? I’ll be out soon, just one minute.”

Without waiting for Shen Ya’s answer, she stomped back into the dorm. Qiao Xi’s steps were heavy, as if Xia Cong’an were under her feet. In those few seconds, she had already planned how she would pin Xia Cong’an against the wall and give her a good beating, making her cry and beg her to be a good sister.

The moment she entered the door, Qiao Xi was grabbed by the two “door gods” hiding behind it. Yu Tiantian and Xia Cong’an immediately dragged Qiao Xi and pinned her onto the nearest desk.

“We finally got you back.” Xia Cong’an smiled like a villain in a TV show: “Qiao Xi, you dumped us to go see a pretty older sister all by yourself. Tell us, who is that beautiful sister!”

Qiao Xi had planned for everything except for her two friends pulling such a stunt the moment Shen Ya arrived. She was going to skin these two alive later!

Afraid that Shen Ya outside might hear the commotion, she didn’t dare to shout, so she gritted her teeth and whispered, “Let go of me, now!”

“Tell us the truth, or I won’t be able to stop Xia Cong’an from doing whatever she wants to you,” Yu Tiantian said nonchalantly, though her grip wasn’t light. She pressed down on Qiao Xi’s arm, the threat clear.

Qiao Xi was the smallest in their trio and wasn’t very strong. Pinned down by two people, she couldn’t break free. Just as she was thinking about how to kick both of them simultaneously to escape, the dorm door was pushed open from the outside.

Shen Ya walked in and saw two girls aggressively pinning Qiao Xi onto the desk. They looked fierce, seemingly bullying Qiao Xi. Shen Ya’s face instantly darkened. She quickly strode over, grabbed one of the girl’s wrists, and twisted it halfway.

“Ouch! It hurts!!!” Xia Cong’an screamed in agony. She felt like her arm was about to break. She was wondering who suddenly attacked her when she saw that cold face. She thought the woman looked familiar, but the other person recognized her first.

“Xia Cong’an?”

“Y-You are… Teacher Shen?” Shen Ya let go of her. Xia Cong’an rubbed her reddened wrist.

The sudden interruption by Shen Ya allowed Qiao Xi to successfully break free. But having Shen Ya see her most embarrassing moment, she now wished she could dig a hole and hide. It was all the fault of these two. They never helped her when needed, and now they were only adding chaos. These two better sleep with their eyes open tonight, or she would smother them both!

“Were you… bullying Qiao Xi just now?” Seeing Qiao Xi still shrinking behind Xia Cong’an with her head bowed, Shen Ya reached out and pulled Qiao Xi back from between the two. She held Qiao Xi’s shoulders and carefully inspected her up and down.

“No, no, no, we were just kidding around!” Xia Cong’an wouldn’t take the blame. If she had known Qiao Xi was meeting Shen Ya, she would never have pulled this stunt.

Shen Ya didn’t say anything, but her gaze was chilling, as if doubting the truth of their statement. Xia Cong’an panicked. She tugged at Qiao Xi’s shirt hem, winking fiercely: “Say something!”

Although Qiao Xi hadn’t fully recovered from the embarrassment, a new idea sparked in her mind. She hadn’t gotten revenge for being pinned down yet. Since Shen Ya had already seen it, she might as well run with it.

“Teacher Shen…” Qiao Xi’s voice was laced with a sob. She only pinched Shen Ya’s clothes with two fingers: “They bullied me.”

“You!”

“You!”

Yu Tiantian and Xia Cong’an exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes filled with disbelief. They never expected their usually proper strategist to resort to whining and acting spoiled! They thought Qiao Xi only acted like that with her two sisters, but Shen Ya…

Shen Ya stroked Qiao Xi’s head. Knowing this little rascal, that tone was likely feigned. Qiao Xi trusted her and was willing to show this mischievous side in front of her friends. This vibrant Qiao Xi instantly brought them closer.

“Then how do you want me to punish them for you?” Shen Ya’s gaze towards Qiao Xi was softer than the moonlight.

She should stop here; pushing it further would be unmanageable. Qiao Xi lifted her head, her expression changed, her lips curved into a smile, and her eyes sparkled with tiny lights: “No need for punishment.”

She took Shen Ya’s wrist and led her to her desk, pulling out the chair for Shen Ya to sit down. The fourth roommate hadn’t arrived yet, and since they were all friends, Qiao Xi didn’t need to be cautious.

She leaned beside Shen Ya, first pointing at Xia Cong’an: “Xia Cong’an, Teacher Shen should already know.” Then she shifted her finger to the side: “And that’s Yu Tiantian.”

Shen Ya nodded at the two: “Hello.”

Yu Tiantian didn’t know Shen Ya and felt no psychological burden, but Xia Cong’an was different. Shen Ya had tutored her before. Later, she heard that Shen Ya was Song Wanning’s friend. How did Qiao Xi get connected to Shen Ya? Surely Qiao Xi wasn’t getting tutored by Shen Ya too.

“I tutored Xia Cong’an for a while before,” Shen Ya offered first.

“Yes, that’s right, last summer, Song Wanning hired Teacher Shen to tutor me in math.”

Qiao Xi nodded. So they had known each other for a while: “That makes things easier. Teacher Shen is my friend, so I brought her over to meet you.”

Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian exchanged a secret glance, both sensing something peculiar. They intuitively felt that Qiao Xi and Shen Ya’s relationship was likely more than just friendship, but they both tacitly agreed not to expose it now. They planned to talk to Qiao Xi properly after Shen Ya left.

The two returned to their seats. Yu Tiantian picked up the snacks they bought outside and offered them to Shen Ya: “Teacher Shen… would you like some?”

Qiao Xi took the jerky on Shen Ya’s behalf and asked confusingly, “Aren’t these for the new roommate?”

“There is no new roommate,” Yu Tiantian leaned back lazily in her chair. “We ran into her coming back. She’s quite something, a rising young celebrity. Because of her special status, she applied to the school not to live in the dorm but to keep the bed reserved. Oh, and she brought us some gifts for meeting us.”

“That’s right,” Xia Cong’an opened a small cabinet nearby and took out a beautifully wrapped gift box for Qiao Xi. “She was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a hat, completely covered up. The person with her must have been her manager. She was very pretty.”

Yu Tiantian chimed in: “Yes, and that manager seemed to know your sister.”

Qiao Xi pointed to herself: “My sister?”

Yu Tiantian nodded: “Mhm, your sister Yunyi.”

“We heard that Sister Yunyi recommended the three of us to them, as they needed safe, reliable, and discreet roommates,” Xia Cong’an concluded.

No wonder the three of them were coincidentally roommates. It seemed the celebrity had negotiated with the school. But would a celebrity choose not to attend a specialized university? It looked like she was a very smart and capable person. Qiao Xi really wanted to meet her.

“Manager?” Shen Ya suddenly spoke. The other three in the dorm looked at her in unison.

“Teacher Shen knows her?”

Shen Ya slowly nodded, “Sort of.” If she remembered correctly, one person at Blank did work related to the entertainment industry. She didn’t visit often, and Shen Ya had only met her a few times. To be accurate, that woman was probably more familiar with Blank’s boss, Fang Moyao.

Qiao Xi and her friends waited for Shen Ya to continue, but Shen Ya didn’t show any intention of speaking further. This left the three of them agitated. Hearing gossip cut short was pure torment.

However, they weren’t the type to pressure people. If Shen Ya wasn’t speaking, there must be something she couldn’t disclose.

Staying in the dorm with Qiao Xi and her friends, listening to their playful banter and laughter, Shen Ya felt significantly younger. She was reserved and hadn’t actively socialized when she first entered university, so her relationship with her roommates was mediocre. She was a lone wolf, always on her own.

But Qiao Xi brought her into a different life. She realized having friends could be so lively and interesting. They could share food, and the three girls could chat or joke freely, without becoming reserved or resistant because of her presence.

The people around the little sun were indeed like a warm spring breeze. Staying in Qiao Xi’s dorm, just listening to them laugh, Shen Ya felt that her past self was being compensated for.

Qiao Xi brought her a completely new world. Watching Qiao Xi speak animatedly, Shen Ya’s eyes unconsciously softened into gentle crescents.

In the evening, the freshmen had a mandatory class meeting. Qiao Xi originally wanted to take Shen Ya out to dinner, but the four of them ended up at the cafeteria. There were even more students at night. They arrived early and found a table quickly. The dinner menu was also more extensive.

The food at Jianglan University cafeteria was delicious. All four were stuffed. Since it was getting late, although Shen Ya didn’t let Qiao Xi see her off, Qiao Xi insisted on walking Shen Ya to her ride-share car.

Shen Ya rolled down the window, “Go back now.”

“Then message me when you get home, Teacher Shen.”

“I will.”

The car started moving. Its speed increased from slow to fast, quickly merging into traffic. Qiao Xi stood foolishly rooted to the spot, watching the car drive away until Xia Cong’an put an arm around her shoulder and forcibly turned her around.

“You have something going on,” Yu Tiantian said first.

“What’s going on? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Xia Cong’an put on her “I see through you” expression: “Spill it. What exactly is your relationship with Teacher Shen?”

“Teacher Shen and I are just friends, what else could we be?” For some reason, Qiao Xi felt a little guilty saying this.

“Friends? I don’t think so. Your eyes are full of admiration when you look at her, and you naturally flirt with her. She speaks to you very gently, but she’s quite cold towards us.”

After hearing Yu Tiantian, Xia Cong’an quickly added: “And, how did you and Teacher Shen meet? There’s a big age gap, Qiao Xi. Are you crushing on her?”

Crushing?

How could that be? She clearly just considered Shen Ya a friend. How could it be crushing? But why did her heart flutter so much hearing those two words, as if Xia Cong’an had hit the nail on the head?

“Don’t talk nonsense, how is that possible? She’s my sister’s friend, that’s how we met.” Her hasty explanation sounded weak and pale. She could fabricate the story of how she and Shen Ya met, but how could she fake the natural affection in her demeanor and expressions?

Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian weren’t fools. Even they could see the thoughts hidden in her eyes. Would Shen Ya also start to doubt her feelings?

“Don’t be shy about it! Liking someone isn’t a bad thing. Teacher Shen seems great. If you like her, go for it! I think she might have feelings for you too. Besides, you’re an adult now, what are you afraid of?”

“No, I don’t,” Qiao Xi refuted Xia Cong’an, but her mind was a mess, and she couldn’t think of anything logical to say. She could only repeat once more: “Teacher Shen and I are just friends.”

Xia Cong’an opened her mouth to say more, but Yu Tiantian reached around Qiao Xi and patted her shoulder, then shook her head at Xia Cong’an, signaling her to stop.

Xia Cong’an took the hint: “Fine. But speaking of which, Qiao Xi, how did that manager know your sister Yunyi? Did Sister Yunyi ever mention it to you?”

“No, I’ll ask her another day.” Qiao Xi’s mind was in turmoil, and she didn’t join their conversation afterward.

She knew what familial love and friendship were, but she didn’t know about romantic love. What was it like to love someone?

Qiao Xi thought of her two sisters and mothers. She knew that when her sisters were intimate, she had seen them doing intimate things. If loving someone meant doing those things with them, then what about Shen Ya…?

Her mind suddenly flashed back to when she stayed at Shen Ya’s house, and the other woman was wearing a black slip nightgown without a bra, her contours subtly visible through the thin fabric. Several times, she had buried her head in Shen Ya’s chest, either cuddling or crying. Recalling it now, she realized how soft that area was, just like Teacher Shen’s heart.

She remembered when her sisters kissed, a thin thread of saliva stretched between their lips. How intensely must they have kissed for that to happen?

If it were Shen Ya…

Shen Ya had thin lips, usually only lightly coated with lip gloss, but they looked like moist fruit. She wondered if biting them would taste like fruit too.

Qiao Xi swallowed hard. Just as her thoughts were about to wander deeper, Xia Cong’an interrupted her: “Why are you quiet all the way? What are you thinking about?”

“N-Nothing,” Qiao Xi shook her head.

Coming back to her senses, she felt her earlier thoughts were indecent. How could she profane Teacher Shen because of a single sentence? She shouldn’t let herself be affected by such nonsense. She and Shen Ya were kindred spirits, which was why their relationship was close. She did like Shen Ya, but liking came in many forms, and it wasn’t necessarily the same as love between partners.

Before she could confirm her feelings, she absolutely could not fantasize about Teacher Shen again.