Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: The Injured Kitten

Shen Ya came to Blank tonight intending to relax and clear her mind, or perhaps to sort out her complicated emotions. Unfortunately, not only did she fail to find clarity, but her feelings became even more confused.

She and Jiang Yunyi finished the entire basin of crayfish. Zhou Ziqian intended to bring them more, but they both simultaneously refused. Shen Ya didn’t know Jiang Yunyi’s habits, but she herself wouldn’t eat too much of this kind of food late at night. However, Shen Ya did refill her fruit wine two or three times.

The confusion wasn’t washed away by the three glasses of wine, but time was. In the blink of an eye, it was past midnight. Shen Ya had work the next day. When she stood up from the sofa, Jiang Yunyi also put down her glass: “I’ll drive you.”

Although Shen Ya had been drinking, the three glasses of fruit wine weren’t enough to cloud her mind. Hearing the offer, she couldn’t help but let out a slightly teasing laugh: “Boss Jiang, you seem to have had quite a bit to drink yourself?”

Jiang Yunyi’s smile froze. She realized she’d been careless: “You’re right, I can’t drive after drinking. How about this, I’ll have Zhou Ziqian take you home.”

“Thank you, but there’s no need.” Shen Ya picked up her bag from the sofa and pulled out her phone: “I’ve already called a car myself.”

“Then I’ll walk you to the door. Don’t refuse again.”

The two walked side by side. As they passed the group of friends, Jiang Yunyi exchanged greetings with Fang Moyao before continuing to walk Shen Ya to Blank’s main entrance.

“Are you still in touch with Xiao Xi recently?” Jiang Yunyi suddenly asked.

At the mention of Qiao Xi, the alarm bells rang in Shen Ya’s mind. She scanned Jiang Yunyi warily: “Why?”

“I saw that Xiao Xi has a good relationship with you before. I wonder if she told you that one of her roommates is Lu Ying’s child.”

“Mhm.”

“Lu Ying was just talking about it with Fang Moyao, and I happened to overhear. So I mentioned to her that Xiao Xi and Wan Ning’s Xiao Cong’an are at the same school. I also heard from Wan Ning that another friend’s sister also got into Jianglan University. So, she used her connections to place that child in the same dorm as Xiao Xi and her friends.”

Shen Ya nodded after hearing this. “But why are you telling me this?” If she recalled correctly, Jiang Yunxi likely didn’t even know this on enrollment day, or Qiao Xi and her friends wouldn’t have been foolishly waiting for a new roommate.

“Lu Ying told me she saw you at Jianglan University on the day of freshman registration.” The two had reached Blank’s entrance, and Jiang Yunyi saw the car parked by the roadside: “Let me guess, is your confusion tonight about my Xiao Xi?”

Shen Ya’s face went pale, her fingernails digging into her leather bag. She pressed her lips together and remained silent, avoiding Jiang Yunyi’s eyes. The other woman was too perceptive. If Qiao Xi was a little fox, Jiang Yunyi was a mountain god who governed all creatures in the deep mountains; nothing could escape her notice.

“It seems my guess was right.” Jiang Yunyi raised her hand and gently patted Shen Ya’s shoulder: “Relax. This is between you and Xiao Xi. I won’t interfere, and I certainly won’t tell anyone. I told you, you can trust me.”

They reached the car. Jiang Yunyi opened the back door and saw Shen Ya into the car. She held the door handle, not closing it, and leaned in slightly, smiling at Shen Ya: “Travel safely. Send me a message when you get home to let me know you’re safe. We’ll see each other next time, Shen Ya.”

Jiang Yunyi closed the car door and stepped back. After the car started, she watched it drive away. The road was empty late at night, and only the car carrying Shen Ya was moving down the straight street.

“I thought you’d keep her tonight.”

Hearing the voice, Jiang Yunyi wasn’t surprised. She turned around to meet Fang Moyao’s playful gaze. Fang Moyao had a light jacket draped over her shoulders, but the style of the jacket wasn’t what Fang Moyao usually wore.

Jiang Yunyi walked two steps forward to Fang Moyao’s side, and the two walked back toward Blank. Jiang Yunyi shook her head, saying, “What reason would I have to keep her?”

“Aren’t you quite interested in her? Why not take advantage of the opportunity?”

“I am interested, but it’s not a must to have anything happen.” Jiang Yunyi was still savoring the expression Shen Ya had when her thoughts were exposed: “A change in lifestyle might be a good thing for her. Besides…”

Fang Moyao waited for Jiang Yunyi to finish the sentence, but Jiang Yunyi remained silent until they walked into Blank. The curiosity made Fang Moyao unable to resist asking: “Besides what?”

Jiang Yunyi shook her head again: “Nothing. I hope I was wrong.”

In the car, Shen Ya had closed her eyes and was resting against the seat. When Jiang Yunyi guessed her thoughts just now, she had genuinely panicked for a moment. She had expected the other woman to ask something, but thankfully, it was a false alarm.

Now that Jiang Yunyi’s oppressive gaze was gone, her body could finally relax. Recalling the incident, she realized she shouldn’t have panicked. She came tonight seeking answers herself. Since she hadn’t solved her own doubts, why should she fear Jiang Yunyi’s speculation? Regardless, her relationship with Qiao Xi was merely friendship right now. As for any other relationship or feeling, she didn’t know and didn’t want to think about it for the time being.

Shen Ya didn’t want the bridge she built with Qiao Xi to be damaged because she truly craved the warmth Qiao Xi provided. The other girl was genuinely the best comfort she had received in years, and she couldn’t bear to push her away.

Qiao Xi’s university life was busy and fulfilling. Besides studying, there were many other activities and social engagements. Almost two months had passed since school started. She had planned to see Shen Ya during the National Day holiday, but other things held her back.

Spring had turned into autumn. She recalled that the last time she saw Shen Ya was during the hottest weather. Now, the temperature had dropped slightly, and it was early November.

Qiao Xi finally got her driver’s license. She immediately took a photo and sent it to Shen Ya. Although they hadn’t met in person these days, their contact hadn’t diminished. Before, Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian asked if she had a crush on Shen Ya, which troubled her for days. But later, she got busy with other things, and since she hadn’t seen Shen Ya, she pushed the question to the back of her mind.

Now that university life was on track, and she didn’t need to practice driving in her free time, Qiao Xi realized she finally had time to visit Shen Ya. She was even starting to miss Shen Ya’s cooking.

On Friday morning, before class, Qiao Xi messaged Shen Ya: [Teacher Shen, I don’t have class this afternoon, and I’m free this weekend. Can I come visit you?]

She thought Shen Ya would be busy, but it wasn’t long before she received a reply: [Okay. What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it.]

[Little Rascal: No need, I’ll head over after lunch. Teacher Shen, I know you’re busy with class this afternoon, don’t worry about me. I’ll wait for you in your office when I arrive.]

Qiao Xi’s message cleared the emotional fog that had been building up in Shen Ya’s heart for a while. It was probably the imminent filling of that void that caused such a significant shift in her mood.

Knowing Qiao Xi was coming, Shen Ya bought some food for her from a nearby bakery after lunch. Since she didn’t know when Qiao Xi would arrive and feared she might be in class, she informed a colleague who didn’t have class that afternoon when she returned to her office.

Before her afternoon classes, Shen Ya didn’t see Qiao Xi arrive. She thought Qiao Xi might have been delayed by something and would see her in the office after class.

Shen Ya was in a good mood this afternoon, so her speech during class was warmer than usual. She had two consecutive classes and no time to return to the office, only checking her phone during the break to see if Qiao Xi had arrived.

The chat window had no unread messages. Shen Ya wasn’t sure if Qiao Xi had arrived.

When the bell rang, a student stopped her with a question. She had to solve the student’s problem first. Another break passed, and Shen Ya was finally able to leave the classroom. She walked quickly towards the office. When she pushed the door open, her seat was empty, and the snacks on the table didn’t look touched.

She asked the other teachers remaining in the office, and they said no one had come by in the afternoon. This made Shen Ya realize something was wrong. Qiao Xi was never late. If she said she would come after lunch, she wouldn’t delay for so long. Her first thought was that Qiao Xi had been held up, but then she remembered that Qiao Xi was very considerate and would definitely have messaged her first if something came up.

Now, Shen Ya couldn’t help but worry. Could something have happened to Qiao Xi?

She quickly picked up her phone and called Qiao Xi, but Qiao Xi didn’t answer until the call automatically disconnected. This made Shen Ya even more uneasy, and her eyelids twitched relentlessly. Whether Qiao Xi had a problem or not, she knew she couldn’t sit here and wait for news.

“Sister Liu, I’m going out for a bit.”

“Go ahead, go ahead,” the woman waved her hand. “You don’t have classes after this, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright then, go. I’ll let the department head know.”

“Thank you.” Shen Ya quickly packed her things. She grabbed the bag of bread from the desk, slung her bag over her shoulder, and continued dialing Qiao Xi’s number as she left the office.

Shen Ya came out of the building and hailed a car. There was a distance between her workplace and Qiao Xi’s school, and she feared traffic congestion at this hour. Halfway through the ride, she finally received a call from Qiao Xi.

Shen Ya quickly answered, her voice betraying her worry: “Where are you?”

“Teacher Shen, I had a little accident, but I’m fine. I’m on my way now.”

Shen Ya could hear Qiao Xi was likely in a car, hearing the sound of a horn. She said, “I couldn’t reach you, so I called a car to your school.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry, Teacher Shen.” Qiao Xi apologized first, then asked, “Where are you now, Teacher Shen? I’ll come pick you up.”

Shen Ya covered the phone and told the driver to pull over. After getting out of the car, she sent her location to Qiao Xi.

“Okay, Teacher Shen, please find a place to rest first. I’ll be there soon.”

After hanging up, Shen Ya looked around. Spotting a coffee shop ahead, she walked toward it. The air conditioning in the coffee shop was on, making it a bit cold for the current temperature. She ordered a coffee and got a milk tea to go for Qiao Xi.

Unsure how long Qiao Xi would take, Shen Ya decided to wait in the coffee shop.

The coffee shop wasn’t empty but was quiet. Most people were working on laptops. Occasionally, some people talked, but they kept their voices low, not disturbing others.

The coffee in her cup was almost gone when Shen Ya received a call from Qiao Xi. She picked up the milk tea and left the sofa. Qiao Xi directed her back to the roadside where she had been dropped off.

But she didn’t see Qiao Xi. Just as she was about to look around, the passenger window of a white sedan lowered in front of her. “Teacher Shen, get in.”

Shen Ya saw Qiao Xi in the driver’s seat. She still had her shoulder-length hair, wearing a pink sun-protective jacket over casual shorts. Although it had only been a short time, Qiao Xi seemed to have grown up quite a bit but was still full of vitality.

This was a new car. Just by the emblem, Shen Ya knew the price was substantial. Qiao Xi held the steering wheel with both hands, turning her head to Shen Ya: “What delicious things did Teacher Shen buy?”

Shen Ya first placed the bread on her lap, found a spot for the milk tea, then reached for the seatbelt and buckled up: “Milk tea and bread.”

“Thank you, Teacher Shen.”

After buckling the seatbelt, Qiao Xi started the car. Only then did Shen Ya ask, “What happened?”

Just then, a meow sounded inside the car. Shen Ya thought she had misheard or that it was Qiao Xi’s phone, but subsequent meows made her realize there was a cat hidden in the car.

“Well…” Qiao Xi cleared her throat. She found it surprisingly difficult to speak, but Shen Ya had already turned to look at the back seat. She knew she had to come clean: “I came out of the cafeteria earlier, intending to find you, Teacher Shen, but I heard a cat screaming on the road. Later, I found the cat was trapped in a wall gap. I tried to lure her out for a long time but couldn’t catch her. I had to ask a senior student and the school security auntie for help to rescue the cat, which is why I was delayed until now.”

A cat?

“Then what are you doing now?”

Qiao Xi suddenly seemed nervous. She said, “Teacher Shen, can I take the cat to the vet first? She seems injured. Can we go home after the check-up?”

“Of course.” The kitten was injured; she couldn’t just leave it to die. Shen Ya didn’t understand why Qiao Xi was so tentative asking her about such a thing. Did she think she was heartless?

No, that’s not right.

Shen Ya thought carefully and realized something was off. Qiao Xi wouldn’t react this way if it were just because the kitten had delayed her. The other girl was probably trying to ask her something else: “What do you want to ask me?”

Qiao Xi took a sip of the milk tea. The cold, sweet taste gave her some courage: “Teacher Shen, do you want to adopt a cat?”

Sure enough, she knew this was Qiao Xi’s real question.

“Originally, I didn’t plan to take her, but I asked everyone around, and they couldn’t take her in. So, I thought I’d just take her. If Teacher Shen doesn’t have time to keep her, it’s okay. I’m just asking. I can take her home for my mothers to raise. After all, I rescued Fatty too. It doesn’t matter if there’s one more rescued kitten at home.”

“You can.”

“I…” Qiao Xi froze for a few seconds before realizing: “What?”

Shen Ya repeated, “I’ll adopt her.” Since this was the kitten Qiao Xi rescued, she was willing to adopt the kitten that would link her and Qiao Xi together.

“Really?!” Qiao Xi didn’t expect Shen Ya to agree so easily. She had thought of many reasons along the way. She knew Shen Ya wasn’t obligated to help her adopt the cat, and she would never try to emotionally manipulate Shen Ya. She just wanted to try, because she hadn’t had much time to spend with Shen Ya since starting university, so she wanted this kitten to take her place in accompanying Shen Ya.

“Don’t worry, Teacher Shen. This kitten is very well-behaved. She didn’t move a muscle when I held her. She doesn’t scratch or bite. She must be a good girl.”

Shen Ya lifted the corners of her mouth. Over the sound of the kitten’s meows, she reached out and pinched Qiao Xi’s cheek, teasing: “Is that so? Is she more well-behaved than you?”