Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: The Accidental Kiss

Qiao Xi sat cross-legged on the bed and stretched. The scent of shower gel continuously drifted out from the bathroom. Soon, she saw Shen Ya emerge, wearing a dark blue long-sleeved silk pajama set.

Shen Ya had her long hair pinned up loosely with a claw clip at the back of her head. A faint blush colored her smooth, delicate neck. When she came closer and sat on the bed, Qiao Xi noticed a few water droplets still clinging to the ends of Shen Ya’s hair.

Shen Ya leaned back against the headboard, picked up her phone from the nightstand, and casually replied to a few messages before asking, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“I was waiting for you, Teacher Shen.” Qiao Xi secretly inhaled Shen Ya’s scent in the air. She noticed the woman had switched shower gels this time.

The scent had changed from citrus to a rich rose, which mixed with Shen Ya’s natural scent to become a cold and beautiful “Ice Rose.” This Ice Rose was restrained, gentle, and subtly sensual, forcing Qiao Xi to grip the blanket tightly to stop herself from getting closer to Shen Ya.

Shen Ya’s gaze was still on her phone, and she hadn’t noticed the intense stare directed at her. Qiao Xi had already made several mistakes today, and now she was extremely cautious, afraid Shen Ya would see through her thoughts. Before anything concrete happened, she had to control her heart and her actions.

But having the intention was good; executing it was incredibly difficult. This was Qiao Xi’s first time dealing with emotions that felt like a sudden, fierce storm. The more she tried to control it, the more rebellious the feeling became, constantly raging within her. Her rationale told her to withdraw her gaze, but her body refused to obey.

It wasn’t until Shen Ya put down her phone and turned her head. The moment their eyes met, Qiao Xi’s face instantly flushed. She knew she had been caught staring again. She just didn’t know if her eyes had betrayed her. Had Shen Ya noticed? Would she despise her for it? Or feel offended? What excuse could she use to smooth this over?

Useless brain, think faster! Qiao Xi screamed inwardly.

“Do I have something on my face?”

Shen Ya’s voice was colder than the air conditioner. Seeing her hand reach out, Qiao Xi’s body instinctively leaned back. Her forehead had been flicked so often her body had developed muscle memory. However, she guessed wrong this time. Even leaning back didn’t save her from Shen Ya’s “claws.”

Shen Ya grabbed Qiao Xi’s collar and pulled her forward. As she gripped the collar, Shen Ya’s fingertip accidentally brushed Qiao Xi’s collarbone. Although it was just a fleeting touch, it made Qiao Xi’s shoulder go numb. The sensation was amplified infinitely in her mind. Distracted for a moment, she missed the chance to grab the blanket and steady herself. Unprepared, she was easily pulled right up to Shen Ya.

A water droplet still hanging on Shen Ya’s hair fell onto her neck. Qiao Xi was now closer and closer to that elegantly curved neck. Before she could make contact, she was enveloped by Shen Ya’s scent. It felt as if she had been instantly pulled into an icy pool. As she sank into the water, she held her breath, letting the coolness sweep over her body.

Qiao Xi’s soft lips pressed against the spot where the water droplet had fallen. The slight dampness on Shen Ya’s shoulder was either left by Qiao Xi or the un-wiped water droplets.

The sweet fragrance rushed into Qiao Xi’s nose. She was tempted to stick out her tongue and lick the moisture away, but her rationale finally took over. She struggled to control herself and quickly lifted her head, sitting back up. But before she could fully regain her composure, Shen Ya’s “evil hand” struck her forehead.

“Ouch!”

Qiao Xi fell backward, hitting the bed. The impact made her see stars. As Shen Ya leaned in closer, Qiao Xi seemed to see countless images of Shen Ya shaking in front of her. The hand that had just flicked her forehead came back to gently rub it. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t hold back my strength. Does it hurt badly? I’ll get some medicine from outside.”

“It doesn’t hurt. I was just momentarily stunned.” The pain helped Qiao Xi gather her thoughts. She didn’t want Shen Ya to worry, so she sat up, pretending to be fine.

Shen Ya withdrew her hand, noticing a red mark on Qiao Xi’s forehead. She asked worriedly, “Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine, really. My skin is just like this. It turns red easily with a little force. Don’t worry, Teacher Shen.” If Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian knew she needed medicine for a slight flick on the forehead, she couldn’t imagine how much they would laugh at her.

Shen Ya had simply lost control of her emotions. She had noticed Qiao Xi’s heated gaze earlier. The look was somewhat explicit, holding an emotion Shen Ya dared not think about. She had expected Qiao Xi to quickly rein it in as usual, but even when she felt her ears burning and couldn’t stand it anymore, Qiao Xi was still staring, looking utterly dazed. The usually smart and witty little rascal was now acting incredibly silly. This made her harbor a mischievous thought, which led her to use the pain to snap Qiao Xi out of it.

“I’m sorry. I won’t flick your head again next time,” Shen Ya said sincerely. Looking at the small red mark on Qiao Xi’s forehead, her eyes were filled with guilt.

“Don’t, don’t say that.” Qiao Xi’s heart tightened. She quickly grabbed Shen Ya’s hand: “No, I mean, it really doesn’t hurt. You don’t need to worry about it, Teacher Shen. I was just pretending. You do it often anyway. I thought you saw through my acting.”

Fearing Shen Ya wouldn’t believe her, Qiao Xi put on the performance of her life. She lifted one eyebrow, her eyes turning crafty, and her smile was like that of a clever street hustler. She snorted twice and said to Shen Ya in an intentionally annoying tone: “It seems my acting has improved again. I even fooled Teacher Shen. That’s my talent.”

Shen Ya couldn’t tell if Qiao Xi was being genuine, but being teased like this and seeing Qiao Xi’s smug expression, she angrily pinched Qiao Xi’s cheek, feigning irritation: “You little liar.”

Qiao Xi felt a mix of sweetness and bitterness. Who would have thought that one day she would have to rely on acting to convince Shen Ya to keep flicking her forehead? For a moment, she wondered if she had some peculiar fetish, otherwise, why would she feel so anxious when Shen Ya said she wouldn’t flick her anymore?

Shen Ya regained her composure and continued to ask, “So, you were staring at me because…”

Qiao Xi cleared her throat. Thanks to her lifelong habit of acting in front of her sisters and mothers, she could now lie unflinchingly under Shen Ya’s “interrogation”: “I was thinking, we both have two eyes and one nose, so how come Teacher Shen just throws her hair up and wears pajamas, and her face is still beautiful, like Nüwa opened the back door?”

Shen Ya frowned, quietly repeating Qiao Xi’s last few words: “Nüwa opened the back door?” What did that mean? There was a generational gap with Qiao Xi, and she found herself struggling to understand Qiao Xi’s playful remarks.

Qiao Xi watched Shen Ya’s bewildered look, suppressing her laughter. She subtly moved toward the edge of the bed, ensuring she could leap off in a second, and then explained: “It means I’m praising Teacher Shen for being divinely beautiful.”

Having said that, Qiao Xi immediately bolted off the bed. She put on her slippers and ran toward the foot of the bed. Shen Ya on the bed initially seemed fossilized. Once she confirmed she had been teased by Qiao Xi, a blush quietly crept up her neck and rapidly spread across her entire face.

Shen Ya’s eyes sharpened, and angry words erupted from her throat like a volcanic burst. She grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it at Qiao Xi while scolding: “You little rascal, you’re asking for a beating!”

Shen Ya had thrown Qiao Xi’s own pillow. To prevent the pillow from falling and to ensure she could still get back into bed tonight, Qiao Xi deliberately didn’t dodge, catching the pillow and burying her face in it to muffle her laughter.

Qiao Xi didn’t dare to laugh for too long. She moved the pillow slightly to the side, revealing half of her eyes. She secretly observed Shen Ya on the bed, who was still glaring at her with a dark look. Qiao Xi gave a small cough to ease the tension, then performed a rapid face change.

When the pillow was lowered, Qiao Xi was once again the obedient and well-behaved girl. She hugged the pillow to her chest and lowered her head like a student who had made a mistake: “I won’t be naughty anymore.”

“You won’t be naughty?” Shen Ya rarely used her usual classroom demeanor.

Qiao Xi nodded frantically: “Mhm, mhm, mhm.”

Shen Ya patted the space beside her: “Come up.”

Qiao Xi returned the pillow to its place, climbed onto the bed, and knelt obediently in front of Shen Ya. Even without looking up, she could clearly feel Shen Ya’s scrutinizing gaze.

Just as she was wondering how Shen Ya would punish her, her cheek was pinched again. Qiao Xi looked up, putting on a pitiful expression. Her eyes were glazed with a light film of moisture, and she lightly bit her lower lip, looking as if tears would roll down if she just blinked again.

Her skill at feigning helplessness had definitely improved. Unfortunately, Shen Ya was immune to this tactic. Yet, being looked at like this, a mischievous little rabbit seemed to materialize inside Shen Ya, jumping and thumping recklessly in her heart.

This emotion surged again. Realizing she couldn’t control it, Shen Ya became slightly flustered. However, she maintained her composure, only stating coolly: “Then your punishment is to help me with chores tomorrow.”

Chores?

Chores are great! Qiao Xi loved chores now. This was the perfect legitimate excuse to stay near Shen Ya. She was already wondering what to do tomorrow. Being able to work alongside Shen Ya was absolutely ideal.

The moisture in Qiao Xi’s eyes slowly condensed into a bright sparkle, and the smile on her lips was no longer suppressed. Anyone unaware would think she had heard excellent news. Even Shen Ya sighed inwardly, looking at that expression.

Just then, a scratching sound came from outside the door. Qiao Xi and Shen Ya simultaneously looked at the bedroom door. Before Shen Ya could ask, Qiao Xi had already gotten off the bed. “It must be Eleven.”

Qiao Xi quickly opened the door, and the little white cat was indeed standing there. As the door opened, the cat eagerly tried to walk in, but Qiao Xi blocked her path, bent down, and picked Eleven up.

She turned and walked inside. Shen Ya, having put on her slippers, met her halfway: “What’s wrong with her?”

Qiao Xi stroked Eleven’s head and guessed: “She might not be used to the new environment, and she’s probably scared because the living room light is off.”

“Should we move the desk lamp to the living room, then?”

Qiao Xi didn’t think that was a solution. She initially wanted to suggest letting the kitten sleep with them, but she was afraid Shen Ya wouldn’t be comfortable. So, she said, “Teacher Shen, how about I sleep in the living room with the kitten tonight? Tomorrow, I’ll clean out the small utility room and turn it into Eleven’s cat room? That way we can keep all her things in there and set up a small night light just for her.”

Shen Ya agreed to the second suggestion but refused to let Qiao Xi sleep alone in the living room. Even if she hadn’t clarified her feelings, she couldn’t deny her long-held desire to share a bed with Qiao Xi.

She said, “Let her sleep in the room tonight.”

“But…” Qiao Xi didn’t mind, but Shen Ya hadn’t owned a small animal before and might not know how active they could be at night. She voiced her concern to Shen Ya: “I’m not sure if she’ll be noisy. What if she disturbs your rest, Teacher Shen…”

“She won’t. Bring her in. I’ll get her other things.” Shen Ya didn’t give Qiao Xi a chance to refuse and left the room for the living room.

Once Shen Ya was around the corner, Qiao Xi leaned down and whispered to little Eleven with a smile: “Mommy agreed to let you sleep in the room. You can’t wake Mommy up, okay? Mommy still has to earn money to support…” The last three words became a murmur: “…us.”

Qiao Xi said this without batting an eye. She had eaten so many of Shen Ya’s meals, so how could she not be considered to be supported by Shen Ya?

Shen Ya first moved Eleven’s bowls into the room and then moved the litter box into the bathroom. The bathroom door wasn’t completely shut, leaving a small gap for Eleven to go in and out.

After doing all this, Shen Ya saw Qiao Xi sitting on the bed with Eleven, waiting for her.

Shen Ya said to Qiao Xi, “I’ll turn on the night light so she can adjust.”

“Okay.” Once the night light was on, Qiao Xi released Eleven.

Unrestrained, Eleven climbed from the head of the bed to the foot, sniffing the blanket carefully. Shen Ya returned to the bed, pulled back the covers, and lay on her side, her gaze following Eleven.

Although both of them were lying down, they were still paying attention to Eleven’s movements. Wherever Eleven went, their eyes followed. Eleven went to the edge of the bed and looked down. After making repeated attempts, she finally dared to jump off the bed.

Eleven disappeared from Qiao Xi’s sight. She immediately sat up and moved forward, bumping into Shen Ya who was also sitting up. Their shoulders touched. As Shen Ya turned her head, Qiao Xi also lifted her head. The distance between their lips was now only two centimeters.

They froze simultaneously, forgetting their next move. The warm air they exhaled fell entirely on the other’s face, and both immediately held their breath. Their hearts instantly accelerated their beating.

Shen Ya reacted first. She wanted to pull away, but as she turned her face, their lips, which hadn’t quite touched yet, lightly brushed due to her movement.

It was a brief touch, but the softness was branded into their hearts like a steel stamp.

Shen Ya: Oh no, would this make Qiao Xi uncomfortable?

Qiao Xi: Oh my god! Teacher Shen just kissed me?!