Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: For two days straight, Qiao Xi stuck with Shen…

For two days straight, Qiao Xi stuck with Shen Ya. She even displayed another of her strengths in front of Shen Ya, using a pen as a magic wand to perfectly recreate the scene from Friday night’s photo on white paper. This drawing was later framed by Shen Ya and hung in her room.

The brief time living together quickly passed. On Sunday evening, Shen Ya drove Qiao Xi’s car to take her back to school. They had dinner outside, and by the time Qiao Xi arrived at school, it was completely dark.

In November, the temperature fluctuated. It had been a bit warm the last two days, but today a north wind was blowing. Shen Ya wore a short blazer and black suit pants, and her leather shoes, having just been polished, shone brightly.

Shen Ya held a bag of snacks in her left hand, reserving her right hand for Qiao Xi to link arms with. They strolled through the campus of Jianglan University. After the official start of the semester, Qiao Xi’s dormitory no longer allowed non-students, so Shen Ya could only walk Qiao Xi to the dorm entrance.

“Take this up and share it with the two of them.” Shen Ya handed the bag of snacks to Qiao Xi. After Qiao Xi took them, she also returned the car keys.

Qiao Xi accepted the snacks but not the keys. She said, “Teacher Shen, you should keep using it.” Seeing Shen Ya’s lips move, she quickly preempted her: “I usually stay on campus and don’t go anywhere. It would be a waste to leave the car here. It’s better for Teacher Shen to drive it and give it some maintenance in the process. A car is meant to be driven, Teacher Shen, please don’t feel burdened.”

Although she said that, the car was Qiao Xi’s, and it was not cheap. Shen Ya really couldn’t feel comfortable using it.

Qiao Xi took a step back: “Teacher Shen, I have classes during the week, and I may not always have time to go back on weekends. If Shiyi has any issues, having a car makes it easy to take her out. What do you think, Teacher Shen?”

The car keys ultimately ended up in Shen Ya’s palm. With that reasoning, she couldn’t find an excuse to refuse. “Then I’ll keep it for now.”

“Mhm!”

“Alright, hurry on up.” Shen Ya stepped forward, tidied Qiao Xi’s hair, pinched Qiao Xi’s cheek, and then watched her walk into the dormitory.

Before Qiao Xi disappeared around the corner, she paused, looked back at Shen Ya, and raised a hand to wave vigorously, “Goodbye, Teacher Shen!”

Even from a distance, Shen Ya read Qiao Xi’s intended words from her lips. A smile touched her eyes, and she nodded lightly. Only after Qiao Xi’s figure completely vanished from her sight did Shen Ya turn to leave.

Suddenly having no one beside her made her feel a little unaccustomed. Although they shared an accidental kiss these past two days, it didn’t seem to have affected either of them, at least on the surface.

When the surroundings became quiet, all the events of the past two days replayed in her mind, one by one. Reviewing them again, Shen Ya could clearly see some previously overlooked details. She could definitely feel a subtle change in Qiao Xi’s feelings for her during this meeting, but she wasn’t sure what it meant.

And her own heart was more confused than ever. Before, she was merely unsure of her feelings and bewildered. After living with Qiao Xi for these two days, she had ventured deeper into the fog and saw a light in the distance. As she got closer to the truth, her thoughts shifted to another matter.

Should she have such feelings for Qiao Xi? Was it right or wrong to let Qiao Xi get close to her like this?

Shen Ya had intended to go to Blank for a drink, but seeing Qiao Xi’s car, she changed her mind.

…

Qiao Xi carried the snacks back to the dorm. As soon as she opened the door, the previously dark room suddenly lit up. The dazzling light made her squint, and within those few seconds, the snacks in her hands were snatched away, and she was grabbed by her clothing and pinned against the wall.

By the time she adjusted to the light and opened her eyes, Yu Tiantian and Xia Cong’an had cornered her. Without Shen Ya here today, no one would come to her rescue.

Xia Cong’an crossed her arms and sneered twice, “Spill it. When did you and Teacher Shen get together?”

Sure enough, she knew these two wouldn’t let her off easily.

“Stop.” Qiao Xi raised both hands: “It’s too complicated to explain all at once. Let me sit down and talk.”

Xia Cong’an glanced at Yu Tiantian, who raised an eyebrow and nodded: “Fine.”

The two moved aside, allowing Qiao Xi to escape the blockade. She went back to her desk and pulled out a chair, while the other two were already dividing the snacks she brought back.

Xia Cong’an opened the duck tongue while Yu Tiantian gnawed on the spicy chicken feet. Both were ready to hear the gossip and were now staring at Qiao Xi, waiting for her to speak.

Shen Ya bought these snacks, and Qiao Xi hadn’t even had a bite, yet these two had already claimed them all. A lump formed in Qiao Xi’s chest. She wanted to reach out and ask for some, but she knew that if she didn’t talk, there wouldn’t be any left for her.

“Teacher Shen and I aren’t the kind of relationship you think.”

Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian both paused, then burst into laughter simultaneously. “Who are you kidding? I get it, you’re playing some new kind of kink, right?”

Yu Tiantian followed up, “If it’s not the relationship we think, then what kind is it?”

“Oh, come on.” Qiao Xi decided not to beat around the bush anymore. “Actually, I don’t know right now. I don’t know if I like Teacher Shen, I don’t know if Teacher Shen likes me, and I don’t know what to do next.”

“What?” Xia Cong’an took off her gloves and dragged her chair in front of Qiao Xi. “Like is like, dislike is dislike. What do you mean you don’t know?”

Yu Tiantian smiled and shook her head. She stood up, came over to the two of them, and leaned her back against the wall connecting to the small balcony: “Qiao Xi means she doesn’t know what liking feels like, right?”

“Yes.” Qiao Xi nodded: “I don’t know what kind of feeling ‘like’ is. I’m afraid I’m just infatuated for a moment, and it’s actually just dependence on Teacher Shen.”

“Although I’ve only met Teacher Shen once, I can feel that she’s different towards you. There’s a strange magnetic field between you two. Sometimes when you chat alone, Xia Cong’an and I can’t even chime in.”

“Exactly, exactly.” Xia Cong’an nodded faster than a machine: “I felt something was off before. You say you don’t know if you like Teacher Shen, but the way you look at each other, it’s practically pulling threads! That’s how my moms are at home.”

Her moms?

Oh, right!

How could she forget? She could ask her moms!

Qiao Xi “whooshed” to her feet: “No dorm check tonight, right?”

Yu Tiantian: “What are you trying to do?”

“I’m going home, now.”

“But you have an 8 AM class tomorrow morning!” Although Xia Cong’an wasn’t in the same major as Qiao Xi, they knew each other’s schedules.

“It’s okay, I’ll just come back early tomorrow.” Qiao Xi was about to leave, but her arm was grabbed by Yu Tiantian.

“Hold on. What are you going to say if you suddenly go over there now? That you’re unsure if you’ve fallen for your sister’s friend? Or are you going to ask your mother what it feels like to love someone?”

Yu Tiantian pressed Qiao Xi back into the chair: “If you rush over like this, what will your moms think? Qiao Xi, this isn’t like you to be so uncomposed. But doesn’t this subtly prove that your feelings for Teacher Shen are extraordinary?”

These words were like a flashlight illuminating the fog-laden path for her. She had indeed lost her composure this time. Before, she could perfectly hide her true emotions in front of Shen Ya, and her heart wouldn’t beat so abnormally fast every time she made eye contact with her. And tonight, she started missing Shen Ya immediately after they separated.

Actually, she didn’t need to ask her moms for the answer. What was she so afraid of?

“You like Teacher Shen.” Yu Tiantian stated confidently: “There’s a very simple way to prove it.”

Qiao Xi stared blankly at Yu Tiantian, not speaking, but her eyes held a question.

Yu Tiantian smiled subtly. She turned her head to look at Xia Cong’an and beckoned to her: “Come closer.”

Xia Cong’an was even more confused than Qiao Xi, not knowing what riddle Yu Tiantian was playing, but she still dragged her chair forward.

When her knees touched Qiao Xi’s, Xia Cong’an stopped: “And then? How are you going to prove it to Qiao Xi?”

Yu Tiantian flashed a fox-like grin. She placed one hand on the back of Qiao Xi’s head and the other on Xia Cong’an’s head. Two seconds later, she simultaneously pushed their heads together with force.

Qiao Xi was greatly alarmed. Seeing Xia Cong’an’s face getting closer and closer, her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets. She really shouldn’t have believed Yu Tiantian’s nonsense!

If she didn’t break free, she would kiss Xia Cong’an. Qiao Xi felt completely uncomfortable. She exerted all her strength, and just as she was about to touch Xia Cong’an, she shifted towards Yu Tiantian, colliding her head into the other’s abdomen.

“…Hiss,” Yu Tiantian gasped. She let go of them both, clutching her stomach, and retreated a few steps: “Qiao Xi, is your head made of iron!”

As soon as she broke free, Qiao Xi jumped up, “You’re telling me! What are you doing!”

“Exactly! Yu Tiantian, are you crazy? Qiao Xi and I almost kissed!”

Yu Tiantian rubbed her stomach, looking at Qiao Xi and Xia Cong’an with a face full of despair. They say people in love lose their intelligence. She didn’t believe it before because she wasn’t like that herself, but now, a living example was right in front of her, forcing her to believe.

She rolled her eyes, pulled her chair back, sat down, and then looked at Qiao Xi with an air of disappointment: “Qiao Xi, have you been possessed? You used to be so smart. Now that I’ve laid it all out for you, why don’t you understand?”

Qiao Xi’s brow was furrowed so tightly it looked like it could kill a fly. She kept her lips pressed shut. Only when her heart calmed down did her brain start working. She had known Xia Cong’an and Yu Tiantian for a long time and they were the best of friends. Her sisters often said the three of them were an iron triangle.

And just now, when she realized she was about to have intimate contact with Xia Cong’an, she was full of resistance and rejection because she knew that as friends, such behavior was overstepping boundaries.

But her reaction to Shen Ya was completely the opposite. She liked being close to Shen Ya, wanted more intimate contact with her, and whenever she saw her, her cheeks would blush and her heart would race. She really wanted to be by Shen Ya’s side forever, to interlace her fingers with Shen Ya’s whenever they went out, to build their little home together, and to embrace each other at night and enter each other’s dreams.

She… really had fallen for Shen Ya.

“I…”

“Well, looks like you have your answer.” Yu Tiantian straightened up a little: “I told you I had a way.”

“What riddle are you two playing?” Xia Cong’an looked at Yu Tiantian and then turned back to Qiao Xi. “You know now?”

“Mhm!” Qiao Xi nodded heavily this time, stating firmly and seriously: “I like Teacher Shen. The kind of like where I want to date her.”

Hearing this, Xia Cong’an no longer cared about being forced to butt heads just now. She looked even happier than Qiao Xi: “Then when are you going to confess?”

“You think I should pursue her too?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Xia Cong’an was simple-minded and had her own view: “If you like someone, of course, you go after them. Are you going to miss the chance? You like Teacher Shen, and Teacher Shen likes you. Isn’t this mutual affection?”

Mutual affection?

Qiao Xi wasn’t so sure. She walked to Xia Cong’an’s desk and stole back a bag of beef jerky. She tore it open and sat back down in her chair. Biting into a piece of the jerky, she said, “I’m sure I like her, but I can’t be sure that she likes me too right now. So, I can’t confess yet.”

Once she figured everything out, Qiao Xi seemed to have recovered her wits. This matter couldn’t be rushed. Based on her understanding of Shen Ya, it had to be a process. What she needed to do now was to get Shen Ya accustomed to her intimate contact, and at the same time, she needed time to confirm Shen Ya’s feelings.

“Then how long are you going to wait?” Xia Cong’an asked her again.

Qiao Xi chewed on the jerky, her gaze passing through the wall and soaring into the distance. She was used to taking the initiative. Since childhood, she had relied on her own efforts to get what she wanted. As long as she achieved her goal, even using a few minor tactics was acceptable.

But Shen Ya was different. She was a living person with feelings and thoughts. She absolutely could not, for her own selfish desire, do anything to hurt or scheme against Shen Ya. She remembered her Mommy telling her when she was very young:

Only genuine feelings can be exchanged for genuine feelings.

What she needed to do was treat her sincerely, using the heat of her own person to melt the heart that had been frozen for so long.

But this period of uncertainty couldn’t be too long. She feared that the longer it was, the more unexpected changes would arise. But she also needed a catalyst, a suitable day for a confession.

Qiao Xi carefully pondered in her mind. The calendar was deeply ingrained in her memory. When she saw that special date, her eyes glowed. New Year’s Eve, perhaps, would be the best timing.

That was also when her and Shen Ya’s relationship began to change!