Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: After separating from Qiao Xi, Shen Ya…

After separating from Qiao Xi, Shen Ya returned to her car in a daze. Leaving the open-air parking lot, she didn’t drive toward home. Instead, she followed her body’s free will, stepping on the gas and turning the steering wheel. The streets were lively, just like last New Year’s Eve. Even after midnight, the air was still buzzing with noise. The only difference was that Qiao Xi was no longer by her side, and it was all her own doing.

Shen Ya’s mind continuously replayed the image of Qiao Xi forcing a smile at her, suppressing her sadness, while the surprise on Qiao Xi’s face when they first met that evening popped up intermittently. These two starkly contrasting scenes assaulted Shen Ya’s nerves, making her feel a sudden, suffocating sadness.

Her previously firm resolve began to waver. Had she really made a mistake? But could she genuinely offer Qiao Xi a stable relationship right now? Could she truly run their small home together with Qiao Xi?

Given her current state, even if she had said yes to Qiao Xi, there would likely be many conflicts waiting for her.

Shen Ya lowered the car window. The fierce wind howled in her ears like a roaring devil. The wailing sound helped to clear her chaotic mind. She was indeed not ready. It was too unfair to Qiao Xi. She wanted to know if her feelings for Qiao Xi would fade over time.

When she finally came to her senses, she realized she had driven toward Qiao Xi’s mother’s house. When reason was absent, had her body become so dependent on Qiao Xi?

Shen Ya closed the car window. At the next intersection, she signaled and changed the car’s direction.

A while later, Shen Ya drove the car into a roadside parking lot. As she approached, she saw some familiar faces gathered outside the ‘Blank’ bar. The owner, Fang Moyao, stood in the center of the crowd, watching Zhou Ziqian set up the fireworks. Then, she held up only two fingers, and Zhou Ziqian lit the fuse of the fireworks.

As Shen Ya got out of the car and locked the door, that line of fireworks simultaneously shot high into the sky, exploding into different shapes. Shen Ya stopped and looked up. Once, there was another person who enjoyed such spectacular fireworks with her.

Even after a year, she still remembered the story Qiao Xi told about making a wish on fireworks.

“Shen Ya?”

Jiang Yunyi appeared in front of Shen Ya at some unknown point. The surprise in her eyes only lasted for three seconds. By the time Shen Ya reacted, Jiang Yunyi’s expression had returned to calm.

Tonight was supposed to be a family gathering, but Xiao Xi said she was going out to celebrate New Year’s Eve with friends, which caused their family to completely change their plans and do their own thing. She had initially guessed that the person Xiao Xi was with was Shen Ya. It wasn’t until she saw Shen Ya driving Xiao Xi’s car that she confirmed her suspicion.

But the question was, why would Shen Ya bring Xiao Xi to ‘Blank’?

Seeing Shen Ya emerge from the car alone, many conjectures arose in Jiang Yunyi’s mind. But no matter the conjecture, Jiang Yunyi found it ridiculous.

Jiang Yunyi offered Shen Ya a faint smile: “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.” Shen Ya nodded plainly, her tone not sounding like a blessing, but more like discussing business.

Jiang Yunyi glanced at the car behind Shen Ya: “If I’m not mistaken, that seems to be Xiao Xi’s car?”

Mentioning Qiao Xi made Shen Ya’s face stiffen. She suddenly realized that choosing to come to ‘Blank’ seemed like a mistake. She had rejected Qiao Xi, and Jiang Yunyi was Qiao Xi’s older sister. If Jiang Yunyi knew what had happened between her and Qiao Xi, would she still be friendly toward her?

Jiang Yunyi was too good at reading people. Shen Ya doubted she could hide anything from her.

Shen Ya’s silence caused Jiang Yunyi’s gaze to turn into several nails, attempting to firmly pin her in place and scrutinize her from head to toe, trying to pierce through the secret behind her silence.

“Oh~” Zhou Ziqian drew out the end of her voice, walking over with a sway of her hips like a fox. “What are the two bosses doing here? Long time no see, Boss Shen. What a coincidence! I was just wondering if Boss Shen would come over today, so I bought a little extra of this stuff. Perfect! Come on over for some barbecue.”

Thanks to Zhou Ziqian, Shen Ya managed to escape from Jiang Yunyi’s grasp. Shen Ya passed by Jiang Yunyi, greeted Zhou Ziqian, and even though the latter unreservedly hooked her arm, Shen Ya suppressed her resistance and walked with her toward Fang Moyao.

However, the searching gaze from behind remained fixed on her, like a hawk tracking its prey, making her scalp tingle.

Shen Ya was led into the crowd by Zhou Ziqian. Fang Moyao first smiled and greeted her. She looked a bit frail as usual, seemingly about to be blown away by the wind, but Shen Ya knew Fang Moyao was perfectly healthy. After so many years of acquaintance, she had always looked like this.

The fireworks hadn’t completely burned out yet. After greeting everyone, Shen Ya retreated to a slightly rear position, but Zhou Ziqian also stayed close to her, bumping her shoulder with her arm, “Hey, I was just guessing who was driving such a nice car late at night, and it turned out to be Boss Shen. Where have you been making a fortune lately? Take me with you?”

“Nowhere.”

“Nowhere?” Zhou Ziqian’s eyes suddenly lit up. The fireworks illuminated the cunning in her eyes, but she pretended to be wronged and complained: “Fine, fine, I know the affection has faded. Boss Shen hasn’t been around for so long; you must have forgotten about us. Look how terrible my business is. I’m so worried that my hair is falling out. Boss Shen, have pity on me.”

Faced with Zhou Ziqian’s shamelessness, Shen Ya let out a heavy sigh. This reminded her of Qiao Xi’s way of acting spoiled, but the little rascal was clearly much cuter and less annoying than Zhou Ziqian’s provocative manner.

She thought that the “Qian” in Zhou Ziqian’s name should probably be changed to “Qian” (meaning “owing” or “annoying”) to suit her better.

Seeing Shen Ya not answer, Zhou Ziqian cleared her throat, then suddenly lowered her voice: “I just heard Jiang Yunyi say that’s Xiao Xi’s car? Don’t blame me for eavesdropping; I just have good hearing, and Boss Jiang wasn’t exactly hiding it.”

After saying that, she turned her head and winked at Shen Ya: “Hey, who is this Xiao Xi? Could it be… Jiang Yunxi’s little sister?”

Not only did Shen Ya not answer, but she took a step sideways, only to bump right into the closely following Jiang Yunyi. Did Jiang Yunyi just hear that last sentence?

“Boss Shen, ‘Blank’ has always adhered to serving every customer well. Just ask Boss Jiang; she almost treats ‘Blank’ as her second home, right?”

Jiang Yunyi couldn’t be bothered with Zhou Ziqian. She had long been accustomed to her lack of seriousness. Shen Ya avoiding her question just now made her even more certain that something must have happened between Shen Ya and Xiao Xi.

Within a few steps, she had received a text message reply from her stepmother: Xiao Xi was home, but not at the small home shared by the three of them—Jiang Yunxi, Qin Shuyao, and her—but at her stepmother’s house. Based on her understanding of Qiao Xi, only something serious would make her little sister choose to go to her mother rather than her sister.

Jiang Yunyi pondered deeply. Just as her lips slightly trembled, Zhou Ziqian put her arm around Shen Ya’s waist and led her away from her: “I know. Boss Shen must be uncomfortable with Boss Jiang nearby. Come on, come on, let’s talk inside. Secrets, of course, the fewer people who know, the better.”

After walking two steps, Zhou Ziqian even turned back and gave Jiang Yunyi a playful wink. That cheeky smile made Jiang Yunyi pinch her forehead. She thought she probably wouldn’t be able to glean any information from Shen Ya today.

Fang Moyao walked out of the crowd. She was wearing a coat with a fur collar. After glancing at the retreating figures of Zhou Ziqian and Shen Ya, she shifted her gaze to Jiang Yunyi: “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Fang Moyao let out a soft laugh: “How many years have we known each other? Jiang Yunyi, there are no secrets between you and me.”

Jiang Yunyi turned to leave. Fang Moyao was indeed her closest friend, perhaps even understanding her better than her sister Jiang Yunxi. But there was one thing she had kept hidden from Fang Moyao for over a decade.

Fang Moyao followed Jiang Yunyi. The wind was strong at night, and she tightened her coat around herself, speaking softly: “Paying so much attention to her, do you really not want to take another step?”

“There’s no need.” Jiang Yunyi’s face was serious: “If I guessed correctly, her heart already belongs to someone else.”

“Oh?”

At this, the pretense of frailty vanished from Fang Moyao’s face. In the dim light, no one noticed the silver glint concealed in her eyes.

The moment Shen Ya entered ‘Blank,’ she smelled the rich aroma of barbecue in the air. Many people, some of them unfamiliar faces, were gathered around the longest table inside.

“You haven’t been here in a long time, so you probably don’t recognize them. ‘Blank’ has gained some new members.” Zhou Ziqian waved at them, then pointed to one girl who looked barely adult: “See? If you like younger girls, how about this one? Fresh out of college, vibrant and youthful. If you’re interested, I can introduce you?”

“No need.”

Zhou Ziqian led Shen Ya to a smaller table toward the back: “You sit here. I’ll get some food.”

Seeing Zhou Ziqian leave, she sighed in relief. But when she met Jiang Yunyi’s gaze, she nervously looked away. Fortunately, the other person didn’t seem to be coming over, only sitting down two tables away with Fang Moyao.

Zhou Ziqian first brought food to Fang Moyao’s table, then came over with a drink and two plates of grilled meat.

“Fang Moyao is treating today. Eat up.”

Looking at the brightly colored drink, Shen Ya said, “I drove.”

Zhou Ziqian took a couple of sips of her drink. Setting it down, she said, “There are empty rooms upstairs. When you’re tired of playing, you can go upstairs to rest. The rooms have everything. If you’re missing anything, let me know, and I’ll prepare it for you.”

The top floor of ‘Blank’ indeed had some guest rooms, but if she remembered correctly, only friends trusted by Fang Moyao were allowed to stay. Nearly every room upstairs was tied to a member of ‘Blank,’ just like Jiang Yunyi, who had a bedroom belonging to her there.

“Honestly, we’ve known each other for so many years. You’re the only one who still acts like a stranger. Look at the people coming and going in ‘Blank.’ How many familiar faces have stayed until now?”

Zhou Ziqian picked up a piece of grilled meat and put it in her mouth: “I can see you have something on your mind. Choosing to come to ‘Blank’ instead of somewhere else when you have worries shows that Boss Shen trusts this place, doesn’t it?”

Shen Ya wanted to refute her. She was just more familiar with this place. But on second thought, if she just wanted a drink to clear her mind, she could have gone to any bar, yet she still came to ‘Blank’.

Perhaps it was exactly as Zhou Ziqian said: she implicitly acknowledged that ‘Blank’ was the safest and most relaxing place for her.

Shen Ya suddenly recalled what Jiang Yunyi said during their last meeting. Although Zhou Ziqian had only recently graduated from college, she seemed mature and capable of handling herself. She might be a good person to talk to.

Besides, Zhou Ziqian had been in a long-term relationship with Fang Moyao and was probably the most experienced person among this group at ‘Blank.’ Could she consult her about relationship matters?

But her own mind was still a mess. Apart from constantly flashing fragments of memory, she couldn’t think of anything else. She didn’t even have an answer to what she wanted yet, so how could she ask?

“Oh, dear, why does our Teacher Shen look like a lost little rabbit?” Zhou Ziqian joked, then pulled a napkin from the table and wiped her mouth: “You look like you haven’t figured things out yourself. How about I give you a suggestion?”

Shen Ya’s thoughts snapped back. Although she didn’t speak, her eyes indicated everything. She wanted to hear what useful advice Zhou Ziqian would offer.

Zhou Ziqian played with the hair by her ear and leaned back against the sofa, looking shrewd: “If you can’t think clearly, why not change your environment? They say a change of environment is a change of life. Wouldn’t that help you see things more clearly?”

Change location again?

But if she moved out of Qiao Xi’s house now, where would she go? Besides, she had a little cat to take care of, and not all landlords allowed tenants to have pets. Moreover, wouldn’t leaving like this make Qiao Xi even sadder?

“If you don’t know where to go, Boss Shen, how about ‘Blank’?”

‘Blank’?

“Upstairs, it’s just Fang Moyao, Jiang Yunyi, and me staying here regularly. It’s completely quiet and undisturbed. Food is provided 24/7. If you get bored, you can come down for a drink. What do you think? Consider it?”

If it was just to temporarily leave for a while to think things through, ‘Blank’ might indeed be a good choice. She was familiar with the place and didn’t have to worry about other issues. She could also give Qiao Xi a temporary explanation. As long as she wasn’t leaving entirely, it shouldn’t make Qiao Xi too sad.

Only: “Can I keep a cat here?”

“A cat?” Zhou Ziqian became interested: “You have a cat? What kind of cat? How old?”

“A little white stray cat I picked up.” After saying that, Shen Ya took out her phone and opened her photo album. “This one.”

Shen Ya saw a sudden light flare up in Zhou Ziqian’s eyes, the kind of hungry wolf’s glare that made her think Zhou Ziqian might try to lick her phone screen.

“Oh, this little thing, how can it be so cute?” Zhou Ziqian looked at the cat as if she wanted to reach through the screen and hug it: “Bring it over quickly. They say cats bring wealth, and dogs bring fortune. Boss Shen is certainly destined to make a lot of money.”

“Then the rent…”

“We’re so familiar; why would we need rent? When has Boss Jiang ever paid? We’ll forget the rent. Everything else will be as usual.” Zhou Ziqian handed the phone back to Shen Ya. She was clearly more impatient than Shen Ya: “Should I help you move tomorrow?”

Shen Ya shook her head and said, “No need. I don’t have much stuff.”

Zhou Ziqian curved her lips and put on a captivating smile: “Then dinner tomorrow is on me. Let’s consider it a welcome party for Boss Shen.”