Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Interrupted Conversation

When they arrived at the hotpot restaurant, they still had to wait for two or three tables. Shen Ya already had quite a few things in her hands. To help her, Qiao Xi took Shen Ya’s small handbag, while Shen Ya held the moon-shaped lantern and the dog tanghulu doll, one in each hand.

When their queue number was called, Qiao Xi grabbed Shen Ya’s wrist and led her inside. This hand was warm, allowing Shen Ya to temporarily cast aside all her unpleasant thoughts.

The two sat down facing each other. Each table had a screen for ordering. Shen Ya told her, “Order whatever you want to eat.”

Qiao Xi looked happy on the surface but felt bitter inside. This short time wasn’t enough for her to digest, but she couldn’t let Shen Ya notice, so she only ordered things that wouldn’t fill her up too much.

When the ordered dishes were served, Qiao Xi took the communal chopsticks and actively blanched meat for Shen Ya. She cleared one plate of meat, and once it was cooked, she put the majority of it into Shen Ya’s bowl, only putting the last one or two slices into her own.

After dividing the food several times, Shen Ya noticed. She put down her chopsticks and looked at the food in Qiao Xi’s bowl, which hadn’t been touched much: “Why aren’t you eating?”

Qiao Xi quickly picked up her chopsticks and shoved the meat into her mouth. “I am, I am! Teacher Shen, what do you think of the taste of this hotpot restaurant?”

“It’s good.”

“Then shall we come again next time?” Qiao Xi asked: “There are lots of other delicious places nearby. When Teacher Shen isn’t busy, shall we go together again?”

“Next time?” Shen Ya didn’t think she would have any more interaction with Qiao Xi. Today was just a coincidence, and coincidences wouldn’t happen often. However, she also didn’t really mind spending time with Qiao Xi.

Qiao Xi pretended not to catch the hidden meaning in Shen Ya’s words. She nodded and said, “Yes! I think Teacher Shen and I are quite compatible. Just like we both like this hotpot restaurant. Teacher Shen, do you want to form a dining-buddy partnership with me?”

The corner of Shen Ya’s mouth curved into a barely visible smile. Qiao Xi was truly eloquent. They had only met by chance, and strictly speaking, today was their first proper conversation. Yet, in Qiao Xi’s words, they seemed to have known each other for a long time and understood each other well.

For some reason, Shen Ya suddenly felt the urge to tease Qiao Xi. She swallowed the food in her mouth, put down her chopsticks, and said expressionlessly, “There is too great an age difference between us; we may not be compatible.” Her gaze shifted to the side, briefly resting on a girl who looked around Qiao Xi’s age: “Peers should be more compatible.”

Qiao Xi immediately grew anxious: “You can’t say that! Teacher Shen, you are similar in age to my Sister Shuyao, so you are a peer to me. If we’re peers, how can we not be compatible? Besides, look around this hotpot restaurant; people of every age group are here. It has nothing to do with age.”

Shen Ya rested her chin in her hand, listening to Qiao Xi’s passionate argument. When the fervent words ended, she calmly uttered three words: “So what?”

So what…

So Qiao Xi opened her phone and held it out to Shen Ya, then grinned like a little fool: “Can I beg for Teacher Shen’s contact information?”

So the little rogue had gone through such a long detour just to get her contact details. Shen Ya took Qiao Xi’s phone, added herself as a friend, and also entered her phone number into the chat box.

As she was about to return the phone to Qiao Xi, Shen Ya abruptly paused, not letting Qiao Xi successfully take it back. She met Qiao Xi’s confused gaze and instructed her in a serious tone: “Don’t let Jiang Yunxi know that you are in contact with me.”

“Why?”

“Your sister probably doesn’t want you near me.” Shen Ya pulled Qiao Xi’s phone back towards herself: “Agree, and I’ll give it back to you. Otherwise, I’ll delete myself.”

“I promise you, I definitely won’t let my sisters know.” Although she didn’t understand why, Qiao Xi agreed first. Looking at Shen Ya’s reaction now, her relationship with Doctor Jiang was probably not that simple.

Shen Ya handed the phone back to Qiao Xi. As soon as Qiao Xi got it, she quickly saved the number. Just in case, she copied the number into a memo and even sent it to her burner account for backup.

“Teacher Shen, is there some misunderstanding between you and Doctor Jiang?” Although her Doctor Jiang was quite controlling and was the strict one at home, and used to punish her for making mistakes, Qiao Xi could vouch for her: her Doctor Jiang was definitely a good person.

Misunderstanding? There was no misunderstanding between her and Jiang Yunxi. She was a disgraceful episode in Jiang Yunxi’s past. From her understanding of Jiang Yunxi, the other woman definitely wouldn’t want her precious little sister to get close to her.

Shen Ya just shook her head, denying: “No misunderstanding.”

Qiao Xi, of course, didn’t believe that answer. Seeing Shen Ya’s expression change, she decided not to pursue the topic. She figured, whatever the misunderstanding, she would eventually get a chance to explain things clearly to Shen Ya.

She picked up the communal chopsticks and placed a shrimp in Shen Ya’s bowl, skipping the topic with understanding: “Teacher Shen, try this. This shrimp is fresh.”

Shen Ya’s small discard plate was already piled with scraps, while Qiao Xi’s side was quite clean. She recalled the various details of the meal and suddenly realized something: “Little liar, you already ate dinner, didn’t you?”

Her lie was exposed, but Qiao Xi’s face didn’t even flush. She tried to play dumb: “No, how could I? I naturally don’t eat much normally. Teacher Shen, hurry, hurry! This meat is going to be overcooked.”

Just as the large helping of meat was about to be put into Shen Ya’s bowl, Shen Ya quickly moved her bowl away, raised her chin, and signaled to Qiao Xi with her eyes: “Since you haven’t, then you eat the rest of it.”

“Huh?” Although there wasn’t much left, Qiao Xi was stuffed up to her throat at this point. She looked like a little bitter gourd, only able to put the meat from her chopsticks into her own bowl. “Teacher Shen…”

Shen Ya simply took out a tissue and wiped her mouth clean, indicating she wouldn’t touch her chopsticks again.

Qiao Xi rubbed her stomach while stuffing food into her mouth. She put on a pained expression; anyone who didn’t know better would think the hotpot here was awful.

“Alright, leave it if you can’t eat anymore.” Shen Ya hadn’t truly intended to make Qiao Xi stuff herself sick. It was just a small punishment for the little liar.

As soon as she received the reprieve, Qiao Xi quickly put down her chopsticks. She sighed deeply and adopted a wronged tone: “I was afraid if I told the truth, Teacher Shen wouldn’t take me along.”

Shen Ya only responded with a light “Mm.” She pressed the button for the bill, and a server came over to take their payment shortly after.

Qiao Xi was quick. She handed over her phone, wanting to pay, but Shen Ya stopped her. The person who ultimately paid was Shen Ya. She didn’t let Qiao Xi see the receipt or know the total amount of the meal.

Leaving the hotpot restaurant, Qiao Xi became a bothersome little bird again, incessantly chirping in Shen Ya’s ear: “Teacher Shen, let me contribute part of the money?”

“Teacher Shen, how about I treat you to the next meal?”

“Teacher Shen, Teacher Shen, do you want to drink bubble tea?”

“Teacher Shen… Mmm…”

Shen Ya was genuinely getting a headache from the noise. She handed the lantern and the dog tanghulu doll into Qiao Xi’s hands, then raised her hand and covered Qiao Xi’s mouth. Her eyes shot daggers: “Be quiet.”

Usually, when she showed that expression, students would become as quiet as quails, but Qiao Xi just smiled at her, completely unfazed by her coldness.

Shen Ya let go. Qiao Xi then held up the little dog tanghulu doll and made a motion of zipping her mouth shut. She followed quietly behind Shen Ya, looking at the toy in her hand one moment, and at Shen Ya’s back the next.

The New Year’s countdown fireworks were being held by the river. It was getting closer to midnight. The streets were now packed, and the roads near the river were completely jammed.

Looking out, it was a dense, dark crowd. In the packed mass of people, the air felt thin. Shen Ya hadn’t heard the little bird chirp for a while and wondered if Qiao Xi had been separated by the crowd.

She turned to look for her and found the little rogue obediently following behind her, having reached out two fingers to pinch her coat, likely afraid of getting lost.

“Stick close. If you get lost, I won’t look for you.”

Qiao Xi nodded, gripping her coat tighter. But Shen Ya was still worried that the jostling crowd might cause an accident, so she put her arm around Qiao Xi’s shoulder. “Not going back this late, shouldn’t you message your sister to let her know you’re safe?”

“Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm…”

“Hm?”

Qiao Xi pointed to her mouth: “Mmm, mmm, mmm…”

Shen Ya remembered the gesture Qiao Xi had made earlier. She turned her head, and a soft laugh was drowned out by the clamoring crowd.

“Teacher Shen, were you just secretly laughing?”

Shen Ya composed herself. When she looked at Qiao Xi again, she had returned to her usual coolness: “You must have mistaken that.”

“Teacher Shen looks really pretty when you smile. You should smile more.” Qiao Xi’s eyes darted around. She held up the little dog tanghulu doll again, then lowered her voice: “I’m the little dog, and I also think Teacher Shen looks beautiful when you smile.”

This time, Shen Ya couldn’t hold back anymore. She covered her mouth and laughed out loud. The laughter reached the corners of her eyes. Every time her eyelashes fluttered, her eyes looked like the moonlight had turned into a warm, bright pearl.

Qiao Xi was somewhat lost in the sight. Shen Ya was indeed beautiful, so beautiful that Qiao Xi wanted to capture this very moment in a painting. She tried hard to remember every detail, wanting to pick up her brush tomorrow and preserve Shen Ya’s smile forever in her own way.

However, Shen Ya quickly stopped smiling. She composed her emotions and returned to her original indifferent appearance. In the short time she had spent with Qiao Xi, her mood had genuinely lifted, and the accumulated worries had been swept away.

Shen Ya noticed Qiao Xi staring at her again. She had experienced countless malicious gazes, but Qiao Xi’s eyes were clean and clear. The young girl couldn’t hide her thoughts; the admiration and appreciation in her eyes were obvious.

But what was there about a person like her that was worthy of Qiao Xi’s admiration and appreciation?

“If you don’t keep up, I won’t take you with me.”

Qiao Xi snapped back to attention at the warning. She quickly grabbed Shen Ya’s arm and uttered another playful remark: “Teacher Shen, I will stick close to you. Please don’t abandon me.”