Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: After the holiday, Qiao Xi returned to…

After the holiday, Qiao Xi returned to school. Life hadn’t really changed much, but every day, when she looked at the pinned chat application on her phone, she couldn’t help but click on it, wanting to say something. She no longer shared her three meals a day with Shen Ya, but her morning and evening greetings were still sent.

Shen Ya still replied to her, but their communication had become distant. The other person hadn’t mentioned moving out of her house, as if the event had never happened. Qiao Xi didn’t know if Shen Ya guessed she already knew and thus tacitly agreed, or if Shen Ya wanted to use coldness to force her passion to recede.

Several times she almost couldn’t hold back and wanted to ask, but after typing out the questioning words, she hesitated to press send. In the end, she could only delete the words one by one.

Qiao Xi didn’t know on which day she would receive the message from Shen Ya returning her car keys, nor did she know when she would receive a message from Shen Ya announcing their complete separation.

Life always had to move forward. Since Shen Ya still held something back, Qiao Xi wasn’t sure if she could still hold onto hope. She was very passive and anxious now, only able to live each day as it came, hoping for disappointment and then welcoming hope in the disappointment of the next day.

The Lunar New Year was at the end of January this year, so Qiao Xi would be on vacation within two weeks after New Year’s Day. In these two weeks, she never returned home once. She only occasionally learned from Shen Ya’s social media and chats that Shiyi was doing well.

Later, Shen Ya took Shiyi for its vaccinations herself at the pet hospital, and Qiao Xi didn’t accompany her. It seemed that ever since New Year’s Day, she had not seen Shen Ya again.

In the blink of an eye, the New Year was approaching again. Last year, she ran away from home and ordered a separate New Year’s Eve dinner for Shen Ya. She hadn’t forgotten Shen Ya’s suffocating original family. Whenever she thought of this, her heart would soften, and she wanted to surprise Shen Ya again on New Year’s Eve.

But now, was she truly still a surprise to Shen Ya?

Unknowingly, Shen Ya had been living at ‘Blank’ for half a month. Other than being far from her workplace, there were no other downsides. Shiyi was very popular here. Zhou Ziqian forcibly took the cat out of her room the day after she moved to ‘Blank’ and told her: “Shiyi is now the official ‘Blank’ shop cat. Boss Shen, don’t monopolize it.”

Guests who used to come to ‘Blank’ would drink and then go up to the second floor to play, but now, they mostly revolved around Shiyi. In half a month, Shiyi had gained quite a bit of weight.

With someone helping her look after Shiyi, she felt more at ease while working. Qiao Xi’s frequency of contacting her had significantly decreased, and her tone carried a politeness that was never there before. Every time, Shen Ya wanted to say something, but in the end, her clumsiness prevented her from knowing how to speak.

Therefore, she could only post photos of Shiyi on her social media, specifically visible to Qiao Xi, and occasionally talk to Qiao Xi about Shiyi. Their communication had become dependent on Shiyi.

During her time at ‘Blank,’ she saw many couples and observed and recorded their interaction styles in her mind, but none of them were the same. She still hadn’t found a standard answer.

Shen Ya finished work early today. When she returned to ‘Blank,’ she happened to run into Zhou Ziqian being passionately kissed by Fang Moyao at the stairwell corner leading to the second floor. Fang Moyao, usually looking frail, was uncharacteristically dominant at this moment. She was clutching a black rope in her right hand, the end of which was connected to the collar on Zhou Ziqian’s neck.

Zhou Ziqian, pressed against the wall, showed an expression of enjoyment. Fang Moyao’s kiss was highly aggressive, but Shen Ya noticed the underlying gentleness hidden deep within it.

The two were locked in a kiss, making Shen Ya momentarily unsure whether to interrupt them or turn and leave.

Zhou Ziqian had seen Shen Ya approaching, but she didn’t immediately separate from Fang Moyao. She was currently enjoying the kiss, so she waited until she was satisfied before pushing Fang Moyao’s shoulder. When they parted, she flicked her tongue over the corner of her mouth, then whispered in Fang Moyao’s ear: “Shen Ya is here.”

Fang Moyao turned around, still holding the black leash. She nodded at Shen Ya, unconcerned about her smeared lipstick, and smiled, asking her: “Did you come to see Qianqian?”

Shen Ya didn’t speak. Instead, Zhou Ziqian wrapped around Fang Moyao like a snake from behind: “Sister Yaoyao, let’s continue later. Boss Shen looks like she really needs me now.”

Fang Moyao raised her hand and affectionately patted Zhou Ziqian’s face. Even without looking back, she accurately unclipped the clasp between the leash and the collar: “Go play. Today’s consumption is on my tab.”

Fang Moyao turned and went upstairs. Zhou Ziqian didn’t remove the black collar from her neck. She flicked her long, wavy hair over her shoulder and naturally walked up to Shen Ya, hooking her arm around her waist: “Boss Shen must be hungry after just getting back. Come on, let me see what delicious food the kitchen has today, and I’ll ask the chef to prepare it for you.”

The main dish today was beef. Zhou Ziqian specially mixed a low-proof drink for her, saying it was the perfect pairing for today’s beef.

As night fell, ‘Blank’ became increasingly lively. Those familiar faces gradually appeared in Shen Ya’s line of sight.

Zhou Ziqian held a small silver fork and rested her chin on her hand: “I noticed Boss Shen has been very keen on watching other couples lately. Is something good happening?”

“No.”

“Oh~ I know. You’re still bothered by the previous issue, right?”

When Zhou Ziqian guessed correctly, Shen Ya closed her mouth. The growing distance between her and Qiao Xi made her feel very bad. She thought, perhaps the rejection on New Year’s Eve had made Qiao Xi completely give up on her.

Perhaps affection was that fragile. Once expectations weren’t met, the initial crush would slowly disappear with the passage of time, which was Shen Ya’s biggest concern.

“What is Boss Shen struggling with? You’ve been staying here for a while, are you still confused?” Zhou Ziqian’s voice had a hint of allure, or perhaps the perfume she wore today was simply seductive: “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Shen Ya didn’t know where to start, so she could only steer the conversation towards Zhou Ziqian. Shen Ya asked: “You and Boss Fang have such a big age difference. Haven’t you ever had conflicts before?”

“Conflicts?” Zhou Ziqian put down her fork. She rested her chin in her palm and tapped her face with her finger, contemplating: “I moved across the street from Fang Moyao’s house when I was six. Later, our mothers started dating. Although they didn’t officially register their relationship, I’ve been living with Fang Moyao since I was six. Maybe we had conflicts, but who remembers such trivial worries.”

“Have you… never worried that with such an age gap, you might break up over various issues in the future?”

Zhou Ziqian immediately covered her mouth and laughed out loud when she heard this: “Boss Shen, you really are troubled because of a younger woman. How many years younger is she than you?”

This teasing smile made Shen Ya’s ears slightly flush. She closed her mouth and didn’t answer, her gaze dropping to the food in front of her.

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease Boss Shen anymore.” Zhou Ziqian dropped her flippant demeanor: “Neither Fang Moyao nor I are the kind to borrow trouble. If we negated the relationship before anything even happened, how could it even begin?”

“Boss Shen, you might need to change your way of thinking.” Zhou Ziqian picked up her wine glass and took a sip: “Instead of dwelling on the worst-case scenario, why not think about the best possible outcome? Just like I never think there’s anything wrong with Fang Moyao choosing me—because I’m worth it. If I’m not good enough for Fang Moyao, who else in the world could stand by her side? Since Fang Moyao chose me, I’m absolutely going to firmly hold this position and stand steady, ensuring Fang Moyao can never leave me.”

This point of view was novel, a direction Shen Ya had never considered. “But how do you bridge the gap between you?”

“Gap?” Zhou Ziqian pointed to herself: “Are you referring to my gap or Fang Moyao’s gap?”

“Boss Shen, your way of thinking is quite outdated. Things always need to be looked at from a different perspective to be clearly understood.” Zhou Ziqian leaned forward. She winked at Shen Ya and pointed to herself, saying: “In your eyes, it’s a gap, but in my eyes, Fang Moyao and I are a perfect match. Don’t our deficiencies happen to be filled by the other’s strengths? When two people are together, they can never have lines of equal length, but what does it matter? Once they are together, these lines will naturally intertwine. Then who cares which is longer or shorter?”

Zhou Ziqian’s words seemed to clear some of the fog in Shen Ya’s mind. Could it be that, as Zhou Ziqian said, she was too pessimistic and had thus fallen into a delusion?

“Boss Shen, let me teach you another secret to getting along in a relationship.”

Shen Ya stopped all movement. Although her expression didn’t change, her ears perked up, ready to listen.

“That is…” Zhou Ziqian deliberately drew out the last word until Shen Ya was somewhat annoyed. Only then did she reach out and tap Shen Ya’s lips, saying with a smile: “Use your mouth.”

“What do you mean?” Shen Ya froze, as if that small touch had pressed a pause button on her.

“Even people who know you best will still make mistakes sometimes. Don’t always make the other person guess what you’re thinking.” Zhou Ziqian retracted her hand and tapped her own lips: “We have mouths; direct expression saves a lot of trouble. Dating is about give and take, and everyone putting effort in the same direction, isn’t it?”

The person in front of her was several years younger than her but more mature and perceptive than Shen Ya had imagined. It seemed that when it came to emotional matters, she lacked experience and had reached a dead end.

Zhou Ziqian was indeed a great person to talk to. Some of her views were eye-opening for Shen Ya. Perhaps she shouldn’t underestimate herself or preemptively dismiss this relationship with Qiao Xi before it even began.

To use Zhou Ziqian’s perspective, since Qiao Xi chose her, it must be because there was something about her that made the little sun willing to stop. Those shining points she didn’t know about had already appeared in Qiao Xi’s eyes.

Qiao Xi was lovely, kind, and warm. In her eyes, Qiao Xi had no flaws. It was her own strong sense of unworthiness; she was the one invalidating herself.

Qiao Xi had used all her courage to withstand the pressure. As the older person, shouldn’t she also shoulder her share of responsibility?

“Boss Shen, figuring out if you truly like the other person is actually very simple.” Zhou Ziqian dropped her flamboyant facade, and her words carried a hint of threat: “Right now, are you willing to completely give up the person in your heart?”

No.

The answer popped out of Shen Ya’s mouth without any hesitation. The image of Qiao Xi leaving on New Year’s Eve appeared in her dreams every night. That sentence, “Teacher Shen, goodbye,” had left her lingering regret.

Watching these couples interact these past few days only deepened her longing for Qiao Xi. Even though she always called Qiao Xi a little liar, a little rascal, she secretly enjoyed Qiao Xi’s way of acting spoiled and manipulative.

Without Qiao Xi by her side, her heart always felt empty, as if a corner was missing and couldn’t be filled no matter what.

Perhaps it was time for her to make a choice.

Jianglan University started its vacation early. Qiao Xi didn’t go back to Qin Shuyao and Jiang Yunxi’s home. Instead, she was picked up by her two mothers on the first day of the holiday. Her sisters were still working, but her mothers had long since become hands-off bosses. The two of them took Qiao Xi to a city in the south. They planned to spend the New Year in a southern coastal city this year.

Qiao Xi was already in another city when she received the news. She sat in the hotel room facing the sea, but her heart hadn’t accepted the reality yet. Her two mothers were truly women of action! How could they just leave on a whim!

She was worried about Shen Ya. Last year, celebrating the New Year in Jianglan City, she could sneak away after dinner, but with a different city this year, how could she sneak back to see Shen Ya?

No, she had to find a way.

Qiao Xi leaned back, falling onto the clean white bed spread-eagled. Lately, Shen Ya had been proactively contacting her. She would ask when her vacation started and what her plans were, send many photos of Shiyi, and even ask if Qiao Xi wanted to come see Shiyi.

Reading these messages, Qiao Xi sighed repeatedly. She didn’t know what Shen Ya meant. Did she want to continue being friends, or was she ready to accept her feelings?

Current Qiao Xi didn’t dare to speculate or think too much. After all, Shen Ya had moved out of her house. She was afraid she would misunderstand Shen Ya’s intentions again and make things awkward for everyone.

[LittleRascal: Teacher Shen, my mom took me to Zhoucheng on the first day of my vacation. Mom said we’re spending the New Year in Zhoucheng this year, so I might not be back until after the New Year.]

Shen Ya’s heart dropped when she received this message. If Qiao Xi didn’t return until after the New Year, they wouldn’t see each other for over a month. Shen Ya held her phone and smiled bitterly. Wasn’t this her own fault?

A sense of powerlessness arose in her heart. After much thought, she finally typed only a few words: [Okay, have fun.]