Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: I missed you. ……

I missed you.

These four words scrolled through Qiao Xi’s mind like a stream of comments. Her brain had completely shut down. She even felt like she was dreaming. Perhaps on the way just now, the pouring rain had led her into another world, a world full of illusions, whose sole purpose was to bewitch her body and mind.

Qiao Xi’s head was spinning. She seemed to hear her own heartbeat. The Shen Ya in front of her was too real, but would Teacher Shen really look at her with such affectionate eyes? What did Shen Ya mean by those four words?

Fake, it must be fake!

Shen Ya had clearly moved out of her house, and Shiyi was left at ‘Blank’. She had seen all of this with her own eyes. Maybe she had a car accident in the rain just now, and perhaps she was already dead, and everything in front of her was just a hallucination before her death.

Qiao Xi leaned back, then quickly stood up, increasing the distance between herself and Shen Ya. She didn’t dare to look at Shen Ya. She was afraid she would spot a blatant flaw on the other person, afraid that Shen Ya would disappear from her sight the next second.

Qiao Xi’s reaction, however, pierced Shen Ya’s heart. Sure enough, as Zhou Ziqian said, the other party in this wife-chasing-hell trope would be extremely resistant and rejecting. But she had memorized the solution last night. She encouraged herself internally. Qiao Xi was still willing to come to the appointment despite her heartache, so how could she be afraid that the path to win Qiao Xi back would be too difficult?

“What’s wrong?” Shen Ya asked.

Qiao Xi took another step back. Shiyi jumped off the sofa and rubbed against her feet. The sensation was too real. Was this truly the real world?

“Wh-Why did you ask to meet here?” Qiao Xi nervously picked at her fingers, looking down at the fuzzy slippers on her feet, asking softly.

“You?” In the past, Qiao Xi always called her Teacher Shen. The sudden lack of an address made Shen Ya feel unaccustomed. Her smile faded slightly: “Didn’t we usually meet at home?”

Qiao Xi blurted out: “But didn’t Teacher Shen move out? And Shiyi was given to the owner of ‘Blank’ to raise.”

“When did I move out?” Shen Ya sounded innocent: “When I went to Zhoucheng, naturally I had to properly settle Shiyi. Zhou Ziqian and the others like cats and are trustworthy, so I left her at ‘Blank’.”

After explaining, Shen Ya realized something wasn’t right: “Did Zhou Ziqian tell you I didn’t want Shiyi anymore?”

Qiao Xi first nodded, then shook her head: “They didn’t say it explicitly, they just hinted.”

Sure enough, Qiao Xi didn’t understand Zhou Ziqian and Fang Moyao, and naturally didn’t know that the two of them were habitually unserious, saying and doing things purely according to their own preferences. They probably intentionally said something to Qiao Xi that led her to imagine bad things.

Shen Ya stood up and walked over. This time, Qiao Xi didn’t retreat. Shen Ya quickly grabbed Qiao Xi’s hand before she could escape. “You don’t understand them. Fang Moyao and Zhou Ziqian like to joke and play around, and they aren’t serious when they talk. They probably sensed your relationship with me and decided to tease you.”

“Is, is that so…”

“Mm.” Seeing Qiao Xi’s resistance lessen, Shen Ya used some force to pull her into her arms. “Why did you think I moved out?”

It had been too long since she last saw Shen Ya, let alone been intimate with her. Suddenly being held in an embrace, she didn’t dare to move.

“Hmm?”

There was no escaping now. If Shen Ya called her here today to clear the air, it was going to hurt sooner or later. “I came over on the last day of New Year’s Day and saw Teacher Shen taking away a lot of clothes, so…”

“You came over?” This time, it was Shen Ya who was surprised: “Didn’t you see the note I left for you?”

Qiao Xi looked up: “What note?”

“As I thought.” Shen Ya understood. It turned out they had missed out on so much because of a misunderstanding. She patted Qiao Xi’s head and asked her: “Do you want to hear my explanation?”

At this point, even a fool could see that there was a misunderstanding. She nodded, this time actively gripping Shen Ya’s clothes. She could feel that Shen Ya’s attitude towards her was different, but she still didn’t dare to harbor too many expectations.

The congee had cooled slightly. Just as Qiao Xi reached out, Shen Ya was a step faster and picked up Qiao Xi’s bowl of congee. Qiao Xi’s hand froze in mid-air. Before she could withdraw her hand, the warm congee was brought to her lips.

Qiao Xi’s face was even hotter than the congee. She dared not look into Shen Ya’s eyes. The other party’s sudden proactiveness startled her. She was more bewildered and helpless than ever before. However, she still opened her mouth and swallowed all the congee on the spoon.

“I can do it myself.” Qiao Xi lowered her head, but her hand reached out to snatch the congee bowl from Shen Ya’s hand. Unfortunately, Shen Ya was taller and her arms were longer, so she couldn’t reach it.

“The night we separated on New Year’s Eve, I drove to ‘Blank’. Zhou Ziqian noticed I was in a bad mood and suggested I temporarily change my environment to relax. So, I packed some luggage and took Shiyi with me to ‘Blank’.” Shen Ya said this, not stopping the movement of the spoon in her hand: “When I left home, I left a note for you, tucked under the coffee table. Later, I figured things out and moved back from ‘Blank’ before the new year. But when I returned, I found the note still untouched on the coffee table. I figured you hadn’t come home, so I didn’t bring it up again.”

Qiao Xi had been forced to eat several spoonfuls of congee. The food warmed her stomach. Even though it was just ordinary preserved egg and shredded pork congee, it made her feel like she was tasting delicacies. After calming down, her brain started working again. After hearing all this, could she interpret it as Shen Ya actually didn’t intend to distance herself from her, and the words “need time” on New Year’s Eve were genuine?

Wait, Shen Ya seemed to have said something just now. She said…

[Later, I figured things out.]

Qiao Xi suddenly grabbed her pants tightly. She swallowed, and this time, she didn’t eat the congee Shen Ya offered. Instead, she asked nervously and cautiously: “What did Teacher Shen figure out?”

After speaking all the words that had been weighing on her heart, Shen Ya realized that being proactive was not as difficult as she had imagined. Moreover, when she took the initiative, she got to see such a cute side of Qiao Xi. She was becoming addicted. This shy Qiao Xi made her want to hug her tightly and rub her head.

Shen Ya did not answer, but instead asked: “What do you think I figured out?”

Combining Shen Ya’s attitude today, Qiao Xi actually had an idea in her mind, but…

She shook her head, whispering: “I don’t know.”

Shen Ya brought the spoon forward again. The things she recorded yesterday seemed to have no standard answer at this moment, but Shen Ya could improvise. Since the notebook didn’t record it, she could learn some of Zhou Ziqian’s methods.

Right, the other person’s characteristic was shamelessness.

Seeing Qiao Xi still not opening her mouth, she gently poked the corner of Qiao Xi’s mouth with the edge of the spoon: “Finish the congee, and I’ll tell you what I figured out.”

Qiao Xi knew this was Shen Ya deliberately teasing her, and the tone was very much like coaxing a child. However, Qiao Xi’s body was tingling and her heart was racing. The proactive Shen Ya was too charming, and it made Qiao Xi recall something Zhou Ziqian had told her:

[Little Sister Xiao Xi is still young, so naturally you don’t understand how wonderful Big Sis is.]

Qiao Xi somewhat understood now why “Big Sis” was wonderful. She felt like she was chasing the moon in the sky. Before, she always looked up and followed the direction the moon traveled. Occasionally, dark clouds covered it, but she would still try every means to part the clouds and follow closely beside the moon.

Now, she dared not take another step towards the moon, but the moon had taken the initiative to approach her. The moonlight was soft and inclusive. It was not as cold and tranquil as it appeared on the surface.

Qiao Xi’s shoulder slightly turned towards Shen Ya. She opened her mouth again and ate the congee on the spoon. Although she was almost certain of the answer in her heart, having experienced one failure, she lacked a lot of courage.

This time, she wanted to hear Shen Ya tell her personally.

Qiao Xi’s hand, which was gripping her pants, let go. Her fingers slowly moved towards Shen Ya. Seeing that Shen Ya had no reaction, she cautiously pinched a small piece of Shen Ya’s clothes.

The congee in the bowl was slowly disappearing. When the last mouthful was swallowed, Qiao Xi pulled a napkin from the coffee table and wiped her mouth clean. She kept glancing at Shen Ya, hoping this look would remind the other person to fulfill the promise.

After Shen Ya put down the bowl, she raised her hand to cup Qiao Xi’s shoulders and turned her to face her. Shen Ya leaned closer. The smile on her lips had deepened significantly at some point, like the warmest sun rising in the cold winter sky.

“Qiao Xi, Teacher Shen wants to apologize to you. Before, I wasn’t brave enough, and I always viewed things with pessimism. Actually, after rejecting you that day, I already felt some regret, but at that time, I probably couldn’t give you a perfect relationship.”

Qiao Xi lowered her head. She didn’t know which sentence pierced her heart, making her nose tingle and her eyes gradually fill with tears.

“The separation these past few days also finally allowed me to clearly see our feelings for each other. Qiao Xi, can you give Teacher Shen one more chance? It shouldn’t be too late to accept your New Year’s Eve request now, right?”

In the blink of an eye, Qiao Xi threw herself into Shen Ya’s arms. The month of waiting and disappointment had made Qiao Xi so sad that she could barely breathe. Heaven knows how long she had waited for this sentence.

The emotions hidden in her heart completely erupted due to the sudden joy. She grabbed Shen Ya’s clothes, not letting go even when they wrinkled.

She craved the scent of Shen Ya’s body. She recklessly wiped all her tears onto Shen Ya’s clothes. She had finally received the long-awaited acceptance.

If Shen Ya hadn’t backed down then, would they have avoided these misunderstandings, and wouldn’t have gone over a month without seeing each other? When Fang Moyao asked her if she was angry before, she firmly shook her head. But now, being comforted in Shen Ya’s arms, and regaining the other party’s favoritism, the joy was vented through tears, but the resentment in her heart still clogged her chest.

Qiao Xi lifted her head from Shen Ya’s embrace. She tightly grasped Shen Ya’s collar with both hands. Her face was red from crying, yet she wore a stubborn expression. She stared directly into Shen Ya’s eyes, expressing her dissatisfaction despite the catch in her voice: “It’s too late! Teacher Shen is too much. You left me hanging for a month. You knew I would overthink things but didn’t explain anything. You could have come to find me as soon as you returned to Jianglan City, but Teacher Shen didn’t. Even now, Teacher Shen still calls me by my full name.”

Having said this, Qiao Xi started to act like a rascal: “Even the two bosses at ‘Blank’ called me Little Sister Xiao Xi the first time they met me. Only Teacher Shen still calls me by my full name so formally.”

Qiao Xi hadn’t forgotten what Fang Moyao told her. When Shen Ya actively apologized and wanted to salvage the relationship, Fang Moyao’s voice echoed continuously in her ears like a ghost.

She couldn’t agree to Shen Ya so easily, because: “Why can Teacher Shen reject me when she wants to, and accept me when she wants to? Teacher Shen has no sincerity. Does she think one meal is enough to trick me into forgiving her?”

“Of course not.” Shen Ya was already prepared for Qiao Xi not accepting her apology. “Calling your name is only because it sounds more formal. I apologize. What would you like me to call you?”

Qiao Xi lifted Shen Ya’s collar to wipe her tears. After confirming the other party’s feelings, she became bolder. Letting go of Shen Ya, she said testily: “Teacher Shen has no sincerity and isn’t genuine at all. All these things should be thought of by Teacher Shen herself.”

“You’re right. I was not thoughtful enough.” Shen Ya reached out to take Qiao Xi’s hand, but Qiao Xi shook it off again. Not only that, but she also moved to the side, seemingly deliberately being angry.

Shen Ya thought for a moment and called out a name that would certainly not be wrong: “Xiao Xi.”

Qiao Xi actually wanted Shen Ya to call out a more special name, but when she thought about it, if Shen Ya were to say words like ‘Babe’, she would probably curl her toes in embarrassment first. This was fine, too. Although her close family and friends called her that, for Shen Ya, it was already a great step forward.

She had seen Shen Ya’s proactiveness today. The other party didn’t seem like someone who could figure things out on her own. Perhaps someone at ‘Blank’ had enlightened her.

After achieving the relationship she had dreamed of, Qiao Xi started wanting more. She wanted Shen Ya to be more proactive, just as Fang Moyao told her. She had to see Shen Ya’s sincerity and genuineness, because Shen Ya had run away once, and how could she guarantee she wouldn’t run away a second time? Then there was her own selfish desire: she also wanted to experience the feeling of the older person being proactive.

Qiao Xi moved to the side again, keeping a person’s width of distance from Shen Ya. She clasped her hands together and rested them on her lap, deliberately putting on a stern face and saying to Shen Ya: “Teacher Shen agrees now, but I’m not willing anymore.”

Shen Ya was slightly stunned, but she quickly saw through Qiao Xi’s intentional feigned anger to reject her. How was this different from the “wife-chasing-hell trope” Zhou Ziqian told her?

She shifted her legs, sitting up even straighter, as if she were in a job interview. Shen Ya spoke sincerely: “Then what should I do for Xiao Xi to accept me?”

“I really like Teacher Shen, but Teacher Shen backed down once and deliberately avoided me. I’m a little rascal who holds grudges. Until I see Teacher Shen’s sincerity and genuineness, I won’t forgive Teacher Shen.”

The current Qiao Xi seemed more like she was throwing a tantrum. Did this also mean that Qiao Xi actually wanted to be with her, but was still angry? And all she had to do was to coax Qiao Xi. Qiao Xi was not resisting her and was willing to communicate with her. This was somewhat inconsistent with what Zhou Ziqian had told her. Shen Ya searched the contents of the notebook in her memory but couldn’t find a standard answer to refer to.

In that case, she could only rely on herself.