Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Shen Ya only saw Fang…

Shen Ya only saw Fang Moyao’s message after her class. It said that Fang Moyao was treating them to dinner tonight, and Qiao Xi and Jiang Yunyi would both be there, along with a restaurant address.

She was very familiar with the restaurant; it was Mu Qi’s private kitchen, considered the second kitchen of ‘Blank’.

On the way, Shen Ya received a row of exclamation marks from Qiao Xi. When she used the red light interval to ask Qiao Xi what was wrong, Qiao Xi only replied with two words: [Nothing.]

Qiao Xi was brought by Fang Moyao to a place that didn’t look like a restaurant. It was deeply hidden, more like someone’s backyard. When she entered, she didn’t encounter any waitstaff, making her think Fang Moyao had led her into someone’s home.

Even in winter, the courtyard was still full of green plants. She wondered how much the owner spent to maintain this scenery, which looked like spring all year round. After walking past two small arched bridges, she saw a woman in a black turtleneck sweater standing by the pond, tossing fish food.

The woman was tall and well-built, with long hair draped behind her. Only when Qiao Xi got closer did she see the wind lift the woman’s hair, revealing a silver ear stud on her ear.

This person looked familiar. She seemed to have seen her somewhere recently.

Even upon hearing their footsteps, the woman was still focused on feeding the koi in the pond.

“A-Qi.”

The silver ear stud subtly reflected the light with the woman’s movements. She turned her head, and upon seeing Fang Moyao, a faint smile played on the woman’s lips: “You’re here.”

“Mm.”

The woman sprinkled the last handful of fish food. Her gaze shifted from Fang Moyao’s face to Qiao Xi behind her: “Oh? This little sister looks a bit familiar.”

Fang Moyao reached back, took Qiao Xi’s wrist, and pulled her closer: “My and Yun Yi’s sister, Qiao Xi.”

Then, she turned to Qiao Xi to introduce: “This is Mu Qi, a good friend of mine and Yun Yi’s.”

Qiao Xi scrutinized the woman carefully. She had gray curly hair, lips painted a bold, true red, and sharp, intense eyebrows, seemingly deliberately styled to look fierce.

Mu Qi’s gaze paused. The slight furrow in her brow suddenly smoothed out. A look of realization appeared on her face: “I remember now. You’re the little sister who crashed into ‘Blank’ and broke your vase last time.”

Hearing Mu Qi’s words, Qiao Xi’s memory instantly transported her back to that day. No wonder she felt the woman looked familiar. She had used Mu Qi to swipe open the glass door to enter ‘Blank’. Mu Qi that day was dressed more maturely and haughtily, like a proud female wolf, who looked hard to approach just by seeing her.

Oh, right! And the link Zhou Ziqian gave her that day. Wasn’t the cover model for the online store called “Fàng Zì” (Indulgence) Mu Qi herself!

Qiao Xi couldn’t help but gasp in shock. A woman who appeared so cool in real life actually took such sexy and seductive promotional photos. It really shows that you can’t judge a book by its cover.

“What’s wrong?” Fang Moyao noticed her reaction and quietly asked. Even Mu Qi was staring at her, looking inquisitive.

Qiao Xi immediately shook her head and averted her gaze. She was pondering whether a woman with such a huge contrast, like Mu Qi, was a dominant or a submissive. Qiao Xi was curious in her heart but didn’t dare to keep staring at her.

Fang Moyao put her arm around Qiao Xi’s shoulder and patted her, asking: “Xiao Xi, do you want to feed the fish?”

Qiao Xi first shook her head, then immediately nodded.

Mu Qi watched her with a slightly amused expression but said nothing. She simply took a plate of peeled shrimp from a nearby round transparent table and handed it to her: “Take this and play.”

Qiao Xi took it with both hands and thanked her. Fang Moyao smiled and pinched her face: “After you finish feeding, come to the room behind us. Just follow this path straight ahead.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Qiao Xi watched the two walk away. Only then did she pour all the shrimp from the plate into the pond. She wasn’t interested in feeding the fish; she was already bursting to share the gossip she had just discovered with Shen Ya!

The whole plate of shrimp was quickly snatched up by the plump, large koi in the pond in just over ten seconds under her operation. She put the plate back on the round transparent table, took out her phone from her pocket, and her hands were slightly trembling from the excitement.

Qiao Xi opened Shen Ya’s chat box and first sent a row of exclamation marks. Only these exclamation marks could convey her excited mood at the moment.

She held the phone with both hands, typing quickly on the screen, composing a line of text in just over ten seconds. Just as her thumb was about to touch the send button, she suddenly stopped.

Wait a minute. If she sent this message, wouldn’t she have to explain the “Fàng Zì” store? Since it was something she bought secretly, wouldn’t that expose her?

No, no. Qiao Xi deleted the typed words one by one. Unfortunately, the exclamation marks she had sent earlier had passed the recall time, so when Shen Ya asked her, she could only sheepishly reply with two words: [Nothing.]

Qiao Xi didn’t go to find Fang Moyao immediately. She stood by the pond, admiring the koi in the water. Although the wind outside was strong, she was more afraid of facing Fang Moyao and Mu Qi alone.

When the last hint of orange-red in the sky was swallowed by darkness, Qiao Xi saw the hurried figure of Jiang Yunyi: “Sister Yun Yi.”

“Xiao Xi?” As Jiang Yunyi approached Qiao Xi, she reached out and touched her face: “Why are you standing outside and not going in?”

“It’s just Sister Moyao and Sister Mu Qi inside. I’m a little scared by myself.”

Jiang Yunyi put her arm around Qiao Xi’s shoulder: “Let’s go, I’ll take you in. Has Shen Ya arrived?”

Qiao Xi shook her head: “Not yet.”

“Mm.” Jiang Yunyi asked again: “Where did Fang Moyao take you today?”

“Sister Moyao took me to her house.”

“What?” Jiang Yunyi’s eyes sharpened, and the hand holding Qiao Xi’s shoulder tightened a bit. Jiang Yunyi’s tone was urgent: “Why did she take you to her house? What did she say to you?”

Qiao Xi didn’t understand why Jiang Yunyi’s attitude suddenly changed so much, as if she was afraid of Fang Moyao getting close to her. But weren’t they friends for many years?

Although puzzled, Qiao Xi still answered truthfully: “Teacher Shen and I decided that when school starts, Teacher Shen will move to live across from my university. So we’re looking for an apartment. When Sister Moyao found out, she recommended her vacant apartment to me, saying she could rent it to us.”

With Qiao Xi’s reminder, Jiang Yunyi finally remembered that Fang Moyao did have an apartment across from Jianglan University. The campus Qiao Xi was currently at was newly built later. Not far from the university was the primary and secondary school she and Fang Moyao had attended.

“Did you tell Shen Ya about seeing Fang Moyao’s apartment?”

“I haven’t had a chance yet. I plan to tell Teacher Shen later.” Qiao Xi tugged at Jiang Yunyi’s clothes. Even though there were only the two of them, she still lowered her voice and asked stealthily, as if she were a thief: “Sister Yun Yi, I always feel that Fang Moyao is strange. She seems gentle but acts so forcefully. Do you think I should rent her apartment?”

Jiang Yunyi really wanted to record Qiao Xi’s expression and show it to Fang Moyao. Fang Moyao wanted to get closer to Qiao Xi, but she wasn’t good at being the one to lower her status, and the more she did, the more counterproductive it was.

She suppressed her laughter and only patted Qiao Xi’s shoulder, saying: “That’s just her personality, but she definitely has no ill intentions toward you. If you and Shen Ya have decided to move across from the school, you can choose Fang Moyao’s apartment. Oh, and you don’t need to pay to live at her place.”

“How can I accept that?”

“Even if you offer her money, she won’t take it. Don’t worry, even if you eat her food, drink her drinks, and use her things, you don’t owe her anything. She’ll even be very happy for you to take advantage of her.”

Qiao Xi felt something was strange. She certainly didn’t think she was special. She only assumed it was because Jiang Yunyi and Fang Moyao were close, and out of love for Jiang Yunyi, Fang Moyao was taking extra care of her.

However, she didn’t make a rash decision: “Then I’ll ask for Teacher Shen’s opinion first.”

“That’s understandable.”

Just as they turned the corner, Shen Ya also walked into the courtyard. She seemed to have caught sight of Jiang Yunyi and Qiao Xi’s backs, so she quickened her pace.

When Shen Ya walked into the private room, the four people inside all turned their heads to look at her. Fang Moyao smiled and nodded at her, her gaze lingering on Shen Ya’s neck. Mu Qi sat with one leg crossed over the other, her eyes playful, scrutinizing Shen Ya back and forth several times. Only Jiang Yunyi simply nodded. Although she saw the bandage on Shen Ya’s neck, her gaze didn’t linger.

“Teacher Shen!” When Qiao Xi saw Shen Ya, her eyes suddenly lit up like a falling star, sparkling brightly. She waved to Shen Ya and patted the spot next to her, mouthing the words: “Teacher Shen, hurry up.”

Shen Ya carried her bag and sat down next to Qiao Xi. After only half a day apart, Qiao Xi had changed clothes, and when Shen Ya leaned close, she could smell a citrus-scented body wash on Qiao Xi.

As soon as Shen Ya sat down, she heard Mu Qi ask: “Shen Ya, what happened to your neck?”

Fang Moyao and Jiang Yunyi both looked at her. Qiao Xi, on the other hand, looked like she had done something wrong and couldn’t face it.

Shen Ya took Qiao Xi’s hand and placed it on her lap, pressing it down. She was calm and composed, her expression completely unchanged. Only when she looked at Qiao Xi would a subtle smile appear: “I accidentally hurt it this morning. It’s nothing.”

Although the three of them were suspicious, they hadn’t witnessed it like Zhou Ziqian, so without evidence, they had to give up on teasing her. Since everyone had arrived, Mu Qi put her legs down and stood up: “Since everyone is here, I’ll go to the kitchen and see if the dishes are ready.”

“Oh, right.” Mu Qi took two steps and turned her head back to the group: “What would you like to drink?”

Jiang Yunyi responded first: “I drove, so I’ll have tea.”

Fang Moyao: “I’ll also have tea, of course.”

Mu Qi’s gaze shifted to Shen Ya and Qiao Xi. Shen Ya replied: “Tea, and a bottle of juice for her.”

“Got it.”

With Mu Qi’s departure, only people familiar to Qiao Xi remained in the private room. She finally relaxed, and her mind became active again.

Qiao Xi couldn’t keep a secret. Even with Fang Moyao and Jiang Yunyi watching her, she nonchalantly leaned into Shen Ya’s ear to whisper: “I went out with Boss Fang this afternoon. She knew we were looking for an apartment and recommended her house to me. It turns out Boss Fang has a vacant apartment across from my university. I went to see it. It’s four bedrooms and two living rooms. Although the area is a little smaller than our house, the environment is nice, and the size is enough for us. I even took videos and photos. I’ll send them to Teacher Shen now.”

Shen Ya shook her head and whispered: “No need to send them to me. Xiao Xi can just show me directly.”

That was better. Qiao Xi opened her phone’s photo album, found the video first, and then handed the phone to Shen Ya.

Qiao Xi’s video shooting was slow, capturing every corner of the apartment clearly. Although the apartment’s decoration style was somewhat dated, it was very well-maintained. It should fetch a decent rent if leased out individually.

Shen Ya quickly watched the video. She didn’t open the photos and handed the phone back to Qiao Xi.

Every move of the two was observed by Fang Moyao. Even with their low voices, a few words still leaked out. After seeing Shen Ya return the phone to Qiao Xi, Fang Moyao spoke up: “After watching the video Xiao Xi took, what do you think?”

“Of course, I believe the apartment Boss Fang has vacant wouldn’t be bad.” Shen Ya still held Qiao Xi’s hand, pressing it on her thigh: “I’d like to know how much Boss Fang intends to rent it for.”

“No charge.”

This answer surprised Shen Ya but was exactly what Jiang Yunyi had anticipated.

Qiao Xi, meanwhile, widened her eyes and looked at Jiang Yunyi, secretly exclaiming in her heart: Sister Yun Yi really can predict things! She actually guessed that Fang Moyao wouldn’t charge rent.

Shen Ya felt a sense of doubt. Based on her understanding of Fang Moyao, she would never miss an opportunity to make money. Even if Qiao Xi was Jiang Yunyi’s sister, it wouldn’t make sense to offer the apartment for free.

“Does Boss Fang have any conditions?” Shen Ya couldn’t think of any other reason.

“Qiao Xi and I share a connection, and we’ve known each other for so long. Friends and family don’t talk about money.”

Shen Ya might have believed this from someone else, but coming from Fang Moyao, it just sounded eerie. Her intuition told her that Fang Moyao was definitely hiding something, and this might be a trap she had set.

“Go ahead and live in Fang Moyao’s apartment without worry.” Jiang Yunyi, who had been silent on the side, suddenly spoke up, “This time, she genuinely has no other intentions.”

If Fang Moyao’s words had a credibility of 0, then coming from Jiang Yunyi, the credibility immediately soared to one hundred percent.

Shen Ya pondered internally. Jiang Yunyi was Qiao Xi’s sister and would certainly not harm Qiao Xi. Although she didn’t know what intentions Fang Moyao might have, accepting Fang Moyao’s offer could indeed save them a lot of trouble.

However, Shen Ya didn’t agree immediately: “Xiao Xi, what do you think?”

Qiao Xi was already undecided. She didn’t fully understand Fang Moyao, but she did understand Jiang Yunyi. Since Jiang Yunyi had guaranteed it twice, it should be fine, right? Besides, if Fang Moyao really had ill intentions, she could always ask Jiang Yunyi to help her resolve it.

She nodded and said: “Then let’s stay in Sister Moyao’s apartment. Since Teacher Shen and Sister Moyao know each other, living at Sister Moyao’s place will be safer.”

“Since you both agree, I’ll send you the apartment password later. When are you moving in? I’ll come and help you move.”

Compared to Qiao Xi and Shen Ya, Fang Moyao was clearly more eager, as if afraid they would suddenly change their minds.

In Qiao Xi’s eyes, this resembled a big bad wolf tempting its prey home. She looked at Shen Ya, asking for her opinion with her eyes.

Shen Ya lowered her gaze and thought for a moment before saying: “I have the day off the day after tomorrow. We don’t have many belongings, so there’s no need to trouble Boss Fang with the move.”

“It’s no trouble. Sister Qianqian will be back tomorrow. We’ll help you move together the day after tomorrow.” Fang Moyao rested one hand on her thigh. Since Qiao Xi agreed to move into her apartment, the smile on her face became increasingly clear and obvious: “What about you, Jiang Yunyi? Are you coming over?”

Jiang Yunyi nodded and said: “I’ll come if I’m free.”