Secret Lover Who Stealthily Fell in Love with My Older Sister - Extra Chapter 124

Extra Chapter 1: Everyday Life (Part 1)

Shen Ya stayed over at Qiao Xi’s mothers’ house for two days. On Saturday night, Qiao Xi dragged Shen Ya into the mothers’ study. About an hour later, Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao were summoned by the two mothers.

The four met at the door. Qiao Xi gave Jiang Yunxi a victorious smile. Jiang Yunxi guessed that Qiao Xi must have convinced the two elders.

Things were indeed as Jiang Yunxi thought. Although the two mothers were still very helpless, they had accepted their relationship.

Jiang Yunxi asked Jiang Zhiqing: “How did Xiao Xi convince Mom and Mommy?”

“Xiao Xi is much more sensible than the two of you.” Jiang Zhiqing waved her hand, too bothered to look at her two daughters: “Shoo, shoo, don’t annoy us.”

Although she didn’t know what Qiao Xi had said, it didn’t matter. At least the outcome was good. Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao could finally feel their hearts settle down.

…

Two weeks later, when Qiao Xi went to see Shen Ya after school on the weekend, she noticed people moving house. She squeezed into the elevator with a pile of luggage. When the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, the moving company employee set down a wooden board to block the elevator door and said to her: “Excuse me, I’ll take these down, it’ll be quick.”

Watching the items being carried out one by one, Qiao Xi craned her neck to look outside: “Sister, which household is moving in?”

“The 402 residents. It seems they just bought the apartment. They didn’t redecorate, just cleaned it up and replaced all the things. We are now moving in their newly bought furniture.”

“Oh.” Qiao Xi nodded, not thinking much of it.

That evening when Shen Ya returned home, Qiao Xi casually mentioned the matter. At the time, neither of them paid much attention, simply assuming they had a new neighbor.

…

Until Sunday morning, when Qiao Xi and Shen Ya were still asleep, the doorbell kept ringing incessantly, like a summoning spell, forcibly waking the two who were still deep in their dreams.

“I’ll go see. Xiao Xi, go back to sleep.” Shen Ya sat up, got out of bed, and covered Qiao Xi with the blanket.

She ran her fingers through her hair as she walked out, briefly straightening her pajamas before pushing the front door open just a crack. Shen Ya peered out with one eye: “Hmm?”

A familiar person turned their head and peered in through the gap. Shen Ya pushed the door wide open, surprised: “Shuyao, Jiang Yunxi?”

“Morning, Shen Ya.” Qin Shuyao linked arms with Jiang Yunxi, greeting Shen Ya warmly. She said: “We just moved in today and wanted to invite you down to eat together.”

“Moved in?” Shen Ya stepped aside to let them enter: “So, the 402 movers Xiao Xi ran into on Friday night were you?”

“That’s right. We bought some furniture that was delivered a couple of days ago. We hired people to clean yesterday, and Yunxi and I only brought some clothes over last night. It was quite late, so we didn’t come up to disturb you.”

After entering, they didn’t see Qiao Xi. Qin Shuyao asked: “Is Xiao Xi still asleep?”

“Yes, still sleeping.”

“No need to wake her up yet.” This was also Qin Shuyao’s first time here. This was Fang Moyao’s former home. Although much time had passed, it was very well-maintained, showing the previous owner’s care: “Yunyi is at the supermarket. We’re having hotpot and barbecue today. If you want anything special, it’s still not too late to tell Yunyi.”

“Nothing special I crave. Let’s go with Xiao Xi’s preferences.” Shen Ya wasn’t a picky eater; she ate everything. Qiao Xi, however, was a bit choosy, so now Shen Ya subconsciously bought food that Qiao Xi liked when cooking.

“You two rest. I’m going next door to find Fang Moyao.” At the last family gathering, they were reserved in front of the elders. Jiang Yunxi still hadn’t settled the score with Fang Moyao.

Jiang Yunxi walked up to the door of 502, first ringing the doorbell, then pounding on the door with her fist.

The noise was considerable. Fang Moyao was woken up. She nudged Zhou Ziqian, who was still drooling beside her: “Go see who it is.”

Zhou Ziqian didn’t even open her eyes. She wiped her mouth, still closed. She and Fang Moyao had enjoyed themselves too much last night, only falling asleep close to dawn. Her hair was now a mess, sticking up with many cowlicks.

Zhou Ziqian yawned, swaying as she left the room: “Who is it so early in the morning?”

She slowly shuffled to the door, rubbed her eyes, and opened the door. Jiang Yunxi was much stronger than her. With an outstretched arm, she pushed the door wide open and squeezed her body inside.

Jiang Yunxi raised an eyebrow and sneered.

Zhou Ziqian thought she was seeing a ghost: “Little CEO Jiang?”

Jiang Yunxi calmly pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of Zhou Ziqian’s head. Unfortunately, the recently awakened Zhou Ziqian was still in a state where her brain hadn’t fully booted up. She only reacted after Jiang Yunxi finished taking the photo.

“Little CEO Jiang, even if you have a crush on me, you can’t secretly take pictures of me.”

Jiang Yunxi shook her phone: “If you want the photo, trade it for the wine.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Little CEO Jiang, please don’t make things difficult for me. I didn’t take the wine, nor did I instruct anyone to. We should target the real culprit, right?”

Jiang Yunxi hadn’t really planned to do anything with the photo. She just came over to annoy Fang and Zhou. After deleting the photo right in front of Zhou Ziqian, she asked: “Where’s Fang Moyao?”

“Sister Yaoyao is sleeping. Little CEO Jiang, are you here to see Little Sister Xiao Xi today? Is Little Sister Xiao Xi still asleep?” Zhou Ziqian led her to the sofa: “Come, come, please sit first. I’ll change clothes and go help you knock on the door.”

Jiang Yunxi didn’t lower her voice at all. Fang Moyao, lying in the room, heard every word Zhou Ziqian and Jiang Yunxi exchanged clearly. She sighed. She sat up in bed and rubbed her temples. Jiang Yunyi was reasonable, but her sister Jiang Yunxi was difficult to deal with.

She now realized who Qiao Xi inherited her temperament from.

Fang Moyao got ready before emerging from the room. She first saw Zhou Ziqian still sporting messy hair in the living room. She walked over to Zhou Ziqian, raised a hand to smooth the sticking-up hair, and patted Zhou Ziqian’s shoulder: “Go back to the room and wash up first.”

Once Zhou Ziqian left, Fang Moyao sat down, picked up the lukewarm water in front of her, took a sip, and asked: “What brings Little CEO Jiang over so early in the morning?”

“I moved house today. I came over to ask the two of you if you’d like to come over for a meal.”

Fang Moyao sensed something amiss: “Moved house?”

Jiang Yunxi crossed her long legs and leaned against the back of the sofa, her posture relaxed and her expression delighted, as if this were her own home: “I’m genuinely worried about Xiao Xi attending university here, afraid that someone with ill intentions might lead her astray. So, Shuyao and I discussed it and bought an apartment here. What a coincidence, isn’t it? We bought the one right downstairs from you.”

“Oh? I didn’t hear about any neighbor wanting to sell their house.”

“The apartment downstairs has been empty for years. The original owner is already abroad. She indeed didn’t plan to sell, but I told her a moving story, and the price I offered was fair. Naturally, she was touched enough to sell the house to me.”

Fang Moyao cursed inwardly but kept a smile on her face: “That truly is quite a coincidence.” Jiang Yunxi’s heart must be black. What kind of “moving story” could she have fabricated? Who knows how she disparaged her. Everything she said implied that she would lead Qiao Xi astray. Did that little brat Qiao Xi even need to be led astray?

The two of them used to be able to chat normally, but ever since Qiao Xi was recognized by the Fang family, the thought that Fang Moyao was Qiao Xi’s biological sister bothered Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao. And this time, the other party even manipulated Qiao Xi into stealing her wine. This made Jiang Yunxi feel even more that her sister was drifting away from her.

Therefore, seeing Fang Moyao made her feel incompatible in every way. Jiang Yunxi didn’t stay long, only leaving with a message: “Jiang Yunyi is at the supermarket buying groceries. We’re having hotpot and barbecue today. If you want anything, tell her yourself. I’m leaving. Come over to the opposite apartment later.”

…

When Jiang Yunxi returned to the opposite apartment, Qiao Xi was already awake but still looked sleepy, sitting on the sofa in her pajamas and leaning against Qin Shuyao. Shen Ya wasn’t in the living room. Qin Shuyao said she went back to the room to wash up.

“Doctor Jiang.” Hearing footsteps, Qiao Xi squinted her eyes open: “Since my sisters moved here, does that mean I can see Sister and Doctor Jiang often? Our home will be so lively again.”

“Yes.” Qin Shuyao stroked her face: “Sister and Shen Ya will visit you at school every day from now on, and we’ll bring you home for dinner when we have time.”

“Yay!”

Just then, Shen Ya emerged wearing a white top and black pants. It was a weekend, but she was dressed as if going to work. Qiao Xi was used to it. She used to think this look made Shen Ya too formal and serious, but now, she only thought Shen Ya was wonderfully contrasting, and she loved it.

The three waited for Qiao Xi to get ready before gathering with Fang and Zhou and heading downstairs to 402.

The apartment layouts were identical. The former owner was well-off, so the renovation materials were excellent. Jiang Yunxi and Qin Shuyao were satisfied with the modern style, needing only to replace all the furniture with new pieces.

“Jiang Yunyi has arrived. I’ll go down and help her with the groceries.” Jiang Yunxi hung up the phone. As she went out, Zhou Ziqian followed her.

Jiang Yunxi glanced back at her. Zhou Ziqian brushed her hair and smiled: “We can’t let the two CEOs Jiang serve us.”

Jiang Yunyi was leaning against the car door. Seeing the two, she opened the trunk. Since there were many people today, she bought a lot of groceries. All three of them had their hands full.

When the elevator door opened, Qiao Xi heard the sound and quickly ran to the door, looking at the food in their hands. While Jiang Yunxi was still getting things, Qin Shuyao, Shen Ya, and Fang Moyao were already setting up.

Qiao Xi’s stomach was growling. She stepped forward and took a plastic bag from Jiang Yunxi’s hand: “What delicious things did Sister Yunyi buy?”

“All your favorites,” Jiang Yunyi, walking at the back, replied: “Put the groceries in the kitchen. Yunxi, come help me sort the vegetables.”

Shen Ya also prepared to help, but as soon as she reached the kitchen door, Jiang Yunyi sent her away: “You take the drinks out. Yunxi and I are enough here.”

Shen Ya brought the drinks to the living room, handed a bottle to everyone, and then returned to Qiao Xi’s side.

The two women named Jiang were both good cooks. Dealing with ingredients wasn’t a problem for them.

Zhou Ziqian was even more impatient than Qiao Xi. Seeing the pot heat up, she tore open a box of meat and dumped it all in: “Little Sister Xiao Xi, what else do you want to eat? Your sister-in-law will put it in for you.”

“Put in these lobster balls.”

The aroma from the pot was mouth-watering. Qiao Xi could hear her stomach shouting. Qin Shuyao went to the kitchen for bowls and chopsticks, giving the first set to Qiao Xi: “Eat. They’ll be ready soon.”

Jiang Yunyi only came out of the kitchen with Jiang Yunxi after marinating the meat. Only two seats were left at the round table. She sat next to Fang Moyao and said to everyone: “The meat is still marinating. We’ll barbecue tonight.”

“To celebrate Little CEO Jiang and Little CEO Qin’s housewarming.” Zhou Ziqian raised her drink first: “Shall we cheers?”

Qiao Xi was the first to raise her drink. Slowly, a few more hands appeared. The seven people held their drinks high, gently clinking them against the others’ bottles in the center, and then said in unison: “Cheers!”

“This old apartment is lively again.” Zhou Ziqian looked at Jiang Yunyi: “Now that Little CEO Jiang has moved in, does CEO Jiang want to consider moving in too? We have plenty of empty rooms. You can sleep wherever you like.”

Jiang Yunyi picked up a piece of beef from the hotpot: “I’ll pass. You all are couples. I don’t want to be an element that enhances your romance.”

“CEO Jiang, the way you say that. Interact with us more. It might help that old iron tree of yours finally blossom.”

Jiang Yunyi glanced at Shen Ya out of the corner of her eye, smiling but not answering.

While the two were chatting, Qiao Xi had already placed a lot of meat into her and Shen Ya’s bowls, whispering to Shen Ya: “Teacher Shen, this beef is so fragrant, and these lobster balls too. Teacher Shen, try them quickly.”

Under Qiao Xi’s eager gaze, Shen Ya first put the meat in her mouth, then nodded: “It is delicious.”

“Right? We can also barbecue this beef tonight. It will definitely taste even better.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Zhou Ziqian laughed, teasing Qiao Xi: “Your Teacher Shen’s bowl is almost overflowing. Couples in the honeymoon phase are so sweet, aren’t they? Little CEO Jiang should take notes.”

“Zhou Ziqian, is there not enough food to shut your mouth?” Jiang Yunxi glared at her, but her chopsticks still picked up food and placed it in Qin Shuyao’s bowl.

Qiao Xi glanced at Zhou Ziqian several times. She suddenly spoke up: “Sister Qianqian, you keep talking. Is it because Sister Moyao didn’t give you delicious food, and you’re upset?”

Zhou Ziqian let out a “hehehe” laugh. She instantly turned into a boneless goblin, leaning onto Fang Moyao even before putting down her chopsticks: “Sister Yaoyao, Little Sister Xiao Xi said so herself. Hurry and feed me.”

Qiao Xi shivered with disgust, marveling at Zhou Ziqian’s shamelessness. Even if everyone sitting here was family, she was far too unrestrained. Qiao Xi definitely couldn’t bring herself to make such a gesture.

Fang Moyao was accustomed to it. She actually picked up the meat, blew on it, and then fed it into Zhou Ziqian’s mouth.

Zhou Ziqian raised an eyebrow at Qiao Xi, as if showing off: “It’s truly fragrant. What the sister gives is the most delicious.” After saying that, she licked the corner of her mouth.

It was Zhou Ziqian who was being fed, yet Qiao Xi blushed. She didn’t dare make eye contact with Zhou Ziqian again, quickly grabbing her chopsticks and lowering her head to eat, trying to conceal her shyness.

A piece of lobster meat appeared in her bowl. Qiao Xi looked up. Shen Ya gave her a slight smile and whispered: “Ignore her, eat.”

Staring at the shrimp meat Shen Ya had placed there, Qiao Xi heard Zhou Ziqian’s earlier comment again: What the sister gives is the most delicious.

Qiao Xi swallowed. Shen Ya was older than her, so she could also be considered her sister. Furthermore, she liked to call Shen Ya “Sister Shen” when they were intimate. So, would the food Shen Ya offered truly be more delicious than what she picked up herself?

She had tasted it countless times before, but today, prompted by Zhou Ziqian, she considered it deeply. Qiao Xi picked up the shrimp meat, brought it to her lips, secretly sniffed it, and then put it in her mouth to savor it.

It seemed, indeed, sweeter than usual.

Zhou Ziqian bent down at that moment, leaning close to Qiao Xi’s ear, and said cheekily: “Isn’t what your sister gave you delicious?”

Qiao Xi instantly snapped back to reality. She looked at Zhou Ziqian with startled eyes. Shen Ya wrapped an arm around Qiao Xi and pulled her into her embrace. She looked calmly at Fang Moyao: “Seeing how energetic Little CEO Zhou is, I assume her current workload is too light. Given Little CEO Zhou’s spirit, it seems she can handle more work.”

“You!” Zhou Ziqian was aghast: “Boss Shen, you, you, you!”

Fang Moyao patted the back of Zhou Ziqian’s head: “Stop playing around. Don’t expect me to save you if they gang up on you.”

Zhou Ziqian sighed: “Alas, there’s strength in numbers. They only bully a delicate woman like me. The world is cold. It’s truly saddening.”

Qiao Xi realized that Zhou Ziqian was a living joke machine. Although being teased made her a little shy, the dining table truly couldn’t do without Zhou Ziqian’s mouth. Qiao Xi reached out her chopsticks and placed a scallop in Zhou Ziqian’s bowl: “Eat, sister-in-law.”

Zhou Ziqian froze for two seconds. She blinked several times, as if confirming she wasn’t dreaming. When she felt Fang Moyao’s arm wrap around her waist, her face broke into a wide smile, and she was, surprisingly, a little embarrassed.

She picked up the scallop Qiao Xi gave her and took a small bite: “I was wrong. The food from my little sister is also exquisitely delicious.”

Qin Shuyao rested her hands on her chin, watching the harmonious scene. Joy filled her heart. Her eyes curved as she said to Jiang Yunxi: “I hope we can always be this lively in the future.”