Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Shen Qingyi leaned back in the chair, her eyes fixed on the trembling Shan Ling, waiting for her to confess everything honestly.

Shan Ling, with one leg injured, couldn’t run away. Being stared at by Shen Qingyi gave her a genuinely chilling feeling.

How strange. I’m the little nature spirit, so why am I afraid of a human?

Shan Ling’s little mind couldn’t figure it out immediately. Meeting Shen Qingyi’s gaze, she could only give a truthful account.

“Do you remember that little fat bird you kept?” Shan Ling gripped the blanket, looking at Shen Qingyi, and said, “A few months ago, I was starving and passed out at your doorstep. You picked me up and took care of me.”

Shen Qingyi paused, then said, “You were that bird?”

“Yes,” Shan Ling nodded and continued, “At that time, because I had no money for food, I starved for several days. Eventually, I had no strength left and had to revert to my original form, and then you picked me up. Later, I thought, since you took care of me, I couldn’t really do nothing, so I started cleaning your house, doing laundry, and cooking…”

So, the strange happenings in her house during that period were all the work of the person in front of her.

Recalling the refrigerator full of groceries, Shen Qingyi had always thought her Aunt Jiang had taken care of it.

“Then what happened later?” Shen Qingyi’s tone softened a little as she asked, “Did you leave on your own?”

Shan Ling ‘hmm-ed’ and told her, “Later, weren’t you about to discover me? I felt I couldn’t stay in your house any longer, so I quickly left.”

Saying this, Shan Ling awkwardly scratched her head: “When I left your house, I was still wearing your clothes and took a few of your coins to ride the bus. If you want me to compensate you, I can.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at her. She wondered why a few of her clothes were missing, thinking she had misremembered and thrown them away at some point. It turned out the little bird had worn them away.

As for the few coins, Shen Qingyi had no intention of asking for them back; it was such a minor matter.

“And then?” Shen Qingyi continued to ask.

“Then I went back,” Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi and said, “I’m not a local, so when I first arrived here, I rented a garage to live in. The landlord wanted to raise the rent, and I didn’t have the money, so I had to move out and go to the amusement park, where they provided food and accommodation.”

After that, she met Shen Qingyi, who was shopping at the mall, and the two reconnected.

After everything was clarified, Shen Qingyi remained silent for a long time.

It was only then that Shen Qingyi realized that when she was keeping the ‘little fat bird,’ Shan Ling’s image often appeared in her dreams.

At that time, the two of them would cuddle and sleep together. Now that she thought about it, it shouldn’t have been a coincidence.

If it were before, Shen Qingyi would definitely not believe such an absurd story, but the little nature spirit was right in front of her. She couldn’t help but believe it.

Besides, compared to the bird in the cage, the person in the dream seemed insignificant.

Shen Qingyi watched Shan Ling quietly, noticing that she still looked uneasy, seemingly afraid that Shen Qingyi would harm her.

Sighing secretly, Shen Qingyi finally moved closer to Shan Ling, reaching out to rub her cheek, and said, “Are you sleepy at this hour? Or do you want to eat something first?”

The big fire last night was truly terrifying. Shan Ling didn’t have an appetite, but Shen Qingyi’s gentle touch on her cheek made Shan Ling feel a little relieved.

“I’m not hungry,” Shan Ling’s bright black eyes looked at her, and she whispered, “Do I have to stay in the hospital for a while?”

“Yes,” Shen Qingyi nodded. “Your leg injury is quite severe. It’s better to be hospitalized to prevent infection.”

“Then can you stay with me tonight?” Shan Ling asked again.

Shen Qingyi was silent for only two seconds before nodding and saying, “I’ll stay with you.”

Shan Ling’s heart, which had been hanging high, finally settled down. She smiled brightly at Shen Qingyi and said, “Thank you.”

Soon, Shan Ling was asleep in the hospital bed.

Only a bedside lamp was lit in the room. The soft yellow light shone in front of the bed, making Shan Ling’s face look completely pale.

Shen Qingyi sat in the chair, one hand tightly gripping Shan Ling’s hand, and the other supporting her head, looking at the sleeping little mountain sparrow.

A silent sigh slowly escaped. Shen Qingyi softly murmured, “It turns out, it was all you…”

The person in the dream was you, and the bird in the cage was also you.

Early the next morning, Shen Qingyi woke up.

There was a folding bed in the private room, and Shen Qingyi had managed to sleep there for the night. It wasn’t as comfortable as the bed at home, but at least it was a bed she could lie on.

Shan Ling was already awake and was looking at Shen Qingyi with her head tilted, looking like she wanted to speak but hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Qingyi asked while tidying her bedding, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

“No,” Shan Ling looked at her curiously, “You didn’t ask me anything about what I told you last night?”

“I do,” Shen Qingyi looked back at her: “I have many questions for you, but since you can’t run away now, it’s better to wait until we both have time to discuss this slowly. The top priority now is to deal with the coffee shop fire.”

According to yesterday’s investigation, the police have preliminarily determined that the arsonist was the sasaeng fan. The suspect had a previous record, and now he had pulled off such an act. He would almost certainly go to jail.

Arson that endangers the property and safety of others is a serious criminal offense and will result in a heavy sentence. Shen Qingyi thought about it briefly yesterday and planned to approach Shen Hongjun today to ask her father for some contacts to handle this matter properly.

“I need to go to the police station today. You stay in the hospital this morning. I’ll ask Aunt Jiang to come and take care of you later,” Shen Qingyi folded the blanket and placed it on the sofa, then turned to Shan Ling and said, “Nuonuo was very worried about you yesterday. Call her later.”

It was too late yesterday. Shen Qingyi only sent Nuonuo a message saying Shan Ling was found and not to worry. Since the other party hadn’t replied, she was probably asleep and would see it when she woke up later.

Shan Ling nodded, then shook her head, saying, “My phone was in the shop. It should have been burned.”

She had bought her phone less than three months ago, and the thought still made her heart ache.

Fortunately, her money was fine. She could buy a new phone once she was discharged.

Shan Ling couldn’t help but sigh, realizing that she hadn’t bought much else since arriving here, but she had bought several phones.

Shen Qingyi also just realized this, so she said to Shan Ling, “I’ll bring you a phone when I come back, and I’ll also help you set up the SIM card. But have you thought about what to say if Nuonuo asks?”

“This…” Shan Ling thought hard for a while, then looked at Shen Qingyi and said, “You’ll keep my secret, right?”

Shen Qingyi nodded, sat on the edge of the bed looking at Shan Ling, and said, “I thought of a reason for you: say that you escaped through the back door after discovering the fire, and because you didn’t have your phone, you intended to call the police nearby but were hit by a car while crossing the road and sent to the hospital.”

This would explain why Shan Ling couldn’t be contacted and why she was sent to the hospital.

Although there were still some loopholes, the police had already identified the suspect, so they wouldn’t question Shan Ling again. Nuonuo and others weren’t detectives, so this explanation should suffice.

Shan Ling thought it sounded reasonable, but she still looked at Shen Qingyi with some concern.

“Is this okay?” Shan Ling said, “Telling one lie requires telling many more to cover it up. Although it’s for me, I still don’t want you to take risks.”

Shen Qingyi looked at her calmly, smiled, and then reached out to stroke Shan Ling’s head, saying, “I’m already very happy that you considered me. But you don’t need to worry about this. Lying is just to deceive them. If others truly knew your identity, it would be even more troublesome.”

Shan Ling felt that what Shen Qingyi said made a lot of sense, so she nodded and said no more.

After Shen Qingyi left the room, she called Aunt Jiang, asking her to take some time to come and look after Shan Ling today, and also informed her about the coffee shop fire last night, which genuinely frightened Aunt Jiang.

After arranging these matters, Shen Qingyi spent almost the entire day at the police station.

The sasaeng fan seemed mentally unstable when arrested yesterday, so some medical professionals came today to determine if he had a mental abnormality. If confirmed, the subsequent compensation and sentencing issues would become very complicated.

Shen Qingyi watched others work the whole time, especially when the medical examiners arrived. Her mind suddenly twinged.

What if—Shen Qingyi meant what if—

What if one day she also lost control of her actions and committed such a malicious act? What would she do?

Shen Qingyi thought of her mother. She, too, was sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. In her memory, her mother was always locked in a small room, with various locks hanging on the door.

At that time, Shen Qingyi didn’t understand why she was treated that way.

Later, her mother’s lucid periods became shorter and shorter. She started harming herself and others. Shen Hongjun had no choice but to send her to a mental hospital.

It had been over ten years since then.

After spending the day at the police station, the team of lawyers arranged by Shen Hongjun also stayed with her all day. By three or four in the afternoon, the remaining matters were left to these professionals, and she drove away.

She first went to a nearby mall to buy a mobile phone for Shan Ling and set up the SIM card. Then she drove to the mall near the coffee shop, bought the pork floss egg rolls and other pastries that Shan Ling always loved, and also bought a hot cup of milk tea for Shan Ling. Only then, with her hands full of things, did she return to the hospital.

As soon as she reached the hospital room, Shen Qingyi heard laughter coming from inside. Listening closely, she realized the laughter was very familiar, sounding like a child.

Associating the possibility of a child visiting, Shen Qingyi sighed involuntarily and pushed the door open.

Upon entering, Shen Qingyi saw little Shen Jiaojiao sitting on the hospital bed without her shoes, watching a cartoon on the tablet with Shan Ling. She didn’t know what they were watching, but she was giggling uncontrollably.

Hearing the movement, both Shan Ling and Shen Jiaojiao looked up in unison at Shen Qingyi entering the room.

“Yiyi~”

“Jiejie~”

The two called out to Shen Qingyi simultaneously. Seeing the many things Shen Qingyi was holding, Shan Ling asked curiously, “What did you buy? Why so much?”

Shen Jiaojiao, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted the bag of pastries, and her eyes lit up.

“I bought a few things for you on the way back,” Shen Qingyi walked over, placed the pastries and milk tea in Shen Jiaojiao’s arms, and handed the new phone to Shan Ling.

The little foodie Shen Jiaojiao was very happy to hold the pastries. While shouting “Thank you, Jiejie,” she pulled out a small box containing a row of milky-fragrant pork floss egg rolls.

She didn’t immediately open it but looked at Shan Ling, asking, “Xiaoling Jiejie, do you want to drink milk tea or eat cake first?”

Shan Ling smiled slightly and told her, “You eat first. I’m not hungry yet.”

Shen Jiaojiao was very happy. After getting permission from Shen Qingyi, she obediently got off the bed, held the small box, and shouted to Aunt Jiang, “Aunt Jiang, Aunt Jiang, help me wash my hands. Jiejie brought us cake to eat!”

Shen Qingyi glanced at the little girl, then turned back to look at Shan Ling, asking, “How are you doing today?”

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