Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 119

Chapter 119

For Shan Ling, the difference between the two terms didn’t seem significant.

“Although I’m a bird, I understand basic common sense,” Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi, holding the ice pack, and said, “However, I still don’t quite understand why humans are so passionate about this matter.”

She leaned in and asked, “Will it be more comfortable than kissing?”

Shen Qingyi was momentarily stunned by her question, then blushed and said, “Probably.”

Shan Ling was curious: “You don’t know either?”

Shen Qingyi: “…”

Sometimes, an overly frank little sprite was not a good thing.

“Regarding this matter, we can discuss it later,” Shen Qingyi felt awkward continuing the topic. She was ultimately not as open as Shan Ling. The mere thought of suggestive matters made her feel hot all over and dry-mouthed.

Since they already slept in the same bed, discussing this further would inevitably lead to trouble.

Shan Ling pouted, glanced at Shen Qingyi, and said, “We haven’t kissed since you came back today. Shall we kiss now?”

Shen Qingyi couldn’t help but smile, nodding in agreement.

Seeing her consent, Shan Ling obediently brought her head closer, tossed aside the obstructive ice pack, and directly hooked her arms around Shen Qingyi’s neck.

The familiar scent enveloped her. Shan Ling deeply enjoyed kissing Shen Qingyi. The warm, soft, and clinging feeling when their lips met was very comfortable.

Shen Qingyi naturally wrapped her arms around Shan Ling’s waist. Neither of them wore particularly thick clothes at home. Shen Qingyi could even feel the rise and fall of Shan Ling’s chest and her low gasps.

Warm and soft.

Shan Ling squinted slightly, watching the beautiful person in front of her kiss with a look of ecstasy. It made her feel joyful, as if she had accomplished something magnificent.

She released one hand and intertwined her fingers with Shen Qingyi’s.

Her lower back gradually began to feel tender. The more they kissed, the hotter they got. Shan Ling was even covered in a thin layer of sweat.

“It’s so hot…”

Shan Ling could smell the change in the air, the scent Shen Qingyi only emitted when she was aroused.

She wanted to… sleep with her.

Shan Ling mentally formed this sentence, changing words like ‘mating’ to the human equivalent. Instantly, she understood why the protagonists in TV dramas always seemed so ecstatic when they kissed.

She also understood why literary works always loved to describe such unmentionable and suggestive matters.

Because it was genuinely captivating.

Shen Qingyi’s free hand held Shan Ling’s ankle, which was resting beside her, gripping her ‘bird foot’ and saying, “If you’re hot, why are you clinging so tightly?”

Shan Ling hummed twice, then leaned in again and said, “But I want to kiss you.”

Shen Qingyi felt a throbbing in her head. She sighed inwardly, moved her lips away from Shan Ling’s, and bit her neck, which was as smooth as porcelain.

Shan Ling flinched in pain and turned her head slightly, asking in confusion, “Why did you bite me when you were just kissing me?”

“Because you keep provoking me,” Shen Qingyi placed another kiss on the reddish bite mark. This kiss was both forceful and passionate. When Shen Qingyi lifted her head, a small ‘hickey’ was clearly visible on Shan Ling’s smooth, slender neck.

She looked at Shan Ling smugly and told her, “I can’t go out for the next couple of days, and you can’t either. We’ll both stay home nicely.”

Shan Ling touched her neck, not understanding what Shen Qingyi had just done, but she knew it wasn’t anything good.

“Why are you so childish?” Shan Ling complained, “I won’t fool around with you anymore. I want to see what you did.”

Shen Qingyi wouldn’t let her look. She immediately pulled Shan Ling into her embrace, turned, and pinned her onto the sofa, adding a few more ‘hickeys.’

A leisurely life couldn’t last too long.

The design plan for the coffee shop had been finalized. The overall style remained vintage, but with enlarged visual spaces to make the entire coffee shop look wider and brighter.

As the shop’s main feature, the side facing the central park was designed with a full glass wall, and the seating was changed from booths to sofas, creating a very cozy, petit bourgeois atmosphere.

The back kitchen and staff lounge were also expanded. The storage room was designed beneath the corridor leading to the second floor, which was both aesthetically pleasing and provided structural support.

Almost nothing was changed on the second floor, as the fire hadn’t severely affected it, only the exterior walls and the wall near the stairs needed complete repainting, which wasn’t a big issue.

When the injury on Shen Qingyi’s face subsided and the ‘hickeys’ on Shan Ling’s neck faded, the two finally left to check on the coffee shop’s reconstruction progress.

Before leaving, they called Nuonuo. She was bored stiff at home, practically growing mushrooms, and was eager for something to do, so she immediately agreed and came over by subway.

The construction team Shen Qingyi hired had already started bringing in the renovation materials. When Nuonuo arrived, she saw construction materials, cement, and tiles piled up at the entrance, looking like an active construction site.

“Nuonuo, you’re here.” Shan Ling, wearing a light camel-colored scarf, raised her hand to greet her.

Nuonuo ran over, slightly out of breath. Standing beside Shan Ling, she asked in confusion, “It’s over 50 degrees Fahrenheit today. Do you need a scarf? Aren’t you hot?”

“No, I’m not,” Shan Ling avoided eye contact. The hickeys had actually faded, but if one looked closely, some marks were still visible. Shan Ling wore the scarf to cover them, fearing Nuonuo might misunderstand.

Though, there didn’t seem to be much room for misunderstanding anyway.

As Shan Ling thought this, she saw Shen Qingyi walk out of the shop, discussing something with the supervisor. Her black, long woolen coat swayed slightly as she moved, creating an arc.

“I see other construction sites covered with a big plastic sheet and the words [Opening Soon]. Should we put up something like that too?” Nuonuo asked Shan Ling curiously.

“I guess so?” Shan Ling didn’t really have experience in this area, but since Nuonuo asked, she casually agreed.

Both of them were at a loss about these matters. As young women, they didn’t know much about construction. Since everything was handed over to the engineering team, they didn’t need to worry too much about the rest.

Nuonuo took a few candies out of her pocket and handed them to Shan Ling. She said, “These are candies I ate when I went out a while ago. They’re especially delicious. I bought a big box online when I came back and have eaten half of it already. I specifically brought some for you and the manager today.”

Shan Ling looked at the candies in her hand, unwrapped one, and put it in her mouth. A sweet coffee flavor instantly surged out, followed by an explosion of sweetness and creamy flavor, hitting Shan Ling’s taste buds, which was incredibly satisfying.

This instantly brightened Shan Ling’s eyes, who rarely drank coffee. She nodded vigorously, praising, “This candy is delicious, and it’s not very bitter.”

“Hehe, I knew you’d like it.” Nuonuo stuffed the remaining candies into Shan Ling’s coat pocket and told her, “But these candies are too sweet. The manager probably won’t like them. Give her a try later. If she doesn’t like them, they’re all yours.”

Shan Ling nodded and smiled, “Don’t worry, they’ll definitely all be mine.”

Nuonuo laughed along with her.

“What are you two laughing about?” Shen Qingyi heard their laughter and walked over, asking with a light smile, “I heard you two from a distance. What are you doing?”

“Yiyi, these are candies Nuonuo gave me. Try one.” Shan Ling said, unwrapping a coffee-flavored milk candy and directly offering it to Shen Qingyi’s lips.

The candy was so small that Shan Ling only felt her finger lightly touch Shen Qingyi’s lips. Before she could react, the other person ate the brown milk candy.

Shan Ling was slightly flustered and awkwardly looked away, but she didn’t forget to ask, “Is it tasty?”

Shen Qingyi, however, was quite comfortable. She tasted the milk candy and commented, “It’s too sweet.”

“I told you! The manager would think it’s sweet, so these candies are all yours now.” Nuonuo was also happy. She turned to Shen Qingyi and asked, “Manager, how is our shop progressing?”

“Everything is ready,” Shen Qingyi said, savoring the sweet and creamy candy in her mouth. She told Nuonuo, “Later, we’ll set up a small stall next to the shop, and you can sell the instant coffee you ordered. Don’t make the customers wait too long.”

“Okay,” Nuonuo agreed readily, exclaiming, “My small shop is opening! I’ll be the sole boss then~”

Shen Qingyi smiled gently and told her, “You’ll still have weekends off, and there’s no need for long working hours. It’s fine if you come later and leave earlier. If it’s cloudy or rainy, you don’t need to come at all. After all, you’re just selling instant coffee.”

“Oh my gosh, does such an understanding boss really exist?” Nuonuo sighed emotionally, “What good karma did I accumulate in my past life to encounter such a great thing?”

Shen Qingyi rolled her eyes at Nuonuo’s exaggeration and said, “Just work a little harder before the official opening. I hope we can open before April.”

By then, the flowers would be in full bloom, and spring would be in the air. Sitting and relaxing in the coffee shop would surely be a very pleasant experience.

Shen Qingyi then instructed Nuonuo on a few more matters, including how to manage inventory and how to explain the situation to customers.

They naturally had a big lunch together. Shen Qingyi sometimes felt that her employees were easily pleased—occasionally treating them to a meal solved all problems.

Nuonuo left after lunch. She was going to be a small shop owner starting tomorrow, so she had other things to arrange.

Besides, the young couple was on a date and surely didn’t want an outsider around, so she ran off quickly.

“She’s gone,” Shan Ling said to Shen Qingyi, sipping the complimentary fruit tea from the restaurant, “We don’t have anything planned for the afternoon. Should we go home or walk around?”

Shen Qingyi said lightly, “We don’t have much groceries at home. Let’s go to the supermarket later and buy some snacks. I remember there’s a large supermarket nearby, and their produce is quite fresh.”

Shan Ling nodded in agreement.

Just then, Shen Qingyi’s phone, which was on the table, suddenly chimed ‘ding-dong.’ She glanced at it and saw a green bubble notification, someone was looking for her on WeChat.

Shen Qingyi recalled the scene she caused at the Shen family home a few days ago. After she angrily left, Shen Hongjun hadn’t called or messaged her. Could it be him now?

But when Shen Qingyi opened the notification and entered the chat interface, she realized it was someone completely unexpected.

The sender’s profile picture was an elderly gentleman. He was slightly overweight, with an energetic and kind face and deep nasolabial folds. His short, gray hair looked particularly vibrant.

This was Professor Hu, whom Shen Qingyi had met on an antique book forum. He was a history professor at a local university and often scavenged for second-hand books in antique shops.

Shen Qingyi respected scholars like him, but she didn’t understand why he was suddenly contacting her.

Shen Qingyi looked at the concise chat box. The other person had only sent one sentence.

Professor Hu: “I have a good book. I wonder if Miss Shen is interested?”

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