Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 138

Chapter 138

Shen Hongjun’s tone was still very stiff. Shen Qingyi was used to it, but she worried that sitting here would lead to nagging from her father.

Although Shen Qingyi was prepared to maintain a cold war with her father, Shan Ling hadn’t done anything wrong, and Shen Qingyi didn’t want her to feel wronged.

“No need,” Shen Qingyi didn’t move, only looking at Shen Hongjun and saying, “We’ll go look around elsewhere.”

With that, she pulled Shan Ling and turned to walk towards Shen Jiaojiao’s stall, which made Shen Hongjun’s face turn even darker with anger.

“Look, look,” Shen Hongjun said exasperatedly to Tao Wanyue, “Now that the child is grown, she doesn’t even want to sit with me. Did she call me ‘Dad’ even once since she saw me? She only cares about that little girlfriend of hers, holding hands right in front of me—this is provocation!”

Tao Wanyue sighed and continued to take pictures of the coffee Shen Jiaojiao made for her. She said impatiently, “She called you right at the start; you just didn’t hear it. And what’s the use of telling me all this? Does she listen to you or me? Old Shen, I’m just telling you to stop trying to set her up on blind dates. Why are you getting so stubborn lately? Are all old men like this?”

Shen Hongjun flared up: “What’s wrong with me being old? Are you complaining about my age?”

Tao Wanyue sighed again, feeling that a man in his fifties was really hard to communicate with. Shen Hongjun no longer seemed like her husband; he was increasingly acting like her elderly father.

After leaving Shen Hongjun, Shen Qingyi’s expression wasn’t good. Shan Ling observed her demeanor and couldn’t help but look back at the couple sitting on the chairs.

“Yiyi, are you still angry at your dad?” Shan Ling held Shen Qingyi’s hand and quietly said to her, “I think your father cares about you too. Don’t hold grudges; anger is bad for your health.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at Shan Ling, sighed inwardly, and realized that she really didn’t know why she was angry.

“I’m not angry, and I know he cares about me. It’s just that there are some things I don’t want to compromise on,” Shen Qingyi said. “The conflict between him and me can’t be explained in a few words. My keeping my distance isn’t out of spite, but because I think maintaining a certain distance will reduce unnecessary friction.”

Shan Ling was a good girl. She never forced Shen Qingyi to talk about her past and never questioned anything about the Shen family.

She could maintain a positive attitude toward everyone and wouldn’t view anyone with suspicion.

This was Shan Ling’s strength, and it was also what worried Shen Qingyi about her.

The two quickly arrived at the counter. Shen Jiaojiao spotted them holding flowers immediately, and her eyes lit up, but she professionally finished serving the little guest in front of her, making him a latte.

When it was their turn, Shen Jiaojiao smiled sweetly and happily told them, “Sisters, don’t I look good in this outfit? Sister Nuo Nuo bought it specifically for me. She said that selling coffee requires a white shirt and an apron, which makes it look professional.”

Although Shen Jiaojiao had only studied for a week, the “shop” had all the basic equipment. It was clearly guided by a professional.

Besides Shen Jiaojiao, there were two other little girls in white shirts and aprons. Some were cleaning tables, others were washing coffee cups. They looked very serious, truly giving the feeling of running a business.

“These flowers are for you,” Shen Qingyi gave the bouquet of daisies and sunflowers to Shen Jiaojiao, praising her generously, “Your shop is run very professionally. Please, coffee master, make two cups of coffee for us.”

Shan Ling also wanted to taste the “little boss’s” skill, so she also wanted coffee today.

Shen Jiaojiao confirmed their order again after they placed it, then collected 40 yuan from Shen Qingyi and asked them to find a place to sit; their coffee would be ready soon.

The elementary school-sized tables and chairs were noticeably cramped. As soon as they sat down, they had to cross their legs, which was inconvenient. However, all the parents around them were doing the same. Some tall men even had to stretch their legs out, or it would look very odd.

Shan Ling felt the table was a bit low, but the chair was fine. Shen Qingyi was slightly uncomfortable but could manage.

Most importantly, Shen Qingyi chose a spot as far away from Shen Hongjun as possible, even turning her back to him. Shan Ling could almost feel the heat radiating from that direction.

Shan Ling didn’t want to pry into Shen Qingyi’s family matters. She could only watch Shen Jiaojiao and her little employees bustling about.

“It’s so lively,” Shan Ling saw stalls selling roasted sausage, cake, and sushi not far from the coffee shop. There were many customers, and it seemed like children were running around everywhere, enthusiastically entertaining the adults visiting the school.

Shen Qingyi followed her gaze, the corners of her mouth slightly lifted. She smiled and said, “After we drink Jiaojiao’s coffee, let’s go browse the stalls and make a small contribution.”

Shan Ling nodded happily.

A few minutes later, Shen Jiaojiao personally brought two cups of coffee over and placed them in front of them.

“Sisters, try my coffee and see if it’s good,” Shen Jiaojiao proudly flipped her ponytail. “Sister Nuo Nuo said she’ll come a bit later today, so I wanted you to try my skill first.”

Shan Ling looked at the latte art. She knew Nuo Nuo had only taught Shen Jiaojiao how to make the little bear because the other little girls didn’t want to learn anything else, insisting that only the bear was the cutest.

However, the crooked, neither round nor flat shape in front of her was genuinely hard to identify as a little bear.

This didn’t stop Shan Ling from praising her. She complimented the little girl several times before even taking a sip.

Shen Qingyi, on the other hand, looked at the barely recognizable little bear, picked up the coffee, took a sip, and managed to say, “It’s not bad.”

Shen Jiaojiao seemed a little disappointed, but she knew her little bear wasn’t great. Getting an “it’s not bad” from Shen Qingyi was already quite good.

Shan Ling shot a look at Shen Qingyi, signaling her to rephrase her words.

Shen Qingyi could only sigh softly and said, “Although the bear is a little ugly, the coffee is very good. It’s not much worse than your Sister Xiao Ling’s skill.”

Shan Ling: “…”

Shen Jiaojiao didn’t know that Shan Ling’s coffee was bad. She thought Shen Qingyi was praising her, and she immediately cheered up, happily saying, “Thank you, Sister! Enjoy your coffee. I’m going to serve other customers now!”

Watching the little girl walk away, flipping her ponytail, Shan Ling muttered, “What do you mean by that?”

Shen Qingyi blinked, grabbed Shan Ling’s hand under the table, and smiled, “I didn’t mean anything. I was just praising Jiaojiao’s coffee.”

“Heh heh,” Shan Ling glared at her, “I think you’re just making fun of my bad coffee.”

“No, I’m not,” Shen Qingyi cajoled her girlfriend, saying affectionately, “The coffee you make now is genuinely very good. If you don’t believe me, try Jiaojiao’s. I’m really not lying; it’s quite good.”

Shan Ling looked at her suspiciously, then picked up the coffee and took a sip.

A bitter taste bloomed on her tongue. Shan Ling wrinkled her nose, but the rich aroma that followed was also very strong.

Having worked in a coffee shop for so long, Shan Ling could already discern what good coffee tasted like. Shen Qingyi wasn’t wrong. Although the coffee Shen Jiaojiao brewed wasn’t as good as Nuo Nuo’s, it was already excellent skill for an amateur.

“It really is good, wow,” Shan Ling said with surprise. “The little girl is truly talented at everything she learns.”

Shen Qingyi chuckled, took a sip of her coffee, and said, “It’s only because our coffee grounds are good enough; even an idiot could make it well.”

Shan Ling lifted her foot and deliberately stepped hard on the top of Shen Qingyi’s foot, almost making her spit out the coffee she had just drunk.

Watching the two people “flirt,” Shen Hongjun was fuming, his face red and his eyes wide. He looked on the verge of a breakdown.

“Enough, what are you doing?” Tao Wanyue frowned. “You’ve been nagging since you saw the children today. No wonder Yiyi doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Shen Hongjun pouted, then saw Shan Ling whispering something into Shen Qingyi’s ear, which made Shen Qingyi smile brightly.

“Look, look! Shen Qingyi looks so cheap! The little girl just whispered two words in her ear, and she’s smiling so much her eyes have disappeared,” Shen Hongjun said angrily. “It’s a good thing this is a girl. If she ran off with a man, wouldn’t I die of anger?”

Tao Wanyue was completely speechless.

“A woman isn’t acceptable, and a man isn’t acceptable,” Tao Wanyue asked him, “So what kind of person do you want Yiyi to find? Someone who isn’t human?”

“How should I know?” Shen Hongjun clutched his chest, his face pale, saying, “A man is not acceptable, and this woman… is… also not acceptable…”

Tao Wanyue was about to mock him again when she saw Shen Hongjun’s originally dark face turn ashen, sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead, and his lips starting to turn blue. She quickly put down her phone and helped him, asking, “What’s wrong? Why do you look so bad?”

Shen Hongjun waved his hand. He was about to say something, but no words came out.

People around them noticed Shen Hongjun’s strange behavior. A few experienced people immediately saw that his physical condition was wrong. Shen Hongjun was now in so much pain that he couldn’t speak, which startled everyone nearby.

Shen Qingyi was the first to realize that something was wrong on that side. As a parent went over to check on him, she quickly stood up and rushed over.

At this point, Shen Hongjun’s face was chalk-white. He clutched his chest and collapsed, causing a flurry of startled cries from the crowd. Shen Qingyi quickly pushed through the people, rushed over, and seeing Tao Wanyue frozen in fear, immediately told her, “Go to the school broadcast station and ask if any parents are doctors! Everyone else, move away!”

Tao Wanyue finally reacted to the chaos and ran off quickly.

Shan Ling also hurried over. Seeing Shen Qingyi’s grave expression, her heart immediately clenched.

Shen Jiaojiao also ran over. Shan Ling quickly pulled the little girl close, comforting her and preventing her from seeing her father’s condition.

A minute later, the broadcast station’s voice rang out. Fortunately, many parents were attending Open Day today, and there were indeed a few doctors and nurses. They immediately rushed over. After a quick examination, one of them told Shen Qingyi, “Are you a family member? The patient has acute myocardial infarction and needs to be rushed to the hospital immediately. Get a car ready quickly!”

Shen Qingyi’s face was as white as a sheet of paper. She looked at her unconscious father lying on the ground, her brow deeply furrowed: “I have a car. I’ll go get it.”

Support