Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Shan Ling helped a little boy who had fallen into the ball pit. She originally wanted to check if he was okay, but the boy was probably too excited from playing. He just said a quick thank you, shook off Shan Ling’s hand, and started climbing the slide. Even in November, he was working up a sweat.

[Merit +2]

Although Shan Ling couldn’t understand why these little kids could get so worked up playing with balls, she had accumulated a good amount of merit today.

Even though it wasn’t as much merit as she got from spending every day with Shen Qingyi, it was much better than just standing at a crosswalk and helping old ladies across the street. She could still accumulate about 100 points of merit a day.

Today’s Merit (75/100)

Shan Ling was very satisfied with her job. Her colleagues were also nice to her. Her place was in a small community behind the mall, and her meals were fast food. Although it wasn’t very delicious, it was enough.

The only thing she was unhappy with about this job was probably how noisy the children were.

Whether they were boys or girls, their voices could practically lift the roof off the building.

Just like the little boy who had just fallen. He was now at the top of the slide, screaming his lungs out, and it made Shan Ling’s head feel like it was about to explode.

“Xiao Ling!”

Her colleague raised the milk tea in her hand and smiled at Shan Ling. “I got it back. Come and try it.”

Shan Ling saw that there wasn’t much going on in the playground, so she walked to the counter and watched her colleague give her a cup of milk tea.

“It’s the new taro boba milk tea. It’s buy one, get one free, so it’s a great deal,” her colleague, Xu Wentao, handed a cup of milk tea to Shan Ling and happily poked a straw into her own cup.

Xu Wentao was also a girl who came from out of town to work. She and Shan Ling shared a bunk bed, and their relationship was pretty good. She had bought this cup of milk tea to thank Shan Ling for helping her find her lost phone this morning.

“You don’t have to be so kind,” Shan Ling said, feeling a bit embarrassed, holding the warm milk tea. She had already been rewarded with 50 points of merit for helping Xu Wentao find her phone. Drinking her milk tea felt a bit like taking advantage.

Shan Ling had only wanted to help to get some merit, but now she was also drinking her milk tea. She felt a little guilty.

Xu Wentao thought Shan Ling was just being polite, so she said with a smile, “It’s fine. If I had lost my phone, it would have cost me more than a cup of milk tea. This is a new phone I just bought. With so many people around, it would be impossible to find if it got lost.”

Seeing that Shan Ling was still a bit shy, Xu Wentao took a straw, inserted it for her, and handed it to her, saying, “Hurry up and drink it. It won’t taste good when it gets cold.”

Shan Ling couldn’t resist her persistence and started to drink it.

The warm taro milk tea was delicious. It was soft and sweet, and it went down smoothly. The aftertaste had the sweet aroma of taro. It was really good. Shan Ling had never had anything like this before. Her eyes lit up after the first sip.

It’s so sweet and delicious!

Xu Wentao saw Shan Ling’s expression and knew that she liked it. She smiled with her eyes crinkled. “It’s good, right? I knew you would like it. I’ll treat you to the next new flavor they have.”

Shan Ling quickly shook her head. She said seriously, “You treated me, so I should treat you next time.”

“That works, too. How about you treat me to milk tea, and I’ll treat you to dinner?”

“Okay, sure~”

While the two were chatting, Xu Wentao saw a figure walking toward them in a hurry. The person’s intimidating aura was a bit scary.

Before they could react, Shen Qingyi grabbed Shan Ling’s hand.

Shan Ling turned her head instinctively. When she saw Shen Qingyi, her eyes widened, and she froze in place.

[Merit +1]

[Merit +1]

…

The familiar expression and posture made Shan Ling instantly remember the month she had lived at Shen Qingyi’s house. She never thought that after more than half a month, Shen Qingyi would come looking for her.

Wait a minute!

Shan Ling’s fur instantly bristled. Logically speaking, Shen Qingyi shouldn’t know her, so why was she grabbing her hand?!

And judging from Shen Qingyi’s expression, it seemed like she had recognized Shan Ling’s identity.

“You…”

Shen Qingyi opened her mouth but found that she had no idea what the other person’s name was and whether this girl in front of her recognized her.

The two of them stared at each other, and neither of them dared to speak first.

Nuonuo came running with all the bags. She had watched her boss throw her bags and run off. The speed was so fast that she thought the milk tea shop was about to explode. She was so scared that she quickly grabbed the bags and ran with her. But she found out halfway through that her boss was… picking up a girl?

Huh?

“Manager?” Nuonuo looked at the girl Shen Qingyi was holding with a look of confusion. The girl was fair-skinned and delicate, with a pair of black, sparkling eyes that were especially lively.

What a beautiful girl.

Nuonuo couldn’t help but glance at her boss. She used to wonder why her beautiful boss didn’t have a boyfriend, but now she seemed to have figured something out.

“Miss, who are you?” Xu Wentao thought Shen Qingyi was a troublemaker, so she quickly put down the things in her hands and pulled Shan Ling back. She looked up and asked her, “Is there something you need?”

Shen Qingyi felt embarrassed at this moment. Why had she run over so impulsively?

She had been dreaming of the other person for a month, but if she were to say that in real life, wouldn’t it scare the other person to death?

Shen Qingyi coughed awkwardly. Her eyes were fixed on Shan Ling. She said, “I’m sorry, I… I think I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Everyone: “…”

Does anyone still use such a cheesy pickup line?

This rustic pickup line was so awkward that even Nuonuo was embarrassed. Shen Qingyi looked fashionable and elegant, so why was her pickup line so… tacky?

“Boss,” Nuonuo couldn’t stand it anymore. She tugged at Shen Qingyi’s sleeve and said, “Are you okay?”

Shen Qingyi was also very embarrassed. Her ears were red. Usually, others would approach her. When had she ever taken the initiative to approach someone else?

What’s more, it was under the scrutiny of so many people.

Xu Wentao looked at her in confusion, sizing her up and down. She took a small step back and asked Shan Ling, “Xiao Ling, is she your friend?”

Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi with her bright black eyes, not knowing how to answer.

If she said they knew each other, it wasn’t right.

If she said they didn’t know each other, it wasn’t right either.

Shan Ling hid behind Xu Wentao and was silent for a while before saying, “I think… she is?”

This uncertain tone made Xu Wentao’s eyes narrow slightly. She looked at the tall Shen Qingyi in front of her and thought for a moment. “Since she’s your friend, why don’t you talk to her while the playground isn’t busy?”

Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi but shook her head.

She had left Shen Qingyi back then because she was afraid Shen Qingyi would discover her identity. She definitely couldn’t just go with her now. After much thought, Shan Ling said to Shen Qingyi, “I’m sorry, miss, I’m still at work.”

Shen Qingyi quickly asked, “What time do you get off work?”

“10 o’clock,” Shan Ling answered.

“Okay, I understand.”

Shen Qingyi looked at Shan Ling and said, “Then I won’t bother you.”

With that, she turned to look at Nuonuo, took a few bags from her, and left.

Looking at Shen Qingyi’s retreating back, Shan Ling felt a little lost for some reason. She watched Shen Qingyi disappear from her sight and felt very suffocated. She didn’t want her to find her, but when she saw her turn around and leave so quickly, Shan Ling felt a strange mix of emotions.

She didn’t quite understand what was wrong with her. She had only lived at Shen Qingyi’s house for a short period. She had already paid her back with housework. Logically, Shan Ling didn’t owe her anything anymore.

So why did she still feel so bad after Shen Qingyi left?

Shen Qingyi seemed to have really left. Shan Ling sat behind the counter, feeling lost, and watched the cup of taro milk tea go from hot to cold.

By nine or ten o’clock at night, the children had mostly gone home. The closing time was said to be 10 p.m., but they could start cleaning up after 9 p.m. if no one was there.

Xu Wentao was cleaning up and glanced at Shan Ling. She walked over and asked, “What’s wrong? Still thinking about that person from this afternoon?”

Shan Ling glanced at her and sighed helplessly.

“I’m telling you, the way you’re acting, it doesn’t look like you don’t know her,” Xu Wentao’s gossip-loving heart was on fire. She looked at Shan Ling’s well-behaved and cute face, reached out, and tilted her chin up. She said with certainty, “You two definitely know each other.”

Shan Ling looked away awkwardly. “I really don’t know her.”

“Then why have you been sighing all night after she left?”

“I…”

Shan Ling couldn’t explain why she felt so lost. She scratched her head, not knowing what to say.

There were a lot of things to clean up in the playground. Shan Ling didn’t want to continue this topic, so she started cleaning up with Xu Wentao. They were done exactly at 10 p.m.

“Xiao Ling, are you hungry?” Xu Wentao and Shan Ling walked out of the mall. She said as she walked, “I want to eat fried noodles. Should we go to the night market?”

There was an alley near the mall that was a night market with many food stalls. They would often go there for a late-night snack after work.

Shan Ling was also a bit hungry. She had been busy tonight and hadn’t eaten much. Now that she heard Xu Wentao wanted to eat fried noodles, her mouth was watering.

“Okay, okay,” Shan Ling said. “I want to add two more eggs.”

Although they were both poultry, sparrows and chickens were not of the same family. Shan Ling didn’t feel a hint of guilt eating them. In fact, she even thought they were delicious.

Just then, Shan Ling’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a car parked on the side of the road. She stopped instantly.

She recognized that car. It was Shen Qingyi’s car.

Shan Ling looked at the car in confusion. Why was Shen Qingyi’s car here? Didn’t she go back this afternoon?

Xu Wentao noticed what Shan Ling was looking at and also turned her head. She saw the beautiful woman from this afternoon get out of the car and walk toward them against the wind.

Shen Qingyi was tall, much taller than most girls. As she stood outside the mall and looked at the two of them, she had a cold and aloof presence.

Shan Ling blinked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

The cold night wind blew on the three of them, making them all shiver. Shen Qingyi’s hair was flying in the wind, revealing her smooth and beautiful forehead, making her face look even more handsome in the cold wind.

“Are you free now?” Shen Qingyi looked at Shan Ling and said, “I’ll treat you to something to eat.”

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