Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Shen Jiaojiao started second grade this year. As the delicate little princess of the family, Shen Jiaojiao had always been very popular.

At home, her parents doted on her like a little princess.

At school, her teachers and classmates also cared for her.

With her cute and well-behaved appearance and her mother’s high IQ, Shen Jiaojiao’s life had always been smooth sailing, like a true little princess.

However, Shen Jiaojiao also had her weaknesses. As a child, Shen Jiaojiao was afraid of two people.

The first was her biological mother, Ms. Tao Wanyue.

This highly educated, high-IQ woman was very serious about her children’s education. Shen Jiaojiao could act spoiled around Shen Hongjun anytime, but she didn’t dare to act up in front of her mother. In addition to her schoolwork, Tao Wanyue had also enrolled Shen Jiaojiao in various piano and dance classes. At a young age, she had already collected a pile of certificates.

But because she was so excellent, she had to study a lot every day. Sometimes, when she wanted to go out and play, Shen Jiaojiao had to look at her mother’s face.

As long as Tao Wanyue didn’t nod, Shen Jiaojiao wouldn’t dare to go out, even if there was a rocket at the door.

Besides her mother, the second person Shen Jiaojiao was afraid of was her older sister—Shen Qingyi.

Shen Qingyi wasn’t a mean person. She wouldn’t force her to eat vegetables she didn’t like, wouldn’t enroll her in various piano classes, and wouldn’t say harsh words to her. In fact, every year on her birthday, she would receive a birthday gift from her sister.

But for some reason, Shen Hongjun and Tao Wanyue were very cautious around her sister and seemed to be looking at her for approval. Every time Shen Qingyi came home for dinner, Tao Wanyue would get up early to prepare. Even Shen Hongjun would schedule his time to welcome Shen Qingyi’s arrival.

Shen Jiaojiao didn’t understand why this was. She only knew that she absolutely could not provoke someone her own mother was afraid of.

So when Shen Jiaojiao saw Shen Qingyi and Jiang Yi standing at the school gate waiting for her, Shen Jiaojiao’s mind went blank.

“Hello, older sister…”

Shen Jiaojiao walked up to Shen Qingyi awkwardly. She looked at her sister and said cautiously, “Older sister, why are you here?”

Hadn’t they just had dinner together at home a few days ago? And Shen Qingyi had never come to her school before. Why today?

Shen Jiaojiao began to worry. Had she done something wrong? Was Shen Qingyi here to “question” her?

Shen Qingyi glanced at her sister, who was more than ten years younger than her. She said to Jiang Yi, “I’m taking her now. I’ll bring her back before 9 p.m.”

Jiang Yi looked at Shen Jiaojiao and bent down to say to her, “Jiaojiao, give your backpack to me. Your older sister is going to take you out to play today.”

“Go out and play?” Shen Jiaojiao was just a second-grader, so she was especially interested in playing.

She looked at Jiang Yi and then at Shen Qingyi. She tilted her small head and asked, “Older sister, where are we going to play?”

Shen Qingyi said calmly, “You’ll know when we get there.”

Shen Jiaojiao wasn’t discouraged by not getting an answer. She obediently gave her backpack to Jiang Yi and followed Shen Qingyi like a little shadow.

Jiang Yi watched the big and small figures get into the car and let out a long sigh.

It should be fine for the two sisters to go out like this, right?

Shen Jiaojiao obediently climbed into the back seat, then properly pulled the seatbelt over herself. She looked at Shen Qingyi, who was driving, like a little adult and blinked.

“Older sister,” Shen Jiaojiao said, sitting obediently in the chair and straightening her little pink skirt. “Don’t you think the skirt my mom bought for me is pretty? Today is the first day I’m wearing it.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at the little pink floral skirt in the rearview mirror. “Don’t you have to wear a school uniform in second grade?”

“Today is the sports meeting, so we don’t have to wear school uniforms,” Shen Jiaojiao said, swinging her little legs. She was so small that her feet couldn’t reach the floor of the back seat. She looked at the window leisurely and asked curiously, “Older sister, where are you taking me?”

Shen Qingyi made a turn and said, “You’ll find out in a bit.”

Shen Jiaojiao saw that she didn’t want to tell her. She looked at her with concern and didn’t dare to make a sound.

Shen Qingyi drove quietly. She glanced at the time. It was still not five o’clock. Second-graders got out of school earlier, so they would arrive at the playground just in time for dinner.

Shen Qingyi had already thought it through. She used to feel awkward sitting at the playground by herself without a child. But now that she had brought a child, she could sit down openly, right?

Let’s see what those grandpas and grandmas have to say now.

As Shen Qingyi was thinking, the car phone rang. She looked at it; it was Nuonuo’s call.

Why would she call me at this time?

Shen Qingyi answered it suspiciously. The car was immediately filled with Nuonuo’s voice. “Manager, where are you? A customer said she wants to see you.”

“Wants to see me?” Shen Qingyi drove carefully and asked, confused, “What customer wants to see me?”

“She said she’s a fan of yours or something and wants to meet you.”

Shen Qingyi was even more confused. She only occasionally recorded videos and posted them online. Most of her customers were just book lovers who came to buy her books. Someone claiming to be her fan didn’t sound like a decent person.

“Tell that person that I don’t know any fans and ask her to leave.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her that.”

After hanging up, Nuonuo looked at the girl sitting in the corner. The girl’s face looked a bit young. Her slender and beautiful eyebrows were perfectly shaped, and her eyes were watery. Her pink lips and small, round nose made her look like she was between a teenager and an adult, probably around 18 or 19 years old.

“Miss, I’m sorry,” Nuonuo walked up to her and said, “Our manager doesn’t know anything about fans. I think you might have the wrong person.”

The girl looked up at Nuonuo, her delicate brows furrowed tightly. “I didn’t get it wrong. The person I’m looking for is your manager.”

“But I just called the manager, and she said she doesn’t know you. And she’s a bit busy right now. How about you go back first? We’re about to close.”

“What kind of cafe closes before 5 p.m.?”

Nuonuo gave a bitter smile. “I’m really sorry, but our cafe is like that.”

Not only did they close at 5 p.m., but they were also closed on weekends.

Did you not know that?

The girl lowered her eyes, sighed softly, and took the small bag she had placed on the table. She said to Nuonuo, “I see. I’ll come back tomorrow then.”

As she watched the girl leave, Nuonuo felt that something was off.

She’s so persistent. Is she really not related to my manager?

…

Shen Qingyi had no idea what was happening at the cafe. She just walked ahead, occasionally looking back to see if the child following her had gotten lost.

The child’s legs were short. If Shen Qingyi walked a little faster, she would have to start running. She ran and stopped along the way, and Shen Jiaojiao was already breathing heavily.

Even so, Shen Jiaojiao didn’t dare to be whiny because she was afraid that Shen Qingyi would get angry and leave her there. In that case, she would truly be stranded. So, she had to be well-behaved!

Shen Qingyi had never taken care of a child before, so she didn’t know that she should hold the child’s hand to prevent her from getting lost. At this moment, she looked down at Shen Jiaojiao with mixed feelings.

The closer they got to the playground, the more people there were. Shen Jiaojiao was almost bumped into, so she quickly reached out and grabbed the corner of Shen Qingyi’s trench coat. She looked up at her timidly and said, “Older sister…”

Shen Qingyi glanced at her, told her to hold on, and slowed down her pace.

The big and small figures arrived at the playground. Shen Qingyi saw Shan Ling busy at the counter right away.

There weren’t many customers today, and there were many seats next to the playground. Shen Qingyi was quite satisfied. She walked over with Shen Jiaojiao.

Shan Ling noticed someone was there and looked up. When she saw Shen Qingyi, she smiled. “You’re here~”

Her gaze moved down, and she saw Shen Jiaojiao in her little pink princess dress. At that moment, Shen Jiaojiao was curiously looking around, completely unaware that Shen Qingyi would bring her here.

“This is…?” Shan Ling tilted her head. She had never seen this little girl before.

“This is my little sister,” Shen Qingyi said to Shan Ling in a gentle tone. “I don’t know if you let 8-year-olds play here.”

“8-year-olds are fine,” Shan Ling said, raising her bright black eyes. “Since she’s Miss Shen’s sister, she can play for free.”

With that, she said to Shen Jiaojiao, “Little friend, come over. I’ll stick a tag on you, and you can go in and play.”

Shen Jiaojiao had played here before. Jiang Yi had taken her here before she started school. Now, when she saw Shan Ling about to put a tag on her, she looked up obediently and asked, “I’m already 8 years old. Isn’t this a bit childish?”

Shan Ling smiled, her eyes crinkled. “You’re just a kid. As long as you have fun, how can it be childish?”

Shen Jiaojiao didn’t dare to say anything. She looked up at Shen Qingyi, seeking her opinion.

Shen Qingyi had brought her here to play, so she nodded calmly and said to Shen Jiaojiao, “Go and play. I’ll be here waiting for you.”

“Okay, older sister.” Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes were sparkling, but she held back her excitement and said to Shen Qingyi, “I’ll play for an hour, and then I’ll come out.”

Shen Qingyi didn’t have any objections. She watched Shen Jiaojiao take off her shoes and get into the ball pit. She was a child after all. When they had first met, she acted like a well-behaved little adult, but now, she was starting to show the expressions that a child should have.

After confirming that Shen Jiaojiao could play by herself, Shen Qingyi sat in a chair nearby and said to Shan Ling, “If I get a membership card here, do you get a commission?”

“Huh?” Shan Ling didn’t react for a moment. After a while, she understood what Shen Qingyi meant. She quickly leaned in close to her and whispered to Shen Qingyi, “You don’t have to spend money. I can secretly let her play.”

Shan Ling was very close to Shen Qingyi when she spoke. The low, soft voice made Shen Qingyi’s heart flutter uncontrollably. Her eyes instantly darkened.

“It’s okay,” Shen Qingyi said, looking at Shan Ling. Her black eyes were especially captivating. “It’s fine for once or twice, but I plan to bring her often, so it’s more convenient to get a card.”

Shan Ling stared at Shen Qingyi’s eyes, a little spaced out. She didn’t quite hear what the other person was saying.

“Xiao Ling,”

Shen Qingyi reached out and finally had the courage to gently rub her head. She said softly, “Get a card. From now on… I’ll come every day.”

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