Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Early winter days get dark particularly fast. By the time Shen Qingyi dropped Shen Jiaojiao off, it was completely dark.

Tao Wanyue and Aunt Jiang were already waiting at the villa entrance. When they saw Shen Qingyi’s car, they went up to it. Shen Jiaojiao also happily exclaimed “Mommy” and only opened the door to get out after the car had stopped.

“Jiaojiao.” Tao Wanyue looked over Shen Jiaojiao, reached out, and touched her face, then, relieved, looked at Shen Qingyi and said with a gentle smile, “Thank you for taking Jiaojiao out to play today.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at the woman and said calmly, “It’s nothing.”

She knew that Tao Wanyue was somewhat wary of her existence. After all, as the child of the ex-wife, she could compete with Shen Jiaojiao for the inheritance.

Other people might not know about Shen Qingyi’s mother’s illness, but this woman definitely did and was naturally aware that Shen Qingyi also had some genetic issues. Every time Shen Qingyi came to the Shen family, this woman was always polite but distant.

Shen Qingyi knew that being a stepmother was difficult, especially with only a ten-year age gap between them, which made it even more awkward.

Furthermore, it wasn’t wrong for Tao Wanyue to be afraid of her; she was indeed a patient.

Tao Wanyue looked down at her daughter, holding Shen Jiaojiao’s hand, and said, “What did your sister play with you today?”

“We went to the amusement park, ate KFC, and drank some porridge.” Shen Jiaojiao happily said to Shen Qingyi, “Thank you, big sister, for playing with me today. Can we go out and play again in the future?”

Shen Qingyi was slightly taken aback. Although she did have a plan to take Shen Jiaojiao out to play regularly, being asked this by the little girl made her feel a very strange sensation.

She only wanted to get closer to Shan Ling, which was why she had the sudden idea to take Shen Jiaojiao out.

She didn’t like kids and didn’t want any kind of sisterly bond. Everything she did today wasn’t to get on good terms with Shen Jiaojiao.

Why would an adult like Shen Qingyi want to get on good terms with a little girl?

But…

Shen Qingyi looked at Shen Jiaojiao’s sincere eyes, and that peculiar feeling became even more apparent. She awkwardly said “Mm” and then told Tao Wanyue and Aunt Jiang, “Then I’ll head back.”

Tao Wanyue waved to her, “Drive safely.”

Shen Qingyi drove away as if escaping something, but she couldn’t help but look in the rearview mirror at Tao Wanyue crouching down and talking to Shen Jiaojiao. The distance was too great for her to hear what they were saying, but she could see Shen Jiaojiao happily acting spoiled and pouncing into her mother’s arms.

Such a heartwarming scene made Shen Qingyi feel a little dazed. Many years ago, she also had a gentle mother.

However, schizophrenia turned her into a lunatic, and this madness was passed down to Shen Qingyi.

In the dim hospital room, her mother was tied up like a dumpling. Her face was extremely gaunt, and she looked like a crazy woman.

“Doctor, my wife, she…?”

Shen Qingyi sat by her mother’s hospital bed, listening to the conversation between Shen Hongjun and the doctor outside the door.

“Sigh, Mr. Shen, you’ve also seen your wife’s condition.”

“I know, but I really can’t accept it.”

“Mr. Shen, more than your wife, I suggest you look at your daughter’s mental state. This kind of schizophrenia is very easy to pass on to children. You should get a comprehensive checkup for her as soon as possible.”

“What do you mean? What do you mean?!”

“Mr. Shen…”

“You mean my daughter could also be… schizophrenic?”

“It’s very likely.”

A fierce roar came from outside the door. Later, probably afraid that the person inside would hear, Shen Hongjun lowered his voice and asked in a hoarse voice, [Is it a definite inheritance?”

“I can’t guarantee it. After all, your wife had no problems before. This disease is very deeply hidden and only shows itself when triggered.”

“…I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it.”

“Mr. Shen, don’t get too worked up. Some people can live their whole lives as normal people without being triggered.”

“Normal people, hahahaha, normal people… Now you’re telling me this, how can I believe my daughter will be a normal person in the future?”

Sometimes, fate is so ironic. Shen Hongjun tried every possible way to avoid triggering Shen Qingyi, hoping she could live a safe and happy life like a carefree little fool, but things always went against his wishes.

Shen Qingyi was driving, recalling the image of Shen Jiaojiao pouncing into Tao Wanyue’s arms. She felt that this was probably what a “normal person’s” warm life was like.

It was a life she could never have.

Following the traffic, she returned to her apartment. Shen Qingyi opened the door, letting the light from the hallway behind her shine into her home.

The dim light from the hallway cast a long shadow of Shen Qingyi into the room.

Loneliness, emptiness.

Darkness, fear.

The apartment she had lived in for so many years now felt like a black gaping maw, opening its terrifying mouth at Shen Qingyi. As soon as Shen Qingyi stepped in, she would be shattered into pieces.

These emotions seemed to be quietly hidden in every corner of the room. As soon as Shen Qingyi went in, they would attack from all sides, tearing her to shreds.

Can’t go in.

Shen Qingyi thought vaguely. She couldn’t enter the room.

All the places were familiar, but tonight they were exceptionally terrifying.

The hallway light went out, and the whole world turned pitch black. Shen Qingyi could even hear her own heavy breathing.

Can’t go in…

Shen Qingyi frowned. She decisively slammed the door shut with a loud ‘bang,’ which also made the sound-activated light in the hallway turn on again.

Then, she turned around and left the apartment in large strides. She drove and found a random hotel to stay in, then turned on all the lights in the room, making it brightly lit.

The unfamiliar environment was a small comfort. Shen Qingyi remembered that she had to see Shan Ling tomorrow, so she finally hid under the covers and fell into a deep sleep.

…

Shan Ling had a rare day off today. Normally, she wouldn’t rest if she didn’t have to, because her boss had said that if she didn’t rest, she could get a few hundred more yuan in salary. For the sake of those few hundred yuan, Shan Ling hadn’t rested for a long time.

Today, Shan Ling ran out of the apartment complex before 9 a.m. She immediately saw the sedan parked across the street and was slightly stunned.

There were many cars in front of the old apartment complex, and there were no traffic lights. Shan Ling spotted a gap and jogged across. After confirming that it was indeed Shen Qingyi’s car, she knocked on the car window.

Shen Qingyi was sitting in the car, listening to the radio with her eyes closed. Startled by the knock on the glass, she slowly opened her eyes.

When she saw that the person was Shan Ling, Shen Qingyi was also stunned.

After the car window was rolled down, Shan Ling tilted her head and looked at Shen Qingyi, saying in surprise, “It really is you. Why did you come so early? Didn’t we agree on ten o’clock?”

“Mm.” Shen Qingyi thought for a moment and said, “I thought there was nothing else to do, so I came over to wait for you.”

In reality, the hotel bed was uncomfortable and the soundproofing was poor. Shen Qingyi woke up early and had nothing to do, so she could only come here early to wait for Shan Ling.

“Have you eaten?” Shan Ling said with a smile, “I just got up and was planning to buy some steamed buns from the bun shop next door. Do you want to eat? Their carrot buns are especially delicious.”

Carrot buns?

Before Shen Qingyi could say anything, Shan Ling took the initiative and said, “Miss Shen, wait for me. I’ll go buy some buns!”

Without waiting for Shen Qingyi to stop her, she ran to the bun shop next door and ordered a few buns.

There was no one at the bun shop at this hour, so they quickly gave the buns to Shan Ling. Shan Ling also ordered a cup of soy milk, then went to the other side of the car and got in.

“Here.” Shan Ling used a clean white plastic bag to separate the buns and handed a cup of hot soy milk to Shen Qingyi. “Their soy milk is sweet. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

Shen Qingyi looked at the bun and the cup of soy milk, lowered her eyes, and smiled, “Anything is fine.”

The carrot buns were not as bad as she had imagined. They had a sweet and slightly spicy aftertaste. The carrots, vermicelli, and wood ear mushrooms were mixed together and steamed, making them soft and surprisingly good.

The soy milk was sweet, but not overly so. Shen Qingyi could manage to drink it.

Each of them had a bun. Shen Qingyi was indeed hungry and finished hers in a few bites. When she looked up, she found that Shan Ling hadn’t even finished half of hers. Her pair of bright black eyes were looking at Shen Qingyi, seemingly surprised that she ate so fast.

Shen Qingyi laughed and asked, “Did I eat too fast?”

“A little.” Shan Ling answered vaguely, her gaze drifting to the soy milk that Shen Qingyi had taken two sips from.

Shen Qingyi didn’t seem to like sweet soy milk. Shan Ling didn’t see her take another sip until she had finished her bun.

Shan Ling remembered that when they lived together before, Shen Qingyi didn’t like to eat sweet things. If there was a sweet dish in the stir-fry, she would only take one bite. She didn’t expect that she wouldn’t even drink soy milk.

What a waste.

Shan Ling glanced at Shen Qingyi, deliberated for a moment, and then said, “Miss Shen, you don’t like drinking soy milk, do you?”

Shen Qingyi glanced at the soy milk on the side and answered truthfully, “I don’t really like sweet things.”

“But wasting it isn’t good,” Shan Ling said with bright eyes. “If you’re not going to drink it, can I have it?”

Shen Qingyi froze.

Although she knew that some girls liked to share drinks, thinking it was a normal act of intimacy, for someone like Shen Qingyi, who liked women, she couldn’t quite get used to such an intimate gesture.

“This…” Shen Qingyi said awkwardly, “But I’ve already drunk from it.”

“It’s okay,” Shan Ling said, not thinking anything of it. She had eaten Shen Qingyi’s food at her house before and even worn her clothes. This cup of soy milk only had two sips taken from it, and it shouldn’t be wasted.

Shan Ling said, “Wasting it is bad, and besides, I’m a little thirsty.”

Shen Qingyi looked at her soy milk and felt that she couldn’t just tell Shan Ling that she liked girls and that drinking from the same cup was too intimate. So, she suggested, “Why don’t we use a different straw?”

“It’s fine.” Shan Ling took the soy milk from Shen Qingyi, took a sip, and said, “I wouldn’t dislike you.”

Shen Qingyi looked at her rosy lips and felt her ears getting hot.

Burning hot.

“Drink a little less. We still have other things to drink.” Shen Qingyi was too embarrassed to look at Shan Ling. She could only turn back and start the car, saying to her, “How about we go to the coffee shop first? The shop has been a little busy recently, and I need to lend a hand.”

“Okay,” Shan Ling said, sucking on the straw and leaning back in her seat, “I’ll just sit inside and wait for you.”

Shen Qingyi lightly said “Mm,” thinking that after she finished up at the shop, she would take Shan Ling to go shopping. Today, she wanted to spend some quality time with Shan Ling.

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