Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Today was Friday, and the coffee shop didn’t have a massive number of customers, but it was still several times busier than before. Nuonuo was busy running around alone, and after hearing the fifth takeout order, she decisively rushed to the counter and turned off the online ordering.

If this continued, someone was really going to die!

Just as Nuonuo was crying and shouting in desperation, the doorbell rang again. She looked back and saw Shen Qingyi entering with a person. Knowing help had arrived, she quickly cried out, “Manager, save my dog’s life!!!”

Shen Qingyi was startled by her and, after seeing the situation clearly, said helplessly to Shan Ling, “I’m so sorry, it might be quite busy today. Please find a place to sit first, and I’ll come find you later.”

Shan Ling didn’t mind. After all, as long as she could be with Shen Qingyi, the day was well spent.

There were quite a few people in the coffee shop. Even the price increase of coffee didn’t stop too many people from coming. So, at the moment, only a small round table in the corner of the first floor was available. Shan Ling walked over and sat down.

The round table was very small. If two people sat across from each other, they might bump heads while drinking coffee.

The melodious violin music and the rich aroma of coffee, along with the retro style, made the entire coffee shop particularly charming. Even a shallow little spirit like Shan Ling felt this was a great place for leisure.

Shan Ling sat in that spot, unsure what to do, as she didn’t have a phone or a computer, so she just sat there looking somewhat (dull/blank).

Maybe I should just grab a magazine to look at, even if it’s just for show.

Thinking this, Shan Ling placed her small shoulder bag on the chair and went to the side to pick out a magazine.

The books in the coffee shop were from a long time ago, serving more as decoration than reading material. So, Shan Ling took over a minute to finally choose a story magazine and returned.

But at that moment, Shan Ling found her seat was occupied.

The person was looking down at a phone. The large-screen black phone couldn’t be played with one hand, so the girl held it with both hands. A black baseball cap covered her head, and her glossy black hair was draped over her shoulders, preventing Shan Ling from clearly seeing her appearance or age.

“Excuse me.” Shan Ling walked up and looked at the person, saying awkwardly, “This seat is mine.”

The girl stopped what she was doing and looked up at Shan Ling from under the baseball cap.

The girl, who looked about 18 or 19, had a beautiful pair of peach blossom eyes. The slender corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, making her gaze captivating and especially moving.

However, this pair of beautiful eyes appeared slightly cold. At the moment, she was just calmly looking at Shan Ling, remaining silent for a while before asking, “There was no one sitting here when I arrived. How can you prove this is yours?”

Shan Ling blinked, pointing to her small bag placed on the other chair. “This is my bag.”

The girl lowered her eyes to look at it, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.

She pondered for a moment before saying to Shan Ling, “I apologize, the shop is too crowded. If you are alone, could I share the table with you?”

Shan Ling didn’t find it too difficult. Although the girl looked a bit ill-tempered, sharing a table was not a big issue.

“Sure.” Shan Ling picked up her bag, placed it on the table, and sat down, saying to her, “I’m alone anyway. If you don’t mind, you can sit here.”

“Thank you.” The girl said politely, not moving again, lowering her head to continue playing with her phone.

Since the other person was quiet, Shan Ling didn’t rush to talk to her. She just scrolled through the magazine out of boredom, turning page after page.

The content of the magazine was quite interesting, consisting of small comics. A few panels would clearly tell a humorous story. Shan Ling couldn’t help but keep laughing as she read.

When Shen Qingyi walked over with a cup of Peach Blossom Tea, she saw Shan Ling intensely focused on a certain page, shaking with laughter.

“What are you looking at that’s making you so happy?” Shen Qingyi stood by the table and placed the pink Peach Blossom Tea across from her.

“Ah, Yiyi~”

Shan Ling hadn’t fully recovered from the story yet, her eyes curving with a smile. “You’re here.”

Shen Qingyi had her hair tied in a high ponytail and wore the coffee shop’s apron. She looked at Shan Ling, holding the small wooden tray for carrying drinks, and smiled slightly at the address ‘Yiyi.’

She glanced at the girl across the table wearing the baseball cap, then withdrew her gaze and said, “This is the shop’s newly introduced Peach Blossom Tea. It’s sweet. Try it and see if you like it.”

“Peach Blossom Tea?” Shan Ling held the magazine, looking at the pink drink, and asked curiously, “Does it taste like peach blossoms?”

“You’ll know once you taste it.”

“Okay.”

Shan Ling didn’t hesitate, picking up the small cup of Peach Blossom Tea and taking a sip. The sweet and fragrant taste was warm and rich. The scent of peach blossoms flowed into her lungs with the tea, and there was a faint aftertaste of white peach.

“It’s delicious,” Shan Ling said in surprise. “Is this white peach tea?”

“It has white peach and peach blossom.” Shen Qingyi laughed softly. “Do you like it? We want to make it the coffee shop’s hidden drink. You are the first customer to drink it besides Nuonuo.”

“Delicious, delicious!” Shan Ling praised lavishly. “Much better than coffee. I love this taste.”

Shen Qingyi was also infected by her smile, her eyes filled with doting affection as she looked at Shan Ling.

“Hello.”

Just then, the girl who had been sitting across the table silently suddenly spoke. As she stood up, Shan Ling realized that this young girl was surprisingly tall.

Her legs are so long!

Shen Qingyi was also a bit surprised. She examined the tall girl in front of her, confirming that she didn’t know her, and wondered why she suddenly spoke to her.

“You are…?” Shen Qingyi asked, confused.

“I’ve been to the shop a few times, but I haven’t been able to find you.” The girl took off her hat. Her long black hair was thick and shiny. Her pair of peach blossom eyes looked at Shen Qingyi with seriousness and persistence. She slowly said, “I often watch your videos and Weibo, and I know you sell relatively niche books, so I would like to ask you for a favor.”

The girl said, “I want you to help me find a book.”

On the balcony of the first floor, Shen Qingyi brought two glasses of lemonade and Shan Ling’s Peach Blossom Tea, placing them on the wrought-iron dining table with the best view.

Shen Qingyi glanced at the girl and placed a glass of lemonade in front of her.

“Please sit.” Shen Qingyi pulled out a chair and sat down, gazing at the green scenery in the distance. She asked, “So, you specifically came to intercept me today?”

Shan Ling sat next to Shen Qingyi, her curious eyes darting between the two.

“Yes.” The girl was very straightforward, saying to Shen Qingyi, “I have asked many people for this book but couldn’t find it. Someone recommended me to you, so I came.”

Shen Qingyi was silent for a while before saying, “I think you misunderstand. I do deal in first-edition books, but that is merely a hobby for me. My main job is running a coffee shop.”

“Really?” The girl calmly looked at Shen Qingyi, asking with a hint of amusement, “Is a struggling coffee shop really your main job, Miss Shen?”

Shen Qingyi met her gaze. “You know my name?”

Although Shen Qingyi would post videos of herself restoring books online, and occasionally sell some very niche first-edition books on forums, not many people knew her real name or workplace.

The young girl in front of her, who looked barely adult, seemed more capable than Shen Qingyi had thought.

The girl tilted her head slightly and smiled, looking gentle and showing a clean little canine tooth. “Not only do I know Miss Shen’s name, but I also know your job and family.”

“…You investigated me?”

“I apologize, I did spend money to find out about your situation.”

The girl showed no sign of discomfort, instead looking calmly at Shen Qingyi. “I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Ji Lingyao, I am 18 years old, and I am a freshman at Hunan University.”

“Hunan University?” Shen Qingyi paused at the name. “The top university in this city?”

Ji Lingyao smiled softly. “Yes.”

“Those who can attend this university are either very rich or very smart. Judging by Miss Ji’s appearance, you must be a child from a wealthy family, right?” Shen Qingyi glanced at her attire. Although the clothes looked ordinary, the cheapest would cost three to five thousand, which was not something an average university student could afford.

“That is not for Miss Shen to worry about.” Ji Lingyao seemed to dislike people mentioning her background. She picked up the lemonade and took a sip, then returned to the main topic. “The book I want Miss Shen to help me find is rather… unconventional.”

Unconventional?

Shen Qingyi leaned back, crossing her arms on the chair, and said to Ji Lingyao, “Miss Ji, let me reiterate. I am a first-edition book dealer, not a big data expert. If you want to buy a book from me, I at least have to possess it, right?”

Ji Lingyao was silent for a moment, looking at Shen Qingyi with a troubled expression. “Miss Shen, please help me. I have been looking for this book for a long time. You are my last hope.”

This innocent tone was completely different from just moments ago. Shen Qingyi had no goodwill toward this young girl whose face changed faster than flipping a book.

“Tell me about it then.” Shen Qingyi felt Ji Lingyao wouldn’t leave so easily, so she might as well listen to her request first.

Ji Lingyao showed an excited expression upon hearing this. She held the lemonade with both hands, took another sip, and then said to Shen Qingyi, “The book should be called The Little Mermaid.”

Shen Qingyi: “…”

That’s it?

You could walk into any bookstore on the street and buy The Little Mermaid. And there were different versions, including Andersen’s and Disney’s. If you didn’t want to go out, you could even find it on video websites.

Shen Qingyi truly didn’t understand why such a common fairy tale would require a personal visit to her.

“Miss Ji…”

“Please let me finish.”

Ji Lingyao put down her cup, looking seriously at Shen Qingyi, as solemn as if she were addressing an exam invigilator at school.

“This is a story I heard when I was little. This version of The Little Mermaid is different from the others.” Ji Lingyao said, “In the story, the little mermaid fell in love with a prince who suffered a shipwreck, then rescued him when his ship went down, and fell deeply in love with him.”

“To get her beloved prince, the little mermaid begged the sea witch to keep the prince in the deep sea forever. To protect her beloved Prince, the little mermaid, no longer suffering the humiliation of other sea creatures, defeated her siblings who had insulted her, became the Queen of the Sea, and lived happily ever after with her deeply loved prince in the deep sea.”

After Ji Lingyao finished in one breath, she looked at Shen Qingyi and said very seriously, “Miss Shen, please help me find this book.”

Shen Qingyi: “…”

Shen Qingyi: “?”!

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