Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Once inside the car, Shan Ling felt her feet were soaked. The car’s heater blowing on them only made it more uncomfortable.

Shan Ling fastened her seatbelt and looked down at her wet shoes. Before she could react, she heard Shen Qingyi beside her say, “Take them off if they’re wet. Are you planning to wear them all day?”

“But I don’t have any dry shoes,” Shan Ling said helplessly. “And wouldn’t you mind if I changed shoes in your car?”

Shen Qingyi smiled softly. She opened the trunk, got out of the car, rummaged through it, and found a pair of flat shoes.

“I wear size 38. See if you can wear them,” Shen Qingyi often kept a pair of flat sneakers in her car, just in case wearing heels made driving inconvenient. She always stocked some emergency items in the trunk.

Besides shoes, there were also blankets and umbrellas, so she wouldn’t have to worry about bad weather.

“I can wear them!” Shan Ling’s eyes lit up. She took the clean shoes and started changing in the passenger seat.

Shen Qingyi didn’t start the car; she just sat in her seat and watched her change.

Shan Ling’s skin was very fair. After taking off her shoes and socks, her feet were small and delicate, a soft pink color against the white. However, Shan Ling didn’t let Shen Qingyi look for too long. She quickly wiped her feet with a tissue and slipped them into Shen Qingyi’s shoes.

“Perfect fit,” Shan Ling wiggled her toes and said with satisfaction, “This is much more comfortable.”

After seeing her put on the shoes, Shen Qingyi turned her head and said, pretending to be calm, “When we get to the coffee shop, dry your shoes in the parking lot. They should be dry by the afternoon.”

“Okay.” Shan Ling fumbled for a plastic bag, put her shoes and socks into it, and placed it by her feet, saying, “Let’s go!”

Shen Qingyi drove smoothly, and since the morning rush hour was over, the traffic wasn’t particularly heavy. The two arrived at the coffee shop in less than half an hour.

The coffee shop wasn’t very busy today, and Nuonuo could manage alone.

However, when Shan Ling walked in, she noticed that the “Help Wanted” sign that used to be by the door was taken down.

Did they hire someone?

Shan Ling followed Shen Qingyi into the coffee shop, and Nuonuo greeted them cheerfully: “Boss, you’re here.”

Nuonuo saw Shan Ling behind Shen Qingyi and smiled happily: “Xiao Ling, you came too~”

“Nuonuo~” Shan Ling liked Nuonuo very much. She stood at the counter and asked her, “Did you hire a new employee? Why do I still see just you?”

Nuonuo said helplessly, “No, not yet.”

In fact, many people had applied shortly after the job posting, but Shen Qingyi just wasn’t satisfied with any of them. Later, she simply took down the recruiting notice, and Nuonuo wasn’t sure why.

However, the shop’s business wasn’t as good as it was when winter first started. In such a large coffee shop, there were only twenty or thirty customers a day.

Nuonuo could easily handle it.

Shen Qingyi glanced upstairs and asked Nuonuo, “Has anyone arrived in the private room?”

Nuonuo nodded: “Miss Ji arrived about ten minutes ago.”

“Good,” Shen Qingyi told her. “Help us brew two cups of… brew a pot of peach blossom tea.”

Nuonuo nodded and turned to prepare the tea.

Shan Ling stood at the counter and turned to Shen Qingyi, saying, “You go up first. I’ll bring the tea up when Nuonuo is finished brewing it.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at her, nodded, and said, “The first private room on the left upstairs. We will be talking business there.”

Shan Ling naturally knew the private room Shen Qingyi used most often; she had been there once before.

“I know, go ahead,” Shan Ling’s eyes curved with a smile: “I’ll be up in a moment.”

Shen Qingyi went upstairs and saw the private room door was open. Ji Lingyao was sitting on the wooden bench, looking out the window, looking preoccupied and did not notice Shen Qingyi walking in.

Outside the window was a patch of lush green shade, though it had turned dark green due to the snow, and was dotted with patches of white frost.

The midday sun shone directly onto the table, casting a very long shadow of Ji Lingyao.

“What are you looking at so intently?” Shen Qingyi said softly, sitting across from Ji Lingyao.

Ji Lingyao looked up at her, still looking distracted. One hand was resting on her head, and the other was gently stroking the petal-shaped coffee cup, absent-mindedly touching the gold-plated rim.

“Why are you alone, Miss Shen?” Ji Lingyao picked up the coffee and took a sip. Shen Qingyi could even smell the rich aroma of the coffee.

“Shan Ling is downstairs. She’ll be up soon,” Shen Qingyi leaned back against the chair, also looking out the window like Ji Lingyao.

The sunlight filtered through the glass and fell onto the tabletop, printing a golden glow that felt especially warm in the winter.

“Actually, even though I’ve had so many coffees, I still think the one brewed at Miss Shen’s shop is the best,” Ji Lingyao withdrew her gaze, staring at the brown coffee in her hand, and said, “But, I probably won’t be coming as often as I do now.”

“Why?” Shen Qingyi asked her.

“Various reasons,” Ji Lingyao said. “Including matters concerning Jiejie.”

Shen Qingyi didn’t answer immediately. After a moment, she said, “If you like it, I can mail you some of the coffee beans from the shop. You can grind them yourself at home and still get a similar taste to the shop’s coffee.”

Ji Lingyao shook her head: “It’s still not the same. I prefer drinking coffee in a place with ambiance.”

Shen Qingyi watched her quietly and asked, “Do you feel like we are meddling?”

“No. If I hadn’t asked you to help me find something, it would have taken me more effort to find Jiejie,” Ji Lingyao said calmly. “Before my father died, he cut off all clues about Jiejie, concealing bank records, household registration, and even ID information. Although I never gave up, I never expected her to be in the same city as me.”

Two people living in the same land, breathing the same air, perhaps they had even passed each other unintentionally.

Thinking about it now, Ji Lingyao felt a sense of dread. If she hadn’t visited the mall and been recommended by Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi to go drink porridge, she didn’t know how many times she would have missed An Xin.

Such a coincidental meeting, after so many chances, proved that perhaps in the great scheme of things, Ji Lingyao was meant to be with An Xin.

Whether it was the six years they spent together or the four years they were apart, it only strengthened her conviction that she could not live without her Jiejie.

Ji Lingyao could lose anything else, but not that one person.

“Are you two together?” Shen Qingyi frowned slightly: “Can An Xin accept you?”

If she remembered correctly, An Xin was a full 12 years older than Ji Lingyao. Could she accept Ji Lingyao, who was so much younger than herself?

“Not yet,” Ji Lingyao’s face immediately fell, showing a slightly childish expression. She said angrily, “Jiejie says I’m immature. Even though I’ve forced her to be with me, she seems very concerned about it.”

“Of course, she would be concerned.”

Shan Ling walked in, holding a transparent teapot. The pot was filled with pink peach blossom tea, which looked clear and exceptionally beautiful.

She placed the tea on the table, then picked up two clear glasses, poured a cup for herself and Shen Qingyi, and finally sat down facing Ji Lingyao.

“You’re so immature, smashing shops and grabbing people. How could Sister An Xin be with you?” Shan Ling warmed her hands with the teacup, looking helplessly at Ji Lingyao. She examined her up and down. From every angle, the other person still looked very young.

Although Shan Ling was only 2 years older than Ji Lingyao, Shan Ling felt she was much more mature than her.

Mhm, much more mature.

“If you could be as mature as me, I believe Sister An Xin would definitely like you,” Shan Ling said knowingly.

Ji Lingyao looked at Shan Ling, looking like she wanted to say something but held back.

Shen Qingyi, meanwhile, said, “She’s right.”

Ji Lingyao: “?”

Shan Ling said happily, “See? The masses have clear vision.”

Ji Lingyao let out a cold laugh. Clear vision? Clearly blinded by money, just saying nonsense to please her wife.

“Fine, if that makes you happy,” Ji Lingyao put down her coffee and said to the two of them, “So, did you two come to see me today just to tell me I’m immature?”

Shen Qingyi glanced at Shan Ling and said, “More or less.”

Ji Lingyao: “Don’t you two bully me too much.”

Shan Ling then said seriously, “Actually, I’m the one who wanted to talk to you. Sister An Xin and I are friends, and we are both concerned about her. Although we now understand your past with Sister An Xin, we still want you to respect her choices.”

Ji Lingyao wasn’t angry. She just propped up her head and said, “Jiejie is very stubborn. She always thinks I’m immature.”

Shan Ling said, “You just turned adult. It’s normal to be a little immature.”

“Then why does Jiejie keep rejecting me?”

“Well… I haven’t been in a relationship, so I don’t really know.”

Ji Lingyao narrowed her eyes, darting her gaze back and forth between Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi, and then murmured, “Haven’t been in a relationship???”

Shan Ling didn’t understand what was wrong with her statement. Shen Qingyi coughed, sat up straight, and said, “Miss Ji, do you know what your problem is?”

Ji Lingyao looked at her, confused.

“Ms. An is a mature person. She naturally expects her partner to be the same, at least mature and steady,” Shen Qingyi said. “You constantly losing control of your emotions, to Ms. An, is a sign of great insecurity.”

Shen Qingyi continued, “She ventured out on her own at a young age, striving alone in the city, all for a stable future. Although you love her very much, you are ultimately young and incapable of being mature and steady. This is the fundamental reason why she has always hesitated.”

Ji Lingyao frowned: “But that’s just how I am. I lose control when I see her. How can you expect me to be mature and steady?”

Shen Qingyi said, “Sometimes, learning to change yourself is a sign of maturity. When you learn to respect her and stop being so impulsive, you are giving her enough security.”

Ji Lingyao remained silent. She was seriously considering the meaning behind Shen Qingyi’s words.

She was indeed young. At 18, her energy was always overflowing. She could even cling to An Xin and demand she spend the entire day with her, making An Xin belong completely to her.

This was Ji Lingyao’s advantage—a passionate and vibrant partner.

But it was also Ji Lingyao’s disadvantage—an age that could not provide the other person with a sufficient sense of security.

“I understand,” Ji Lingyao looked up at Shen Qingyi and said, “I will learn to control my emotions. I also ask that Miss Shen continues to help me.”

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