Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Zhou Shu frowned and told her seriously: “Yiyi, you are different from your mother. She was triggered by intense stimulation. As long as you don’t experience drastic shock, you can live like a normal person.”

Shen Qingyi responded: “What do you call intense stimulation?”

She looked at Zhou Shu and asked: “If a bird leaves my life, I’m stimulated. I can’t sleep for nights, my head throbs painfully, and I’m afraid to go back to my own home.”

“You are all afraid of me being stimulated, afraid I’ll become insane, and I have followed your advice, avoiding friends and submerging myself safely in my own world.” Shen Qingyi stared at Zhou Shu, saying: “I detached my emotions, yet I can’t help but yearn for people. If things continue this way, who can guarantee I won’t have an episode?”

“Yiyi,” Zhou Shu frowned and looked at her: “Your situation is much better now. The medication has been stopped. This proves that the treatment is effective.”

Shen Qingyi stared intently at her, remaining silent.

If she told Zhou Shu that the reason for her recovery was contact with Shan Ling, would they, out of fear of her being ‘stimulated,’ drive this person away from her side?

As long as Shan Ling isn’t around her, Shen Qingyi won’t be stimulated.

As long as Shen Qingyi seals off her emotions and stays safe in her own little world, no one can hurt her.

But people are social creatures after all. Shen Qingyi couldn’t guarantee that she would never reveal her true feelings to anyone.

“I know you are all doing this for my own good,” Shen Qingyi turned away from her, looking out the window, and said calmly: “And I also know that, in my current state, I cannot love anyone.”

Shen Qingyi said: “I have a bomb in my head. It can explode at any time and hurt the people around me. So, the best thing I can do is stay away from everyone.”

Zhou Shu was silent for a long time before saying: “Yiyi, you must have confidence in yourself. At least, you have done very well all this time.”

“Yes,” Shen Qingyi said. “I have always done very well.”

The pain in the darkness disappears during the day, but does it truly cease to exist?

Shen Qingyi thought not. When her head hurt, those things were there. When she was afraid, those things were there. When she was anxious, those things were there too.

This is an illness. Just because it isn’t showing doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Shen Qingyi is a normal person now, but who can guarantee she will be one in the future?

No one can guarantee it. Zhou Shu can’t, Shen Hongjun can’t, and she herself can’t.

Rather than carrying this bomb and inviting pity, it is better to isolate herself from everyone from the start.

To disguise herself with indifference.

To disguise herself with normalcy.

Perhaps, this was the only thing Shen Qingyi could do.

“I came today to talk about the treatment,” Zhou Shu didn’t bring up any other topics, seriously telling Shen Qingyi: “The treatment should have ended a long time ago, but I was worried about the instability of your condition, so I continued to observe for a few more weeks.”

“Your recent performance is better than I expected, so I think the treatment can be temporarily halted,” Zhou Shu looked at her and said easily, “You probably feel more relaxed not having to face me every week, right?”

Shen Qingyi lowered her eyes and said blandly: “No, I still enjoy chatting with you.”

“I enjoy chatting with you too,” Zhou Shu said. “But just chatting is enough. I hope you can remain healthy like this.”

She stood up from her chair and told Shen Qingyi: “However, if you experience any abnormalities afterward, you must still contact me immediately. Absolutely do not bottle things up.”

Shen Qingyi hadn’t expected Zhou Shu to come today to tell her this. It was rather embarrassing that she had just argued with her.

“Okay, I… will let you know if anything comes up,” Shen Qingyi also stood up and told her, “Do you have time today? We could have a meal together.”

“Not today. The clinic is quite busy. I’ll probably have to work overtime today. I barely squeezed out the time to come see you,” Zhou Shu slung her bag over her shoulder, returning to her initial lazy demeanor, and smiled at Shen Qingyi: “But seriously, are you really not planning to confess? That little girl seems like she’ll be very popular.”

Shen Qingyi said helplessly: “I’m not sure about her feelings yet, so I don’t have that idea for now. If, after getting along for a while, she can accept me, maybe we can be together.”

Zhou Shu gasped, saying emotionally: “Youth is great! What should a woman over thirty like me do? I’m so distressed.”

Shen Qingyi laughed: “If you like someone, it’s better to make the first move.”

“You have a point,” Zhou Shu smiled at Shen Qingyi: “I’m going to chat with Nuonuo for a bit and have her make me a cup of coffee.”

Shen Qingyi’s face instantly collapsed. Watching Zhou Shu push the door open, she shouted in frustration: “Can you stop trying to poach my employees!”

The answer Shen Qingyi received was the cheerful tap-tap-tap of Zhou Shu’s leather shoes on the stairs.

Later, Zhou Shu took the takeout coffee Nuonuo made for her and left, stating that she might frequent the shop more often and asking for a discount from Shen Qingyi.

Shen Qingyi wanted to break her legs.

After the small interlude in the morning, Nuonuo began teaching Shan Ling how to make coffee.

“Although Xiao Ling, your main job is cash register and front-of-house work, you can still learn how to make coffee,” Nuonuo glanced at Shen Qingyi, who was working seriously in the front, and whispered to Shan Ling: “Occasionally, when we’re not around, you can make some for yourself.”

Shan Ling smiled: “But I don’t like coffee.”

Nuonuo said “Oh,” blinked, and said: “It’s fine. Maybe you’ll grow to like it later. Let’s learn the simplest Americano and Latte today.”

Taking advantage of the sparse crowd in the afternoon, Shan Ling learned the simple coffee making methods for Americano and Iced Latte. She also tried making two cups for Nuonuo and Shen Qingyi to taste, but the reviews weren’t great.

Shen Qingyi didn’t say anything, but Nuonuo honestly told Shan Ling: “It’s a bit bad, but it’s not a major issue. I’ll be making the coffee anyway. If you really can’t learn, you don’t have to.”

Shan Ling looked at the brown liquid in front of her. She had wanted to try it, but the bitterness numbed her mouth after one sip, and she truly couldn’t distinguish between good and bad taste.

“It’s so bitter,” Shan Ling put down the coffee and said forlornly to the two of them, “Should I try to make another cup?”

“Let’s forget about today,” Shen Qingyi stopped Shan Ling and told her and Nuonuo: “It’s almost time to close. Try again tomorrow. Don’t force it if it’s too difficult.”

Nuonuo also nodded: “Exactly. It’s just the three of us in the shop. If I suddenly can’t make it, the Boss can cover. If neither of us is here, pausing business should be fine too.”

Shen Qingyi nodded slightly. Seeing Shan Ling’s disappointed look, she stroked her head and advised, “You’re not good at everything. It’s okay not to be able to make coffee.”

Shan Ling, however, held onto Shen Qingyi’s hand and asked in confusion: “But I’m really good at cooking. I can learn any dish just by looking at it or tasting it once. Why is making coffee so difficult?”

“Maybe all your talent went into cooking, which is why your coffee skills aren’t great,” Nuonuo stood up to comfort Shan Ling, then patted her shoulder and said, “Come on, let’s go home. It’ll be dark soon.”

When they got home, Shan Ling was still wondering why her coffee was so bad.

The main issue was that she was afraid of bitterness, so she couldn’t tell if her coffee tasted good or bad. If she could tolerate coffee, she would probably understand the difference.

Shen Qingyi didn’t think it was a big deal. If Shan Ling couldn’t make coffee, she couldn’t make coffee. Her ability to make it was enough.

“Should I peel an entire head of garlic?” Shen Qingyi weighed the garlic in her hand and asked Shan Ling, “Or half?”

Shan Ling glanced at it and said, “A quarter is fine. If you don’t like it much, just two cloves. It’s just for flavor anyway.”

Shen Qingyi peeled off two cloves and started peeling them near the trash can.

In addition to the garlic, Shen Qingyi also chopped half an onion, which nearly made her cry.

The two were busy cooking in the kitchen when they heard a phone ring.

Shan Ling listened, held the spatula, and told Shen Qingyi, “Yiyi, that’s your phone, right? Go answer it. You don’t need to be busy here.”

“Okay,” Shen Qingyi washed her hands and went to find her phone. She saw that it was Shen Hongjun calling.

“Hello, Dad,” Shen Qingyi grabbed two tissues to wipe her hands, clamping the phone between her shoulder and ear, and tilted her head to ask, “Is something the matter?”

“Yiyi,” Shen Hongjun’s voice came from the other end. He asked with a chuckle, “Have you had dinner yet?”

“I’m still cooking. We should be eating soon,” Shen Qingyi glanced at the kitchen and replied.

“The thing is, I’ll be going on a business trip this week, and your Aunt Tao has a lecture at her school. Since she’s a speaker, she can’t take time off. Jiaojiao happened to say she misses you, so I’m calling to ask if you have anything planned this weekend. If not, could you help look after Jiaojiao for a day?”

Shen Qingyi didn’t think for long and said “Mhm”: “I understand. I’ll pick her up at the villa on Saturday morning.”

“Good,” Shen Hongjun sounded very happy and told his daughter, “Then I’ll tell Jiaojiao that you’ll come pick her up this weekend.”

“Mhm.”

“Alright then, you get back to your cooking. I won’t bother you anymore.”

After hanging up the phone, Shen Qingyi looked at her phone for a moment, then turned to Shan Ling. She had agreed just now and forgotten that Shan Ling was living in her house.

The thought of Shen Jiaojiao, that little girl, made Shen Qingyi realize she needed to be cautious around her.

The little devil was too smart. She might say something random.

Thinking this, Shen Qingyi walked into the kitchen and saw Shan Ling standing with her hands on her hips, using a spoon to scoop a piece of meat to taste the saltiness. When she noticed Shen Qingyi coming over from the corner of her eye, she turned and told her, “Yiyi, come taste if this chicken is tender enough. Should I stew it for another fifteen minutes?”

“If you think it’s ready, take it out,” Shen Qingyi looked at her and said, “I just got a call from my dad. He said Jiaojiao wants to come to my place this weekend.”

“That’s great,” Shan Ling’s eyes lit up when she heard this. She told her, “When Jiaojiao comes, I’ll make her canned fruit. The peaches at the supermarket looked very good today. If I boil them with rock sugar, I can definitely make a pot of very delicious canned fruit, and she can even take some home.”

As she spoke, Shan Ling suddenly stopped. She and Shen Qingyi stared at each other. Shan Ling said blankly, “Jiaojiao doesn’t know I live with you, does she?”

Shen Qingyi nodded.

Shan Ling blinked and asked her, “What should we do?”

Support