Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The Christmas promotion was insufficient. Even with the “Buy One, Get One Free” offer, there weren’t many customers that day.

They closed the business before three o’clock. Nuonuo left to meet her friend, and Shen Qingyi drove Shan Ling toward Happy Valley.

Perhaps because of the holiday, the further out they drove, the more congested the traffic became, especially on the road leading to Happy Valley. They could see many more vehicles than usual, continuous and bustling, all heading for the same destination as Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi.

“There are so many people,” Shan Ling sat in the passenger seat, looking at the vehicles also stuck at the traffic light outside the window. She saw that most of them were parents with children. The children would occasionally turn to look at Shan Ling when they saw her gazing their way, meeting her eyes.

Shen Qingyi drove calmly. The closer they got to Happy Valley, the more crowded it became. She was a little concerned about parking later and told Shan Ling: “We won’t eat outside later. We’ll go directly into the park and have dinner inside.”

“Sounds good.” Shan Ling was still peering out the window, watching a nearby car carrying a large Golden Retriever, who was wearing exaggerated sunglasses, making it look particularly cool.

The dog glanced at Shan Ling and stuck out its tongue, looking as if it were smiling.

Although Shan Ling couldn’t hear the Golden Retriever speak, she could sense its happy emotions. She just wondered if Happy Valley allowed such a large pet inside. If not, it would be a shame.

Lost in thought, the car arrived at the main gate of Happy Valley. Shan Ling immediately saw the wide entrance and the intense festive atmosphere, which was many times better than their coffee shop’s.

Of course, the crowds were massive. Everyone seemed intent on watching the fireworks show on Christmas Day.

Shen Qingyi parked the car in a parking spot. Knowing they would be spending a long time outdoors today, both of them were bundled up tightly. Shan Ling wore her thick fur-trimmed windbreaker, and Shen Qingyi wore a very low-key, long black down jacket, which was both thick and warm.

This was Shan Ling’s first time in such a place, and she was curious about everything. She even had a strong interest in the lanterns above the ticket check. Suppressing the urge to fly up for a closer look, she and Shen Qingyi scanned their tickets and entered the park.

“It’s so big here!” Shan Ling, afraid of getting lost, held Shen Qingyi’s hand and started looking around haphazardly: “What’s that over there? There’s a little town? Wow, I see a carriage!”

Shen Qingyi followed Shan Ling’s gaze, sensing her excitement. She squeezed Shan Ling’s hand and laughed softly: “It’s still early. Shall we go play some games?”

Shan Ling’s eyes immediately lit up. She jumped up happily: “Let’s go! I want to go to that town. There are people dressed up as mascots inside!”

Meanwhile, Fang Ran also walked in through the ticket gate.

She was wearing a black and white utility down jacket today. She folded her ticket stub neatly and put it in her pocket, then checked the time on her phone.

It was not yet four o’clock.

Actually, shortly after Fang Ran suggested going to Happy Valley with Song Qinglan that day, she regretted it.

Song Qinglan was already very famous and couldn’t run around and have fun as she used to. Now, she had to cover herself completely every time she went out, afraid of being recognized.

Although Fang Ran really wanted to see the Happy Valley fireworks, she was still concerned about what kind of impact it would have on Song Qinglan.

Whether as her friend or her assistant, Fang Ran felt it was inappropriate for Song Qinglan to come to Happy Valley.

But…

Fang Ran looked up at Happy Valley, a place she had longed to visit for a long time, and couldn’t control her steps as she walked inside.

Ever since she moved to this city for university, she had wanted to come to Happy Valley to see the fireworks.

Before, she had the time but not the money. Playing here alone cost around a thousand dollars. She had no income then, relying entirely on her family for living expenses, and she also had to sneak extra money to Song Qinglan, as the other woman was having such a hard time as an extra on film sets.

Later, when she started working, Fang Ran saved some money, but then she didn’t have the time. She had to travel the world with Song Qinglan, take care of her daily needs, and accompany her to meet various directors and producers. Song Qinglan couldn’t dress plainly, so Fang Ran’s money was almost entirely invested in luxury items to make Song Qinglan noticeable to producers. She almost maxed out all her credit cards.

After that, Song Qinglan no longer needed Fang Ran’s financial support, but she became even busier than before. As a result, Fang Ran had been in this city for nearly ten years but had never genuinely visited this famous Happy Valley.

She looked up at the various amusement rides in the distance, found a quiet corner, pulled out her phone, and found Song Qinglan’s WeChat.

She had called Song Qinglan this morning, telling her to come in after dark to avoid being recognized during the day, and Song Qinglan readily agreed.

Now, she planned to call Song Qinglan to discuss the route for entering the park later.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. Song Qinglan’s lazy voice came through the phone.

“Ranran, what is it?” Song Qinglan sounded sleepy. Fang Ran guessed she had just woken up from a nap.

Perhaps due to their irregular work schedule, sometimes having to stay up late without reason, most artists developed the skill of being able to fall asleep instantly wherever possible.

Song Qinglan was no exception.

“Did you just wake up?” Fang Ran asked softly: “Don’t forget to turn on the heater when you sleep. It’s below zero these days. If you catch a cold, it will really disrupt your work.”

“No wonder I felt so cold while sleeping. So I didn’t turn on the heater,” Song Qinglan snuggled under the duvet, wrapping herself tightly in her blanket and giggling foolishly: “Ranran, you’re so good. I’m so happy to have such a thoughtful assistant like you. It’s been worth knowing you for so many years.”

It’s ten years.

Fang Ran quietly corrected her in her mind, maintaining her gentle tone as she told Song Qinglan: “I’ve already entered the park. You should come after dark. Don’t take a taxi. Call Driver Zhang, I told him you were coming to Happy Valley today and asked him to take you.”

“Huh?” Song Qinglan sounded confused. After thinking for a moment under the covers, she suddenly realized: “Oh, you mean going to Happy Valley, right? I almost forgot.”

Fang Ran chuckled: “I was afraid you’d forget, which is why I called you.” Song Qinglan turned over, holding the phone, and said: “I know, I remember now. I won’t miss the fireworks show tonight.”

“Good.” Fang Ran was filled with anticipation and told Song Qinglan: “Get up now, eat something before you come, don’t starve yourself.”

Song Qinglan happily gave two “mwah mwah” sounds over the phone and hung up. She stretched, got out of bed, and went to wash up.

It was still early, so Song Qinglan wasn’t in a hurry. To be honest, she had become jaded by the vibrant entertainment world over the years and didn’t have much interest in things like Happy Valley and fireworks shows. She used to film there all the time for TV dramas and variety shows.

But Fang Ran was her friend of so many years. Song Qinglan didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so she reluctantly agreed.

In fact, she really didn’t want to go.

Song Qinglan looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin condition was a little poor these days. She had an advertisement shoot in a few days, so she needed to take care of it.

Thinking this, Song Qinglan opened the refrigerator, picked out a hydrating face mask, cleaned her face, and applied it.

While wearing the mask, Song Qinglan walked towards her walk-in closet, choosing what she planned to wear today from among the various clothes.

Being a celebrity had this downside: you always had to dress beautifully when going out. Otherwise, if someone took photos, looking drab would severely diminish her image.

Song Qinglan pondered this, choosing a black coat, jeans, and a white sweater. These were all solid colors, looking quite plain, so she needed to accessorize.

She picked a pair of calfskin combat boots, a brown studded belt, and a black hat.

Although these items looked simple and ordinary, the cheapest item cost four or five thousand, not to mention the coat worth over 100,000 and the boots over 90,000.

But Song Qinglan was used to it. They were all gifts from brands trying to curry favor with her, so she didn’t have to spend a penny.

In the past, she always tried every way possible to buy expensive luxury goods to project a confident image. Now, even if Song Qinglan wore a 15 yuan white T-shirt, people would assume it cost at least three thousand.

This was probably the effect of fame.

Just as Song Qinglan was deciding which accessories to wear, the phone outside rang. She put down the wristband and chain-link jewelry she was holding and answered the call.

“Ms. Song, I’m from the D family brand representative. We discussed a contract before, do you remember?”

Song Qinglan couldn’t possibly remember. She hummed in acknowledgment and asked: “Is there something you need? If it’s about the endorsement, please contact my assistant directly.”

“We’ve contacted Assistant Fang before. We wanted to specifically invite Ms. Song to meet us at the Platinum City Club today. There happens to be a high-end Christmas cocktail party there. Would you be interested?”

Song Qinglan thought for a moment. She was about to refuse, but the other party suddenly said: “Ms. Yang Xiao will also be there.”

As soon as that name was mentioned, Song Qinglan immediately said: “I see. What time is the cocktail party?”

“It starts at 7 PM. You can arrive a little later.”

“I will be there on time.”

After hanging up the phone, Song Qinglan rushed back to the changing room fiercely. Yang Xiao was a young actress who had recently become popular and had stolen several of Song Qinglan’s endorsements. She absolutely had to go today to tear into her, or the other woman would genuinely climb over her head.

Throwing all the previously prepared low-key clothes onto the floor, Song Qinglan found several figure-flattering gowns, applied exquisite makeup, put on her most precious jewels, and called the club to confirm there was indeed a high-end cocktail party that evening. Only then did she call Driver Zhang.

“Boss, are you leaving now?” The driver on the other end, knowing she was going out, asked in a low voice.

“Yes, go to the Platinum Club. I have a cocktail party there tonight.”

“Huh?” Zhang asked puzzledly: “But Assistant Fang said I should take you to Happy Valley to see the fireworks show.”

Song Qinglan then realized that was indeed the case, and she said impatiently: “I know. I’ll tell Fang Ran later. Come to my house now and take me to the cocktail party before 7 o’clock. Do you understand?”

Zhang paused. He figured since the boss had said so, what right did he have to question it as a driver? He was ready to drive her out anyway.

“Yes, Boss.” Zhang said: “I’ll be at your door in ten minutes.”

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