Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

This Saturday, Shan Ling wore an orange quilted cotton jacket and a small white hat, making her look like a plump pumpkin.

Shen Qingyi, as always, drove the car, watching the little pumpkin next to her leaning against the window, basking in the warm sunshine.

“The weather is lovely today,” Shan Ling happily curled her feet: “It’s perfect for a grand opening! Auspicious!”

Shen Qingyi couldn’t help but laugh out loud and told her: “We’ll reach Fang Ran’s place soon. Call her now and ask her to wait for us right at the complex gate so we don’t have to go in.”

Shan Ling nodded, grabbed her phone, and called Fang Ran.

On the other end of the line, Fang Ran had already come out early and agreed to wait for them by the roadside near the complex entrance.

As soon as Shen Qingyi’s car arrived, she spotted Fang Ran and pulled over smoothly.

Shan Ling cheerfully lowered the car window, poking her head out and saying: “Ranran, sit in the back~”

Fang Ran’s eyes curved in a smile, and she got into the car, carrying two boxes of fruit.

“I didn’t know what to bring there,” Fang Ran sat in the back, placing the boxes of fruit by her feet and asking: “Are two boxes of kiwi fruit alright?”

Shan Ling immediately leaned over the back of the seat, looked at the boxes by her feet, and asked: “Is it expensive? There’s no need for anything too costly. Sister Anxin doesn’t accept expensive gifts.”

Fang Ran smiled: “No, it’s not expensive. It’s from an orchard run by someone I know. I asked them to bring me a few boxes. You can take some home later.”

Kiwi fruit?

Shan Ling blinked. She loved fruit, especially sweet ones like this, and immediately said shyly: “That’s too much trouble.”

Fang Ran could naturally tell that Shan Ling wanted to eat them, and her eyes curved into a smile.

Shen Qingyi sighed internally, stretched out a hand, and pulled Shan Ling back down from the seat-back, telling her: “Stop moving around and sit still.”

Then, she said to Fang Ran: “You didn’t need to bring fruit. We don’t lack anything at home. Today, we mainly brought you out for a change of scenery. You don’t have to be so formal.”

Fang Ran nodded and said gratefully: “Thank you both.”

The thanks were heartfelt.

In the past, Fang Ran was the type of person who buried all problems deep in her heart, letting both happy and sad emotions slowly digest internally.

But the appearance of Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi felt like shattering that glass, making her realize that some people could live so happily and freely.

Fang Ran pushed up the glasses on her nose, looked at the weather outside the window, and couldn’t help but sigh: “The weather is truly lovely today.”

The car drove on. There was no traffic today, so Shen Qingyi arrived at the navigated location in just half an hour.

From a distance, they could see a building with very traditional architecture, adorned with colorful lanterns. Large bouquets for the grand opening were placed at the entrance, and welcoming staff were greeting guests.

There was a cleared open space behind the restaurant designated as a parking lot. After Shen Qingyi parked the car, she got out.

Shan Ling clutched her hat, looking at the three-story building with bright eyes and said: “Sister Anxin’s business is quite big.”

When she heard Xu Wentao mention a three-story building, she thought it might just be a slightly larger three-story house. She hadn’t expected it to be so spacious and even have its own parking lot.

The three walked toward the building while looking around. Shan Ling called Xu Wentao to ask where she was.

“I’m already here,” Xu Wentao said on the phone: “Just come straight in and go up to the third floor. I’ll wait for you by the stairs.”

After hanging up, Shan Ling looked around and didn’t see Anxin on the first floor, so they went up to the third floor.

As soon as they reached the corner of the third floor, they saw Xu Wentao waiting there. Her gaze briefly lingered on Fang Ran, but since Shan Ling had mentioned bringing a friend, Xu Wentao wasn’t too surprised.

However, the person still looked strangely familiar to Xu Wentao, but she couldn’t immediately recall where she had seen her.

Perhaps she was a previous customer?

While thinking, Xu Wentao greeted Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi: “You’re here! I’ve saved a table for you.”

After saying this, she naturally took Shan Ling’s arm, and the two walked closely together, causing Shen Qingyi, who was walking behind, to instantly narrow her eyes.

Shan Ling and Xu Wentao were completely oblivious, walking ahead and chatting casually as Xu Wentao talked animatedly.

“The first floor is for dining, the second floor is for private rooms, and the third floor has conference rooms and large suites,” Xu Wentao whispered to Shan Ling: “Sister Anxin and I agreed. I’ll come help her after I get this month’s salary from the amusement park. My job will be the lobby manager.”

Shan Ling looked at her in surprise: “Really? That’s wonderful! I was worried Sister Anxin didn’t have enough help. With you there, she should be much more relaxed.”

Xu Wentao was also very happy. This job not only helped Anxin but also offered much more reasonable working hours. Although it was still in the service industry, it was much better than retrieving people at the amusement park. The only downside was that she might not have many days off during holidays. But that was fine, as she was originally from out of town and only went home a few times a year anyway, so having holidays or not didn’t really matter.

After chatting for a bit, Xu Wentao looked back at the two people behind them, then quietly leaned into Shan Ling’s ear and whispered: “I have so many questions for you. Sit next to me later.”

Shan Ling nodded. Once the four of them entered the private room, they saw someone leaning lazily on a chair, tapping on a screen, seemingly playing a game.

Hearing people enter, Ji Lingyao looked up, glanced at the four arrivals, and then went back to her screen. Although she didn’t move, she politely greeted them: “You’re all here. Sit wherever you like. My sister will bring a few more friends later.”

Shen Qingyi looked at Ji Lingyao and told Shan Ling: “Let’s sit far away from her.”

Shan Ling glanced at the two and had no objection.

When Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi sat down, Ji Lingyao looked up and was displeased to see them sitting so far away. She said: “Am I the god of plague? Why are you sitting so far from me?”

Shen Qingyi looked at her calmly: “We don’t sit at the same table as children.”

Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi curiously. It was rare to hear her tease anyone. Shen Qingyi was usually a woman of few words, rarely speaking unless necessary. The fact that she teased Ji Lingyao upon opening her mouth truly surprised Shan Ling.

Ji Lingyao pouted. Seeing that they wouldn’t move, she had no choice but to grab her phone and scoot over, sitting down right next to Shen Qingyi.

Xu Wentao sighed helplessly and told Shan Ling: “Hey, you should know her, right? She’s…”

She leaned close to Shan Ling’s ear and whispered: “Sister Anxin’s girlfriend.”

“I know,” Shan Ling looked at her with a smile, not mentioning that she and Shen Qingyi helped set them up, or else this restaurant wouldn’t exist now.

Fang Ran looked around the well-decorated hall. The private room was large, and the table was spacious. She estimated it could seat about 20 people. Although it was a newly opened restaurant, she assumed it had previously been a catering business and was taken over and revamped, otherwise, it wouldn’t have so many tables and chairs.

There were only five people in the room now. Xu Wentao was chatting with Shan Ling, Ji Lingyao was playing her game and occasionally chatting with Shen Qingyi, and only Fang Ran was alone, seemingly unable to blend in.

Fang Ran took out her phone and looked at the photo shared in the work group: Song Qinglan walking the red carpet at a jewelry banquet today.

Because the banquet was not high-level, Song Qinglan only needed to show her face, say a few words, and chat with the organizer before leaving. There was no need to stay until the end.

Originally, Fang Ran was supposed to attend this jewelry banquet, but Song Qinglan still didn’t want to see her, so she arranged for someone else to go.

Currently, the intern assistant had sent a short video of Song Qinglan walking the red carpet. Fang Ran watched it on mute and noticed the dark circles under Song Qinglan’s eyes. Even with a lot of makeup, they were still noticeable and looked quite pronounced in the video.

Is she not sleeping well again?

Song Qinglan was the type of person who would get dark circles easily if she didn’t sleep well, and they were hard to cover with powder. That was why Fang Ran used to pay extra attention to her sleep, ensuring Song Qinglan slept enough before arranging any important work.

As expected, she hasn’t taken good care of herself this past week that I haven’t been around.

Fang Ran sighed and closed the short video.

“I remember who you are.”

Just then, Xu Wentao, who was sitting next to her, looked at Fang Ran, her eyes widening: “You’re Song Qinglan’s assistant, aren’t you? I’m her fan. I see you often. I felt you looked familiar outside, but I couldn’t remember until now. That’s why.”

Fang Ran was surprised. She looked at Xu Wentao and offered a professional smile: “Thank you for supporting Qinglan.”

Xu Wentao blinked and asked her: “Was the autographed photo that Xiao Ling asked for given by you?”

“Autographed photo?”

“The one that says ‘May you get rich overnight’.”

Fang Ran immediately recalled it, nodded, and said: “Yes, I remember that autographed photo.”

Xu Wentao was quite the fan of Song Qinglan. She chuckled and said: “Haha, I really like Song Qinglan. After all, there are few female artists as beautiful and famous as her. I’ve watched all her movies. I can clearly feel her acting improving. It must be wonderful to be around her every day.”

Fang Ran’s eyes instantly dimmed. She smiled bitterly and said: “Yes, she’s really getting better and better.”

And further and further away from me.

Shan Ling felt that she shouldn’t let Xu Wentao keep bringing up Song Qinglan, so she gently pulled her and asked: “Where is Sister Anxin? Are there any other friends coming?”

“I don’t know,” Xu Wentao was easily diverted by Shan Ling’s change of topic. She thought for a moment and said: “They seem to be old customers who used to support her business. She doesn’t have family in this city, so everyone who’s coming are either friends or loyal patrons.”

Shan Ling nodded, glanced at Fang Ran, and reached across Xu Wentao to hold her hand.

Fang Ran was startled. She looked up at Shan Ling, confused.

“Ranran, you definitely haven’t tasted Sister Anxin’s cooking. Her food is especially delicious, and her porridge is fantastic,” Shan Ling smiled at her: “Be sure to eat a lot later. Sister Anxin will be very happy.”

Fang Ran nodded gently, also showing a reserved smile: “Then I’ll certainly be a frequent patron in the future.”

Just as she finished speaking, they heard a group of voices outside. Sister Anxin, wearing a sharp business suit, walked in with a few guests. Her eyes lit up when she saw Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi: “You’re all here! It’s been too long.”

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