Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Stepping out of the office, Fang Ran rubbed her sore eyes, but ultimately adjusted her state of mind to prevent the tears from falling.

Next, she had to go to HR. Since she couldn’t hand the resignation letter to Song Qinglan, she would have to follow the normal resignation process. There was no need to submit that specific letter, as it was written only for Song Qinglan’s eyes.

Ten years of time, the longest confession, would finally come to an end this winter.

When the HR colleague heard that Fang Ran was leaving, she was completely shocked. She pulled her down to sit and asked: “What’s going on? Did you and the boss have some kind of argument? Why must you resign? Can’t you talk it out?”

Fang Ran looked at her helplessly: “I wanted to try and talk it out, but Qinglan isn’t willing to speak to me.”

Her colleagues had all witnessed this.

Song Qinglan was spoiled and had a bad temper. She needed to be coaxed and persuaded everywhere she went. She could restrain her temper somewhat with brands and was serious about her work, but in the studio, her temper was not so good, and she would frequently lose her temper.

Whenever this happened, only Fang Ran dared to step in to extinguish the fire, seizing Song Qinglan’s weak spot and instantly dissolving her anger.

Studio colleagues jokingly called her the ‘Master Fire Extinguisher.’ But now, this pillar of the studio was about to resign. How were they going to survive?

“Ranran, be honest with me. What exactly happened between you and the boss? Why did she suddenly change so much?” The HR person asked curiously: “Did you offend her, or are you planning to jump ship to a competitor?”

“Neither,” Fang Ran said with a bitter smile: “After I resign, I plan to return to my hometown to find a stable job. Constantly drifting outside gives me no sense of belonging, and I’m tired every day, so I just want to relax.”

The HR person looked at her suspiciously: “Why don’t you think about it again? If you resign, the rest of us will suffer daily. Even for our sake, don’t make a decision so quickly.”

Fang Ran had actually already made up her mind, but since her longtime colleague was pleading with her, she could only nod slightly and say: “Then I’ll think about it for two more days.”

The HR person finally sighed in relief, but still looked at her with concern, offered a few more words of advice, and then let her leave.

When Fang Ran returned to her workstation, she saw that the brand representatives had arrived. They were friends with whom the studio had collaborated for a long time. They greeted Fang Ran when they saw her. Fang Ran felt too awkward to say much directly, so she directed someone to take the representatives to Song Qinglan’s office.

Several project managers from the studio also followed them in. Fang Ran knew the contract discussion would take at least one or two hours, and if it went smoothly, Song Qinglan would even have lunch with the representatives and might not return to the studio in the afternoon.

These were the procedures she used to arrange frequently. She believed today wouldn’t be much different.

Thinking this, she stood up, gathered her things, and left without saying goodbye to anyone.

She had arranged to meet Shan Ling and the others at the coffee shop today. Since Fang Ran was currently sidelined with no actual work, she was enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Less than five minutes after Fang Ran left the studio, a colleague emerged from Song Qinglan’s office. Seeing Fang Ran’s empty workstation, he wondered: “Where is Sister Fang Ran? The boss asked her to come in to discuss the brand collaboration issue.”

The colleague sitting across from Fang Ran looked up and said: “I think I saw her leave a moment ago.”

“Left?” The colleague frowned: “That’s not good. The boss is calling for her.”

The nearby colleague told him: “Maybe Fang Ran had something to do. Didn’t the boss dislike her recently? The brand collaboration issue was handed over to you all, so why is she suddenly looking for Fang Ran?”

“Who knows what the boss is thinking? She told us to call Fang Ran, so we came out.”

“The boss was ignoring Sister Fang Ran just now. Why is she calling her in now…”

The person, seeing Fang Ran was absent, quickly rushed back into the office and quietly told Song Qinglan what had happened.

Left?

Song Qinglan was unhappy, but she couldn’t show it too obviously in front of the brand representatives. She could only control her micro-expressions, take out her phone, find Fang Ran’s WeChat from the work group, and send a message: “Where are you? Come to my office.”

But the moment she sent it, a red exclamation mark appeared on the screen, shocking Song Qinglan into widening her eyes.

“The message was sent, but the recipient has blocked you.”

Song Qinglan was so stunned that she couldn’t maintain her expression. With trembling hands, she felt like throwing her phone out the window!

What love letter? What ten years of liking her?

Nonsense!

It’s all bloody nonsense!

Completely unaware of what had happened, Fang Ran arrived at the coffee shop.

On Monday, nearby companies were all at work, so there were many people drinking coffee. Shan Ling, in the midst of the rush, managed to spare a glance for Fang Ran, her eyes curving in a smile.

Perhaps because they had just eaten together on Saturday, their relationship had quickly grown closer. Fang Ran knew many people in this city, but very few with whom she could chat and eat without reservation.

Song Qinglan used to be one, and now Shan Ling was one.

The former now thoroughly detested Fang Ran, so Fang Ran only felt relaxed when she was with Shan Ling.

When it was time to order, Shan Ling leaned over slightly and said to Fang Ran: “Do you want to try our shop’s secret menu item today? My treat.”

“Secret menu item?” Fang Ran was puzzled. The coffee shop has a secret menu item?

Shan Ling smiled and nodded, telling Fang Ran: “Find a place to sit down, and I’ll make it and bring it to you.”

Make it?

Fang Ran realized that the coffee shop’s secret menu item must be a tea drink.

However, she didn’t say anything right away. Instead, she found a window seat, quietly watched the view outside, and waited for Shan Ling to make her tea.

In less than five minutes, Shan Ling emerged from the back kitchen with a small pot of tea.

The transparent little teapot held a pink liquid that looked crystal clear, like jelly, and had a faint peach aroma.

Shan Ling placed the pot of ‘Peach Blossom Tea’ in front of Fang Ran, winked mysteriously: “This is our shop’s secret tea drink, called ‘Peach Blossom Tea.’ This is the first time I’ve made it for a customer. Try it and see if it’s good.”

Peach Blossom Tea?

It sounded like a tea perfect for spring.

Fang Ran poured a small cup and drank it slowly, as if sampling fine tea.

She took a sip and found it pleasantly sweet, with a faint Oolong tea taste, combined with the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms. The flavor was very unique.

“The tea base is White Peach Oolong tea,” Shan Ling explained: “And I added some dried peach blossoms. I wasn’t sure if you liked sweets, so I didn’t add too much sugar.”

“It’s very delicious; it has a fragrant smell,” Fang Ran said: “It tastes better than regular White Peach Oolong.”

Shan Ling was very happy to hear this. Fang Ran was the first customer to drink this tea she had prepared, and her positive review made Shan Ling feel reassured.

“If you like it, you can order it again,” Shan Ling smiled lightly at her: “This tea is much cheaper than coffee.”

Fang Ran couldn’t help but laugh: “Your shop’s coffee is indeed expensive.”

Shan Ling nodded: “Exactly, exactly. If it were me, I couldn’t afford it.”

However, Shan Ling also didn’t like coffee. It was bitter and astringent, though the aroma was very rich, carrying a strange sense of happiness.

Fang Ran drank two small cups of tea, then put down the cup and said: “Are you busy today? I want to chat with you.”

Shan Ling glanced at the customers in the shop and then at Nuonuo and Shen Qingyi, who were chatting idly. Shen Qingyi seemed to notice Shan Ling looking her way, lifting her eyebrows, and their eyes met.

In that instant, Shan Ling felt a tingling sensation all over. She quickly turned back to Fang Ran and said: “I’m not busy right now. What do you want to talk about?”

“I plan to resign,” Fang Ran told Shan Ling: “But HR asked me to consider it for two more days, which I agreed to. I plan to formally submit my resignation via email on Wednesday so I can leave before the Spring Festival.”

Shan Ling blinked. She wasn’t surprised that Fang Ran was leaving Song Qinglan, but she asked curiously: “Are you sure you want to let go?”

“What good is being reluctant?” Fang Ran sipped the Peach Blossom Tea and said plainly: “Qinglan is irritated whenever she sees me, which makes me miserable every day. There’s no point in me continuing to stay by her side. Instead of being treated like this daily, I might as well leave myself.”

She should have left ten years ago.

She knew clearly back then that Song Qinglan couldn’t possibly like her, but she insisted on pushing it, applying to the same city as Song Qinglan for college, volunteering to be her assistant, and staying by her side.

Ending up in this situation was her own fault.

If she had recognized reality sooner, neither of them would be so miserable.

“What do you plan to do after you resign?” Shan Ling asked curiously: “Will you continue to be a celebrity assistant?”

Fang Ran shook her head: “There’s a rule in our industry that you can’t work for another artist within three years of leaving a previous one. Besides, I don’t plan to work for anyone else. I just want to go back to my hometown, pass the civil service exam, and stay there.”

Although it was a small city, it was where she and Song Qinglan first met, holding a special significance.

If she could stay there permanently, it would be a good decision.

Shan Ling didn’t quite understand what the civil service job entailed, but seeing Fang Ran’s demeanor, Shan Ling felt it might be a good path.

“Will you ever come back here?” Shan Ling supported her head and asked: “You haven’t tried my cooking yet. I’m actually not a bad cook.”

Fang Ran’s eyes curved in a smile: “Thank you. If I have time, maybe I can try your cooking.”

They chatted for a few more moments, but as more customers arrived, Shan Ling had to get busy. Fang Ran finished her tea and left the coffee shop.

On her way home, she called her parents and mentioned that Brother Zhang was busy driving and that she didn’t want to trouble him, as it was a family matter.

“You’re right, we shouldn’t always bother others,” Fang Ran’s mother said on the phone: “Your brother has a car anyway. The five of us will just drive down to see you then, saving us the trouble.”

Fang Ran nodded and smiled: “Then I’ll book two rooms for you and reserve the New Year’s Eve dinner. We can also sightsee during the holiday.”

Fang Ran’s mother was also very happy and confirmed their itinerary after discussing it with Fang Ran’s father.

After hanging up, Fang Ran reserved a table for New Year’s Eve dinner at Anxin’s restaurant and booked two rooms at a nearby hotel. After finishing these tasks, she hailed a taxi home.

But upon reaching her front door, Fang Ran noticed a familiar figure.

Song Qinglan’s face was stern. She stared intensely at Fang Ran and said deliberately, word by word: “You still dare to come back?”

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