Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Near Central Park, there were several commercial areas, and the most bustling ones were all nearby.

Fang Ran invited Shan Ling, and the two arrived at the very end of an alley. It was a winding path leading to a secluded place, featuring a Japanese-style torii gate. Short streetlights lined both sides of the path, illuminating the dark alley.

Shan Ling’s hearing was sharp, and listening closely, she could hear the sound of running water. She realized there were streams flowing slowly on both sides of the alley.

“This Japanese restaurant is owned by my friend, and all the ingredients are very fresh,” Fang Ran pushed the door open. A waiter in a short apron approached, greeting Fang Ran warmly: “Miss Fang.”

Fang Ran nodded and told her: “I reserved a private room this afternoon.”

“Alright,” the waiter smiled: “Please come this way. Is it for two? Our boss said he prepared the usual private room for you and Miss Song.”

Shan Ling looked around. As soon as she entered, she noticed the excellent interior design. She usually ate at home or in a shopping mall and had never been to a place like this. The decor was simple and understated. There was a small pool near the counter with what seemed to be various Koi fish, and the rock garden was covered with coins.

When she heard the waiter’s words, she asked curiously: “Miss Song is… Song Qinglan?”

Fang Ran nodded: “Qinglan and I are regular customers here.”

Shan Ling blinked, mentally calculating how expensive this must be and whether a modest working person like her could afford it.

When the waiter led the two into the private room, Shan Ling was startled to find a courtyard paved with white cobblestones, a rock garden slightly taller than the main hall, and an artificial stream. The dining table was set in the middle of the courtyard, making the space feel serene and spacious.

Shan Ling had never imagined that a private room could have a courtyard. Moreover, the place was extremely quiet, with none of the noise of a shopping mall, making it very suitable for small groups of people to chat and eat quietly.

“Is this place expensive?” Shan Ling tilted her head, looking around and calculating if her small wallet had enough remaining. Since Fang Ran brought her to such a nice place, she couldn’t let her pay entirely; she had to at least split the bill.

“It’s okay. The dishes here are a bit pricey, but there are plenty of more expensive places in this city,” Fang Ran pulled out a chair and sat down, telling Shan Ling: “The main reasons we come here are the fresh food and the quiet atmosphere.”

Shan Ling didn’t feel constrained. Since she was already here, she should enjoy it. She sat down opposite Fang Ran and looked at the menu.

“Did you and Miss Song often eat out together before?” Shan Ling asked curiously.

Fang Ran nodded. She checked off a few dishes she usually liked and told Shan Ling: “When Qinglan and I were close, we would go to many places to eat. When we were in college, we didn’t have much money, so we could only look at restaurant recommendations online and save them, then go when we had money.”

Later, Song Qinglan became increasingly famous, but she was still willing to take Fang Ran out to eat. They were very happy together at that time.

Sometimes, Fang Ran even wondered if they were more suited to be friends than lovers.

However, since she was out with Shan Ling today, Fang Ran decided not to think about Song Qinglan. After ordering a few dishes she liked, she recommended some to Shan Ling, and the two even ordered a large lobster.

Shan Ling rarely ate seafood. She was used to being frugal, usually only eating crabs and small crayfish. It wasn’t the peak season for seafood recently, so she ate even less of it.

Given the rare opportunity to eat abundant seafood today, Shan Ling didn’t hold back. Before eating, she took a few photos and sent them to Shen Qingyi. Only then did she put down her phone and start eating and chatting with Fang Ran.

The quiet private room was indeed perfect for the two of them. Although Fang Ran was a small assistant, she had seen the world accompanying Song Qinglan. Chatting with Shan Ling about interesting things from all over the world didn’t feel dull at all.

Toward the end of the meal, Fang Ran took a few phone calls to handle work matters, not avoiding Shan Ling.

After hanging up, Fang Ran sighed internally.

“What’s wrong?” Shan Ling was diligently gnawing on a large lobster claw, her dark, bright eyes looking at Fang Ran, and asked: “Is it about the studio?”

Fang Ran nodded, eating a bowl of seafood porridge in front of her, and said: “Recently, we discovered a sasaeng fan. He has been following Song Qinglan for a long time and has now located the area near her villa. We plan to move Qinglan to a different residence.”

What Fang Ran didn’t mention was that Song Qinglan herself had noticed this person’s presence and was currently staying at Fang Ran’s place, no longer going back to her villa.

Shan Ling heard this and recalled the man who said he wanted to buy the coffee Song Qinglan drank when she came to see Shen Qingyi last time. He was wearing a hat and a mask, and his figure was quite tall.

“I think I’ve also seen this person at the coffee shop,” Shan Ling told Fang Ran about the incident, expressing slight concern: “Will Miss Song be okay? I felt that man was very strange.”

Fang Ran also frowned slightly and told Shan Ling: “We should be able to handle it. If you ever encounter this kind of person, be sure not to engage with them. Sasaengs are very dangerous. They can harm artists. Some of them aren’t quite right in the head and often have some psychological illnesses.”

Shan Ling nodded, half-understanding, thinking that city people were truly complex.

After they finished eating, Shan Ling quietly glanced at the bill while Fang Ran paid. She saw that their meal cost over 2,000 yuan and felt a pang in her heart.

Fortunately, she could afford her share when splitting the bill.

Shopping was also a good way to help digestion. Shan Ling and Fang Ran picked out some items that could be mailed back to their hometowns. However, Fang Ran was puzzled, not quite understanding why Shan Ling was buying imported… grains?

“My family loves to eat them,” Shan Ling carried her small bags of grains. Smelling the fragrance of the plants, she explained to Fang Ran: “Many imported grains aren’t sold in my hometown, so I’m buying them here to mail back. They should like them.”

Shan Ling believed that her parents would also love the small dry grains she enjoyed eating.

Everyone had different preferences, so Fang Ran didn’t dwell on it, just smiled and said: “Time is running out. How are you planning to get back?”

“By subway,” Shan Ling said.

Fang Ran nodded and smiled at her: “Perfect, I need to take the subway too. Let’s go together.”

As the two stepped out of the mall, Fang Ran immediately received a call from Song Qinglan.

“Hello, are you done shopping?” Song Qinglan’s lazy voice came through the phone, like a small brush tickling Fang Ran’s ear, making her feel itchy.

“I’m done,” Fang Ran said: “I was about to take the subway home. Are you home yet?”

“I’m waiting for you across from the mall,” Song Qinglan glanced at the mall entrance from her car. She spotted Fang Ran and Shan Ling right away and chuckled: “Why did you buy so many things? Wait for me to come and help you.”

Without waiting for Fang Ran to say anything, Song Qinglan hung up and casually walked over.

Shan Ling looked at Song Qinglan, then at Fang Ran, who was inexplicably blushing, and blinked.

Looks like I’m about to get fed some PDA today.

Song Qinglan didn’t try to hide much, only wearing a mask. When she reached Fang Ran, she instinctively reached out to help carry her things, saying with a bright smile: “So many things! Did you buy anything for me?”

Seeing Fang Ran didn’t answer, Song Qinglan pouted in a wronged tone: “You didn’t buy anything for me? Ranran, you don’t care about me at all.”

Fang Ran felt extremely awkward because of her. Song Qinglan used to be affectionate, but never like this. Now, she was acting completely like someone in the throes of a passionate relationship.

“I’ll buy you something next time. My parents are arriving soon, so I need to prepare gifts for them,” Fang Ran told Song Qinglan: “Why did you come out like this? Keep your mask on. What if someone recognizes you?”

Song Qinglan reluctantly put on her mask. She then glanced at Shan Ling, her eyes curved in a smile: “Xiao Ling, long time no see. Since you two are done shopping, Ranran is mine now.”

Fang Ran’s face instantly turned red, and she didn’t say a word.

Shan Ling giggled: “Hello, Miss Song. I was just about to take the subway. You two head home.”

“Then we’ll be going,” Song Qinglan couldn’t wait to grab Fang Ran’s hand and leave. Fang Ran looked back helplessly at Shan Ling and said: “Text me when you get home. I’m going now.”

Shan Ling waved at her, watching her and Song Qinglan get into the car.

Behind Song Qinglan’s dark silver supercar, Shan Ling suddenly saw a very familiar figure. The person was only wearing a hat. Their tall figure was crouching behind a sedan, staring intently at Song Qinglan’s car.

This person seemed to be the man from the coffee shop. Shan Ling remembered Fang Ran saying during dinner that he had been following Song Qinglan recently. She didn’t expect him to follow them all the way here.

The man watched Song Qinglan’s car drive away, quickly got into another black sedan, and followed Song Qinglan and Fang Ran’s car.

Shan Ling felt instantly uneasy and quickly called Fang Ran.

Fang Ran, who was sitting in the car, heard the phone ring, pulled away from Song Qinglan’s hand, and saw that the caller was Shan Ling. She told Song Qinglan to be quiet.

“Hello, Xiao Ling?” Fang Ran answered the call, wondering if Shan Ling had forgotten something: “What’s wrong? Did you leave something with me?”

“No, Ranran, I just saw that sasaeng fan. He got into a car and is following you. I wanted to warn you to be careful.”

Fang Ran frowned deeply. She looked back, but there were many cars behind them, and she couldn’t tell which one was following them.

“What kind of car is he driving?” Fang Ran asked.

“A black sedan. I didn’t see the license plate number. Just a very ordinary black sedan.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Fang Ran and Song Qinglan exchanged glances. Song Qinglan cursed under her breath.

“It might not be safe for you to go back alone now. Just in case, you should ask Miss Shen to pick you up,” Fang Ran told Shan Ling: “We’ll figure things out on our end. Please be careful on your way home.”

Shan Ling agreed. After hanging up, she called Shen Qingyi.

Shen Qingyi was currently bored, feeding the cats downstairs, and was surprised to receive a call from Shan Ling.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Qingyi answered the phone: “Are you done shopping?”

“Yiyi, can you come pick me up at the mall?” Shan Ling sat bored on a flowerbed outside the mall entrance, looking at her toes and said: “Something happened.”

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