Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 99

Chapter 99

On the first day back to work, Shan Ling was forced to get out of bed. She slowly ate breakfast and went to work with Shen Qingyi.

In the car, Shan Ling was drowsy, hugging the seatbelt. Shen Qingyi was quite helpless seeing her so sleepy. While driving steadily, she asked curiously: “Didn’t you rest well last night? Why are you so tired?”

Shan Ling said with her eyes closed: “This is called work-commencement syndrome.”

Shen Qingyi was momentarily stunned by the new term she had learned, then laughed: “Do you think it’s appropriate to say that in front of me?”

Only then did Shan Ling open her eyes, giving a silly laugh and saying: “Yiyi, don’t be so serious. I’m just complaining. I don’t really not want to work.”

She then told Shen Qingyi about the late-night message from Fang Ran and her desire to treat Shen Qingyi and Shan Ling to a meal tonight.

Shen Qingyi didn’t immediately agree. She calmly waited for the traffic light ahead, and after a long time, she said: “Do you want to go?”

“I don’t know…”

Shan Ling leaned against the car window frame, her mood low: “Fang Ran said she’s leaving this city. I’m really reluctant to see her go. It’s rare for me to make a friend, and now she’s leaving like this. But Miss Song and her seem to have a pretty deep conflict.”

Shan Ling didn’t quite understand why some people’s emotions were so complicated.

In her view, liking meant liking, and disliking meant disliking. She didn’t understand why someone could like and dislike at the same time.

Although Shan Ling had lived in human form almost since childhood, and most people in Sparrows’ Village were similar, fundamentally they were still sparrows, simple-natured little animals.

She couldn’t understand why the emotions between two people could be so complex.

“I don’t know what to say to persuade Fang Ran. She must have her reasons for doing this. I just don’t understand why they ended up this way.” Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi, seriously asking: “Does this mean that even liking can change?”

Shen Qingyi glanced at her, continued driving, and said: “No emotion remains the same forever. Humans are inherently fickle creatures.”

Shan Ling withdrew her gaze and turned to look out the window.

Humans are fickle.

Shan Ling remembered this sentence. So humans and birds were indeed different. She couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.

Shen Qingyi observed the person beside her from the corner of her eye. It was the first time she had seen such a heavy-hearted expression on Shan Ling’s face, but she didn’t say anything more.

Some things simply couldn’t be explained clearly with words.

The two soon arrived at the Central Park parking lot. Shen Qingyi parked the car and walked towards the coffee shop with Shan Ling.

“You don’t need to stand behind the counter today,” Shen Qingyi told Shan Ling: “Your waist isn’t fully healed. Just sit in the back changing room and take inventory of the accounts.”

“Is that okay?” Shan Ling touched her lower back, saying: “I think I’m fine to work.”

“Don’t push yourself. After half a month of not going out, your injury has finally improved a bit. Don’t overdo it for now.”

“…Alright.”

While chatting, the two arrived at the coffee shop entrance.

The front door was currently locked. Shan Ling peeked inside and secretly smiled at Shen Qingyi: “How rare! Nuonuo is late too.”

Shen Qingyi took out the key, unlocked the door, and smiled: “Then let’s start getting busy.”

The shop, closed for half a month, had started accumulating some dust. Shen Qingyi didn’t make Shan Ling do heavy lifting, only asking her to water the potted plants at the entrance and inside the shop.

Shan Ling was busy hydrating the plants that hadn’t been watered for half a month when she saw Nuonuo running in, wearing a small white apron, her face flushed red.

“Xiao Ling, I’m sorry I’m late,” Nuonuo ran over to Shan Ling, breathing heavily with her hands on her hips, and said helplessly: “Late on the first day back to work. The boss is definitely going to fine me.”

Shan Ling smiled: “It’s rare for you to be late. Yiyi won’t blame you.”

Nuonuo smiled back. Once she caught her breath, she said: “I’ll go inside and clean up. It’s cold outside. Don’t stand out here watering the plants with so few layers on. Come in quickly.”

Shan Ling acknowledged this and finished watering all the outdoor plants before pushing the door open to enter the coffee shop.

The heating was on, and the entire ground floor was warm and cozy.

Shen Qingyi and Nuonuo each took a small bucket and started wiping tables and counters. In less than half an hour, the ground floor was sparkling clean.

Around 10 AM, when many people needed a coffee fix, Shen Qingyi let Nuonuo go to the back to brew coffee and went upstairs herself to clean, leaving only Shan Ling downstairs.

After handing over the packed takeout orders to the delivery guy, Shan Ling rubbed her waist.

Nuonuo crept up on her unnoticed, wrapping her arm around Shan Ling’s waist, and smiled: “Oh dear, what’s wrong? I haven’t seen you in half a month. What’s wrong with your waist, Xiao Ling?”

Shan Ling looked at her, puzzled, and said: “I fell in the bathroom while taking a shower, and then I was stuck lying down for half a month.”

Nuonuo had originally intended to make a suggestive joke but immediately became sympathetic upon hearing the tragic story: “Half a month? So you didn’t go out to play at all during your holiday?”

“No,” Shan Ling shook her head: “The doctor said that even though no bones were broken, I needed bed rest, so I didn’t go anywhere during the holiday.”

“That’s so pitiful,” Nuonuo looked at Shan Ling sympathetically: “I thought…”

Shan Ling looked at her in confusion: “Thought what?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Nuonuo saw Shen Qingyi coming down the stairs and smiled: “I’m going to get busy in the back. You shouldn’t stand all the time. Take a break occasionally.”

“Okay,” Shan Ling smiled: “Go get busy.”

Withdrawing her gaze, Shan Ling noticed that Shen Qingyi was now standing behind the counter, her bright black eyes quietly watching her.

“What is it?” Shan Ling asked curiously.

Shen Qingyi shook her head and said: “I was just thinking about what you told me in the car this morning. Let’s find a quiet place tonight to see Fang Ran off.”

Shan Ling paused for a moment, then nodded: “Okay. I’ll tell Fang Ran.”

Tapping on Fang Ran’s WeChat profile, Shan Ling saw that Fang Ran’s moments (Chinese social media equivalent) were completely cleared, and even her profile picture had been replaced with a landscape photo she must have found somewhere. Tapping on it, it seemed to be a snow scene. In the vast white snow, there was only gray-white mist, with messy footprints on the ground and an ethereal valley, creating a striking contrast.

It looked like Fang Ran had taken the picture herself, but apart from the footprints, no one appeared in the scene.

Shan Ling knew that Fang Ran intended to completely end her previous life, and she couldn’t help but feel a little sad. However, she still composed Shen Qingyi’s suggestion into a message and sent it to her.

Fang Ran didn’t reply immediately. The chat window remained quiet until around 4 PM when Fang Ran finally sent a message back.

Shan Ling grabbed her phone as soon as it vibrated. She read Fang Ran’s reply, her eyes widening. She turned to Shen Qingyi and said: “Fang Ran says she has to leave tonight. She wants to meet somewhere nearby to give us something.”

Shen Qingyi was currently preparing orders. She paused her hand movements, turned, and looked at Shan Ling.

“Tell her to come to the shop,” Shen Qingyi continued working on the machine in front of her, telling Shan Ling: “There’s no place quieter than here.”

At 5 PM, the coffee shop temporarily suspended business. Shen Qingyi turned off most of the lights on the ground floor, leaving only a few overhead lamps near the counter for illumination.

The soft, warm light created an indescribable sense of stability. Hanging from the ceiling, it formed a circular glow above the counter and the nearby tables and chairs.

As the sky gradually darkened, Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi heard the sound of the coffee shop door opening.

Fang Ran was bundled in a black cotton coat. She still wore her black-rimmed glasses, but her nose tip was frozen red. She stood in the doorway, bringing in a gust of cold air, with every breath exhaled as white fog.

“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting.” Fang Ran was dragging a silver suitcase beside her. The suitcase was large, almost reaching her waist, and seemed to contain a lot of things, looking particularly heavy.

Shan Ling quickly ran over to help her with the suitcase. Accidentally touching Fang Ran’s hand, she found it was cold as ice, completely lacking warmth.

“Why are your hands so cold?” Shan Ling looked at her in surprise, leading Fang Ran to a nearby four-person table, and told her: “I’ll go pour you some hot water to warm up.”

Fang Ran smiled, her lips pale, and said: “Thank you.”

Shen Qingyi looked calmly at Fang Ran, observing her clothes and the expression on her face, even seeing the emotion in Fang Ran’s heart through her eyes.

She was silent for a long time before saying: “Why the sudden departure?”

Fang Ran sat in the chair, rubbing her hands, and said: “There’s no point in staying here. This city no longer has a place for me, so leaving is the best choice.”

After speaking, she pulled a book out of her suitcase and pushed it across the table toward Shen Qingyi.

Shen Qingyi recognized the book immediately. It was the copy of The Longest Confession that Fang Ran had traded for with her initially.

When Shan Ling brought over the hot water, she saw Fang Ran push the book toward Shen Qingyi.

“Miss Shen.” Fang Ran gazed at the book as if looking at a long-loved partner. Her eyes were filled with uncontrollable warmth, but she finally looked up at Shen Qingyi: “You gave me a chance to get this book back, but because of this book, Song Qinglan and I can no longer be friends.”

Fang Ran’s tone was calm. She said: “Actually, if I had been clear with Song Qinglan ten years ago, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time, and I wouldn’t have stayed by her side full of expectation for ten years.”

The longest confession is companionship, and Fang Ran had accompanied Song Qinglan for ten years, but the final outcome remained unchanged.

Some things and people, no matter how much time passes, simply won’t change.

Fang Ran had only just realized this truth.

“It’s not that I’m guaranteed a return just because I invested effort, nor is it that Song Qinglan must love me just because I love her,” Fang Ran gave a hollow laugh, looking down in the dim light, and softly sighed: “This book, Miss Shen, please keep it.”

The faint light spots in the air flickered. They illuminated the top of Fang Ran’s head and her back, casting a long, quiet shadow.

Fang Ran didn’t drink the water. She took one last look at Shan Ling, then walked over to give her a hug, and dragged her heavy suitcase into the cold night air, disappearing into the darkness.

Shan Ling watched Fang Ran’s vanishing figure, then turned to look at the book on the table, feeling a sudden sense of powerlessness.

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