The Sour Plum Girl [Rebirth] - Chapter 5

Song Yiran continued to gaze at Song Song in this manner. Perhaps her gaze was too fervent, for Song Song eventually looked back at her.

A flash of surprise clearly flickered in the depths of her eyes, as if she were asking, What is she doing here?

Song Yiran flashed a sweet smile and found an empty seat at the bar. Song Song approached her naturally and asked, “Why are you here?”

“Is the manuscript very urgent?” That was the only reason she could think of.

After all, Song Song had been so busy at noon that Song Yiran hadn’t had a chance to speak with her before she hurried off. Having come straight to “Nightfall” after finishing her shift at the coffee shop, she hadn’t even had time to handle her membership card. Song Song couldn’t imagine any other reason for her sudden appearance.

Song Yiran shook her head. “No, I just happened to be passing by and thought I’d come in and sit for a while.”

“Sit for a while?” Song Song sized up Song Yiran; she was clearly out of place here.

With her appearance of a well-behaved girl looking almost like a minor Song Song couldn’t understand what was going on in her head. However, Song Song wasn’t the type to pry; she simply asked what she wanted and prepared it for her.

Song Yiran watched Song Song work the entire time. Song Song was like unmelting frost; her entire expression was exceptionally cold. Despite this, there were still bold individuals who came up to tease her.

She never engaged in conversation, answering only what was asked. Some people found her boring and left. Others would take the opportunity to brush their hand against the back of her hand, but Song Song, as if she had already anticipated it, would quickly pull away.

She stood there with the lights hitting her fair face; her cold demeanor and the nonchalant, “cool” look in her eyes whenever she looked up made her seem like someone not to be messed with. Yet, there were always those who refused to believe it.

In a place like this, being “groped” was a common occurrence. It wasn’t just here; beauty was a scarce resource. Even in her past life, in the circles she moved in, countless people were harassed. Men and women alike were treated casually as commodities. In the eyes of those people, they were nothing.

Song Yiran hated that environment, but she was powerless to change it. She could only adapt, walking every step with cautious hesitation.

What about Song Song now? Was she the same?

As she thought this, her eyes gradually reddened, and the look she cast toward Song Song was filled with heartache.

Song Song clearly didn’t notice any of this; she was numbly performing these tasks she knew by heart. Suddenly, the loud shout of a man broke her train of thought. She looked up.

The man was sitting in front of Song Yiran. Song Yiran was looking at him calmly, her slender hand casually squeezing the man’s left hand. The man was screaming in pain.

Seeing this, everyone was drawn over. Song Song immediately felt that things were taking a turn for the worse.

In the next second, the man burst out cursing: “You brat, do you know who I am? I’m doing you a favor by noticing you, don’t be ungrateful!”

“Ungrateful?” Song Yiran repeated his words. The strength in her hand increased, causing the man’s entire body to contort. His face twisted in agony; he was clearly in a great deal of pain.

As if she hadn’t seen it, Song Yiran laughed softly. “With you looking so useless, do I really need your ‘favor’?”

She shoved his hand away with force. The man stumbled back, clutching his wrist and looking at her with deep resentment. She didn’t care. She signaled to a nearby waiter, who handed her a tissue.

With a cold face and a look of total disgust, Song Yiran wiped her hands and then threw the tissue in front of the man. “Get out of here, before I really lose my temper.”

Seeing such a pure and well-behaved face perform such an action left the onlookers gasping. Only the man felt a surge of panic; he knew exactly how much strength Song Yiran possessed. Is it normal for a woman to be this strong?

A drunken man nearby, unwilling to back down, egged the man on. “Cousin, this little slip of a girl just embarrassed you. Aren’t you going to hit her? If it were me, I wouldn’t let this slide.”

As soon as he spoke, the crowd burst into laughter, making the man’s expression even uglier.

“You brat, I’m going to beat you to death today!” The man feigned ferocity.

Seeing this, Song Yiran only found it amusing. She was just about to pull out her phone to make a call when her right hand was suddenly grabbed. In the next second, she was pulled along by the momentum.

Song Song had appeared out of nowhere and was now pulling her away. Seeing this, the men gave chase. In the crowded bar, a pursuit began.

The man, clearly recognizing Song Song, became even angrier. “Song Song, stop right there! You two are in this together! Once I catch you, see how I deal with you!”

The crowd blocked his path, making his voice sound more like a display of helpless rage.

Song Song pulled Song Yiran through the crowd. Under the dim lights, her back seemed to flicker with points of light. Song Yiran broke into a smile, her two dimples looking very cute as she gazed at Song Song.

The warmth of Song Song’s palm was in her hand. This was the first time she had proactively held her hand. Song Yiran’s heart was racing with excitement.

Song Song held my hand…

After weaving through the crowd, they quickly lost the man. They could only hear him shouting angrily, “Song Song, you’d better not come back, or I’ll have the Boss Lady beat you to death!”

Clearly, the man had a close relationship with Auntie Yun.

Song Song led Song Yiran out through the back of the bar into a dim alley. The air was filled with the smell of alcohol and vomit it was indescribably unpleasant. Song Yiran pursed her lips, clearly unable to stand it. Song Song also frowned and quickened her pace.

Light spilled from above her head, exposing her entire form. They walked out of the alley into a bustling night market. As they got closer, the air became thick with the aroma of barbecue and delicious food. Song Yiran’s mouth began to water.

However, she didn’t say a word. Recalling the man’s words, she began to feel dejected. Had she caused trouble for the great Song Song?

Thinking this, she asked in a low voice, “Song Song, did I cause trouble for you? That guy seemed like a regular.”

Song Song stopped in her tracks, let go of her hand, and turned to look at her. Song Yiran’s face was full of worry. She no longer looked as arrogant as before; her shoulders were slumped, looking much like a lop-eared rabbit.

It was… strangely cute.

Song Song smiled rarely and asked, “That guy was very annoying, wasn’t he?”

Song Yiran nodded. Thinking of him, she said with great disgust, “Extremely annoying. His breath stank, and he kept trying to crowd me. I originally thought I shouldn’t bother him to avoid causing you trouble, but he was just too much, so I couldn’t help but teach him a lesson.”

She wasn’t someone who liked to cause trouble and would usually endure it if she could. But that man, seeing her watching Song Song, had started saying foul things about her. The filth that came out of his mouth was revolting, but she wasn’t going to tell Song Song that.

Song Song nodded slightly, fully approving of her actions. “When it comes to men like that, keep doing what you did next time. There’s no need to endure it for anyone. Except for yourself, no one is worth your tolerance or retreat.”

Song Song’s words were very gentle. The way she looked at Song Yiran was no longer as cold as before. She would consider her feelings and sympathize with her difficulties. Although Song Song didn’t know why she was helping her, after their brief interaction, she felt that she wasn’t a bad person.

This was also why she had worried Song Yiran might get hurt and took the opportunity to lead her away. In the past, she would have simply ignored it. Most people who acted out in the bar were regulars; if she wanted to keep her job, she had to play blind. Her circumstances didn’t allow her to be a “Good Samaritan.”

In this moment, Song Yiran felt as if she were seeing a familiar figure again. She nodded quickly and looked toward a nearby barbecue stall, saying, “Song Song, let me treat you to a late-night snack. Thank you for saving me today. You can’t refuse!”

Her eyes were wide and full of expectation; it was impossible to say no. In the moment Song Song was dazed, Song Yiran immediately pulled her toward the stall.

Coming back to her senses, Song Song quietly pushed her hand away and said somewhat unnaturally, “I can walk by myself.” She was clearly not used to such intimate gestures.

Song Yiran had no choice but to withdraw her hand and gave a dry laugh as she walked forward. She had almost forgotten that Song Song liked girls, so she would usually be very mindful of such behavior. In her eyes, only couples did things like that, whereas for “straight” girls, it was just a common occurrence.

After sitting down, Song Yiran ordered for them. Soon, the grilled food was placed in front of them. Song Song looked at the enoki mushrooms and rice skins on the plate in surprise. Those were her favorites; she would order five skewers of each every time. They were delicious and cheap, so she always got them.

Wasn’t this a bit too much of a coincidence?

She looked up at her with doubt. Seeing this, Song Yiran looked at the food and immediately explained, “I had dinner with Song Tian today. She told me a lot, so I just remembered it.”

She didn’t want to be seen as a stalker, so she had to use Song Tian as an excuse. In her heart, Song Yiran felt very sorry to Song Tian. In reality, these were small anecdotes Song Song had shared with her fans before her rebirth.

Hearing this, Song Song sighed helplessly. “She talks a lot, doesn’t she?” It was likely that no one besides Song Tian would know this so clearly.

Song Yiran shook her head. “No, I had a great time with her. She’s like a little sun.”

“Everyone who knows her says that. If she said something inappropriate, please don’t take it to heart.” Song Song knew Song Tian’s personality well; she was always overly enthusiastic toward people. Sometimes, too much enthusiasm could be a burden.

Song Yiran asked, “Do I look that petty in your eyes?”

She pretended to be angry. Song Song immediately explained, “No, I was just talking about Song Tian, not saying you’re petty. Don’t misunderstand.”

Her cold face was now slightly flushed, showing a hint of fluster. Seeing this, Song Yiran burst out laughing. “I’m just teasing you. I like Song Tian very much; she even helped me today.”

Song Yiran picked up a sweet sausage and started eating. Song Song was puzzled. “What could she help you with? Other than painting and photography, she isn’t good at much else. She used to always make me look at her paintings and be her model for photos. She didn’t drag you into that too, did she?”

Perhaps it was the night and the noisy surroundings, or simply talking about a familiar person, but Song Song became much more talkative.

Song Yiran nodded with a smile and added, “It wasn’t her dragging me; it was me dragging her. Didn’t I mention I had some inspiration? But I couldn’t find a suitable photographer, so I asked Song Tian, and she happened to be free.”

“Her photos are amazing! Now the only thing missing is your content before it can be published.” Song Yiran was very excited, and she pulled out her phone to show her the results of the day.

Song Song leaned over to look. Every photo clearly carried Song Tian’s style; having been her professional model, Song Song recognized it instantly. She carefully looked at every photo Song Tian had taken of Song Yiran.

Finally, she asked, “Is your theme ‘The Eternal Spark and the Ancient City’?”

At those words, Song Yiran’s eyes widened in excitement. “Song Song, you’re too smart! That is exactly my theme.”

“Perhaps it’s because I understand you.” Song Song met her gaze. Her habitually cold expression now seemed to have starlight flickering in her eyes.

She looked at the girl before her. She was like a sudden, passing flash of starlight, yet she had brought new color to her decaying life. She was like that ancient city always gazing… always longing to be lit up.

At this moment, Song Song already had new ideas for Song Yiran’s theme. Previously, she had been worried she wouldn’t do a good job, but now she felt a sense of confidence.

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