The Sour Plum Girl [Rebirth] - Chapter 6

Once Song Yiran’s content was posted, it immediately climbed the trending charts, winning the hearts of fans and leaving the brand representatives thoroughly satisfied.

She pored over Song Song’s inspirational sketches repeatedly, her fondness for them growing with every glance. The words felt like a soulful, melodic voice, each reading carrying a seductive cadence that spiraled continuously through her heart.

As expected of the great Song Song!

The July weather had already turned scorching, but today was a rare rainy day. Damp rainwater pitter-pattered down, sliding off the eaves like a mischievous child. She headed out early in the morning holding an umbrella a translucent one that allowed her to see the fine, misty rain clearly just by looking up.

Rainy days always made it hard to stay in a good mood; Song Yiran looked at the sodden pavement with a hint of annoyance. Ultimately, she chose to take a taxi to “First Encounter.”

As usual, there were many people in front of First Encounter. She found a random seat and sat down. Just as she settled in, Song Song walked over and placed a macchiato in front of her. Song Yiran gave a sweet smile to express her gratitude. With a light chuckle, Song Song returned to her workstation.

Since their last parting, the two hadn’t seen each other for three days. They had only chatted via mobile phone, and even then, it was in a group chat. Ever since Song Song got a phone, Song Tian had pulled her into the group and even created a specific three-person chat. Song Song rarely spoke in it, occasionally chiming in with a few words, while Song Tian was the most vocal, sharing the trivialities of her daily life.

For the past three days, Song Yiran had been organizing documents. She still couldn’t fathom how her second uncle had convinced her mother to sign that contract back then. Her mother was exceptionally cautious regarding contracts; even if Yiran herself asked for a signature, her mother would check it several times to ensure it was irrelevant to anything serious before signing. How could such a cautious person sign a transfer agreement like that?

While she was deep in thought, a figure approached her. A sweet voice reached her ears: “Sister, can we borrow your seat to take some photos?”

Song Yiran looked up and met the gaze of a sweet-looking girl. She was dressed in Lolita fashion, looking quite cute with a face that appeared remarkably young. With just one look, Song Yiran’s expression turned cold.

“No,” she refused without hesitation.

The girl clearly hadn’t expected this; her face turned ugly. Behind her stood two other girls. A short-haired girl said, “Yu Mo, I told you people wouldn’t be willing, but you insisted on coming. Now you’ve been embarrassed.”

“Yeah, exactly. You said you knew someone here and insisted on dragging us along. This is so humiliating,” a curly-haired girl chimed in. It was evident that being rejected was perceived as a great loss of face for them.

The girl called Yu Mo looked even worse now. Her gaze toward Song Yiran became unfriendly, and she suddenly slapped the table, shouting, “Don’t you just want money? Name your price. I’ll give it to you, just give up the seat.”

She wore an air of “charity,” her eyes filled with disdain for Song Yiran.

At this moment, Song Yiran studied her with great interest. She wasn’t the same as in her memories. In her memory, Yu Mo always acted intentionally well-behaved, speaking in a gentle, refined voice a typical “green tea” persona. This rude behavior was truly a rare sight.

“How about ten thousand yuan?” She looked at Yu Mo provocatively. Yu Mo’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Are you crazy for money? Ten thousand for this lousy seat?”

Her voice was very loud, instantly attracting everyone’s attention. Song Yiran didn’t care and said, “Didn’t you say you have money? You insisted on having my seat and wouldn’t take no for an answer, so I had to state my requirements. After all, I really like this spot. If you’re going to snatch away what I love, shouldn’t you show some sincerity?”

She looked regretful, acting as if she were deeply attached to the place. Hearing this, the onlookers shifted into “gossip mode.”

Yu Mo’s friend fueled the fire: “Yu Mo, your family has plenty of money anyway, and ten thousand isn’t much. This spot is great for photos; just give it to her.”

“Yeah, didn’t you say your dad owns a company? Ten thousand is nothing for a young lady like you, right?”

The two of them backed Yu Mo into a corner. Song Yiran saw a flash of panic and hesitation in her eyes and wondered what she would do. As far as she knew, her second uncle’s family only ran a rice noodle business in a small county town, barely earning ten thousand a month. Business was tough; it was just enough to feed the family. From time to time, she would hear them calling her mother to ask for financial help. Under such circumstances, anyone who wasn’t a fool would know not to act on impulse.

Unfortunately, Yu Mo was a fool. She immediately took out her phone and said to Song Yiran with an arrogant air, “Payment code.”

She was concise, acting like a high-class lady who felt that saying one more word would be beneath her. Seeing this, Song Yiran immediately displayed her code. Free money is free money.

A smile spread across her face, clearly indicating her delight. Yu Mo scanned the code with a forced air of nonchalance. A moment later, the notification for a ten-thousand-yuan deposit sounded. Song Yiran was instantly overjoyed. She quickly gathered her things and moved to an empty table on the left.

Yu Mo said with a face full of disgust, “Such a petty commoner.” Her followers chimed in, flattering her. Yu Mo grew even more arrogant, calling for a waiter loudly while the surrounding office workers stifled their laughter.

Song Yiran saw everything, a glimmer of craftiness flashing in her eyes. She wanted to see how Yu Mo would attend school without that money. Yu Mo had arrived earlier than she expected; in her past life, she hadn’t arrived until just before the start of the school term. Thinking about it now, she must have been here for a while already.

Song Song had been watching the situation the whole time. Based on Song Yiran’s reaction, she guessed that Yiran knew Yu Mo. But from Yu Mo’s reaction, she didn’t seem to know Yiran. Had she offended Song Yiran before?

As time ticked by, only Song Yiran and Yu Mo’s group remained in the shop. Song Yiran focused on the task at hand; she had brought her laptop this time, and her fingers were flying across the keys. It was all about her work planning. She didn’t just want to be an influencer; she also wanted to open a shop to prepare for any future uncertainties. Now, while her mother still had money, she needed to take advantage of it so she wouldn’t end up as miserable as before.

By the time she finished, Song Song was already sitting in front of her, quietly watching her. When she closed the laptop, she was clearly startled. “When did you get here? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I saw you were busy and didn’t want to disturb you,” Song Song said in a casual tone. Looking at the dark circles under Yiran’s eyes, she figured she must have slept very late last night. She asked curiously, “Do you like working in crowds?”

Coming so early, ordering a macchiato, and sitting until she finished her shift that was the only thing Song Song could think of.

Song Yiran paused and gave a dry laugh. “Yeah, yeah, maybe it’s just a weird quirk of mine.” Internally, she grumbled. She couldn’t very well say she was there to watch over Song Song to prevent any accidents. Although their relationship had softened, it wasn’t yet at the point where she could say such things.

So, she could only say that, even though she actually hated the noise. Even the slightest sound affected her state of mind; she was really just forcing herself through it.

Song Song didn’t say anything more; she was naturally a person of few words. Feeling the awkwardness, Song Yiran asked, “Aren’t you going to ‘Ye Se’ (Nightfall) today?”

Song Song shook her head. “Auntie Yun won’t let me. She’s afraid of trouble being sought out.”

Hearing this, Yiran knew Song Song had been let go because of her. Feeling guilty, she subconsciously rubbed the bridge of her nose and asked, “How much salary does Auntie Yun pay you? This is my fault, I can…”

Before she could finish, Song Song interrupted, “No need, it wasn’t much anyway.” Compared to the value Song Yiran brought, it was indeed very little. Song Song had felt a momentary impulse, but she had calculated it—the phone Song Yiran gave her was worth enough to cover the wages from Auntie Yun. Even if Song Yiran were a scammer, she wouldn’t lose out. She was always planning for herself.

Hearing this, Song Yiran breathed a sigh of relief and opened the calculator on her phone. The moment the commission came in, she had intended to message her, but on second thought, she felt such things were better discussed in person. By seeing Song Song’s expression, she could judge her situation.

Song Yiran said, “The commission for this collaboration is 60,000. We’re doing a 30/70 split, so your share is 18,000. Regarding the phone, what are your thoughts?”

Song Song was surprised. She had expected it to be a lot, but not this much. After a moment of silent reflection, she spoke: “How about ten percent?” She sought Song Yiran’s opinion, as Yiran was the creditor.

Song Yiran’s eyes darted slightly, and she nodded. Finally, she transferred 21,200 to Song Song.

Song Song looked at the amount with confusion. “Did you transfer the wrong amount?”

Song Yiran waved her phone. “No, a fool gave me extra money just now. If I hadn’t been in your shop looking for you, how would I have met such a fool? So of course, we have to split it.” Her voice was gentle, carrying a hint of a joke.

Song Song knew exactly who she was talking about. A smile appeared on her cold face, and she tapped to accept the payment. “Thanks. Keep coming to me for future collaborations.”

“Naturally!” Song Yiran held her cheeks with a look of admiration. “Last night, I savored them for a long time—those words of yours. It’s as if they have a life of their own. Haven’t you ever thought about publishing articles or something?” she asked impulsively.

Song Yiran didn’t know why Song Song would eventually take the path of writing. In her past life, Song Song had mentioned she had been writing articles for a long time but never published them until she got to Beicheng, which puzzled Song Yiran.

Song Song hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t like being noticed. For the bylines, just write your name.”

Song Yiran understood the implication. She was about to protest, but Song Song added, “Consider this my request, and the only requirement for our cooperation.” Her expression was too serious, her cold face turning solemn.

Song Yiran was momentarily dazed but eventually nodded. Although taking credit for someone else’s talent felt wrong, she could only comply since Song Song insisted. She could always clarify things when the right opportunity arose in the future.

Song Yiran nodded. “Then I’ll graciously accept. From now on, please call me a ‘talented woman’.” Perhaps fearing the atmosphere would become awkward, she spoke with a teasing tone.

The corners of Song Song’s mouth curved into a smile. “Alright, ‘talented woman.’ I wonder if I could treat this talented woman to a meal?”

“Of course you can!” Song Yiran agreed readily, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her heart was blooming with joy the great Song Song is treating me to dinner!

She always expressed things with such exaggeration, even though it was just a very ordinary occurrence. Seeing this, a smile played on Song Song’s lips. What a strange girl.

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