After Being Bent by Reader

Three days later, the two sisters returned to S City by bus.

When they arrived at the bus station, Murong Shi was already waiting for them there. After picking up the two sisters in her car, Murong Shi hooked an arm around Xu Chuanchuan's neck before the latter could even buckle her seatbelt. Then, she pulled Xu Chuanchuan over and kissed her.

The two pairs of lips separated after making brief contact.

Xu Chuanchuan was a little dazed by the kiss. Meanwhile, Xu Xiangxiang, who sat at the back, couldn't help but exclaim, "My god! What did I just see?!"

After snapping out of her daze, Xu Chuanchuan promptly pushed Murong Shi away.

In response, Murong Shi calmly smiled and said, "What are you panicking for? Doesn't Xiangxiang already know about us?"

"Even so, you can't just do this in front of her!" Xu Chuanchuan complained in anger and embarrassment.

"It's fine, it's fine," Xu Xiangxiang said while eagerly pulling out her phone. Then, she leaned forward and continued, "Why don't you two do a French kiss as well? I'll record it."

"Scram." Xu Chuanchuan swatted her little sister away.

Although Xu Xiangxiang had yet to express her stance, judging by her reaction, Xu Chuanchuan guessed that her little sister had probably accepted the fact that she was dating Murong Shi already. This discovery eased Xu Chuanchuan's heart considerably. As for their parents, that was something to worry about in the future.

"No rush."

Whenever the matter of revealing their relationship to their parents, Murong Shi would always comfort Xu Chuanchuan using these words.

However, there was indeed no need to rush things. After all, they had been dating for less than half a year.

…

I Love Malatang: "It's finally over after four months! Stockpilers, quickly read it! I will also be writing side stories for the book, but let me rest for a few days first~ Love you all~"

Murong Shi was currently taking a shower. After turning off her computer, Xu Chuanchuan turned around and threw herself onto the bed. While she was about to relax her mind and body, her phone suddenly vibrated.

Upon reaching for her phone and unlocking it, she found that she had received a message on QQ.

Ange: "Congratz on the conclusion."

Xu Chuanchuan: "Thank you, muah~ What about you? When will your current book end?"

Ange: "I've already stopped publishing for a month now. [Sweat]"

Xu Chuanchuan: "This isn't your style. Why the sudden hiatus?"

Ange: "Hah, it seems you value sex more than friendship."

Xu Chuanchuan: "What do you mean…"

Ange: "I made a Weibo post last month explaining that since this book got signed for physical publication, I need to wait until the physical book is released before I can publish the ending. Did you not see it?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "...No."

Ange: "Did you not notice that ever since you started dating Murong, the two of us rarely ever speak to each other?"

Upon receiving Ange's reminder, Xu Chuanchuan quickly scrolled through their conversation history, and what she saw immediately embarrassed her.

Excluding today's conversation, the most recent conversation they had dated back to a month ago. Moreover, that was when Xu Chuanchuan discovered Passerby Shi's secret and went to Ange to complain about it.

To make matters worse, the message preceding this conversation topic came from Ange, and it stated: "That's enough from you two! I'm not a porn dealer! Find your own research materials!"

Seeing no reply coming from Xu Chuanchuan, Ange followed up with another message: "A woman's love is bigger than the sky. I understand your circumstances."

Feeling a little guilty, Xu Chuanchuan evaded this sensitive topic and asked Ange about other things: "It's National Day soon. Since you don't need to write, what do you plan on doing for the week-long holiday?"

Ange: "Just look at your memory."

Xu Chuanchuan: "What's wrong with me again…"

Ange: "A few months ago, we agreed that we would be going on vacation together when '10-1' arrives.[1] You probably forgot all about it long ago, right?"

Xu Chuanchuan had indeed forgotten about the appointment. However, she quickly recalled it after Ange's reminder. At the time, she had yet to get together with Murong Shi. Meanwhile, Ange had invited her for an IRL meet-up on this year's National Day because neither of them had to update their novels during this one-week holiday. Xu Chuanchuan also didn't have to go to work.

What should I do? Do I abandon Murong to herself and have fun with Ange?

Or should the three of us go out together? But what if Murong doesn't want to?

Xu Chuanchuan struggled for a long time before replying: "I'll ask her about it once she's done showering."

Ange: "No need; just spend your time with her. I don't want to be someone who separates couples. You don't need to feel responsible, either. I was just casually mentioning it."

However, while Ange might not care too much about it, Xu Chuanchuan still felt guilty about this situation.

Ange: "Also, I'm opening a new shop on National Day, so I won't be able to leave the city."

Xu Chuanchuan: "A new shop? What do you mean?"

Ange: "I reclaimed a shop I previously rented out recently, so I thought of starting a small business myself. I ended up settling for a cake shop. My cousin and his wife will help me operate it while I contribute to funding."

Xu Chuanchuan knew that Ange owned several shops and had been renting them out to other people previously. However, she never thought Ange would start her own business.

In the one month they stopped communicating, so many things happened without her knowledge. For a moment, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but feel that the two of them had grown distant from each other. She also felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

Afterward, the two of them continued talking about a bunch of nonsense, only ending their conversation after Murong Shi had returned from the bathroom.

While lying on the bed, Xu Chuanchuan asked Murong Shi about their plans for the National Day holiday. After pondering for a moment, Murong Shi said, "Why don't we pay Fang Qin a visit?"

Xu Chuanchuan's eyes immediately lit up as she said, "Sure! Is she still in Yunnan right now?"

"No idea. Let me ask her."

Murong Shi promptly gave Fang Qin a call. However, the call did not connect even after some time had passed, so Murong Shi switched to sending Fang Qin a message. Unfortunately, Fang Qin did not reply even after a long time had passed.

As a result, their discussion on where to visit during the National Day holiday had been temporarily shelved.

On the first day after returning from the Mid-Autumn Festival's three-day holiday, everyone seemed to be in a holiday mood still. Shortly after working hours began, the various department heads were called upon for an emergency meeting. And because of the absence of their direct superior, everyone in the Engineering Department started chatting with each other.

When Xu Chuanchuan overheard her colleagues talking about their plans for the National Day holiday, she inadvertently recalled her unfinished discussion with Murong Shi yesterday. As a result, her mind started to wander as well.

Murong Shi was busy with her meeting, so Xu Chuanchuan didn't see her lover throughout the day. When it was close to the end of the day, Xu Chuanchuan received a WeChat message from Murong Shi: "The meeting still isn't over. Go ahead and have dinner without me."

Xu Chuanchuan replied with an "Okay" before packing her things and returning to the dormitory. However, as she didn't have much of an appetite because of Murong Shi's absence, she decided to just wait for Murong Shi in the apartment.

Murong Shi only returned to the dormitory when it was almost dark outside. When she returned, she wore a frown on her face, and her entire body gave off a feeling of exhaustion. When she found out that Xu Chuanchuan had yet to have dinner, she wrinkled her brows even further and said, "Let's order delivery today, then."

While ordering some food through Meituan's application, Xu Chuanchuan said, "You look upset today."

Suddenly, Murong Shi imposed half of her weight onto Xu Chuanchuan's back and said, "I'm sorry, I won't be able to accompany you during National Day. I need to make a trip to Malaysia."

Revealing a look of shock, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Did something happen?"

While massaging her eyebrows, Murong Shi said, "Something went wrong with our overseas partner. We still don't know the specifics of the situation, so we'll have to conduct an on-site investigation."

This was indeed an unexpected situation. Then, Xu Chuanchuan hurriedly asked, "How long will it take?"

Shaking her head, Murong Shi said, "It depends on the situation."

"When will you be leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

Xu Chuanchuan grew even more surprised.

The next day, Murong Shi left the dormitory before the sun had even risen. Her movements were light, and Xu Chuanchuan didn't notice her departure at all. By the time Xu Chuanchuan woke up to her phone's alarm, Murong Shi's side of the bed had already cooled.

When Xu Chuanchuan unlocked her phone, she was immediately greeted by a message from Murong Shi: "I'm off."

Xu Chuanchuan tried calling Murong Shi, but the call did not go through, probably because Murong Shi had already boarded her plane. So, she settled for sending a message instead, saying: "All the best."

Four people had gone on the business trip: Murong Shi, Murong Mingkun, and their respective assistants. After departing from the country, they went radio silent for three whole days. Xu Chuanchuan panicked over this situation, worried that an accident might have occurred.

When National Day arrived, Xu Chuanchuan finally received a video call request from Murong Shi at noon. As soon as the call connected, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but gape in shock as the person on the other side currently wore a sundress and a pair of sunglasses while lying on a swing under a tree.

Xu Chuanchuan initially wanted to ask Murong Shi about her work progress. However, after seeing this scene, she changed her mind and asked, "Are you there for work or holiday?"

Murong Shi removed her sunglasses and hung them in front of her chest. Then, she said in a helpless tone, "This company has been arguing with us and deliberately delaying the investigation progress. There's nothing we can do right now, so I can only treat this as a vacation. I should've brought you with me if I knew something like this would happen."

Puffing up her cheeks, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I don't have a passport. Is it fun there?"

Chuckling, Murong Shi replied, "Do you honestly think I'm in the mood to have fun? I'm just making the best of a bad situation. I still have to go have a battle of wits with those people in the afternoon."

"You've suffered."

"Are you still in bed?"

Xu Chuanchuan had woken up long ago but couldn't be bothered to get out of bed. While resting her chin on her pillow, she resentfully muttered, "It's boring without you here."

"You can invite Xiangxiang and Little Yan out to play."

"Forget it. They already went to the water park early in the morning. They invited me as well, but I refused."

"Why not?"

"I'm scared of water."

Murong Shi laughed in amusement. Then, she asked, "What will you do for the whole week, then? You hardly have any friends."

I do have a friend. It's just that she's pretty far away, Xu Chuanchuan inwardly retorted. Then, after hesitating for a while, she said, "Actually, I previously made an appointment with Ange…"

Murong Shi's complexion sank.

TL Notes:

[1]10-1:

The correct reference is 10-1, which is October 1st (National Day). For National Day in China, apart from the day itself, the following six days are also designated as a public holiday.