After Being Bent by Reader

An hour later, Xu Chuanchuan and Ange arrived inside a restaurant and ordered a bunch of dishes native to Shanghai.

Sighing ruefully, Ange said, "I rarely ever leave home. Only with your visit do I get the opportunity to leave my coffin."

After saying so, Ange began introducing the characteristics and taste of each dish to Xu Chuanchuan.

So long as it was something delicious, Xu Chuanchuan wouldn't be picky with her food. She was already salivating by the time Ange finished her introduction. Though, before starting her meal, she picked up her phone and took a few photos.

Stopping her chopsticks in mid-air, Ange asked, "Are you posting it on your social media?"

"No, I'm showing them to her."

Ange didn't need to ask to know who that "her" was. When she saw the focus on Xu Chuanchuan's face as the latter typed away at her phone, she couldn't help but scoff, "It must be tiring for you to go out. You had to make a report when you got off the plane. You also had to make a report when you were stuck in traffic. Now, you're even reporting about your dinner. Isn't that person managing you too strictly?"

Xu Chuanchuan paused momentarily. Then, she stuck out her tongue and said, "That's not the case… I'm doing this of my own volition."

Xu Chuanchuan guessed that Murong Shi was probably busy as the latter had not replied to even one of the numerous messages she had sent thus far.

While Xu Chuanchuan admitted that her actions looked like flattery, she still couldn't help herself from doing so. After all, they had nearly gotten into a fight just yesterday.

Meanwhile, after being told off by Ange, Xu Chuanchuan realized that she was too long-winded. Murong Shi shouldn't even have the time to read her detailed report. So, after sending one last message, Xu Chuanchuan set aside her phone and focused on eating.

It was a rare chance for the two friends to meet up, so they spent every moment conversing with each other, talking about novels and trivial things in life.

Partway through the conversation, Ange suddenly changed the topic and said, "By the way, I received your fortune cat and flower basket. Thanks."

Yesterday was the opening day for Ange's cake shop. When Xu Chuacnhuan found out about it, she had asked for the shop's address and placed an online order for an opening gift.

Shanghai cuisine veered toward the sweet side, so it wasn't particularly satisfying for a spicy food lover like Xu Chuanchuan. Even so, everything tasted good on an empty stomach, so she still ate very quickly. After taking a few bites, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "How is business?"

In response, Ange took out her phone and showed Xu Chuanchuan some pictures. The pictures were of the cake shop's interior. The shop was quite spacious, and the decorations made the establishment look cozy. There were all sorts of cakes and snacks displayed on the shelves, and many customers could be seen in the shop.

"It's so prosperous!" Xu Chuanchuan exclaimed.

Ange smiled and said, "We were doing a buy one free one promotion. Although there were a lot of customers, we weren't making any money. Just think of it as earning some brownie points with the locals."

"Congratz, congratz," Xu Chuanchuan said, cupping her fist.

"The store's signature is peach pastry. They've been selling like hotcakes. Before you leave, make sure to bring some back for that person to try."

"Okay," Xu Chuanchuan answered while biting her chopsticks with a happy smile.

Then, Ange suddenly asked, "Will she refuse to eat them if she finds out they come from me?"

Xu Chuanchuan nearly choked on Ange's words. After taking a sip of her soup, she awkwardly smiled and said, "She doesn't like snacks very much, but she'll probably eat them if I feed them to her."

"Yo, showing off your affection again, huh?"

After the meal, Xu Chuanchuan looked at her suitcase and said, "I haven't booked a hotel yet."

Without even thinking, Ange said, "What hotel? Just stay at my house."

"But your parents..." Xu Chuanchuan hesitantly said.

"I don't live with them. Apart from myself, there are only three cats and one dog in my house," Ange said.

Hence, it was decided that Xu Chuanchuan would be staying over at Ange's place.

As soon as Ange opened the front door, a brown poodle suddenly ran over and began barking at Xu Chuanchuan, scaring the latter to death.

"Ritian, are you rebelling?!" Ange lifted her leg and pushed the dog aside. Then, she helped her friend open a path as she said, "Don't be afraid. Ritian is all bark and no bite. It doesn't dare to bite anyone."

Just like Ange had said, after pitifully walking in circles a few times, the poodle no longer behaved aggressively against Xu Chuanchuan.

After breathing out a sigh of relief, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help herself from asking, "Why did you give it such a name?"

In response, Ange nonchalantly said, "Because it can fuck anything apart from the heavens."[1]

Xu Chuanchuan: "..."

Ange's house was enormous. It had three bedrooms: one master bedroom, one guest room, and one other guest room that had been converted into a study.

After looking around, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Won't you feel lonely living in such a big house?"

"Which is why I have these four," Ange said as she pointed at the three Ragdoll lazing on the sofa and the poodle rubbing against her calf.

Xu Chuanchuan suddenly felt as if she had entered a pet house.

Afterward, Ange brought Xu Chuanchuan to the guest room and said, "The room is still a mess. The Auntie from the cleaning service will take some time to arrive, so you can sleep in my room first if you want to rest."

"No need," Xu Chuanchuan said. She had slept on the plane, so she was brimming with energy right now. Then, she pointed outside the room and said, "I want to play with your cats."

In response, Ange generously said, "Go ahead."

The Ragdoll breed could be said to be the epitome of beauty among cats, so Xu Chuanchuan eagerly made her way to the living room. However, upon noticing a stranger approaching them, two of the cats promptly fled from the sofa, with one of them hiding under the coffee table and the other lying prone in front of the television.

As for the one that didn't run away, it lazily stretched its back on the sofa. After exchanging glances with this cat, Xu Chuanchuan approached it and carefully stroked its fur. And upon seeing no resistance from the cat, she went a step further and picked it up into her arms.

"Do these three have names?" Xu Chuanchuan asked while stroking the cat in her arms.

"Furry One, Furry Two, and Furry Three. The one you're holding is Furry Two," Ange said.

At around 1 PM, the cleaning lady arrived and quickly tidied up the guest room for Xu Chuanchuan. Then, she continued to clean up the other rooms.

While watching Xu Chuanchuan unpack her suitcase, Ange asked, "Did you bring any toiletries? I could ask the cleaning lady to buy some for you if you forgot."

"I did," Xu Chuanchuan said as she took out some necessities from her suitcase.

Knock, knock, knock—

At this time, the cleaning lady knocked on the door and said, "Miss Tang, I'm done with the cleaning. Do you have any other instructions for me?"

"That's all, Auntie. Thank you for your hard work."

Then, the cleaning lady picked up a bag full of trash and said, "In that case, I'll be heading back for now. I'll come back at night to make dinner for you two."

Ange nodded.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Just as the cleaning lady was about to turn away, she suddenly pulled out something from her pocket and said, "I found this when I was cleaning the bathroom just now. I only found one, though. I didn't find the other one even after searching for some time."

In response, Ange reached out to receive the object and said, "It's fine. It doesn't matter if you can't find it."

This time, the cleaning lady had finally left.

Coincidentally, Xu Chuanchuan had come walking over with her toiletries in hand, so she caught sight of the item in Ange's hand—It was a royal blue earring.

Then, after taking a look at Ange's ears, Xu Chuanchuan asked in confusion, "Why did you buy an earring when your ears aren't even pierced?"

"This is something I picked up."

Stunned, Xu Chuanchuan said, "Then, you must be very lucky."

"How so?"

"This should be a Cartier. It's quite expensive."

"Is that so?" Ange's expression stiffened for a moment as her mind began to wander.

Meanwhile, after Xu Chuanchuan inspected the earring in detail for a moment, she stated with even greater confidence, "That's definitely a Cartier."

As to why Xu Chuanchuan was so confident in her appraisal, it was because Murong Shi liked the jewelry from Cartier the most. At one time, when Fang Qin was celebrating her birthday, Xu Chuanchuan had accompanied Murong Shi in choosing a present for Fang Qin, and Murong Shi had eventually settled on a pair of Cartier earrings. Back then, Murong Shi had even joked about getting Xu Chuanchuan's ears pierced. However, Xu Chuanchuan had adamantly refused to do so out of her fear of pain.

Regardless, Xu Chuanchuan still remembered that the earrings Murong Shi gave to Fang Qin were shaped like a fan, just like the one Ange currently held. Even the colors of the two earrings were exactly the same.

"It's worth quite a lot of money," Xu Chuanchuan muttered to herself.

In response, Ange thoughtfully said, "It seems I'll have to hand this thing over to the police, then."

"The police will praise you for your selflessness."

Ange smiled but did not comment.

In the afternoon, Ange decided to take Xu Chuanchuan to her new cake shop for a visit. The shop held many opening promotions, so there were many guests visiting it. While Ange was busy discussing business matters with her cousin, Xu Chuanchuan even helped out as a part-time worker in the shop.

Kachak—

A noise suddenly entered Xu Chuanchuan's ears. When Xu Chuanchuan turned toward the source, she saw Ange taking a picture of her with her phone, so she cooperatively made a 'V' gesture.

After taking a few more pictures, Ange said, "You look quite suitable in our shop's uniform."

Smiling, Xu Chuanchuan said, "In that case, I'll just continue working here instead of going back."

In response, Ange hurriedly waved her free hand and said, "I dare not keep you. If that person finds out, she'll definitely come to snatch you back."

Ange's words reminded Xu Chuanchuan of something, so she quickly pulled out her phone and checked her WeChat. Unfortunately, even until now, Murong Shi had yet to reply to any of her messages. However, she didn't panic, either. Instead, she took several photos of the shop and sent them to Murong Shi. She also sent the photos Ange had taken for her, tagged with the message: "How do I look?"

When the sky was close to darkening, Murong Shi finally replied to Xu Chuanchuan's messages.

At the time, Xu Chuanchuan was discussing with Ange what places they should visit for tomorrow. When her phone vibrated, Xu Chuanchuan eagerly unlocked it. And upon seeing her actions, Ange even joked, "The overseer is here."

However, even though Xu Chuanchuan had sent well over a dozen messages during the day, Murong Shi chose to reply to only one of her messages: "If you're staying at her home, does that mean you'll be sleeping with her tonight?"

Xu Chuanchuan was a little stunned.

This person's focus really is hilarious, Xu Chuanchuan thought. Then, she replied: "No, what are you talking about? I'll be sleeping in the guest room by myself."

When Xu Chuanchuan told Ange about Murong Shi's question, Ange revealed an intrigued expression. Then, after pondering for a moment, she said, "Isn't her desire for control a little too strong?"

"...It's still okay." Xu Chuanchuan felt that she should try to preserve her lover's dignity as much as possible, so she opted not to say that Murong Shi had constantly been jealous of Ange.

Then, Ange wrapped an arm around Xu Chuanchuan's shoulders and continued, "If you really were to share a bed with me, would she run all the way here and kill me?"

Xu Chuanchuan knew that Ange was only joking. After being rendered speechless for a moment, she laughed and said, "No way."

However, the next day, Xu Chuanchuan ended up slapping herself in the face.

TL Notes:

[1]Ritian(日天 - rì tiān)

Combined, you get Ritian/Heaven Fucker.