After Being Bent by Reader

Ange was pretending to look at the scenery outside when Murong Shi spoke to her. Upon hearing Murong Shi's words, she turned her attention toward the other party and warily asked, "Talk about what?"

Pressed for time, Murong Shi curtly said, "About Chuanchuan."

"Chuanchuan? What about her?" Ange asked while looking toward the restroom's direction.

Ange's reaction appeared a little exaggerated, and Murong Shi couldn't help but wonder if the other party was putting on an act. However, she maintained a calm expression as she said, "She has repeatedly been telling me that you are her closest friend."

"Is that so? She's never told this to me before."

"You two have known each other since the early days of her writing career. You've even been of significant help to her, so she is very grateful toward you."

Ange couldn't tell what Murong Shi was trying to do, so she feigned ignorance and continued wasting time with Murong Shi. "Have I helped her before? I don't remember."

"Chuanchuan can be quite slow sometimes, so she must've given you a lot of trouble, right?" Murong Shi continued speaking in a leisurely tone, her voice void of any emotions.

Ange looked upward and pondered for a moment. Then, she said, "It's okay. We just provide encouragement and support to each other."

"I know you like her as well," Murong Shi indifferently said.

Raising an eyebrow, Ange said, "That's for sure. She is kind and innocent. There must be many people who like her."

"Many? Who else is there?"

"Her readers."

"..."

"You, too. Don't you like her?"

Murong Shi was momentarily taken aback when Ange suddenly turned the tables on her. However, she quickly chuckled and said, "I like her. I like her a lot."

The two of them were unfamiliar with each other, so their conversation was nothing but awkward. As the second cup of coffee she ordered had yet to arrive, Ange started getting bored, so her eyes began to wander.

Then, Murong Shi narrowed her eyes and said, "You should understand what I mean."

While squeezing the tissue paper she previously shredded into a ball, Ange said, "I don't quite understand. Please elaborate."

"And here I thought you were a straightforward person. It seems I have misjudged you," Murong Shi mockingly said.

In response, Ange lazily leaned back and said, "Then, you might be short-sighted. You should find a time to go get your eyes checked."

Although Ange's words didn't contain any feelings of aggression, her uncooperative attitude still irked Murong Shi somewhat. Even so, Murong Shi still maintained an amiable expression as she said, "She is too trusting in others. You might be able to fool her, but you can't fool me."

Ange had initially thought of refuting Murong Shi. However, she failed to think up a proper rebuttal after opening her mouth, so she decided not to speak at all. Then, she retracted the emotions on her face and began tapping her finger against the table in an irregular pattern, looking like she was pondering something.

"I was originally against her coming to visit you, but she insisted on doing so. She even wanted me to believe in her."

"But you started questioning me as soon as she left the table," Ange indifferently pointed out."

"Because I don't trust you," Murong Shi frankly said.

Ange was a little surprised by Murong Shi's answer. Then, she snickered and said, "You're funny. Don't you find it meaningless to keep on treating me as an imaginary love rival?"

"I'm sure you know best whether it is real or imaginary," Murong Shi calmly said, her eyes still locked on Ange.

Ange shut her mouth once more.

The two began silently staring at each other once more, clashing with each other in secret. Like so, seconds passed by quickly.

Eventually, Murong Shi realized that she was running out of time, so she broke the silence and said, "The purpose of my visit this time isn't to negotiate with you, neither is it to start a fight. On the contrary, I came here to thank you."

For a moment, Ange couldn't help but wonder if her ears were broken or the person seated across her had taken the wrong medicine this morning. Unable to keep up with Murong Shi's rhythm, Ange asked in confusion, "Thank me for what?"

"Thank you for not laying a hand on her throughout these years. It is only because of your abstinence that I got the opportunity to make her my girlfriend."

This was a blatant provocation.

"..." Ange suddenly had the urge to punch Murong Shi. While doing her best to maintain her cool, she put on an artificial smile and said, "I think it's a little too soon for you to celebrate."

Murong Shi frowned, her attitude cooling down significantly. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Experience it yourself," Ange said, deliberately making her words sound vague.

"..."

"..."

Just as the atmosphere around the table was about to reach a freezing point, Murong Shi suddenly smiled and said, "Sorry, but I came here in quite a hurry, so I didn't bring you a gift. I'll have my assistant procure some local specialties from Malaysia when she returns and send them to you."

Why would I want your things? Are we even close to each other? Ange thought to herself.

Before Ange could discern the sincerity in Murong Shi's smile, she noticed a familiar figure through the corner of her eyes. When she realized that Xu Chuanchuan had returned from the restroom, she instantly understood the reason for Murong Shi's actions. What a crafty fox. She sure knows how to hide her tail quickly.

Xu Chuanchuan had been away from the table for around three minutes. When she sat back in her seat, she innocently asked, "What were you two talking about so happily?"

Happy, my ass, Ange thought. Regardless, she sighed in relief after seeing Xu Chuanchuan return. Then, she said, "Your suitcase is still at my house. Don't forget to go collect it later."

"This…" A troubled look appeared on Xu Chuanchuan's face as she turned to look at the person beside her.

Although Murong Shi's expression was dull, her tone was gentle as she said, "Don't concern yourself with me. You two should still have a lot of things to talk about, so you can continue staying at her place."

Xu Chuanchuan never thought Murong Shi would say such words, so she was momentarily at a loss on what to say.

However, Ange inwardly scoffed at Murong Shi's words and cursed, Hypocrite.

Although this was an awkward problem, Xu Chuanchuan had no choice but to make a decision. After much deliberation, she eventually chose to move out of Ange's place. After all, Murong Shi had traveled thousands of kilometers just to meet her. How could she let Murong Shi stay in a hotel all by herself?

Sometime later, the trio left the coffee shop. Before they got into Ange's car, Ange said, "Apart from myself, there are only three cats and a dog living in my house. If you don't mind it, you can move in as well."

Ange's words were naturally directed toward Murong Shi.

In response, Murong Shi said, "Thanks for the offer, but that won't be necessary. I don't particularly like furry animals."

Ange had long since expected Murong Shi to refuse her offer, so she simply shrugged.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but feel that the atmosphere between Ange and Murong Shi was strange. But everything was going well before I went to the restroom. What exactly did I miss?

Then, Xu Chuanchuan secretly dragged Ange aside and said, "I'm sorry. I'm worried that she'll get lonely if I leave her alone at the hotel."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I can understand it," Ange said, laughing.

…

Xu Chuanchuan didn't bring a lot of things with her. While she was busy packing up in the guest room, the two other people were having a "small talk" in the living room.

Upon noticing a stranger in the house, Ritian, who had just woken up from an afternoon nap, charged up to Murong Shi and began barking fiercely. Seeing this, Ange pushed it aside with her feet. Then, she looked at a certain someone's calm expression and asked, "Are you not afraid of dogs?"

In response, Murong Shi calmly said, "It won't bite, so what's there to be afraid of?"

"Who said it doesn't bite?" Ange said, smirking as she glanced at her growling poodle.

"Oh, then you better look after it," Murong Shi said before walking straight past Ritian and going to check up on Xu Chuanchuan.

Making good on her promise, Ange brought Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi to the Oriental Pearl Tower when night arrived. As an awkward atmosphere constantly surrounded the trio, they quickly left the place after taking a few photos.

The dinner they previously had was a hotel buffet. The taste was subpar, so Xu Chuanchuan hardly ate anything. By now, her stomach had already started grumbling, so they decided to stop by a restaurant for some supper.

Ange sat in front as the driver, while Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi sat at the back.

With nothing better to do in the car, Xu Chuanchuan took out her phone to post the pictures they just took on her Wechat Moments.

Seeing this, Murong Shi reminded, "You'll get carsick if you use your phone now."

"Help me post, then," Xu Chuanchuan said as she stuffed her phone into Murong Shi's hands. Then, she leaned her head against Murong Shi's shoulder.

Murong Shi chose nine satisfactory photos out of the ones they previously took. After adding some filters and writing some commentary text, she created the post.

"I'm done."

"Already?" Xu Chuanchuan sat upright. Upon receiving her phone back, she quickly looked through the post Murong Shi made. Then, when she saw the commentary text, she felt her heart stopping momentarily.

—What a beautiful night with you.

To make matters worse, the pictures Murong Shi uploaded were mostly group photos of the two of them. Some of these pictures also looked quite intimate. What would she do if others saw this post?

However, Murong Shi quickly saw through Xu Chuanchuan's worries and said, "It's fine. Only I can see them."

Xu Chuanchuan quickly noticed a certain icon located in a corner of the post. Upon seeing this icon, she quickly relaxed and stored her phone away.

Meanwhile, Murong Shi took out her own phone, entered her WeChat Moments, and located the post she made using Xu Chuanchuan's phone. Then, she liked the post and commented with a heart emoji.

Xu Chuanchuan felt warmth spread in her heart when she noticed Murong Shi's actions. Though, contrary to what she felt, she said, "Do you have nothing better to do?"

Murong Shi smiled but did not comment. Then, she subconsciously swiped her finger across her phone's screen and refreshed the page. Unexpectedly, a new post appeared in her WeChat Moments.

Fang Qin: "What a bleak night. [Image]"

Murong Shi gave Fang Qin's post a like without much thought. However, just as she was about to close her WeChat, she paused and muttered, "Strange. Why is she in Shanghai as well?"

"Who?"

Murong Shi showed her phone's screen to Xu Chuanchuan.

When Xu Chuanchuan looked at where Murong Shi pointed and noticed the location tagged to Fang Qin's post, she widened her eyes in surprise. "Isn't she supposed to be in Yunnan?"

Murong Shi was similarly confused, so she promptly gave Fang Qin a call. Fortunately, the other party answered the call after just one beep.

"Are you in Shanghai right now?" Murong Shi asked, getting straight to the point.

"That's right. What's up?" Fang Qin said.

"What a coincidence. Chuanchuan and I are here, too," Murong Shi said, smiling.

Ten minutes later, the trio arrived at a coffee shop, found a window seat, and sat down.

Then, Ange asked, "Does your friend know how to get here?"

"I sent her the GPS coordinates. She lives in a nearby hotel, so she should be able to find this place," Xu Chuanchuan said.

However, despite her words, Xu Chuanchuan still didn't feel assured. Immediately, she opened up her WeChat and sent Fang Qin a voice message, "Fang Qin, just tell the driver the shop's name if you're taking a taxi. Also, what do you want to eat? We'll order it for you."

After Xu Chuanchuan sent her message, she heard Ange asking, "Her surname is Fang?"

"That's right."

"What did you call her just now?"

"Fang Qin."

Ange's throat tightened momentarily. Then, she asked, "Which Qin?"

"The one with a water and a heart."

Ange's heart thumped, and she immediately became mute.

TL Notes: