After Being Bent by Reader

"Thank you. I...I'll give you money."

After saying so, the woman began struggling with her bag once more.

"That won't be necessary," Ange said.

The woman seemingly did not hear Ange's refusal as she continued struggling to open her bag's zipper. When the woman eventually pulled open the zipper, she clumsily dropped it, and the contents of the bag scattered all over the floor.

"Give… Give me a minute." The woman held her forehead and bent down to search for her purse.

Despite her purse sitting right under her seat, the woman seemingly failed to see it. After searching for some time, the woman's breathing gradually became labored.

Ange sighed at this scene. After helping the woman pick up her purse, she stopped the other party from opening the purse and said, "I said, I don't want your money. Please hurry up and get off of my car. I want to go home."

The woman stared at Ange with her dull eyes for a moment. After taking a moment to realize that Ange was chasing her away, the woman wet her lips and thanked Ange before reaching for the door handle.

Although the woman took a long time to open the door, Ange couldn't be bothered to help the other party.

When the woman finally opened the door, she thanked Ange once more before moving one foot out of the car. Just as her other foot was about to leave, her shoe got caught on something, preventing her from moving any further.

Having exhausted her patience, Ange stepped out of the car, walked to the other side, and helped the woman with her shoe. However, upon having her shoe freed, the woman lost her center of gravity and began falling forward…

Seeing this, Ange quickly extended her hands to catch the falling woman.

It was a hot day, so Ange felt very uncomfortable having another person's skin making close contact with hers. After silently staring at the woman for a few seconds, Ange let go of the other party.

Despite having such looks, she still dares get drunk outside by herself. I don't know if she's stupid or bold. Ange silently scrutinized the woman in front of her. Then, she asked, "Aren't you afraid of meeting bad guys?"

In response, the woman chuckled and said, "My luck tonight is—burp—good."

The drunk woman seemingly preferred leaning forward when looking at others. After being on the receiving end of the woman's unreserved scrutiny for several seconds, Ange turned her head away in embarrassment and said, "I'm leaving.'

"W-Wait…" The woman suddenly held onto Ange's wrist.

At this point, Ange began revealing her annoyance on her face.

Meanwhile, after grabbing Ange's wrist, the woman leaned forward, to which Ange responded by taking a step back and bumping into her car.

"...What are you doing?"

"Shh—"

"..."

"You have a kind—burp—heart."

"..."

"You look very… lovely as well."

"..."

"Since you don't want my money, then I'll…I'll…"

You'll what???

Although Ange found the woman to be an annoyance, she couldn't help but wonder what the woman wanted to say.

Suddenly, the woman leaned forward, her lips gently making contact with Ange's lips. Then, she stood upright and sweetly smiled, saying, "I'll give you a kiss."

"..." Ange's mind exploded into an array of colors before subsequently becoming a complete blank.

What happened???

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving. Bye—burp—Bye-bye."

After saying so, the woman turned around and began wobbling away. At this time, Ange finally snapped out of her daze, caught the woman's wrist, and sternly demanded, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing," the woman said with an innocent expression. "The girls in Shanghai—burp—are really beautiful."

Upon sensing that dry palm gently caressing her face, a blush instantly surfaced on Ange's face. Only after a moment had passed did she realize that the woman was messing with her.

While Ange was lost in her thoughts, the woman asked, "What is your name?"

"..."

"My name is Fang—burp—Fang Qin. The 'Fang' is written using a water and a heart."

"..."

What happened next thoroughly exceeded Ange's expectations.

Seemingly possessed by something, Ange helped the drunk woman back to her hotel room. However, just as she was about to leave, the woman suddenly embraced her.

When their two pairs of lips were pressed together, Ange felt like she was in a dream. She had been so stunned that she remained in a daze even when she was pushed onto the bed.

Only after the woman had started unbuttoning her shirt did Ange snap out of her daze and push the woman away.

Then, she fled…

...

Unlike that night, the streets during National Day were lively and packed with cars. After sitting in the car for several minutes, not only did Ange fail to calm down, but she had grown even more agitated.

There was a bottle of water in the cupholder. Although Ange did not know how long that water had been left there, she couldn't be bothered to remember right now. Immediately, she grabbed it and emptied the entire bottle in one breath. Then, after letting out a burp and sorting out her mood, she began driving home.

Ange drove very quickly, seemingly trying to get away from something. While driving, she repeatedly reminded herself, Don't think about it. Just pretend as if everything had never happened.

…

"Ange, did you put on makeup?" Xu Chuanchuan immediately noticed something different with Ange upon meeting up.

Ange rarely ever wore makeup. The clothes she wore were very casual as well. However, before leaving home today, she had made sure to torture her face with makeup, mainly to cover up the dark circles under her eyes. While generously letting Xu Chuanchuan research her face, she said, "I applied some powder to help with the sun."

Noticing a hint of a nasal voice coming from her friend, Xu Chuanchuan hurriedly asked, "Did you catch a cold?"

Clearing her throat, Ange replied, "I set the air conditioner a little too high last night."

"Is it bad? Do you want me to buy you some medicine?"

"I'm fine."

Out of their group of four, Ange was the only one who had a car, so she was responsible for being the driver, while Fang Qin was responsible for being the tour guide. Fang Qin, seated in the passenger seat, restlessly introduced the couple sitting at the back to the various places they passed by throughout the drive.

Although Ange rarely spoke, she would still interject and add in her own comments from time to time. Whenever she spoke, though, she would feel a scorching gaze coming from beside her.

Unlike Murong Shi's hostile gaze, Ange felt like her entire being was being seen through when the person beside her looked at her. This sensation caused her to get goosebumps.

After an arduous journey, the group finally arrived at their destination. After getting out of the car, the impromptu tour guide, Fang Qin, suddenly ditched the group, saying that she wanted to buy something. She also didn't mention what she was going to buy.

Ange was in low spirits throughout the tour. The others in the group thought that it was because Ange was ill, and Xu Chuanchuan had, on multiple occasions, suggested to call off their trip and have Ange head back home to rest. However, Ange would decline the suggestion every time.

The group concluded their trip when evening arrived. After having dinner together, the four finally separated and returned to their respective accommodations.

"Uhm… I'm going to check up on my shop, so I won't be sending you back today," Ange said in a heavy nasal voice.

Fang Qin didn't bother verifying whether Ange was telling the truth or not. Looking at the other party's pale complexion, she took out something from her shoulder bag and said, "This is flu medicine."

Did she leave to buy medicine just now? Ange felt her heartbeat rising. After accepting the medicine, she asked, "How much?"

Smiling, Fang Qin said, "It's fine. Just think of it as payment for dropping me off that night."

Having no intentions of talking about that day, Ange awkwardly turned her head away.

"That night, I…"

Ange's heart thumped, and she hurriedly interrupted Fang Qin, saying, "I'm leaving."

Understanding that Ange was deliberately avoiding the topic, Fang Qin chose to keep her mouth shut.

…

On the day Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi were set to leave Shanghai, Ange personally dropped the couple off at the airport. She also gave Xu Chuanchuan a big box of walnut cakes.

When Xu Chuanchuan felt the weight of the box in her hands, she exclaimed, "How many did you give me?!"

Smiling, Ange said, "I'll send you more if you like them."

Xu Chuanchuan didn't know what to say in this situation, so she gave Ange a big hug.

After the hug continued for three seconds, Ange pushed her friend away and sighed, saying, "I wonder when we'll get to meet each other again?"

Xu Chuanchuan suddenly felt a little sad. She initially thought to console Ange by saying, "There will definitely be another chance." However, she felt that it was too vague, so she changed her words, saying, "We can still contact each other online even if we can't meet."

Ange smiled and replied with an "Mhm."

Suddenly thinking of something, Xu Chuanchuan turned to look at Murong Shi and Fang Qin, who stood some distance away. Then, she said to Ange, "Fang Qin still isn't leaving. If you're bored, you can invite her out to play."

The smile on Ange's face slightly changed when she heard Fang Qin's name. Pretending not to see a certain someone, she said, "Nevermind. I don't like going outside. It's also tough for me to get along with people who…I'm not familiar with."

They had only traveled around together for two days, so Ange and Fang Qin were indeed not particularly familiar with each other.

Xu Chuanchuan didn't know the secret between the two, so she smiled and said, "You'll become familiar with her once you two meet up a few more times. Actually, Fang Qin is very easy to get along with."

Ange did not follow up with Xu Chuanchuan's words.

At this time, Murong Shi walked over and asked, "Done?"

Ange looked at the time and said, "Hurry up and go through the security check."

"Then, we're leaving now," Xu Chuanchuan reluctantly said.

Smiling, Ange waved at Xu Chuanchuan and said, "Bye-bye. Have a safe journey."

"Bye-bye."

After going through the security checkpoint, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help herself from looking back, only to see Ange and Fang Qin standing together and talking about something. However, as they were too far apart, she couldn't get a clear look at the two's expressions.

"Be careful not to bump into other people," Murong Shi said as she pulled the shorter woman to her side.

Retracting her gaze, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Why do you think Fang Qin refused to go back with us? Does she plan on never going back?"

Murong Shi fell silent for a moment. Then, she shook her head and said, "Let her loosen up properly."

Fang Qin would have to face her headache-inducing parents once she returned. Rather than doing so, it would be much better to continue having fun outside.

Not wanting to continue on this heavy topic, Xu Chuanchuan changed the subject and asked, "Don't you think that Ange and Fang Qin are quite a good match?"

"Not at all," Murong Shi answered without hesitation.

"Not at all???" Widening her eyes, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "How are they not a good match???"

Many other passengers were in the waiting hall, so Murong Shi brought Xu Chuanchuan to a secluded spot. After sitting down, she said, "Fang Qin is too emotional. She can't stand loneliness and is easily hurt."

"You mean…Ange will hurt her?"

While helping her lover smooth her slightly fuzzy hair, Murong Shi leisurely said, "I don't know if that will happen, but Tang Xin…"

"Hmm?" Xu Chuanchuan innocently blinked her eyes.

Then, Murong Shi revealed a meaningful smile and said, "Tang Xin is a scheming person. She is too adept at hiding her thoughts and emotions. Fang Qin is no match for her in this regard at all."

"..." Xu Chuanchuan had known Ange for six years now, so she felt that she should speak up for her friend. "You're just prejudiced. Ange is nothing like what you described. She might be cold towards strangers, but she is kind toward those close to her."

Murong Shi snorted, evidently disagreeing with Xu Chuanchuan's opinion. However, she didn't wish to argue over such a matter, so after pondering for a moment, she said, "Although I don't have any good feelings for her, if she can end up together with Fang Qin, I would be more than delighted to see it happening."