After Being Bent by Reader

The cake shop began doing business at 9 AM every day. Ange's cousin and his wife were busily working in the shop when they suddenly heard the doorbell ringing. Both of them thought that it was a customer here to buy some cakes for breakfast. However, when they turned around, they found that it was their younger cousin/cousin-in-law instead.

"Why are you here?" Ange's cousin asked.

Meanwhile, Ange's cousin-in-law looked at Ange's attire and joked, "You're dressed so beautifully. Are you preparing to go on a date?"

Similar to most girls, Ange also liked buying clothes. However, the clothes she bought were mostly loose and comfortable. Yet, she wasn't wearing any of those baggy clothes today. Instead, she had dug through her wardrobe and selected a white dress that gave her a saintly air when worn. To match her lady-like clothing, Ange had even gone through the effort of putting on some light makeup before leaving her house.

However, Ange started regretting her actions while she was on the way to the cake shop. She felt that her attire looked too deliberate. Yet, she was also too lazy to turn around and change her clothing.

Faced with her cousin-in-law's question, Ange blushed and said, "What date? I just came to help out, seeing as you two have a lot of work."

Ange's cousin did not doubt Ange's words as he passed a tray of eggs to Ange and said, "In that case, help me separate the yolks from the whites."

Ange wasn't proficient in the culinary arts. Adding on to the fact that her mind was somewhere else, she kept making mistakes when cracking the eggs. This led her to having to use a pair of chopsticks to pick out the bits of eggshells from the bowl of cracked eggs. Afterward, seeing how clumsy Ange was, her cousin had her help with mopping the floor instead.

The shop wasn't big, and it only took a few minutes for Ange to mop the entire shop. After finishing her work, Ange didn't know what she should do, so she simply sat in front of the cash register and waited.

Ange waited from 9 AM till noon without meeting the person she was waiting for. After finally running out of patience, she pulled out her phone, opened up her WeChat application, and clicked on Fang Qin's avatar. She wanted to ask when the other party would deliver the promised item to the shop. However, after pondering over the matter, she quickly dismissed her thoughts.

She's bound to come by, so wouldn't it make me look eager if I message her now?

At this time, Ange's cousin-in-law came out from the back and just happened to see Ange staring into her phone with a bitter look. So, she said, "The shop can do fine with just your cousin and I. You can go back first if you're feeling bored."

However, Ange still wanted to keep on waiting. So, she put down her phone and calmly said, "It's fine. I don't have anything better to do at home anyway."

Shortly afterward, Ange's cousin returned to the shop with three sets of lunch. As there needed to be someone manning the store, Ange's cousin had his wife and Ange eat their lunch first.

The food tasted average, so Ange only took a few bites before setting down her chopsticks and switching places with her cousin.

After Ange waited for two more hours with an empty stomach, her waist and legs started feeling sore. Even so, her phone remained silent.

Finally, Ange ran out of patience. So, she removed her apron and bid goodbye to her cousin and cousin-in-law.

The inside of the car had turned into an oven after being parked under the sun for the entire day. After turning the air conditioning to its maximum setting, Ange took out a can of cola from the car's mini-fridge and downed half of the can in an attempt to extinguish her irritation.

I knew I shouldn't have come here.

Unable to finish the rest, Ange put the can of cola into a cup holder and began driving back home.

Later that day, Ange received a call while she was catching up on her lost sleep. She had a heavy head when she woke up to her ringing phone, so she answered the call before she even opened her eyes. Then, she said in annoyance, "Who is it?"

The other side remained silent for a moment. Then, a tender voice came through the phone, asking, "Are you still sleeping?"

Ange's eyes snapped wide open. Then, she looked at her phone's display and fell into a daze.

Failing to get a reply, Fang Qin said, "I'm sorry. I thought you woke up already. I didn't mean to interrupt your rest."

It was currently half-past three in the afternoon. Usually, Ange would've already been awake at this time, but today's situation was somewhat special.

After putting the phone to one side of her ear, Ange calmed down and asked, "What do you want?"

"I came to Shanghai with my boss for another business trip…" Fang Qin paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, but I'm too busy, so I won't be able to deliver Chuanchuan's gift today."

Ange covered her mouth and let out a stifled yawn. Then, she asked in a lazy tone, "What's the gift?"

With all the secrecy behind the gift, Ange couldn't help but suspect that the gift her friend prepared didn't exist at all.

"You'll know once you see it."

Ange found the situation even more suspicious upon hearing Fang Qin's answer, so she simply replied with an "Mhm."

"I need to work. I'll visit you once I have time."

Only after the call got disconnected did Ange realize that something was amiss with Fang Qin's words.

Visit me once you have time? For what?

…

The next day, Fang Qin still used work as an excuse and said she couldn't deliver Xu Chuanchuan's gift. Ange didn't foolishly wake up and visit the cake shop early in the morning, either.

On the afternoon of the third day, Ange suddenly received a call from her cousin while she was busy working.

"There's a Miss Fang who came by and dropped off something. Do you want to come to collect it yourself, or do you want me to drop it off at your place after work?"

There's really a gift? Hurriedly, Ange asked, "What is it?"

"It's well-packed, so I can't tell what's inside."

Ange failed to get an answer from Xu Chuanchuan even after asking about the gift last night. So, she was even more curious after hearing her cousin's description. After thinking about it for a moment, she said, "I'll go pick it up."

After changing into some casual clothing, Ange grabbed her phone and car keys. However, when she left her home and saw that it was pouring outside, she quickly went back inside to grab an umbrella.

Traffic was terrible because of the rain. Fortunately, the cake shop wasn't far from her home, so Ange reached it after a ten-minute drive. After rushing into the shop under her umbrella, she shook the rain that had splashed onto her hair. Then, she sighed and muttered, "What heavy rain."

I should've just stayed at home if I knew the rain was this bad. Even my shoes and pants are wet now.

While mumbling a complaint in her heart, Ange looked up and saw someone in an even more miserable state than her. And upon recognizing this person's face, she couldn't help but be stunned.

"You still haven't left?" Ange asked in surprise.

Fang Qin was practically drenched, and she was currently wiping the rainwater on her face with a napkin. When she met Ange's eyes, she smiled and said, "Hi."

"Hi—" Ange responded, her mind filled with a lot of questions.

A small bucket was placed beside the entrance, and it was meant to hold the umbrellas brought by customers on rainy days. After Ange tossed her umbrella into the bucket, she noticed that there was a broken umbrella inside it as well. "Whose umbrella is this?"

"It's mine," Fang Qin reported in embarrassment. After pulling apart the wet hair that was blocking her vision, she continued, "I was originally planning on heading to the airport, but it suddenly started pouring while I was looking for a taxi. So, I ran into the mall next door to buy an umbrella. However, I didn't expect its quality to be so terrible that it would break as soon as it got hit by a strong wind. Afterward, I ended up in my current state. The rain was too heavy for me to leave, either, so I had no choice but to come here for shelter."

No wonder. This rain came at an impeccable timing, Ange thought.

At this time, Ange's cousin-in-law spoke up from the cashier, saying, "I heard that a typhoon is hitting us today. With such heavy rain, I don't think any planes can take off."

Hearing this, Fang Qin turned around and revealed a bitter smile, saying, "You really hit the mark. I just received a message saying that my flight got canceled."

Then, Ange's cousin-in-law said, "In that case, you should hurry up and find a hotel to change out of those wet clothes."

"Mhm. I'll do that once the rain lets up a little."

Fang Qin looked like she had just taken a dip into a swimming pool. Water could be seen dripping from her hair and clothing, drenching the cardboard she stood on in no time at all. The suitcase sitting beside her was in an equally soaked and miserable state.

Ange scrutinized the woman before her with a calm expression before looking at the worsening rain outside. Then, she said, "This rain probably won't be letting up any time soon. You can't possibly stay in these wet clothes for hours, right? How about…"

"Hm?"

Ange suddenly noticed that Fang Qin didn't seem to like putting on makeup, either. Ange didn't know if it was intentional, but Fang Qin happened to be wearing the Cartier earrings fashioned with blue gemstones today. And upon seeing these earrings, Ange found herself inadvertently recalling that night.

Ange's heart thumped. Then, she turned away to avoid Fang Qin's gaze and said, "How about I drop you off in my car?"

Ange spoke in a voice much softer than the noisy rain outside. Even so, Fang Qin still managed to hear Ange, and she couldn't help but be surprised. However, without thinking too much over the matter, Fang Qin smiled and asked, "Will that be convenient?"

"I'll be leaving after I pick up the package, anyway."

Hearing that it wouldn't be an inconvenience, Fang Qin gladly took Ange up on her offer.

The car was parked outside the cake shop. It was quite cramped for two people to share an umbrella, so it was inevitable for some rainwater to splash on them. After storing the suitcase in the trunk, they quickly got into the car.

As her pants were drenched, Fang Qin ended up getting her seat wet. Seeing this, she quickly apologized, "Sorry for getting your car wet."

"It's fine. It'll be easy to take care of this," Ange nonchalantly said.

Fang Qin did her best to avoid getting the backrest wet as well. Then, while looking at the heavy rain outside, she said, "Is there a hotel nearby? Give me a minute; I'll look it up online."

Ange was quite familiar with the area, so she said, "No need to check; there's one up ahead."

Fang Qin stopped searching for her phone and sat upright in her seat.

After a five-minute drive, the silhouette of a hotel appeared some distance ahead of the car. As the car slowed down, Fang Qin prepared herself to recite the word of gratitude she thought up previously. However, before she could speak up, the car suddenly accelerated and drove past the hotel.

Fang Qin initially thought Ange was trying to find a suitable parking spot. However, contrary to her expectations, Ange said, "Let's head to my place instead."

"What did you say?" For a moment, Fang Qin suspected that water had gotten into her ears.

Ange felt like she was sitting on pins and needles when she felt Fang Qin's gaze landing on her. However, pretending to be calm, she said, "My house is just ahead."

"..."

The rest of the trip continued in silence.