After Being Bent by Reader

—Lord, is there no update today?

…

Xu Chuanchuan had just published today's chapter a few minutes ago, so she didn't bother typing a reply. Just as she was about to continue scrolling down, Murong Shi snatched the phone out of her hands.

"Aren't you tired? Let's sleep," Murong Shi said.

"Okay." Xu Chuanchuan covered herself with the blanket and laid down.

"By the way, is Tang Xin really visiting?"

Xu Chuanchuan had almost forgotten about this matter. After hearing Murong Shi mentioning it, she said, "That's right."

"I thought you only said so to spite me," Murong Shi said, frowning. "What is she visiting for?"

Back then, Xu Chuanchuan had been fuming over Murong Shi's covert actions, so she didn't have the time to ask Ange for the purpose of her visit. So, she shook her head and said, "I don't know."

"Is she coming to look for Fang Qin?"

Xu Chuanchuan's eyes instantly lit up as she excitedly said, "That's a possibility!"

Then, Xu Chuanchuan sat up, grabbed her phone, and messaged Ange via QQ.

Ange: "What are you talking about? Why would I want to find her?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "Are you really coming just to visit me? [Surprised]"

Ange: "This…is a long story."

Xu Chuanchuan: "???"

It was something that happened a few days ago…

…

After becoming a full-time author, Ange would often work till late at night and wake up late in the day. On one early morning, she woke up to the ringing of her phone.

Annoyed and tired, Ange answered the call without checking the caller ID. Then, as soon as the call connected, she heard a weak voice coming through the phone, "Tang Xin, save me—"

Upon hearing this voice, Ange's mind instantly snapped awake. After rubbing her eyes and looking at the phone's screen, she found that it was an unknown number originating from S City.

After putting the phone by her ear, Ange suspiciously asked, "Citrus?"

"It's me."

"..." Ange inwardly cursed when she heard the other party's confirmation. Then, in a disgusted voice, she asked, "What are you trying to do?"

I already blacklisted her last time, so how can she still call me? Did she change to a new number again?

"Ah—" Fragrant Citrus suddenly screamed hysterically. "This person is insane! He's torturing me! Tang Xin, save me!"

Is it an act? But if it's an act, isn't this screaming a little too realistic?

Ange didn't know what was happening on the other side, and her eardrums hurt a little because of Fragrant Citrus's hysterical screaming. Just as she was about to speak up, the other side suddenly hung up, confusing Ange.

Ange had gotten less than four hours of sleep, so she could hardly keep her eyes open. Without putting much thought into the matter, she tossed her phone aside and went back to sleep.

By the time Ange woke up again, she had mostly forgotten about Fragrant Citrus's call and only treated it as a nightmare. However, never did she think that Fragrant Citrus would come knocking on her door three days later.

Ever since hiring an hourly maid service, Ange rarely went out to eat. At 11 o'clock every morning, the housekeeper from the hourly maid service would punctually visit her home. And by the time Ange woke up, the housekeeper would've already prepared lunch for her.

As usual, Ange lazily fiddled with her phone on the bed after waking up. Only after hearing the housekeeper's reminder that lunch was ready did she lazily leave her room.

However, there was a slight difference today as the housekeeper did not leave the house right away. Instead, looking at Ange, the housekeeper hesitantly said, "Miss Tang…"

"What is it?"

"Do you have a friend called Fragrant Citrus?"

"Auntie, how do you know about Fragrant Citrus?" Ange asked with widened eyes.

"Because she's currently outside your house."

"Cough—" Ange choked on some rice. "What did you say?"

"She's outside the house. I already noticed her when I arrived. She was still there when I left to take out the trash," the housekeeper said. Then, she sighed and continued, "That girl looks quite pitiful. I don't know who beat her, but she had a swollen face and a bruised nose. I was quite frightened when I saw her, but seeing how afraid she looked, I decided to talk to her a bit. She told me she is your friend, so I asked her why she wouldn't come in. Then, she says she's afraid you'll refuse to meet her."

Ange put down her chopsticks and quickly ran outside. In her hurry to open the door, she nearly knocked down Fragrant Citrus, who was about to ring the doorbell.

It had been over a year since they broke up. Apart from occasionally watching Fragrant Citrus's stream out of boredom, Ange never met her ex-girlfriend again.

After personally seeing Fragrant Citrus, Ange realized that the housekeeper hadn't been exaggerating her words at all. The face in front of her was practically unrecognizable. When she looked carefully, she could even see traces of blood on the corners of Fragrant Citrus's mouth.

Ange gasped at this sight and took a step back.

"Tang Xin, it's me…"

Only after hearing Fragrant Citrus's voice did Ange managed to verify the other party's identity. After swallowing the rice in her mouth, Ange skeptically asked, "Your face...what happened?"

Fragrant Citrus's face was swollen, and her facial features were distorted. With tears rolling down her face, she said, "It's not just my face; my whole body is covered in injuries. That scumbag locked me in a room, and he beats and yells at me every day. I only managed to escape because of a lucky opportunity."

Ange couldn't be bothered to ask who the "scumbag" Fragrant Citrus mentioned was. While trying to avoid looking at Fragrant Citrus's face, she said, "Then, call the police! Why did you come looking for me?!"

In a sobbing voice, Fragrant Citrus said, "I don't dare to call the police. I heard he is very influential in S City. I'll die an even worse death if I call the police. I also don't dare to stay at that place. I don't have any friends, either. After thinking for a long time, I can only rely on you. Tang Xin, we've dated for half a year. Don't you feel even a little bit distressed seeing me become like this?"

"..." Honestly, Ange was not the slightest bit distressed.

Then, Fragrant Citrus suddenly hugged Ange and said, "I really love you. I still have your phone number saved even after all this time. Please don't chase me away, alright?"

At that moment, not only did Ange not feel a shred of pity for Fragrant Citrus, but she even started to feel disgusted.

Afterward, Fragrant Citrus said many other things, such as the things they did while they were still dating. However, even while looking at Fragrant Citrus's sobbing expression, Ange remained unfazed.

In the end, Ange even had to rely on the housekeeper to drag Fragrant Citrus away. Although the housekeeper had given her a strange look, Ange felt grateful for the middle-aged lady nonetheless. If it wasn't for the housekeeper's help, she definitely wouldn't have been able to deal with that situation.

Ange didn't mind getting called a heartless person. She was only afraid that Fragrant Citrus would stubbornly stick to her. Left with no better choice, Ange eventually decided to leave her four pets with her cousin and take shelter in another place.

However, because of their different fields of work and interest, Ange had practically lost connection with all of her real-life friends. After pondering over the matter, the only person she could rely on was her good friend Xu Chuanchuan.

Coincidentally, Xu Chuanchuan had brought up the matter of Murong Shi's suspected infidelity at the time, so Ange decided to tell Xu Chuanchuan about her visit as well.

…

After hearing Ange's explanation, Xu Chuanchuan felt as if she had just read a drama novel. "How does she still have the gall to find you?"

Ange: "Who knows?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "Maybe she really loves you?"

Ange: "Do you even believe such drivel?"

Xu Chuanchuan indeed did not believe Fragrant Citrus's words, either. Setting aside the fact that Fragrant Citrus had been sharing an ambiguous relationship with Jiang Shaohua before, just the thought of Fragrant Citrus's repeated attempts to slander her infuriated Xu Chuanchuan. Unable to contain her anger, she cursed: "She is too shameless."

Ange did not comment on this matter. Instead, she said: "I'm afraid to even go home now. I've been staying in a hotel for the past two days. I've also booked the plane ticket already, so I'll be visiting you tomorrow."

After ending their conversation, Xu Chuanchuan set down her phone and retold the story to Murong Shi.

In response, Murong Shi expressed disgust and said, "This woman deserves it."

"But she keeps pestering Ange. Now, Ange is so afraid that she doesn't even dare to go home. What a scary person."

However, Murong Shi chuckled when she heard Xu Chuanchuan's words.

"Why are you laughing?"

In a bland tone, Murong Shi said, "If Fragrant Citrus keeps on pestering her, that constitutes harassment. Tang Xin can just call the police at that time. Why would she need to make such a high-sounding excuse to come to visit you?"

Partially understanding Murong Shi's words, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "You mean Ange lied to me?"

"I wouldn't go so far to say that," Murong Shi said, pausing slightly. Then, she continued, "I just think that she isn't sincerely coming to visit you. She might be trying to find an adequate excuse to come meet a certain someone."

Realization dawning upon her, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Fang Qin?"

"That I do not know," Murong Shi said, shrugging.

…

Ange's flight took off early in the morning. When her plane landed, Xu Chuanchuan was still at work. Xu Chuanchuan initially thought to apply for leave to pick Ange up at the airport, but Murong Shi stopped her and said, "Leave it to Fang Qin. This is a good opportunity for her to perform."

Xu Chuanchuan grew a little excited just thinking about the fireworks that would ensue once her two friends met. So, she hurriedly nodded and said, "Let Fang Qin go, then. She'll definitely be willing to do it."

"I've already sent her Fang Qin's flight information," Murong Shi said. Then, changing the topic, she continued, "By the way, I'm going out to meet Rosa later. I've held her up for too long already. I'll also have to treat her to a meal. Rest assured, I'll be bringing Linda with me this time."

Feeling a little embarrassed, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I'm not worried."

"Good, then. I'll be leaving now."

"Mhm."

To dismiss Xu Chuanchuan's worries, Murong Shi brought Linda out of the company with her. However, after reaching their destination, she had Linda wait in the car while she entered the teahouse designated as their meeting point by herself.

"You arrived quickly," Rosa commented. Rosa was born in S City, but as she spent most of her time living in Taiwan, her accent was more or less affected by that place. So, her speech sounded a little soft.

"My company is nearby," Murong Shi said before taking a seat across Rosa. "Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"I arrived not long ago as well."

Murong Shi called the waiter to bring the menu over. Then, she said, "Order whatever you want."

While waiting for their order to arrive, Rosa handed Murong Shi a paper bag and said, "I've read all seven books already. I have to say that your girlfriend's writing is wonderful."

"Thank you," Murong Shi smiled. "She would be overjoyed if she heard that a senior editor of a publishing firm gave her such an evaluation."

Looking at the car parked outside, Rosa asked, "Is the person in the car your girlfriend?"

"No, that's my assistant. I haven't told my girlfriend about this matter yet."

Surprised, Rosa asked, "Why not? Are you planning to give her a surprise?"

Thinking of the unhappy situation that had taken place last night, Murong Shi bitterly smiled and said, "More like terrify her."

"I don't get it."

However, Murong Shi did not elaborate any further. Instead, she retracted her smile and said, "Getting a physical publication is her dream. I won't tell her until the matter is 100% confirmed. I don't want her to be disappointed."