After Being Bent by Reader
Chapter 10

Because Xu Chuanchuan rode her bicycle to work every day, she seldom wore high heels. When standing in front of Murong Shi, who wore high heels, Xu Chuanchuan appeared slightly shorter than the other party. This height difference created an invisible pressure that caused Xu Chuanchuan to wish to scamper aside and avoid Murong Shi subconsciously.

Of course, while Xu Chuanchuan might've had such a thought, her logical mind prevented her from behaving so rudely. Instead, she blinked her eyes and replied, "My back is...m-mostly recovered."

Actually, Murong Shi was currently feeling a little surprised by herself. If she were to be honest, she didn't care about Xu Chuanchuan's health. It was just that she had suddenly thought of the novel she read last night, and it just so happened that she had come across Xu Chuanchuan, so she had the sudden urge to verify her conjecture.

Unfortunately, Xu Chuanchuan's answer did not help prove anything.

After snapping out of her daze, Murong Shi calmly nodded as if the words she spoke before were merely her subconscious greeting. She then stopped asking questions and made her way into one of the empty stalls.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuanchuan left the restroom with an inexplicable feeling in her heart.

…

This day was just like any other.

Xu Chuanchuan rode her tattered bicycle home. Because of the rush hour traffic, she rode very slowly. When waiting for a traffic light, she answered a call from Xu Xiangxiang.

"Sis, are you done with work? Have you eaten yet?"

When someone began behaving differently out of the blue, they must've conducted something evil or obscene.

Parking her bicycle at the side of the road, Xu Chuanchuan replied, "I just got off, and I haven't eaten yet. Why did you call me? If it's about borrowing money, don't even think about it."

Xu Xiangxiang choked slightly. She then snorted and said, "I'm calling because I miss you. Is that wrong? Cheapskate. I won't borrow any money from you. I'll replace a way to earn it myself."

Xu Chuanchuan felt pleased that her younger sister was finally showing a little ambition. "Sure. If you want money, earn it yourself. You have my full support. If you have something to say, hurry up and say it."

"It's nothing important. I don't have any classes this weekend, so I'm thinking of visiting you."

The 90-second red light was a torment, and the motorway next to her was jam-packed with cars. Sending a glance at the endless line of vehicles, Xu Chuanchuan inwardly thought to herself, This traffic jam sure is scary.

In the meantime, Xu Chuanchuan nonchalantly responded to Xu Xiangxiang, "Come if you want."

Unbeknownst to Xu Chuanchuan, a black Maserati Quattroporte had, at some point, stopped several meters away to her left. When she craned her neck to look at the traffic and noticed this car, the car's agitated driver just so happened to have looked in her direction as well.

…

"Huh, isn't that person…"

Murong Shi, who was currently fiddling with her phone in the passenger seat, looked up when she heard Linda's mutterings. She then followed Linda's gaze and noticed the bicycle stopped by the roadside. And almost immediately, she recognized the person riding atop the bike.

The bicycle was a women's model, pink in color, and looked somewhat old. Riding atop the bike was a small frame. The person's face was flushed because of the sun, and a few strands of sweat-drenched hair could be seen stuck to her face.

At this time, the female rider freed one of her hands to sweep aside her stuck hair. However, her actions destabilized her center of gravity, and she ended up losing control of her bicycle and falling to the ground miserably.

Seeing this scene, Murong Shi couldn't help but let out a peal of stifled laughter.

After all, despite having such short legs, Xu Chuanchuan still chose to mimic others and support her bicycle with just one leg on the ground.

Meanwhile, although Linda could only see half of Xu Chuanchuan's face, she still recognized the latter. Only, she couldn't recall the other party's name for a moment.

When Linda heard a stifled laugh coming from beside her, she turned to look at Murong Shi in shock.

Linda always thought that Murong Shi was incapable of laughing. Though, even she knew how absurd of this thought of hers. Regardless, this was her first time seeing Murong Shi revealing a complete smile. While it wasn't a very bright smile, there was no doubt it looked beautiful. It was akin to witnessing an ice lotus's once-in-a-century bloom.

If Linda were a man, Murong Shi's smile would've mesmerized her. After seeing this smile, she couldn't help but think that Murong Shi should smile more often. Yet, for some reason, Murong Shi would always put on a mask of indifference, and most men wouldn't even dare approach her after seeing her expressionless face.

Naturally, Linda wouldn't dare casually make such a suggestion to Murong Shi. Though, she did wonder why Murong Shi had put on such an uncharacteristic display all of a sudden.

Is it because of that employee outside? That Xu-what's-her-name?

While Linda was racking her brain thinking about this problem, Murong Shi suddenly said, "It's green now."

As the car in front had begun moving, Linda had no choice but to retract her gaze and focus on driving again. Unfortunately, when she snuck another peek at the person beside her, Murong Shi's smile had already disappeared.

While peeking, Linda inadvertently noticed the green icon on Murong Shi's phone. She remembered that it was the application Murong Shi had downloaded to read novels. Unable to hold back her curiosity, Linda asked, "What kind of novel are you reading? Is it that interesting?"

Murong Shi slid her slender finger back and forth on the screen. When she heard Linda's question, she vaguely replied, "It's not interesting."

Why did you top up so much money if it isn't interesting? Linda inwardly retorted.

…

Xu Chuanchuan returned to her rented apartment covered in sweat. Not having much of an appetite, she grabbed a pack of instant noodles from the refrigerator.

While waiting for the water to boil and cooling down in her air-conditioned apartment, Xu Chuanchuan opened her computer, logged into QQ, and saw an avatar flashing in the lower-right corner of her screen.

It was Ange.

Ange: "You might not believe it, but Citrus invited me out today."

Xu Chuanchuan: "To where? Aren't you two living in different cities?"

Ange: "That's right. She flew to Shanghai today, saying that she's here to participate in an animation exhibition or something. She says she wants to meet me."

Xu Chuanchaun didn't quite understand the matter between Ange and Fragrant Citrus. After all, she was only acquainted with Ange through the two-dimensional world, so she didn't replace it appropriate for her to intrude on the other party's privacy.

However, since Ange was bringing up the topic herself, Xu Chuanchuan politely asked: "Did you agree?"

Ange: "She sent me a picture of her Athena cosplay. Honestly, I was a little tempted, but I rejected her in the end. If she thinks I'll fall for a honeytrap, think again! Hmph!"

Xu Chuanchuan chuckled at Ange's comment. Though, she also couldn't help but be puzzled: "You two have separated for so long now, yet you still have each other's contact?"

Ange: "You're falsely accusing me. I've long since deleted her. She's the one insisting on pestering me."

Xu Chuanchuan: "Why is she so persistent to you, then?"

Ange: "Probably because she wants to bed me but never managed to?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "..."

Ange: "How are your new book's preparations coming along?"

Letting out a groan, Xu Chuanchuan replied: "Not very good. I'm stuck in a slump."

Ange: "Slump?"

Murong Shi was the original inspiration for Xu Chuanchuan's new book. Now that Xu Chuanchuan had discovered Murong Shi's identity, she would never dare use the latter as a reference.

Yet, Xu Chuanchuan was also reluctant to let go of her idea. Hence, to replace new inspiration, Xu Chuanchuan began searching the Internet for Victoria's Secret videos.

Fortunately, after working all night, Xu Chuanchuan finally completed her character setting and plot outlines.

Unfortunately, she overslept because of her exhaustion and very nearly came in late for work.

When Xu Chuanchuan was clocking in for work, she ran into Chen Lina, who was also almost late for work. Seeing Xu Chuanchuan, Chen Lina teased, "It's so nice to take the subway on such a hot day. Aren't you tired of riding that bike of yours to work every day? You're the only one in the company doing that."

Shrugging helplessly, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I live far away from the subway station."

"Then take the bus!"

"I get car sick easily."

"You're quite fragile."

Xu Chuanchuan couldn't deny this statement.

When the two entered the lobby, an urgent voice entered their ears. "You two came just in time. Can one of you do me a favor?"

The person calling for them was Xu Xiaomei, the receptionist.

Without hesitation, Chen Lina replied, "I'm busy. I'll be leaving first."

"..." Xu Chuanchuan was momentarily rendered speechless by Chen Lina. When she saw the look of urgency on Xu Xiaomei's face, she helplessly walked over and asked, "What do you need help with?"

Xu Xiaomei held up a wad of toilet paper with one hand and held her stomach with her other hand. While frowning, she said, "I ate some watermelon last night, and it ruined my stomach. Can you help me look after the front desk for a moment?"

Xu Chuanchuan never had to attend any morning meetings, so her department chief wouldn't mind if she came in a few minutes late. Seeing Xu Xiaomei's look of agony, Xu Chuanchuan pondered for a moment before answering, "Sure. Go ahead."

Revealing a look of joy, Xu Xiaomei said, "I promise I'll be quick. There's going to be a delivery arriving in a moment. Give him this registry and have him fill it in. I'm going now."

Before Xu Chuanchuan could respond, Xu Xiaomei had run away already.

Setting her shoulder bag aside, Xu Chuanchuan thought to sit down. However, before she could do so, the doorbell rang.

Looking up, Xu Chuanchuan found a well-dressed man standing outside the entrance's glass door.

There was no way a courier would dress so decently. Trotting over to the entrance, Xu Chuanchuan opened the door for the other party.

"Hello, Sir. May I know who you are looking for?"

The man put his hands into his pockets and lazily glanced around before saying, "I'm looking for Murong Shi. Is she in?"

Xu Chuanchuan didn't know whether Murong Shi was present in the company or not, but she still smiled and asked, "May I get your surname, Sir? Do you have an appointment?"

However, the man pulled out one of his hands, scratched his hairsprayed hair, and said with a sneer, "I'm her boyfriend. Do I need an appointment to see her?"

Boyfriend?

Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but take a closer look at the man before her. The man had an innocent face. However, he had an indecent smile and lacked consideration for the personal space of others when speaking.

This face... Where have I seen it before...

The next second, realization dawned upon Xu Chuanchuan. Wasn't this man the unlucky fellow Murong Shi slapped and poured Coke on last time?

As the man moved closer and closer to Xu Chuanchuan, Xu Chuanchuan also gradually retreated. She then asked persistently, "What is your surname, Sir? I need it to notify Miss Murong."

Annoyed, the man said, "It's Jiang."

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Jiang." Xu Chuanchuan ran back to the front desk, picked up the landline, and dialed the general manager's internal number. At the same time, she also closely observed the man for any strange movements.

Fortunately, aside from showing an annoyed look, the man didn't do anything else.

After the phone rang three times, the call connected. Murong Shi's lukewarm voice then came through the phone, "What is it?"

While warily eyeing the man, Xu Chuanchuan said in a lowered voice, "Miss Murong, there's a Mr. Jiang here. He...says he's your boyfriend, and he wishes to see you."

"Have him get lost."

"..."