After Being Bent by Reader
Chapter 32: Pt.2

A few minutes later, Xu Chuanchuan returned to the office with a downcast look.

Murong Shi was currently seated on her big red chair while fiddling with her phone. One of her legs rested on the desk while the other was crossed over it and dangling in the air. Murong Shi had also removed her high heels, exposing her rounded toenails painted with red nail polish.

When Xu Chuanchuan entered the room and saw this compelling scene, she gaped in shock, thinking that she had entered the wrong room.

Her skin color is so light… Xu Chuanchuan subconsciously gulped.

Suddenly, Murong Shi stopped dangling her leg. Without even shifting her gaze away from her phone, she lazily said, "Linda is already on her way back. You just need to wait a while longer."

"Okay…" Xu Chuanchuan returned to her seat on the sofa. However, her eyes couldn't help but be drawn toward a certain location. This was the first time she had seen Murong Shi acting so carefreely in front of herself. She was quite shocked by this situation, and she really wished to ask Murong Shi: "The air conditioning here is so cold. Can your fair legs handle it?"

Of course, Xu Chuanchuan wouldn't dare ask such a question even if her courage was multiplied by tenfold.

When Xu Chuanchuan retracted her gaze, she suddenly heard a "ding-dong" sound.

This was a WeChat message notification.

Xu Chuanchuan was extremely familiar with this sound, but this sound didn't come from her phone.

Murong Shi was currently replying to a WeChat message, and she replied using text.

Suddenly, the sound of a "bang" entered Xu Chuanchuan's ears, causing her body to jolt. When she looked to the source of the sound, she saw that Murong Shi had frowned and tossed her phone to the desk in annoyance.

Afterward, Murong Shi lowered her legs and adjusted her posture, instantly transforming from a lazy queen into a stern "She-Devil."

Ah, I still haven't had my fill, Xu Chuanchuan inwardly lamented when Murong Shi's legs disappeared from her sight.

Murong Shi's eyes stared straight ahead without blinking, making it seem as if she was looking at her computer's screen. In reality, though, she was in a daze.

Several more "ding-dongs" echoed throughout the room. With an annoyed expression, Murong Shi grabbed her phone and started typing a reply again.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuanchuan looked at her own phone. Currently, both her WeChat and QQ messenger were quiet.

However, while Xu Chuanchuan might not have received any private messages, the reader group she had blocked was incredibly lively, and the group's unread message count was capped off at 99. Taking a peek into the group out of boredom, she coincidentally came across a reader saying: "Did anyone else notice that tycoons who love to donate don't like chatting? Take Darling Shi, for example. She has only spoken a few words ever since joining the group."

Xu Chuanchuan suddenly had an idea, and she sought out Passerby Shi's avatar in her friend list.

I Love Malatang: "Are you there?'

After sending these three words, Xu Chuanchuan immediately put away her phone and looked toward Murong Shi, who sat behind the computer.

Although Xu Chuanchuan couldn't get a clear look because of the distance between them, she still managed to see Murong Shi blink once shortly after she sent her message. However, as Murong Shi's phone had been ringing non-stop from the constant stream of WeChat messages, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't tell if Murong Shi's phone had vibrated or not from receiving a QQ message.

At this time, Murong Shi suddenly looked up.

Caught off guard, Xu Chuanchuan failed to retract her prying eyes in time, and she couldn't help but panic a little. In an attempt to feign calmness, she suddenly had a bright idea and asked, "Do you usually use WeChat?"

Murong Shi rested her elbows on her chair's armrests. With one hand holding her phone and the other hand tapping on her desk lightly, she indifferently responded with an "Mhm." She then asked, "Do you want to add my WeChat?"

"Not really." A hint of embarrassment appeared on Xu Chuanchuan's face. "I normally use QQ."

Murong Shi quietly looked at Xu Chuanchuan without following up the latter's words.

Holding back her embarrassment, Xu Chuanchuan carefully asked, "Do you use QQ?"

Still not showing any expressions on her face, Murong Shi said, "WeChat is enough for me. I rarely use QQ. Do you have any other questions?"

Xu Chuanchuan had a lot of questions she wanted to ask. However, when subjected to Murong Shi's imposing aura, she didn't dare to speak anymore. Her phone had remained motionless all this time, so Xu Chuanchuan knew that Passerby Shi had not replied to her all this time. Yet, she didn't dare to continue probing Murong Shi. Smiling fawningly, she said, "No. Please continue with what you were doing…"

Five minutes later, Linda finally returned.

With one more person in the room, Xu Chuanchuan immediately felt her stress levels falling. She was so excited by Linda's return that she very nearly stood up and gave Linda a hug.

By now, the paint on Xu Chuanchuan's head had mostly dried. It was also fortunate that her hair only reached to her shoulders. So, dealing with the paint was much easier.

Even so, Linda still spent nearly half an hour removing all of the green paint. She then said to Xu Chuanchuan, "Make sure to wash your hair a few more times after going home."

"Okay, thank you."

"No need to thank me. You wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place if it wasn't for me."

Scratching her head awkwardly, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I'll head back now."

Although Linda tried to follow after Xu Chuanchuan, Murong Shi stopped her, saying, "Linda, come here."

"What's the matter?"

After making sure that the door was closed and Xu Chuanchuan had left, Murong Shi said, "No matter who asks you about it, don't tell anyone that I'm reading novels in the future."

A worried expression appearing on Linda's face, she said, "Young Master Jiang asked me about it before, so I told him…"

"Don't tell anyone else in the future."

Although Linda was confused as to why Murong Shi would want to keep such a normal hobby a secret, she didn't pry further into the matter. Instead, she solemnly said, "I promise not to tell anyone else from now on."

After hearing Linda's reply, Murong Shi turned her gaze toward her phone. She currently had her QQ messenger open, and the messenger showed an unread message from Xu Chuanchuan. The message was sent around half an hour ago, and the message only had three words.

You're testing me in front of my face now? It seems you're getting more and more unrestrained.

Murong Shi hummed and pondered for a moment before saying, "I might be receiving a delivery in a few days. I need you to help me receive it, so give me your home address."

"Okay."

…

After getting off work and returning home, Xu Chuanchuan noticed she had received a reply from Passerby Shi: "Do you need something?"

The message was sent after she had gotten off work.

Xu Chuanchuan had messaged Passerby Shi in an attempt to test Murong Shi's identity. Of course, she had failed. Looking at Passerby Shi's reply now, she couldn't help but wonder what she should say.

After hesitating for several seconds, Xu Chuanchuan felt her phone vibrating once more.

Passerby Shi: "You said you wanted to give me a physical copy of your books before. Are they still available?"

Xu Chuanchuan was stunned. Hadn't this capricious tycoon been refusing her goodwill all this time? What was with the change in attitude today?

I Love Malatang: "Yes. I have a copy of every book. Which ones do you want?"

Passerby Shi: "Up to you. My address is *****, and my phone number is *****."

Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but be dumbfounded once more when she saw the other party giving away even her address and phone number. What kind of plot is this?

The address pointed toward a housing unit in a certain residential community. Although Xu Chuanchuan had never heard of this community's name, since it was located in the same city and area, she deemed that they should be living quite close to each other.

She gave me her real information without hesitation. Could Passerby Shi and Murong Shi really be different people?

I Love Malatang: "What should I write for the recipient name? Should I write 'Passerby Shi'?"

Passerby Shi: "Anything is fine. You decide."

Xu Chuanchuan: …

The other party's unusual actions stumped Xu Chuanchuan.

However, there was now another method she could use to validate her conjecture, and that was…

Xu Chuanchuan typed out the series of numbers and clicked "Call."

Beep, beep, beep—

It's not a fake number! It actually connected!

Afraid that she would hear a certain someone's familiar voice, Xu Chuanchuan got so scared that she couldn't hold her phone properly. She then placed it on the table and set it to speaker mode.

After the busy tone continued for several seconds, a "Meow" came from her phone.

Xu Chuanchuan: ???

Are my ears broken? Or is my phone broken? Why is there the sound of a cat?

Leaning closer to her phone, Xu Chuanchuan pinched her throat and spoke into the receiver, "Hello—"

The other party: "Meow—"

Xu Chuanchuan: ……

She hadn't misheard. That was indeed the sound of a cat.

Xu Chuanchuan disconnected the call in depression.

Murong Shi's phone number wasn't publicly known. As a meager assistant in the company, Xu Chuanchuan naturally didn't have Murong Shi's phone number. So, she had nothing to use as a comparison.

The next moment, a new message appeared on her phone's screen.

Passerby Shi: "Did you call my phone just now?"

Xu Chuanchuan's heart tensed up, and she started regretting her rash actions. She really wished to strangle herself now.

I've probed her privacy time and again. I really am a nasty person… After thinking long and hard over the matter, Xu Chuanchuan eventually decided to confess.

I Love Malatang: "Yes… I was afraid you made a typo, so I tried calling to see if it will connect."

Passerby Shi: "That's my number. Is there anything else?"

I Love Malatang: "But I only heard a cat meowing just now…"

Passerby Shi: "Oh, it's my cat. My house's little cutie is exceptionally smart. It would sometimes answer the phone for me when I'm not afraid."

Xu Chuanchuan: "............"