After Being Bent by Reader
Chapter 42: Pt.2

Murong Shi had become Xu Chuanchuan's nightmare.

To prove that she wasn't a coward, Xu Chuanchuan eventually chose not to resign. However, in the following days, whenever Xu Chuanchuan saw Murong Shi's figure or heard Murong Shi's voice, she would immediately hide.

Originally, Xu Chuanchuan thought she wouldn't have any more encounters with Murong Shi. That was until Xu Xiangxiang's birthday arrived.

Xu Xiangxiang was celebrating her nineteenth birthday this year. After getting off work, Xu Chuanchuan immediately gave her little sister a call, "Where are you guys? Why is it so loud?"

"Sis, get over here quickly! It's so lively here!"

Afterward, Xu Chuanchuan received an address from Xu Xiangxiang.

When Xu Chuanchuan looked up the address and found that it was a bar, she called Xu Xiangxiang's number again and asked, "Why did you guys go to such a place?"

"It's a pub. My classmate recommended it to me. It has a good environment, delicious drinks, and handsome men singing. Are you coming or not? If not, we'll be heading over ourselves."

There was no way Xu Chuanchuan could let her little sister visit such a place without a chaperone. Immediately, she hailed a taxi and made her way to the pub. On her way, she also stopped at a bakery and bought a cake.

When Xu Chuanchuan arrived at the pub, she found that her little sister was telling the truth. The pub's environment was good, and it was renovated to have a Japanese style. Overall, it looked fresh and elegant.

There were no disco lights or groups of people dancing. Although there were many guests in the establishment, most of them were sitting in their respective seats while chatting and drinking with their friends. Few of these guests behaved as wildly as Xu Xiangxiang and her three roommates, who were standing on their chairs while cheering and screaming at the band performing on stage.

The pub owner was a bespectacled, middle-aged man. When Xu Chuanchuan entered the store, he immediately noticed the cake in her hand and asked, "Are you here to celebrate a birthday?"

"Yes."

"It's your first time here, right?"

"Mhm." Xu Chuanchuan responded with a nod and smile.

If she could ignore the deranged screaming, Xu Chuanchuan felt that the atmosphere in this place was quite good. Then, she walked up to Xu Xiangxiang and dragged her little sister off the chair. "Can you be more reserved?"

However, Xu Xiangxiang was so excited that she behaved no different than a madwoman. Hugging her elder sister, she said, "What took you so long?"

Pushing her little sister away in frustration, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I wanted to come earlier, but there's nothing I can do about the traffic."

Compared to the exuberant Xu Xiangxiang, her three roommates were much more docile and quiet. They looked at Xu Chuanchuan with smiles on their faces and greeted her in unison, "Big Sis Chuanchuan."

When Xu Chuanchuan saw that each of them held a bottle of beer in their hands, she asked, "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No, not yet," one of the girls answered.

"Why don't you order something to eat? You'll get drunk easily if you drink on an empty stomach."

"Okay, okay."

The food sold here wasn't cheap at all. When Xu Xiangxiang saw her three roommates reading the menu, she reminded them, "Don't order anything too expensive. My sister is stingy."

Xu Chuanchuan's expression froze. Then, she smiled at Xu Xiangxiang's dumbfounded roommates and said, "Don't listen to her nonsense. Order whatever you want. I'll pay for it."

Hearing Xu Chuanchuan's words, Xu Xiangxiang immediately hugged her elder sister again and said, "Sis, I love you!"

Xu Chuanchuan rolled her eyes at her little sister's affection.

"Where's my present?" Xu Xiangxiang asked with an extended hand.

Swatting Xu Xiangxiang's hand away, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I'll give it to you later."

Xu Xiangxiang didn't mind the delay of her present. In no time at all, her attention returned to the five handsome men singing on the stage.

Initially, the band had been singing folk songs. However, after finishing another song, the music in the pub stopped. Then, the lead singer accepted a piece of paper from someone standing beside the stage, and using his low and husky voice, he read what was written on the paper, "Today is the nineteenth birthday of the lovely Miss Xu Xiangxiang. Here, we wish her a happy birthday and hope that she gets prettier and prettier, remains happy every day, and never fails another subject!"

When the lead singer finished speaking, the familiar rhythm of the "Happy Birthday" song rang out. Then, the lead singer pointed at Xu Xiangxiang's table and began singing along with the rhythm. The other band members also hummed along with the song.

"Happy birthday!" a random guest shouted.

Afterward, several more guests congratulated Xu Xiangxiang as well.

However, Xu Xiangxiang, the birthday girl, was stunned by this situation. Looking at Xu Chuanchuan in surprise, she asked, "Sis, did you prepare this for me?"

"Happy birthday, silly girl," Xu Chuanchuan said as she tugged at Xu Xiangxiang's cheeks.

Xu Xiangxiang's eyes grew moist. Then, she jumped into Xu Chuanchuan's arms, choking a little as she said, "Thank you, Sis.'

Patting her little sister's shoulder, Xu Chuanchuan said, "So many people have wished you a happy birthday. Shouldn't you say something in return?"

After struggling out of Xu Chuanchuan's embrace, Xu Xiangxiang wiped her tears and put on a smile. Then, she waved at the guests, who had congratulated her, and said, "Thank you! I hope you all have a fun time!"

"Wait, there's still cake."

After heading to the counter to retrieve the cake she left there, Xu Chuanchuan quickly lit nineteen candles with the pub owner's help. Then, she carefully carried the candle over to the table.

Xu Chuanchuan's timing was just right. As soon as she arrived, the band had also finished singing the birthday song.

When Xu Xiangxiang blew out the candles, she cried once more.

In reality, the idea of having the band sing the birthday song was the pub owner's idea. When Xu Chuanchuan first heard the owner's suggestion, she wondered why this pub would have such excellent services. However, after listening to the rest of the owner's words, she finally realized that all businessmen were evil.

While smiling, the pub owner said to her, "It's not expensive to order a song; just 200 yuan. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

The corner of Xu Chuanchuan's mouth twitched when she heard this.

If it were under normal circumstances, Xu Chuanchuan definitely would've refused such a fraudulent deal. However, when she thought about how today was her little sister's birthday, she decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to splurge some money to create a surprise.

When Xu Chuanchuan saw Xu Xiangxiang ruining her makeup with her tears, she couldn't help but chuckle and teased her little sister, "You used to be so heartless, so why are you getting so emotional today?"

Choking on her tears, Xu Xiangxiang said, "Sis, I won't make you angry anymore from now on."

"I can't stand you. Hurry up and cut the cake. Your roommates are starving already. I'll head to the washroom first," Xu Chuanchuan said. She had accidentally gotten some cream onto her hand when lighting the candles before.

When Xu Chuanchuan stood up and turned around, she just so happened to have seen someone looking like Murong Shi entering the pub.

For a moment, Xu Chuanchuan thought her eyes were hallucinating. However, as luck would have it, the other person had also looked in her direction at this time, her gaze sweeping past Xu Chuanchuan and stopping at the stage behind Xu Chuanchuan. This person then retracted her gaze and whispered to the person behind her.

Xu Chuanchuan became dumbfounded.

Xu Chuanchuan hadn't been mistaken. That person was indeed Murong Shi. Moreover, Xu Chuanchuan also recognized the woman standing behind Murong Shi. The woman was someone who had visited their company previously, and Xu Chuanchuan had even made her a cup of coffee at the time.

Seeing that Murong Shi had yet to notice her, Xu Chuanchuan quickly fled into the restroom. Xu Chuanchuan never thought she would meet Murong Shi here, and she started growing worried.

Maybe she just happened to be passing by?

Xu Chuanchuan inwardly prayed. After she sat on the toilet for some time and her legs had started growing numb, her phone suddenly started ringing, startling her.

When Xu Chuanchuan saw that it was Xu Xiangxiang calling her, she knew that her little sister was calling to rush her.

As soon as Xu Chuanchuan connected the call and placed the phone by her ear, she heard Xu Xiangxiang excitedly saying, "Sis, guess who I saw?"

"..." Xu Chuanchuan didn't wish to guess it at the slightest.

"It's Big Sis Shishi! She also has a friend with her. What a coincidence, right?!"

With a dead-pan face, Xu Chuanchuan replied, "Oh."

Xu Xiangxiang failed to comprehend her elder sister's current mood through the short and powerful word. Instead, she continued speaking in excitement, "Hurry up and come out. Otherwise, we're going to finish the cake without you."

"Have they left?" Xu Chuanchuan asked in a whisper.

"They? Are you talking about Big Sis Shishi and her friend? How could they have left? They just arrived," Xu Xiangxiang said as a matter of fact. "Big Sis Shishi, here, this one with a cherry is for you."

"..." Xu Chuanchuan started having mixed feelings about this situation.

The pub was a relatively small place. If Xu Chuanchuan left the restroom, it would be inevitable for her to come across Murong Shi. She could already imagine the scene of Murong Shi being pinned down and forced to eat cake by Xu Xiangxiang's enthusiasm.

In the end, Xu Chuanchuan resigned herself to fate and left the restroom.

Even from afar, Xu Chuanchuan could already see Murong Shi and Xu Xiangxiang chatting merrily with each other. Then, biting the bullet, she made her way back to the table. To make matters worse, the seat Xu Xiangxiang and the others reserved for Xu Chuanchuan was incredibly awkward.

After taking a seat beside Murong Shi, Xu Chuanchuan deliberately ignored Murong Shi and smiled at Fang Qin.

Recognizing Xu Chuanchuan, Fang Qin said, "Ah, it's you!"

"Hello, Miss Fang."

Blushing, Fang Qin said in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I forgot what your name is…"

"It's Xu Chuanchuan."

"Oh, hello, hello. You two sisters have really interesting names," Fang Qin said, laughing merrily.

Xu Chuanchuan also laughed along with Fang Qin. However, when she sensed a scorching gaze staring at her, the smile on her face grew forced.

Murong Shi was a person with a powerful presence, and Xu Chuanchuan had a hard time ignoring her even if she tried. Hence, albeit reluctantly, she greeted, "Miss Murong—"

Murong Shi replied with a faint "mhm" before stabbing her fork into a small slice of cake and putting the cake into her mouth. Then, she used her tongue to lick the bit of cream that she had accidentally got onto her lips.

When Xu Chuanchuan saw this scene, her face heated up, and she started behaving unnaturally again. Then, she hurriedly shifted her gaze away, forced herself to stay calm, and started eating the cake placed before her.

Thanks to Xu Xiangxiang's enthusiasm, Murong Shi and Fang Qin's sudden arrival did not cause the atmosphere around the table to cool down at all. Extending her neck, Xu Xiangxiang asked, "Big Sis Fang Qin, do you not like cake?"

Then, Fang Qin replied, "It's not that I don't like it. It's just that I want to drink today."

"I'll accompany you, then!" Xu Xiangxiang said as she rolled up her sleeves and picked up a bottle of beer.

"Are you old enough for that?"

Patting her chest, Xu Xiangxiang said, "I just turned nineteen today."

Hearing this, Fang Qin clinked bottles with Xu Xiangxiang and said, "Alright, let's both drink."

Oftentimes, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but admire Xu Xiangxiang's ability to mingle with and befriend strangers in such a short time. While Xu Chuanchuan was looking at Xu Xiangxiang and Fang Qin clinking bottles, she suddenly heard Murong Shi saying, "Since you have someone to accompany you, I won't be drinking anymore."

Frowning, Fang Qin asked, "Why are you here if you don't drink?"

However, Murong Shi remained unfazed as she said, "I'm driving."

"Big Sis Fang Qin, I'll drink with you! I'll drink with you!" Xu Xiangxiang interjected.

Thus, the two alcoholics clinked bottles yet again.

While Xu Xiangxiang and Fang Qin were off to their own world, Xu Chuanchuan, who quietly ate her cake, snuck a glance at Murong Shi, thinking, Why aren't you two leaving yet?

So, Xu Chuanchuan gathered her courage and said to Murong Shi, "Our table is a little noisy—"

"It's only fun if there's a little noise!" Xu Xiangxiang interrupted, which earned herself a glare from Xu Chuanchuan.

"Xiangxiang is right," Fang Qin said in agreement. Then, after taking another gulp of beer, she sighed and said, "Who would want to be alone when you can have someone accompany you?"

Murong Shi gave Fang Qin a deep look upon hearing these words. She then turned her head and looked at Xu Chuanchuan.

Noticing Murong Shi's gaze, Xu Chuanchuan quickly lowered her head.

"Big Sis Shishi, why don't I switch places with you?" Xu Xiangxiang suggested, replaceing it an inconvenience to drink with Fang Qin when two other people were seated between them.

"Okay."

As a result, Murong Shi had gone from sitting on Xu Chuanchuan's left to Xu Chuanchuan's right… Unfortunately, this change in seating also caused Xu Chuanchuan to tense up the right side of her body.

However, Murong Shi remained wholly unfazed throughout the entire time. She even started chatting with Xu Xiangxiang's three roommates.

In this situation, Xu Chuanchuan had become the odd one out at the table. The slice of cake she received was relatively small; she would probably be done with it in two minutes if she ate at her normal speed. So, she deliberately slowed down.

Noticing that Xu Chuanchuan constantly had her head down, Xu Xiangxiang tapped her elder sister on the shoulder and asked, "Do you want to drink as well?"

Xu Chuanchuan shook her head. Then, as she continued eating her cake in depression, she suddenly heard a low voice coming from her right, "Are you afraid of drinking too much and acting recklessly as well?"

A warm breath blew against the sensitive skin behind Xu Chuanchuan's ears, causing goosebumps to rise all over her body. By the time she tried to shift her body away, Murong Shi had already sat upright again, holding a fork between her long and slender fingers as she looked at her with a smile on her face.

Xu Chuanchuan knew this was a provocation. Feeling a little annoyed, she said, "My alcohol tolerance is much better than a certain someone."

Murong Shi continued smiling.

Blood rushed to Xu Chuanchuan's head when she saw this. Then, slapping the table, she shouted, "Owner, alhocol!"

Murong Shi: "..."

Everyone else: "..."