After Being Bent by Reader
Chapter 45: Pt.1

Murong Shi seldom took the initiative to care for other people, so her current expression looked unnatural, her tone sounded blunt, and her movements were rough.

Without even saying a greeting, Murong Shi stuffed the items she brought into Xu Chuanchuan's arms. And by the time Xu Chuanchuan reacted to the situation, she could only watch as the plastic bag filled with medicine fall to the ground.

Both Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi failed to react to this unexpected development for some time. Then, the two of them silently glanced at each other for a moment before simultaneously squatting down to pick up the bag.

Unsurprisingly, the two of them ended up bumping foreheads together. Although there wasn't much force involved in the collision, it still made Xu Chuanchuan feel dizzier than before.

Amidst Xu Chuanchuan's daze, Murong Shi had already picked up the plastic bag. Initially, Murong Shi had thought to pass the plastic bag to Xu Chuanchuan again. But when she noticed Xu Chuanchuan's dazed expression, she paused.

Then, Murong Shi suddenly reached out and placed a hand on Xu Chuanchuan's forehead.

Xu Chuanchuan widened her eyes in surprise at this action. Fortunately for her, Murong Shi only touched her forehead for a brief moment before retracting her hand.

"It's quite hot," Murong Shi said with a frown. Then, she pointed at the plastic bag she held and said, "Apart from medicine, there's also a thermometer in here."

Sure enough, people would become vulnerable once they became ill. Because of the fever clogging her mind, Xu Chuanchuan temporarily forgot all the unhappy moments she shared with Murong Shi as she softly thanked the other party.

Murong Shi instantly discerned a problem with Xu Chuanchuan's throat after hearing the shorter woman speak. After taking a look at Xu Chuanchuan's dry lips, Murong Shi asked, "Does your throat feel uncomfortable?"

It was far worse than just mere discomfort. Right now, Xu Chuanchuan was even afraid of swallowing her saliva. To avoid speaking as much as possible, she ended up only nodding to Murong Shi's question.

"How many did you eat last night?" Murong Shi asked in a helpless tone.

In response, Xu Chuanchuan pointed at the overflowing trash can beside the coffee table. She couldn't even bring herself to smile when she recalled how many lychees she had eaten last night.

Meanwhile, after Murong Shi walked over and inspected the trash can, she fell silent for a moment before saying, "It's my fault. I left in such a hurry yesterday that I forgot to tell you about Aunt Lian's instructions."

Xu Chuanchuan awkwardly rubbed her nose.

Sighing, Murong Shi stared at the refrigerator and asked, "Are there still any left?"

Xu Chuanchuan nodded.

"Get me a bowl."

Xu Chuanchuan's bowl was an oversized plastic container. Thinking that Murong Shi wanted to eat some lychees, Xu Chuanchuan hurried back into her room to grab the bowl she used to eat watermelon from yesterday. However, when she saw the state of the bowl, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

She had yet to clean the bowl, so there was still watermelon juice staining the bowl. Had the air conditioner not been running, it would've long since turned rotten.

Hesitantly, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I... I only have this one bowl..."

However, Murong Shi didn't seem to mind the dirty bowl as she accepted it without hesitation. Then, she turned around and made her way to the bathroom. When she came out and saw Xu Chuanchuan still idly standing in the same spot, she said, "Weren't you feeling uncomfortable? Hurry up and take the medicine."

"Oh…"

Afterward, Murong Shi opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bunch of lychees from inside, and began carefully peeling them one after another. Then, she placed the lychee flesh on the bowl's cap and tossed the lychee peels into the bowl.

Puzzled by this scene, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "What are you doing?"

"Drinking water boiled with lychee peels can help relieve fever. I watched Aunt Lian doing this yesterday," Murong Shi said. While peeling the lychees, she snuck a glance at Xu Chuanchuan and asked, "Why aren't you taking your temperature yet?"

When Xu Chuanchuan opened the plastic bag, she found that Murong Shi had brought her an electronic thermometer. This was a model she had used before, and it had to be placed either under the armpit or inside the mouth. However, when she thought about how Murong Shi had used this thermometer before, she couldn't help but hesitate.

Then, pointing at the thermometer, Xu Chuanchuan hesitantly asked, "How did you use it before?"

"I put it in my mouth. Do you not know how to use it?"

"I do, but…"

"What's the problem, then?"

"N-Nothing…"

However, despite her words, Xu Chuanchuan still mentally struggled with whether she should use the thermometer or not.

A moment later, Murong Shi stopped her actions when she noticed Xu Chuanchuan's worries. Then, with an indifferent expression, she said, "Firstly, you should know that I have bad breath."

"Uh…" I know, but can you not emphasize that at this time?

Because of Murong Shi's words, Xu Chuanchuan suddenly felt her body heating up even more.

However, regardless of Xu Chuanchuan's thoughts, Murong Shi continued speaking calmly, "Secondly, there's a bottle of rubbing alcohol inside. You can disinfect the thermometer first before using it."

After digging further into the plastic bag, Xu Chuanchuan found that there was indeed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a roll of medical cotton inside. While disinfecting the thermometer, she looked at Murong Shi's expressionless face and hesitated to speak.

Meanwhile, Murong Shi focused on peeling the lychees and paid no attention to Xu Chuanchuan.

While staring at Murong Shi, Xu Chuanchuan thought to herself, Since Murong Shi has used it orally before, there's no way I can put it under my armpit, much less doing so right in front of Murong Shi herself. Yet, if I put the thermometer into my mouth… That would be no different than having an indirect kiss with Murong Shi…

Wait, what am I thinking?! Did the fever damage my brain?!

Xu Chuanchuan wiped the thermometer one time after another as she tried to rid her mind of nonsensical thoughts. Finally, after making sure both the thermometer and her mind were clean, she carefully put the thermometer bulb into her mouth. And as she pressed the bulb under her tongue, she momentarily lost the ability to speak.

Then, Xu Chuanchuan resumed watching Murong Shi peeling lychees in silence.

Murong Shi had beautiful hands, slender fingers, and round fingernails that gave off a healthy glow. She also had fair skin with nary a strand of hair to be seen even from up close. Murong Shi could probably become a model with this pair of hands alone.

After seeing Murong Shi's hands, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but look at her own hands and thinking them as chicken feet.

The sight of Murong Shi peeling lychees was like a work of art. As Xu Chuanchuan watched Murong Shi peeling the plump lychees one after another, she couldn't help but fall into a daze.

After peeling around ten lychees, Murong Shi offhandedly popped a lychee into her mouth. Her eyes narrowed as she chewed on the fruit, making a face that showed she enjoyed it.

Xu Chuanchuan inadvertently gulped when she saw this sight, and the searing pain when her saliva moved down her sore throat causing her to wince and grit her teeth in pain.

Murong Shi did not notice Xu Chuanchuan's abnormality. The next moment, she poked out the tip of her tongue, pushing out a small pit into her palm. When she tossed the pit into the trash can, she finally noticed Xu Chuanchuan staring at her with unblinking eyes.

Murong Shi's expression changed briefly at this discovery, but she quickly regained her calm and asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Murong Shi's words instantly brought Xu Chuanchuan back to reality. After shaking her muddled head, Xu Chuanchuan quickly lowered her head to hide her shame.

However, Murong Shi evidently misunderstood Xu Chuanchuan's actions as she subsequently said, "You have to endure it even if you want to eat more. At least wait until you get better."

Xu Chuanchuan couldn't speak freely with the thermometer in her mouth, so she slowly and vaguely said, "Aih wash jush whondering how mahny youh plahhed toh peelh."

Surprisingly, Murong Shi understood what Xu Chuanchuan said. After taking a look at the lychee peels in the bowl, she said, "That should be enough." Then, she stood up, intending to get the peels cleaned.

Xu Chuanchuan reflexively stood up as well.

As luck would have it, Murong Shi turned around at this time, and the two of them nearly crashed into each other once more.

Unfazed by this situation, Murong Shi asked, "Do you have a pot?"

Xu Chuanchuan shook her head. Then, suddenly, an idea popped into her mind, and she pointed at the nearby kettle filled with hot water.

"Use this?" After pondering for a moment, Murong Shi said, "It should be fine, I guess."

If not for the thermometer in her mouth, Xu Chuanchuan wanted to say, "I can do it myself, so no need to trouble yourself."

However, Murong Shi walked into the bathroom without taking a second glance at Xu Chuanchuan.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuanchuan quickly followed her and attempted to take what was in Murong Shi's hands.

However, Murong Shi unceremoniously moved her hands out of the way. Then, she glared at Xu Chuanchuan and said, "I'm not stealing anything. Can you stop following me?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "..."

After turning on the faucet, Murong Shi added, "Just stay put if you're sick."

Xu Chuanchuan dejectedly returned to the living room and sat there, letting her dizzy brain run wild with thoughts.

Murong Shi came here after work hours began, so nobody should've noticed her coming up, right? Xu Chuanchuan was rather worried that others would misunderstand her relationship with Murong Shi. Particularly, after the kissing incident, she felt as if she was walking on thin ice whenever she interacted with Murong Shi.

Did she abandon her work just to come to take care of me?

Xu Chuanchuan didn't know why Murong Shi was suddenly so nice to her. She also wasn't narcissistic to the point of thinking that Murong Shi held ulterior motives toward her. However, because she couldn't think of a suitable reason, she couldn't help but fidget in her seat.

When Murong Shi came out of the bathroom, her timing was just right as Xu Chuanchuan had also pulled the thermometer out of her mouth. Before Xu Chuanchuan could even check the results, Murong Shi had already snatched the thermometer out of her hand.

My saliva is still on it…

Murong Shi's actions appeared very natural, so natural that Xu Chuanchuan momentarily thought the two of them actually shared a good relationship between them.

After taking a look at the thermometer's display, Murong Shi flatly said, "Thirty-eight degrees. Take two pills for now."

Of course, Xu Chuanchuan's misconception lasted only for a moment.

At this time, Xu Chuanchuan suddenly thought of something puzzling. Then, she asked, "How did you know I was sick?"

While placing the washed lychee peels into the kettle, Murong Shi nonchalantly said, "I called your desk just now to remind you not to eat too many lychees at a time, but someone else picked up the phone instead, and he told me that you were down with a fever and applied for leave.

Realization dawned on Xu Chuanchuan. After snapping out of her daze, she promptly popped two pills into her hand.

When Xu Chuanchuan probed the water in the cup, she found that the water was still piping hot. However, she also didn't have the habit of storing bottled water at home. Suddenly, she recalled the sight of Murong Shi swallowing the pills dry previously, so she tried mimicking her actions and put one of the pills into her mouth.

However, Xu Chuanchuan had forgotten that she currently had a sore throat, and she could hardly squeeze out any saliva from her mouth right now. After struggling to swallow the pill for some time, the pill eventually got stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.

When Murong Shi heard Xu Chuanchuan coughing violently, she came over to take a look and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Chuanchuan couldn't speak, and her face turned beet red in no time at all. Then, feeling as if she were dying, she jumped out of the sofa and rushed to the bathroom. Then, she turned on the faucet and quickly scooped up some water to drink, which finally allowed her to swallow the pill.

When Xu Chuanchuan finished swallowing the second pill, she suddenly heard Murong Shi's voice coming from behind her, saying, "You're taking medicine with tap water? Are you insane?"

Xu Chuanchuan wished for nothing more than to crawl into a hole right now. With a reddened face, she casually lied, "I accidentally choked just now..."

Fortunately, Murong Shi did not comment on the lie.

How embarrassing. My intelligence must've fallen even lower after catching a fever. Since she was standing in front of the basin, Xu Chuachuan decided to wash her face to cool down.

By now, Murong Shi had already placed the lychee peels into the boiling water. After wiping the residue water off of her hands, Murong Shi said, "Have a good rest. Remember to drink more hot water, and don't set the air conditioning too low. Also, make sure not to eat any more lychees for the next few days."

Xu Chuanchuan listened attentively like a primary school student listening to their teacher. Then, using her hoarse, broken voice, she sincerely said, "Thank you."

Murong Shi's expression remained dull as she said, "I'm leaving."

Xu Chuanchuan stood up to see Murong Shi off.

However, Murong Shi suddenly turned around and stared at Xu Chuanchuan's face. After a moment, she said, "I just feel sorry for what I did to you before. I'm not trying to do anything, so don't get me wrong."

Xu Chuanchuan finally received the answer to her doubts. However, she also couldn't help but feel embarrassed when she realized Murong Shi had seen through her thoughts. Fortunately, her fever had prevented Murong Shi from noticing her embarrassment. Lowering her head, Xu Chuanchuan hoarsely said, "I got it."