After Being Bent by Reader

Xu Chuanchuan swiped her finger across the screen, switching to the next page of her home screen. When she saw a red number overlapping the WeChat icon, she clicked on the app and found that she had received two private messages.

Both were messages thanking her and stating that they had already received her delivery.

Of these two people, one lived in the next city, and one lived in the same city as her. However, because of a certain message's content, Xu Chuanchuan had a deeper impression of the latter of the two.

Water Heart: "Dear author, hello. Do you still remember Ling Yue? She is my ex-girlfriend. I know she has drawn a lot of paintings for you. Can I please buy those six books from you? I wish to collect her paintings as they hold a lot of good memories between her and me."

Xu Chuanchuan liked Ling Yue's art style a lot. So, when making physical copies of her books, she had asked the other party for permission to use those paintings as illustrations in her books. Meanwhile, not only did Ling Yue agree to the request, but she even refused to accept any money for the art. So, instead of monetary payment, Xu Chuanchuan had sent her a copy of the six books she printed. Sometime later, though, Ling Yue suddenly vanished and stopped following her work for some reason.

After such a long time, Xu Chuanchuan never thought that Ling Yue's ex-girlfriend would suddenly come knocking on her door, and she couldn't help but be shocked by this situation. Fortunately, as it so happened that she was having a "clearance sale," she readily agreed to the netizen named Water Heart's request.

When Xu Chuanchuan saw that the other party's address was located in the same city, she inadvertently thought about Passerby Shi.

Had Xu Chuanchuan possessed the ability to remember everything she saw at a glance, she would've noticed that the phone number she received was the same as Passerby Shi's phone number.

…

The next day, Xu Chuanchuan came across Murong Shi in the corridor outside the general manager's office. Smiling, Xu Chuanchuan greeted, "Good morning, Miss Murong."

"Morning," Murong Shi replied. Then, just as the two of them were about to brush past each other, Murong Shi stopped and said to Linda, who stood behind her, "You head over first."

"Okay," Linda responded and left without another word.

When Murong Shi stopped walking, Xu Chuanchuan also stopped. Their gazes then intersected with each other.

Xu Chuanchuan found that Murong Shi seemed to like wearing stiletto heels, especially the exceptionally tall ones. Every time she stood near Murong Shi, she would feel as if she had become a dwarf. She needed to tilt her head even to see Murong Shi's face. Though, as luck would have it, this action also allowed her to relieve her stiff neck.

After the staring contest continued for some time, Xu Chuanchuan noticed something peculiar about Murong Shi's gaze. Despite those beautiful eyes radiating no emotion whatsoever, they stared at her intently.

Xu Chuanchuan got goosebumps in her heart. Then, swallowing her saliva, she asked, "Is there something on my face?"

In just a second, Murong Shi's eyes regained their calmness. However, instead of answering Xu Chuanchuan's question, Murong Shi asked, "Have you gotten used to living in the dorm yet?"

Xu Chuanchuan hurriedly nodded and said in a slightly flattering tone, "It's too comfortable. The bed is very soft, and the air conditioner is also quiet."

After hearing Xu Chuanchuan's response, Murong Shi narrowed her eyes and intently stared at the other party's face once more. She then asked, "Do...you have any questions you wish to ask me?"

Puzzled, Xu Chuanchuan blinked her eyes a few times before saying, "Oh, yes. Do you really not need that room?"

"I don't."

Xu Chuanchuan sighed in relief.

"Apart from this, do you have any other questions?" Murong Shi asked once more.

Murong Shi's showing concern to me? No, Xu Chuanchuan, you need to have more self-awareness. Xu Chuanchuan wore a dumbfounded look on her face when she heard Murong Shi's question. She couldn't understand what was going on with the other party today. She then stiffly shook her head and said, "None for now."

Murong Shi then continued staring at Xu Chuanchuan's face for some time. Eventually, though, she left without saying another word.

After Murong Shi left, Xu Chuanchuan quickly made her way to the washroom and carefully inspected her face in front of the mirror. However, apart from two faint dark circles under her eyes, she didn't find anything strange on her face.

The more Xu Chuanchuan thought about it, the more she found Murong Shi's previous behavior strange.

…

Xu Chuanchuan had become somewhat of an introvert over the years because of her part-time writing profession. Initially, she had been worried about how she should interact with her new roommate Linda. However, she later realized that her worries were unfounded.

Linda lived together with her boyfriend outside, and she only used the dorm for afternoon naps. If Xu Chuanchuan kept the door to her room shut, they would almost never see each other in the dorm. So, there was virtually no interaction between each other.

Sometimes, Linda wouldn't even come back for an afternoon nap because she was too busy with work. So naturally, this led to Xu Chuanchuan feeling a little guilty for occupying a two-bedroom apartment by herself.

Xu Chuanchuan had moved into the dorm for nearly a week now, and the words she exchanged with Linda exceeded no more than ten sentences. She also found that Linda's attitude toward her was a little cold during this period, though she didn't think this to be particularly strange. Linda was, after all, Murong Shi's assistant. To avoid any misunderstandings, Xu Chuanchuan decided to keep her distance from Linda.

This kind of cold relationship lasted for a while. That was until one day, Linda returned to the dorm right after Xu Chuanchuan did.

Xu Chuanchuan greeted Linda, but Linda didn't even pay attention to her.

Xu Chuanchuan smiled awkwardly in this situation. Then, just when she was about to head to her room to rest, she noticed Linda's reddened eyes and nose out of the corner of her eye. Taken aback, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Why are you crying?"

Linda avoided Xu Chuanchuan's gaze and entered the common bathroom without saying a word.

Xu Chuanchuan grew a little worried when she heard suppressed crying coming through the shut door, yet she also dared not disturb Linda.

Linda's appearance just now looked like someone who had just gotten bullied but dared not say anything about it. When Xu Chuanchuan thought of such a possibility, she inadvertently linked her thoughts to Murong Shi.

Did Murong Shi's overaggressive behavior make Linda cry?

When Xu Chuanchuan woke up the following day, she did not see Linda in the apartment.

Later on, as soon as she stepped into the Engineering Department's office, the department chief came to her and said, "Little Xu, Linda applied for a long leave. You will be taking her place during her absence. Just do whatever Miss Murong tells you to do."

Xu Chuanchuan was thunderstruck!

For a moment, Xu Chuanchuan suspected that she was still asleep. Then, with a dazed look, she asked, "Why me?"

Rolling his eyes, the department chief said, "Apart from the front desk's Xu Xiaomei, you have the most leisurely work in our company. If not you, who else should we look for?"

Why don't you mention that she and I also receive the lowest pay?

Xu Chuanchuan dared not speak her thoughts. With an aggrieved look, she asked, "What about the work in our department?"

"Finish it after working hours if you can't complete them. It's not like you don't get paid overtime. Not to mention, you're living in the dorm now. You don't have anything better to do at night, right? Well, move along. Miss Murong has called for you."

Xu Chuanchuan did not care about overtime pay in the slightest. The only thing she worried about was whether she would have time and energy to write her novel for the next few nights.

My poor stockpile…

Seeing her department chief shooing her away, Xu Chuanchuan felt an even greater urge to cry.

Xu Chuanchuan walked with heavy steps as she made her way to Murong Shi's office. When she recalled Linda's reddened eyes, the conjectures she made yesterday resurfaced in her mind.

If that She-Devil can cause even a cheerful person like Linda to run away while crying, what will happen to a department assistant with no power or influence like myself?

Xu Chuanchuan knocked and entered Murong Shi's office with complicated feelings in her heart. To her surprise, Murong Shi was currently seeing a guest.

While pointing at the guest seated on the lounge sofa, Murong Shi said to Xu Chuanchuan, "Make a cup of coffee for her, and add some milk to it."

When Xu Chuanchuan looked at the person sitting on the sofa, she found that the other party was a beautiful woman with an extraordinary temperament. The woman looked young and beautiful, and she was dressed very casually. Rather than a business partner, she looked more like Murong Shi's friend instead.

Out of courtesy, Xu Chuanchuan smiled and nodded at the other party.

"Hello, I'm Fang Qin," Fang Qin said as she stood up and shook Xu Chuanchuan's hand.

Smiling, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I'm Xu Chuanchuan."

"Wow, what a cute girl! Your surname is also Xu?"

Upon hearing Fang Qin's words, Murong Shi immediately faked a cough and sternly said, "No chit-chatting during working hours."

Xu Chuanchuan's face stiffened, and she quickly withdrew her hand. She then faced Murong Shi and asked respectfully, "Do you want me to make a cup for you, too?"

"I don't need it."

Xu Chuanchuan then left for the pantry.

When Xu Chuanchuan returned with a hot cup of coffee, Fang Qin stood up to receive it and said, "Thank you, thank you."

In response, Xu Chuanchuan reminded Fang Qin that the cup was hot.

Linda had left without leaving any notes regarding her work, so Xu Chuanchuan was unsure what she needed to do. Finally, with no better options, she walked to the desk and asked Murong Shi.

Pointing at the several documents on the desk, Murong Shi said, "Sign them and hand it out to the various departments."

"Then… What about afterward?"

Sending a glance at the person on the sofa, Murong Shi said, "I'll call you when something comes up."

"Okay." Xu Chuanchuan then left the room with the documents.

While closing the door, Xu Chuanchuan faintly heard Fang Qin mentioning the words "books" and "present." But, of course, she didn't dawdle to continue listening in on the conversation.

To be precise, the entire content of what Fang Qin said was: "The author so generously gifted me six books. I don't feel comfortable taking something for free. Do you think I should buy her a gift in return?"

Murong Shi pursed her lips tightly and looked toward the tightly shut wooden door.

Influenced by her friend, Fang Qin also looked toward the door but failed to find anything strange about it.

When Fang Qin turned back, she found that Murong Shi was still staring at the door. Waving her hand, she stared at her friend's dark, slender eyes and asked, "Do you like her?"

Retracting her gaze, Murong Shi frowned and said, "What nonsense."

"If you don't like her, why were you staring at the door for so long?"

TL Notes:

Please don't hate Linda. She has her reasons for behaving like that. :(