After Being Bent by Reader

Xu Chuanchuan had a minor writer's block today. By the time she returned to the dorm and showered, it was already nine o'clock. After turning on her computer and struggling till ten o'clock, she barely managed to write a thousand words.

When her inspiration dried out completely, she looked back and read what she wrote. However, the more she read, the more she felt that her work today was a pile of crap. Eventually, gritting her teeth, she deleted the thousand words she wrote.

Now, facing her was a blank document. After staring idly at the blank document for nearly ten minutes, her brain remained as empty as the document, and she couldn't help but grow frustrated.

Unfortunately, her keyboard was too expensive to smash, and she wouldn't have a replacement if she broke her mouse. She also didn't wish to vent her frustration on herself. So, whenever she had writer's block, she would solve it using one of three methods: eating, showering, or running in place.

She had just eaten a bowl of instant noodles. If she ate any more, her waist would start growing horizontally. So, she chose to run in place. If inspiration still didn't come to her after her run, then she would take another shower.

In any case, it was late at night now. There wouldn't be anyone present in the offices downstairs, so she wouldn't have to worry about disturbing anyone.

Running in place also allowed her to exercise her muscles that had stiffened because of her sedentary lifestyle.

After running for a minute, she still didn't get any inspiration.

Two minutes, nothing.

Three minutes, still nothing.

Xu Chuanchuan started growing out of breath at the five-minute mark, so she gradually slowed down and stopped. Just as she was about to pull out a chair and take a seat, her phone sitting on the desk suddenly rang.

Xu Chuanchuan had her mind entirely focused on her story's plotline, so the sudden call gave her a jump. When she picked up her phone and saw a foreign number, she thought it was a spam call. However, after several seconds, her phone still kept ringing, so she decided to connect the call.

"Hello?"

As soon as the call connected, the person on the other end scolded, "What are you doing up there so late at night?"

Xu Chuanchuan was stunned at the sudden scolding. However, she also found this voice exceptionally familiar. With uncertainty in her tone, she asked, "Are you...Miss Murong?"

"Who else would it be? A ghost?"

"..." Xu Chuanchuan was momentarily rendered speechless. After calming herself, she asked, "Why are you calling me at this late hour?"

In a nasty tone, Murong Shi said, "You are making too much noise for me to work."

"Work?" Xu Chuanchuan was momentarily confused. Then, realization struck her when she recalled Murong Shi's first words. "You mean you're in the office now?"

"Mhm."

Xu Chuanchuan: "..."

At this moment, Xu Chuanchuan finally understood why this room was so large. It turned out that the space below it was none other than Murong Shi's office.

But didn't she leave ahead of time because she had something to do just now? So why did she come back to work overtime at this late hour?

As an afterthought, Xu Chuanchuan wondered if she had to head downstairs and wait on Murong Shi as well now that she was working as Murong Shi's temporary assistant.

"Do you need me to go down?"

"No need. Just be quiet upstairs."

The call ended.

Xu Chuanchuan could feel an eerie aura coming from Murong Shi through the phone. She then carefully set down her phone and carefully pulled out the chair. However, despite her best efforts to be quiet, her mechanical keyboard was too powerful. Every character she typed generated a loud and crisp click.

Xu Chuanchuan: "My boss's daughter is working overtime downstairs while I was running upstairs, and she just called to threaten me!"

Ange: "Why were you running in the middle of the night?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "Exercise, of course."

Ange: "Other people are exercising in bed at night, while you're running at night."

Xu Chuanchuan: "..." Can we not have a proper conversation?

At this time, Xu Chuanchuan suddenly thought of something and wondered, Why does Murong Shi have my number?

Just as Xu Chuanchuan had picked up her phone was about to check her call history, her screen suddenly flashed and started ringing again. When she saw that it was the same number as before, she couldn't help but be frightened.

Warily, she accepted the call and greeted, "Hello?"

Xu Chuanchuan had already prepared herself to receive a scolding. However, she never expected Murong Shi to say, "Do you have anything to eat up there?"

"Uh, I only have some cultured milk, instant noodles, and a few apples. Do you want them?"

After pondering for a moment, Murong Shi said, "I'll take the noodles."

Murong Shi's asking me for instant noodles in the middle of the night? What has the world come to?

Clearing her throat, Xu Chuanchuan said, "Then, I'll make it and bring it down to you."

"Can you handle the dark?"

Are you looking down on me?

Alright, fine, I am afraid.

After hearing no response for a moment, Murong Shi added, "Forget it. I'll go up instead."

!!!

Xu Chuanchuan threw her phone aside when she heard that Murong Shi would be coming upstairs. She then hurriedly stuffed the pile of clothes behind her chair into the cupboard and kicked her scattered shoes under the bed. Just when she was about to tidy up her bed, though, she suddenly came to her senses.

She's not going to enter my room, so what am I getting nervous about?

Fortunately, nobody had used the living room thus far, so the floor was clean, and the sofa was spotless. However, as soon as Xu Chuanchuan started boiling the water, she heard the sound of the doorknob being twisted. By the time she walked over to the door, she found that Murong Shi had already opened the door and entered.

Xu Chuanchuan stared at the key in Murong Shi's hands with widened eyes.

Seeing Xu Chuanchuan's surprise, Murong Shi explained, "There are three copies of the front door's key. You, Linda, and I each have one."

Upon hearing words, Xu Chuanchuan recalled that the room she currently stayed in had initially been prepared for Murong Shi. If that were the case, then it wouldn't be strange for Murong Shi to have a copy of the front door's key as well. Then, smiling awkwardly, she said, "I only have pickled cabbage and beef noodles. Do you want it?"

"Whatever."

"Wait a moment, then. The water is still boiling." Pointing at the sofa, Xu Chuanchuan said, "Have a seat first."

Xu Chuanchuan preferred to avoid doing the dishes, so she had always been buying instant noodles that came packaged in plastic bowls. So, after grabbing a bowl out of the fridge, she crouched in front of the coffee table. However, just when she was about to tear open the packaging…

"Thank you, but I can take it from here," Murong Shi said. "You can go back and do your stuff."

Retracting her hands, Xu Chuanchuan said, "It's fine. I'm not busy." There was no way she could leave Murong Shi here and continue writing in her room. Not to mention, she didn't have a clue on how she should proceed with her novel right now.

While watching Murong Shi tear open the packaging, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "You're still working at this late hour?"

"Mhm."

At this time, a "ding" came from the electric kettle, indicating that the water was done boiling. Xu Chuanchuan quickly ran over and brought the kettle over. When the hot water came into contact with the dry noodles and seasoning, the smell of pickled cabbage wafted out of the container, causing Xu Chuanchuan to drool.

"You don't normally eat instant noodles, right?" Xu Chuanchuan asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"I don't typically eat it, but it seems you do," Murong Shi said as she looked at the trash can under the coffee table. Currently, the trash can held an empty plastic bowl similar to the one on the table.

Xu Chuanchuan smiled awkwardly. The next second, however, she could no longer bring herself to smile.

"One bowl shouldn't be enough to fill you, right?"

"...I ate a little during the dinner party, so I wasn't particularly hungry…"

The water was piping hot, so it cooked the noodles in no time at all.

When they parted at the restaurant, Murong Shi had her hair tied into a ponytail. Now, she had let her hair down, letting it scatter across her back and giving her more of a feminine air. If Murong Shi wasn't holding a bowl of instant noodles in her hand, Xu Chuanchuan felt that this scene before her would've been perfect. Finding it awkward to stare at someone eating, she decided to hide in her room for the time being.

When Xu Chuanchuan came back out ten minutes later, Murong Shi had already finished the noodles. However, she hadn't touched any of the pickled cabbage or drank any of the soup.

Then, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Are you done eating?"

Turning to Xu Chuanchuan, Murong Shi said, "Do you have anything to drink?"

"I have some cultured milk."

Frowning, Murong Shi asked, "Why is everything sour?"

When Xu Chuanchuan looked at the pickled cabbage floating in the bowl again, she guessed that Murong Shi disliked sour foods and beverages. She then pointed at the kettle on the coffee table, "How about water? But I don't have any extra cups…"

"There's water downstairs as well," Murong Shi stated. Then, after letting her eyes wander around for a moment, she suddenly asked in a calm tone, "Do you have alcohol?"

Xu Chuanchuan was surprised by Murong Shi's question. She then replied, "I don't have any alcohol here."

"Call for a delivery, then."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but look at Murong Shi in stunned silence. She kept getting the feeling that Murong Shi was different than usual. Currently, Murong Shi had covered half of her face with her hair, and her dark eyes did not possess their usual sharpness and elegance. Instead, her eyes looked a bit dull.

Cautiously, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"

Without showing any expressions, Murong Shi said, "No, I just suddenly have a desire to drink.'

"But how will you drive home if you drink?"

Murong Shi lowered her gaze at these words. She then softly said, "I never intended to go back."

This time, Xu Chuanchuan was finally certain that Murong Shi was in a bad mood, even if the person herself refused to admit it.

But why? Did she fight with her boyfriend?

Xu Chuanchuan dared not inquire too much. She also mentally struggled with whether she should say some comforting words. But would someone as strong as Murong Shi need others to comfort her?

During Xu Chuanchuan's moment of hesitation, she heard Murong Shi saying, "If you don't want to drink, forget it." Then, standing up, she continued, "Sorry for disturbing you. The noodles were delicious. Thank you very much."

With her heels on, Murong Shi was a head taller than Xu Chuanchuan. At that moment, Xu Chuanchuan suddenly found Murong Shi's body to be somewhat frail, and she suddenly had the urge to run forward and hug the taller woman…

Xu Chuanchuan was frightened by this unexpected thought of hers. Amidst her surprise, her gaze came into contact with Murong Shi's enigmatic eyes. Panicking, she said without thinking, "If you really want to drink, I can accompany you."

This time, it was Murong Shi's turn to be surprised.

Humans were visual animals. Whether one was a man or woman, they should have a tough time refusing the request of someone as beautiful as Murong Shi. Xu Chuanchuan was no exception.

…

An hour later, Xu Chuanchuan started regretting her impulsive decision.

The delivery they ordered arrived half an hour ago. They ordered only beer without any side dishes. Xu Chuanchuan had a low alcohol tolerance, so she could only drink one can and not a sip more.

When Xu Chuanchuan saw Murong Shi downing two whole cans without stopping, she couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Xu Chuanchuan was sure something was wrong with Murong Shi tonight.

Originally, Xu Chuanchuan wanted to say, "You should stop drinking," but changed her words to, "Doesn't your stomach feel bloated?"

However, Murong Shi ignored her and grabbed her third can.

In a moment of recklessness, Xu Chuanchuan snatched the can out of Murong Shi's hand and said, "You really should stop drinking. You still need to work tomorrow."

Chuckling, Murong Shi said, "Tomorrow's a weekend." She then reached out to snatch back the can.

However, Xu Chuanchuan leaned back and moved the can out of Murong Shi's reach.

Murong Shi grew a little annoyed when she ended up empty-handed.

Maybe it was the beer at work, but Xu Chuanchuan suddenly found herself emboldened. She then circled Murong Shi and attempted to stash the can away. But, as she walked past Murong Shi, she suddenly felt something wrapping around her wrist tightly.

Before Xu Chuanchuan could make out what was going on, her body was pulled aside, and an arm wrapped around her neck. Immediately afterward, she felt a pair of cooling lips sealing her mouth.

Xu Chuanchuan's breathing grew stagnant, and her brain froze as if her soul had just been sucked out of her body.