After Being Bent by Reader

Xu Chuanchuan intended to follow the trend and use the entertainment circle as the theme for her new novel. But, of course, the novel's primary genre would remain as sweet romance, which was the genre she was most proficient at.

Xu Chuanchuan had never worshipped any celebrities before, and neither had she read novels of this genre, so she wasn't sure whether she could write well. To make sure she did her best, though, she decided to buy a few novels related to the entertainment circle for research.

Xu Chuanchuan would always conduct a lot of preliminary work before starting a new novel, and completing these preparations took a lot of time. Meanwhile, afraid that her readers would forget her because of her long absence, she would interact with the readers in her reader group every day.

Once, she accidentally caught a glimpse of Passerby Shi's avatar in her QQ messenger's conversation list. Taking a closer look at the text beside the avatar, she found that their most recent chat history was a week ago.

That was when Xu Chuanchuan took the initiative to message Passerby Shi, notifying the other party that she had already sent out the physical book of her latest completed work.

However, Passerby Shi had never replied to that message. There was also the possibility that Passerby Shi had never seen the message, so Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but wonder if the other party had received the book or not.

Writing novels was a lonely task. When lacking inspiration, Xu Chuanchuna would often feel lonely and helpless. Fortunately, she had Ange offering company.

It had already become a habit for Xu Chuanchuan to chat with Ange whenever she had nothing better to do. Just as Xu Chuanchuan was about to show Ange the finalized title and general plotline of her new novel, Ange coincidentally struck up a conversation with her.

Ange: "Dammit, I want to fall in love."

Xu Chuanchuan: "Uh, did something trigger you?"

Ange: "I went out to eat hot pot by myself just now and left for the toilet part way through. The waiter ended up clearing the table while I was gone! How infuriating!"

Upon reading Ange's message, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but recall a similar experience at a KFC restaurant. However, she had acted more wisely than Ange as she had notified the restaurant staff ahead of time.

Xu Chuanchuan: "You should've notified the waiter."

Ange: "Why? Do you think I'm that shameless?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "..." Fine, I'm shameless.

Ange: "If I knew this would happen, I should've brought Ritian together with me."[1]

Xu Chuanchuan: "Who's Ritian?"

Ange: "My poodle. Have I never told you about it before?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "No..."

Ange: "Oh. I probably had amnesia from writing too much."

Xu Chuanchuan: "You can't bring dogs into restaurants."

Ange: "I'm so mad! I didn't even get to have my fill! I even had to order takeaway."

Xu Chuanchuan: "Don't be mad, don't be mad. Here, have some head pats. So, is that why you want to fall in love?"

Ange: "Honestly, it's not necessary to fall in love. It's just that I sometimes feel sad when I think about it. I've been a full-time writer for so many years that I think I'm starting to lose touch with reality. I also discovered that I don't have any friends I can call on to share a hot pot with me. Everyone is either busy being in love or busy at work. "

Xu Chuanchuan: "Actually, I'm the same as you..."

Ange: "What should we do?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "What should we do indeed...[Sigh]"

Ange: "My heart's tired. I plan to give myself a long vacation after finishing this book. Would you like to join me?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "I want to, but where would I find the conditions to do so? I still need to go to work unless it's '11' or the new years."[2]

Ange: "'11' is fine as well. I think I'll need to write another two million works to complete this book. I should finish around that time. I'll go find you by then."

Xu Chuanchuan: "Are you serious?"

Ange: "Of course. We've known each other for six years. Isn't it about time we met face to face? Tang'er, I'm looking forward to seeing you~"

Xu Chuanchuan: "I'll die if I go into the light. [Shy]"

Ange: "It's okay. Let's die together."

Xu Chuanchuan: "o(╯□╰)o"

Ange: "I might even get to see the rumored She-Devil who's been torturing you all this time."

The "She-Devil" here undoubtedly referred to Murong Shi. When Xu Chuanchuan thought about Murong Shi, she couldn't help but have a strange feeling in her heart, and even her typing speed had slowed down.

Xu Chuanchuan: "Why do you want to see her?"

Ange: "I want to question her why she's bullying my Tang'er."

Xu Chuanchuan: "Don't mess around..."

Ange: "By the way, I haven't heard you talking about her recently."

Because Murong Shi was no longer "bullying" her...

Ever since Murong Shi laid out all of her cards on the table, Xu Chuanchuan had stopped interacting with Murong Shi. Murong Shi also stopped summoning her, and her days seemed to have returned to normal.

Although the occasional accidental encounters still felt awkward, Xu Chuanchuan thought she was the only one finding these encounters uncomfortable because Murong Shi treated her like a transparent object. Murong Shi would circle her and walk away before Xu Chuanchuan even had the time to greet her.

It might be fine if the two of them met alone since there wouldn't be a third party present to see their awkward encounter. However, there was one time when the company's management had just finished their regular meeting. When the management personnel emerged from the conference room, Xu Chuanchuan just so happened to be walking through the corridor.

The Engineering Department's manager was also present among the group, and he instantly recognized Xu Chuanchuan. Pointing at her, he said, "Little Xu, come here for a moment."

Xu Chuanchuan went over with her head in the clouds. When she noticed that her department chief was standing together with Murong Shi, her smile stiffened as she asked, "What's the matter?"

"Miss Murong is unsatisfied with the product shots taken last time. She feels that the color tone is too dark. Take her to the photography room and show her how you normally photograph the products."

"Okay..." Xu Chuanchuan replied somewhat vacantly.

While Xu Chuanchuan had her head lowered, she suddenly heard Murong Shi indifferently saying, "Can you find another person to show me?"

Murong Shi might've worded her sentence like a question, but her tone made her words sound like a command.

Upon hearing Murong Shi's words, both the Engineering Department's manager and Xu Chuanchuan were momentarily stunned.

Then, the department manager hurriedly explained, "Little Xu is usually in charge of these photographs. She knows the details the best."

In an annoyed tone, Murong Shi said, "Either you find another person to guide me, or you guide me yourself."

The department manager glanced back and forth between Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi for a moment. Then, he awkwardly said, "L-Let me, then..."

Even after everyone else had left, Xu Chuanchuan remained standing in place with a dumbfounded expression.

Murong Shi had acted too explicitly, so much so that even other people could notice her abnormal behavior. Half an hour later, the Engineering Department's manager returned to the office and secretly asked Xu Chuanchuan, "Little Xu, did you offend Miss Murong in any way?"

"No? How would I dare offend her?" Xu Chuanchuan said, shaking her head.

After taking a long look at Xu Chuanchuan, the department chief said, "I guess you're right. If she has any criticisms about you, she would've already told me about them just now. Okay, continue with your work."

After the department chief left, Xu Chuanchuan's mind began to wander.

Xu Chuanchuan understood that Murong Shi was trying to set a clear boundary between them.

Logically, Xu Chuanchuan should be feeling happy now that Murong Shi had stopped harassing her. However, that wasn't the case in reality.

Not only did Xu Chuanchuan not feel relieved, but she even felt flustered over the matter. She felt that things were progressing too rapidly. From Murong Shi forcibly kissing her, to teasing her, to drawing a line with her, everything had happened in less than a week. There was no buffer between these events, and Xu Chuanchuan had a feeling as if she had just stumbled on empty air.

Xu Chuanchuan was the one who curtly told Murong Shi, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in women."

Hence, Xu Chuanchuan had no qualifications to ask Murong Shi to take care of her feelings.

Murong Shi had handled this matter decisively, and Xu Chuanchuan knew she shouldn't be hypocritical.

...

The weather was getting hotter and hotter recently. After eating the lychees Aunt Lian gave her last time, Xu Xiangxiang had become infatuated with them. So, she invited her elder sister to visit a suburban lychee farm on the weekend, only to receive rejection as an answer.

Xu Chuanchuan preferred staying in her air-conditioned dormitory than go out and bask in the sun.

As Xu Chuanchuan had nothing better to do in the dormitory, she daringly ordered some watermelon to be delivered. However, after the diarrhea incident, she no longer dared to freeze the watermelon.

With a box of diced watermelon in hand and a variety show playing on the PC in front of her, Xu Chuanchuan had everything necessary to waste her day away. As soon as she sat down on her chair, though, she suddenly heard the sound of a door opening coming from outside.

Xu Chuanchuan grew suspicious upon hearing this sound.

Is Linda back? That shouldn't be right. Even if she's going to return, she shouldn't be returning on the weekend.

Xu Chuanchuan immediately thought of Murong Shi. After setting the box of diced watermelon aside, Xu Chuanchuan gently approached the door and opened a small gap to peek through.

Immediately, the familiar sound of high heels clicking against the floor entered Xu Chuanchuan's ears. Then, a tall figure came into view. Who else could it be but Murong Shi?

Xu Chuanchuan's heart tightened. She initially planned to close the door and pretend she didn't see anything. However, just as she was about to close the door, she saw someone walking into the house after Murong Shi. This person was a girl with long hair and bangs, pale skin, and immature facial features.

After entering the house, the girl happily yelled, "This place is so big! It's also so clean!"

Xu Chuanchuan: "..." Could someone tell her what was going on?"

"Shh—" Murong Shi patted the girl's head. "Be quiet. Your future roommate might be resting."

"I forgot," the girl said, sticking out her tongue. Then, she asked, "Is this volume okay?"

Amidst their conversation, Murong Shi subconsciously looked toward Xu Chuanchuan's room. Unfortunately, it was already too late for Xu Chuanchuan to withdraw her peeping gaze, so she was caught red-handed.

"Xu Chuanchuan."

TL Notes:

[1]Ritian: 日天(rì tiān) This translates to Heaven Fucker/Fuck Heaven in Chinese internet slang.

[2]11: This is referring to 11-11(November 11th)/ Singles' Day. Singles' Day is an unofficial holiday in China.