After Being Bent by Reader

When Xu Chuanchuan thought about how she had to face Little Yan after returning home, her heart turned into a mess once more.

Fortunately, Little Yan was taking a shower when Xu Chuanchuan returned, so this allowed Xu Chuanchuan to avoid a face-to-face encounter.

Xu Chuanchuan first placed the ice cream into the refrigerator. Then, she approached the bathroom and stood outside the door, saying, "Little Yan, Miss Murong bought ice cream for you. I'll put it in the fridge."

The sound of water hitting the ground softened for a moment. Then, Little Yan's voice came out of the bathroom, saying, "Okay, I got it. Thank you."

Xu Chuanchuan sighed in relief and snuck back to her room. However, she had yet to take a shower, and she had sweated a lot during her trip outside, so she didn't plan to resume writing immediately.

While lying on the bed and browsing Weibo on her phone, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching her room.

Immediately afterward, a knock came through the door.

"Chuanchuan, are you busy?"

Xu Chuanchuan put down the phone. Then, looking at the door, she said, "I'm not. What's up?"

"There's a lot of ice cream. Let's eat some of it together."

"I've eaten, so you eat it yourself."

"Oh, okay," Little Yan responded, her voice sounding a little disappointed. Then, she pulled up her voice again and said, "I'm done showering. You can go wash up now."

"Got it. I'll go in a moment."

Xu Chuanchuan would inadvertently think about indescribable scenes whenever she saw Little Yan. So, to avoid creating an embarrassing situation for both of them, she decided to hide like a tortoise.

After her sweat had dried and she could no longer hear any movement outside, Xu Chuanchuan grabbed a change of clothes and left her room. However, to Xu Chuanchuan's surprise, Little Yan was currently lying on the living room sofa with a facial mask on her face.

Meanwhile, Little Yan also sat up when she heard the sound of a door opening. Because of the mask tightening up her face, Little Yan's voice sounded a little fuzzy as she said, "Are you going to shower?"

"Mhm." Xu Chuanchuan walked toward the bathroom with her gaze fixed ahead.

Just as Xu Chuanchuan was about to walk past Little Yan, Little Yan removed her mask and called out to her, "Chuanchuan, did you run out just now because we disturbed you?"

"No, I just had a sudden urge to eat some snacks," Xu Chuanchuan said, lying through her teeth. Then, she pointed at the shopping bag on the coffee table and said, "I bought a lot of snacks. You can take whatever you want."

Little Yan had an innocent mind, so she did not doubt Xu Chuanchuan's words at all. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she said, "That's good. I thought you were angry."

Smiling, Xu Chuanchuan said, "Why would I be angry at such a small matter?"

"Don't worry. It won't happen again next time," Little Yan assured with a blush on her face.

Xu Chuanchuan: "..." Why would I be worried about the affair between the two of you?

Then, Little Yan hesitated to speak.

Seeing this, Xu Chuanchuan decided to stand still and wait for the girl to finish speaking.

After hesitating for some time, Little Yan finally made up her mind and earnestly said, "Chuanchuan, I think you are a very nice person. You've helped me a lot on the first day I arrived."

"Is that so?" Xu Chuanchuan laughed.

"Yes! You lent me a rag and helped me carry my bags when we went shopping," Little Yan said, sticking out her tongue playfully when she recalled the embarrassing situation that day. "Also, Miss Murong says you and I have common interests and hobbies, so I think we can become friends."

Confused, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "What common hobby?"

"Novels!" Little Yan said excitedly. "Miss Murong said you like reading novels. I like them very much, too! We can share novels in the future! By the way, what types of novels do you like to read?"

This question instantly stumped xu Chuanchuan. Then, her lips twitching, she said, "I...I'm old already, so I don't read novels now."

"Is that so?" Little Yan said, expressing her regret.

"Mhm. It's been very long since I last read a novel, so I've forgotten everything I've read before."

"It's fine, it's fine. We can still talk about other things aside from novels."

Xu Chuanchuan was afraid that Little Yan would drag her into another long conversation on a whim, so she quickly said, "I'll go take a bath first."

"Mhm, mhm. Go ahead."

However, as soon as Xu Chuanchuan turned around, Little Yan called out to her again.

"What is it now?"

Suddenly, Little Yan's expression turned strange, and her cheeks flushed red. Then, she bit her lower lip and cautiously said, "You should've noticed that Miss Murong and I...our relationship isn't just one of employer and assistant. But I don't want others to find out about us yet. I'll tell you about it when the time is right."

Sure enough, the relationship between these two isn't ordinary, Xu Chuanchuan thought to herself. In reality, after hearing those strange noises for two nights, she had mostly guessed what was going on already.

It was one thing to make a guess, but hearing the person in question pointing it out was another thing entirely. For a time, Xu Chuanchuan didn't know what expression she should put on. Then, putting on a forced smile, she said, "Okay."

…

After that day, Murong Shi no longer appeared in their dormitory. Even so, Xu Chuanchuan didn't have much interaction with Little Yan. Instead, she would typically hole herself into her room after getting off work, turn on her computer, and start writing her novel.

The initial publication of her new novel progressed relatively smoothly this time, and Xu Chuanchuan was bursting with inspiration. Whenever she started writing, she would immediately forget about the time. She would even frequently write until midnight. By the time she finished every writing session and left her room to take a shower, she would find that the door to Little Yan's room was already shut, and the girl herself was already asleep.

Hence, the two of them had very little communication with each other.

However, during a particular lunch break, Xu Chuanchuan happened across Little Yan in the dorm's bathroom. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Little Yan asked her, "Chuanchuan, are you always busy with work even after work hours?"

Without revealing any expressions, Xu Chuanchaun replied, "No. Why do you ask?"

Then, Little Yan hesitantly said, "I always come back in the evening to see the door to your room closed. Although I sometimes thought of looking for you, I don't dare to knock on the door."

"It's fine. You can come to find me if you want to," Xu Chuanchuan said, smiling.

"But Miss Murong says you're busy every night, and she told me not to disturb you. I also frequently hear you typing away at your keyboard. So, Chuanchuan, are you writing novels?"

Xu Chuanchuan's heart thumped at Little Yan's words. Then, putting on a smile with a guilty conscience, she said, "How can I be writing novels? You think too highly of me."

Without putting much thought into the matter, Little Yan said, "Why isn't it possible? I frequently read novels. I've also joined the reader group of an author I like. This author is a part-time writer, and she writes her novels every day after getting off work. She says she has to work till late at night every day. Your situation is similar to hers!"

In the end, both of them were part of the online literary circle, and Little Yan had uncovered the truth with pinpoint accuracy.

However, Xu Chuanchuan refused to admit she was writing yuri novels even if it killed her. Then, an idea came to her suddenly as she said, "I'm not writing novels. I'm writing university theses for people."

"Theses?"

Holding back her embarrassment, Xu Chuanchuan continued lying, "Yes. It's an online part-time job. I help university students write their thesis."

"Doesn't that mean you're a ghostwriter?"

At this point, Xu Chuanchuan was so nervous that even her palms were sweating. Then, lowering her head in shame, she said, "Yes, I'm a ghostwriter."

Little Yan was so surprised that she couldn't speak for a moment.

Working as a ghostwriter was indeed something deplorable, but Xu Chuanchuan couldn't think of a more suitable reason right now. After calming herself, she said, "You must never tell others about this, especially not Miss Murong. I'm afraid she'll fire me.'

Fortunately for Xu Chuanchuan, Little Yan had an innocent mind, so the girl was easily persuaded. Then, blinking her eyes, Little Yan said, "Okay, I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you." Xu Chuanchaun secretly rubbed her sweaty palms against her pants. She also began considering whether she should replace her noisy mechanical keyboard.

Then, Little Yan casually asked, "Chuanchuan, are you short of money?"

With a mourning look, Xu Chuanchuan answered, "Mhm. Very much so."

"T-Then, what's your monthly salary?" Little Yan asked hesitantly.

It was generally taboo for most people to inquire about the salary of others in the workplace. However, Xu Chuanchuan didn't fuss over it since she knew Little Yan was a rookie in the workplace.

Most importantly, Little Yan was too cute to resist. So, without even thinking too deeply, Xu Chuanchuan said, "Very little. I only make around 4,500 a month."

However, Little Yan widened her mouth when she heard this number. Then, she exclaimed, "That's a lot!"

"...Are you serious?" Xu Chuanchuan asked, baffled.

Nodding repeatedly, Little Yan said, "I'm very serious! I think 4,500 is a lot!"

"What about you?" Xu Chuanchuan asked.

In response, Little Yan flattened her lips and aggrievedly said, "I don't have a salary."

"What?"

"I don't have a salary..." Little Yan repeated.

"How is that possible?" This time, it was Xu Chuanchuan's turn to be surprised.

"I really don't have one. You have to believe me," Little Yan said as she nodded heavily.

After changing the direction of her thoughts, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "You...weren't tricked, right?"

This is blatant exploitation!

However, the next moment, Little Yan's eyes curved upward, and the gloomy expression on her face vanished instantly. Then, she happily said, "She definitely won't lie to me. Although she hasn't talked to me about my salary, she said she would care for me. Hehe."

Xu Chuanchuan: "..." Okay, I surrender.