After Being Bent by Reader

Xu Chuanchuan had been living in fear every day ever since Little Yan had nearly found out about her part-time job as a novel author. She was so afraid that she had even bought a keyboard online that was said to be ultra-quiet. However, as the keyboard still hadn’t arrived yet, she used her phone to write for the time being.

Although the experience of typing on a phone was terrible, the advantage of doing so was clear. Xu Chuanchuan could write her novel while standing, sitting, or lying down. So long as there wasn’t anybody to disturb her, she could write at any time and anywhere.

Apart from reading novels, Xu Chuanchuan found that Little Yan had another similar hobby as she did—eating.

However, the two of them had different reasons for having a big appetite. Little Yan’s fondness of eating was probably related to her growing body, while Xu Chuanchuan’s fondness of eating was simply because...she was a glutton.

Xu Chuanchuan felt somewhat uneasy after lying to Little Yan, so she offered the girl some snacks she bought from the supermarket.

Meanwhile, even after finding out that Xu Chuanchuan was a glutton, Little Yan did not laugh at Xu Chuanchuan. Instead, she comforted Xu Chuanchuan, saying, “You’re good as you are. You won’t get fat no matter how much you eat. Other people will kill to get such a trait.”

Xu Chuanchuan felt comforted after hearing Little Yan’s words. Then, she frankly said, “Actually, I do get fat, but all of it gathers around my waist, so my clothes end up hiding it.”

Hearing this, Little Yan shifted her gaze to Xu Chuanchuan’s waist. Then, she looked at the other party’s thin arms and legs and said, “You keep sitting down and don’t exercise. You’re bound to get fat even if you don’t eat a lot.”

“You’re right,” Xu Chuanchuan agreed in embarrassment.

“While nibbling on a salt-baked chicken foot, Little Yan casually said, “You seem to be free these past few nights. Are you done writing the theses?”

An unnatural light flashed across Xu Chuanchuan’s eyes briefly. Then, she vaguely said, “Mhm... I don’t get work every day.”

Little Yan tactfully stopped asking about this topic. After wiping the oil on her lips, she said, “I’m tired of eating this. Let’s eat something else.”

“Let’s have some ice cream, then.”

“Okay, one for each of us!” Little Yan said, remembering that a lot of the ice cream Murong Shi bought for her previously remained. However, when she opened the refrigerator’s freezer compartment, something fell out. After picking up the fallen package and looking at it, she asked, “Snail noodles? What’s this?”

“I think it’s a local specialty from Guangxi. It’s something my little sister gave me,” Xu Chuanchuan said after looking at the package.

“Is it good?” Little Yan asked as she looked at the packaging with interest.

Shrugging, Xu Chuanchuan said, “No idea. My sister says it’s good, but I’ve never tried it.”

Then, with sparkles in her eyes, Little Yan asked, “Why didn’t you try it?”

“Because this thing needs to be boiled in water. I don’t own a pot.”

Xu Chuanchuan had received five packets of snail noodles from Xu Xiangxiang some time ago, and she had nearly thrown them away when she was moving house previously. However, she eventually decided against doing so as she felt it would be a waste.

Little Yan looked at the packet of noodles thoughtfully for a moment.

As a foodie herself, Xu Chuanchuan instantly saw through Little Yan’s thoughts. Then, she asked, “Do you want to eat it?”

After hesitating for a moment, Little Yan nodded and said, “I feel that it’ll be delicious. It has my favorite tofu skin.”

“But we don’t have a pot.”

Then, a gleam appeared in Little Yan’s eyes as she said, “I have an idea.”

After saying so, Little Yan ran out of the house. Several minutes later, she returned with an induction cooker in her arms. There was also a metal pot sitting on the stove.

“Where did you get those?” Xu Chuanchuan asked in surprise.

In a delighted tone, Little Yan said, “I borrowed it from the big sisters next door. I saw them cooking noodles once.”

“Way to go!”

Little Yan hadn’t eaten enough for dinner. Now that there was something never-before-seen in front of her, she moved with great enthusiasm. She washed the pot, boiled the water, and set up the stove in the blink of an eye. Then, following the packaging’s instructions, she poured the seasoning provided into the pot of water. When the smell of the resulting broth entered her nostrils, Little Yan exclaimed, “Wah! The smell of sour bamboo shoots is amazing!”

Meanwhile, Xu Chuanchuan coughed and asked, “Why does it smell so bad?”

In response, Little Yan took a deep breath. Then, she revealed a look of enjoyment and said, “But it doesn’t? I quite like it.”

Pinching her nose, Xu Chuanchuan said in a buzzing voice, “I can’t handle this smell. Can you eat my share as well?”

After taking a look at the rice noodles that were puffing up, Little Yan widened her eyes and said, “How can I finish two packets by myself?”

“If you can’t finish it...then just throw the rest away. We still have three more packets in the fridge anyway,” Xu Chuanchuan said. She felt as if she was about to suffocate just from the smell. She couldn’t even imagine herself eating the noodles.

Meanwhile, seeing the uncomfortable look on Xu Chuanchuan’s face, Little Yan didn’t force the issue. But then, she suddenly thought of something as she smiled and said, “I’ll call her up, then.”

“Who?’

“Miss Murong.”

Stunned, Xu Chuanchuan asked, “She still hasn’t left?”

“It’s still early. She’s been constantly working overtime lately. I’ll give her a call,” Little Yan said as she happily pulled out her phone.

Seeing this, Xu Chuanchuan couldn’t help but have complicated feelings momentarily.

The call quickly connected. Then, Little Yan softly said, “You must be hungry after working overtime, right? Chuanchuan and I just cooked up something delicious, so come up and eat with us... Why do you want me to bring it down? I’m already in my PJs. I’ll finish everything by myself if you don’t come up quickly... Okay, I’ll wait for you. Bye-bye.”

After hanging up the phone in satisfaction, Little Yan said, “Actually, she abhors sour foods. She’ll definitely hate this smell more than you.”

Xu Chuanchuan was a little confused when she saw the mischievous smile on Little Yan’s face. Then, she asked, “Why are you calling her to come up, then?”

“So that the food doesn’t go to waste,” Little Yan said, giggling. “Don’t worry. I’ll force her to finish it even if she doesn’t want to.”

“...” Xu Chuanchuan found herself unsure of how to follow up with these words.

Since Murong Shi was coming, Xu Chuanchuan felt she should take her leave. After all, there was no benefit from being a third wheel. So, she said, “You two enjoy. I’ll head inside to watch some videos.”

“Are you really not eating?”

Smiling, Xu Chuanchuan said, “Mhm, I’m not hungry. You two enjoy.”

After returning to her room, Xu Chuanchuan shut the door, pulled out her phone, and began writing her novel.

When Murong Shi arrived, she made almost no sound when opening the front door. Even so, Xu Chuanchuan still heard her complaining, “What are you cooking? It smells so bad.”

“Come, come! It just finished cooking! It’s something very delicious,” Little Yan chirped.

“What is it? Take it away, take it away. It stinks like hell. I won’t eat it.”

“It’s the smell of sour bamboo shoots. Come on, come here. It’s delicious. Here, I’ll feed you. Say ah—”

“...”

Xu Chuanchuan couldn’t help but feel miserable when she overheard the conversation between Murong Shi and Little Yan. While others were flaunting their affection for each other, she was bitterly working away on her phone.

When subjected to this situation, Xu Chuanchuan inadvertently remembered Ange’s complaint some time ago. After listening to the sweet exchanges coming from outside, she suddenly wanted to fall in love as well.

However, Xu Chuanchuan only thought about the matter for a moment. After all, even if she wanted to fall in love, she needed to find the right person first.

...

Meanwhile, in the living room...

Suppressing her voice, Little Yan said, “Chuanchuan seems to be afraid of you.”

Unfazed by this revelation, Murong Shi asked, “Am I scary?”

Then, Little Yan stared at Murong Shi’s face for some time before shaking her head and saying, “Not at all.”

“So, why is she afraid of me?”

“How would I know?”

“This thing reeks. Hurry up and finish it,” Murong Shi said as she pressed Little Yan’s head, forcibly changing the topic. Then, while ignoring Little Yan’s complaints, she took a long glance at the closed door of Xu Chuanchuan’s room.

While Little Yan was slurping on the noodles, she noticed that Murong Shi’s attention had wandered to somewhere else, so she asked, “What are you looking at?”

Withdrawing her gaze, Murong Shi responded with a question, asking, “Has she said anything to you about me?”

“Who?”

“Xu Chuanchuan.”

After pondering earnestly for a moment, Little Yan answered, “Nope. She seems reluctant to talk about topics related to you. Even when I brought up my relationship with you last time, she didn’t make any comments. Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Your tone is strange. You sound disappointed.”

Murong Shi pushed Little Yan’s approaching face aside. Then, she pretended to be displeased as she said, “Little kids shouldn’t be such a busybody. Focus on eating.”

“Okay...”

After slurping on the noodles for some time, Little Yan could no longer keep her mouth shut as she said, “Chuanchuan is a nice person.”

Snorting, Murong Shi coldly said, “You got bought over after just one packet of noodles? You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

Looking at Murong Shi as if she were looking at a ghost, Little Yan said, “That’s not what you told me before. You said it yourself that Chuanchuan is a kind and warm person with no scheming thoughts and that you can rest easy if you let me live with her.”

“...”

“Chuanchuan says her salary is low.”

Hearing this, Murong Shi chuckled for a moment before saying, “You don’t even have a salary. You should pity yourself first before pitying anyone else.”

Little Yan choked on some chili oil when she heard Murong Shi’s words, and she ended up coughing violently. Then, after patting her chest and waiting for her breath to stabilize, she said, “But our situations are different. I still have you to care for me. If Chuanchuan has someone to care for her as well, there’s no need for her to work so hard every night, right?”

“Everyone has different thoughts,” Murong Shi mentioned casually.

“Huh?”

After contemplating for a moment, Murong Shi quietly said, “She might look weak and gentle on the surface, but in fact...”

“Go on.”

“...” Little Yan’s pure and innocent eyes looked like a mirror that reflected one’s inner demons. When Murong Shi saw herself through those eyes, she hesitated to continue speaking. Then, she cleared her throat and said, “Nothing.”

Having discovered something interesting, Little Yan stared at Murong Shi’s face even more intently as she said, “You seem to understand Chuanchuan a lot.”

A brief flash appeared in Murong Shi’s eyes as she said, “...”

...

The company paid everyone’s wages on the 20th of every month. Everyone in the company would be in a joyous mood whenever this day arrived.

Many people would turn on their bank’s SMS service for this day. As soon as the Finance Department remitted everyone’s salary, a bunch of ringing sounds would echo throughout the various offices.

Although Xu Chuanchuan didn’t have a high salary, she, too, couldn’t help but pick up her phone when it rang. However, when she checked the message she received, she found that the number displayed inside differed from usual. She had actually received close to an additional 1,000 yuan.

Initially, Xu Chuanchuan thought it was because of the overtime she did. When she had temporarily taken over Linda’s work last month, there were a few times where she couldn’t finish her work on time and had to work overtime. However, after careful calculation, she found that the amount still wasn’t right.

Amidst her confusion, she overheard one of her colleagues asking, “Did you guys receive the right salary?”

Then, someone responded, “Mine’s wrong. I got a few hundred yuan more than last month.”

Subsequently, another person said, “Me too. I got a few hundred more. Did the Finance Department make a mistake?”

After a brief discussion, everyone in the Engineering Department realized that they had received an increase in their salaries. Because of this unexpected bonus, everyone was on cloud nine.

“Little Xu, why are you staring at your phone with that dumb smile on your face?”

Dryly laughing, Xu Chuanchuan said, “I’m just thinking, what if the Finance Department really made a mistake? If that’s the case, then they’ll definitely have us return the extra money. This is the first time I’ve received such a large salary, so I’m taking a screenshot to keep as a souvenir.”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh in amusement when they heard Xu Chuanchuan’s words. Some people said she was dumb, while some said she had a big heart.

However, Xu Chuanchuan truly thought so in her heart. Although the money she received from her novels each month was several times higher than her monthly salary, this was still the first time she had received such a large salary. So, she couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

Meanwhile, near the end of the discussions, someone righteously said, “Do you guys think that maybe the company gave us a raise?”

However, someone immediately refuted, “Dream on. Our company is known for being stingy. We don’t even have a New Year’s Eve dinner, yet you expect a salary increase?”

Then, another person said, “Did you guys forget? During our first company dinner, Miss Murong said that so long as the company’s performance increases by... Uh, I can’t remember how many percent, but so long as profits are good, she said she’d give us a raise.”

At this person’s reminder, everyone quickly recalled Murong Shi’s declaration. Immediately, another round of discussions began.

When afternoon arrived, everyone finally received an answer to their questions.

The Finance Department had emailed everyone, explaining the reason for the abnormal salary this time. Sure enough, it was Murong Shi who had given everyone a raise.

Almost at the same time, Little Yan, who was standing in for Linda, also sent out an email, notifying everyone that all company staff members were invited to dinner on Friday night.