After Being Bent by Reader

After lunch, Fang Qin drove back to her workplace once more.

Meanwhile, after Fang Qin left, Ange lazed around the room for some time and fed the fish some food. Eventually, after growing bored out of her mind, she changed out of her pajamas, grabbed her purse and phone, and left the apartment.

Many shops were located near the apartment complex, so Ange did some window-shopping before she found herself arriving at the cinema she had visited with Fang Qin some days ago. Then, when she recalled the things that happened that day, she couldn't help but smile.

Ange hadn't worn a lot when she left the apartment, so she quickly fled into a shopping mall after a cold wind hit her.

Shopping alone was very dull, so Ange spent less than half an hour inside the mall before leaving it. However, while her trip inside was brief, her harvest was bountiful. After spending over 2,000 yuan, she bought a portable oven and a bunch of baking ingredients. Then, she hailed a taxi and returned home.

Fang Qin got off work at 5 PM. After clocking out for the day, she gave Ange a call and asked what her girlfriend wanted for dinner.

After pondering for a moment, Ange hesitantly responded with a question, "Do you like cakes?"

Fang Qin was puzzled by the question. However, she still honestly answered, "I'm fine with cake. Why? Do you want to eat some?"

"I...I'm already full. It'd be a waste to throw these away, so how about you come home and deal with them?"

"What do you mean?"

…

Half an hour later…

Fang Qin arrived back at her apartment. Upon opening the door, a sweet aroma immediately entered her nostrils. The smell came from the apartment's small kitchen. Without even taking off her coat, Fang Qin strode over to the kitchen to take a look. Then, what she saw made her gape in shock.

"What are you doing?" Fang Qin asked in astonishment.

Typically, as Fang Qin didn't use the kitchen of her one-bedroom apartment for cooking, the place was kept clean at all times. Now, though, it looked as if a storm had hit the place. Not only was the kitchen counter cluttered with items, but baking flour and eggshells were also scattered all over the place. Currently, Ange was even picking up some fallen eggshells on the ground.

"I was feeling bored by myself, so I thought of baking some cakes and cookies. I didn't think my skills would be so terrible, though, so my first experiment ended up a failure," Ange said as she tossed the eggshells into the trash can. Then, she held up a plate of…something and said, "This will be my dinner. Although the appearance is terrible, the taste is still not bad. Do you want to try some?"

"Sure," Fang Qin replied without hesitation.

"Take it outside to eat, then," Ange said as she passed the plate to Fang Qin.

Fang Qin reached for the plate but stopped halfway. Then, she opened her palms and said, "I haven't washed my hands yet."

"Go wash them, then."

Fang Qin did not move. Instead, she said, "I'm starving. I want to eat it now, so feed it to me."

…How long do you need to wash your hands? Despite knowing Fang Qin was doing it on purpose, Ange couldn't resist her girlfriend's coquettish tone. So, she took off her gloves, picked up a piece of cake with her clean hand, and fed it to Fang Qin.

After Fang Qin took two bites, Ange passed the plate to her and awkwardly said, "You take your time eating. I still have something to do."

Standing by the kitchen doorway, Fang Qin asked, "What else do you need to do?"

Ange resumed studying a pastry-making recipe she received when buying the oven. Then, without looking up, she said, "I'm thinking of baking some cookies for my readers."

"Why this all of a sudden?" Fang Qin asked in confusion.

Shrugging, Ange said, "I'm free anyway. I might as well treat it as a pastime."

Fang Qin took a few steps into the kitchen. Then, looking at Ange's earnest face, Fang Qin asked, "Do you feel bored here?"

Ange looked up when she sensed Fang Qin closing in on her. Then, after pondering for a moment, she said, "Actually, I'm not doing this because I'm bored. When I was still living in Shanghai, I promised to give my readers some homemade cookies, though I never found the time to do it."

Fang Qin's frown loosened. Then, she smiled and jokingly said, "I'm your reader as well. I'm even the ardent type."

After learning that Ange was a novel author, Fang Qin had downloaded jjwxc's mobile application under Murong Shi's guidance. She visited Ange's ongoing novel every day and left long reviews. Unfortunately, none of her actions managed to catch Ange's notice.

Afterward, Fang Qin found Ange's Weibo and saw the pinned post sharing the purchasing method for the physical copies of Ange's books. Ange had published over a dozen books over the years, and Fang Qin bought a copy of every one of them without hesitation. She even bought a bookshelf specifically to hold Ange's books.

When Ange moved in with Fang Qin and saw that bookshelf, she was both shocked and touched.

Upon recalling this little detail, Ange generously said, "I'll give you a share once I've baked them."

Fang Qin set the plate in her hands and stared into Ange's eyes. Then, she frankly said, "I don't want the cookies. I only want you."

"...Wait until I'm done here."

…

Fang Qin and Ange's "cohabitation" life appeared to be very fulfilling. Afraid to disturb the new couple, Xu Chuanchuan reduced her contact with Ange.

At the end of January, Linda and her husband held their wedding in one of S City's five-star hotels, and they invited Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi to participate.

The matter of becoming the bridesmaid was only a lie Murong Shi and Linda concocted to trick Xu Chuanchuan into trying on wedding dresses. Without the need to become a bridesmaid, Xu Chuanchuan got to relax and enjoy the wedding together with Murong Shi.

Seated at the same table as the two were their colleagues from the company. However, none of their colleagues knew of their relationship. And as nobody at the table dared to joke around with Murong Shi, they set their sights on Xu Chuanchuan instead.

"Little Xu, when do you and your boyfriend plan on getting married?" someone asked.

Xu Chuanchuan naturally didn't have a boyfriend. The thing about her having a boyfriend was merely an excuse she made up to shut the mouths of her colleagues. Faced with her colleague's question, Xu Chuanchuan calmly said, "We plan to take our time on this."

"Matters of marriage cannot be rushed. Little Xu is only 26 this year, so she still has plenty of time to consider," Chen Lina said.

Then, the gossip-loving Xu Xiaomei asked, "By the way, why have I never seen your boyfriend coming to pick you up at the company?"

"That's because...his company transferred him to Shanghai."

"Doesn't that mean you're in a long-distance relationship?" In an anxious tone, Xu Xiaomei said, "Long-distance relationships are risky. Little Xu, you have to pay close attention to him. Otherwise, some other woman might steal him away..."

While Xu Xiaomei was speaking, Xu Chuanchuan suddenly felt Murong Shi tightly holding her hand under the table. As Murong Shi's grip was a little too strong, the rings they wore rubbed against each other, hurting Xu Chuanchuan a little. Even so, Xu Chuanchuan didn't feel uncomfortable. Instead, she happily said, "Thank you. I won't let him get away."

The wedding reached its climax when the bride and groom embraced and kissed each other passionately after taking the oath. Then, the guests stood up and applauded the two in congratulations. Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi also stood up. However, as both of them were reluctant to release each other's hands, they each held up their free hand and clapped.

As everyone's attention was on the bride and groom on the stage, Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi didn't have to worry about others seeing their strange behavior.

When Murong Shi turned to look at Xu Chuanchuan and saw that her lover was moved to tears, she inwardly sighed in lamentation. Then, she leaned into Xu Chuanchuan's ear and said, "We'll also be as happy as them."

…

As the Lunar New Year approached, Xu Chuanchuan grew more and more nervous. Rosa was also urging her to write her novel every day, so Xu Chuanchuan dared not slack off for even a moment. However, as writing was something enjoyable to her, it didn't contribute much to her stress. Instead, the main thing that worried her was that she would have to face her father again when she returned home for the Lunar New Year.

After such a long time had passed, Father Xu's attitude toward them remained the same. Xu Chuanchuan knew that her father wouldn't listen to anything she said, so she decided to stop persuading him altogether. As a result, the two of them had entered a cold war.

Ange had to return to Shanghai to celebrate the Lunar New Year with her family. Before leaving S City, she shared a meal with the usual group.

"When will you be coming over again?" Xu Chuanchuan secretly asked as they left the restaurant.

"I won't be coming unless something important comes up," Ange casually replied.

"What about Fang Qin? Can you bear to be apart from her?"

Ange stopped talking.

Later on, Fang Qin personally drove Ange to the airport.

Nobody knew if it was because of the sadness of parting, but Fang Qin and Ange hardly talked to each other throughout the 40-minute ride, both of them isolated to their respective thoughts.

When saying goodbye at the airport, the calm facade Fang Qin wore finally crumbled. Just as Ange was about to make her way to the security checkpoint, Fang Qin dragged her into the restroom. Then, the two of them squeezed into a narrow stall and hugging and kissing each other.

Both of them were panting for air when their lips separated. Afraid of being heard by others, Fang Qin leaned into Ange's ear and whispered, "I'll go find you when I have time."

"For what?" Ange asked with a mirthful smile.

Then, Fang Qin bit on Ange's ear and said in a threatening tone, "Don't forget; you already promised to be my girlfriend that night. You're not allowed to flirt with anyone else in the future."