After Being Bent by Reader

Chapter 82: Pt.1

Xu Chuanchuan's visit to Shanghai lasted for five days. Although she didn't manage to visit Disneyland like she wanted to, she was still pleased with the trip.

Xu Chuanchuan had received far too many walnut cakes from Ange. Worried that she wouldn't be able to finish them before they go bad, she stopped by Xu Xiangxiang's university on the way home from the airport to give some to her little sister.

It was currently the holidays, so Xu Xiangxiang's three roommates had returned to their respective homes. Only Xu Xiangxiang remained in the school dormitory.

When Xu Xiangxiang heard that Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi had secretly visited Shanghai, she asked in a gloomy tone, "Why didn't you bring me?"

"The plane tickets are too expensive," Xu Chuanchuan frankly said.

Xu Xiangxiang was momentarily rendered speechless by her elder sister's stinginess. Then, while chewing on a walnut cake, she glanced at Murong Shi before saying, "Whatever. I don't wanna be the third wheel, anyway."

Meanwhile, Murong Shi smiled and said, "Linda will be returning from Malaysia tomorrow. I had her buy souvenirs on her way back. I'll send some to you when she's back."

"Will there be anything to eat?"

"Probably."

Xu Xiangxiang's eyes lit up in excitement at the mention of food. Then, she hugged Murong Shi and said, "Big Sis Shishi, you're the best!"

Then, Xu Chuanchuan chided, "Didn't you say you were going on a diet?"

"I give up. I'm not dieting anymore," Xu Xiangxiang said with a long face.

"Why?" Xu Chuanchuan asked, sensing something strange with her little sister's tone.

While patting the cake crumbs off of her body, Xu Xiangxiang said, "The studio originally planned to give me the best recommendation spot when my school holiday began. But they managed to poach a streamer from another broadcasting platform recently, and they decided to give my recommendation spot to this newcomer to increase her popularity on the platform. Hardly anyone has been coming to watch me these past few days. I also barely made any money. How infuriating."

Although Xu Chuanchuan didn't understand much about streaming, what she did know was that her little sister had been bullied. So, she said, "If it's about money, I can be the one to earn it. Your holidays are going to end soon, so you should focus on your studies instead."

"But I'm still angry!" Xu Xiangxiang said in agitation. "They promised to give me the slot, so how can they go back on their word? The last studio bullied me, and now this one is mistreating me as well!"

After careful thought, Xu Chuanchuan came to realize that her little sister's streaming career didn't seem smooth at all. The previous studio Xu Xiangxiang worked with had scammed her out of her pay, while the current studio refused to keep its promises.

However, despite seeing Xu Xiangxiang's aggrieved expression, Xu Chuanchuan didn't know how she should go about consoling and helping her little sister. After all, she had too little understanding of the streaming industry.

"You're signed with Jiang Shaohua's studio, right?" Murong Shi asked.

Xu Xiangxiang vented her anger and grief on another piece of walnut cake. While chewing on the cake, she vaguely said, "It's him."

After pondering for a moment, Murong Shi pulled out her phone from her bag, looked up Jiang Shaohua's number, and called him.

The phone rang for a long time. Eventually, the call connected, and an unfamiliar woman's voice came through the phone, "Hello?"

Murong Shi was momentarily stunned but quickly came to a realization. Jiang Shaohua was a philandering womanizer, and he changed women even more quickly than he changed clothes. So, it wouldn't be strange for an unfamiliar woman to answer the phone for him.

After calming herself, Murong Shi said, "Please get Jiang Shaohua on the phone."

Upon hearing Murong Shi's voice, the voice of the woman on the other end instantly took on a sharper pitch as she asked, "Who are you?"

Murong Shi frowned. However, keeping her cool, she patiently repeated, "I'm looking for Jiang Shaohua."

"..."

The sound coming from her phone suddenly disappeared. When Murong Shi took a look at her phone's screen, she found that the other party had hung up.

Murong Shi's mood soured after getting hung up for no good reason. Then, she switched to sending Jiang Shaohua a voice message through WeChat, saying, "Call me back within ten minutes. It's urgent."

After seeing Murong Shi putting down her phone with a gloomy expression, Xu Chuanchuan hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

Murong Shi subsequently retold what had happened.

As soon as Murong Shi finished speaking, Xu Xiangxiang smacked the coffee table in front of her and said, "Is it that new dancer?"

Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi briefly exchanged looks with each other.

Then, Murong Shi curiously asked, "What's the situation?"

"I only heard it in passing myself." The walnut cakes had absorbed all the moisture in her throat, so Xu Xiangxiang paused to rehydrate it. Then, she continued, "The streamer that recently joined is called Sweet Melon, and the content she does mostly consists of those types of dances. She also has a vixen's face and a spectacular body, so she's especially popular among men. After she arrived, she instantly became the highest-earning streamer in the studio, so Young Master Jiang pampers her a lot. From the rumors I heard, she even became Young Master Jiang's girlfriend shortly after she joined. Many of the other female streamers in the studio are very envious of her."

After hearing Xu Xiangxiang's story, Murong Shi snorted and said, "Jiang Shaohua's girlfriends number at least a handful. What's there to be envious of?"

"But those who gain Young Master Jiang's favor will get good promotional spots on the platform, and only those who get viewers can earn money. Everyone's doing it for the money," Xu Xiangxiang pouted.

Chuckling, Murong Shi said, "I guess you're right."

Xu Xiangxiang rested her chin on the back of her hands and sighed. Then, she said, "And because I heard Sweet Melon is Young Master Jiang's girlfriend, I don't dare to complain about my promotional slot getting taken."

Murong Shi extended a hand and rubbed Xu Xiangxiang's head. Then, she said, "Don't worry, I'll get justice for you."

As soon as Murong Shi finished speaking, her phone started ringing, and the words "Jiang Shaohua" appeared on the screen. Seeing this, Murong Shi immediately retracted her emotions and answered the call.

"What is it, Murong?" This time, it was finally Jiang Shaohua answering the phone.

Skipping formalities, Murong Shi got straight to the point and talked about Xu Xiangxiang's situation. Then, she coldly stated, "I placed my lovely and innocent little sister in your hands, yet you give her such treatment?"

Surprised, Jiang Shaohua asked, "Since when did Xu Xiangxiang become your little sister? How many little sisters do you have?"

Running out of patience, Murong Shi said, "Don't change the topic."

Jiang Shaohua retracted his joking attitude. Then, in a solemn tone, he said, "I typically leave the studio's management to my subordinates, so I have no idea that something like this is going on. How about this? I'll ask them about it later on, and I promise to give you a satisfactory answer."

While Jiang Shaohua was utterly unreliable when it came to relationships, he would always hold to his words, so Murong Shi did not doubt his promise. Then, Murong Shi suddenly recalled the unfamiliar woman from before and asked, "I heard you made a new girlfriend called Sweet Melon?"

"You sure have a good information network," Jiang Shaohua said in exasperation. Then, he put on a contemptuous smile and said, "What girlfriend? We're just taking what we need from each other."

After hearing this, Murong Shi tacitly stopped probing into this matter and ended the call.

Then, with the word "gossip" written in both her eyes, Xu Xiangxiang eagerly asked, "Is it Sweet Melon?"

Murong Shi replied with an "Mhm."

"How crafty of her," Xu Xiangxiang said. Then, in a reluctant tone, she continued, "I guess having good looks has its advantages after all."

"How good-looking is she?" Xu Chuanchuan asked out of curiosity.

Xu Xiangxiang pulled out her phone and clicked into KS Broadcasting's application. Then, she clicked on the name Sweet Melon listed in her friend list, entered the other party's profile, and found a bunch of selfies saved in the other party's photo album.

The photos taken showed Sweet Melon making varying expressions. She appeared cute in some photos and ambiguous in others. The majority of her selfies also exposed her thighs and cleavage. Looking at the photos, it was undeniable that Sweet Melon was a beautiful woman. Her appearance looked sweet and sexy.

"It's artificial," Murong Shi stated.

Upon hearing Murong Shi's comment, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but take a closer look at the pictures. Meanwhile, the more she looked at the pictures, the more she found that Sweet Melon's facial features looked a little stiff.

Xu Xiangxiang hurriedly nodded in agreement with Murong Shi's words and said, "The other girls in the studio also said that she must've gone under the knife before. They said that she probably reshaped her eyes and nose. Looking at how full her lips are, she probably injected something into them as well. Also, her chin is so sharp that it looks like it can stab someone to death."

Xu Chuanchuan could easily discern the envy in her little sister's tone. Chuckling, she said, "You're an all-natural, so why envy a person who has undergone plastic surgery?"

"But men like her type! Even if they know she has done plastic surgery, they still throw a bunch of presents at her," Xu Xiangxiang said, disgruntled. "Do you think I should do some minor modifications as well?"

Upon hearing Xu Xiangxiang's words, Xu Chuanchuan immediately gave her little sister a knock on the head. Then, she said, "Do you have too much money to spend?"

Xu Xiangxiang held her head in pain. Just as she was about to fight back with her own words, she heard Murong Shi saying, "You look good as you are. No need to compare yourself with others."

Xu Xiangxiang instantly burst with joy when she received praise from someone as beautiful as Murong Shi.

Xu Chuanchuan was in a bit of a daze as she walked out of the student dormitory.

"What are you thinking about?" Murong Shi asked.

Frowning slightly, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I seem to have seen that Sweet Melon from somewhere before. She feels very familiar, but I can't seem to remember where I've seen her before."

"Doesn't everyone who undergoes plastic surgery look the same?" Murong Shi said nonchalantly.

Xu Chuanchuan shook her head. She liked to overthink things whenever there was even a hint of doubt in her mind. While she was in deep thought, she suddenly felt someone gently pinch her right cheek.

After letting out a soft hiss, Xu Chuanchuan innocently looked at the person beside her and asked, "Why did you pinch me?"

"What do you think?" Although Murong Shi looked at Xu Chuanchuan with a gentle gaze, her tone carried a hint of warning as she said, "You're thinking of another woman right in front of me. Are you treating me like I don't exist?"

"..." While having both her cheeks pulled, Xu Chuanchuan stared at Murong Shi in a daze for a few seconds. Then, she widened her eyes and asked in surprise, "You're even getting jealous over a female streamer that we don't know?"

Sure enough, Murong Shi lived up to her nickname of Big Jealous Bug.

After having traveled by plane and by car, Xu Chuanchuan felt a little dizzy by the time she got home. So, she dragged Murong Shi to bed and had an afternoon nap together.

Partway through their nap, Murong Shi woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. Instead of answering the phone immediately, she covered Xu Chuanchuan's ears and whispered, "It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

Xu Chuanchuan mumbled something before turning to the other side and going back to sleep.

The call was from Jiang Shaohua, and he said that he had already looked into Xu Xiangxiang's matter. He also promised to promote Xu Xiangxiang's channel on the platform's front page whenever Xu Xiangxiang was streaming.

In response, Murong Shi said "thank you" to him.

"Thank you? Are my ears playing tricks on me?!" Jiang Shaohua was shocked. "Aren't you a little too caring toward Xu Xiangxiang? What's your relationship with her?"

"I already said she's my little sister," Murong Shi said. Having no intentions to elaborate any further, she said, "Just make sure to look after her for me. Don't let your subordinates mistreat her."

"Alright, alright." Jiang Shaohua understood Murong Shi's personality, so he didn't continue prying into the matter. "Honestly, I quite like this little girl. She's good at talking and attracting money. With how talented of a streamer she is, I definitely have to nurture her properly."

After having her rest disrupted by this call, Murong Shi no longer felt sleepy. So, she sat in the living room and began looking through the emails Linda sent her.