After Being Bent by Reader

Chapter 90: Pt.2

Xu Chuanchuan quickly looked through the donation rankings of Ange's books. However, even after looking through the top rankings, she failed to find an ID that could potentially belong to Fang Qin. As for the lower rankings, Xu Chuanchuan didn't have the time to look through all of them. She also didn't find it necessary to do so. After all, Ange was a famous author, and she received a ton of donations every day. Unless Fang Qin made a big donation, there was no way she could attract Ange's attention.

For this reason, Xu Chuanchuan had previously said that Murong Shi's idea was a terrible one.

However, Xu Chuanchuan still couldn't help but worry Fang Qin would do something foolish, so she picked up her phone and sent Fang Qin a message. Xu Chuanchuan asked Fang Qin if she had already created a reader account and made donations to Ange.

Fang Qin: "No. She doesn't seem like she lacks money in the first place, so I wrote a few long reviews instead. I received a few red packets from her later on, though I don't know what they're for."

Xu Chuanchuan found it difficult to explain jjwxc's rules through WeChat, so she dismissed her thought of doing so. Instead, she gave Fang Qin a warning, saying: "You mustn't learn from Murong. Ange has a huge temper. If she finds out you tricked her, she'll probably ignore you for the rest of her life."

Fang Qin: "I know. Thank you."

After ending her conversation with Fang Qin, Xu Chuanchuan sent Ange a message, saying: "Fang Qin's going to Shanghai tomorrow."

Ange: "Oh. What does that have to do with me?"

Oh? Isn't this a little too cold? Finding herself in the mood to tease her friend, Xu Chuanchuan said: "She might go and find you."

Ange: "For what?"

Xu Chuanchuan: "That, I do not know. I'm going to start writing. Do you want to join?"

Ange: "You start first. I'm going to take a shower.'

Xu Chuanchuan: "Okay."

After closing the chat window, Xu Chuanchuan heard footsteps coming from behind. Turning around, she found Murong Shi walking into the room, so she said, "I told Ange about Fang Qin. Her reaction seems kind of bland. I really can't tell what she's thinking."

While helping Xu Chuanchuan adjust her crooked back pillow, Murong Shi said, "You're the very definition of 'the emperor is not worried, but his eunuchs are worried to death.'"[1]

Xu Chuanchuan felt that Murong Shi was right, so she pursed her lips and stopped speaking.

In reality, the "emperor" wasn't as calm as she showed herself to be.

Ange's heart had thumped when she learned that Fang Qin would be visiting Shanghai. Simultaneously, she thought to herself, Why is she coming here again?

Then, when Ange saw Xu Chuanchuan mentioning that Fang Qin might visit her, she could no longer sit still.

Some days ago, Ange had unintentionally asked Fang Qin about her past relationships, to which Fang Qin had frankly replied. When Ange saw Fang Qin mentioning that she had been together with her ex-girlfriend for three years, Ange might have said that Fang Qin was loyal on the surface, but her mind at the time had been thinking about an entirely different matter.

To be precise, the incident that had taken place on that absurd night had surfaced in Ange's mind once more.

Fang Qin was the one who initiated the kiss that night. The kiss had happened too suddenly back then. Apart from her thunderous heartbeat, Ange failed to hear anything else as all of her senses had been concentrated on her sealed mouth at the time. Then, amidst her stupor, she felt a soft tongue frenziedly invading her mouth and stealing her breath.

Looking back at it now, Ange found that the kiss had not been tender at all. Instead, the kiss carried a hint of drunkenness and impatience.

That was, after all, her first kiss. So, Ange didn't know how to respond at the time. The only thing she knew what to do back then was to embrace the person in front of her.

Although impatient, Fang Qin did not hurt her. Be it licking, prodding, or sucking, Fang Qin showed herself to be skillful in everything. So, it took no time at all for Ange to feel a fire lit within her.

Then, before she knew it, Ange had found herself pushed onto the bed.

When Fang Qin's hot breath mixed with the smell of alcohol hit her sensitive neck, Ange felt her entire body going limp. Then, she heard a drunken whisper entering her ears, saying, "You smell nice."

It was a very frivolous comment, yet Ange didn't get angry in the slightest. She felt she was in a dream, and this dream felt incredibly unrealistic. However, while this dream wasn't beautiful, she found herself reluctant to wake up from it.

Eventually, when Ange felt Fang Qin's searing hands expertly making their way into her clothing, her eyes snapped open. Then, when she saw the unfamiliar woman in front of her, she felt as if she had just woken from a dream...

More than a month had already gone by since this incident. Ange had tried many times to forget about it, yet whenever Fang Qin sent her a message, her mind would inadvertently recall that moment.

All of this was happening because of her desires. This was the conclusion Ange came to after pondering about this problem for a long time.

Ange didn't believe in the so-called love at first sight. The reason why she couldn't forget about that night was that the fire lit in her body had yet to be completely extinguished. Meanwhile, Fang Qin was the source of this flame.

Once a person's desire was awakened, they couldn't help themselves from wanting more. So, Ange mustered up her courage to inquire about Fang Qin's relationship history and found out that the other party had once dated another woman for three years.

That also explained why Fang Qin's actions seemed so skillful that night.

However, after realizing this fact, Ange had suddenly lost all interest in conversing with Fang Qin, so she ended their conversation and tossed her phone aside. She even ignored the messages the other party sent her for the next several days.

What should I do if she comes to find me tomorrow?

Ange took out a cigarette and held it in her mouth out of irritation.

Her table was in a mess, so Ange failed to find her lighter even after searching for a long time. Just as she was about to pull the cigarette out of her mouth, her phone suddenly rang, startling her.

When Ange picked up her phone and saw that the caller's number originated from S City, her adrenaline soared, and her body suddenly heated up.

Is it her? Why would she call at this time? What is she planning to say to me?

Ange thought up innumerable questions in mere seconds. Even though her phone still rang incessantly, she hesitated to answer it.

Let's not answer it. There's nothing for us to talk about, anyway. Things will just get awkward if we have nothing to talk about.

Ange hovered her hand over her phone. She had initially thought of declining the call, but when her finger was about to reach the screen, it suddenly moved from the "Decline" button to the "Answer" button.

"..."

"Tang Xin, is it you?" A faint sobbing voice came through the phone.

Why is she crying? Don't tell me she got drunk again like that night?

Ange's heart constricted. Then, she disregarded her thoughts and quickly put the phone by her ear, saying, "Hello?"

Accompanied by a choking sound, the person on the other side said in a voice of desperation, "I miss you. I miss you a lot..."

What's going on? We only shared a few conversations, yet she's already confessing?

Ange was confused. Her heart also fell into turmoil when she heard the other party's crying. Then, she wet her dry lips and asked, "Did you overdrink again? Or...did you call the wrong number?"

"Tang Xin, I love you."

"..." Ange's mouth widened, the cigarette in her mouth falling to the ground.

"Give me another chance, please?" the other party pleaded.

Ange was stunned. However, she quickly reminded herself that she couldn't act rashly.

Biting down on her lip, Ange took in a deep breath and opened her mouth. However, before she could say anything, the other party continued, "It was my mistake before; I was too willful. But that was because I loved you! I didn't want to lose you! I hate that woman! I was your girlfriend, so why did you talk to her more than you talk to me every day?!"

Wait, what woman?

The more Ange listened, the more she felt that something was amiss. Not only did the other party's voice sound different, but even the content of the other party's words was strange. Realizing this, Ange moved her phone away from her ear and took a look at the screen, only then did she notice that it was an unknown number.

This isn't right. If it's Fang Qin calling, her name should've been indicated as well.

So, who is this person calling me?

The heart-piercing cry coming from the phone pulled Ange's mind back to reality. After calming herself, she put the phone back to her ear and interrupted the woman's inexplicable rambling, "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Don't you remember me? It's me, Citrus."

"..."

Ange had failed to identify Fragrant Citrus right away because of the party's hoarse voice. However, had she paid close attention to the other party's words, it would've been very easy to discern the other party's identity. Only, Ange never thought that after breaking up for such a long time and blacklisting Fragrant Citrus many times, the other party still had the gall to call her again.

What is wrong with me? Even if Fang Qin had gotten herself drunk, there's no way she would confess to me. Ange mentally berated herself. Then, she asked in an irritated voice, "What are you crying for?"

In response, Fragrant Citrus sniffled and repeated, "I love you. I really can't forget you. Tang Xin, let's start over again, okay?"

"..." Ange ended the call without hesitation and blacklisted Fragrant Citrus's new phone number like usual.

Anger filled Ange after she got harassed by that phone call. So, she tossed her phone aside and went to take a shower.

When Ange came out of the shower and saw her phone's indicator flashing, she thought Fragrant Citrus had called her using another number. However, when she picked up her phone and unlocked the screen, she found that she had received a message on WeChat instead of a missed call.

After clicking on the notification and seeing that familiar avatar, the flame within her body that she had gone through great lengths to extinguish had ignited once more.

However, it wasn't because of anger this time.

Fang Qin: "I'm flying to Shanghai tomorrow. Chuanchuan asked me to bring you something. I don't know where you live, so I'll drop them off at your shop. Go pick it up when you have time."

Pick it up when I have time? Is she not here to meet me?

Ange felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment when she saw Fang Qin's message. Even her actions had turned sluggish as she typed her reply: "Got it."

After waiting for several minutes and seeing no new messages coming from the other party, Ange put down her phone and went to put on a comfortable set of pajamas. Then, she sat in front of her computer, tossed aside her thoughts, and began working on her novel.

The next day, Ange woke up at 8 AM to the ringing of her alarm. However, she hadn't gotten enough rest, and her eyes felt so heavy that she couldn't even open them. So, she turned off her alarm and prepared to go back to sleep.

Then, suddenly, Ange sat up, grabbed her phone, and checked the time. After making sure she hadn't overslept, she promptly got out of bed to wash up.

An hour later, Ange drove her Jeep to her cake shop.

TL Notes:

[1]the emperor is not worried, but his eunuchs are worried to death():

This is a Chinese idiom. It's a figurative expression stating that the observers are more anxious than the person involved. I chose to translate it literally since I couldn't think of a better alternative.