After Being Bent by Reader

Chapter 36: Pt.1

Since young, Xu Chuanchuan had never grown to show any strengths, and the 25 years of life she experienced had always been uneventful. However, recently, she noticed that her life had started treading on a bumpy road.

To be precise, she found that she seemed to be targeted.

Her encounter with the sleazy man in the supermarket last time had left a trauma in her heart, so she had thoroughly stopped visiting that supermarket.

Initially, she believed that the incident was just a one-time thing. However, one day, when she was thinking of getting breakfast while on her way to work, she came across that man again.

If it were a normal encounter, she would've subconsciously ignored the man and just rode away. However, the man's penetrating gaze and lecherous smile were simply impossible to ignore.

Upon noticing this man, Xu Chuanchuan was so frightened that she forgot all her thoughts about breakfast and fled straight to her workplace. This incident also ended up distracting her for the entire morning.

Fortunately, she had some things to do in the afternoon, so she managed to forget about the incident for the rest of the day.

When evening arrived, Xu Chuanchuan got off work and returned to her rented apartment. Just as she was about to unlock the door, she suddenly thought of the lecherous man she encountered in the morning. She then subconsciously turned around and looked back.

To her horror, someone was standing underneath a tree a short distance away from her!

It was that lecherous man again!

The lecherous man wore shorts and a tank top. He had his trademark triangular eyes staring straight at her, pairing it with a smile carrying bad intentions.

Xu Chuanchuan gasped and screamed, "Y-Y-You! Why are you stalking me?!"

The lecherous man looked around for a moment. After verifying that nobody was around, he suddenly started approaching Xu Chuanchuan with quick steps.

This scene scared Xu Chuanchuan out of her mind. Throwing caution to the wind, she agilely hopped onto her bike and fled away from the area.

She wasn't certain if that lecherous man was still lingering near her residence, so she dared not return home that day. As a result, she was forced to take shelter in a nearby hotel for the night.

This was the first time Xu Chuanchuan had encountered such a situation. It was also her first time staying in a hotel by herself, so she was at her wit's end right now.

Initially, Xu Chuanchuan had thought to give Xu Xiangxiang a call. However, she quickly recalled how heartless and spoiled her little sister was, and the only thing she was good at was making noise. What could such a person possibly do to help?

Xu Chuanchuan's contact list was pitifully short. In this critical moment, she realized just how lonely and helpless she was. With no better options available, she went online and cried for help.

Ange was someone who rarely left her home, so she had never come across such a situation herself. After consoling Xu Chuanchuan for some time, she eventually suggested, "How about making a police report?"

The unfamiliar hotel room only served to worsen the situation. The more Xu Chuanchuan thought about the matter, the more afraid she became. At this point, she was so afraid that she didn't even dare to take a shower. She also didn't have a change of clothes. When it was time for bed, she made sure to keep the lights on, though she never managed to get any actual sleep the entire night.

The following day, Xu Chuanchuan gave her department chief a call and applied for a one-hour leave to make a police report.

When the police officer was done listening to her case, he said, "If you only suspect that someone is stalking you and have not been threatened or suffered any property damage, then that isn't enough evidence to establish a case."

Panicking, Xu Chuanchuan said, "What should I do, then? I've encountered him three times already. He was following me the entire day yesterday, and I don't even dare to return home now."

The officer asked, "Where do you live?"

Xu Chuanchuan then told him her address.

The officer said, "That's not a remote area. Does your place have an access control system?"

Shaking her head, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I live on the first floor. There's no access control there."

Frowning, the officer said, "It's already unsafe for a girl to live alone, yet you dare live on the first floor without any access control?"

Xu Chuanchuan opened and closed her mouth a few times, having no idea how she should answer. What the officer said was roughly the same as what Murong Shi had told her that day.

In reality, Xu Chuanchuan also understood common sense like this. Only, she never expected for herself to get into such trouble. Also, the current house she rented was something she found when she had just graduated and found a job. When she saw that the house was close to her company, the rent was reasonable, the furniture provided was satisfactory, and the landlord was kind, she decided to go out on a limb and rent the place. And after living in the place for two years without incident, she had already grown attached to it, so she had never thought about moving to a new place.

Last year was my Natal year[1], yet nothing happened throughout the entire year. Why did I suddenly get targeted by that lecherous man?

Seeing Xu Chuanchuan's pitiful appearance, the police officer patiently advised, "It's best if you get a relative or friend to accompany you. Or maybe move to another place to stay for a few days. Also, I strongly recommend you rent a safer place to stay in, particularly residential communities with security guards on duty. Safety should be your number one priority, after all."

Xu Chuanchuan had hardly slept last night, so her head buzzed throughout the entire conversation. While doing her best to nod, she said, "Thank you."

After leaving the neighborhood police station, Xu Chuanchuan made her way to work.

Upon arriving at the company, Xu Chuanchuan first went to her department chief to sign a leave application form. She then made her way to the Human Resource Department, her body wobbling and shaking as she walked. On her way out of the office, someone stopped her.

"Chuanchuan, your complexion looks bad. Are you alright?"

Snapping out of her gaze, Xu Chuanchuan looked at the person blocking her way and found that it was Xiao Li. Failing to notice that the other party had changed the way he referred to her, she said, "I'm fine. I just didn't get enough sleep last night."

Xiao Li then eagerly said, "I have some coffee and chocolate on my table. Do you want me to bring you some?"

Looking at Xiao Li's fawning smile, Xu Chuanchuan suddenly recalled the lecherous man. Immediately, disgust welled up within her as she said with a sullen face, "No, thank you."

Xiao Li was very experienced when it came to flirting with girls, so he wasn't discouraged at all by Xu Chuanchuan's reaction. After briefly scanning Xu Chuanchuan's body with his eyes, he suddenly asked, "Chuanchuan, weren't you wearing these same clothes yesterday?"

Xu Chuanchuan never told anyone about her not bathing yesterday, so her expression stiffened when she heard Xiao Li's words. Her lips also twitched at the way he called her. While avoiding the main question, she said, "You should call me Little Xu."

"I think Chuanchuan sounds more intimate. Little Xu sounds distant."

"..."

"Chuanchuan, I heard that you don't have a boyfriend. What do you think of"

"Xu Chuanchuan." Suddenly, a calm voice came from behind Xiao Li, interrupting him.

Leaning aside, Xu Chuanchuan found Murong Shi standing behind Xiao Li. Although Murong Shi currently wore an indifferent expression on her face, she gave off an indescribably imposing aura.

Xiao Li's smile instantly disappeared when he saw Murong Shi. As if he had just seen a ghost, he quickly fled the area.

Xu Chuanchuan honestly wished to thank Murong Shi for her impeccable timing. For the first time, she frankly stepped forward and asked, "Were you looking for me?"

Hooking a finger at Xu Chuanchuan, Murong Shi said, "Come to my office. I have something to show you."

With her mind in a dizzy state, Xu Chuanchuan didn't think twice before she followed Murong Shi to her office.

"Close the door," Murong Shi reminded.

"Okay."

Xu Chuanchuan grew a little confused by how mysterious Murong Shi was acting.

Perhaps it was because of her lack of sleep, but she currently felt a little out of sorts. At this moment, she felt neither fear nor anxiety. After closing the door behind her, she slowly made her way toward Murong Shi.

After picking up her phone from her desk, Murong Shi turned around and finally took notice of Xu Chuanchuan's complexion. "Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Hehe, that's right."

"Did you not read novels?"

"What?"

"Didn't you say you read novels to help with insomnia? Or did you read a horror novel and end up getting too excited to sleep instead?"

Although Murong Shi spoke in a teasing tone, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't bring herself to smile at all.

Xu Chuanchuan knew that Murong Shi was only teasing her and wasn't genuinely concerned about her well-being, so she didn't bother explaining her terrible experience last night. After forcing a smile on her face, she said, "I couldn't sleep because I didn't read anything. What did you want me to look at?"

Shifting her sight away from Xu Chuanchuan's pale complexion, Murong Shi fiddled with her phone for a moment before passing it to Xu Chuanchuan. "See if you find this familiar."

What Murong Shi showed to Xu Chuanchuan was a picture of a girl. To be precise, it was a screenshot. The girl in the photo was wearing an imitation nurse's uniform and a nurse's cap. The girl was also wearing light makeup and throwing winks at the camera.

When Xu Chuanchuan first laid eyes on the picture, she nearly thought it was her selfie. After taking a closer look, she realized that the girl was Xu Xiangxiang.

Xu Xiangxiang had sought beauty since childhood, so she started learning makeup at a young age. Despite being only 18 years old, she could make herself look like a mature woman. However, although Xu Chuanchuan would frequently see her little sister posting all sorts of selfies on social media, this was a picture she had never seen before.

"That's my little sister." Puzzled, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Why did you want me to look at this?"

"Look closer."

Confused by Murong Shi's words, Xu Chuanchuan took a closer look at the picture. Only then did she notice where Murong Shi had taken this picture from. There were also several lines of text at the bottom part of the picture.

Phone Newbie: "Host, are you a student?"

Big-headed Fish Doll: "Where are you studying? Let your big brothers take a look at the other people in your dorm."

Big Brother Loves Little Sister's Little Sister: "What are you acting innocent for, you little slut? Is there even a streamer who hasn't dirtied?"

Tian Chen: "The nurse's uniform is too conservative. You don't have much of a chest, either. Dislike, dislike. I don't even have the urge to send gifts."

There was a "KS" icon located on the upper right corner of the image, and it was the logo of a certain live streaming platform. After connecting it with the bottom texts, Xu Chuanchuan quickly came to a realization. 

Could Xu Xiangxiang be streaming on KS? Since when? Why don't I know anything about it?!

TL Notes:

[1]Natal year: A person's Natal year comes once every twelve years, and it is considered the unluckiest year out of the whole twelve years for /travelguide/chinese-zodiac/facts.htm