Chapter 46: Pt.2

"Xu Chuanchuan."

Sure enough, she got discovered.

Surrendering herself to fate, Xu Chuanchuan opened the door and pretended to be calm as she walked out of her room. When she looked at the two people before her, though, she wasn't sure how she should entertain them. "You two are…"

"She's Little Yan, your new roommate," Murong Shi said to Xu Chuanchuan as she pointed at the girl beside her. Then, she pointed at Xu Chuanchuan and continued, "She's Xu Chuanchuan, the person I told you about."

After hearing Murong Shi's introduction, Little Yan's eyes curved into a smile as she crisply said, "Hello, Big Sister! Please take care of me in the future!"

"Hello," Xu Chuanchuan awkwardly greeted. Then, she turned to Murong Shi with a confused look on her face, "Then…what about Linda?"

"Linda's father is severely ill, so she won't be able to return within a short period. Little Yan will be taking Linda's place in the meantime. She'll also be staying in the room beside yours."

"I see." Xu Chuanchuan smiled.

In other words, Little Yan is Murong Shi's new assistant? But she looks so young. She also has such a pure smile. No matter how I look at her, she doesn't seem to be the same type of person as Linda. 

When Xu Chuanchuan lowered her head, she noticed that Little Yan was carrying a suitcase in her hand. This meant that Little Yan would be moving in today. However, what confused Xu Chuanchuan was that Little Yan was merely an assistant, so was there a need for Murong Shi to guide her to the dorm personally?

What was even stranger was Murong Shi's words to Little Yan. "Can you handle everything by yourself? Do you need my help?"

"No, no, I can do it myself," Little Yan said, refusing to let Murong Shi help her carry her suitcase. She even pushed Murong Shi aside.

However, to Xu Chuanchuan's surprise, Murong Shi did not get angry at this action at all.

This situation confused Xu Chuanchuan even further, and she couldn't help but wonder who exactly was the assistant between the two of them.

However, since Little Yan would be her new roommate, Xu Chuanchuan felt that she should express her friendliness. So, she asked, "Do you need my help?"

In response, Little Yan put on a bright smile and said, "Not right now, but I might need it in the future. We can help each other in the future, Big Sister."

Although Little Yan still had some baby fat on her face, her facial features were quite excellent, and she should become a beautiful woman given another few years. Responding with a smile of her own, Xu Chuanchuan said, "Sure. Also, you can call me by my name."

Hearing Little Yan call her "Big Sister" one time after another made Xu Chuanchuan suddenly have the urge to roll up her sleeves and help Little Yan unpack her luggage.

Then, Little Yan blinked her eyes playfully and asked, "In that case, can I call you Chuanchuan?"

"Up to you."

Afterward, Little Yan turned to Murong Shi, whom they had cast aside, and said, "I'll get along well with Chuanchuan, so you can go back now."

The assistant is urging her boss to leave? What's up with this situation? Xu Chuanchuan grew increasingly confused by the interaction between Little Yan and Murong Shi.

Meanwhile, Murong Shi revealed a helpless look as she said, "Okay, I'll go."

Before leaving, though, Murong Shi dragged Little Yan into the room next door to Xu Chuanchuan's and shut the door, seemingly intending to talk about something secret with Little Yan. Meanwhile, Xu Chuanchuan returned to her room after seeing that there was nothing she had to do.

Sometime later, Xu Chuanchuan heard the sound of the main entrance being opened and closed. Then, after verifying that Murong Shi had left, she left her room with the box of diced watermelon in hand. Coincidentally, she came across Little Yan in the living room, so she asked, "Do you want some watermelon?"

Smiling in response, Little Yan said, "Thank you, but we just had lunch. You can eat it yourself."

Xu Chuanchuan did not insist on the matter. Just when she was about to return to her room, though, Little Yan suddenly called out to her, "Chuanchuan, do you have a rag? There's a lot of dust in my room, so I want to wipe it clean first."

"I do. It's hanging in the bathroom, the blue one."

"Okay, thank you."

Linda only used the room next door as a place for afternoon naps. Apart from a mattress, a thin blanket, and a pillow, the room had no other objects within it, so it shouldn't be too difficult to clean it.

An hour later, Little Yan knocked on Xu Chuanchuan's door, notifying the latter that she finished cleaning her room. Then, she asked, "I'm going to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities. Do you want me to grab anything for you?"

Unlike Linda, who gave Xu Chuanchuan the cold shoulder, Little Yan was overly enthusiastic, so Xu Chuanchuan found it hard to adapt to the change for a moment.

However, Xu Chuanchuan did not find Little Yan to be annoying since the other party had excellent looks. On the contrary, she found herself liking the cheerful girl a lot. After pondering for a moment, Xu Chuanchuan said, "How about you give me a minute? I'll change my clothes and go with you."

Little Yan readily said yes to Xu Chuanchuan's offer.

Shopping was a simple way to promote the friendship between two women quickly. No matter how long Little Yan planned on staying, Xu Chuanchuan did not hope to see her relationship with the girl developing similarly to her relationship with Linda, where the two of them treated each other like strangers despite living under the same roof.

Little Yan bought a lot of things during their shopping trip. Xu Chuanchuan also found that the girl wasn't one to nitpick, buying whatever was the most expensive. Then, Xu Chuanchuan took a look at the set of branded clothing Little Yan wore and thought to herself, This girl's family should be pretty wealthy.

No matter how beautiful a person looked, when faced with a burden she couldn't bear, the miserable look they made would cover up all of their beauty.

"How heavy. I shouldn't have bought so many things in one trip," Little Yan complained while standing on the roadside, sweating and panting. In her hands, she held multiple large shopping bags.

Xu Chuanchuan had already helped Little Yan share half of the weight. She was also responsible for holding the umbrella for the two of them. However, when she saw the girl's pale lips, she offered, "Why don't you hold the umbrella? I'll carry the bags for you."

"You don't have to do that."

"It's fine. I can still walk faster than you even if I'm carrying the bags," Xu Chuanchuan said. Then, she weighed the bags she currently held and added, "I don't think these are heavy at all, so give yours to me. The sooner we return home, the sooner we can enjoy the air conditioning there."

Little Yan hesitated for a moment before handing over the other half of her bags to Xu Chuanchuan and receiving the umbrella in return.

"Let's go," Xu Chuanchuan said as she effortlessly lifted the bags.

Little Yan blushed at this sight. Then, in a timid tone, she asked, "Chuanchuan, do you think I'm too fragile?"

Xu Chuanchuan indeed thought as such in her heart. However, considering that they had just gotten acquainted recently, she felt that she should show the other party some respect. "You're alright. I still have a little sister who's even worse than you."

"You have a little sister?"

"Yes, her name is Xu Xiangxiang, and she would sometimes visit me when she's bored."

Little Yan's eyes glowed when she heard Xu Chuanchuan's words. "Chuanchuan and Xiangxiang? Haha, chuanchuanxiang? Your names are so interesting."[1]

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Xu Chuanchuan's face. "My mom is from Sichuan, and she likes to eat chuanchuanxiang, so she gave us two sisters such names."

"I only heard about chuanchuanxiang before. Is it delicious?"

"My mom prepares it quite well. I'll treat you to it if the opportunity arises." If you haven't left when that time comes…

"Okay, okay!"

...

Perhaps because Xu Chuanchuan had Linda to use as a reference, the first day she spent with her new roommate felt quite lovely, in her opinion.

Unfortunately, while Xu Chuanchuan felt that Little Yan was a pure and simple girl, when she was having lunch with her colleagues the next day, she overheard some gossip about Little Yan.

—Did you guys see Miss Murong's new assistant?

—I did. I think she's called Little Yan. I don't know what her full name is, though. From what I heard, she still hasn't reported herself to HR.

—She looks very young. Is she even an adult?

—I think she's young as well. Can such a little girl withstand Miss Murong's torturing?

—Even Linda has been brutally criticized by Miss Murong during her trial period. I dare say that this girl will run away before her trial period is even over.

— I don't think so. When I went to the washroom today, I saw Miss Murong combing that girl's hair. She seems to be paying extra care to the girl. Could that girl have a strong background?

—What background? Could she be Miss Murong's little sister? I never heard of it. Also, they don't look alike at all.

All rumors had an origin. When Xu Chuanchuan recalled Murong Shi's words and deeds when she dropped off Little Yan at the dormitory yesterday, she couldn't help but find the relationship between the two of them to be strange.

After finishing lunch with her colleagues, Xu Chuanchuan still had some time before lunch break ended, so she decided to return to the dorm.

When Xu Chuanchuan opened the door to the dormitory, she gave a scare to the two people fooling around on the living room sofa.

Little Yan, who had been lying on Murong Shi's back, got so frightened that she nearly rolled off the sofa. Fortunately, Murong Shi reacted quickly and grabbed the girl's hand, preventing her fall.

Then, Little Yan quickly sat up, straightened her wrinkled shirt, looked at Xu Chuanchuan, who currently stood dumbfounded by the entrance, and stammered as she explained, "I... She... Miss Murong came to see if I finished tidying up my room..."

Xu Chuanchuan first looked at Murong Shi, who remained as calm and composed as ever. She then looked at Little Yan's flustered expression. When she linked these two together, she suddenly recalled the gossip she heard during lunch.

No matter how Xu Chuanchuan looked at it, Little Yan's reaction expressed a guilty conscience. The explanation the girl gave also sounded like an excuse to hide something.

Xu Chuanchuan found this situation to be quite awkward. Seeing that Little Yan was feeling embarrassed as well, Xu Chuanchuan feigned calmness and said, "Okay."

Their encounter was a complete accident, and Xu Chuanchuan dared not think too deeply into the matter. That was until nighttime arrived, and she suddenly heard strange sounds coming from next door while she was writing her new novel.

First, the sounds consisted of a series of joyful laughter, sounding like someone was fooling around next door. Next, the laughter turned into painful howls. Finally, the howls turned into ambiguous moans...

Xu Chuanchuan stuffed her ears with a pair of earphones and played some music. Initially, she thought the earphones weren't working properly, as she could still hear the moans over the music. However, when she took off the earphones and listened carefully, she realized it was because the moans had become even more pronounced.

"Ah—No more, no more—"

Xu Chuanchuan discerned that the voice belonged to Little Yan.

"Be quiet. Don't disturb others."

The second voice belonged to Murong Shi.

After Murong Shi's voice disappeared, the ambiguous sounds restarted once more. This time, Little Yan's crisp voice became more subdued, but the emotions carried within her voice also became more prominent.

Xu Chuanchuan quickly put on her earphones again and further amplified the volume. When she finally stopped hearing the sounds coming from her neighbor, she breathed out a long sigh of relief and continued with her work.

However, several minutes later, Xu Chuanchuan started hearing the sound of the wall being struck. The knocking sounds were rhythmic, and she couldn't help but link it to the dormitory's solid wooden bed frame knocking against the wall...

Although Xu Chuanchuan tried not to overthink the situation, her face still turned red from embarrassment. She felt that she couldn't continue staying in her room, so she removed her earphones and ran to the bathroom.

In reality, Xu Chuanchuan knew that Little Yan had come home already. Only, she had been busy writing at the time, so she didn't go out to greet the girl. However, she didn't expect Murong Shi to follow Little Yan back as well, much less expect them to...

Then, Xu Chuanchuan recalled the intimate fight she came across this afternoon. Back then, she had already returned to the room after the awkward encounter. However, when she remembered that she hadn't used the toilet yet, she left her room and coincidentally overheard Little Yan softly saying, "I'm afraid of Chuanchuan finding out."

In response, Murong Shi quietly said, "It doesn't matter even if she finds out."

"But I still don't want to—" Before Little Yan could finish her words, her eyes caught sight of Xu Chuanchuan, and panic appeared on her face again.

Now that Xu Chuanchuan thought about this scene, she guessed that Murong Shi and Little Yan probably shared a secret that they were afraid of her finding out. Or, at least, Little Yan was worried.

And after including the fact that Xu Chuanchuan was the only person who knew that Murong Shi liked women...

Amidst her daze, someone suddenly barged into the bathroom. When Xu Chuanchuan looked up and found herself staring face-to-face with Murong Shi, she was so surprised that she even forgot to react momentarily.

In contrast, Murong Shi remained unfazed. Then, she boldly walked into the bathroom and said, "I'm here to wash my hands."

While Xu Chuanchuan wasn't sure if she was hallucinating, when Murong Shi moved closer to her, she smelled a strange smell... Then, she subconsciously looked toward Murong Shi's hands, noticing that they appeared greasy and slippery as if they were stained with some liquid.

When Xu Chuanchuan recalled the weird sounds she heard from her room, she suddenly found herself feeling terrible. Then, she tried to flee the bathroom in a hurry, only to nearly bump into Little Yan, who happened to be entering the bathroom as well.

"Ah, Chuanchuan! D-Did we disturb you just now?"

Little Yan's slightly immature face was covered in sweat, her cheeks were flushed, and her body gave off the same strange smell as Murong Shi... Moreover, Xu Chuanchuan noticed that Little Yan's walking posture looked slightly awkward...

Xu Chuanchuan's mind heated up and began buzzing incessantly. Then, lowering her head, she said, "It's a little too crowded. You two go ahead first."

After returning to her room, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't calm down no matter what as she seemed to have discovered an amazing secret.

When Xu Chuanchuan linked Little Yan's strange movements with the peculiar sounds from before… Xu Chuanchuan suddenly had a bold guess.

Could Little Yan be Murong Shi's new girlfriend?

TL Notes:

[1]chuanchuanxiang: 串串香(chuàn chuàn xiāng) meaning something like “skewered food” is a sort of remix of the classic hot pot theme. Unlike traditional hotpot, however, the ingredients of chuan chuan are skewered on sticks and then placed in the boiling oil within a clay or iron pot, making it more convenient to pick up the food after it is cooked in the pot.

Image link:

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