Chapter 54: Pt.2

One and a half hours later.

When the high-speed rail arrived at S City, Xu Chuanchuan and Ange alighted from the train with their suitcases in tow.

Ange always liked to make jokes, so Xu Chuanchuan knew that nothing outrageous would happen even if Ange and Murong Shi met. She only worried that an awkward situation would occur when the two of them met. However, something that Xu Chuanchuan didn't expect had ended up happening instead.

When Xu Chuanchuan and Ange left the train station, they found that Murong Shi's car was already parked by the roadside. However, when they made their way to the car, they found that nobody was inside it. Amidst their confusion, Murong Shi suddenly approached them from a distance with two bottles of iced water in her hands. After giving each of them a bottle, she said, "The weather's scorching, so take a sip first."

"Thanks," Ange said after accepting the bottle.

Meanwhile, Murong Shi smiled at Ange before saying, "You're Chuanchuan's friend, right? What should I call you?"

Chuanchuan? This was the first time Xu Chuanchuan had heard Murong Shi referring to her without her surname, so she couldn't help but fall into a daze for a moment.

Unlike Xu Chuanchuan, Ange calmly reacted as she introduced herself, "Hello, my name is Tang Xin."

Tang Xin was Ange's real name.

Then, Murong Shi extended a friendly hand and said, "Hello, my name is Murong Shi. You can call me Murong."

Seeing the other party taking the initiative to extend an olive branch, Ange naturally had to accept it. After moving the bottled water to her left hand, she shook hands with Murong Shi.

After shaking hands, Murong Shi looked at the sky and said, "Get in the car and leave your suitcases to me. I'll help you two move them into the trunk."

Feeling a little embarrassed, Ange said, "You don't have to do that."

"You two must be tired, so head inside and rest first," Murong Shi said, smiling.

Although Murong Shi's smile looked harmless, Ange couldn't help but be triggered by her small gesture.

Shading her eyes with her hand, Murong Shi said, "Don't you two find the sun glaring?"

"...Thank you." In the end, Ange had no choice but to pass her large suitcase to Murong Shi. After getting into the car, she pulled on Xu Chuanchuan's ear and whispered, "Why is she so tall?"

Xu Chuanchuan snuck a glance at Murong Shi when she heard Ange's words. Then, she suppressed her voice and said, "She's always been very tall. Her natural height is 1.73 meters."

Gnashing her teeth, Ange said, "Why is she still wearing such tall heels even though she's already so tall? We look like dwarves standing beside her."

Xu Chuanchuan: "..."

"But after seeing her in person, I finally understand why you would become bent. With such devilish looks, there's no way anyone can hate her even if she has a horrible personality."

"...That's not what you said before."

Patting her chest, Ange said, "Relax. She won't fool me. I'll keep my eyes peeled and thoroughly screen her for you."

After storing the luggage into the trunk, Murong Shi got into the driver's seat and nonchalantly asked, "I seem to have heard you two discussing me. Were you badmouthing me?"

Xu Chuanchuan immediately grew nervous at this question.

Ange was more quick-witted than Xu Chuanchuan. Without even blushing, she said, "We were complimenting you for how tall, slim, and beautiful you are."

Xu Chuanchuan: "..."

"Is that so?" Murong Shi subconsciously glanced at Xu Chuanchuan when she heard Ange's words.

Noticing Murong Shi's gaze, Xu Chuanchuan put on an awkward smile and nodded.

Murong Shi was the one who decided their dinner venue. The restaurant they dined at was a costly one, and even a cold dish cost dozens of yuan while the meat dishes cost several hundred yuan. The three of them ordered three main dishes, one soup, and one dessert. After Xu Chuanchuan roughly calculated their total cost, she found that their meal cost over 2,000 yuan.

After closing the menu in her hands, Xu Chuanchuan looked toward Murong Shi, who sat opposite of her, and said, "I'll transfer the money to you."

Meanwhile, Murong Shi took a small sip of green tea before casually saying, "I already said it's my treat. Is there a need for you to be so courteous with me? You can treat me the next time we eat out."

Xu Chuanchuan obediently gave up on her notion.

At this time, Ange interjected, "The food here is quite expensive. She might not need to be courteous with you, but I still need to do so."

After saying so, Ange pulled out her phone and opened up her WeChat.

Murong Shi's complexion turned slightly ugly when she saw Ange's actions, but she still put on a reserved smile and said, "Alright, then. Up to you."

When Xu Chuanchuan saw Murong Shi and Ange conducting their WeChat transaction, she silently took a sip of tea.

"Miss Tang, you're from Shanghai, right?" Murong Shi started chatting with Ange in a natural tone.

Responding with a smile, Ange said, "Yes. Did T—Chuanchuan tell you about it?"

"She didn't tell me anything. I discerned it through your accent."

"Do I have an accent?" Ange asked as she looked at Xu Chuanchuan.

Xu Chuanchuan had been ruminating over the first half of Murong Shi's words, which seemed to contain a hint of complaint. When she heard Ange's question, she quickly snapped out of her daze and shook her head, saying, "No, I don't hear any accent."

Murong Shi smiled and did not say anything more.

After the food was served, the three of them stopped chatting and started eating in silence. Partway through the meal, Xu Chuanchuan excused herself to go to the restroom.

Ange: "I want to go as well."

Murong Shi: "I'll go with you."

The two spoke simultaneously. Then, the two gave each other a glance.

Xu Chuanchuan scratched her head when subjected to this awkward situation. Then, she said, "Let's all go together, then."

A gleam briefly flashed in Murong Shi's eyes. Then, she sighed and said, "Nevermind. You two go first. I'll watch over our bags."

Ange accepted Murong Shi's concession and dragged Xu Chuanchuan away without hesitation.

After arriving at a deserted location, Ange stopped her feet and hid the two of them behind a potted plant. Then, she pointed at Murong Shi's location and said, "Let's watch."

Confused, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Watch what?"

"We'll see if she explodes in rage."

However, after observing Murong Shi for a while, they only saw her placing down her chopsticks and fiddling with her phone. Her expression also looked relatively calm.

Xu Chuanchuan felt that spying on someone like this was terrible. So, she tugged at Ange's shirt and said, "Let's go."

Meanwhile, Ange clicked her tongue and said, "Did I not agitate her enough?"

"Why are you trying to agitate her?"

Grinning, Ange said, "Isn't she treating me as an imaginary love rival? I'll satisfy her wish, then! Also, agitating her isn't exactly a bad idea. We can judge whether she is actually concerned about you through her reactions."

After pondering for a moment, Xu Chuanchuan said, "She seems quite friendly to you."

"That's why I think it's strange."

…

While Ange and Xu Chuanchuan were conducting espionage, Murong Shi was browsing her Weibo account.

It had been nearly a month since Murong Shi had logged into her Weibo. During the past two days, she had revisited the account out of boredom. As luck would have it, she happened to see Xu Chuanchuan making a post about her IRL meeting with Ange.

When Murong Shi saw the post, she instantly realized why Xu Chuanchuan was reluctant to reveal much about her trip. It turned out that Ange was the person Xu Chuanchuan was going to meet. The two of them were good friends who had known each other for six years. Their relationship was so excellent that even their readers felt envious of them.

Meanwhile, when Murong Shi visited Ange's Weibo and saw the comments left under Ange's latest post, she couldn't help but have complicated feelings.

Regardless of whether the commenters were joking or not, almost everyone hoped Xu Chuanchuan and Ange could end up together. They all thought that the two were a good match for each other.

However, Murong Shi didn't care about what others thought of the matter. Instead, what she was concerned about were Xu Chuanchuan's thoughts.

Ange was Xu Chuanchuan's closest friend. The two shared similar interests and endless topics to talk about. Moreover, when it came to writing novels, Ange, as a well-established author, could provide Xu Chuanchuan with a lot of help. When looking at it from this perspective, Murong Shi found that Xu Chuanchuan and Ange were indeed a good match for each other.

To avoid exposing herself, Murong Shi did not reveal Ange's identity right off the bat. However, when Murong Shi saw Xu Chuanchuan and Ange chatting merrily with each other before the meal, she inadvertently lost confidence. She couldn't help but wish she could drag Xu Chuanchuan to a corner and question her, "Are you done considering now?"

There were still three days before Murong Shi's one-week promise with Xu Chuanchuan was up. Anything could happen during these three days, and Ange might very well play a vital role in affecting Xu Chuanchuan's decision.

Upon hearing movement approaching the table, Murong Shi stored away her phone and looked up at the two returning people. Then, she asked, "You two took quite a while. Were there a lot of people?"

In response, Xu Chuanchuan muttered, "Mhm. We needed to wait in line."

"In that case, I'll avoid going there for now," Murong Shi calmly said as she watched Ange and Xu Chuanchuan taking a seat opposite of her.

Murong Shi didn't have much of an appetite, so she became the first to set down her chopsticks. After taking a look at the time, she said, "It's getting quite late. Miss Tang, have you made reservations for a hotel yet?"

"Ah, I almost forgot. I haven't made any reservations yet."

"It doesn't matter. There are many hotels nearby. I can drop you off in my car once we're done eating."

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Ange said, "I originally planned to stay at Chuanchuan's place for a few nights."

Murong Shi narrowed her eyes slightly at Ange's words. Then, she slowly said, "But she is living in our company's employee dormitory."

"I know, but doesn't she have a room to herself? I don't mind even if it's a little cramped."

Murong Shi's expression darkened, and she started rhythmically tapping a finger against the table. Although she still wore a smile on her face, her smile did not reach her eyes. Then, in a lukewarm tone, she said, "I have the final say when it comes to matters relating to the company. I know that you are Chuanchuan's friend and that you have traveled a great distance to visit her. I know I should make an exception and let you stay with her for a few days as a show of courtesy, but the company has regulations. Since Chuanchuan is an employee of the company, she will have to operate based on those regulations. Otherwise, I'm afraid that others will gossip behind her back, which will negatively affect her reputation. I hope you can understand this."

Murong Shi had worded her excuse flawlessly, so there was nothing Ange could say about it. Hence, she complied and said, "Of course, of course, I understand."

In the end, Murong Shi had driven Ange to a nearby hotel.

After making sure that Ange had a place to stay, Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi left the hotel.

Once outside the hotel, Xu Chuanchuan said, "Thank you very much for today."

In response, Murong Shi flatly said, "You're welcome. Get in the car."

After getting in the car, Murong Shi hardly gave Xu Chuanchuan any buffer time as she said, "You still have three days to consider."

That fast? Xu Chuanchuan panicked. Then, she said, "I might need to entertain my friend these few days."

After pondering for a moment, Murong Shi said, "I can give you some extra time."

Maybe because Murong Shi was focused on driving, Xu Chuanchuan couldn't help but feel as if Murong Shi's attitude was a little cold. And as she couldn't think of any topics to talk about, the atmosphere in the car gradually grew quiet.

Eventually, the car arrived downstairs of the company building. After hesitating for some time, Xu Chuanchuan suddenly said, "I have a question."

Murong Shi had half of her face covered by her hair. Then, revealing a bland expression, she asked, "What question?"

Although the wound on Xu Chuanchuan's lower lip had mostly healed already, it still hurt a little when her teeth bit down on it. After wetting her lips, Xu Chuanchuan stared at Murong Shi and said, "When you kissed me for the first time... Was that really your first kiss?"

Murong Shi frowned, seemingly annoyed by the question. "Are you doubting me?"

Xu Chuanchuan tightly intertwined her ten fingers as she said, "I was just wondering why you were so....so proficient if it was your first time."

A smile appeared on Murong Shi's face when she heard Xu Chuanchuan's words. She briefly stretched out her hand toward Xu Chuanchuan's chin but quickly retracted it before making contact. Then, after staring at the small scab on Xu Chuanchuan's lower lip for a moment, she helplessly said, "I learned it through reading erotica."

"Huh?" Xu Chuanchuan gaped in shock. Then, she exclaimed, "You read erotica?!"

Raising an eyebrow, Murong Shi said, "The author wrote it very well. Every step was described in great detail. Not only did the erotica teach me how to kiss, but it also taught me other things. If the opportunity arises, we can try those...other things," Murong Shi said as she agilely moved her slender fingers toward Xu Chuanchuan's face.

Xu Chuanchuan wasn't dense to the point where she would ask about those "other things." After ignoring Murong Shi's evil fingers, she opened the door beside her. Then, with a blushing face, she said, "I'm going. Drive safely on your way back."