Chapter 55: Pt.1

After Xu Chuanchuan left, Murong Shi did not leave the company immediately. Instead, she opened up her phone's photo album and clicked on the folder designated for Weibo images.

There were several images densely packed with text in the folder. If one enlarged these images and spliced them together, one would find that these texts made up two different articles and shared a common theme—meat.

However, the "meat" here held two different meanings. The meat in the first article referred to a mouth-watering dish, while the meat in the second article referred to an erotic bed scene that would cause the bodies of readers to heat up. The first article came out of the hands of the author named I Love Malatang, while the second article came from Ange's hands.

The so-called kissing technique Murong Shi mentioned to Xu Chuanchuan previously was something she learned after reading Ange's detailed "guidance."

When Murong Shi first put this knowledge to test on Xu Chuanchuan, she still wasn't sure how much of the technique she managed to master. When their lips intertwined with each other, she found the sensation to be quite mysterious. It felt as if two sources of heat had collided and merged. It felt both soft and comfortable. However, before Murong Shi could properly savor the experience, Xu Chuanchuan, surprised by her action, had pushed her away.

In the next two attempts, Murong Shi had acted with increasing patience. When she thoroughly applied the techniques she learned from Ange's erotica on Xu Chuanchuan's body, she sensed that Xu Chuanchuan became more accepting of her. She even sensed that Xu Chuanchuan had started enjoying her kisses, so she couldn't help but feel delighted.

However, never had Murong Shi thought that this woman would start to question her after returning from a two-day trip!

Murong Shi knew that Xu Chuanchuan was someone who liked to overthink matters. The woman would always hold suspicion toward things that she couldn't see through, and she would have a constant urge to get to the bottom of things. However, Murong Shi could also feel that Xu Chuanchuan's previous remarks didn't originate from her own intentions. Instead, she suspected that someone was fanning the flames by Xu Chuanchuan's ears.

Murong Shi pinned Ange as the culprit without hesitation.

Then, when Murong Shi recalled the Weibo comments pairing Xu Chuanchuan with Ange, she couldn't help but grow agitated.

In the end, Murong Shi had only left the company after receiving a phone call from Murong Mingshu.

…

Seeing that Ange had finally visited her, Xu Chuanchuan originally planned to take some time off work to spend the next few days with her. However, Ange said, "You don't need to worry about me. I don't want to go out in such hot weather, either."

"Are you planning to hole up in the hotel every day?"

"Mhm. I need to work."

Although Xu Chuanchuan knew that Ange was a writing maniac, she didn't wish her friend to stay cooped up in the hotel. Hence, she promised to accompany Ange after she got off work in the evening.

Before work hours ended, Murong Shi had called Xu Chuanchuan to pay her a visit. As soon as Xu Chuanchuan closed the doors to the office, Murong Shi got straight to the point and asked, "What plans do you two have for tonight?"

"We don't have any special plans. We'll probably grab something to eat first. Then, I'll bring her to tour around the city."

After pondering for a moment, Murong Shi said, "Don't stay out for too long. It's dangerous for two young women to walk around at night."

Smiling, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I know. We'll try to return as early as possible."

"Do you need a driver?"

"What?"

Murong Shi seemingly felt a little embarrassed as she turned her head away. Then, she said, "I was just asking. You...focus on entertaining your friend."

"Okay."

Xu Chuanchuan initially thought Murong Shi would put her through a thorough interrogation, so she didn't expect to be spared so easily.

After getting off work, Xu Chuanchuan headed straight to the hotel Ange was staying at. And upon meeting up, she retold the little episode she had just now to Ange.

When Ange was done listening, she gleefully said, "It seems my arrival poses a threat to a certain someone. I can't believe she thinks I'll take you away."

Wearing a complicated expression, Xu Chuanchuan timidly said, "I don't think she would think that way."

Ange didn't comment on Xu Chuanchuan's words. Instead, she said, "If she asks again next time, say that we're lacking a driver and have her come along with you."

When Xu Chuanchuan saw the sly smile on Ange's face, she asked worriedly, "Are you planning on agitating her again?"

"Calling it agitating is a little too much. I'm just doing a little probing."

"..."

The first night went by peacefully.

After Xu Chuanchuan saw Ange off at the hotel and returned to the dormitory, she found Murong Shi and Little Yan eating lychees in the living room.

Hearing movement coming from the front door, Little Yan turned around and waved at Xu Chuanchuan, saying, "Chuanchuan, come and have some lychees."

Walking over, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Did Aunt Lian bring these from the countryside again?"

While nonchalantly peeling a lychee, Murong Shi answered, "I bought them myself. Do you want some?"

"Sure. I'll go wash my hands first," Xu Chuanchuan said with a smile.

However, before Xu Chuanchuan could leave for the bathroom, Murong Shi suddenly popped a peeled lychee into her mouth and said, "It's very sweet. Try it."

When Xu Chuanchuan noticed Little Yan staring at their interaction with widened eyes, her face heated up slightly.

"Oh my—" Little Yan suddenly exclaimed. Then, while rubbing her stomach, she said, "I'm full. I'm going to take a bath first, so you two take your time."

While Little Yan was returning to her room to retrieve a change of clothes, Xu Chuanchuan quickly pushed the lychee to the side of her mouth. Then, she abashedly said, "I'll go wash my hands first."

After tossing her bag onto the sofa, Xu Chuanchuan quickly fled into the bathroom.

As soon as Xu Chuanchuan came out of the bathroom, Little Yan walked into it with a smile on her face. While walking past Xu Chuanchuan, Little Yan whispered, "Cousin was wearing an ugly look on her face before you came home."

Xu Chuanchuan's heart tensed at these words. When she returned to the living room, Murong Shi offered a big and round lychee to her.

"Thank you." Xu Chuanchuan accepted the lychee but did not peel it immediately. She wanted to ask Murong Shi if she had been deliberately waiting for her, but she couldn't bring herself to ask such an embarrassing question. So, after a slight pause, she asked, "Were you working overtime today?"

"I'm a little tired, so no," Murong Shi said while moving her stiff neck.

They sat only two meters apart from each other, so Xu Chuanchuan could hear the cracking sounds of joint movement. After hearing these sounds, she finally noticed the exhaustion on Murong Shi's face. And when she remembered that she had abandoned Murong Shi to have fun with Ange, she immediately felt guilty. So, after hesitating for a short moment, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Do you want me to give you a massage?"

Stunned, Murong Shi asked, "You know how to give a massage?"

"Not really, but back at home, I would usually massage my mom's shoulders and back whenever she's tired."

"Wouldn't that be an honor for me, then?" Murong Shi said, her lips curling upwards.

Rubbing her nose, Xu Chuanchuan said, "What if my skills aren't good?"

"It's okay. I don't mind."

Xu Chuanchuan still held a lychee in her hand. Then, after hesitating whether she should put it away or not, she peeled the lychee and pushed the supple flesh to Murong Shi's mouth.

"What's this for?" Murong Shi asked with an amused smile.

The white and tender flesh gently was in contact with Murong Shi's lips, so when Murong Shi spoke, Xu Chuanchuan could sense slight vibrations coming through the tip of her fingers. Then, Xu Chuanchuan blushed and said, "It's for you to eat."

Murong Shi took a long look at Xu Chuanchuan before she opened her mouth and bit down on the lychee. In the process of doing so, she also caressed the tip of Xu Chuanchuan's fingers with her soft tongue.

Xu Chuanchuan withdrew her hand as if she were shocked by electricity. Then, after rubbing off the liquid stuck to her fingers onto her shirt, she spoke in a strange voice, "I'll start, then."

Murong Shi had long arms and legs. Her bones were also slightly larger than the average woman's. Yet, both her body and shoulders were very thin. When Xu Chuanchuan placed her hands onto Murong Shi's shoulders, she felt as if she grabbed a handful of bones. Then, she tentatively began pinching Murong Shi's tendons.

"Hiss—" Murong Shi inhaled sharply.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Xu Chuanchuan asked as she paused her actions.

After catching her breath, Murong Shi shook her head and said, "It's fine. Continue."

Afraid that Murong Shi would be in pain, Xu Chuanchuan dared not use too much strength afterward. However, Xu Chuanchuan's gentle massage ended up tingling Murong Shi instead of achieving anything useful. Suppressing her smile, Murong Shi said, "I won't be paying you if you keep this up."

Irked by Murong Shi's comment, Xu Chuanchuan squeezed down on Murong Shi's shoulders with all her might.

"Ouch—" Murong Shi cried out in pain.

"Cough. My bad."

Gritting her teeth, Murong Shi said, "It's fine."

Xu Chuanchuan constantly experienced soreness in her cervical spine, shoulder area, and lumbar area because of her work as a novel author. However, as she had been slacking these past few days, she didn't feel any of these discomforts as she normally did. While massaging Murong Shi, she suddenly thought of something and asked, "Did you massage Little Yan like this last time?"

"That's different. That massage required the use of essential oils, and its effects are better."

Without even thinking about it, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Do you still have any leftover essential oils?"

Murong Shi turned around to look at Xu Chuanchuan when she heard this question, a strange light flashing across her eyes. Meanwhile, when Xu Chuanchuan looked at Murong Shi's face, she felt as if the latter was smiling, and she couldn't help but have a bad premonition.

The next second, Murong Shi reverted to her calm expression and asked, "You want to give me a massage with essential oils as well?"

"Didn't you say its effects are better? I don't know how it works exactly, but you can teach me."

"That won't do. It doesn't suit you."

Puzzled, Xu Chuanchuan asked, "Why?"

After taking a long look at Xu Chuanchuan, Murong Shi said, "I'll need to remove my clothes for that."

"..."

"I'm afraid you'll take advantage of me."

Timidly, Xu Chuanchuan said, "I'm not thinking of taking advantage of you."

"That makes it an even bigger no-no. You'll have to take responsibility once you see it. Are you able to take responsibility?"

"..."

By the time Little Yan came out of the bathroom, the interaction between Xu Chuanchuan and Murong Shi had already ended. After stretching her back, Murong Shi said, "I feel a lot better now. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Alright, I'm heading back."