I'm Interested In Your Friend - Chapter 14

14

The boss behind Yehuo Photography Studio, Mr. Sun, had no idea who he’d offended, but lately, nothing was going smoothly for him.

After spending a fortune and pulling strings, he finally learned that the forces targeting him weren’t just one, but several, all working against him simultaneously.

Mr. Sun: “……”

In the capital circles of Lihe City, he was a mere small fry. How could he have possibly offended so many big shots?

No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t figure it out.

So, he pulled every string he could to secure an invitation to a garden banquet, hoping to get a word in with the influential figures.

When he saw that the beautiful young girl surrounded by the Yu, Zhu, and Tan families was the same intern he’d met at the photography studio—

It hit him like a thunderbolt. He’d messed with the wrong person.

“Miss Yu, I was blind not to recognize you earlier,” Mr. Sun said with an ingratiating smile, bending slightly as he approached her.

The young girl in front of him had almond-shaped eyes that curved slightly, her gaze calm and unfathomable. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, as if puzzled.

Mr. Sun hurriedly explained, “We’ve met before—at Yehuo Studio. I’m one of the investors.”

Yu Lili’s expression shifted from confusion to understanding, then she offered a polite smile. “Hello. Excuse me.”

With that, she pulled Du Tanyu aside.

“Who was that?” Du Tanyu asked, glancing back curiously.

“Hmm… kind of my boss.”

“Wasn’t your boss a woman?”

Yu Lili fiddled with a flower petal, unwilling to elaborate. “Another one.”

Du Tanyu: “Your boss seems pretty respectful toward you.”

“Yeah,” Yu Lili nodded. “So respectful that he made me take the blame for him.”

Du Tanyu: “Never mind.”

“Lili,” Yu Lili’s mother called.

She nodded at Du Tanyu and walked over to her mom.

Standing opposite Yu Lili’s mother were two noblewomen in haute couture lace dresses. Yu Lili obediently approached.

Their gemstone necklaces glittered with opulence.

“Auntie Qin, Auntie Qi.”

“Ah, Lili is getting prettier by the day. Who wouldn’t envy such a sweet daughter?”

“And your Yu Mu—I saw her on a billboard at the mall recently. She’s gorgeous too.”

“Speak of the devil—Mu Mu, come here.” Auntie Qin called out when she spotted Yu Mu in the crowd, waving her over.

Yu Mu and Yu Lili’s eyes met briefly, their smiles stiff. But under everyone’s gaze, Yu Mu had no choice but to approach.

Auntie Qin teased, “It’s been ages since we’ve seen your family out together. Now that she’s a big star, is she too busy?”

Yu Mu curved her lips into a smile. “Not at all, it’s just—”

“Family?” Yu Lili’s mother cut in sharply.

Her slender, arched brows lifted, the fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes betraying her age, but her gaze remained as sharp and resolute as ever. “You probably don’t know yet, but our family’s adoption relationship with Yu Mu has been terminated.”

Silence fell.

In the spacious, crowded hall, only the sound of soft breathing could be heard.

The complicated grudges among wealthy families were an open secret, but to have it stated so bluntly in public was another matter entirely.

It seemed the rumors of Yu Mu’s falling-out with the Yu family were true. From now on, the guest lists for high-society events would need to be revised.

Yu Mu stood frozen, her face pale, lips trembling. “Mom…”

Yu Lili’s mother gave her a cold look. “You’re calling the wrong person.”

A young figure suddenly darted out from the side, glaring at Yu Lili and her mother. “Don’t bully others like this, Yu family.” With that, she wrapped an arm around Yu Mu and led her away.

Auntie Qin looked flustered and quickly apologized. “Xiao Xu has been spoiled by us. She speaks without thinking. I’ll bring her to apologize to you properly next time.”

Normally, people would brush it off with polite remarks like, “It’s nothing, no need,” or “She’s just a kid.”

But Yu Lili’s mother didn’t. Instead, she fixed Auntie Qin with a pointed look. “Children need to be disciplined properly. Otherwise, you might end up raising an ungrateful wretch.”

Auntie Qin stiffened at the reprimand, clutching her hands. “Yes, yes, I’ll make sure to educate her when we get back.” With that, she excused herself—ostensibly to fetch her daughter.

In the past, she hadn’t cared that Qin Xuxu liked hanging around Yu Mu. But now, with Yu Mu’s status in question, she couldn’t let her daughter keep clinging to her.

Having dropped this bombshell, Yu Lili’s mother pressed a slender finger to her temple and calmly announced she was tired and heading home.

That left Yu Lili as the sole remaining party involved.

Under the crowd’s eager, excited gazes, she silently marveled, My mom really is my mom—one move, and she shakes the entire room.

If she’d known it would turn out like this, she would’ve left with her mother earlier.

The look in her mom’s eyes before leaving told Yu Lili she’d been set up.

She quickly scanned the room but didn’t see Du Tanyu. To avoid the crowd, she slipped down a path toward the swing she’d seen earlier.

As she turned a corner, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“President Tan, President Tan, I was blind not to recognize you earlier. I didn’t mean to offend you and Miss Yu.”

Yu Lili tiptoed and peeked around the corner.

Sure enough, Mr. Sun from Yehuo was standing before Tan Suran, hunched over like a supplicant.

Miss Yu? Was he talking about Yu Mu?

Tan Suran stood there indifferently, her expression unreadable. Her pale wrist rested against a cluster of dark green leaves, her fingers idly toying with a flower.

Mr. Sun rambled nervously for a while before finally looking up. Seeing Tan Suran’s inscrutable demeanor, he grew even more uneasy. “President Tan?”

The noblewoman before him lifted her eyelids slightly, giving him a cool glance.

Mr. Sun shrank under her gaze. Thinking of the projects Tan Corporation had sabotaged, he took a gamble. “President Tan, I had no idea about your relationship with Miss Yu, let alone that she’d stoop to working at our studio…”

Yu Lili, eavesdropping, was baffled. Who is he talking about? The one who’d worked at the studio was her, Yu Lili—but she had no connection to Tan Suran whatsoever.

Mr. Sun continued, “Actually, the first time I saw Miss Yu, I sensed something extraordinary about her. I was blind not to see it sooner. Miss Yu, she… she…”

Yu Lili’s frown deepened. This Mr. Sun—if he wants to beg Tan Suran for mercy, why keep praising me? What kind of logic is this? Did he get this far in life purely on luck?

“Miss Yu’s noble aura is strikingly similar to yours. I genuinely feel you two are an absolutely perfect match—a match made in heaven, destined to be together…”

“Pfft—” Yu Lili couldn’t hold back a laugh, quickly covering her mouth.

But it was too late. Both of them heard.

Tan Suran remained unfazed.

Mr. Sun, however, turned and spotted her. His face lit up. “Miss Yu! Miss Yu!”

He scurried over, clapping his hands together. “What a coincidence! If you’d wanted to visit the studio, you should’ve told me in advance. I feel terrible for not taking better care of you.”

Tan Suran ignored him.

Yu Lili was at a loss for words.

The garden corridor had become Mr. Sun’s one-man show.

He looked back and forth between them. “The two most beautiful fairies of Lihe City standing together—it makes me feel so unworthy. Truly, beauty attracts beauty. You two look more and more perfect together. When’s the big day? I’ll definitely bring a generous red envelope—my sincerest wedding gift.”

“What are you talking about?” Yu Lili was utterly lost.

Mr. Sun froze. Had he said something wrong? He’d heard that Tan Suran of Huanyu Group and the Yu family’s young lady had a rather ambiguous relationship. This time, the biggest force pressuring him was Tan Suran’s companies.

At first, he couldn’t understand why Tan Suran would target him. But once he pieced things together, it hit him—he’d messed with her wife. No wonder he was being punished.

Tan Suran finally looked up and motioned toward another path. “Sun Wu, let’s talk.”

When Assistant Lin received Tan Suran’s order to allocate bids to Sun Wu—the very man they’d been targeting—he was stunned. “President Tan…”

Under the cover of night, Tan Suran leaned lazily against the railing, toying with the delicate petals of a flower. The soft, tender texture brushed against her fingertips as she gently squeezed, the juices slowly seeping out.

Her gaze lingered on Yu Lili, sitting on the swing not far away—her slender waist, her fair, delicate back. Her fingers pressed a little harder.

“No need.”

Assistant Lin: “Then how should we categorize the reason on the application form?”

The crimson flower juice stained her fingers. Remembering Mr. Sun’s mention of a “wedding gift,” a faint smile flickered at the corners of Tan Suran’s eyes. Her voice was calm. “Wedding sweets.”

Monday.

One walked into the studio, scanned the room, and asked her assistant, “Where’s Yu Lili?”

The assistant hesitated, unsure how to respond.

One strode toward her office. Over the weekend, she’d received a late-night call from Mr. Sun, who’d firmly instructed her to drop all issues with Yu Lili and ensure she was treated well from now on, with top priority for all resources.

But when One asked about Yu Lili’s background, Mr. Sun had dodged the question, only vaguely hinting, “What do you think? Just know she’s someone we can’t afford to offend.”

It wasn’t that Mr. Sun didn’t want to explain—it was that Tan Suran had explicitly warned him to keep quiet, not just about their conversation but also about Yu Lili’s family background.

The assistant chose her words carefully. “One, Yu Lili left a letter in your office last week.”

“A letter? A confession?” One raised an eyebrow.

The assistant didn’t dare answer.

Entering her office, One wiped her hands with a disinfectant wipe and ordered, “Contact her. Tell her we’ll let the past slide and she can come back to work.”

“Wait—” She paused. “Don’t mention the previous issues. Just tell her to come back without worries. She’ll still handle tomorrow’s Allen shoot and next month’s Sela cover.”

One’s assistant hesitated.

“Problem?”

“One… maybe you should read what Yu Lili left first.”

“It’s just a confess—” One’s words died when she saw the paper on her desk.

Her eyes widened as she read the neat, handwritten words:

Resignation Letter.

“Lili, aren’t you going to work today?” At 10 a.m., Yu Lili’s mother sat in the living room, watching her daughter descend the stairs in pajamas.

Yu Lili yawned and sidled up to her mom, cooing, “Since Mom doesn’t want me to go, I won’t.”

Her mother tapped her nose. “Oh? Since when are you so obedient?”

She took Yu Lili’s hand, her tone earnest. “It’s not that I don’t want you to go. I just worry you’ll get taken advantage of. Look what happened this time—you suffered for no reason. Home is safest. No matter what, your parents can protect you.”

Yu Lili’s mother was arranging flowers. Yu Lili picked a magnolia and began trimming its stem. “I know, I know.”

Her mother, recalling the incident, regretted not realizing sooner how much her daughter had endured silently. “If you really enjoy working outside, I’ll support you. But promise you’ll tell us if anything happens.”

Yu Lili placed the flower in the vase before meeting her mother’s gaze. “I quit.”

Her mother brightened. “Good! I’ll call your dad and have him arrange a position for you at the company.”

“Mom, Mom—give me a couple of days, okay? I want to spend more time with you at home.”

That morning, she helped her mother arrange flowers. In the afternoon, she went out for golf. Before leaving, a package arrived—two top-tier Leica lenses she’d ordered, paid for with the “driver’s fee” Tan Suran had given Anna.

Yu Lili carefully stored the lenses in her collection, then logged into Anna’s alternate account to message Tan Suran:

[Send me your bank details.]

To preempt any questions, she added:

[For the breach of contract penalty.]

Tan Suran replied swiftly, neither refusing nor asking why.

[Cash.]

[Tomorrow, 4:30 p.m., delivered to Maojin International Tower A, 66th floor.]