I'm Interested In Your Friend - Chapter 31
31
“Boop.” Someone flicked her forehead.
Yu Lili covered her head and protested, “Why did you flick me?”
Du Tanyu rested her chin on her hand, looking utterly unimpressed. “Checking if you have a fever.”
“…” Since when was flicking someone’s forehead a way to check for a fever?
Du Tanyu flopped onto the sofa. “I don’t know, it’s like the whole world has changed overnight. I feel like I don’t recognize anything anymore.”
Yu Lili frowned. “What? Is my idea that outrageous?”
Du Tanyu shook her head. “No.”
“See?”
“—It’s exceptionally, extraordinarily, unbelievably outrageous.” Du Tanyu crossed her arms. “Why on earth would you tell her that? Shouldn’t you be taking advantage of Tan Suran being swamped to make your escape?”
Yu Lili: “Honesty is important.”
That shut Du Tanyu up.
She glanced around, then gave Yu Lili a thumbs-up. “You’re amazing. I salute you. Wow, I thought I’d time-traveled back to elementary school ethics class.”
Yu Lili stayed silent, sipping her hot water.
Du Tanyu scrolled through her phone, replying to messages from people who’d heard she was going abroad.
Suddenly, she froze.
She tossed her phone aside and turned to Yu Lili. “You’re not falling for her, are you?”
The question hit Yu Lili like a slap.
She jerked upright, instinctively denying it. “W-what are you talking about? No way.”
Du Tanyu squinted at her, scrutinizing her expression. “Then I can’t think of any other reason why you’d suddenly tell Tan Suran the truth.”
Yu Lili’s eyes darted away. She changed the subject. “Where’s Lao Qi? Why isn’t she here?”
Du Tanyu shrugged. “No idea. I called her today, but she didn’t pick up.”
That night, lying in bed, Yu Lili rested her arms behind her head and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Falling for Tan Suran?
Was she falling for Tan Suran?
She rolled over.
Probably…
Not.
She just thought Tan Suran was beautiful, talented, and had an adorable side beneath that cold exterior.
She just really wanted to be normal friends with her…
Right! Being drawn to Tan Suran and wanting to be friends was totally normal.
They weren’t grade-schoolers.
Just because two people got close didn’t mean it had to be romantic.
Du Tanyu’s imagination was way too wild.
Way, way too ridiculous.
Yu Lili exhaled and tossed and turned.
Even though she’d resolved to tell Tan Suran the truth, she had no idea when their next meeting would be.
News about Huanyu Tech was everywhere, as if the whole world was eagerly awaiting its dramatic downfall.
She reached for her phone on the pillow.
Opened WeChat.
Clicked on Tan Suran’s profile.
Her Moments were empty.
Beneath a gray divider, it read: [Friends can only see posts from the last six months.]
No information at all.
Not even the usual corporate reposts about tech summits.
Just blank.
Yu Lili rubbed her thumb against the screen, accidentally tapping Tan Suran’s profile picture twice.
A gray notification popped up in their chat: [You patted Tan Suran.]
Their last message exchange was ages ago.
Panicked, Yu Lili wanted to recall the pat.
But after a moment’s hesitation, she left it there.
The next morning, she checked her messages first thing.
No new notifications.
Beneath the pat she hadn’t recalled, there was nothing.
“Mi Mi, didn’t sleep well? You look exhausted,” Guan Xi asked at lunch.
Li Mi sighed dramatically. “Ohhh,” she groaned, then asked, “Sister Xi, are you in a relationship?”
Guan Xi smiled. “My kid’s already in elementary school. What do you think?”
Yu Lili was shocked. They rarely talked about personal lives at work, and Guan Xi didn’t look much older than them. She already had a kid?
Li Mi turned to Yu Lili. “Lili, are you in a relationship?”
Yu Lili poked at her rice and shook her head. “Single…”
“What’s up? Got some love troubles? Spill,” Guan Xi said with a grin.
Li Mi hesitated. “You can tell, huh? My mom set me up on a blind date. Just so you know, I was totally against it at first—I hate this kind of thing. But when we met, he seemed okay, so I thought we could chat. But every time, we have a great conversation in person, and then he just ghosts me afterward. He barely replies to my texts.”
“Trash,” Guan Xi declared, pointing decisively. “Dump him. Oh wait, you’re not even dating. Just cut him off.”
“Really?”
Guan Xi adopted a sage, all-knowing tone. “Listen to me. I’ve been around the block.”
Li Mi immediately blocked the guy on all platforms, then gazed at Guan Xi with starry eyes. “Sister Xi, when will I have your wisdom in seeing through people?”
“Easy,” Guan Xi said mysteriously.
“Nothing special…”
“Just join the ‘Break Up Encouragement’ group on Douban.”
“No need for anything else. Just one word—dump.”
Yu Lili, who’d been about to ask for advice, shut her mouth.
This sounded… unreliable.
Li Mi asked slowly, “Do they encourage breaking up for everything?”
Guan Xi pondered. “Pretty much. The only exception is…”
“If the other person’s dead. Then no need to encourage—the relationship’s automatically over.”
“…”
Yu Lili clutched her phone.
Still no messages.
With behavior like Tan Suran’s…
In the Break Up Encouragement group, she’d be told to break up a hundred times.
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
What was she thinking?
Break Up Encouragement group?
No.
Wrong track.
This wasn’t a breakup.
They were just… cutting ties. Cutting ties.
That afternoon, Li Mi groaned. “Lili, was I too hasty in blocking him?”
Yu Lili was also feeling down, but she tried to help. “What do you think? Do you like him? Could you give it another shot?”
“I don’t dislike him, but his hot-and-cold attitude is so annoying,” Li Mi grumbled, propping her chin on her hand.
Yu Lili: “Then… why not just ask him directly?”
Li Mi’s confused expression cleared.
Ask directly?
Those words seemed to answer the question that had been bothering Yu Lili, too.
No more vague hints like a WeChat pat.
Just ask directly.
Yu Lili pulled out her phone with newfound determination.
She typed out a storm in one go.
But right before hitting send, her courage fizzled out.
She and Li Mi exchanged sympathetic looks across their desks.
Yu Lili set her phone down, propped her cheek on her hand, and decided to finish editing the image on her computer before reconsidering sending that message.
Ding.
A notification popped up on her phone.
[Choose one benefit:
1. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.
2. Have dinner with me tonight.]
Sender: Tan Suran
“Ahhh, I’m so nervous,” Yu Lili clutched her chest.
“You can be nervous all you want…” Du Tanyu deadpanned, honking the horn, “but could you not strangle me?”
Yu Lili snapped out of it and let go. “Sorry, didn’t realize.”
“Why would Tan Suran suddenly ask me to dinner? Du Tanyu, you should be careful…”
Du Tanyu, playing chauffeur, raised an eyebrow. “Careful about what?”
“Careful she’s after your friend.”
“My friend?”
“Yeah.” Yu Lili nodded. “After your young, beautiful, adorable, smart, amazing friend—and then steal your best-friend spot.”
Du Tanyu thought for a second. “This friend… wouldn’t happen to be you, would it?”
Yu Lili spread her hands. “Who else?”
Du Tanyu frowned. “Well, you are young, but as for beautiful and adorable…”
She dragged out the pause, teasing. “Obviously… number one.”
“Good. You almost lost me for the first time.”
The car parked at the mall. The radio announced:
[Breaking news: A collision between a minivan and a sedan on Lin’an North Road has left two injured. The cause is under investigation. The road is temporarily closed. Please detour if traveling in the area.]
“Lin’an North Road? Glad we didn’t go that way today,” Du Tanyu said. “Isn’t Huanyu near there?”
“Huanyu?”
Yu Lili texted Tan Suran to confirm she was safe. Only after getting a reply did she relax. “She’s fine—already at the restaurant. I’ll head in now.”
When Yu Lili pushed open the private dining room door, Tan Suran was quietly discussing the menu with the server.
Her profile was sharp, her jawline elegant.
“…No spice at all, no cold ingredients either. Keep it light and nourishing. Is the porridge warming up?”
Click. The door closed.
Tan Suran looked up. “You’re here. Perfect. Order.”
Yu Lili’s heart felt like it had been sprinkled with sugar—sweet and tangy.
She opened her mouth.
The words “Actually, I’m Yu Lili” were right there.
But she couldn’t say it in front of the server.
So she waited until the orders were placed and the server left.
Then she looked up, her gaze meeting Tan Suran’s.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Tan Suran’s voice was cool.
Three. Two. One.
Her heart pounded.
Deep breath.
She had no idea how Tan Suran would react.
Maybe she’d be angry, but Yu Lili would apologize sincerely. Or if there was no anger at all—even better.
Yu Lili opened her mouth—
Buzz.
Tan Suran’s phone rang before she could speak.
Tan Suran glanced at the screen and stepped aside to answer. Yu Lili only caught fragments: “hospital,” “car.”
The rest of the time, Yu Lili clenched her hands, rehearsing her speech. So when Tan Suran returned and said, “Sorry, there’s an emergency. I have to go,” she was caught off guard.
But she nodded understandingly. “Go ahead.”
She could always tell her next time—or even over WeChat.
Tan Suran didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she quickly pulled a document from her bag and handed it to Yu Lili. “I asked you here to give you this.”
Yu Lili took it, confused. “Contract Termination Agreement?”
“Mm.” Tan Suran grabbed her coat from the chair.
“Our employment relationship is over. You could say… you’re free.”
It felt like lightning had struck Yu Lili’s head.
The bizarre contract she’d wanted to escape from since the beginning was finally over.
So why did she feel so complicated?
“B-but…” Yu Lili stammered, knowing Tan Suran was in a hurry but unable to let it end like this. “I can’t afford the penalty fee.”
Tan Suran checked her watch but patiently explained. “This is a mutual termination. No penalty for you.”
Before Yu Lili could say more, Tan Suran’s phone rang again—likely her driver.
Her expression turned grave as she said into the phone, “Coming out now.”
Then she turned back to Yu Lili. “Sorry. Goodbye.”
That goodbye was the coldest Yu Lili had ever heard.