I'm Interested In Your Friend - Chapter 8

8

Yu Lili’s gaze shifted back and forth between Zhu Jingxiang and Yu Mu.

Hearing the familiar tone, Yu Lili gave Zhu Jingxiang a faint smile: “This is also the first time I’ve learned that you and Yu Mu know each other.”

Zhu Jingxiang, seeing Yu Lili’s smile, immediately tensed up and wanted to explain: “We…”

Yu Mu, standing nearby with her arms crossed, interjected: “Yeah, in Jingxiang’s last drama, I was invited by the director to make a guest appearance. We even had scenes together.”

Yu Lili glanced at Zhu Jingxiang, her smile tinged with fragility: “I see… I’ll go ahead then.” Without giving the person behind her any chance to stop her, she left.

As she passed by Tan Suran, who was standing still, her foot caught on something hard under the carpet, causing her to stumble. But she was quickly steadied by the person beside her.

A fleeting, cool touch brushed against her wrist.

The faint scent of bitter lemon wafted to her nose.

Yu Lili turned her head.

Her eyes met Tan Suran’s beautifully arched phoenix eyes.

For a moment, she couldn’t discern the emotion behind those eyes, shielded by glasses.

She simply said softly, “Thank you.”

Yu Lili returned to the studio, channeling her frustration into work, losing herself in editing on her computer.

At some point, the originally quiet studio began buzzing with whispers, and everyone’s eyes turned toward Yu Lili.

Sensing the stares, Yu Lili looked up.

The colleague quickly averted her gaze, flustered.

It was Amy who nervously approached, holding up her phone to Yu Lili: “No idea who leaked this.”

Yu Lili glanced at the screen. A verified gossip account had posted a tip from an insider.

[Shocking news: A certain two-syllable female star demanded to shoot with a pig during a cover shoot, and the photographer walked out on the spot.]

In the comments, someone asked for follow-up, and the blogger replied: The star sheepishly sent the pig away.

[She should really kowtow to the photographer, or else this cover would be nailed to her wall of shame.]

[No pics, no truth!]

[Here’s a quick edit for your amusement.]

[Has the blogger switched to posting jokes now?]

The gossip account exaggeratedly spun the story, omitting key details but making the gist clear.

Had Yu Mu not backed Su Mianxin, that pig would never have entered the studio.

People around her cast occasional glances her way.

Understandable.

In this matter, Yu Lili was the one who suffered the most. It would make perfect sense for her to vent her frustration by tipping off a gossip account.

But she hadn’t.

Wasting time on revenge against Yu Mu would be a waste of life.

Besides, if she really wanted to take Yu Mu down, she had far more direct methods.

Yu Lili didn’t take it to heart.

But young actresses have many rivals, and given an opening, they’ll tear into it.

This kind of unnamed gossip is perfect for stirring up comments.

Denials, smears, muddying the waters, rubbernecking—it’s all there.

Fans of various camps are tearing each other apart.

Finally, someone with connections narrowed it down to a two-syllable female star with the surname Y.

In reality, the cover stars each month are limited, and with a little digging, it’s easy to decode.

Now it’s become a full-blown battlefield for Yu Mu’s fans and detractors.

This absurd news even attracts passersby who want to take a swipe.

One emerged from the office.

Su Mianxin immediately greeted her.

One nodded but bypassed Su Mianxin, calling out to Yu Lili instead: “Get ready, the day after tomorrow you’re coming with me to Alle Magazine for a shoot.”

Su Mianxin was surprised. Usually, One’s shoots were handled by Su Mianxin.

One took in the reactions of both Su Mianxin and Yu Lili but didn’t explain that the shoot was originally supposed to be led by Sela for Yu Lili. She didn’t need to justify herself to two interns.

She simply said to Su Mianxin, “Mianxin, is Yunli’s shoot proposal ready?”

“Almost,” Su Mianxin replied, her hand clenching the pen reluctantly.

After submitting the proposal, Su Mianxin irritably left the studio to slack off and get some air.

Scrolling through her phone, she vented to a friend about office drama.

Suddenly, an idea struck her.

She smirked.

Su Mianxin opened the gossip account that had broken the news earlier and sent a private message: [Are you there? I have a tip.]

Half an hour later, a notification popped up on Su Mianxin’s phone.

[Photographer retaliates against star by leaking set photos to rival young actress.]

Soon, the explosive content lit up Su Mianxin’s smiling face.

At Song Yu’s talent agency.

Song Yu cradled her petite face, her tone despondent: “I didn’t know it would turn out like this.”

“My dear, can you please stop being so impulsive? At least check with me before changing your profile pic or posting on Weibo,” her manager Kevin pleaded, having just called in favors to suppress the heat before turning to scold Su Mianxin.

Song Yu: “Should I change my profile pic back now?”

Manager: “Don’t do anything right now. Trust me, if you change it now, another hashtag—[Song Yu changes profile pic]—will trend. We’ll let this cool down.”

Song Yu: “Then talk to the fans, tell them not to fight in the comments.”

“And help Yu Lili out. Don’t let Yu Mu’s fans dominate the conversation.”

Still, Yu Lili’s Weibo was already flooded by Yu Mu’s fans.

Amy had alerted her the moment the hashtag exploded.

The gossip account that first broke the news about Yu Mu and the pig posted another update, claiming the recently changed profile pic of a two-syllable star used the same set as the cover star, making the pig incident even more ridiculous and the cover a hand-me-down.

Amid the chaos, Yu Lili, the photographer, was inevitably dragged in.

She opened Weibo to find her notifications exploding, her inbox filled with vile insults.

There were also curious onlookers.

[Who’d have thought today’s hot topic would be a chain of melons, i.e., a series of connected gossip? This little photographer is really unlucky.]

[I’m not following. So Yu Mu not only wanted to shoot with a pig, but her cover set was also a hand-me-down from Song Yu?]

[But Song Yu pixelated the set. Why are Yu Mu’s fans still attacking Song Yu and the photographer?]

[Seriously? You don’t get it. At Yu Mu’s level, she barely gets to shoot covers for top-tier magazines. Her fans were gearing up to hype this, but Song Yu’s move made it awkward—how do you hype a hand-me-down?]

Yu Lili simply set her account to show only the last six months of activity. She didn’t disable comments or block anyone.

After a quick glance, she went back to editing.

Amy, waiting to console her, was surprised: “Lili… are you okay?”

Yu Lili thought for a moment: “Not really… I didn’t eat much at lunch. I’m hungry.”

Amy: …

Song Yu’s team opted for damage control, while Yu Lili ignored the drama.

But the situation didn’t die down.

As the workday neared its end, a man in a sharp suit walked in from the elevator and headed straight for One’s office.

Amy: “Why is President Sun here?”

“Who’s President Sun?”

“He’s the ultimate big boss of our studio.”

“So our studio’s owner isn’t Sela?”

“Sort of. Sela is a technical partner. President Sun invests and brings in industry resources.”

Yu Lili nodded but before she could say more—

“Lili, One wants to see you.”

—she was summoned into the office.

But President Sun was no longer there.

Only One stood by the window.

“Actually, when Su Mianxin asked me this morning, I was giving you face. How could you use the magazine’s set for private shoots with other stars? Your personal actions have caused significant damage to our magazine’s reputation.”

Yu Lili explained: “Sela knew—”

“That’s not the point, Lili. Right now, netizens are attacking our studio.”

One suddenly softened her tone: “Since hiring you, I’ve thought highly of your skills. Both Sela and I value you greatly. Relationships are mutual, whether between people or between people and work. Now it’s time for you to step up for Yehuo.”

“Me, step up?” Yu Lili pointed at herself.

One nodded: “Lili, just post a Weibo apologizing to netizens, saying this was your personal action, unrelated to anyone else, the magazine, or the studio.”

Yu Lili studied One calmly.

One knew she was asking Yu Lili to shoulder the blame alone and coaxed gently: “We’re minimizing risks. Just post an apology—no pay cut, no impact on your job. Just placate the netizens.”

Yu Lili: “Is this Sela’s idea?”

“It’s the studio’s decision. We’re all part of the studio. The big boss came personally, demanding strict action against the involved photographer. I protected you.”

“Gratitude is due, Lili.”

Before Yu Lili could respond, One’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen and stepped to the window to answer: “Next week?… No issues, then… Fan engagement? Yu’s team still wants to milk this… Free exposure, take it… Sure… No problem. More collaborations in the future.”

Hanging up, One turned back to Yu Lili: “I’ve also spoken to the magazine. They won’t pursue it further. Just give the netizens an explanation.”

“Oh, and don’t post anything for now. Let the heat die down a bit. Post next Monday. Don’t worry, Lili. Just a Weibo post, nothing else.”

Yu Lili smiled, suddenly feeling exhausted.

One asked if she had any other questions. Yu Lili shook her head.

After work, Yu Lili ran into two unexpected visitors at the office building’s entrance.

One was Zhu Jingxiang, crouching by the door like a puppy, wearing a cap and mask, her face in her hands. Spotting Yu Lili, she immediately latched on, chanting, “Lili, Lili.”

Then, glancing to the side, Yu Lili saw Tan Suran’s elegant figure in the distance.

What was she doing here at this hour? Was she here to add fuel to the fire over Yu Mu’s shoot?

Makes sense.

Professionally, she’s the magazine’s owner. Personally, she’s Yu Mu’s friend.

Their eyes met. Tan Suran gestured for her to come over.

Yu Lili, overwhelmed, ignored both and hopped into Du Tanyu’s car, speeding off.

Tan Suran’s gaze drifted from Yu Lili’s departing figure to Zhu Jingxiang, who was chasing after her.

Assistant Lin, having finished his call, approached Tan Suran: “The press release is ready.”

Tan Suran waved a hand: “Release it.”

Du Tanyu, knowing her friend was upset, drove straight to BUS.

The car’s rock music blared.

Yu Lili tossed her phone aside, losing herself in the music to decompress.

Du Tanyu honked the horn, a lollipop dangling from her lips: “I’ve got a gorgeous new girlfriend, just 18. I asked her to bring her friends. Let’s meet them.”

As they parked, Yu Lili grabbed her phone from the compartment.

Messages flooded in.

Missed calls from Zhu Jingxiang, and…

A message from Tan Suran.

Du Tanyu, hand on the car door, watched Yu Lili frozen in her seat and snapped her fingers: “Lili, what’s up? Let’s go meet some beauties.”

Yu Lili suddenly looked up: “Tan Suran asked me out.”

Du Tanyu: “Huh?”

Yu Lili clarified: “Not me. Anna.”