I'm Interested In Your Friend - Chapter 9
9
Huamao Convention and Exhibition Center.
9:00 PM.
The river of lights sparkled, and luxury cars came and went from here.
Yu Lili leaned against a lamppost by the entrance, wearing a hat and a mask.
“Are you Miss Anna?” An assistant-like person approached.
Yu Lili, her head lowered and eyes half-lidded, nodded slightly.
“Please follow me. I’ll take you to the car.”
Yu Lili blew a big bubble with the Bubble Tape gum in her mouth.
She really didn’t understand. Her own assistant was right there. Why did she have to be called out late at night just to drive for someone?
Sure enough, people cut from the same cloth as Yu Mu were all abnormal in the head.
Sigh.
Whatever.
She took the money, so she had to do the job.
They arrived at the parking lot, but it wasn’t just a silver-gray Bentley Mulsanne waiting there.
The car’s owner was nearby too.
Tall and slender, holding a thin menthol cigarette between her fingers, eyes closed as she leaned against the car door, exhaling leisurely.
Her chestnut curls were neatly tied up, with a few strands falling by her pale earlobes.
Silver-framed glasses rested on her high nose bridge.
An Italian hand-tailored women’s suit was draped over her arm, while the fitted white blouse outlined her graceful figure.
A section of her wrist bone was cold and translucent.
Beneath the smoky gray pencil skirt, a pair of pale, slender calves peeked out, like top-grade jade.
“What are you looking at?” The woman’s cool, slightly hoarse voice, tinged with tobacco, reached her.
While Yu Lili was staring blankly, the assistant who had brought her there had quietly left, and the beauty who had been smoking with her eyes closed slowly opened those mesmerizing eyes.
Yu Lili lowered her head, remembering her mute persona, and quickly typed: [That pimple on your face healed pretty fast.]
Tan Suran’s lips curled almost imperceptibly as she tossed the car keys at Yu Lili. “Get in.”
Yu Lili pulled the car door open, then recalled Du Tanyu’s warning and typed on her phone again, holding it up to Tan Suran’s window: [I told you before, my driving isn’t great.]
Tan Suran raised an eyebrow. “As long as you can drive. The address is in the GPS. I’m going to rest for a bit. Stay quiet—oh, wait, you can’t make noise anyway. Perfect.”
Yu Lili silently cursed Tan Suran. The GPS was set for a villa in the suburbs of Lihe City. It would be midnight by the time they got there.
There really was no such thing as free money.
Yu Lili exhaled in frustration, started the car, checked the rearview mirror, and began reversing.
Crash!—A loud noise and a jolt shook the car.
Tan Suran, who had been resting in the back seat, opened her eyes.
Her gaze was full of silent accusation.
Yu Lili awkwardly stuck out her tongue.
She had warned her.
She met Tan Suran’s eyes with a mix of defiance and guilt.
Luckily, after getting out to inspect the damage, it turned out only the rear taillight had hit a fire hydrant. Nothing else was damaged.
Tan Suran glanced at Yu Lili and waved her hand. “I’ll drive.”
Yu Lili: [Then should I leave?]
Tan Suran arched an eyebrow. “Do you think that’s appropriate?”
Yu Lili paused. She thought it was very appropriate, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Tan Suran: “Help me navigate.”
Yu Lili nodded and casually pulled open the back door—only for a slender, cool hand to stop her.
Tan Suran’s pale, elegant fingers pressed against the back of her hand.
Yu Lili looked up in confusion.
The two were close, and Tan Suran’s long, curled lashes fluttered slightly.
The scent of bitter lemon mixed with faint menthol smoke drifted over.
Tan Suran looked at her impassively. “Do I look like a chauffeur to you?”
Fine, she’d sit in the passenger seat.
Why did she have to touch her hand?
Yu Lili’s palm felt warm as she got into the car.
Though Tan Suran had said Yu Lili was to navigate, she didn’t even glance at the GPS.
She drove onto the road with practiced ease.
Once they left the city, the car picked up speed, and the towering buildings gave way to greenery. Streetlights stretched into a glittering line.
Yu Lili rolled the window halfway down.
A rush of cool wind blew in, sending her hair flying.
She tentatively stuck her hand out, feeling the breeze.
“Didn’t your mother teach you not to stick your hand out of a moving car?” Even while driving, Tan Suran somehow had the attention to lecture the kid.
The kid glanced back at her and retracted her hand, but then propped her elbows on the window ledge, resting her head on her arms as she stared outside, presenting the back of her head to Tan Suran—the epitome of rudeness.
Tan Suran smirked but said nothing.
She just tapped—or perhaps not so lightly—the accelerator.
The high-performance luxury car instantly shot up to 100 mph.
At that speed, the once-gentle breeze bared its claws, slapping Yu Lili in the face.
Her hair whipped wildly in the wind.
Yu Lili pursed her lips, knowing full well the woman was messing with her.
She stubbornly kept her eyes fixed outside.
After sneezing twice in a row, she reluctantly rolled the window back up.
They arrived at their destination around 10:30 PM. The car engine turned off, and Tan Suran opened the door—only for a small hand to tug at her sleeve.
She turned.
The big-eyed girl, who looked sweet but wore dramatic Euro-American makeup that obscured her natural features, held up her phone with a line of text: [What about me?]
Tan Suran tapped the car door lightly. “Stay here?”
Yu Lili understood.
This woman had called her out to this godforsaken place just to sleep with her!
Her ulterior motives were exposed.
Yu Lili shook her head firmly.
[I’ll have a friend pick me up.]
Tan Suran got out of the car and stood there leisurely, not saying a word. Her attitude seemed to say, “Suit yourself.”
Unfortunately, Du Tanyu was probably too busy partying at the bar. Two calls went unanswered.
Yu Lili peeked at Tan Suran, who stood there unmoved.
[It’s fine. I’ll call a cab.]
Tan Suran nodded lazily.
Yu Lili’s smile froze as she opened the ride-hailing app.
What kind of place was this? It showed as outside the service area.
“There’s one other option—you can walk back.” Tan Suran offered helpfully, her tone cool.
Tan Suran changed clothes and knocked on the dressing room door next to hers.
On the third knock, the door finally opened with a click.
Yu Lili, now in racing gear, stepped out.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Still sulking over being forced to stay, Yu Lili glared at her resentfully.
Tan Suran understood. “Sorry, I forgot you’re mute.”
They arrived at the track. The indoor space was vast, filled with go-karts. People clustered in small groups, chatting.
When they saw Tan Suran, they greeted her warmly: “Tan! You’re here!”
“Oho, brought a rookie.”
“Yeah, just a kid. Get her a junior kart to play with.”
Who are you calling a kid?
Yu Lili had thought Tan Suran meant actual race cars when she said they were going racing.
Turns out it was go-karts. And now she was being handed a junior kart?
Who did she think she was?
She’d played Mario Kart before!
Yu Lili wasn’t having it. She tugged at Tan Suran’s sleeve, insisting on racing with her.
Tan Suran gave her a look. “You sure?”
Yu Lili nodded solemnly.
Tan Suran handed her a helmet, tucking one under her own arm as she headed inside.
Yu Lili hurried after her.
They stopped before a five-meter-tall glass door, which slid open automatically.
Mountains, forests, and a man-made silver-gray rest area came into view.
Yu Lili’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
They’d truly entered the mountains now.
The roar of engines, the cheers of flag-wavers, partying young men and women, and the fizz of overflowing beer filled the air.
Du Tanyu had once mentioned Lihe City’s supercar club, nicknamed the “Billionaire Club”—membership was limited to those with assets over a billion.
But cars and she had never mixed, so she’d never bothered to check it out.
This must be the place.
Tan Suran put on her helmet as someone drove her race car over—a matte gray Pagani Huayra, its engine growling aggressively.
Tan Suran crooked a finger at Yu Lili. “Come here.”
They’d arrived just as a race ended. Seeing the cars zoom past like bullets had nearly made Yu Lili’s heart leap out of her chest.
Now, she shook her head meekly.
Tan Suran stepped closer. “Changed your mind?”
Yu Lili nodded.
“Too late.” Without another word, she picked up Yu Lili’s helmet and carefully fitted it over her head, adjusting the straps.
“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”
Yu Lili’s heart had just begun to settle—
“At worst, you’ll be half-crippled.”
I’ll kill you, Tan Suran.
At the starting line, eight supercars idled in a row, engines rumbling, ready to go.
The deafening roar of engines filled the air. The moment the referee waved the flag, the cars shot forward like their lives depended on it.
Yu Lili’s mind went blank.
Not from the insane speed—
But because, a second before the flag dropped, Tan Suran had leaned over, taken her hand, and—under Yu Lili’s stunned gaze—kissed it through the helmet.
Kissed it.
The car swerved around a bend, and Yu Lili’s head knocked against the window, snapping her out of it.
Only then did she truly begin to experience the race.
It was the feeling of leaving everything behind—only she existed.
The faster the car went, the faster her heart raced.
If not for the seatbelt, Yu Lili would’ve flown out.
This was way more thrilling than a rollercoaster.
Everything blurred past them.
A steep slope lay ahead.
Tan Suran floored the accelerator.
The car went airborne.
Yu Lili felt like she was flying.
When they landed, a cloud of dust kicked up behind them.
Yu Lili let out her first scream.
They crossed the finish line first, greeted by deafening cheers.
Her adrenaline spiked.
Her scalp tingled, wave after wave.
This was so cathartic.
“SO—GOOD!”
“WOO—”
Yu Lili threw up.
She vomited until she saw stars, humiliated beyond belief.
After cleaning herself up and changing, Yu Lili stepped out to see Tan Suran, still in her black-and-red racing suit, helmet tucked under her arm, clinking glasses with someone.
Tan Suran’s hair was damp with sweat, a strand clinging to her exquisite jawline.
Her pale pink lips parted slightly as she spoke.
Yu Lili found herself staring at the perfect curve of Tan Suran’s mouth, glistening with red wine.
Her own lips felt dry. Absentmindedly, she grabbed a light-colored drink from a nearby tray.
Her mind circled back to the not-quite-a-kiss before the race.