A Friend I've Loved for a Long Time - Chapter 17

During the first few days at L&Y, Yun Zhi was occupied with the preliminary stages of the shoot—understanding the company’s inner workings. Only after reaching a certain level of familiarity would she begin scriptwriting, which then required Yu Mingxia’s approval before proceeding.

Just as she had suspected, Yu Mingxia was an excellent partner. Not only did they hit it off, but their ideas were also remarkably aligned. Sometimes, before Yun Zhi could even voice a thought, Yu Mingxia would say exactly what she was thinking.

Like right now, having just arrived at a café, Yun Zhi asked Yu Mingxia to order whatever she liked, and the other woman ordered an Iced Americano—Yun Zhi’s favorite.

“Whoa~ Director Yu, how did you know Sister Yun Zhi likes Iced Americanos best?” Xiao Bai blurted out in surprise.

Yu Mingxia didn’t like being called Vice President; she had asked them to call her by her name or “Director.” But since they were at the office, Xiao Bai and the others chose “Director Yu.”

While Yun Zhi felt they shared a connection, she didn’t think liking an Iced Americano was particularly special. She wasn’t a picky eater, and ordering a popular drink wasn’t strange.

However, Yu Mingxia didn’t say she ordered it randomly. Instead, she said, “What a coincidence. I just ordered my favorite for you.”

“A soul connection!” Xiao Bai laughed, covering her mouth and nudging studio members Liu Wei and Jiang Yuan. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two women.

After a few days of interaction, Xiao Bai had grown extremely fond of this director. Capable, easy-going, never arrogant, serious about work, and attentive to partners—who wouldn’t like someone like that?

Yun Zhi sat on the sofa, propping her chin as she looked at Yu Mingxia. She didn’t scold Xiao Bai; instead, she let out a thoughtful, light laugh.

Being stared at made Yu Mingxia feel self-conscious. She asked softly, “What are you laughing at?”

Seeing this, Xiao Bai—who had intended to tease them further—quickly shut up and signaled Liu Wei and Jiang Yuan to stay silent. The two took the hint and focused their attention on Yu Mingxia and Yun Zhi.

Yu Mingxia noticed their gazes, and they immediately looked elsewhere.

Yun Zhi, seemingly oblivious to the awkwardness, maintained her pose. She tilted her head slightly, her smile widening. “Can’t I even laugh now?”

“Aren’t you being a bit too strict, Director Yu?”

“Cough—cough!” Xiao Bai had just taken a sip of the coffee the waiter handed her and was nearly choked by those words.

Having been by Yun Zhi’s side for years, Xiao Bai had never heard her speak in such a tone. Yun Zhi had a very gentle, non-threatening appearance—the type that felt very approachable. To outsiders, she was always polite and warm. But the Yun Zhi Xiao Bai knew was also somewhat distant; she didn’t joke around casually and always maintained a proper distance.

Just now, when she teased the two of them, Yun Zhi didn’t reprimand her and even made a joke at Yu Mingxia’s expense.

They must be very close, Xiao Bai concluded, scratching her head.

The words were simple, but coming from Yun Zhi, they held a trace of playful ambiguity.

In the seconds after being called “Director Yu,” Yu Mingxia felt her ears ringing. That teasing voice echoed over and over. Fortunately, the waiter arrived with their Iced Americanos, breaking the tension.

Throughout the silence, Yun Zhi’s gaze never left Yu Mingxia. She found the woman’s personality to be quite multifaceted. Sometimes she was like a wise, gentle older sister; other times, she was like a quiet, shy girl. For example, just now—one playful nickname and her ears had turned red.

“In comparison, I’d prefer if you called me Mingxia.”

Yu Mingxia’s words broke Yun Zhi’s train of thought. “Ah… Mingxia?” she tested the name.

Yu Mingxia smiled. “Mm.”

The atmosphere was a bit strange. The café was full of low chatter and light music, but Xiao Bai felt like they were the “third wheels.” They shouldn’t be here. Regardless of the relationship, she felt it was beneficial for Yun Zhi to spend more time with her.

“Oh no, I think I wrote one of the storyboard scripts wrong,” Xiao Bai said, slapping her thigh and looking at Liu Wei and Jiang Yuan.

“If it’s wrong, it’s wrong,” Liu Wei groaned, rubbing her leg. “Why did you hit my thigh?”

“That’s not the point! The point is we should go back and fix it right now. Let’s go, let’s go!” Xiao Bai dragged them toward the exit. Liu Wei hurriedly gulped the last of her coffee while Jiang Yuan grumbled.

“Director Yu, Sister Yun Zhi, we’re heading out first! Take your time!”

Before the two could respond, the trio vanished. Their whispering voices faded, replaced by the clearer sounds of the neighboring tables and the background music.

“Aren’t you afraid they’ll misunderstand?”

Whether out of guilt or hope, Yu Mingxia grew nervous as she asked. She looked down and took a sip to hide her emotions.

“Misunderstand what?” Yun Zhi was puzzled. It took her a moment to catch the meaning, but she still didn’t understand why Yu Mingxia would think that way. Wasn’t this kind of teasing normal between friends?

“If you mind, I’ll be more careful next time,” Yun Zhi said, though she still didn’t see the problem. She whispered, “Actually, I think your reaction is stranger.”

Yun Zhi considered them close enough that a little joke shouldn’t matter.

“I… didn’t have many friends before, so…”

No matter how careful she was, Yu Mingxia would leave traces whenever Yun Zhi got close. She could only try her best to cover it up with excuses. To Yun Zhi, Yu Mingxia’s “guilt” looked like sadness.

No wonder she asked that, Yun Zhi thought. She just doesn’t know where the boundaries are because she’s lonely, not because she’s offended.

“Pretend I didn’t say that,” Yun Zhi said, taking a sip of coffee. “This is just how friends act. Don’t worry about it.”

“Besides, let people misunderstand if they want. As long as we don’t misunderstand each other, it’s fine.”

Yun Zhi felt like she was teaching a child. Yu Mingxia was brilliant in every other way, but she seemed to struggle with friendship. Was it because she never met anyone as excellent as herself before? Yun Zhi indulged in a bit of light narcissism.

While Yun Zhi’s mind wandered, Yu Mingxia was left speechless.

“What… wouldn’t we misunderstand?” she asked, pretending to be ignorant.

Yun Zhi snapped back to reality and looked around. Though they were sitting face-to-face, she felt the distance was a bit too much. She stood up and sat on the sofa right next to Yu Mingxia.

The sofa was soft. Even though Yun Zhi was light, the cushion dipped significantly. The scent of lime filled the air, alerting Yu Mingxia to her proximity. She didn’t dare move; her earlobes, hidden under her long hair, grew increasingly hot.

Yet Yun Zhi kept leaning in, wanting to whisper to her. Yu Mingxia forced herself to take a sip of coffee and turned her face to meet Yun Zhi’s eyes to appear sincere.

Yun Zhi, who was about to whisper, froze. She had leaned in because Yu Mingxia wasn’t moving. Now that they both moved forward, their heads were only a few centimeters apart.

Yun Zhi felt her heart rate suddenly spike, especially when meeting those clear, deep eyes. Who could withstand such a “visual attack” at this range?

Yu Mingxia wasn’t much better off, but she was better at faking it. She curved her lips into a shallow smile. “What is it?”

Perhaps because they were so close, Yu Mingxia’s voice sounded like a seductive fox to Yun Zhi’s ears—ethereal and captivating. It took a while for Yun Zhi to clear her head.

Beauty truly leads one astray, she thought. Then she felt puzzled. Yu Mingxia had looks, talent, and a great personality—so why didn’t the person she likes like her back?

Yun Zhi didn’t ask that directly. Instead, she explained why she moved: “I heard what the next table was saying. If I sit closer, others won’t be able to hear us talk.”

The weather had been getting hotter, and they were both wearing thin, short-sleeved clothes. Yu Mingxia looked down at the person whose skin was almost touching hers, feeling the faint warmth of her breath. Seeing her speak in small whispers made her look like a hamster stealing food. Yu Mingxia smiled. “So, what are you going to tell me?”

“Don’t you have someone you’ve liked for many years?” Yun Zhi said, then felt it was a bit abrupt. Since she knew Yu Mingxia’s secret, she should share one of her own. “I have someone I’ve liked for a long time, too.”

The smile on Yu Mingxia’s face faded. Her joy vanished. But seeing the light in Yun Zhi’s eyes—clearly interested in the topic—she didn’t want to ruin the mood.

“Then we really do share a lot of fate,” Yu Mingxia said.

Whether it was out of sincerity toward a friend or the relief of finding someone in a similar situation, Yun Zhi was happy. For a moment, she felt less lonely.

“So, are you going to tell me the story between you and her?” Yu Mingxia lowered her voice as much as possible to hide the tremor in it.

“Ah,” Yun Zhi said, “I was just following up on what I said before. As long as we don’t misunderstand, it’s fine. No need to care what others say. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t cross the line. Like when you thought I was teasing you or looking at you strangely—it’s just because you’re beautiful. You didn’t have many friends before, but we’re friends now; this is all normal behavior.”

Hearing the guarantee, Yu Mingxia felt her head throb.

Who asked her not to cross the line?

She wondered what kind of image she had in Yun Zhi’s head now. Had she overacted so much that Yun Zhi was actually worried about her?

“The music was a bit loud. You said you definitely won’t… what?”

“Won’t—” Before she could finish.

“It’s okay if you don’t say it,” Yu Mingxia interrupted, asking softly, “Actually, what I care about more is… were you sad when you were rejected?”

Whether it was because she was interrupted or because of the words “what I care about more,” Yun Zhi dazed for a moment. She assumed Yu Mingxia was looking for shared feelings. She reflected and replied: “I was sad for a little while. Just a little. Then it was fine. I don’t tend to dwell on things.”

Yun Zhi wasn’t lying; she didn’t linger on the past. As long as a boundary wasn’t crossed, she moved on. She had too much to do to waste time on sadness.

But then… “How did you know I was rejected?” She had only said she liked someone; she hadn’t mentioned a confession.

“…” Yu Mingxia paused. “You said you were single.”

“When?”

“In your files.”

“Oh, right.” Yun Zhi nodded thoughtfully. Because I’m single, I must have been rejected? Isn’t that a bit of a leap? Couldn’t I have been together and then broken up? Do I look like the ‘rejected’ type?

Seeing her silence, Yu Mingxia stole a glance at her. As long as she wasn’t too sad.

It wasn’t the time to keep prying. Worried Yun Zhi might realize something was off, she said, “Let’s head back to the office.”

“Okay,” Yun Zhi stood up. Remembering she hadn’t asked about her friend yet, she asked, “Were you rejected, too?”

Just as she spoke, her phone vibrated. A message from Jiang Yan’an asked if she was resting. After replying, Yun Zhi looked up at Yu Mingxia, waiting for the answer.

After a long pause, Yu Mingxia let out a faint “Mm,” almost inaudible. Then she said, “Let’s go back.”

Yun Zhi didn’t suspect a thing and nodded. Just as they stepped out of the café, Jiang Yan’an’s call came through.