Chapter 21: How Friends Get Along

Annan was speaking while looking at Yuran, her expression carried faint worry, and a touch of sadness.

Caught off guard for a moment, Yuran shifted her gaze away from Annan, instantly creating a subtle distance between them. It was slight, but Annan caught it nonetheless.

Yuran asked, "Boyfriend?"

Annan hadn't snapped out of that strange sensation yet, and upon hearing the question, her face turned red, her eyes darting away in embarrassment, "Is it that... that obvious?"

"If you had a mirror right now, you probably wouldn't be surprised!"

Annan: "..."

"So, was this the original intention behind the gift?" Yuran's tone had completely cooled down. Though she was smiling, the smile didn't reach her eyes. She even shifted her gaze away, seemingly indifferent but in reality, she was redefining the positioning between the two of them.

They hadn't been desk mates for long, but Annan knew Yuran's temperament very well and began to feel a bit panicked. "Don't misunderstand, Yuran. I was just saying. If you don't want to, pretend I never mentioned it, really!

The true intent behind my gift wasn't that at all. When I saw it, I thought of you instantly and bought it. It's unrelated. I gave you the gift not to ask for anything in return."

Annan was on the verge of tears as she explained, her head lowered even further, her nostrils reddening, eyes misting with tears. Yuran could feel the explanation and panic in her words, her cold demeanor thawing slightly, relaxing a little, "Stop crying, what are you doing? But, how did you know I could write songs?"

Annan hurriedly wiped away the tears on her face, looking at Yuran warily, afraid of crossing a line and being ignored by Yuran from then on. She responded with concern that wasn't quite related to the question, almost as if she were pleading, "You'll still answer my calls in the future, right? You'll still talk to me and have meals with me, won't you?"

In her past life, Yuran didn't have many friends. She focused solely on her career and on Yinchao, not really knowing how to interact with friends. She could only sense a bit of treasure and preciousness from Annan. She nodded, "We're friends, but I don't like being used. If there's an issue, speak directly. Don't do things that cause misunderstanding!"

"As if I'd dare to now!" Annan mumbled.

"What did you say?"

Annan waved her hand dismissively, staring at Yuran's beautiful features. She always seemed calm and gentle on the surface, but was actually so cold-hearted inside. Annan shrank back, her gaze messy and drifting, quickly glancing over Yuran's face, "If I tell you, you can't curse at me. I really didn't do it on purpose!"

Yuran, "Then speak!"

Annan, with the resolve of a martyr, eyes closed, said, "First, you have to promise you won't scold me, you won't get angry, and you won't stop being friends with me."

"I promise you," Yuran said.

Annan, "Remember the time I was on duty? I accidentally knocked over a row of desks and chairs. Then I saw a notebook fall out from your desk hole. Worried it might've gotten dirty, I picked it up. I really didn't expect it to be full of musical scores.

I've studied music and know a little. I tried to interpret it several times and felt the music was amazing. Afraid that you would be angry, I never brought it up!"

As she spoke, Annan's head lowered further, her voice growing fainter, and in the end, she couldn't even muster the courage to look into Yuran's eyes.

Yuran couldn't help but laugh, but all the doubts that had been in her mind were finally unraveled thanks to Annan's explanation.