Whether it was said out of anger or not, Liu Lian still thought that the relationship between Tong Mengdi and He Yao was too ambiguous. And Liu Lian could also tell that although Tong Mengdi was officially in a relationship with Hu Mingkai on the surface, in her heart, it was He Yao whom she cared about. Precisely because of this, the conflicts and quarrels between Tong Mengdi and Hu Mingkai had hardly stopped over the years. Although Tong Mengdi had always believed that she and He Yao were just friends and that the two of them had never done anything beyond the scope of friendship, Hu Mingkai still minded. Hu Mingkai thought that if the relationship between Tong Mengdi and He Yao was really as simple as she said, then she would probably have left He Yao because of him long ago, and maybe the two of them would have even gotten married by now. But Tong Mengdi's attitude of being in one relationship while having feelings for another person was hard to accept not only for Hu Mingkai but also for Liu Lian.

Since she couldn't have a proper talk with Tong Mengdi, Liu Lian could only turn her attention to He Yao. After all, this was a matter between the two of them. As long as He Yao could keep a distance from Tong Mengdi, everything would be fine. In fact, these people were not only friends but also university classmates, so Liu Lian easily managed to make an appointment with He Yao. The two arranged to meet, and Liu Lian waited for a while before He Yao finally arrived late. When Liu Lian saw He Yao, she motioned to her seat, and He Yao walked over. After sitting down, He Yao ordered a cup of coffee. Once the coffee was served, He Yao looked at Liu Lian and spoke first.

“What's up? Why did you think of inviting me today?”

“He Yao, I'm asking you, do you know about the quarrel between Mengdi and Hu Mingkai?” Liu Lian asked directly.

He Yao said, “She told me about it.”

“Since you know, you should also know what it was about, right?”

“...” He Yao's expression was a bit awkward.

“He Yao, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you. You've always said that you're her good friend. Since you're a good friend, you surely want your friend to be happy. But do you think what you're doing now is what a friend should do?”

Facing Liu Lian's questioning, although He Yao was helpless, he was also used to it. Over the years, both Liu Lian and Hu Mingkai had actually said these kinds of things to He Yao many times. In fact, although He Yao had often been misunderstood over the years, he had never thought of keeping a distance from Tong Mengdi. That was because he believed that what he had done was within the scope of friendship and that he had never done anything beyond the boundaries. However, it was hard for He Yao to accept that people like Liu Lian and Hu Mingkai would casually suspect Tong Mengdi. After all, one of them was Tong Mengdi's boyfriend and the other was her good friend. So, for the sake of Tong Mengdi's reputation, although He Yao knew that there were some things he shouldn't say and that he wasn't qualified to say them, perhaps out of anger, he still said what was on his mind.

“Liu Lian, if I remember correctly, you and Tong Mengdi were roommates sharing an upper and lower bunk for four years in university, right?”

“Yes. Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?” Liu Lian looked puzzled.

“Since that's the case, you should know her very well. To be honest, I don't really care that much if you or Lao Hu suspect me because I believe that the innocent have nothing to hide, and I don't think there's a need for me to explain too much. But Tong Mengdi is a woman. Have you ever considered her feelings when you think of her like this? Do you know how she feels every time she's misunderstood by Lao Hu? Now, as her best friend, you're also suspecting her. I'm really disappointed for her.” He Yao looked quite dissatisfied.

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“Aren't all these problems because of you?”

“It takes two to tango. Do you think there's a difference between suspecting me and suspecting her?”

Facing He Yao's eloquence, Liu Lian was defeated once again. Helplessly, she could only choose to leave. But He Yao wasn't happy. Instead, he was worried about Tong Mengdi. Just as he said, Hu Mingkai and Liu Lian should be the people closest to Tong Mengdi. Yet, these people who were supposed to be close to her were suspecting her like this. Even He Yao, who usually had a good temper, felt wronged for Tong Mengdi. Different from his previous silent tolerance, perhaps because He Yao thought that Liu Lian had gone too far this time, he decided to tell Tong Mengdi about this matter. Of course, his purpose wasn't to ask Tong Mengdi to avenge him but to let her explain things clearly to them so as not to cause any misunderstandings.

After a day's work, He Yao went to Tong Mengdi's department and waited for her. After waiting for a while, Tong Mengdi came out of the office. He Yao immediately stepped forward and asked if she had time today because he wanted to invite her to dinner. Perhaps because the two of them hadn't had dinner alone together for a while, Tong Mengdi didn't hesitate at all and immediately agreed to He Yao's invitation. The two left the company, found a small restaurant, ordered a few side dishes, and started chatting while eating. After chatting about some trivial topics, He Yao revealed the real purpose of inviting Tong Mengdi out today.

“Mengdi, there's something I've been considering whether to tell you or not. After thinking about it, I think it's necessary for you to know.”

“What is it? Is it that serious?” Tong Mengdi asked seriously.

He Yao said, “This morning, Liu Lian came to see me.”

“What did she want from you?”

“...” He Yao fell silent.

“I see. Did she say some nonsense to you again?” Tong Mengdi looked as if she could predict what had happened.

“I know she means well for you. But just as I told Lao Hu, I really don't care what he thinks of me. After all, I'm a man. But you're a woman, and it won't be good for you if these kinds of words spread.”

“Sorry, He Yao. I've made you suffer this unwarranted trouble again.”

“It's okay. Don't be angry with her. I know she cares about you.”

“Cares? Is this what caring looks like? I really don't understand. When did she become like Hu Mingkai?”

“Mengdi, I don't mean anything else by telling you this today. I just don't want there to be any misunderstandings between you and Liu Lian, or even Lao Hu, because of me.”

“He Yao, I know you've chosen to endure all this because of me. But I can't just remain silent. Don't worry. Whether it's Hu Mingkai or Liu Lian, I'll make them give you an explanation.”

“No, don't do that. In fact, the reason I hesitated to tell you this is that I was afraid of this happening. I just want to tell you that if I'm really affecting your relationship with Liu Lian or even Lao Hu, I can stop being friends with you.”

“He Yao, do you care that much about what other people think?” Tong Mengdi asked.

“It's not...”

“Stop it. I don't want to hear your explanation. It's getting late. I'm going home now.”

Tong Mengdi left. Just as she said, in her heart, she didn't care about what other people thought at all. But He Yao was different. Because he always believed that Tong Mengdi was a woman and wasn't single, he shouldn't cause trouble for her because of himself. However, whether it was Hu Mingkai's jealousy or Liu Lian's well-intentioned reminder, Tong Mengdi didn't seem to care. The relationship between the two of them continued to exist in this ambiguous state. Hu Mingkai was indeed tolerant, and Tong Mengdi took his tolerance as indulgence. Plus, since she didn't love Hu Mingkai at all, Tong Mengdi didn't seem to care about his feelings. As time went by...