Chapter 30: Three’s Company (4)

Lin Yan was nearly starving by the time she arrived. She could have grabbed a bite at home, but for some reason, she never enjoyed eating in Ye Ye’s presence. Although Ye Ye had done nothing wrong, Lin Yan simply couldn't bring herself to like her—perhaps it was just a personal prejudice.

As she stepped into the Riverside Pavilion, a waiter approached her. "How many in your party, miss?"

Lin Yan glanced inside and said, "I have a friend waiting for me."

The waiter stepped aside. Li Ran was seated at a window table, idly flipping through a menu.

Lin Yan walked over with a smile, tapping the table lightly. "Well, look at you! What made you decide to treat me to a meal today? You’ve only just gotten back together with Liu Yang—shouldn't you two be busy billing and cooing?"

Li Ran looked up, caught sight of Lin Yan, and pulled her into the seat opposite. "Why are you only just getting here now?"

"Oh, please! You chose a place so far away. I started heading over the moment you hung up the phone, and it still took me an hour. Order quickly, I’m starving—I didn't even have breakfast."

Lin Yan settled into the booth, pushed her bag aside, and unwrapped the silk scarf she had carefully put on before leaving the house. A waiter brought her a glass of water.

Li Ran, still scanning the menu, suddenly paused. "Hey, is your big CEO husband mistreating you? He doesn't even feed you breakfast?"

"Give it a rest," Lin Yan replied. "We have a nutritionist at home lately. My mother-in-law hired her to look after my health. She happens to be Mo Han’s childhood sweetheart."

"Oh? Jealous, are you? Or is the food she prepares just that bad?" Li Ran leaned in, wearing a conspiratorial grin.

"It’s not that." Lin Yan took a sip of water before continuing. "The food is delicious, but I don't know why—whenever I sit across from her, I just lose my appetite."

"You find her repulsive?" Li Ran asked, grabbing Lin Yan’s hand with a dramatic, affectionate gesture.

"You brat, stop talking nonsense!" Lin Yan swatted away Li Ran’s colorful, manicured hands. "She’s a perfectly decent girl; why would I find her repulsive? It’s just... she makes me feel incredibly uneasy."

Li Ran sheepishly pulled her hands back, adopting the air of a seasoned expert. "That’s jealousy, plain and simple. Look, I’ve dated more guys than you’ve ever met—this is clearly jealousy."

Lin Yan froze. Her grip tightened around the glass, her long, slender fingers stark against the surface.

Jealous? How could that be?

"Hey, hey, where did you go off to?" Li Ran waved a hand in front of Lin Yan’s face. She felt that Lin Yan’s personality had changed since getting married. Back in the day, they were inseparable, and Lin Yan was a wild, carefree spirit. Later, Li Ran was moved to Hua City by her parents, and then came the sudden news that Lin Yan was married. Li Ran had been back in the countryside at the time and hadn't even managed to send a proper wedding gift.

Lin Yan looked up at Li Ran, offered a faint smile, and said, "Don't just talk about me. What about you? Things were too rushed yesterday to really catch up. How did you end up back with Liu Yang? How long do you plan on making it last this time?"

In truth, Lin Yan sometimes found it strange that she and Li Ran, two polar opposites, had become such close friends. She herself despised fickleness, yet she never harshly judged Li Ran’s habit of constantly changing partners.

Perhaps it was because of the many hurts Li Ran had endured in the past; all Lin Yan wanted was for her to be happy. No matter what she did, as long as she was happy, that was enough.