Saying that we like someone "as a friend" definitely can convey the message we are not interested, it can also lead to false hopes that we 'may come around' if they are patient enough.

说我们“作为一个朋友”而喜欢某人肯定能传达我们对他们不感兴趣的信息，但也可能给这些人虚假的希望，就是如果他们足够耐心的话，我们可能会接受的。

youdao

Definitely go pick it up right now, whether you're interested or not, because there's no reason not to.

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