Chapter 129: 129 Long Time No See
Wang Heng’s appointed time with Pei Ningle and Han Yixuan was Saturday evening, right after Ye Xun’s mathematics tutoring.
In the evening, the tutoring finally ended. Wang Heng sent Ye Xun to the subway station.
“What do you want to eat for lunch tomorrow?” Before parting, Ye Xun couldn’t help but say again, “I have combat practice in the afternoon, so I need to eat well, but not too full…”
Wang Heng: “I’ll tutor you in mathematics tomorrow morning first, and we can decide then.”
“Okay… then, goodbye?”
“Mm, goodbye. Be careful on the way home.”
Ye Xun waved her hand, smiling as she turned and walked into the subway station.
She stood on the downward escalator, putting on her headphones. Playing in the headphones was the recording of Wang Heng explaining the problems just now.
This is for studying—she thought silently to herself.
At this moment, Ye Xun noticed someone staring at her.
It was a girl with long hair draped over her shoulders, who seemed slightly older than her, like a university student around Wang Heng’s age. This girl seemed to have no makeup on, almost bare-faced, yet she was delicately beautiful, and her bright eyes looked full of vitality… Wait, she was staring at her? Why were her eyes sparkling?
The girl was standing at the bottom of the escalator, seemingly about to go up, but she stopped at the escalator entrance. So a few seconds later, Ye Xun coming down the escalator arrived right in front of her.
The two were about the same height, but just the difference in hairstyles created a clear distinction in temperament. One had long hair draped over her shoulders, slightly fluttering in the breeze blowing in from the subway entrance; the other’s hair was much shorter, with a short single ponytail at the back of her head that looked a bit plain, clearly still a middle school student.
Their outfits also had clear differences. Both had short skirts and leggings on the lower half, warm yet showing off nice leg shapes, but Ye Xun paired it with a sailor-style JK jacket on top, while the other had a refined khaki small suit jacket, combining the youthfulness of a young girl with the elegance of an older sister type.
The girl smiled and said: “Can I get to know you?”
Ye Xun: “?”
The unfamiliar older sister: “I feel like you look a bit familiar, very much like my former best friend. So, can we get to know each other and be friends?”
Ye Xun: “??”
Isn’t this the strategy boys commonly use when hitting on girls?
Ye Xun had been hit on before, a few sparse times at school or on the street, and she had always politely and firmly refused. But this time was different; the one hitting on her was a pretty older sister—what to do?
While the young girl was at a loss, the unfamiliar older sister smiled slightly and said softly: “I go to Finance University, and I don’t have many friends at school. You look cute, so I just want to make a friend. Okay?”
What does that mean? She thinks I’m cute?
Speaking of which, this older sister looks so pretty when she smiles so gently and charmingly…
Ye Xun was stunned for a while before taking out her mobile phone and saying hesitantly: “You mean phone number?”
“Yeah!”
While exchanging phone numbers, the older sister also noted her own name, so Ye Xun saw her name, and she saw Ye Xun’s name.
“Han Yixuan,” the young girl read out.
“That’s right,” Han Yixuan’s smile was still gentle and friendly. “So your name is Ye Xun? What a nice name.”
“It’s not that nice…” Ye Xun touched her earlobe, her face slightly flushed.
“Then that’s it for now. I have some things to do today, let’s hang out another time!”
With that, Han Yixuan waved her hand and stepped onto the escalator.
Ye Xun stood in place, watching the gentle and pretty older sister’s figure gradually recede and disappear outside the subway entrance.
Suddenly, the young girl came to her senses and slapped her leg hard.
“What are you thinking? She’s a stranger! The lesson of casually believing others, haven’t you learned enough from Dad?”
————
At the subway station entrance, Han Yixuan sent a text message, and after waiting only half a minute, she saw Wang Heng walking over with a calm expression.
“You’re here so soon?” Han Yixuan asked as if casually, “Were you nearby just now?”
Wang Heng nodded: “Yeah, I guessed you’d arrive soon.”
Han Yixuan smiled and said: “Then thanks for coming to pick me up.”
“It’s only right, after all, this time it’s me troubling you.” After a brief awkward pause, he asked, “Long time no see, how have you been?”
Han Yixuan smiled: “Yeah, long time no see. I’ve been studying hard lately. You?”
“Me too.”
After Wang Heng spoke, there was a brief silence, as both had nothing to say.
Han Yixuan, who had been so smooth in front of Ye Xun earlier, now couldn’t help but feel nervous. She hid her hands in her jacket pockets, clenching them into fists, with a bit of cold sweat in her palms.
At year’s end, the season had entered winter, and the wind carrying chill swept up the fallen leaves at their feet, making a rustling sound.
Han Yixuan suddenly spoke, and Wang Heng broke the silence at the same time.
Wang Heng: “Cold? Want to go sit…”
Han Yixuan: “Where are we going?”
Their words overlapped at the moment, but it was fine; both heard each other clearly. Moreover, Wang Heng detected the tremor and anxiety in Han Yixuan’s voice. But he himself suppressed his inexplicable emotions, with no trace in his tone.
Wang Heng smiled and calmly invited: “I got a membership card at the coffee shop over there. Their flavors are pretty good—want to try it?”
“Sure.” Han Yixuan lifted her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling as she gazed at the boy in front of her.
Unlike the day half a year ago when she confessed, today Han Yixuan’s gaze had no aggressive urgency, just a faint joy. The young girl’s pale red lips curved slightly, wearing a warm smile.
In her sparkling bright eyes, it was as if a kitten that had been away for a very, very long time had finally returned to its master. Obedient? Playful? Sly? The little cat’s temperament was truly hard to pin down…
Suddenly, Han Yixuan asked: “Are we meeting that girl soon? Just to confirm, I should play your girlfriend, right?”
Wang Heng: “Yes, please.”
Han Yixuan suddenly leaned close to his side, gently pinching his wrist, and said with a giggle: “Then let’s go have coffee.”
It wasn’t holding hands, just grabbing the wrist, and her body didn’t press close either—the sense of proportion was impeccable. It wouldn’t be too intimate to raise Wang Heng’s strong vigilance, nor too distant to arouse others’ suspicion.
Wang Heng silently swallowed, sent a text to Pei Ningle, then led Han Yixuan toward the nearby coffee shop.
The two walked in silence, without speaking. But Wang Heng vaguely felt that the girl beside him seemed… a bit excited?
Mm, no doubt about it—Han Yixuan was excited.
Wang Heng sighed inwardly—clearly, simply keeping her at arm’s length had no effect on Han Yixuan; her favorability hadn’t dropped at all. So Wang Heng felt it necessary to find a reason to meet Han Yixuan, or else even if he suppressed intimacy with her, he couldn’t suppress her corruption level.
What was the ancient ancestor’s principle for flood control? Better to divert than block.
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If possible in the future, I’ll try to update earlier, but I don’t dare promise…
