Chapter 130: 130 Something Seems Off
Pei Ningle wasn’t too happy.
That day after eating hot pot, she had already felt something was off. Later, hearing Han Yixuan admit that Wang Heng’s shield was indeed her, Pei Ningle felt like she had fallen into a trap.
But Han Yixuan’s attitude was still so sincere.
“Xiao Le, I didn’t know Wang Heng would ask me to pretend to be his girlfriend either. I haven’t seen him for half a year!”
Unexpectedly, Han Yixuan firmly stated it was an accident, and Pei Ningle couldn’t find any evidence, so she could only half-believe it.
Before this, Han Yixuan had already agreed with her that they would pretend to be meeting for the first time and put on a show in front of Wang Heng. But Pei Ningle had never had much confidence in her acting skills. Whether Wang Heng would notice something was wrong, she really couldn’t say.
Now, walking into that coffee shop and seeing Wang Heng and Han Yixuan sitting face-to-face at the window seats, a quite complex expression appeared on Pei Ningle’s little face.
Seeing Pei Ningle come over, Wang Heng stood up and introduced the two girls: “Xiao Xuan, this is my friend, Pei Ningle. Xiao Le, this is my girlfriend, Han Yixuan.”
Pei Ningle stared at Han Yixuan, her gaze very complex.
Han Yixuan, however, smiled innocently and scooted over a bit, patting the blank space beside her: “Sit here, Xiao Le… Can I call you Xiao Le?”
“Of course…”
Pei Ningle said softly, sitting down beside her.
At this time, the waiter from the coffee shop came over and asked: “Do you need to add anything?”
Wang Heng pointed at Pei Ningle and said: “Show her the menu.”
Pei Ningle took the menu, glanced at it, and pointed to one item: “I’ll have this, latte coffee.”
The waiter took the menu and left.
At this moment, Han Yixuan suddenly said: “Latte coffee has a stronger milk flavor, sweet and delicious. Sure enough, what style of person likes what style of beverage!”
Pei Ningle pointed at herself: “Are you saying me… sweet and delicious?”
Han Yixuan smiled and blinked.
Pei Ningle asked: “Then what coffee did you order?”
Han Yixuan pointed to the hot coffee already served in front of her: “Macchiato.”
Pei Ningle looked at the coffee with delicate white foam patterns and said thoughtfully: “With patterns, does it mean elegant and beautiful?”
“Thanks for the compliment, Xiao Le…”
Before she finished speaking, Han Yixuan noticed there was some grievance in Pei Ningle’s gaze as she stared at her. Thinking about it a bit, Han Yixuan understood why she felt aggrieved—they had agreed to help her counter the third-party enemy, but she had taken the opportunity to enter the market. Even with a reasonable excuse to explain it, it was hard to let go.
But before coming over, the two had already discussed the script for today in front of Wang Heng. Even if she felt a bit unhappy inside, Pei Ningle still knew she had to follow it.
Moreover, at this moment Han Yixuan quietly held her hand, her gaze especially gentle and friendly. Many times, no extra words were needed; just such a look and action were enough to improve one’s mood a lot.
So Pei Ningle said the lines they had planned before: “When did you two start dating?”
Han Yixuan exchanged a glance with Wang Heng and answered: “After school started, around September.”
Pei Ningle: “I knew Wang Heng at that time too, how come I’ve never seen you two…”
Han Yixuan: “Because I don’t spend much time with Wang Heng. He’s busy with his part-time job, I’m busy studying, we both have a lot to do every day. By the way, I’ve heard Wang Heng talk about you too. He’s your agent, right?”
Pei Ningle nodded: “Although I’m not famous yet, this isn’t child’s play.”
Han Yixuan smiled: “I understand. He told me he has high expectations for Xiao Le’s future development!”
Pei Ningle pouted slightly and said: “Of course…”
Wang Heng, sitting across from them, hadn’t spoken, wondering if there was something wrong with how he opened things up today.
Because of the hamster’s hint, Wang Heng could confirm that both Pei Ningle and Han Yixuan liked him. So how could their first meeting go so harmoniously? One was the shield, the other the blade that needed shielding—how could the spear meet the shield and be so soft without any conflict?
He had been thinking about how to resolve the tension between them, but now it seemed completely unnecessary.
Han Yixuan looked straight at him and said: “I’ve only heard you say Xiao Le sings well, but I haven’t experienced how good yet. Later, shall we go to KTV and sing for a bit?”
Wang Heng: “No problem for me, ask her.”
Pei Ningle: “No problem, and I’m looking forward to Xiao Xuan singing too.”
Han Yixuan shook her head with a smile: “I’m the tone-deaf kind, I can’t sing at all.”
Wang Heng finished the last sip of coffee in his cup and silently watched the two girls chatting happily, already guessing—this pair, did they know each other before and were acting for him here?
But in the first playthrough, they clearly had no chance to meet. What was going on?
————
After playing for an afternoon and having dinner together, Pei Ningle returned to where she lived. That rental room was very close to the nearby business district, so dropping her off first was very convenient.
Then Wang Heng and Han Yixuan walked toward the subway station. Without the need to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend, though they walked side by side, they kept nearly half a meter apart.
Han Yixuan suddenly said: “I can feel that girl really likes you a bit.”
Wang Heng nodded.
Han Yixuan turned her face slightly, looked at him, and said: “Actually, even now, I still like you a little.”
Wang Heng: “…Really?”
Han Yixuan raised her left hand and gestured with her index finger and thumb about a centimeter long: “Just this little bit left.”
Wang Heng forced a smile: “It’s been half a year, I thought you’d almost forgotten me.”
The young girl slowly shook her head: “I’m not that fickle. If I like you, I like you. But you’re not entirely wrong—what you said. Compared to that time after the Gaokao, that intense liking, I’ve indeed forgotten most of it now. So I say, my liking for you is just this little bit left. If you confessed to me now, I’d still hesitate and might not agree!”
Wang Heng glanced at her and sighed silently—those words sounded fine, but he knew her too well, so without a doubt, this was playing hard to get.
Moreover, Han Yixuan was not yet 19, but her scheming was already approaching the level she had in the first playthrough in her twenties… Fortunately, her strategy was playing hard to get, so as long as he stayed steady, he wouldn’t reveal any flaws!
Wang Heng adjusted his mentality and strengthened his confidence.
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Received the editor’s notice: this book goes on shelves next Friday. That means one more week until a burst update… No more nonsense, time to type and stockpile drafts.
