Top-Tier Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Eyelashes
Silence fell between them.
Neither spoke.
Until the hand warmer in Pei You’s lap gradually cooled, and the scenery outside stopped moving.
They had arrived at the Sishan Base parking lot.
It was exactly 6 pm.
Huo Yichi glanced at her watch, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Let's go.”
Pei You put down the hand warmer. "Okay."
As she reached for her seatbelt, Huo Yichi stopped her.
Pei You blinked, a puzzled look on her face.
But only for a second; she understood what Huo Yichi meant and pulled her hand back.
Just how dedicated had they been to their act?
Dedicated enough that Huo Yichi would even unbuckle her seatbelt for her.
Not every time, but definitely when they were in public, like now.
Two years out of practice, Pei You thought, mentally slapping herself.
The reason they’d never been found out was their perfect synchronization.
And she’d almost broken the pattern just now.
Fortunately, they were alone in the car.
Huo Yichi leaned over, her expression neutral, and slowly unbuckled Pei You’s seatbelt.
She was very close to Pei You.
Close enough that Pei You could smell her perfume. Pei You wasn’t a perfume connoisseur, but it smelled nice.
Pei You inhaled discreetly, twice, but Huo Yichi noticed.
A flicker of emotion crossed Huo Yichi's face. She seemed to soften, her usual aura melting away. "Does it bother you?" she asked softly.
Their eyes met.
Barely ten centimeters apart.
Pei You could almost see her own reflection in Huo Yichi’s eyes.
Whether it was Huo Yichi’s excellent acting or something else, Pei You felt a moment of disorientation.
"No," after a few seconds, Pei You recovered, shaking her head and looking away. "It smells good," she said simply.
Huo Yichi looked at her intently, a smile playing on her lips. "It’s rare to receive a compliment from you in private.”
Pei You's eyes widened. "Are you saying I’m stingy with compliments?"
"A little," Huo Yichi shrugged.
They didn't rush to get out of the car, just sat there.
The parking lot was filling up, people getting out of their cars.
Everyone was dressed formally, either in suits or elegant dresses.
Like they were attending a red-carpet event.
Huo Yichi pursed her lips, pointing to a slightly overweight man in a black suit who had just gotten out of a car. "Isn’t that guy called A Hao?"
"I don’t know," Pei You looked but didn't recognize him.
Huo Yichi: "..."
She cleared her throat, saying a little awkwardly, "He confessed to you freshman year."
"I don’t remember," Pei You said indifferently. "Why do you remember so clearly?”
Huo Yichi smiled faintly. "Good memory.”
Just then, someone knocked on the car window.
Cai Xianyu had walked over with his girlfriend.
The car windows were tinted; Cai Xianyu, having just gotten out of his car, hadn't seen Pei You inside.
So, when Huo Yichi lowered the window, and he saw Pei You, he was momentarily stunned.
Lin Fang called out, “Cousin.”
Huo Yichi responded, "Mm-hmm."
Cai Xianyu stared at Pei You, his mouth agape, until Lin Fang nudged him. "Pei… Pei You?" he stammered.
Pei You smiled. "It's me. What's up?"
"You two… what’s going on…?"
Lin Fang tugged at his arm, giving Pei You a cold look. "Let’s go inside.”
"Oh, okay," Cai Xianyu, still bewildered, followed Lin Fang. "We'll go in first then."
Once they left, Huo Yichi rolled the window back up.
The car heater had been on, making it a bit warm. Pei You's face, which had been flushed, returned to its normal color.
Huo Yichi raised an eyebrow at her. "So?"
"So what?" Pei You picked up her bag. "We should go in, too.”
"Okay."
The crowd outside continued to grow. They had mentally prepared themselves.
But as they got out of the car, Pei You felt a twinge of nervousness. It had been a while since she'd played the role of Huo Yichi's girlfriend; she was out of practice.
But no one could tell.
She was dressed more maturely, while Huo Yichi still looked like a college student.
Jacket, jeans, Doc Martens—a look that accentuated her long legs.
As they got out of the car, a former classmate passing by looked at them, his expression even more exaggerated than Cai Xianyu's. His eyes darted between them before he greeted them with a smile. "Youzi, Chi-jie, you two… haha, long time no see.”
"Long time no see, Cheng-ge," Pei You smiled.
Huo Yichi walked over to Pei You and also greeted the guy, Cheng-ge, then took Pei You’s right hand and slipped it into her coat pocket. "Don’t get cold.”
Cheng-ge was stunned, still seemingly in disbelief. He finally chuckled. "Wow, you two…! Just like old times!"
"Not bad," Huo Yichi said, her dimples appearing.
Pei You’s hand, which had been cold, quickly warmed up inside Huo Yichi’s pocket.
It was a gesture they’d done many times before, but it felt different now.
It had been so long.
Pei You and Huo Yichi walked inside together, under everyone’s scrutiny.
The warmth from Huo Yichi's pocket was a welcome distraction.
Pei You sensed that Huo Yichi was different from before.
But she couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
From this angle, Huo Yichi’s jawline looked more defined, her eyelashes longer.
After they reached the top of the stairs, Huo Yichi released her hand, her peach blossom eyes crinkling with a smile. "What were you thinking about so intently?" she asked softly.
Pei You quickly pulled her hand out of Huo Yichi's pocket.
She smiled, trying to appear sweet. "Nothing much," she paused, looking at Huo Yichi, fully committed to the act. "Just thinking your eyelashes seem to have gotten longer.”
"I don’t know," Huo Yichi said. "I haven’t measured them.”
Then added, "If you’re curious, you can measure them yourself after the party.”
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