1987 My Era

Chapter 547, New Book, Second Chance

After making several phone calls, Li Heng checked the time.

11:23
Well, it's so late already. I guess Zhou Shihe won't be able to go home until I hang up the phone.

It was raining outside, and the sound of raindrops hitting the eaves and corners of the house was very clear in the darkness.

Li Heng didn't bring an umbrella and rushed home in one breath.

As soon as he reached the second floor, he saw four women playing cards, chatting and laughing. Hearing the noise on the stairs, they all looked at him.

Well, there was one exception. Zhou Shihe didn't look up. Instead, she picked up a steaming cup of tea on her right, took two small sips, and then quietly looked at the playing cards in her hand, giving the impression to outsiders that she was pondering the strength of her hand.

But the image in her mind had nothing to do with the cards in her hand. Instead, she was drawn to the sound of him going up the stairs, which made her think of the scene between the two of them at the corner of the stairs.

She wondered to herself: If Mai Sui hadn't been taking a shower in the bathroom at that time, and if Mai Sui hadn't been home, how would she have dealt with his strange gaze?

How should I deal with him?

Li Heng came over to the card table, said a few words to them, then took his clothes and went into the shower room. After showering, he went straight to the study.

He still had half a stack of documents to study, and having not read any books today, he planned to settle down and finish reading them tonight.

Zhou Shihe hadn't said a word until the study door was about to close. She glanced at the three women out of the corner of her eye, moved the teacup aside, and said calmly, "Let's go to my house."

Mai Sui, Wei Xiaozhu, and Bai Wanying understood her meaning almost instantly: it was inappropriate for them to be making noise in the living room while someone went into the study.

The four women went to the small building next door. Before leaving, Mai Sui thoughtfully wrote a note and placed it on the coffee table, so that he wouldn't be unable to find her when he came out.

Wei Xiaozhu asked in surprise, "Even if you're just going next door, do you still need to leave a note?"

Mai Sui smiled gently and said, "Sometimes he's like a child, insecure."

Wei Xiaozhu glanced at Zhou Shihe and found that the other party seemed unsurprised, so she didn't press the matter further.

As she went downstairs, she looked at the small building at number 25 across the street and abruptly asked, "Teacher Yu is usually here, where is she today?"

Mai Sui said, "She must be out running errands. The teacher has business to do outside."

Learning from her aunt that Teacher Yu's identity was not simple, Wei Xiaozhu suddenly understood a little. She suddenly wanted to ask, "Teacher Yu and Li Heng are getting so close, aren't you worried, Sui Sui?" But she didn't ask the question in the end.

To be honest, Wei Xiaozhu is still in a daze about what happened between Teacher Yu and Li Heng. Her mind is still foggy, and her values ​​have been shattered.

I still can't imagine it.

...

In the study.

Li Heng was in excellent condition tonight. He sat for almost four hours straight, managing to analyze the remaining documents in one go.

Feeling refreshed, he took out a notebook from the drawer, unscrewed the pen cap, and wrote four words on the title page: "The dust has settled."

After writing the title, he didn't rush to start writing. Instead, he sat quietly for a while to gather his emotions before turning to the title page and writing the first chapter of the new book: Wild Thrush.

It was a snowy morning. I was lying in bed when I heard flocks of wild thrushes calling out by the window.

My mother was washing her hands in a copper basin. She was immersing her two fair and slender hands in warm milk, panting heavily, as if making her hands beautiful was a very tiring task. She tapped the rim of the copper basin with her fingers, and with a loud sound, fine ripples spread across the milk in the basin, creating a buzzing echo that filled the room.

Then, she called out Sangji Zhuoma.

...

In high spirits and bursting with inspiration, Li Hengyi wrote all night long, completely absorbed and absorbed in his work. So much so that as dawn broke, he was still patiently finishing the last paragraph of the first chapter.

call!
I've finally finished writing the first chapter, "Wild Thrush."

He then casually placed his pen on the table, too lazy to bother with the statistics. He felt he had performed exceptionally well tonight. He picked up the manuscript again and read it through, making only 12 minor revisions in the end. He was very satisfied.

Suddenly feeling the urge to urinate, he had to put down his manuscript and run to the door.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the door was opened, four pairs of eyes were greeted. Four women were having breakfast at the coffee table.

Li Heng sniffed the air; the aroma was wonderful. He immediately exclaimed, "What did you buy for breakfast? It smells so good! I'm practically drooling!"

With that, he ran into the bathroom.

The four women in the living room looked at each other, and then they all laughed.

After a quick wash, Li Heng plopped down in his seat and said to Mai Sui, "Comrade Mai Sui, I'm going to the capital. I'll be back soon. I'm leaving the house in your care."

Mai Sui subconsciously thought of Song Yu, but didn't ask, and said very virtuously, "Okay."

Bai Wanying asked, "Li Heng, did you stay up all night last night?"

Li Heng opened his mouth wide and took a big bite of the scallion pancake, mumbling, "Mmm."

Wei Xiaozhu asked, "Have you started writing your new book?"

Upon hearing about the new book, Zhou Shihe quietly pricked up her ears.

Li Heng nodded: "You're right."

Zhou Shihe's small mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, her cherry-like mouth was filled with tofu pudding. She didn't used to like tofu pudding that much, but after drinking it a lot with Li Heng and Mai Sui over the past year, she had gradually come to like it.

Wei Xiaozhu was very interested in the new book and asked another question: "How many words do you plan to write in your new book?"

Li Heng pondered: "It's hard to say, but I estimate it to be around 30."

Then he looked at Bai Wanying, "One night has passed, Wanying, have you changed your mind?"

He was referring to what he mentioned last night: the matter of lending her money for medical treatment.

Bai Wanying smiled and refused again: "Thank you for your kindness, but if I haven't saved enough money by my senior year, I'll shamelessly ask you for help then."

Li Heng waved his hand: "Take back what you said. Given our classmate relationship, it would sound awful. But there's still a year and a half until your senior year, so you don't need to think too much. Your health is the most important thing. Maybe if you get better sooner, you can earn more money in the next year and a half."

Bai Wanying said, "I know, but I still insist."

Alright, upon hearing this, Li Heng gave up the idea of ​​trying to persuade him further. The other person simply couldn't understand, and any further words from him would only annoy them.

After breakfast, Li Heng took a shower, changed his clothes, and rushed to the airport.

I made a phone call at the school gate halfway through, calling Huang Zhaoyi and asking her to help me prepare a plane ticket to Beijing.

As soon as he left, Wei Xiaozhu pushed Bai Wanying away as well.

In an instant, only Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe remained in the huge room.

Mai Sui tidied up the leftover food on the coffee table and went into the study.

Seeing this, Zhou Shihe hesitated for a moment on the sofa, but finally couldn't resist following her into the study. As soon as she entered, she pretended to touch the bookshelf with her hand, and then glanced at the manuscript on the desk with an unintentional look.

After a moment's hesitation, she walked over, picked up the manuscript, and carefully began to read it.

"Dust Settles Down"?
The new book title? It's quite evocative.

After staring at the title page for a while, Zhou Shihe finally turned the page to the first chapter of the main text: Wild Thrush.

After straining through the 13 short passages, she discovered that Li Heng, already known for his writing, had made even greater progress in his new book. The words were more beautiful, the imagery more profound, and the words were full of philosophy and charm. She found herself unconsciously drawn into the story and background of the book, a process that was smooth and seamless.

Holding the manuscript, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind: it felt like reading a modern version of "Dream of the Red Chamber".

This inexplicably stirred a sense of fondness in Zhou Shihe's heart.

Mai Sui watched her best friend's smooth and skillful movements, smiled gently, and considered that she had achieved her goal.

The reason she went into the study was because she had discerned her best friend's thoughts.

Xiaozhu and Bai Wanying left the living room earlier, but Shihe remained seated on the sofa, reading a newspaper, her eyes frequently glancing towards the study. Clearly, Shihe was eager to read his new book, but didn't say so openly.

Mai Sui knew her best friend had two major hobbies. One was reading, especially classics; when she came across a book she liked, she would be completely engrossed in it and read it several times without getting tired of it. The other was music.

It has to be said that Shihe's two hobbies happen to be Li Heng's areas of expertise.

Sometimes, Mai Sui wondered if this was fate.

Even though she had some ulterior motives, over the course of more than a year, the relationship between Li Heng and Shi He remained clear. Mai Sui couldn't find any clues, and in the end, she could only attribute it to fate, which arranged a coincidence in reality.

In fact, not only Mai Sui had too many thoughts, but Sun Manning and Ye Ning also had doubts, but they did not find any clues.

On the contrary, it was Teacher Yu, who often worked with Li Heng and Zhou Shihe, who was the first to sense something was wrong and realized that someone had developed feelings for Zhou Shihe.

After a while, Zhou Shihe finally turned to the last page. After reading the last few words, she felt a sense of loss. It was over. She had actually finished reading it.

At this moment, Mai Sui spoke up and asked her, "How's his new book coming along?"

Still immersed in the world of the book, Zhou Shihe stood quietly in front of the desk, without saying a word, and simply handed the manuscript to Mai Sui.

Mai Sui took the manuscript, sat down in a chair, and began to read. She read very slowly, paying close attention to every sentence and paragraph.

Suddenly, Zhou Shihe beside her asked abruptly, "Is she in the capital?"

Mai Sui's heart tightened, knowing that her best friend was probing the "woman Manning described as comparable to Shi He," namely Song Yu.

Because Shihe had caught her off guard twice before, Mai Sui was mentally prepared. Even though her best friend suddenly brought it up now, she didn't show any weakness and pretended to be confused as she looked up: "What, in the capital?"

Zhou Shihe secretly observed Sui Sui's micro-expressions, then smiled lightly and said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking, he's only finished one chapter of his new book and is just getting into it, why would he suddenly decide to go to the capital?" Mai Sui pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "Did he make some kind of appointment with his family last night?"

When Zhou Shihe heard him call out "Mom" last night, she felt that this guess was very likely. She immediately changed the subject and said, "His new book doesn't have the depth of 'White Deer Plain' at the beginning, but I felt particularly moved when I read it. After he went to Aba and came back, his writing has reached the level of simplifying complexity and returning to simplicity, which is too rare."

Zhou Shihe has a keen eye for talent.

Regarding his new book, Li Heng explained that the reason he had paused for so long and hesitated to start writing was because he wanted to surpass the original work.

While consulting literature, he had mentally rehearsed the text countless times. It took months of accumulation to achieve today's remarkable effect, which is naturally more than just a step above the original work.

This is also why Zhou Shihe was subdued with just the first chapter.

During her year and a half at Fudan University, Mai Sui, who originally had little background in literature, was also influenced by it and felt the power of words that Shi He had mentioned.

Mai Sui said, "He said that this book would not be published until it was finished."

Zhou Shihe agreed: "As long as he maintains this momentum, the new book may bring him countless honors."

In fact, Zhou Shihe has been paying attention to "White Deer Plain" all along. As many newspapers have said, "White Deer Plain" has the potential to win the latest Mao Dun Literature Prize.

Every time she reads this kind of news, she can't help but think how amazing and brilliant a Mao Dun Literature Prize winner in his early twenties must be.
How huge will the impact be?
However, it is only November now. According to a notice issued by the Party Committee of the Writers Association, the preparation and selection for the third Mao Dun Literature Prize will not begin until December.

The selection criteria cover novels published between 1985 and 1988.

"White Deer Plain" caught the last train just as time was running out.

Therefore, Zhou Shihe, like many other readers, was quietly watching, wanting to see if this man who had repeatedly and unintentionally provoked her could really sweep away all enemies.
....
airport.

When Li Heng arrived, Consort Huang was already there.

Because of the large number of people around, she, with her well-known reputation, did not get close to him. Instead, she had her female secretary, with whom she had a sisterly relationship, deliver the plane ticket to him.

Li Heng took the plane ticket and asked, "Where is she?"

The young female secretary said, "She's in the waiting room."

Li Heng asked in surprise, "Is she going to the capital too?"

The female secretary gave a knowing smile, which could be considered a response.

Li Heng understood. The actress originally planned to stay in Shanghai for two days, but she changed her plans because she was going to Beijing.

In the waiting room, Huang Zhaoyi sat alone in a corner.

Li Heng walked around and, instead of keeping their distance as she had planned, plopped down next to her.

Huang Zhaoyi held the newspaper, looking astonished, but then a surge of joy welled up inside her.

He didn't even try to hide himself in public, which almost brought her to tears.

Huang Zhaoyi was overwhelmed with emotion, but she tried her best to suppress it on the surface. She nodded to him in a nonchalant manner, without even taking off her sunglasses.

Li Heng settled himself in and said, "Give me a newspaper."

Huang Zhaoyi glanced around and handed him a few newspapers.

Li Heng took the newspaper and read it. After a while, he said, "Why are you sitting here?"

Huang Zhaoyi replied, "It's been a long time since I've spent time in an airport waiting room, and I'd like to experience it once."

Li Heng remained noncommittal and then asked, "Is someone in the capital to pick me up?"

Huang Zhaoyi's gaze was fixed on the newspaper, but her red lips uttered softly, "Yes."

Li Heng said, "Send me to Peking University."

Huang Zhaoyi said, "Okay."

Li Heng asked, "Aren't you going to ask why?"

Huang Zhaoyi said weakly, in a voice that could only be heard by the two of them, "You are my man."

Li Heng glanced at her and asked, "Have you been drinking lately?"

Huang Zhaoyi's heart skipped a beat. "I drank some red wine last night."

Li Heng asked, "Is it a lot?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "Half a cup."

Li Heng said, "Half a glass of red wine shouldn't have any effect."

If Huang Zhaoyi still didn't understand the hidden meaning in his words by now, she would have lived for over 30 years in vain. She lifted the newspaper to hide her excitement and asked, "You missed it last time, are you still going to allow me to get pregnant?"

Li Heng countered, "You don't want to?"

Huang Zhaoyi tried her best to suppress her overflowing love: "I want to."

She thought to herself: I dream about it!
Li Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Let's try again. If it doesn't work, we'll talk about it again after I graduate."

Huang Zhaoyi understood his deeper meaning: he had many women, and he couldn't possibly use all the opportunities on her.

If she fails to conceive twice, then she can only blame fate for not choosing her.

Huang Zhaoyi had no complaints about this. He had given her the first two opportunities, which was already a sign of his favor, and she was naturally content.

Moreover, he didn't completely dismiss the idea; if it didn't work out the second time, they could try again after graduation.

This indicates that he is willing to have children with her and that he will not choose to be childless in this life.

This trip to the airport was worthwhile. Huang Zhaoyi really wanted to hide in a corner where no one was around and cry quietly. After waiting for so long, she finally received love.

Once on the plane, the two were seated next to each other, which didn't surprise Li Heng at all.

He put down his backpack and said, "I didn't sleep last night, I'm very tired, I'll take a nap first."

"Okay." Huang Zhaoyi was still wearing sunglasses.

But the eyes behind the sunglasses were looking at him sideways, as docile as a lamb, full of affection.

Li Heng slept soundly on the plane all night, and when he woke up again, he found that he had arrived in the capital.

Seeing that he had half-opened his eyes, Consort Huang said, "Land immediately."

Li Heng straightened up and looked outside. He saw the plane landing on the runway. The surrounding wind was biting cold, and there were sparse snowflakes.

He asked, "Is it snowing?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "It's just the beginning. The weather forecast says there will be heavy snow tonight."

Li Heng turned around and asked, "You still pay attention to the weather forecast in Beijing?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "I often come here to perform; it's become a habit."

After getting off the plane, the two walked towards the exit gate one after the other.

She deliberately lagged behind him by several steps.

Li Heng frowned slightly, but he knew that she was avoiding suspicion and thinking of himself, not wanting to expose their private affair too early and let it reach the ears of Song Yu and other women.

As he exited the gate, his female secretary rushed over and led him to a less crowded area to get into the car.

Li Heng opened the car door and got in, asking, "Is nobody here?"

The female secretary automatically sat in the driver's seat: "The person who delivered the car has already left."

Li Heng listened without saying anything and continued to close his eyes, pretending to sleep.

Seeing this, the female secretary started the car and drove towards Peking University.

Halfway there, he suddenly asked, "How many years have you been in this position?"

The female secretary replied, "This December will mark exactly 12 years since I started working for Sister Huang."

Unlike Liu Bei and Zeng Yun, who addressed Teacher Yu as "Miss Yu," she directly called her "Sister," demonstrating the extraordinary closeness of their relationship.

Li Heng was puzzled: "I didn't see you much last year."

The female secretary explained to him: "Back when Sister Huang was still teaching at the drama academy, I was often traveling between Shanghai and Hong Kong, so it's normal that Mr. Li couldn't see me."

"I see," Li Heng said. "Find me a flower shop."

I heard that the female secretary turned left at the intersection ahead, then right, and soon saw a flower shop.

Li Heng bought two bouquets of roses, holding one in his hand and placing the other on the back seat of the car, saying, "Give this bouquet to Consort Zhao for me."

The female secretary kept it in mind.

In the latter half, the car was silent, and Li Heng took the opportunity to doze off for a while.

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(End of this chapter)