1987 My Era

Chapter 593, Every gesture of goodwill has an ulterior motive.

Upon hearing Wei Xiaozhu mentioned...

Li Heng's gaze fell on the top of Zhou Shihe's head, and he really wanted to curse out loud: "Damn it! How come all these women are so shrewd?"

After confirming that there was no redness or swelling where he was hit by the basketball, he replied, "Wei Xiaozhu and Dai Qing often go for a morning run with me, but Comrade Xiaozhu only runs 8 laps every day without fail, and then sits here waiting for us."

His answer was evasive, neither denying nor denying the facts, but Zhou Shihe felt that something was missing.
Fortunately, she is well-versed in the ways of friendship and does not pry into other people's private affairs.

Zhou Shihe gave him a strange look, then sat down on the spot and said gently, "You go back to playing ball, I want to be alone for a while."

"Okay, sure."

Li Heng responded, picked up the basketball from the ground, and returned to the court.

He has great stamina and can play for half an hour straight without getting tired. His most glorious moment was when he made six three-pointers in a row.

He himself found it incredible, feeling like he was in an exceptionally good state today.

When he made his sixth three-pointer, Li Heng shared his joy remotely, saying, "How was that? Not bad, right?"

Zhou Shihe watched him play the whole time, and seeing him so smug, she just smiled slightly without making any verbal response.

A husband-and-wife teaching couple arrived later; the man was a physics professor, and the woman was a physical education teacher. They were old acquaintances of Li Heng from the sports field. The three of them chatted and joked around for a while.

As it was getting dark, Li Heng, covered in sweat, walked over carrying a basketball and said, "Comrade Shihe, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's go home."

Zhou Shihe agreed, stood up, and followed him back the way he came.

On the way, she asked, "When did you start playing basketball?"

Li Heng thought for a long time before he could make his distant, blurry memory clear. "It was probably around the third grade of elementary school. Yes, it should be the third grade."

Zhou Shihe was slightly surprised: "Your school had basketball back then?"

She was surprised because he came from a remote mountain village in a poor area. In those days, people didn't even have enough to eat, so they wouldn't care about anything else.

Li Heng recalled: "Yes, I don't know where our homeroom teacher got a basketball and a volleyball. He also hung a simple homemade basket on a big tree on the playground, which became our place to pass the time during all breaks."

Zhou Shihe commented, "Having such a homeroom teacher is truly a blessing."

Li Heng said with emotion, "Yes, of all my male teachers from childhood to adulthood, he left the deepest impression on me. It's just a pity."

Zhou Shihe looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Seeing that she wanted to hear, Li Heng didn't hide anything: "My teacher's surname is Huang. He fell ill when he was 28. His wife was quite beautiful. Later, in order to support their children, she married a man from another place. That man from another place was from Guizhou. He was a very skilled stonemason. He would work when someone called for him, and in his spare time he would make some money by selling tofu."

Zhou Shihe asked, "Do the two of you have children?"

Li Heng asked, "You mean men from Guizhou?"

Zhou Shihe gave a soft "hmm".

Li Heng nodded: "Yes, she had a daughter. But people treat my teacher's two children very well, and they have a very good reputation in the village."

We chatted all the way, and before we knew it, we had reached the end of the alley.

The two suddenly stopped, looked at each other for a moment, and then walked towards building number 26 in tacit agreement.

This time, he didn't need to extend the invitation again. After confirming with her eyes, Miss Zhou followed him into the house on her own.

I changed my shoes, closed the door, and went up to the second floor in one go.

Li Heng was drenched in sweat from playing basketball, his clothes completely soaked. He didn't care about anything else, found a change of clothes, and went into the shower.

Zhou Shihe sat on the sofa, first looking for a TV station, but couldn't find a program she wanted to watch. After the weather forecast finished, she turned off the TV and then quietly started flipping through a book.

About 20 minutes later, Li Heng appeared on the outside balcony to hang clothes out to dry.

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, then Zhou Shihe put down her book, found some clothes, and went into the shower. She had cooked dinner; even though she had showered at noon, she still needed to shower in the evening, otherwise she would feel uncomfortable.

Around 7 p.m., Li Heng appeared in the study and began reading and writing, refining Chapter 26 of "Dust Settles Down".

Forty minutes later, Zhou Shihe tentatively pushed the study door open a crack, then peeked in halfway. The simple, pure black and white mirror stared at him.

As if sensing something, Li Heng said without turning his head, "Don't just stand there. If you're itching to come in, then come in. You've already bothered me."

Zhou Shihe, standing outside the door, paused for a moment, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face. But in the end, she couldn't resist the temptation of the new book and pushed the door open a little more, stepping inside.

After she closed the door, Li Heng said, "You can find any book to read; I haven't finished revising it yet."

After saying that, he ignored her and focused intently on revising his pen, word by word.

Zhou Shihe stood at the door, quietly watching him, without making any move for a moment.

At this moment, she was in a complicated state of mind, unsure whether she should enter the study.
I'm not sure if I should spend time alone with him.

After all, the incident of "crossing the line" last night was still fresh in her mind, yet her two greatest passions in life, "reading and music," happened to be exactly what this man excelled at. His words were like a slow poison to her, hard to quit.

Sometimes she would sigh and wonder: Was this man sent down by God to test her?
Because he was her complete nemesis, completely suppressing her preferences.

After struggling internally for a long time, Zhou Shihe finally moved quietly and sat on the bench.

Instead of looking for a book as he suggested, she gazed out the window, lost in thought at the vast starry sky.

The study was quiet, and neither of them disturbed the other until around 8:50, when Li Heng broke the silence with a long sigh.

Coming to her senses, Zhou Shihe turned her gaze from the window to him.

Li Heng was a little tired from revising the manuscript in one position for so long. He stretched and asked, "You haven't even looked at the book. You've been sitting like this for over an hour?"

Zhou Shihe blinked gently, her gaze shifting downwards to the manuscript on the desk.

Li Heng was speechless. He immediately handed her the revised manuscript and sighed, "Take it, take it! Honestly, a handsome guy like me isn't as attractive as a few sheets of paper."

Zhou Shihe smiled cleverly, took the manuscript, and began to read it carefully.

Perhaps because there was only one chapter, she cherished it and read it very slowly, savoring each word.

Perhaps it was the enclosed space that made her look so alluring, or perhaps it was because her outfit today perfectly matched a certain man's aesthetic; the woman possessed an extraordinary charm under the dim electric light.

Looking at her so close, a strange emotion spread through Li Heng.

As time went on, his feelings grew stronger and stronger, and an impulse to get close to her even grew in his blood!

At this moment, this impulse suddenly surfaced, and then became uncontrollable, rampaging through my bones and growing stronger and stronger.

Apart from Song Yu, he had never longed for a woman as much as he did at this moment in both his past and present lives.

At one point, as he tried to hold back, the more he restrained himself, the more excited he became. On a whim, he suddenly reached out and tried to hug her.

However, Li Heng was startled awake when his hands were only about 10cm out. A chill ran down his spine as he forcibly pulled his outstretched hands back.

What are you doing?
Li Heng was secretly alarmed. Sensing the evil energy surging through his body, he slowly closed his eyes, blocking her from his sight.

So, how much time has passed?
Li Heng suddenly opened his eyes and stood up with a whoosh.

Zhou Shihe was immersed in the world of the book, her head bowed as she intently read the manuscript. Had it not been for her right thumb and forefinger nearly crushing the pages, and had her frail body not trembled slightly as she stood up, it would have been difficult to notice anything amiss.

At this moment, she was very nervous.

Her eyes were fixed on the words on the white paper, her vision almost blurring.

She was on edge, afraid he would lose control.

Fortunately…!
Fortunately, the man who stood up left the next second, turning around and walking out of the study.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Zhou Shihe suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she quietly released the page with her right thumb and forefinger and slowly raised her head.

She looked up at the empty chair in front of her desk, feeling utterly lost.

What should I do?
It seems the story has returned to its starting point.

She could clearly feel that Li Heng's feelings for her were growing stronger every day, and the increase was beyond her imagination, reaching a point where they were about to become uncontrollable.

She actually saw his outstretched hands out of the corner of her eye.

She dared not speak out, fearing that any action would further provoke him.

Should I confront him about it?
Or should I stay away from him?
Or should we remain silent like last night and wait until after university to talk about it?

Having to choose one of three options, one kind of anxiety subsides only to be replaced by another.

Before she met him, she had never been so worried.

After meeting him, she experienced sorrow, day after day.

....
Leave Building No. 26.

Li Heng first did 200 push-ups in the middle of the alley, and then ran back and forth on the bluestone slabs in order to quickly dissipate his excess energy.

If he weren't worried about Zhou Shihe's personal safety, he would have loved to fly out of Lushan Village and to Huang Zhaoyi's side, to hold that tall and elegant woman and pamper her all night.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, there were hardly any people in Lushan Village, except for the light shining from the study of the small building at the end of the alley at number 26.

As Li Heng ran, he kept an eye on the lights, wondering to himself: Did she notice my rash actions just now?
Perhaps with Miss Zhou's keenness and shrewdness, she should have discovered it long ago, but she chose to pretend not to know for fear of making things awkward for each other.

Perhaps she was completely absorbed in the world of the book and didn't notice him, he thought hopefully.

But no matter what?
The study light was still on, indicating that things hadn't reached their worst point yet.

About an hour later, the study light suddenly went out, plunging the entire alley into complete darkness.

Li Heng, who was running, suddenly stopped and stood against the wall in the alley, looking at the gate of the small building at No. 26 by the faint starlight.

One minute.

five minutes.

ten minutes.

Half an hour later... she still hadn't appeared from the gate, and Li Heng's anxiety finally eased.

After waiting a while, Li Heng checked his watch: 10:23
Time can be early or late.

After thinking for a moment, Li Heng went inside.

Slowing down, I went up to the second floor. It was pitch black. There were no lights in the living room, the study, the bathroom, or even Mai Sui's room.

However, Mai Sui's room was closed at the moment.

Li Heng lingered at the entrance of the building for about half a minute before finally going to the shower room to take his second shower of the day.

After doing all this, he didn't linger. He went back to his room, plopped down on the bed, and tried to fall asleep.

But people often like to contradict themselves, to go against their own nature. The more they want to sleep, the less they can fall asleep, and the more energetic they become.

He tossed and turned in bed for half an hour, and seeing that the bed frame was about to be pierced through, he let out a weak groan:
Damn it, the junior vice president is thinking about women again!
Why don't we go next door? Let's strike while the iron is hot! She's still here, maybe she still has feelings for you. You're such a lecher, the prettier the woman, the more you like her, the better her temperament, the less you can resist her. No need to pretend to be a saint, winning her over is victory, go go go!
Suddenly, a devilish thought popped into his mind, constantly urging him to do bad things.

No, no! Zhou Shihe isn't leaving because she's being considerate of you. If you just go over there and disrespect her, what kind of skill do you have? What kind of hero do you think you are? Another thought tried to persuade her to be kind.

Come on! You dare say you haven't fallen in love with Zhou Shihe? If you dare say that, I'll drink the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers dry. Go for it! It's no big deal. Losing your head is just a small scar. A woman this beautiful is rare in this world. How could I let her go to someone else? That's not our style... The devilish thought continued to urge him on.

Shut up! It's not shameful to fall in love with a woman like that! How many men in the world could resist being so close to her every day? Besides, are you sure you really love her after rushing over like that? Or is it just lust? ...I tried to persuade him to stay, preventing him from making a mistake.

...

Two thoughts were locked in a fierce battle in my mind, a struggle between heaven and man.

One is good, the other evil; their strengths are roughly equal, and they're causing quite a stir.

Later, Li Heng grew tired of it, so he simply sat up, dressed, and went to his study. His greatest hobby in life was reading, and he hoped to suppress his restless thoughts through reading.

At first, he was always daydreaming and had all sorts of random thoughts.

But three hours later, sure enough, his hard work paid off. He gradually forgot about women and everything else, and his mind was filled with writing inspiration.

Taking advantage of this moment, he didn't dare to delay. He immediately spread out his notebook, unscrewed the pen cap, and wrote furiously on the white paper: Chapter 27, Zhuoma.

That night, the steward's overzealousness angered me. He sent men out again to look for the girl. It must have been past midnight when I finally managed to banish the image of the Ronggong girl from my sight and drifted off to sleep, only to be awakened by the sound of galloping hooves.

Solang and Xiao Eryi were still standing in front of my window. I was so angry that I gritted my teeth and said to Xiao Eryi, "Go, kill the man on horseback and cut off the horse's four legs."

....
Because he was in good spirits and had a strong desire to express himself, Li Heng wrote tirelessly from late at night until early the next morning. He could have continued writing if there hadn't been a sudden knock on the door.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

He seemed not to hear the first knock.

When the second knock sounded, he turned his head and called out, "The door isn't locked, come in."

The study door opened a crack at the sound, revealing half of Zhou Shihe's face. She said gently, "Li Heng, hurry up and wash up, we're about to leave."

Li Heng was taken aback and immediately raised his left wrist to check his watch.

Well, it would have been better if I hadn't looked!

He was startled when he saw it, 7:52
We agreed to leave at 8 o'clock, but it was only a few minutes before that. No wonder Ms. Zhou risked interrupting his writing to call him.

Li Heng stood up as quickly as he did so, asking as he walked, "Have the people your teacher sent to pick us up arrived?"

Zhou Shihe said softly, "They're here. My teacher is here too. They're waiting downstairs."

Li Heng didn't have time to think much and said directly to her, "Help me tidy up my desk and bring the manuscript I haven't finished writing."

With that, he rushed off to the washroom.

Watching his hurried figure disappear into the distance, Zhou Shihe remained silent for a moment before entering the study and beginning to tidy his desk.

Another new chapter?
Did he write this all night last night?
She knew he hadn't slept all night and guessed why he couldn't sleep.

Zhou Shihe picked up the manuscript of Chapter 27, carefully read the extreme points in the beginning, and finally suppressed her thoughts, putting everything that should be taken into her backpack.

Then she closed the window, drew the curtains, locked the study, and waited in the living room.

He's taking a shower; it seems to be his third shower in just 24 hours. The first one was while playing basketball.

Thinking of the second one, her heart skipped a beat, knowing that someone had taken a bath for her sake.

The third is staying up all night.

It was his habit to shower every time he stayed up all night, and Zhou Shihe was already used to it. She herself was an extremely clean person, and she could understand his little obsession with cleanliness very well.

Seven or eight minutes later, Li Heng came out of the washroom, looking very hurried.

He roughly dried his hair with a towel, then tossed it onto the back of the chair and shouted, "Let's go, don't keep your teacher waiting."

Zhou Shihe seemed not to hear him. She frowned at the dry towel on the back of the chair, hesitated for a moment, and finally bent down to spread the dry towel flat on the chair before handing him the backpack she was carrying in her left hand.

After she did that, Li Hengxin wasn't in such a hurry anymore and said thank you.

Zhou Shihe nodded, walked past him, and went down the stairs first.

Li Heng stood still for about ten seconds, glanced back at the dry towel, and quickly followed.

Wu Yili is a renowned name, hailed as one of China's first generation of pianists, China's first international piano master, and one of the pioneers of piano education in China.

She hasn't settled in Singapore yet, but judging from the fact that this performance was held in Singapore, she probably already has that idea in mind.

However, he has no say in these matters and doesn't want to. Every year, so many people go abroad to study and settle overseas. How could he, a mere mortal, possibly have that kind of ability?

She is 59 years old this year. Apart from her slightly gray hair, she is in exceptionally good condition. She speaks in a loud voice and is full of energy. When she saw her beloved student bringing Li Heng down from the second floor, she immediately stood up with a big smile on her face.

Upon approaching, Zhou Shihe introduced, "Teacher, this is Li Heng."

Li Heng spoke with a clear, sweet voice, and enthusiastically called out, "Teacher."

"Eh!"

Wu Yili smiled and said "Eh?" Then her gaze fell directly on him, scrutinizing him closely. Finally, she exclaimed, "He is truly a handsome man. I haven't seen him for many years."

What she meant was: I haven't seen such a good guy in many years.

Everyone loves to hear nice things, right? Li Heng straightened up with a smile, accepting the old man's gaze.

Wu Yili asked, "Shihe said you were writing all night last night?"

Li Heng glanced at Zhou Shihe, who smiled back as if nothing had happened.

He blurted out, "It was just a coincidence. I had a good inspiration last night, so I indulged myself and kept you waiting, teacher."

Wu Yili said, "This is a good thing. Inspiration gives you creative life, which is something many people envy. You are very good."

Since the time was all calculated and quite tight, the three exchanged pleasantries for a while before getting into the car and heading to the airport.

He didn't feel tired when he was writing all night, but once he relaxed, he immediately felt sleepy and fell asleep while talking with his two mentors.

As soon as he fell asleep, a brief silence fell over the car.

Zhou Shihe looked at Li Heng, then at the teacher, struggled with her thoughts, and finally found one of her own long winter coats to cover him up.

After covering him with her coat, she took a soft cushion out of her backpack, then leaned forward, supporting his head with her left hand and placing the cushion under his head with her right.

After doing all this, she sat down calmly and dignifiedly again.

Wu Yili watched her beloved student's actions throughout, and while surprised, she fell into deep thought.

After the car had driven a short distance and Li Heng had fallen into a deep sleep, Wu Yili couldn't help but ask, "Are you tempted?"

Zhou Shihe met the teacher's gaze, neither admitting nor denying it. After a long silence of half a minute, she gently spoke, "I don't know how to avoid him?"

Upon hearing these profound words, Wu Yili carefully observed Li Heng again, scrutinizing him from head to toe and from toe to head, paying close attention to his mouth, eyes, ears, and nose.

Finally, Wu Yili asked, "Does he have a girlfriend?"

Zhou Shihe replied, "Yes."

Wu Yili then asked, "How does his partner compare to you?"

Zhou Shihe remained silent.

Wu Yili turned her gaze curiously to her beloved student, "I've never seen you hesitate like this before."

Zhou Shihe remained silent, not refuting, but lowering her head with a touch of girlish shyness. Her hands, wrapped around her knees, twisted together in small, continuous motions.

Seeing this, Wu Yili turned around and asked, "Is that Teacher Yu Shuheng?"

Zhou Shihe turned her head to look at the teacher.

Wu Yili offered her guess: "In the newspapers, Li Heng and Yu Shuheng's names almost always appear together. The huge success of your instrumental albums, and the fact that they have been able to hold the top spot on the Billboard album charts for so long, is largely thanks to Ms. Yu."

There's no such thing as unconditional kindness in this world; every act of goodwill has an ulterior motive. This Teacher Yu has no shortage of money, power, or beauty; whatever she wants, the Yu family can provide, except for affection.

Zhou Shihe said, "She was just one of his suitors."

Zhou Shihe spoke casually, but the teacher heard it quite differently. Wu Yili, a wise and experienced woman, asked with a smile, "It seems you don't take this Teacher Yu very seriously. So, Li Heng is actively pursuing you?"

Zhou Shihe glanced at the person who was fast asleep with his head drooping, and said calmly, "His real girlfriend is Xiao Han."

Wu Yili asked, "Xiao Han? Is she also studying at Fudan University?"

Zhou Shihe said, "At Shanghai Medical University."

Bored, Wu Yili became interested: "Tell me about this Xiao Han in detail."

Zhou Shihe pondered for a moment, and then recounted all the information she knew.

After listening patiently, Wu Yili analyzed, "Given Yu Shuheng's qualifications, she has not been able to replace Xiao Han in Li Heng's heart. This girl must have something special about her. We must not underestimate her."

Upon hearing the teacher's meaningful words, Zhou Shihe did not respond for a moment, but instead turned her head to look out the window, lost in thought.

"Li Heng, wake up."

When the car arrived at the airport, Zhou Shihe saw that Li Heng was fast asleep, so she had to wake him up.

"Uh...we're in Singapore?" Li Heng groggily opened his eyes, his mind not yet fully clear.

Zhou Shihe was both amused and exasperated. "We've only just arrived at the airport, and we're already getting off the car to board the plane."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng's eyes snapped open. As he stretched out his arms to sit up, he discovered that he was covered with a very familiar long winter coat.

After examining it closely for a while, he immediately knew whose it was.

He instinctively raised his head and stared intently into her eyes.

As they faced each other at close range, an indescribable atmosphere gradually arose and lingered between them.

Sensing the change in his gaze, Zhou Shihe paused, then subtly looked away, turned, opened the car door, and got out without looking back.

In fact, both of them understood one thing: with this coat covering her, she finally compromised again, neither turning against him nor rejecting his presence in her life.

As for why she made this choice?

Only she herself knows the true feeling behind it all.

But this is undoubtedly a very dangerous sign!

If Li Heng misunderstands the situation, or if he becomes more aggressive and pursues her relentlessly, she will face a situation where she has nowhere to retreat.

So, she's gambling.

I'm betting that Li Heng's actions these past two days were just a momentary impulse, and that he will return to normal in the future.

After returning to school, he would focus all his attention back on Maisui.

In the short term, Zhou Shihe didn't have much confidence in Yu Shuheng, but she had full confidence in Mai Sui.

Because of Sui Sui's increasingly alluring charm, even though she has unparalleled confidence in her own charm, she dares not guarantee that she will surpass Mai Sui in passively seducing men's sexual desire in the future.

She always felt that a man's energy was limited, and even if Li Heng had a strong desire in that area, he might not be able to handle Sui Sui.

All she has to do now is wait and see how things develop.

Her intuition told her that Li Heng, who was envious of the increasingly ripe wheat, might not be able to hold out for long.

Besides, there's Xiao Han. With Xiao Han and Mai Sui, two such beauties, how could they not exhaust his energy?
only…

She had one question: Since Sui Sui was willing to follow him regardless of status, even if it meant being his mistress, why was she so reluctant to give herself to him?
She could clearly sense that Li Heng was very lustful towards Sui Sui's body, and the fact that he had greedily tried to kiss her on several occasions was strong evidence of this.

She felt there was something strange about this, a crucial point she couldn't figure out.

It seems, it seems that Sui Sui is worried about something?
Is this also the reason why they are unwilling to compete for Li Heng? Are they worried about someone they don't know?

Is she the woman Manning mentioned who could rival her?
In her eyes, there were very few people in the world who could surpass Sui Sui, and the woman Manning mentioned just happened to fit that description.

If so, then everything makes sense.

If not, then the water here is more complicated than she thought.

For a fleeting moment, she wanted to investigate the man's background and verify her suspicions. But the thought was quickly suppressed.

Subconsciously, she didn't want to delve into anything related to him; she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get rid of him.

She was also afraid that the more she learned, the easier it would be for her to fall into the love trap he had woven.

Of course, the most crucial point is that she has always been a proud and aloof person, with her own reserve and absolute self-confidence. At this stage, she will not investigate him behind his back just because he has developed romantic feelings for her.

She disdained to do it.

As Zhou Shihe walked into the waiting room, she wondered to herself: How far is my guess from the truth?

If the woman Manning mentioned really had a relationship with him, why didn't Li Heng pursue her in the first place? Why did he pursue Xiao Han as his official girlfriend?
Just as the loop of the wheat ear was untied, Xiao Han found herself in another dead end, one loop leading to another, each more difficult to untangle than the last.

Something still feels off.
She wouldn't say she understood Xiao Han completely, but after a year and a half, she had gained a certain level of knowledge about him. If such a woman truly existed, how could Xiao Han have tolerated such treatment?

She didn't think Xiao Han was a simpleton. The fact that he had verbally attacked Sui Sui and Teacher Yu several times was enough to prove that Xiao Han was a very intelligent and resourceful person.

Or to put it another way: Xiao Han is far more capable than Teacher Yu. If Xiao Han had Teacher Yu's family background to back her up, Sui Sui and Teacher Yu would probably have been sidelined long ago.

Of course, there's another point: Mr. Yu isn't a threat right now. But once he graduates, perhaps Mr. Yu's attitude towards this relationship will change significantly.

After all, Teacher Yu and Li Heng are now bound by a teacher-student relationship, which naturally restricts Teacher Yu and prevents him from acting freely.

Once Li Heng graduates from university, he will become a member of society, and it will be natural for Teacher Yu to continue their romantic relationship. Society will also be more tolerant and accepting of this relationship.

Therefore, in Zhou Shihe's eyes, Teacher Yu's true talent would not be revealed until two years later.

There were fewer people in the waiting room than he had expected. Li Heng sat down next to her and asked, "Where is Teacher Wu?"

Zhou Shihe said, "She went to get us breakfast."

Then she asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

Li Heng shook his head, yawned, and said, "No, I'm so sleepy."

Zhou Shihe said, "The flight from Shanghai to Singapore takes about 5 hours, so you can catch up on some sleep then."

Li Heng had never been to Singapore and didn't know much about it. Instead, he said, "Teacher Yu can only come and meet us tomorrow morning."

The concert was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Zhou Shihe calculated the time for all the procedures and felt that it would be enough. She immediately said, "When she arrives, we'll practice together a few more times."

Li Heng understood the implication in her words. "Okay, I'll talk to Teacher Yu about it tomorrow."

Master Wu Yili came over, carrying breakfast for three people, which consisted of pan-fried dumplings, tofu pudding, porridge, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns.

Seeing that Li Heng ate four or five pan-fried dumplings in one go, Wu Yili said kindly, "Shihe said you don't usually like noodles, so I ordered you a bowl of rice noodles, but I accidentally dropped it on the ground. I'm sorry to trouble you for now."

Li Heng flashed a bright, sunny smile, revealing his neat, white teeth. "Don't listen to Shihe, she didn't tell the whole story. I also love noodles, like these pan-fried dumplings, which taste really good and suit my taste perfectly."

Zhou Shihe was drinking her porridge by herself, ignoring his lies that came out of his mouth without a second thought.

Because she knew better than anyone how picky this man was about food. Manning had bought pan-fried dumplings before, but she rarely saw him touch them.

The fact that he ate so heartily today is probably because he was giving the teacher face, but it's also possible he was starving. Or perhaps it's a combination of both.

After breakfast, the three of them waited for another half hour before boarding the plane.

Just like on the train, he fell asleep shortly after the plane entered the stratosphere. Because he was in first class, he slept very comfortably throughout the journey.

Around noon, seeing that he was still asleep, Wu Yili asked, "Should we wake him up for lunch?"

Zhou Shihe thought for a moment and said, "No need. It's rare for him to sleep so soundly. Let's take him out to eat when we get to Singapore."

Today was the first time Wu Yili had met Li Heng, and she didn't know him very well, so she followed her beloved disciple's advice.

Having not seen each other for some time, the master and apprentice seemed to have endless things to talk about, whispering intimately to each other along the way. Five hours flew by, and they soon arrived in Singapore.

This time, Li Heng didn't need Miss Zhou to wake him; he woke up automatically as soon as the airplane announcement came on.

He opened his eyes and asked, "Are we almost there?"

Zhou Shihe hummed in agreement.

She asked with concern, "Are you hungry?"

Li Heng touched his stomach. "It's alright."

Fortunately, she was just a little hungry. Zhou Shihe knew his words all too well, and said gently, "When we get to the hotel, we'll go out and get something to eat together."

Li Heng asked, "Didn't you have lunch?"

Zhou Shihe turned her head to look at the airport getting closer and closer. "I'm not used to airplane food, so I didn't eat much."

Hearing their conversation, especially Shihe's words, Wu Yili smiled to herself but didn't expose them. The first-class dining was quite good, with meat, seafood, and fresh vegetables, as well as white and red wine.

ps: Change first and then change.

I'm having some writer's block today; I'll make up for the 1200 words I'm short tomorrow or the day after.
(End of this chapter)