1987 My Era

Chapter 600, She won, but I didn't lose.

At 3 p.m. sharp, the three of them appeared at the entrance of the performance venue.

At this time, a long red carpet was laid out outside the gate, and staff and security personnel formed three human walls to ensure order and safety at the scene.

The area surrounding the red carpet was packed with journalists of all skin colors and from various countries.

After all, Wu Yili is an internationally recognized piano master. Moreover, the creators and performers of the instrumental album "Eternity" will be making their first appearance abroad, which is a huge gimmick and has attracted a lot of attention from reporters and media.

People from Singapore Television, Al Jazeera, and Hong Kong Television came, as well as media from neighboring countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. They lined up early in the morning, their main task being to snap a photo of Li Heng and then write a compelling news story based on it, which would be considered a great success.

"He's here! He's here! Mr. Li is here!"

Suddenly, a phrase circulated among the crowd. The previously relaxed group of reporters, who had been resting, instantly perked up, and like they'd been injected with adrenaline, they grabbed their cameras and aimed them at the Raffles City Hotel as they saw off the cars.

Amidst the anticipation of everyone, the car door opened, and Li Heng, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, stepped out first.

But as soon as his right foot got off the car, he was blinded by a barrage of flashing lights.

"OMG! He's so young!"

"He's so handsome! Mr. Li could definitely be voted the most handsome man in Asia!"

"Is this the person who topped the Billboard 3 albums chart for three consecutive months? He's so charismatic, Mom! I want to marry a Chinese man."

"Quick, Sun! Take a picture of me and Mr. Li from a distance. He's the most awesome musician among us Asians!"

"Who are those two women next to me? How can they be so beautiful? Are all Chinese people this sophisticated and good-looking?"

"That woman dressed in black looks so noble and elegant."

"The woman in the brown dress next to me is even more beautiful; even I, a woman, am smitten."

"..."

The moment the three appeared, they caused a sensation all around the red carpet.

Not only did the reporters go wild, but the music fans who had been waiting anxiously nearby also started shouting!

Praises poured in.

The commotion outside was so loud that many people inside the venue crowded around the entrance to watch.

Then a lot of other noises came over.

"Wow! That's Mr. Lee Kuan Yew! What brings him here?"

"You're really out of touch with reality. Lee Kuan Yew has stated in public on more than one occasion that he enjoys listening to the instrumental album 'Eternity' and is a supporter of Mr. Lee Heng. He even played 'Rain Imprint' on several occasions during breaks in the conference to ease his emotions."

Who is that person with a white cloth on their head?

"You mean that one? Oh, that's the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. I heard he's the first in line to the throne now."

"Wow! The Brunei prince on the left is also very handsome, but he's still not as good-looking as Mr. Lee."

"Lacking in artistic temperament."

"Yes, yes, yes...!"

"… .."

The three of them overheard a lot of gossip from the spectators nearby.

Seeing how popular Li Heng was, Yu Shuheng was overjoyed, feeling as happy as if she had drunk honey, even happier than if she had earned a hundred million.

Yu Shuheng whispered in his ear, "Little man, are you ready to become famous worldwide?"

Li Heng said with a touch of smugness, "Famous throughout the world? Haven't we already been?"

Yu Shuheng smiled slightly: "It's different. Before, I only knew your name but never saw you. After today, your photo will appear in major newspapers and magazines all over the world."

Li Heng blinked and corrected, "It's not me, it's us!"

Then he straightened up and said smugly, "That's good too. It's really nice to feel like you're floating on air like this abroad. Besides, there are two beautiful women with you. They're so envious."

Yu Shuheng smiled but remained silent.

Zhou Shihe glanced at his profile, pouted her delicate little mouth, and then quickly regained her calm and composed demeanor.

Just then, amidst the uproar in the crowd, a white female reporter crossed the security red tape and, with her assistant, darted to Li Heng's side. The surrounding security personnel were startled, thinking it was an assassination attempt, and immediately surrounded them, pressing the female reporter and her assistant onto the red carpet without saying a word.

The female reporter yelled, "I'm a reporter, you can't treat me like this!"

Seeing that the security guards ignored her, the female reporter shouted at Li Heng again: "Mr. Li, I'm Elena, a reporter from the BBC. Is this lady next to you your girlfriend? I've seen your Spring Festival Gala recordings before..."

The woman the female reporter was referring to was Yu Shuheng, who got off the bus next to him.

"BBC reporter? Get the hell out of my way!" Li Heng thought to himself, completely ignoring the farce that had just happened, and started walking towards the red carpet.

“Mr. Li! I love you! I also love these two ladies. Can you hold their hands for me?” A Chinese girl who looked like a college student held up a sign that read “Li Heng, I love you”, half in Chinese and half in English. She shouted this to Li Heng.

The female college student's voice was so loud that Li Heng subconsciously glanced at her.

Being watched by her idol, the girl screamed with excitement, immediately put her hands together to make a heart shape with her hands, and shouted, "Please, I love all three of you."

Li Heng smiled broadly, and then, in full view of everyone, he held Zhou Shihe's hand with his left hand and Yu Shuheng's hand with his right, allowing everyone to take photos, and walked confidently towards the VIP entrance.

The moment her right hand was grasped, Zhou Shihe frowned almost imperceptibly, then looked up at his profile, but ultimately did not struggle.

Seeing this, a complicated look flashed in Yu Shuheng's eyes, then she pretended not to know and smiled as she walked the red carpet.

When they reached the middle of the red carpet, the three stopped to sign their names on the wall, then took about 10 seconds to allow reporters and media on both sides to take photos before continuing on.

As soon as they reached the entrance, Li Heng tactfully released the two women and began to make conversation.
"Oh my, this is the first time I've seen so many foreigners, I'm so nervous!"

He said he was nervous, but he didn't look nervous at all.

Yu Shuheng and Zhou Shihe, however, looked at each other simultaneously.

Their eyes met, and both women fell silent.

They seemed not to speak, yet it was as if they had said everything. A few seconds later, the two women each looked away, gazing elsewhere.

With a smile, Li walked straight toward Li Heng, extending her hand as she went: "Hello! Teacher Li, welcome to Singapore."

Despite the presence of so many people around, he addressed Li Heng as "Teacher Li," demonstrating his heartfelt recognition and respect for Li Heng's talent.

"Hello, Mr. Li!" Li Heng extended his hand and shook hands with the other party.

Upon seeing this scene, reporters and media quickly snapped photos, and the lights on site flashed, with a constant clicking sound.

Li said, "Teacher Li, you are amazing! I really like your music."

I especially love "Memories of the Forbidden City," "Fairyland of Dongting Lake," and "Rain Imprint," and I have to listen to them every day before I can fall asleep.

"I was thinking, we all have the surname Li, so we might have been from the same family 800 years ago." Li Heng then laughed and said, "If you trace the origins of all the Li families in the world, you might really have a single ancestor."

Upon hearing this, both of them laughed.

Setting aside his political status, Lee asked in a friendly manner, "How does it feel to be here in Singapore for the first time?"

Li Heng replied, "The country is prosperous, the cities are clean, and the people are very well-mannered. They have left a very deep impression on me."

Li was overjoyed and said to his secretary, "Take a picture of me and Teacher Li together."

The secretary understood and raised the camera she was carrying.

Li held Li Heng's hand and took a photo of the two of them together.

Then, Li, being very good at social skills, took a group photo with Li Heng, Zhou Shihe, and Yu Shuheng.

Seeing that the Saudi Crown Prince next to him was eager to take a picture, Li exchanged a few pleasantries with Li Heng after taking the photo and then automatically stepped aside.

The Saudi Crown Prince was even more enthusiastic, immediately hugging Li Heng and taking out an album for Li Heng to sign. Afterwards, he took a photo with Li Heng and the signed album.

The Brunei prince stared intently at Zhou Shihe, practically drooling, and wanted to take a photo with her, but was refused.

Zhou Shihe's blunt refusal left the Brunei prince looking pale and also surprised many prominent figures at the entrance.

Immediately, people in the crowd began whispering and trying to find out Zhou Shihe's identity.

In order to protect her beloved disciple and to promote his teachings, Wu Yili had long been prepared for this scenario.

Sure enough, before long, someone found out the information: the girl's surname was Zhou, she came from one of the most elite families in China, she was an only child, and she wouldn't marry outside the family, etc...

Upon learning of this news, the Brunei prince was extremely depressed and immediately gave up hope.

What frustrated the Brunei prince even more was that Li Heng actually grabbed Zhou Shihe's wrist and walked past her right in front of him.

That's right, after walking the red carpet, Li Heng had already let go of Zhou Shihe, but then he grabbed her wrist again and pulled her into the venue.

Moreover, his pull didn't look out of place at all; it was very natural, making everyone around them think that the two were a perfect couple, a match made in heaven.

The moment her wrist was pulled, Zhou Shihe trembled, but the next second her body relaxed, letting him hold her hand and follow her step by step without resistance.

She lagged behind Li Heng by half a step, and as she was led forward, her gaze lingered on the back of his head, a strange sense of peace settling over her.

At that moment, Zhou Shihe didn't think about anything, and just kept walking and followed him until he arrived at his teacher Wu Yili's side.

Yu Shuheng followed behind the two, glancing at Li Heng and Zhou Shihe discreetly, understanding why the little man was behaving this way.

I'm jealous!
Protect your child!
It seems that Zhou Shihe holds a higher place in his heart than he imagined.

Yu Shuheng had a bad feeling: after this incident in Singapore, Zhou Shihe might slowly fall into the love trap he had woven.

When Wu Yili saw that Li Heng had come with his beloved disciple, she was surprised, but when she thought of how Shihe had covered the sleeping Li Heng with a coat, she felt relieved.

Wu Yili smiled and patted Li Heng on the shoulder, then said to the three of them, "Come with me."

After pushing through the crowd, Wu Yili led the three to a room backstage and instructed them, "You can rest here first. When it's time to go on stage, someone will come and call you."

Li Heng responded, "Okay."

Once the door closed, Wu Yili left, leaving the three of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

Perhaps influenced by Li Heng's public gesture of holding her wrist alone, after exchanging glances with the two, Zhou Shihe was the first to move. She went to the innermost chair, sat down, and began to close her eyes to rest.

Yu Shuheng gave him a meaningful smile and then casually found a place to sit down.

Well, receiving a look from Teacher Yu, Li Heng knew he had no choice but to sit down next to her.

He sat side by side with Teacher Yu.

Yu Shuheng whispered in my ear, "Were you jealous just now?"

Li Heng replied, "No."

Yu Shuheng asked, amused, "Then why were you holding her hand?"

Li Heng said, "When I'm out and about, I have a duty to protect my companions."

Yu Shuheng stared intently into his eyes without saying a word.

After a long standoff, Li Heng couldn't take it anymore and surrendered, "Don't look at me like that, I'm telling the truth. If anyone dares to harass the teacher, I will do the same thing."

Yu Shuheng whispered in his ear, "The same actions? How can I be the same as her? Little brother, how many times have you been on top of me? How many times have your hands wandered inside my clothes?"

Have you simply forgotten?

Did you do the same thing to her? That's why you say "the same thing"?

She emphasized the word "same".

Li Heng's eyelids twitched; he was truly impressed!

It's true what they say, only petty men and petty women are difficult to deal with; the ancients were right!
Ms. Yu possesses a noble and elegant demeanor, and while she may appear cold and aloof to others, she can be just as sharp-tongued as any ordinary woman when it comes to finding fault.

They're very sharp-tongued.

Li Heng looked down at his nose and said, "In my heart, you are different."

Yu Shuheng asked curiously, "Oh, how is it different?"

Li Heng silenced all her probing questions with a single sentence: "You are my university professor now, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, you will be the mother of my child in the future."

Yu Shuheng was stunned. It was the first time she had heard the young man confirm their relationship, and her heart was instantly filled with an indescribable sense of romance.

A simple sentence, yet for a woman, it is the most romantic confession in the world.

After a long silence, suppressing her joy, she asked meaningfully, "What if something unexpected happens in the future?"

Li Heng answered without hesitation, "Then the accident won't happen to me."

Yu Shuheng brushed her hair aside with her right hand, tilted her head, and looked him up and down. Then she carefully examined him from head to toe, and was very satisfied with his answer.

Yu Shuheng glanced at Zhou Shihe, who was resting with her eyes closed, without leaving a trace, and thought to herself: She won this trip to Singapore, but I didn't lose either.

The concert has begun.

The opening performance was the piano piece "Butterfly Lovers," which is Wu Yili's masterpiece. She spent nearly 60 years expressing this poignant and beautiful Chinese love story on the piano keys.

As a piano enthusiast, Li Heng could feel backstage that Master Wu was playing with his heart, perfectly expressing traditional Chinese music on the piano, a level that was difficult for him to reach.

As a formal member of the Chinese Musicians Association, Yu Shuheng remarked with emotion: "His performance was passionate and meticulous, with a beautiful tone. He truly deserves to be called one of the first generation of piano masters in our country."

(End of this chapter)