1987 My Era

Chapter 601, Precious Tears
Zhou Shihe arrived at some point and joined the two of them at the backstage entrance to watch Teacher Wu's live performance.

The three of them originally had reserved seats in the front audience area, but since they were the fourth act to perform, they didn't go to the front to sit, thinking they would wait until after their performance to avoid the hassle of going back and forth.

Yu Shuheng glanced at Zhou Shihe. In fact, she knew in her heart that this girl's piano talent was terrifying. She had also heard "The Butterfly Lovers" in Lushan Village. Although there were some differences in the emotional expression of the performance, she was in no way inferior to Teacher Wu Yili.

The second piece of music was "I Love You, China." This song stirred the hearts of many patriotic overseas Chinese and people of Chinese descent, bringing tears to their eyes.

The third piece is "On the Songhua River," a classic revolutionary song from the War of Resistance Against Japan, performed on the piano.

"Alright, it's our turn to go on stage. Li Heng, Shi He, are you ready?" Yu Shuheng asked with concern before they went on stage.

Li Heng smiled confidently, revealing his neat, white teeth.

He then looked at Zhou Shihe, who smiled and nodded.

Everything is ready!
As the host announced their names, as Master Wu Yili slowly exited the stage, and as the stage lights dimmed, the three of them walked onto the stage in an orderly fashion amidst enthusiastic applause.

"Clap clap clap!"

"Clap clap clap...!"

Thunderous applause!

Very enthusiastic!

The audience was in high spirits, and from the moment Li Heng and his two companions appeared, they applauded continuously, forcing them to stop and postpone their performance again and again.

Li Heng had expected to be very popular, and he had already warmed up for it when he walked the red carpet, but the atmosphere and cheers at the scene still infected him, and he secretly sighed: I didn't know I was so famous abroad!

"She has a very artistic temperament."

"Mr. Li has such a fine face!"

The audience members, regardless of gender, age, political figures, celebrities, or industry leaders, all shared a common ground at that moment, with the same words spontaneously appearing in their minds.

When their gaze fell upon Zhou Shihe behind the piano on the left, everyone's eyes brightened even more.

They all had the same thought: this woman is a favorite of heaven and should not have come to earth.

The Brunei prince glanced back and forth between Li Heng and Zhou Shihe, looking dejected and somewhat frustrated.

Keiko Matsuzaka, a popular Japanese actress hailed as "Japan's No. 1 Beauty," thought to herself upon seeing Zhou Shihe: "If this woman were born in Japan, she would probably suffocate the entire entertainment industry."

A friend quietly asked Wu Yili, "They were holding hands, are they a couple?"

Wu Yili gave a meaningful smile and asked instead, "What do you think of the two of them?"

A friend responded, "They're a perfect match; they look like a married couple."

Zhou Shihe's beauty made a great visual impact on the audience.

But Yu Shuheng's scholarly demeanor calmed all the men and prevented any woman from feeling jealous.

It is often said that beautiful women do not necessarily have elegance, but women with elegance are undoubtedly the most beautiful and the most unforgettable.

Beauty + scholarly temperament + oriental elegance = the highest level of beauty.

French roses, Parisian fashion, Marlene, Black Forest fairytale princesses, Tokyo geishas—their worldly airs are simply no match for the beauty of Eastern aristocracy.

This is the essence of the 5000-year cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.

Yu Shuheng truly embodies the saying: elegance never goes out of style, that's what a true goddess is.

The moment the group of one man and two women appeared, they stunned all the dignitaries, celebrities, and bigwigs in the audience, who sat obediently in their seats like schoolchildren, looking up to watch.

Looking at Yu Shuheng, who exuded a refined and scholarly air, Wu Yili still found it hard to believe: that such a woman could fall in love with her own student and have a teacher-student relationship!
Just as the audience was beginning to hold their breath and calm themselves down, there was a commotion on stage.

Amidst great anticipation, Zhou Shihe slowly placed her hands on the piano, concentrated for a few seconds, and then her slender fingers danced gracefully on the black and white keys like an elf.

In an instant, the beautiful piano melody swept through everyone's hearts like a spring breeze, instantly bringing them into a dream world woven by music.

After a while, the erhu joined in, its sound like a scene from a story, plaintive and deeply touching everyone's hearts.

The flower of love is dazzling and beautiful, yet for this couple on the wind-dwelling street, their love story ended before it even truly began, leaving listeners with a deep sense of regret as time passed and their youth faded. However, their passionate love still quietly awaited the other's return, but in the rest of their lives, they never received a response from each other.

The entire piece is based on the piano, with the erhu leaping across it.

Like lovers, they whispered their feelings to each other on the notes. The piano murmured softly, dreamlike and ethereal. Completely immersed in the world of the music, Zhou Shihe seemed to fall into a fantasy. She felt someone confessing their love to her in her ear, someone kissing her red lips, someone embracing her from behind, someone gazing at her in a daze, someone calling her name in her sleep. Here, he was devoted to her wholeheartedly.

In the dreamlike state of music, she shed all pretense and let go of all worries, gazing at him quietly, her heart pounding. Finally, she involuntarily closed her eyes, letting him kiss her, without slapping him…

Through the piano music, she experienced the taste of love. Without realizing it, a lingering image appeared in her heart; without realizing it, she silently focused a lot of attention on him.

In reality, she needs to be able to distinguish between what's important and what's not.

But in the piano music, she can unleash her girlish heart without reservation; she can clearly dissect her own feelings: she doesn't seem to dislike his pursuit, otherwise she wouldn't cook for him, wouldn't accompany him to release an album, wouldn't have come to Lushan Village on the third day of the Lunar New Year, wouldn't have shared a room with him in Beijing, and certainly wouldn't have danced with him... she wouldn't have absurdly asked him to write a note after being kissed...

She tore the note to shreds this afternoon.

But he held her hand twice when they walked the red carpet.

Their interactions, their every sip and bite, seemed to be guided by a divine will, maintaining their relationship.

The piano and erhu complement each other, their dynamic and startling, gentle and deep tones intertwined, like two lovers, admiring and longing for each other, yet one is from the south of the Yangtze River, and the other from the north.

As the performance progressed to the middle, Zhou Shihe, who had been trying her best to restrain herself, was eventually moved by the tragic story in the score and couldn't help but look up at someone.

Li Heng felt something and happened to look back at her at the first moment.

Their eyes met, and their hearts seemed to be gripped tightly. Their gazes lingered, but whose street did the wind blow through? Memories, like smoke, rushed back…

I still remember that day, when smoke shrouded the fields and the wind and rain were bleak.

Raindrops fell one by one onto her oil-paper umbrella, and you leaned against the pavilion, smiling at me.

Who was it that entangled three women, yet uttered the poignant line "Flowers bloom and fade" in the private room: "I fell in love with Zhou Shihe at first sight."

At the ends of the earth, raising a cup to the wind, who unfolds a letter, expressing a longing and wish: Shihe, I have fallen for you.

But in the blink of an eye, he was on top of other women?
Lost in thought, Zhou Shihe withdrew her gaze at that moment. As she lowered her head, a tear fell into her eye, but she forced it back down, preventing it from falling.

Perhaps, years from now, whenever I recall those youthful days, the emotions I felt will still be the only warmth I hold in my hands on a winter night.

Perhaps, in whose past is there not a street where the wind dwells?
When their gazes were broken, Li Heng felt an overwhelming sense of melancholy, as if his heart had been emptied.

Yu Shuheng took in their actions and suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness: she thought she hadn't lost this trip to Singapore, but after seeing Li Heng and Shihe staring at each other, she realized that she had lost.

Even if Zhou Shihe stays away from him completely from now on, that suffocating look in her eyes just now will remain in his heart forever.

By now, Yu Shuheng had confirmed one thing: it wasn't a one-sided effort from Li Heng; his seemingly futile efforts hadn't been in vain after all. Even the stunningly beautiful Zhou Shihe had been moved. It's just that the two of them were too reserved, so reserved as to be almost imperceptible, so reserved as to be hidden in the dust…

I don't know how Yu Shuheng got through the second half. Fortunately, in this piece, she was just a supporting character; the main instruments were the erhu and piano, so her presence or absence didn't make much difference.

When Teacher Yu regained consciousness, the audience erupted in applause. Li Guangx stood up and clapped.

The Crown Prince on the beach stood up and applauded.

Keiko Matsuzaka stood up and applauded.

Wait, is that Alan Tam? Is that Li Ao? Why are they all here? Everyone's standing up and clapping.

The Brunei prince also stood up, and everyone stood up. The applause was enthusiastic, rippling like waves of rice in the autumn wind, and lasted for a long time.

As Wu Yili clapped her hands, she surveyed the scene, letting out a bittersweet sigh: Most people were probably there for Li Heng and his two companions; the applause would be louder and longer-lasting than when she played. However, Li Heng and Shi He's performance today was flawless; they deserved the applause.

Especially Shihe, she could feel that her beloved student was completely immersed in the story of the song, very engaged, and full of emotion, giving a wonderful performance of "The Street Where the Wind Dwells".

The applause was thunderous and lasted for half a minute before it stopped.

After Li Heng and the other two presented their gifts, Wu Yili immediately found her beloved student, embraced her with satisfaction, and said:

"Not bad, better than the teacher. Today's performance did not disappoint the accumulation of the past two years. You can go on stage now."

What does "coming out" mean? It means that Wu Yili no longer restricted her from participating in international piano competitions, indicating that she could go solo.

Zhou Shihe gave a soft "hmm".

Wu Yili stared into her pure, bright eyes for a while, then patted her on the shoulder and said earnestly:
"Sometimes, the real world and the world in the music are interconnected. There's no need to deliberately separate them. It's important to be honest and understand yourself."

After speaking, Wu Yili left, quickly returning to the center of the stage.

Zhou Shihe looked down at her toes and remained silent. After a long while, when she looked up again, she had transformed back into her quiet and gentle self.

At this moment, Li Heng and Yu Shuheng had already taken their seats in the audience. Zhou Shihe thought for a moment and then went over and sat down next to Li Heng.

Okay, the three of them were seated together. Yu Shuheng automatically sat on the far left, while Li Heng, knowing the relationship between the two women, naturally sat in the middle.

Zhou Shihe is on the far right.

Li Heng asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Zhou Shihe looked at the stage and gently shook her head: "It's nothing."

Li Heng praised her truthfully, saying, "You played exceptionally well today."

Zhou Shihe nodded.

She then said, "You too, you're naturally suited for big occasions. Your erhu performance today was more impressive than any I've ever played before."

Li Heng didn't know whether to be happy or cry, and asked, "Did I play 'Erquan Yingyue' poorly during military training?"

Recalling the past, Zhou Shihe smiled knowingly, "I take back what I just said. 'Erquan Yingyue' is a very beautiful piece."

Just then, someone secretly tapped him on the back and slipped him a note.

Li Heng subconsciously glanced back and met Matsuzaka Keiko's smiling eyes.

One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so after hesitating for a moment, he politely accepted the note, but didn't open it immediately.

Zhou Shihe glanced at the note in his palm, then looked straight ahead, sat up straight and watched the teacher's performance, no longer distracted.

Yu Shuheng also noticed the note in his hand and began to rack her brains to find Matsuzaka Keiko's personal information.

After that, Li Heng stopped daydreaming and, out of respect for Master Wu Yili, focused intently on appreciating the music, just like the other audience members.

Only after Wu Yili finished playing the last piece, "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," and the piece was coming to an end, did he quietly slip the note into Teacher Yu's hand and ask, "Teacher, when are we going back?"

Yu Shuheng gripped the note, beaming, and asked, "When do you and Shihe want to go back?"

Li Heng replied, "Any day is fine with me, I'll follow your advice."

Yu Shuheng understood and would ask Zhou Shihe before making a decision.

After Wu Yili finished her brief thank-you speech on stage, and after the last round of applause from the audience subsided, Yu Shuheng stood up and said to the two of them, "It's over. Teacher Wu probably still has some social obligations to attend to, so let's go first."

Li Heng and Zhou Shihe stood up and left.

Li Guangx wanted to invite Li Heng and the other two to his home, but at that moment a secretary whispered a few words in his ear, so he had to leave in a hurry.

Li Ao was the first to rush over, saying, "Teacher Li, I have to catch a flight back to Taiwan soon, let's take a picture together."

Li Heng had long admired this man from the newspaper, so how could he refuse? He immediately posed for a photo with him, beaming with joy.

After Li Ao left, he clicked his tongue and asked, "Who is that woman next to Li Ao?"

After a moment of observation, Yu Shuheng concluded, "Since his marriage with Hu Yinmeng broke down, Li Ao has become much more low-key in this regard, and he may be an outsider."

Looking through the crowd, Matsuzaka Keiko stared at Li Heng for a long time. She wanted to come over and talk to him personally, but when she saw Zhou Shihe and Yu Shuheng beside him, she hesitated.

After only a brief moment of hesitation, Li Heng and the other two left the scene chatting and laughing with Alan Tam.

Keiko Matsuzaka felt a pang of disappointment.

After leaving the venue and returning to the hotel, Yu Shuheng immediately opened the note, then said to Li Heng with a half-smile, "This is a hotel address. Do you want to go?"

Zhou Shihe was slightly surprised, not expecting that Matsuzaka Keiko, known as Japan's number one beauty, would be so proactive.

Under the gazes of the two women, Li Heng dared not linger on the topic any longer; wouldn't that be courting death?
He waved casually and went into the bathroom without responding.

After teasing Li Heng, Yu Shuheng turned to Zhou Shihe: "Shihe, do you plan to stay here? When do you plan to return to China?"

Zhou Shihe knew that Teacher Yu was asking for her opinion, so she immediately replied gently, "I will go back to Shanghai with you."

Having received a clear reply, Yu Shuheng asked, "I have something to take care of later tomorrow, how about leaving tomorrow morning?"

Zhou Shihe readily agreed.

We had a celebratory dinner, hosted by Wu Yili. We didn't go anywhere else; the venue was the Raffles City Hotel.

After a lively gathering, the three left the private dining room. As for Wu Yili, she was busy with comings and goings, so the three didn't bother her.

Once inside the elevator, Yu Shuheng said, "Let's go for a walk on the beach to digest our food."

Of the three, she was the eldest in terms of seniority, and neither Li Heng nor Zhou Shihe objected. They also shared the desire to go for a walk, so they immediately agreed to take the hotel's car to East Coast Park.

Due to time constraints, the three of them didn't have many entertainment options. They simply took a walk, took some photos, and later, when they got tired, they sat on a stone bench in the park for a while.

Liu Bei came over and went straight to Yu Shuheng. "Boss, Teacher Fu called and wants you to call back as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shuheng glanced at her watch and asked the two, "It's getting late. Are you going back to the hotel together, or will you stay a little longer?"

(End of this chapter)