1987 My Era

Chapter 612, Two Slaps
Upon first hearing Lisa's words, I thought she was a plant, someone Zhou Shihe had hired specifically to suppress Teacher Yu.

Yu Shuheng glanced at Li Heng, then at Zhou Shihe, a smile on her face, maintaining a fairly good composure. Although they had completely fallen out, the two women would maintain a facade of unity in front of outsiders, even in front of Li Heng, so as not to give others any ammunition to laugh at them.

This is related to their upbringing, and also to Li Heng.

In response to Lisa's question, Zhou Shihe smiled quietly and replied, "We are musical partners, as well as close classmates and friends. When we're out together, he usually protects me."

Lisa asked, "Does holding hands count as protection?"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Shihe said, "Under special circumstances, to avoid any awkwardness, he took my hand and led me away. It was indeed a thoughtful gesture. It was our tacit understanding, and I have always been grateful to him."

Lisa asked, "Under what special circumstances?"

Zhou Shihe glanced at Li Heng subtly.

Li Heng immediately understood and jokingly answered for her, "She's beautiful, and sometimes she needs me to cover for her when we're out and about."

Okay, okay, this interview isn't following the script and it's gradually going astray.

Did Lisa and the other two not know if she was doing it on purpose? Was she trying to control the interview? Or was she genuinely amazed by Zhou Shihe's beauty, and thus asked several irrelevant questions?

In fact, Lisa's sixth sense told her that there was something fishy going on between Li Heng and Zhou Shihe. As a world-class musician, Li Heng was famous and well-known. If he could reveal some private information about his personal relationship in an interview, it would undoubtedly make the global audience, who were curious about Li Heng, even more interested. That way, Time magazine's sales would also rise and sell even better.

This interview lasted for more than an hour and mainly consisted of three parts.

First, there's Li Heng's past and creative experience.

Secondly, the story behind the creation of the instrumental album "Eternity" and the anecdotes of how the three met and came together.

The third part concerns future development.

For example, Lisa asked: "Mr. Li, you are the first Asian musician to be so popular that audiences around the world automatically set aside their nationality, race and region. You are also the first Asian musician to appear on the cover of Time magazine. You are already very successful, and everyone is excited about your future. Can you talk about your future music plans?"

Li Heng shook his head: "To be honest, I don't have a specific plan. For me, only impromptu creation can produce classics; cramming and piling up knowledge for fame and fortune would be exhausting and would go against my original intention."

In the future, I will continue to try to express the flavor of China and the essence of the East in music as authentically as possible, and spread Chinese culture to the world.

As you may know, Chinese musicians often express rich and delicate emotions when performing, which is one of our strengths.

Lisa asked, "Many Western media outlets report that China's education system is coercive, yet it has produced a genius like you. What is your opinion on this?"

Li Heng smiled and said, "That's not entirely true. Our education also involves some strategies and flexibility. Putting aside other things for now, for example, I've talked to Shihe about playing the piano privately."

She told me: "You have to be extremely hardworking in the early stages of learning piano. You can't play well without developing calluses. You still have to force yourself to improve your technique and musicality first, and build a solid foundation."

Of course, Shihe also mentioned that even when her parents and teachers forced her to practice, they were flexible and guided her to practice flexibly, not just blindly playing without a goal. Otherwise, practicing for more than ten hours a day would make her stupid, and she might emerge from the practice room looking like a mummy.

Lisa asked one last question: "So what do you think constitutes good music education?"

Li Heng thought for a moment and said, "I hope the children learn in a way that is inspired. Although sometimes it is indeed necessary to work hard, after all, diligence can make up for lack of talent, what is more important is to cultivate their self-discipline and a genuine love for music in their hearts. They should be told that although the process of learning music requires hard work, the results they achieve are priceless."

Lisa was surprised that he answered so comprehensively at such a young age, without finding any loopholes. She paused for a moment and said, "Okay, thank you for accepting our interview, and thank you Ms. Yu and Ms. Zhou for your great cooperation. Thank you."

After the interview ended and the camera was turned off, Yu Shuheng stood up and said to Lisa, "Lisa, I need to review the interview transcript beforehand."

Lisa knew that Ms. Yu in front of her was not a supporting character in the interview, but had great influence in real life, so she immediately said, "Okay, I will contact you as soon as the article is finished."

Lisa is gone, the film crew is gone.

Teacher Yu and Liu Bei also left. While personally seeing Lisa and her party off from the hotel, Teacher Yu also went out to take care of some other matters.

The once lively room was now empty except for Li Heng and Zhou Shihe.

He asked with concern, "Are you tired?"

Zhou Shihe said gently, "It's alright, I took a nap at noon."

Then she asked, "Will my answer today have any impact on you?"

She was referring to the incident where the two held hands in Singapore.

Li Heng countered, "What kind of impact do you think it will have?"

Before she could reply, Li Heng stood up, stretched, and said, "If any other men harass you outside in the future, I will still be the first to step in and take you away."

His words were objective and fair, and were the words of a virtuous person.

But for the two of them now, there is also an unspoken ambiguity.

Zhou Shihe silently observed his profile. After a few seconds, she slowly looked away, lowered her eyebrows, and closed her eyes. "I'm going to rest for a while."

Li Heng asked, "Aren't you going to your room to rest?"

Zhou Shihe said gently, "There's not enough time, we need to have dinner soon."

Li Heng glanced at her, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

In truth, both of them knew perfectly well that her earlier claim of not being tired, followed by her need to rest, was merely an excuse. At this moment, she didn't want to be alone with his alluring eyes, because his ambiguous words had stirred up her heart.

After a brief conversation, the two fell silent, and the living room instantly became quiet.

Li Heng didn't rush to leave. Instead, he sat down on the sofa opposite her, read the newspaper for a while, and then, without realizing it, his gaze fell on her graceful figure. He quietly observed and admired her.

Zhou Shihe has a keen intuition; even with her eyes closed, she can feel someone's gaze slowly roaming over her.

As time slowly passed, she could clearly sense that someone's gaze had become increasingly intense, filled with longing. Unconsciously, her body tensed up, and her slender fingers, resting on her thighs, unconsciously gripped her trouser legs.

She dared not make any big movements, afraid of attracting his attention, and even more afraid that he would see through her inner weakness and take advantage of it.

The situation remained deadlocked... No one dared to utter a sound, for fear of breaking the eerie atmosphere.

Time passed by, and before I knew it, how much time had gone by?
When the atmosphere in the room became so tense it felt suffocating, she began to regret her decision, wishing she had gone back to her room for a short rest.

But there's no going back in life. She tried her best to suppress her emotions, but someone inexplicably acted on their own.

As her thoughts drifted, a pair of large hands suddenly placed on her and swept her up in their arms.

In that instant, her slender body trembled, and her long eyelashes quivered involuntarily; she was extremely nervous!

Then a series of soft footsteps sounded; he was moving, and she was held in his arms as he moved.

She could sense that they were heading towards the bedroom.

What was he trying to do? Zhou Shihe's mind went blank.

The door opened, and she knew the two had entered the room.

He took another ten steps or so, then suddenly stopped at the head of the bed and fell silent. Her body was suspended in mid-air.

After about half a minute in mid-air, Zhou Shihe felt his movements again: he bent over and laid himself flat on the bed, but his hands did not let go and he was still holding her.

Instantly, her heart pounded so hard it almost jumped out of her throat.

The bedroom was deathly silent. Zhou Shihe wanted to open her eyes to see what he was doing, but she hesitated, feeling a little worried.

Suddenly, a very soft voice reached her ears, "Are you asleep or not?"

Zhou Shihe remained silent and did not respond.

Another voice quietly rang out: "Shihe, just how big of a fight have you and Teacher Yu had? You two seem to be getting more and more agitated. Sigh, if this continues, how will you ever be able to perform together again?"

So that's what he was worried about, she thought.

Zhou Shihe remained silent.

After a long while, Li Heng withdrew his hands from under her and looked at the beautiful woman who was as serene as a flower reflected in water. He couldn't help but place his right hand on her face.

Two or three seconds later, he sighed softly, removed his right hand, pulled the blanket over her, then got up and quietly left the bedroom.

Hearing the footsteps fade away and the door close, Zhou Shihe secretly breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her tense body went limp on the bed, motionless, like a deflated balloon, completely drained of strength.

This state lasted for about two minutes before she finally opened her eyes slowly. She first looked at the door, then her gaze moved upwards, staring fixedly at the ceiling, and she became lost in thought, a rare occurrence for her.

Faced with this man and his complicated love, what should she do?
Although she insisted on not backing down when arguing with Teacher Yu, it was mostly out of spite. In reality, she had many concerns.

One of them is her best friend, Mai Sui. How can she tell her the truth frankly?

Secondly, she resented his womanizing ways. She had a strong aversion to romantic relationships and couldn't accept that Li Heng had slept with so many women; she simply couldn't tolerate it.

Third, she was unsure whether her feelings for him were a temporary product of a specific phase, or something she couldn't let go of for a long time.

The third point is particularly important: she must have 100% clear understanding.

...

After leaving Zhou Shihe's bedroom, Li Heng did not return to his room. Instead, he took out the documents he had brought back from Aba and slowly turned the pages to read them, trying to calm the restlessness deep within his heart.

After half an hour of effort, his mind gradually calmed down.

An hour later, he was temporarily freed from his shackles, found his rhythm, and entered the world of the book.

"Ring ring..."

"Ring ring..."

At 5:30 p.m., the living room phone rang. Li Heng, who was interrupted from reading, frowned and then picked up the receiver.

"Li Heng?"

That was Teacher Yu's voice.

Li Heng replied, "Yes, teacher, where are you?"

Yu Shuheng said, "Xu Li and I will be back soon. We'll be waiting for you on the first floor of the hotel in 20 minutes. You can call Shihe downstairs later, and we'll go have dinner together."

"Okay, sure." Li Heng stood up after hanging up the phone.

Just as he reached the door of Miss Zhou's bedroom and raised his hand to knock, the bedroom door suddenly opened, revealing a pair of pure and bright eyes.

Their eyes met, and Li Heng felt a strong tremor in his heart. The desire he had just suppressed by reading rekindled, burning even more fiercely and intensely than before!
Separated by the door, you looked at me, I looked at you, and we stood there, stunned, seemingly both infected by his intense emotions, as if his heightened feelings had also touched her heart.

At that moment, an indescribable aura suddenly erupted between the two, instantly covering their entire bodies like lightning.

They gazed at each other, and at one point, Li Heng couldn't help but make a move.

He pushed open the door with his left hand, pulled her into his right arm, lowered his head, and kissed her like a shooting star.

Zhou Shihe, whose heart was stirred by him, was in a daze until her cherry lips were captured in his mouth, at which point she came to her senses and came back to her senses.

She instinctively tried to struggle, but to no avail, as someone held her tightly in their arms.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together, leaving her no room to struggle or escape.

Struggling to no avail, she used all her strength to press her left hand against his chest, trying to create distance between their bodies, while tilting her head back to prevent him from kissing her, and quickly sealing his lips with her right hand.

Her trick worked perfectly; the two mouths that had just been closed immediately separated.

Li Heng looked down at him with a longing expression.

Zhou Shihe pouted slightly, raised her head to meet his gaze, her eyes filled with a mixture of emotions: annoyance, grievance, resentment, and a hint of something she herself couldn't quite discern.

After a brief standoff, driven by his restless desire, Li Heng grasped her right wrist with his left hand, slowly pried it open, and then his liberated lips kissed her again, firmly sealing her lips with his own.

Zhou Shihe tried to push him away with her left hand, but the difference in their strength was too great, and it was useless. Li Heng simply took a step forward, entered the room, then closed the door with his right foot, pressed his entire body against her, and pinned her against the wall.

In an instant, the two were locked in a close-up wall slam.

With a wall blocking her way from behind, and him pressing down on her from the front, and his right hand under her control, Zhou Shihe had no room to resist and could only watch helplessly as he kissed her so romantically.

First, he kissed and gently bit the upper moon.

Next, the corner of her mouth.

Finally, as the crescent moon descended, he passionately teased it.

Throughout the kiss, a strange current spread from the corner of her mouth to her whole body. She experienced an unprecedented absurdity and mystery. Her body was as if she had turned to stone, as if she had lost consciousness. Her bones felt numb and tingly. She just stared blankly as he acted wantonly on her lips.

His red letters were full of tricks, and Zhou Shihe, who was completely clueless, couldn't handle them at all. She just instinctively and blankly wondered: Is this the kissing skill he practiced on Mai Sui and Xiao Han?
Upon hearing the names Mai Sui and Xiao Han, Zhou Shihe, who had just been dazed and confused, suddenly focused her gaze in black and white. Her weak right hand, with a strength she didn't know she possessed, suddenly broke free from his hand and lifted it upwards!
"Snapped!"

A loud slap landed on his face.

She used all her strength, holding nothing back.

Li Heng, in pain, immediately released her red lips, feeling a burning pain on his left cheek.

Li Heng stared at her blankly.

Zhou Shihe lowered her eyes, turned her head away, and avoided looking at him.

The once-enthusiastic atmosphere suddenly turned cold and plummeted to rock bottom.

Gazing at her profile, flushed slightly, and at her disheveled hair, Li Heng gradually regained his senses. In a fleeting moment, he reached out with his right hand and gently tidied the messy strands of hair around her ears.

Zhou Shihe's body stiffened, and she instinctively wanted to resist and try to pry his hands away.

But someone murmured, "Don't move, it'll be over soon," with an incredibly magical power that forced her raised right hand to freeze in mid-air as if under a spell. After another ten seconds or so, her right hand slowly fell down as if it were broken, returning to her trouser cuff with endless melancholy.

Gently smoothing and tidying her stray hairs, Li Heng reached out and pulled her back into his arms, whispering a deep apology in her ear, "I'm sorry."

The word "I'm sorry" felt like a heavy weight, striking Zhou Shihe's heart, and tears welled up instantly. But she turned her head away, trying her best to hold back and prevent the tears from spilling out of her eyes.

At that moment, the air froze.

Time stood still.

The two of them fit together seamlessly, quietly listening to each other's breathing and feeling each other's warmth, remaining silent for a moment.

After a long, long silence, Zhou Shihe finally responded.

She used all her strength to press against his chest, creating a gap between their bodies. Seizing the opportunity, she crouched down and escaped through the gap.

She escaped, and this time Li Heng didn't stop her, but just turned his head slightly to look at her.

Zhou Shihe tightened the doorknob with her right hand, opened the door, and then walked out.

She had only walked out a short while when, for some unknown reason, she came back, turned around, and looked at him quietly, staring intently into his eyes.

Li Heng did not avoid her gaze and met her eyes directly.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Although their eyes were clearly very tired, neither of them blinked, as if an immense force was supporting them.

In the silent standoff, her simple eyes seemed to say: Since you love me so much, could you give up drinking for me?
Over time, the two developed an unspoken understanding; Li Heng understood her every move and her gaze.

Because he understood it, he seemed to have entered a state of silence, speechless for a long time.

Seeing this, her eyes dimmed instantly, a hint of disappointment flashing across them. Then, she bit her pearly white teeth and raised her right hand again.

"Snapped!"

A loud slap followed, and then another slap across the face.

Her right hand landed on his face again.

However, this time she held back half her strength in mid-air and slapped him lightly.

The reason he held back half his strength was that he already had a faint mark on his left cheek, and if he slapped him harder, the fingerprint might become very clear, and he wouldn't be able to face people outside.

After finishing her cigarette, Zhou Shihe withdrew her right hand, her eyes blurry with tears. Two tears, which she could no longer hold back, streamed down her face.

Then, she turned around and resolutely held back the remaining tears in her eyes, refusing to let them fall, even as they welled up in her eyes.

She left, her steps light, her back frail yet graceful, revealing nothing from the outside.

After leaving the room that had caused her so much distress, she rediscovered herself and returned to her proud and aloof self.

Ps:

(End of this chapter)