1987 My Era

Chapter 616,

The doorknob turned slowly.

After half a circle, the door opened.

Li Heng is outside the door!
Zhou Shihe froze for a moment, stopping in her tracks.

"Shihe, are you alright?" Li Heng asked worriedly.

As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Zhou Shihe.

At first, Zhou Shihe avoided his gaze, but later, seeing that he was staring at her intently, she simply stopped avoiding him, raised her head slightly, and looked directly into his eyes.

One was 180cm tall with shoes on, the other was 166cm. One stood tall at the doorway, looking down at the other, who looked pitiful against the sink. Their eyes met and lingered, neither giving way for the other.

Seeing that her eyes were slightly red, Li Heng felt a pang of sadness. Staring at her frail figure, he suddenly took a step forward and instinctively reached out his hands to hug her, wanting to hold her in his arms and feel sorry for her.

Zhou Shihe seemed to have guessed his thoughts. She turned slightly to the side, then used her right hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, lowered her head, and took a step to the side without making a sound. She then tried to walk past him out of the washroom.

Li Heng instinctively reached out his left hand and placed it on her lower abdomen.

Zhou Shihe's body stiffened, and she remained motionless.

At this moment, the two who almost passed each other were silently facing each other.

An indescribable feeling lingered between them, their hearts both drawn to and repelled by each other.

Time slipped away second by second, and before I knew it, so much time had passed.

At a certain moment, when new footsteps came from outside the door, Li Heng's thoughts returned, and he withdrew his left hand.

Zhou Shihe pouted slightly with her cherry-like lips, then left the washroom with light steps.

Li Heng didn't move, his gaze fixed on the scratched mirror, where water droplets were still dripping down.

A short while later, the person entered the washroom; it was the daughter of the Arnaud family. Behind her was Adjani, who had been dragged along by the young lady.

When Ajani saw Zhou Shihe coming out of the washroom, she stopped automatically at the door, lost in thought, her gaze following Zhou Shihe's figure.

Arro's daughter, however, didn't care about all that. She went straight in, came to Li Heng's side, and greeted him with a joyful expression: "What a coincidence, Mr. Li, you're here too."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shihe paused almost imperceptibly, then calmly left the area.

Adjani witnessed the entire scene, and only after watching Zhou Shihe disappear around the corner of the corridor did she turn her head to look at her friend and Li Heng.

One doesn't hit a smiling face, so even though Li Heng didn't know the other person, he still nodded with a smile.

Arnaud's daughter seized the opportunity to introduce herself, and then pulled Adjani over, saying, "Mr. Li, this is the most beautiful woman in France. She really wants to get to know you."

Upon hearing this, Adjani felt like dying. She had been dragged along to bolster her courage, only to be introduced like this. However, having met countless celebrities, she wasn't too intimidated and greeted them with a few smiles, "Hello, Mr. Li."

Li Heng returned the greeting: "Hello."

Arnault's daughter asked, "Mr. Li, do you have time today?"

Li Heng looked at her.

Arnaud's daughter, holding Adjani's arm, said, "Adjani has fallen in love with you at first sight and would like to invite you to dinner."

Adjani's eyes widened slightly, but after her friend kept blinking and pleading, she finally remained silent with an odd expression.

Li Heng glanced at Isabelle Adjani in surprise, then at Arno's daughter, and after a moment's hesitation, shook his head. "Sorry, I have plans tonight."

Undeterred, Arnault's daughter asked, "What about tomorrow and the day after?"

Li Heng said, "Something has come up in China, and we're going back tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Arnault's daughter's face flashed with deep disappointment. She then took out a business card from her bag, followed by a pen, wrote a phone number on the card, and handed it over.
“Mr. Li, please be sure to contact us next time you come to Europe, so that Adjani and I can do our part as hosts.”

It was obvious that the business card belonged to Arnault's daughter.

The newly written phone number was Adjani's home landline number.

Adjani was speechless, but in order to save face for her friend, she couldn't stop her.

Li Heng took the business card, said thank you, smiled politely at the two men, and left the washroom.

The two women returned the greeting with smiles.

Only after he had walked away did Adjani speak up jokingly: "You are, after all, the eldest daughter of our French Arnaud family. If the outside world knew that you were pursuing men like this, it would probably be in the newspapers for quite a while."

The Arnault heiress was somewhat frustrated: "I'm not afraid of being in the newspapers, and there's no law that says women in the Arnault family can't actively pursue men. The problem is that he doesn't seem interested in me."

It was only when she realized that Li Heng wasn't interested in her that Arnaud's daughter immediately shifted her focus to her friend Adjani, which is why she kept insisting that Adjani fell in love with Li Heng at first sight.

The goal was simple: this young lady hoped to use her title as the most beautiful woman in France to attract Li Heng, thus creating more opportunities to get to know him in the future.

Adjani comforted him, saying, "He probably doesn't know what the Arnault family represents in France."

The Arnaud family heiress shook her head. "It might not work. I just asked someone to inquire with the head of the Philharmonic Orchestra about the violinist Yu Shuheng. She's said to come from one of China's most prestigious families."

Adjani wasn't surprised, because Yu Shuheng exuded an air of nobility that clearly came from a family of ordinary origin. "Why are you asking about Yu Shuheng?"

Arnault's daughter said, "Mr. Li's external affairs are all handled by Yu Shuheng."

Adjani thought for a moment and said, "I think if you really want to pursue this Mr. Li, you should pay more attention to the woman who just walked out of here."

Arnold's daughter realized what was happening: "Zhou Shihe?"

Adjani is right.

Arnault's daughter asked, "What's the reason?"

Adjani said, "There's no reason, it's just a woman's intuition."

Arnault's daughter was even more frustrated. She walked around her friend's room again and again, and finally said, "It's really unfair. So many men in France and even Europe are crazy about you, but you can't even attract him to have dinner with you?"

Adjani was speechless: "Didn't your once invincible Arnault family halo also fail?"

Arnault's daughter clapped her hands: "Men like that are more attractive, and they'll ignite my desire to pursue them even more. He'll definitely come to Europe to perform again next time, so let's sisters gang up on him. Whoever sleeps with him first, the other one has to quit."

Adjani was both amused and exasperated, feeling that her friend was desperate for a man, and fell silent.

....
lounge.

When Li Heng pushed the door open, not only was Zhou Shihe inside, but Teacher Yu had also returned.

Hearing the noise, Yu Shuheng looked up.

Zhou Shihe sat quietly in the chair, without making a sound.

Yu Shuheng stared at him with a half-smile and said, "Oh, why are you back already? I heard that the heiress of the Arnaud family and the most beautiful woman in France went to the bathroom to wait for you. Were you not interested, or were you scared?"

Li Heng rolled his eyes: "You're certainly well-informed."

Yu Shuheng said, "Of course."

Li Heng asked, "Then why couldn't you help me out of this predicament?"

Yu Shuheng asked curiously, "Solve the situation? Why should I help you out? If the man I've set my sights on is stolen away like this, is there any point in cherishing him, teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shihe glanced at Teacher Yu without leaving a trace, somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Teacher Yu to openly admit her feelings for Li Heng.

Although everyone knew the truth in the past, due to her status as a teacher, Ms. Yu always maintained a teacher's demeanor in front of outsiders, never daring to get too close to him, let alone say things like "the man I've taken a fancy to."

Clearly, Teacher Yu was implying something.

It was also quite obvious that Teacher Yu's mindset had changed, and she had become a little more anxious.

Zhou Shihe understood that because she had revealed a weakness in her emotions during the performance, perhaps half of what the other person said was meant for her.

Li Heng felt embarrassed, but he remained calm and composed. He took out the business card that Arnault's daughter had given him, put it in Teacher Yu's hand, and said, "Teacher, let's go back to the hotel. I'm a little hungry."

He made no attempt to defend himself; a business card was enough.

Yu Shuheng glanced at the business card, then at the handwritten landline number on it, and asked with a gentle smile, "Is this line below Adjani's phone number?"

Li Heng stretched and said, "Don't ask me about this. How would I know? If the teacher has the time, he can contact them himself."

Yu Shuheng twirled the business card in her hand. "If I contact them, they'll probably be very disappointed when they hear my voice."

Li Heng stated directly: "That's none of my business."

Yu Shuheng was very satisfied with his attitude and smiled slightly, saying, "Shihe, let's go back to the hotel."

Zhou Shihe stood up and left the Amsterdam Royal Concert Hall with the two of them.

Back at the hotel, the three first removed their performance makeup, then waited for more than ten minutes before Xu Li and Xu Sheng arrived. The group of five then headed towards Chinatown.

There's no other way; I just can't get used to the food in other places. Chinatown is the best; at least I can fill my stomach.

During the meal, Xu Li asked, "We're leaving tomorrow morning, are you sure you don't want to stay another day?"

Yu Shuheng said, "School has already started. Li Heng and Shihe have to go back to class, and I also have to register."

Xu Li knew this was just a casual excuse, so she didn't try to stop her any further.

After dinner, the group wandered aimlessly through the streets and alleys for a while, bought some local specialties, and returned to the hotel before dark with bags full of purchases.

Li Heng bought Song Yu a watch, Xiao Han perfume, Zi Jin a bag, and Mai Sui a bracelet and chocolates.

Zhou Shihe was a little puzzled as to why he bought so many, but she didn't ask. She figured that some of them belonged to Xiao Han, some to Sui Sui, and the rest were probably from his family.

Yu Shuheng knew Song Yu and the other girls, and she saw through his gift but didn't say anything, just laughed it off.

After changing her shoes and entering the suite's living room, Zhou Shihe went straight back to her room without lingering.

Yu Shuheng looked at her from behind, as if all of this was expected.

Li Heng was the last to enter, and after closing the door, he asked, "Teacher, what time is our flight tomorrow?"

Yu Shuheng said, "8 o'clock."

Li Heng said, "Oh? Then we have to leave before dawn?"

Yu Shuheng teased, "If you don't want to leave so soon, you can stay. There are people here who would be happy to entertain you."

Li Heng's eyelids twitched, and he whispered in her ear, "Look at you, talking nonsense. Who here is prettier than my teacher?"

After saying that, he carried his bags back to his room.

Yu Shuheng smiled, quite pleased with his words. After standing there for a moment, she followed him into the bedroom.

Once inside the room, she closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed, watching him unpack the various gifts.

After a while, she jokingly asked, "Why didn't you buy some for me and Shihe?"

Li Heng didn't even look up: "You two rich women, do you really need something like this?"

Yu Shuheng said, "We are our own, and what you gave us is different."

Li Heng feigned ignorance, "What's different?"

Yu Shuheng didn't say anything, just kept looking at him and smiling.

Li Heng felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze. Finally, he said, "Since I met you, I've spent most of my time with you. We've been to Bailu Village, Aba, Singapore, and Europe. Last year, during winter and summer vacations when I went back to my hometown, we were together every day. Do I need to give you any other gifts? Aren't I the best gift?"

Yu Shuheng was stunned by what she was told.

After a while, she peeked over, cupped his face in her hands, looked him over from left to right, and finally pecked him a few times with affection, saying, "You know what, that makes a lot of sense, little brother, you've passed this test."

After tidying up the gifts, Li Heng took a shower, then laid out his writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and began to read.

Yu Shuheng asked, "Are you writing tonight?"

Li Heng said, "Chapter 33 is not finished. I will probably need to write another seven or eight hundred words to wrap it up."

Yu Shuheng nodded and sat silently beside him, keeping him company without saying a word.

That night, Li Heng first read books to get a feel for the story, and then picked up his pen to continue writing Chapter 33 of "Dust Settles Down." He then revised it twice more, and only stopped after midnight.

Yu Shuheng watched the whole thing from the side. When he put down his pen, she came up behind him, put her hands on his shoulders, and carefully helped him relax his body.

Li Heng didn't mince words, closing his eyes to enjoy it. Later, he went even further, leaning his whole body back and resting his head on her chest, feeling so comfortable he wanted to moan.

He had bitten her twice already. Although Yu Shuheng felt a little awkward, she still tolerated his overstepping behavior, first massaging his shoulders and then his temples.

About 20 minutes later, Li Heng fell asleep, his even breathing indicating that he was sleeping soundly.

Seeing this, Yu Shuheng rubbed her aching wrists, then sat down beside him, admiring him with gentle eyes. At one point, she leaned in and kissed his lips, then took off her coat and covered him with it, turned off the light, opened the door, and left the master bedroom.

....
The next day, the domestic media were in an uproar.

First, CCTV broadcast a 5-second clip of Li Heng's performance at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Then, like sharks smelling blood, the national media launched a massive coverage of Li Heng's achievements in bringing glory to the country.

For a time, almost every newspaper headline was about Li Heng's rampage across Europe.

Look at the audience below—it's a veritable who's who of celebrities. There are European royalty, political figures from various countries, big business leaders, socialites, popular stars, and football moguls. None of them are ordinary people; it's quite a spectacle.

Besides Li Heng, who else in China has such a grand presence abroad?

Domestic media exploded with excitement, Hong Kong media joined in the excitement, and French, Dutch, European, American, and even media from other Asian countries were all paying attention to this spectacle, while also feeling a bit envious.

Li Heng graced the cover of Time magazine!
Li Heng is the first music master in Asia to collaborate with such a prestigious orchestra as the Philharmonic Orchestra.

Of all the media outlets, the French media had the most complicated feelings. Someone had leaked the news that the Arnault family heiress and Isabelle Adjani, France's most beautiful woman, were both pursuing Li Heng, which infuriated French men!

The Arnault family is one of the wealthiest and most influential families in France. How could you be so unreserved?
Adjani, can't you be a little more assertive? Why can't you find a man in France? Don't French men have any pride?

Some media outlets went to confront Isabelle Adjani and asked, "Adjani, I heard from the daughter of the Arnault family that if Li Heng were to pursue you, you would cancel your schedule to go on a date with him. Did you say that?"

Adjani thought for three seconds and replied, "I did."

The male reporter roared, "Why?"

Adjani laughed and said, "Because that man's name is Li Heng."

In short, the male reporter was completely outshone!

But this caused an even bigger sensation. Adjani made headlines in major newspapers with this statement. The news included pictures of Adjani watching the performance, with the caption: "Because that man's name is Li Heng."

In an instant, the phrase "Because that man is named Li Heng" resounded throughout Europe and America, causing countless male fans to feel heartbroken, while Li Heng and Isabelle Adjani became the talk of the town.

Some media outlets, sensing a money-making opportunity, launched a poll to select the best couple, listing 20 golden couples from Europe and America. As a result, Li Heng and Isabelle Adjani received a precipitous lead in votes, leaving no doubt that they won the title of "Best Couple of the Century".

When Li Heng learned of this news, only three words flashed through his mind: "This is terrible!"

The next day, after 6 o'clock in the morning.

Li Heng, Zhou Shihe, and Yu Shuheng checked out of the hotel and got into Xu Sheng's BMW to head to the airport.

As soon as they boarded the plane, Zhou Shihe and Teacher Yu dozed off, which confused him a bit. He looked at one of them and then at the other, unable to tell whether the two women were really asleep or just pretending.

After pondering for a while without figuring it out, he eventually gave up. Whether the two women were pretending to be asleep or trying to avoid each other, he couldn't be bothered to care anymore. He picked up a magazine and started flipping through it half-heartedly.

During this time, a group of flight attendants walked back and forth past him, their eyes glancing at him almost imperceptibly. Some of them were even bold enough to secretly take pictures of him.

Li Heng sighed, put down the magazine, and looked up at the flight attendant taking pictures. The flight attendant blushed, lowered her head in embarrassment, and walked away.

Half a day later, the blushing flight attendant passed by him and quickly slipped him a note that read: "Mr. Li, you are too elegant, please forgive me."

After slipping the note, the flight attendant secretly watched Li Heng's actions, but unfortunately, she didn't get a response from him.

After the flight attendant left, Yu Shuheng suddenly said in a soft voice, "Little man, these vixens are really bold, daring to seduce you right in front of me."

Li Heng turned his head to the side: "When did the teacher wake up?"

Yu Shuheng tossed her hair aside, closed her eyes again, and ignored him.

Well, what a frustrating endeavor.

Remembering something, Li Heng turned over and asked Zhou Shihe, "Weren't you asleep either?"

Zhou Shihe's long eyelashes trembled.

Li Heng's eyes widened: "Shake it again."

A few seconds later, Zhou Shihe's eyelashes really did tremble again.

Li Heng couldn't help but swear: "Damn! You guys are really good actors, I didn't even realize it before."

Zhou Shihe smiled knowingly, turned her body to the side, and faced away from him.

The three of them didn't talk much during the flight. Later, Li Heng flipped through a magazine and fell asleep without realizing it. When he woke up again, the plane was already over Shanghai, and an announcement was reminding passengers to fasten their seatbelts as the plane was about to land.
He took a flight from Europe in the morning, but when he arrived at Shanghai Airport, it was still noon. Jet lag made Li Heng dizzy, but luckily he had taken a nap and was still in good spirits.

After passing through the gate, Yu Shuheng said to Li Heng and Zhou Shihe, "Li Heng, Shihe, your teacher has something to do and will go ahead first. Zeng Yun will take you home."

With so many people around, Li Heng didn't ask her where she was going. He only asked, "When is the teacher going back to school?"

Yu Shuheng said, "Tomorrow."

Li Heng stopped asking.

Zhou Shihe and Yu Shuheng exchanged a glance as a greeting, and then went their separate ways.

Before parting, Yu Shuheng slipped a thick envelope to the two of them.

Once inside the Mercedes, Li Heng opened the envelope and saw a bank draft with a face value of 235 million RMB.

He understood that this was the performance fee.

Li Heng asked her, "And yours?"

Zhou Shihe opened the envelope; it contained a bank draft for 235 million.

Li Heng said, "It looks like the performance fee for the three of us this time is 50 pounds."

Zhou Shihe nodded.

Li Heng asked, "I don't know much about this. Do you think it's too high or too low?"

Zhou Shihe also shook her head: "I haven't paid much attention to it, but my teacher's appearance fee isn't that high."

Li Heng casually asked, "How much is your teacher's appearance fee usually?"

Zhou Shihe looked out the window and remained silent.

After lingering on her profile for a moment, Li Heng started chatting with Zeng Yun, who was driving.

As they approached the school, Li Heng's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he stared blankly at the elderly couple outside.

Zeng Yun seemed to have noticed as well, and without him saying a word, he had already quietly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Once the car had come to a stop, Li Heng opened the door, got out, and called out, "Dad, Mom, what are you doing here?"

Seeing her son appear, Tian Run'e walked over with great joy, pulling him up and down and saying, "You're back from Europe."

"Yeah, I just got off the plane and came straight here." Li Heng noticed that many people around him were looking at him and whispering among themselves, seemingly discussing his performance in the Netherlands.

Tian Run'e asked, "Hey, where's Teacher Yu? Didn't she come back with you?"

As she spoke, she leaned into the car, her eyes meeting Zhou Shihe's pure gaze.

Their eyes met, and Zhou Shihe gently called out, "Auntie."

Then Zhou Shihe opened the car door and got out, politely greeting Li Jianguo as "Uncle".

"Eh."

"Eh."

The couple responded, but they didn't know how to exchange pleasantries with the Zhou family girl.
Well, they probably felt that the gap between the Li family and the Zhou family was too big, and that the girl was too beautiful, so the couple inexplicably became a little reserved.

I was even more reserved than when I first met Teacher Yu.

Li Jianguo and Tian Run'e were speechless, unsure how to continue the conversation. Zhou Shihe also remained silent, standing quietly behind Li Heng, waiting for someone to bail her out.

To be honest, when Zhou Shihe last saw Li Jianguo and Tian Run'e, she was completely an outsider, just like when she met ordinary strangers, and didn't feel much.

But this sudden encounter left her feeling uneasy, just like the couple.

However, Zhou Shihe comes from a good family and has received a good upbringing since childhood. She has long since developed a calm and composed mindset in the face of important matters. Even if she feels a little flustered inside, she always maintains a calm and unhurried demeanor on her face.

Tian Run'e sighed inwardly: her self-control was not even as good as that of a young girl.

Li Heng, quick-witted as ever, broke the silence by speaking up: "Why are you here? Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

Tian Run'e said, "Your father and I came on a whim, and we took the train with Tong Yong's mother."

Li Heng asked, "Haven't they been here for two or three days already?"

Tian Run'e said, "Today is the third day."

Li Heng asked, "Where are you staying? At Lao Yong's house, or in Lushan Village?"

Tian Run'e said, "Lushan Village. Before Maisui finished her get out of class, your father and I thought we'd go out to buy some vegetables and cook her a nice meal."

"Ha, Mom is so caring, she only bought this little bit of food? I didn't expect your precious son to come back today?" With Mai Sui around, Li Heng suddenly felt that he wasn't so great with the old couple anymore.

Tian Run'e complained, "You didn't say you'd be back this afternoon, and you didn't even call. Whose fault is that?"

As she spoke, she pulled her husband around and ran back to the market.

Li Heng said to Zhou Shihe, "Why don't you go back to Lushan Village first? I'll go with you to the market to take a look."

Zhou Shihe agreed.

Li Heng extended an invitation, "By the way, let's have dinner together tonight. Don't sneak off to eat in the cafeteria."

Zhou Shihe smiled knowingly; if he hadn't said that, she really would have considered it.

For some reason, she didn't really want to see Li Heng's parents.

She neither agreed nor disagreed. But Li Hengquan took it as her tacit consent.

Seeing that there were no cars on the road, he crossed the road in one breath and disappeared into the vegetable market diagonally opposite.

Zhou Shihe glanced at his back, then at the signboard of the vegetable market, and turned to get into the car.

Zeng Yun understood, restarted the car, and headed towards Lushan Village.

At the market, the elderly couple were buying vegetables in front, while Li Heng was paying behind them.

While shopping, Tian Run'e asked, "Did you invite Zhou Shihe for dinner?"

Li Heng said, "They shouted it."

Tian Run'e asked, "Where did Teacher Yu go? You still haven't told me."

Li Heng said, "Teacher Yu had other matters to attend to and left in a hurry after leaving the airport."

Tian Run'e frowned slightly, thinking: Teacher Yu is good in every way, except that she trusts her son, Manzai, too much. Any other woman wouldn't be so careless as to let her son be alone with Zhou Shihe.

She knew her son all too well; he was fond of women, and the Zhou family's daughters were definitely the type of women who could attract him the most.

After buying some groceries, on the way back, while her son was greeting other acquaintances at school, Tian Run'e asked her husband, "What do you think?"

Li Jianguo asked, "What do you mean, how do you see it?"

Tian Run'e said, "Teacher Yu."

Li Jianguo pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps this is the most suitable way for our son. Being too strict will easily lead to arguments and conflicts."

Thinking about it this way, Tian Run'e also felt that it made a lot of sense. She sighed and said, "Alas, I had hoped that she could keep Manzai in check, but it seems that won't work."

Li Jianguo said, "Teacher Yu doesn't have a formal title yet, so it's not appropriate to really manage her. Maybe things will be different in the future."

Tian Run'e said, "But your son is determined to marry Song Yu."

Li Jianguo asked, "How about we find an opportunity to see Song Yu later?"

Tian Run'e shook her head: "Times have changed. Haven't you noticed since Song Yu refused to come to Gulou last time? It seems that Song Yu doesn't really want to see us in the short term."

Last time Li Heng went to Peking University, the couple asked Li Lan to pass on a message to Song Yu: inviting Song Yu to have a meal at Gulou.

But Song Yu did not go.

The message here is too obvious:

Alternatively, Song Yu might be dissatisfied with her son's chaotic private life.

Or perhaps Song Yu hasn't decided whether or not she wants to end up with her son, Manzai?
Regardless of the reason, it extinguished Tian Run'e's desire to see Song Yu.

(End of this chapter)