1987 My Era

Chapter 617,

Lushan Village.

Upon entering building number 26, the elderly couple went into the kitchen and began preparing dinner.

Li Heng wanted to go in, but Tian Run'e pushed him out, saying, "Manzai, you've been on a plane all day, go and rest for a while."

Li Heng said, "I slept for several hours on the plane, so I'm not sleepy now."

Tian Run'e said, "Then you can read a book for a while, or bring the wheat ears back."

Hearing this, Li Heng asked happily, "Mom, you've accepted the wheat ears?"

"What can I do if I don't accept it? She's a young, unmarried woman living with you. How can I go against my conscience and kick her out? Besides, apart from being a little seductive, Mai Sui is a pretty good girl. I like her quite a bit." Tian Run'e spoke her mind.

After saying that, Tian Run'e earnestly instructed, "Manzai, you still need to be careful in bed. You need to learn to be restrained and not pester her every day, understand?"

Li Heng blinked.

Tian Run'e asked irritably, "Did you hear that?"

Li Heng replied, "I heard you, sigh..."

Your son is incredibly skilled in bed; most women simply can't handle him. Mai Sui might give him a huge surprise; he's been waiting for this day for ages…
However, some things are destined to be difficult to say aloud, so he could only offer a perfunctory reply before leaving Building No. 26.

As soon as he left the hospital, he saw Zhou Shihe hanging clothes to dry on the second-floor balcony.

He casually called out, "Comrade Shihe, shall we go for a walk around the teaching building?"

Zhou Shihe glanced at him, as if she knew where he was going, and said gently, "It's going to rain. If you're picking up Sui Sui, you'd better bring an umbrella."

Li Heng looked up at the sky and found that it was already covered with dark clouds. He immediately went back inside and took out two umbrellas.

At this moment, the balcony next door was empty, and Ms. Zhou had already entered the living room.

He thought she wouldn't go, but just as he was about to pass by building number 27, someone came out of the door.

With her frail and pitiful appearance, who else could it be but Zhou Shihe?

Li Heng was surprised and stopped to ask, "You're really going? I was just asking casually."

Before she could reply, he looked himself up and down and joked, "Am I really that charming? Can I move you with just a word?"

Zhou Shihe smiled cleverly, "I'm going to my counselor to cancel my leave."

That's right. Now that you've returned from abroad, you have to cancel your leave, right?
Li Heng asked, "Don't you have to go to class this afternoon?"

Zhou Shihe said, "Tomorrow is the weekend, and we don't have any afternoon classes this semester."

Li Heng was confused: "We went to Europe before the start of the semester. Did you talk to Mai Sui on the phone?"

Zhou Shihe said yes.

Lushan Village is a bit far from the management school. The two chatted casually along the way, and somehow the conversation turned to Li Jianguo and Tian Run'e.

Zhou Shihe suddenly asked, "Have your parents fully accepted Sui Sui yet?"

Li Heng said, "Since they're so proactive in buying groceries and cooking for Mai Sui, they'll definitely accept it."

After he finished speaking, he froze, staring at her intently.

Zhou Shihe subtly avoided his gaze and walked past him. After taking about ten steps, a light voice came from behind: "Sui Sui has finally overcome her hardships. You should treat her well."

Hearing this, he was startled and stood still for a moment before speeding up to catch up.

Upon entering the teaching building, both of them went to the counselor's office.

Counselor Liu Jia poured the two of them a cup of tea and offered her congratulations with a beaming smile: "These past two days, the newspapers have been full of news about your successful performance at the Royal Concert Hall in the Netherlands. Congratulations to both of you! You've really brought honor to our country and Fudan University this time."

They truly brought honor to the country and Fudan University. Leaving aside the country, many news reports mentioning the three individuals also bring up Fudan University.

This makes all the teachers and students of Fudan University feel proud and honored.

Zhou Shihe simply smiled slightly, accepted the tea, and thanked her teacher.

Li Heng then joked familiarly, "Really? I didn't see a single banner with blessings for us hanging up at school."

The counselor laughed and said, "You can't blame me for this. My monthly salary is so low that I can't afford to buy a banner. You have to raise your concerns with the school."

After chatting for a while, the bell rang for the end of the fourth period. Zhou Shihe finished her leave and left the office to pick up Mai Sui.

As soon as they left, counselor Liu Jia couldn't wait to whisper, "Singapore is in front, and the Netherlands is behind. The newspapers are all gossiping that you two are a perfect match. You're not actually dating secretly, are you?"

Li Heng countered, "Teacher, do you think I'm that kind of person?"

The counselor, Liu Jia, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Hehe, are you that kind of person? I don't know, and I can't really judge. But these days, there are two different versions of the story circulating among the teachers at the school. Would you like to hear them?"

Li Heng asked, "What news?"

Counselor Liu Jia said, "One is that there are rumors that Professor Yu Shuheng is waiting for you to graduate so that she can marry you; the other is that you should know about Mai Sui. It is said that Mai Sui is willing to be your confidante, and according to some rumors, you two are already living together?"

Li Heng's eyelids twitched: "Where did this all come from?"

Counselor Liu Jia said, "There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. There are more than just a few of you living in Lushan Village. There are also many professors and their families. With so many people involved, it's not surprising that rumors would spread over time."

That makes sense; he didn't have the slightest temper.

The counselor tilted his head: "Hey, Li Heng, you and Zhou Shihe aren't really dating, are you?"

Li Heng wasn't stupid, so he asked, "Teacher, what do you think?"

The counselor pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "To be honest, it's difficult! This week, Shihe seems easy to get along with, but she has a hidden arrogance. Given your current chaotic love life, she probably wouldn't even look at you. I'm 100% sure this is just some pointless hype."

Li Heng chuckled, made no reply, and turned to leave the office.

....
As soon as Zhou Shihe stepped out of the counselor's office and appeared in the corridor, many students coming out of the classrooms noticed her, stopped to look at her, and began to whisper among themselves:
"See that? That's Senior Zhou Shihe. You didn't see her last time, but you see her this time."

"It's so beautiful!!! I think I'm in love."

"All you do is dream! What guy wouldn't feel that way when he sees her? The problem is, why don't you take a good look at yourself in the mirror? Are you even capable of that?"

"..."

When men see her, whether they are freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors, their expressions are more or less moved. There are just too many halos accumulated around Zhou Shihe, and any one of them is enough to fascinate them.

Most of the girls were envious, their eyes fixed on Zhou Shihe with a sour look, and a few were even a little jealous.

But whether she was jealous or not was useless. Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Zhou Shihe calmly arrived at Accounting Class 2 and met up with Mai Sui.

"Shihe, you're back." Mai Sui was overjoyed to see her best friend.

Zhou Shihe smiled and nodded.

Mai Sui reached out and took her arm, saying, "Why didn't you tell me you were going back to China?"

Zhou Shihe teased him, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your man won't allow it, he said he wants to give you a surprise."

In one sentence, Mai Sui's face flushed red.

Fortunately, Shihe had witnessed her kissing and hugging Li Heng, so she was much more accepting of it than before, preventing her from being exposed in front of others. Ye Ning, who came out of the classroom later, saw the two girls whispering and immediately separated them, annoyed: "I'm not dead yet, and you're already treating me like I'm invisible?"

Zhou Shihe and Mai Sui looked at each other, then chuckled softly at the same time.

Ye Ning asked, "Hey, Shihe, you've come to pick us up, why didn't Li Heng come to pick up Suisui?"

Zhou Shihe looked in the direction of the guide's office.

The two women understood each other and followed her gaze, just in time to see Li Heng weaving through the crowd.

They really did weave through the crowd.

At this moment, the corridor was crowded with students, both boys and girls, as well as upperclassmen and underclassmen. These people stood still like stone statues, their eyes following Li Heng's movements.

It was just like when he walked the red carpet abroad, with crowds on both sides giving him their stares.

Under everyone's gaze, Li Heng approached Mai Sui, revealing his clean, white teeth, and smiled brightly, saying, "My parents asked me to pick you up and take you home for dinner."

His voice was very soft, but it reached Mai Sui's ears clearly.

A sweet feeling welled up in Mai Sui's heart. These words contained so much information; just the fact that his parents had accepted her was enough to make her excited for half a year.

Suppressing her inner turmoil, Mai Sui tried to calm herself and said, "It's going to rain heavily, let's go."

Her underlying message was: There are too many people around here, let's leave first.

Li Heng naturally agreed and walked ahead with Mai Sui.

Zhou Shihe glanced at his back, then at Sui Sui's back, deliberately pausing for a few seconds to give them space before taking small, quick steps.

Ye Ning whispered in Zhou Shihe's ear, "Shihe, did you see that? Sui Sui is so happy. But to be honest, if I were Sui Sui, and Li Heng came to pick me up the moment he returned from abroad, I would definitely be moved to tears too."

Zhou Shihe pursed her lips and remained silent.

"By the way, Shihe, what's going on between you and Li Heng? Why are so many newspapers in China reporting on your scandal?" Ye Ning asked, turning her head as she remembered this.

In fact, not only domestic newspapers are spreading gossip about Li Heng and Zhou Shihe, but they are also hyping up news about Li Heng and Teacher Yu.

The purpose, of course, is to attract attention by leveraging the fame of Li Heng, a super celebrity.

However, Ye Ning and the counselor both secretly knew that Li Heng and Teacher Yu had a close relationship, so they automatically ignored the newspaper rumors about Li Heng and Teacher Yu and were only interested in the relationship between Li Heng and Zhou Shihe.

Zhou Shihe calmly said, "He's protecting me."

Hearing this, Ye Ning didn't ask any further questions and readily believed it. Because if it were her, and she had Shi He's excellent qualities, she wouldn't have gotten into a romantic entanglement with Li Heng.

Li Heng is just too much of a scoundrel; he's not a good match for any woman.

To be fair, the vast majority, or almost all, of people share Ye Ning's viewpoint. They don't believe Li Heng and Zhou Shihe really have any connection, including Mai Sui, Sun Manning, Ye Ning, and the Zhou family.

Only a handful of people knew some of the truth behind the scandals in the newspapers, such as Shen Xin, Yu Shuheng, Xiao Han, Chen Zijin, and Song Yu.

Back in Lushan Village, at the enthusiastic invitation of Li Heng and Mai Sui, Zhou Shihe and Ye Ning went directly to Building No. 26.

As he entered, he asked, "Where's Manning? Is she coming over today?"

Mai Sui replied, "She might be a little late. She's probably going to the vice principal's house for dinner later."

Mai Sui went into the kitchen to help out.

Well, with the elderly couple around, there was absolutely no need for her to help out. But Tian Run'e enjoyed chatting with Mai Sui, and the more she got to know her, the more she realized that this girl had a good personality and was a homebody, so she kept chatting with Mai Sui about everyday things.

Li Heng also made a token trip to the kitchen, but no one paid any attention to him. He felt completely superfluous, and feeling awkward, he slunk back to the living room.

Ye Ning kept pestering Zhou Shihe with questions about everything happening in the Netherlands, looking very interested.

Later, seeing Li Heng sitting loudly beside her listening, Ye Ning raised her neck and asked, "Hey! Writer Li, I have a question for you."

Li Heng asked, "What is it?"

Ye Ning asked, "Is Isabelle Adjani, the most beautiful woman in France, really pursuing you?"

Li Heng vehemently denied it: "It's all baseless, it doesn't exist."

Ye Ning asked, "There's no smoke without fire. The newspapers all say that Adjani admitted it herself."

Li Heng rolled his eyes: "I'm always with Shihe and Teacher Yu. Use your brain to think about it."

Ye Ning frowned and asked her friend, "Has Li Heng really been with you all this time?"

Zhou Shihe said calmly.

Enraged, Ye Ning immediately burst into a tirade: "Damn newspapers, they've lost all sense of shame just to grab attention! I actually hope Li Heng can win over France's most beautiful woman. I don't even need to bring her back to China, just sleeping with her for one night abroad would be fine too, that would be bringing glory to the country. Thinking of the humiliating history of the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China, I feel a deep resentment towards the French."

Before Zhou Shihe and Li Heng could even speak, a voice came from behind them, "We don't want foreign women in the Li family. They're not as good as our Chinese women."

Without turning around, one could tell it was Tian Run'e's voice. She was carrying a bowl of braised pork out of the kitchen and placing it on the table.

Li Heng: "..."

Zhou Shihe: "..."

Ye Ning chuckled and rolled over: "Auntie, we're not bringing them back anyway, we just want to vent our anger. No one else has that ability, only Li Heng can bewitch those women so much."

Tian Run'e smiled and said, "That won't do either. This little rascal has been causing trouble for a while now. That's enough."

With a casual "That's enough," Zhou Shihe glanced at someone. Coincidentally, Li Heng was also looking at her at that moment.

They looked at each other for two seconds, then Zhou Shihe pouted her lips and turned her body slightly to the side, looking away.

Dinner consisted of home-style dishes, all prepared in the Hunan rural style. The wheat stalks tasted just like home.

While enjoying the meal, Ye Ning complimented and flattered, "Uncle and Aunt's cooking is really good."

"Eat as much as you like, and come over tomorrow and the day after. The more people there are, the more fun it will be," Tian Run'e said with a smile.

Ye Ning asked, "Tomorrow or the day after? Auntie is only staying here for two days?"

Tian Run'e nodded: "I still have things to do."

Li Heng realized that his mother was probably going to Xuhui to see Xiao Han in two days.

But he certainly wouldn't say it in front of Mai Sui.

Seeing that Zhou Shihe put down her chopsticks after finishing a bowl of rice, Tian Run'e asked, "Shihe, is the food not to your liking? How can someone your age only eat one bowl of rice?"

Zhou Shihe replied gently, "The food that your uncle and aunt cook is delicious. I usually only eat one bowl of rice."

Tian Run'e looked at her son.

Li Heng said, "Mom, don't look at me. If Shihe could eat two big bowls of rice every meal like Ye Ning, she wouldn't be so thin."

Upon hearing this, Tian Run'e thought to herself: "With such a weak constitution, childbirth will be difficult for her. Mai Sui is much better in this regard; she has a well-proportioned figure, and childbirth shouldn't be difficult for her."

(End of this chapter)