1987 My Era

Chapter 657,

Seeing his cunning wife's shrewd attack, which included Yu Shuheng and Zhou Shihe, Li Heng's heart skipped a beat. He immediately knew that if he didn't stop her, he wouldn't be able to celebrate his birthday today.

He put down the cleaver he was using to chop vegetables, wiped his hands haphazardly on his apron, and before Song Yu could speak, he bent down and hugged Xiao Han from behind.

He leaned in and kissed Xiao Han's cheek, pleading, "Wife, it's my birthday today, can you give me some face?"

Being hugged by Honey in front of Song Yu, being kissed by Honey in front of his biggest rival, and being called Honey's wife with such a sweet tone—oh my! Xiao Han's vanity was instantly satisfied, and he almost floated away.

Xiao Han smiled sweetly with her dimples, but said with a look of disgust, "Ugh, your hands smell like fish, it's awful. If you want to hug someone, go hug Mrs. Song. She's a guest from afar, it's too embarrassing for me to be so affectionate."

Well, this is a classic case of getting the benefit and then acting innocent. We should also take this opportunity to strike at Song Yu.

Ignoring her ulterior motives, Li Heng leaned in and kissed her cheek again before releasing his cunning wife.

He then looked at Song Yu.

Song Yu also looked at him, her dark eyes appearing very calm.

After staring at each other for four or five seconds, his anxious heart finally settled down. Then, under Xiao Han's gaze, he leaned over and tried to kiss Song Yu's cheek.

Song Yu turned her head away at the right moment, so her face wasn't kissed, but her earlobe was put into someone's mouth.

After giving him a quick kiss, Li Heng pulled his mouth away, stood up, returned to the cutting board, picked up the cleaver, and continued processing the yellow croaker and abalone.

Uh, this large yellow croaker and top-quality abalone were gifts from Aunt Shen Xin; he couldn't buy them himself.

After Li Heng's rambling interruptions, the atmosphere of the two women bickering was ruined. They first looked at each other, and then lowered their heads and started picking vegetables.

For a moment, an unusual atmosphere spread through the kitchen; it was extremely quiet, with only the sound of cleavers clattering against the cutting board.

Li Heng's actions just now were practically a direct message to the two women: Don't make trouble, you're both equal to me. They're both my flesh and blood; I can't bear to see either of you bullied. Don't put me in a difficult position.

He didn't expect the kiss to completely quell their hostility; that was completely unrealistic.

Don't you know they fought for decades in their past lives and never gave up? How could they possibly listen to you so obediently?

His actions were motivated by a desire for the two women to give him face today.

Both Song Yu and Xiao Han are quick-witted and understand his thoughts. They immediately suppressed their own thoughts and focused on preparing and washing vegetables to help him with his birthday banquet.

Through Li Heng's actions just now, Song Yu keenly realized that although he promised to marry her, Xiao Han's position in his heart was actually not much lower than hers.

Thinking back to after the college entrance examination, he had temporarily given up himself to pursue Xiao Han in Shanghai, and Song Yu felt a mix of emotions.

Song Yu suddenly realized a truth: although his promise was very important, whether it could be fulfilled in the future was still an unknown and full of uncertainty.

After all, Zhou Shihe and the Zhou family behind her are not easy to deal with.

After all, Xiao Han, who was also favored by him, would not allow him to marry her as he wished.

After all, Yu Shuheng controls a large part of his business, which is like holding his lifeline in her hands, and is also a major obstacle.

With so many external factors interfering, she understood that it would be extremely difficult for her to marry Li Heng in the future.

While Song Yu was lost in thought, Xiao Han was also filled with distracting ideas.

Although Honey hugged her first and kissed her twice, the tender gaze he shared with Song Yu was like a bomb dropped into Xiao Han's heart, causing her great turmoil and making her very jealous.

Hearing that the conversation in the kitchen had stopped, Sun Manning, who had just returned from buying soy sauce, peeked out from outside, then left the soy sauce at the kitchen door and slipped away.

Damn it! Something's not right! Did they just get into a fight?

Thinking this, Sun Manning quietly sat down next to Ye Ning and asked in a low voice, "Why didn't anyone say anything in the kitchen? Were they fighting just now?"

Ye Ning replied, "Fight my ass! Li Heng is here, how could I let them fight?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Manning said to Zhang Zhiyong, "Hey! You're such a fool, why aren't you helping out in the kitchen?"

Zhang Zhiyong said slyly, "What help can I offer? When the old master sees them, he's like a mouse seeing a cat, terrified. I won't help, I'd rather die than be the first to stick my neck out."

Zhang Haiyan interjected, "There are so many dishes, the three of them can't handle it all. Why don't we all go in together?"

Everyone present agreed with this view and prepared to get up and go to the kitchen.

Just then, a frail figure appeared outside the door—Zhou Shihe.

As the Fudan University student walked lightly into the house, everyone in the living room turned to look at her.

Meeting everyone's gazes, Zhou Shihe paused for a moment, then asked gently, "Aren't you going to help in the kitchen?"

Ye Ning said in a strange tone, "With two tigers around, the little ones dare not."

Zhou Shihe was stunned for a moment, then realized that Song Yu and Xiao Han were not getting along, which put Ningning and the others in a difficult position, so they had to come out and avoid the situation.

Zhou Shihe glanced in the direction of the kitchen, pondered for a moment, and finally calmly walked through the living room to the kitchen door and stepped in without hesitation.

The once silent kitchen was instantly shattered when someone stepped into it.

Facing Xiao Han sitting by the door, Zhou Shihe was the first to be seen. The two women looked at each other for a moment, and then Xiao Han greeted her, "You've arrived."

Then she asked crisply, "Mrs. Zhou, I've heard you're a very good cook?"

When Zhou Shihe first heard the title "Madam Zhou," she was a little confused, but she replied, "I know a little."

Xiao Han then asked, "Do you know how to cook Hunan cuisine?"

Zhou Shihe said, "I know a little too."

Xiao Han said happily, "Oh, that's great! Then you should go and help our husbands with the cooking. Mrs. Song and I only know how to eat, we can't cook at all. It's a blessing to have another sister who can cook."

Despite Xiao Han's cheerful tone, Song Yu immediately understood: Xiao Han's words were not just empty talk, but contained a set of logic.

On the red ribbon at Jing'an Temple, Zhou Shihe prayed: May I win the heart of one person.

Xiao Han subtly mocked Zhou Shihe by using prominent terms like "our husband" and "sisters," implicitly telling Zhou Shihe to recognize the situation and not to think about having everything to herself.

In other words: If you want to have Li Heng all to yourself, you should give up now and back off.

Song Yu had met Xiao Han before, but they hadn't had much contact, so she didn't know her very well. She only knew that Xiao Han was cunning and liked to instigate others from behind the scenes. But today, she had fully experienced Xiao Han's sharp tongue and cunning, and before she knew it, she had fallen into his trap.

Although Xiao Han and Song Yu would bicker when they met, if there were other rivals in love, the two women would tacitly reconcile temporarily and unite against outsiders. This was a consensus they had reached long ago.

Although this consensus is not written down, not signed or stamped, has no legal effect, and could be broken at any time, the two women are still silently abiding by it for the time being.

This is unavoidable; one-on-one, he might not be able to defeat Zhou Shihe or Yu Shuheng. Because the people surnamed Zhou and Yu are not the same person, but rather represent a powerful family—a family powerful enough to influence Li Heng's career and certain crucial future decisions.

Sensing something amiss in the words, and finding them somewhat harsh, Zhou Shihe glanced at Xiao Han, then at the silent Song Yu. The quick-witted girl soon realized: Song Yu had visited Jing'an Temple that morning and knew the words of her red ribbon prayer.

Did you also know what Xiao Han just said?

So, Song Yu and Xiao Han have been working together for a while now?
Thinking of this, Zhou Shihe glanced at Song Yu and Xiao Han and said gently, "The kitchen is full of fumes, which is bad for your skin. If you can't cook, go outside and rest for a while. Li Heng and I can stay here."

This is a tit-for-tat response.

Xiao Han jokingly emphasized "our husband" in her words, but Zhou Shihe firmly said, "It's enough with me and Li Heng."

His words were very blunt: Go back to where you came from, Li Heng can handle me.

Xiao Han squinted her eyes and smiled sweetly: "You're so frail, can you handle so much food?"

It means: You're so weak, Li Heng, can you handle it all by yourself?
Zhou Shihe took another apron off the wall and tied it on herself while saying gently, "My stomach and spleen are indeed not as good as yours, but my family doctor advised me to eat smaller, more frequent meals. Besides, after two years of getting to know each other, I've found that Li Heng is very caring, so you don't need to trouble yourself."

Xiao Han asked: Can you handle it all by yourself?
Zhou Shihe replied: Eating smaller, more frequent meals is not a problem.

Xiao Han asked: Are you still thinking of having it all to yourself?

Zhou Shihe answered: Yes.

Xiao Han's smile remained unchanged: "Have you ever eaten with my husband? Are you so sure he can handle it?"

Alright, now that things have come to a head, Xiao Han is too lazy to cover things up with words and will just lay her cards on the table.

Xiao Han's words were very hurtful: You've never even slept with Li Heng, yet you dare to act like a big shot and say you can handle it?

The key point is: you've never slept with Li Heng.

The topic gradually veered off course, but the tension only intensified.

Zhou Shihe smiled and pointed to the fish cooking in the pot, saying, "The fish in the pot is cooked now and can be eaten; but we haven't added any seasoning yet, so the flavor is far from meeting our expectations. We can eat it now, but is it really delicious?"

Zhou Shihe's eyes seemed to say: Thank you for helping to train Li Heng. I can sit back and enjoy the benefits in the future.

One by one, they were all so restless; Li Heng was getting a real headache listening to them.

He had a gut feeling that if he didn't interrupt their bickering now, his scheming wife would say something really nasty, and Zhou might even get angry.

Before Xiao Han could finish speaking, Li Heng quickly covered her mouth with his right hand, then grabbed Zhou Shihe with his left hand, pulled her to the stove, shoved the spatula in his hand into hers, and calmly launched into a tirade: "It's my birthday today, can't you let me have a peaceful birthday? If you don't listen to my advice, I'm telling you right now, whoever doesn't behave well, I'll sleep with tonight."

Song Yu: "..."

Zhou Shihe: "..."

Despite Zhou Shihe's nonchalant demeanor while bickering with Xiao Han, her blunt words turned her ears red, the redness spreading from her earlobes to her neck, and her body felt hot.

Song Yu and Zhou Shihe were both still virgins, and had never heard such outrageous words before. Even with their exceptional talent and intelligence, they were momentarily speechless at these vulgar remarks.

If he were facing Song Yu or Zhou Shihe alone, Li Heng would never dare to say such a thing; that would be incredibly disgraceful and utterly tasteless.

But now, facing three women at the same time, he had no choice but to resort to this underhanded tactic to quell their anger. After all, there were many of them, so they wouldn't blame him alone.

Xiao Han pursed her lips, smiled, and gave him a coquettish eye roll.

Just then, more people came into the living room. Judging from their voices, it seemed to be Sister Lin and Editor-in-Chief Liao again.

Looking at Zhou Shihe, who was focused on cooking, and Song Yu, who was carefully washing vegetables, Li Heng said to Xiao Han, "Hanhan, help me greet the guests."

Xiao Han's face fell, her expression contorted in a grimace as she tilted her head and stared at him. Li Heng was speechless and quickly corrected her, "Wife, be good."

Hearing him call her "wife" again, Xiao Han walked out of the kitchen with her hands behind her back, her eyes sparkling.

Ah! Finally, the biggest threat, the scheming wife, was gone, and Li Heng breathed a sigh of relief for no reason.

Based on my past life experience, wherever Xiao Han is, trouble is bound to happen, and things are never peaceful. Either she'll personally get involved in a verbal battle, or she'll find ways to instigate others to argue, while she watches on with a smile.

Li Heng also walked out of the kitchen.

After Xiao Han warmly poured tea for Grandpa Ba, Sister Lin, and Editor-in-Chief Liao, Li Heng asked Grandpa Ba, "Teacher, it's just an ordinary birthday, why did you come all this way?"

With a wide grin, Mr. Ba said, "I've watched 'Dust Settles' twice; it's very good. Now that I have nothing to do, I just hang out with them."

"I've watched it twice, and it's very good." These words, coming from Mr. Ba's mouth, are a very high compliment.

Most books wouldn't catch his eye, so being able to read them twice was a great honor.

At this moment, Editor-in-Chief Liao said from the side, "Junior brother, your new book will be officially serialized in Harvest magazine later this month."

In addition, I discussed it with my teacher, and we've decided that the physical book of "Dust Settles" will be published in August. As for the royalties, we'll still calculate them as before. What do you think?

Based on the previous calculation, that would be 8%.
Li Heng thought for a moment and agreed: "Okay, let's do as you say, senior brother."

He's not short of money right now. And his current royalties are the industry benchmark, the highest, so naturally he has nothing to complain about.

After finalizing the new book release details in a few words, Editor-in-Chief Liao took out a bank draft from his pocket and handed it to him: "This is the result of the past six months for the four books: 'The Playboy,' 'To Live,' 'A Cultural Journey,' and 'White Deer Plain.'"

Li Heng took it and looked at it; the amount on it was 139 million.

It was a bit beyond his expectations; he didn't expect the books to sell so well. He happily said, "With these books, I can live a life of ease."

To be honest, Editor-in-Chief Liao was quite envious of him because of this. He worked himself to the bone his whole life and still couldn't earn a penny.

Sister Lin asked with concern, "This dish smells delicious. Who's cooking in the kitchen?"

Li Heng said, "Shihe and Songyu."

Xiao Lin naturally knew Zhou Shihe; her junior brother had even taken the girl to his home on Wukang Road.

And Song Yu? Sister Lin suddenly became interested and asked in a low voice, "The one from Peking University?"

Li Heng nodded.

Sister Lin was about to say something, but when she saw Xiao Han bringing over several plates of candy, she immediately stopped talking and stood up, saying, "I'm getting a little hungry. I'll go check the kitchen."

Li Heng understood that Sister Lin couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to see what Song Yu looked like.

After Sister Lin left, Xiao Han chatted with Grandpa Ba and Editor-in-Chief Liao. Xiao Han is a very humorous and talkative person. As long as she doesn't intentionally act strangely, everyone who has interacted with her speaks highly of her.

Sure enough, both Mr. Ba and Editor-in-Chief Liao chatted with Xiao Han for more than half an hour, laughing and joking, creating a wonderful atmosphere.

Watching this scene, Sun Manning, Ye Ning, Zhang Haiyan, and the other people in the living room all admired Xiao Han. If it were them, they would have gotten nervous when they saw Mr. Ba, let alone chat with him to relieve his boredom.

Li Heng stayed in the living room for a while before returning to the kitchen. He had agreed to cook dinner, and he couldn't put all the burden on Miss Zhou.

However, as soon as he reached the kitchen door, Sister Lin, who came out from inside, quietly pulled him to a corner and asked in surprise, "How come Song Yu is so beautiful?"

Li Heng blinked. "Why would Senior Sister ask that?"

Sister Lin was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses and said jokingly, "They're so beautiful! Don't laugh at me, you know what? I was secretly comparing Zhou Shihe and Song Yu in the kitchen for a long time, trying to see which of these two girls was prettier."

Li Heng looked at her.

Sister Lin asked, "Aren't you curious about the result?"

Li Heng said leisurely, "Those who have met the two of them all say that they are equally matched and each has their own merits."

Sister Lin nodded and then shook her head: "It's really hard to say who will win. But if you only want to marry one, I suggest you marry Song Yu; if you want to keep all your female confidantes by your side, I think Shi He is more suitable for you."

Li Heng was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean?"

Sister Xiaolin shared her opinion: "Actually, either Song Yu or Shi He could satisfy all of a man's fantasies, but based on my personal experience, Song Yu's personality is more relaxed, while Shi He may be more assertive in some aspects."

Song Yu would be a good wife and a good lover, but her personality and family background might not be enough to keep your female confidantes in check, especially Teacher Yu and the woman from the Huang family.

For Shihe, none of these are problems.

Li Heng fell silent.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Sister Lin asked, "Do you have a different opinion?"

Li Heng said, "I haven't officially won Shihe over yet. Don't be fooled by her accommodating attitude towards me in public; she's actually a very independent person and probably won't tolerate any infidelity in relationships, at least not for the time being."

Also, regarding Professor Yu, you don't know him very well yet, senior sister.

Sister Lin asked, "What kind of person is your teacher, Mr. Yu?"

Li Heng said, "Like Song Yu, she is a very magnanimous person."

Xiaolin was surprised and wanted to ask, "Do you want to choose between Song Yu and Teacher Yu as your marriage partner?", but in the end she didn't ask.

The reason she didn't ask was because Sister Lin knew that if she couldn't get past Zhou Shihe, she wouldn't be able to explain it to Xiao Han, who had a smiling face in the living room.

Finally, Sister Lin patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "Sigh, you've gotten yourself into so much trouble. Good luck. Don't end up like your senior brother, who lost everything."

Li Heng asked, "How is your senior brother doing?"

Sister Lin told him, "That illegitimate child is most likely his. It's probably unlikely that Xu's daughter will come over. Zhao Ran from Aba originally wanted to get back together with him, but that was also delayed. Now he's left all alone, having gotten neither."

Li Heng asked, "Since the son is his, Senior Brother, haven't you ever thought about marrying that woman from the customs house?"

"Judging from your senior's expression, he probably still can't forget Xu Suyun. But your teacher thinks that girl from customs is also quite good. Although she comes from an ordinary background and has been divorced, she is at least an intellectual and good-looking," said Sister Lin.

Li Heng asked, "How old is the other person?"

Ms. Lin said, "I'm in my early forties this year."

Li Heng gossiped, "Was that customs officer's divorce because of my senior colleague?"

Sister Lin shook her head: "No, that's not true. Her ex-husband was on a smuggling mission at sea and was persecuted by smugglers. That's how she got together with your senior brother."

Li Heng said, "Although he has been divorced, he is quite innocent. No wonder the teacher thinks so."

“Who says otherwise? To put it bluntly, Xu Suyun’s family is good, but your senior brother isn’t lucky enough to have that kind of fortune. Rather than suffering humiliation at the Xu family’s place, he might as well marry this one. She already has a son.” Sister Lin said.

Li Heng smiled but did not offer any opinion.

More guests arrived at the house: Wei Xiaozhu, Dai Qing, and Bai Wanying, as promised.

Sister Lin patted him on the shoulder again, "Go back to the kitchen. If no one's around for a while, it might be awkward for Song Yu and Shi He, those two proud and arrogant girls, to be together."

Li Heng agreed, met with the three women who had just arrived, and then returned to the kitchen.

As he passed by Song Yu, he spontaneously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "I'll wash the rest of the vegetables. You can rest for a while."

Song Yu smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm not tired."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng nodded, took a few steps forward, came to the stove, and said to Zhou Shihe, "Comrade Shihe, you've worked hard. Let me do it."

Zhou Shihe glanced at him and said gently, "I'm fine. Go call your uncle and aunt back."

She had been practicing a piano piece when she received a phone call from Tian Run'e and her husband. So she put down what she was doing and rushed to building number 26.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, I ran into Xiao Han. I had forgotten about the phone call for a moment, and only now did I remember.

Li Heng smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. I can call back after dinner."

However, Zhou Shihe's next words made him stop laughing.

Zhou Shihe stared at the food in the pot and said, "There was a girl on the other end of the phone calling you brother-in-law. I didn't hang up; I put it on the coffee table."

Li Heng paused, and his first thought was of Chen Zitong.

In Beijing, only Chen Zitong would call him brother-in-law.

The problem is, weren't my parents supposed to be looking for me? Why is Chen Zitong joining in too? This... this...

My mom is so careless! She's trying to kill her own son!
Seeing that Miss Zhou's expression turned cold at a visible speed, he looked at Song Yu with resentment.

Song Yu seemed not to have received his pleading look and continued washing vegetables with her head down.

At last.

Finally, remembering that the call hadn't ended, Li Heng had no choice but to leave.

Actually, he thought that since no one had answered the phone for so long, he probably would have hung up long ago. But he had no choice but to leave, because just now, he sensed a raging fire hidden within Miss Zhou's frail body.

His intuition told him that if he hadn't been in the kitchen, if Song Yu hadn't been there, or if there hadn't been people in the living room, he might have already gotten slapped.

hand?

Li Heng couldn't help but touch his left cheek, then his right. Oh dear! It's pathetic, it seems like he's been hit on both cheeks.

Once he left, only the two of them were left in the kitchen again.

Neither Song Yu nor Zhou Shihe seemed inclined to speak.

The kitchen only gradually became lively after two dishes were cooked and Wei Xiaozhu and Dai Qing came in to help.

P.S.: To be honest, I've had some health and eye problems since March. I understand you guys are urging me to update, so please don't use foul language. I'd love to earn more money too, but unfortunately my hardware doesn't support it, so there's nothing I can do. Sorry.

(End of this chapter)