Chapter 175

Four full classes in the morning.

Just as he finished class and was preparing to go eat, he didn't expect to run into Editor Zou Ping and Chief Editor Liao as soon as he left the classroom.

To be precise, Zou Ping and Chief Editor Liao had come to Fudan long ago, but because he was in class, they hadn't gone in to disturb him.

Li Heng hurriedly walked up. "Uncle Liao, Old Zou, why are you here?"

Because there were many students around, he changed his usual "Chief Editor Liao" address.

Chief Editor Liao was worldly-wise; through the simple change in his address, he gained insight into his thoughts and immediately said with a laugh: "Passing by here, came to see you."

After the three exchanged a few pleasantries, Li Heng asked later: "You haven't had lunch yet, right? Let's go, let's go eat."

Chief Editor Liao and Zou Ping didn't refuse and followed him to a small street-side restaurant outside the school.

After ordering five dishes, Li Heng asked: "Do you want some alcohol?"

They were all acquaintances; Chief Editor Liao wasn't that formal and shook his head straightforwardly: "I have things to do later; let's drink next time."

"Alright."

Since they were the chief editor of a magazine, they were definitely busy during the day. The best time to drink was usually after work in the evening. Li Heng ordered three sodas, and the three ate and chatted.

Looking at the young-to-an-excessive-degree face in front of him, Chief Editor Liao said with emotion and relief: "Thanks to you, *Harvest* is now thriving, and I have light on my face wherever I go."

Could there not be light on his face?

In terms of periodical sales, *Harvest* had already surpassed *People's Literature* three times in a row. This was an unprecedented feat; it was truly a moment of pride!

Who in the industry wasn't jealous of *Harvest* magazine now?

Who wasn't envious that *Harvest* magazine had a popular writer like December?

*Harvest* was a hit again! *Harvest* surpassing *People's Literature* was a very explosive gimmick. The noise outside was deafening, and the name "December" appeared in news reports again and again along with *Harvest* magazine, which was very glorious.

As there were more reports, as *Harvest* magazine became more famous, and as *Cultural Travel* was being serialized hotly, Li Heng's current limelight was unmatched; he had become a legend of the literary world. It was just that he was currently hiding his name, otherwise, the gates of Fudan University would have been trampled flat by those reporters.

Even so, from time to time, people would use money to pave the way to probe for information from *Harvest* magazine, making Chief Editor Liao and Zou Ping feel like they were facing a great enemy, and they had to raise Li Heng's confidentiality measures by several levels.

Li Heng used soda instead of wine to clink glasses with the two and smiled: "Don't say that; I have deep feelings for *Harvest*."

Hearing this, Chief Editor Liao and Zou Ping were happy; at least they didn't have to worry about Li Heng being poached in the short term.

To be honest, in order to build a good relationship with Li Heng, Chief Editor Liao had even tested the waters with Chen Laoyezi Ba: did he want to meet Li Heng?

The result of Chen Laoyezi Ba's reply was: wait until *Cultural Travel* is finished, wait until the standalone book is published, then we'll talk.

*Cultural Travel* publishing a standalone book was something everyone at *Harvest* magazine could guess, because it was simply too popular! It was even more popular than *To Live*.

With such a huge fortune, do you think *Harvest* magazine is stupid?

Taking a step back, even if *Harvest* didn't have this intention, the snowflake-like reader letters every day were constantly asking when it would be finished? When would the standalone book be published?

This was heaven's will that could not be defied!

Regarding the standalone book of *Cultural Travel*, even if Li Heng knew it clearly, he didn't mention a word. One reason was that it wasn't the right time.

The second was that he was still calculating whether he should raise the price?

Although there were few people at this meal, the three ate very lively. When it was nearing the end, Chief Editor Liao brought up the real business, and he saw him take two tickets out of his briefcase and hand them to him.

Li Heng took them and looked: one was a washing machine purchase ticket, and one was a plane ticket.

The plane ticket was for 9:00 AM tomorrow.

Li Heng looked at them carefully twice, put them into his pocket, and said: "Thank you, Uncle Liao."

Chief Editor Liao glanced at Zou Ping, who was very observant and got up to pay the bill, then didn't come back and went outside the restaurant to wait.

Sensing something unusual, Li Heng sat up straight: "Uncle Liao, is something the matter?"

Chief Editor Liao stared at him for a while, then sighed later, saying with a complex expression: "Actually, someone has already helped you buy a new washing machine, and it's currently in the van."

Li Heng was stunned, and a woman's figure immediately appeared in his mind.

After a while, he asked: "If I don't accept it, how will Uncle Liao handle it?"

Chief Editor Liao smiled bitterly: "How else can I handle it? Of course, send it back the way it came. She said to tell you not to force yourself."

The phrase "don't force yourself" made Li Heng feel inexplicably relaxed. He wasn't afraid of being admired, he was only afraid of being pestered. This sense of boundaries made his favorability increase greatly.

Li Heng pondered for a while and raised his head to ask: "Uncle Liao, do you think I should accept it?"

His question was both a probe and a way to find a step down for Chief Editor Liao and the woman he hadn't met.

Chief Editor Liao said seriously: "Accept it. I understand her character; she won't use a washing machine to hold a favor over you or anything."

Since it had come to this, he had to give Chief Editor Liao face. Li Heng didn't dither and nodded.

Seeing this, a trace of relief appeared on Chief Editor Liao's face, and he followed him out of the restaurant.

Getting into the van, the three went to Lushan Village. After moving the washing machine into the house, Li Heng asked half-jokingly: "Then should I return this washing machine ticket to you?"

Chief Editor Liao waved his hand. "Don't bother; you keep it. If you run into someone who needs it later, you can give it away."

"Eh, that works too."

Li Heng responded, poured tea for the two, and then chatted on the sofa for a while before breaking up.

Chief Editor Liao did have things to do in the afternoon and left after staying for half an hour.

Li Heng didn't rest either. He first read books in the study, then packed his luggage to prepare for his departure tomorrow. When the time came, he ran back to the classroom for class.

Originally, there were only 6 classes on Monday, but the English teacher had to adjust the classes, and the seventh and eighth periods in the afternoon were temporarily occupied by English class.

It felt like returning to the days of being packed full in high school. Fortunately, Li Heng's mindset was different; not only did he not reject it, he even enjoyed it a bit.

After finishing the seventh period, Li Heng took advantage of the break to go to the opposite Accounting Class 2 to find Mai Sui, but he ended up empty-handed; there was no one in the classroom.

Could it be that there was no class?

With this thought, Li Heng searched around the front of the classroom and finally found the class schedule posted on the wall. After searching, the seventh and eighth periods were indeed empty.

Speaking of which, he had been too busy and forgotten; class had been going on for more than a week, and he hadn't even gone to check Mai Sui's class schedule.

Returning to the classroom, Hu Ping swapped seats with Zhang Bing on his left and asked him quietly: "Old Li, do you have a girl you like in your heart?"

Li Heng turned his head to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Hu Ping was afraid of being heard by the girls in the front row and lowered his voice again: "At noon today, Liu Yanling specifically came to ask me about this."

Some things are understood as soon as they are heard. Li Heng didn't hide it: "Yes."

Hearing this, Hu Ping was vaguely happy. Today, when he learned that Wei Xiaozhu said she didn't like him smoking, he had already made up his mind to quit smoking.

After finishing the eighth period, Li Heng handed his books to Zhang Bing and went straight to the downstairs of Dormitory Building 12.

"Auntie, please help me call Mai Sui from Room 211." Li Heng said to the dorm manager.

The dorm manager looked at him, turned on the small loudspeaker, and began to shout:

"Mai Sui from 211, Mai Sui from 211, someone is looking for you downstairs."

"Mai Sui from 211, Mai Sui from 211, someone is looking for you downstairs."

After shouting twice in a row, the dorm manager turned off the loudspeaker and said to him: "Young man, you need to be mentally prepared; that girl might not necessarily come down."

Li Heng was a bit confused and reacted by asking: "Do many boys look for her?"

The dorm manager was eating melon seeds while sizing him up. It took a long time before she squeezed out a sentence: "Many, every day, with all kinds of weird excuses. But how could they fool my sharp eyes? I've never seen one succeed. You'd better give up this heart early."

Being teased, Li Heng didn't care: "I'm different; I'm her high school classmate."

Two minutes passed, and the dorm manager pointed to the wall clock. "Look! It's useless, she didn't come down."

Li Heng thought for a moment and said: "Auntie, please help me shout one more time, just say a high school classmate named Li is looking for her."

Unexpectedly, the dorm manager said: "A high school classmate named Li? Boys have used that before. I even remember the full name, called Li Heng. That girl went to the door and then went back up."

At this point, the dorm manager added: "Do you know why I remember so clearly? This Li Heng is the only one who has ever called that girl down."

Damn! Li Heng was dumbfounded. Someone even impersonated his name?

He didn't believe it was such a coincidence—the same name and a high school classmate?

This was clearly someone who had investigated his relationship with Mai Sui.

Actually, this investigation wasn't hard. Several times, the two had gone for walks on campus after meals; it was too easy for someone with a heart to remember.

It was just that he had thought Mai Sui would be popular, but he hadn't thought she would be *this* popular.

Just as he was pestering the dorm manager to turn on the loudspeaker again, someone came over with a *whoosh*, patted him on the shoulder, and jumped happily: "Master, why are you at the girls' dorm? Are you here to find me?"

Without needing to turn his head, hearing this broken Chinese and tone, he knew it was Li Xian. Li Heng half-turned, nodded to Zhou Min and Chen Guifen to greet them, and joked: "We've seen each other all day in the classroom today; let me rest."

Li Xian puffed out her cute cheeks upon hearing this. "Then who are you looking for, Master? Are you looking for that Mai Sui?"

Li Heng's eyes lit up: "Yes, Mai Sui is in 211. Can you help me call her?"

Li Xian didn't have any ulterior motives and agreed after hearing it. "Calling someone is fine, but the errand fee is a bottle of soda, oh."

Li Heng blurted out: "No problem."

Li Xian went in. When she got to the hallway, she complained to Zhou Min and Chen Guifen: "Oh my, I had boys pursuing me in Korea too, but here in the country, I'm as smelly as a pile of dog poop. Sigh, sigh, I need to spray more perfume."

Zhou Min and Chen Guifen were amused by this and comforted her: "That's Li Heng having no eye for beauty; he'll definitely regret it later."

Arriving at Room 211, Li Xian reached out to push the door, found it locked, and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, it's me, the blonde woman you talk about. I'm here to find Mai Sui."

Hearing this, the girls in Room 211 looked at each other, and the next second they all laughed. The tall girl closest to the door opened it.

Li Xian poked her head in and said to Mai Sui, who was by the window: "Mai Sui, my master is looking for you. Oh, you might not know who my master is; he's Li Heng."

Mai Sui said thank you, put down the book in her hand, put on her shoes, and left the dorm at speed.

From the second floor to the first floor was fast; it happened in an instant.

As soon as they met, Li Heng complained: "It's really hard to find you now."

Mai Sui smiled softly and stepped closer: "I heard it just now, but someone has been impersonating your name for the past two days, so I didn't take it seriously."

"Yes, yes, yes, not taking it seriously is right." Seeing the dorm manager's eyes full of gossip, Li Heng left Building 12.

Mai Sui followed him for 50 meters, looked at his back, and asked: "Are you angry?"

Li Heng asked back: "What if I am angry?"

Mai Sui smiled and said: "Then I'll go back to the dorm, and you can call again. I guarantee I'll arrive the first time."

Li Heng rolled his eyes: "Forget it, forget it, that's a waste of my time."

Mai Sui looked up slightly. "Have you had dinner? How about I treat you to a meal?"

"I really haven't eaten. Let's go, you treat me." Li Heng walked toward the cafeteria first.

Mai Sui asked: "Are you looking for me because you're going to Jingcheng?"

Li Heng was stunned, stopped his steps, and asked: "Are you a roundworm in my stomach?"

Mai Sui said: "Given your degree of love for Song Yu, it's not hard to guess, is it?"

Li Heng gave a thumbs up.

Spending 40 cents to get one meat dish and one vegetable dish, they found a corner seat and sat down. Li Heng asked curiously: "Why did you think of joining the Student Union? This doesn't fit your image."

Mai Sui picked up her chopsticks, stared into his eyes, and asked: "Then in your heart, what kind of image do I have?"

Li Heng pondered for a while and said: "I've always thought you were similar to Song Yu—you like quiet and don't like crowded places."

Mai Sui's eyes shifted. "Is it that you prefer girls who 'like quiet'?"

Regarding this, Li Heng didn't deny it: "More or less. Song Yu and Xiao Han are both the quiet type. Chen Zijin is relatively more cheerful, but even that is limited."

Mai Sui listened, lowered her head to pick up food and eat. When she reached the middle, she spoke: "An older sister of a roommate is the vice-chair of the school Student Union, a junior this year. I accompanied my roommate to the Student Union interview, and her sister took a fancy to me, saying my image was quite suitable for being a campus host.

I originally wanted to ask for your and Manning's opinions, but I couldn't find you. Manning strongly supported it, saying university should be colorful and told me to try it, so I tried it.

By the way, Manning also joined the Student Union, in the Publicity Department, and I'm in the Entertainment Department."

Li Heng agreed: "Very good. Being able to find things you're interested in at school will be more memorable after graduation. I heard you're going to host the Management Department's freshman welcome party?"

Mai Sui said "Mhm": "Liu Yue told you, right?"

Li Heng said: "Yes."

Mai Sui said: "Because your performance at the military training art performance was deeply rooted in people's hearts, the Student Union gave us both a task, which is to persuade you to perform, preferably playing the erhu."

Li Heng asked: "Then why didn't you come to find me?"

Mai Sui said: "I knew you were busy, so I didn't find you. And..."

Li Heng continued: "And Liu Yue would definitely find me, right?"

Mai Sui pursed her lips. "Yes! When we were in the Student Union, Liu Yue often mentioned you in front of me, so I gave the opportunity to her."

Li Heng felt dizzy: "Is that so? She did find me twice, but her persuasion wasn't very strong. She asked once and didn't ask again; the second time was still under your name."

Mai Sui was a bit surprised and smiled: "Is that so? Did I judge wrong? I thought she had taken a fancy to you."

Li Heng shook his head: "How long have we known each other? It's not to that extent, but that girl isn't exactly a goody-two-shoes."

Mai Sui tilted her head. "Girl?"

Li Heng said: "Naughty girls, I collectively call them 'girls'."

Mai Sui asked: "Then someone like me, which category do I count as?"

Their eyes met, and Li Heng blurted out, as if by a stroke of fate: "In a few years, you have the potential to become Su Daji."

Mai Sui asked instinctively: "A disaster to the country and the people?"

Li Heng said: "No, enchanting all living things."

Mai Sui's face seemed to bloom with bright azaleas; her face turned red instantly, she hurriedly moved her gaze away, and lowered her head to eat.

Until she finished eating, she raised her head again and asked softly: "When are you leaving? Tonight, or tomorrow?"

Li Heng said: "Tomorrow morning's 9:00 AM flight; I have to go to the airport early in the morning."

Mai Sui asked: "For how many days?"

"How many days? Hard to say." Li Heng told the story of his high school English teacher being sick and hospitalized, and then said: "On the weekend, if you have time, go to Lushan Village for me. Mhm... if you're staying overnight, it's best to bring Manning, otherwise I won't be at ease."

"Okay."

Mai Sui asked worriedly: "Is the teacher's condition serious?"

Li Heng pondered: "Hard to say. It shouldn't be particularly serious, otherwise Teacher Yu wouldn't have waited until Friday to set off."

Mai Sui thought it made sense, then took all her change, 81 yuan, out of her pocket and gave it to him: "Help me buy some fruit and a bouquet of flowers."

Li Heng didn't take the money. "You still have 500 with me; I'll use that first, and settle the money with you when I get back."

Mai Sui wasn't someone who would get hung up on things, and upon hearing this, she took the money back.

After eating, Mai Sui asked: "Are you busy later?"

Li Heng said: "Not really. Are you wanting me to invite you for a walk?"

Mai Sui held her head high and smiled: "I won't refuse."

PS: Seeking subscriptions! Seeking monthly tickets!

(End of chapter)