Chapter 234

As soon as the name "Li Heng" came out, Liu Yue could clearly feel the air in the room stagnate.

Huang Zhaoyi, who had stood up, slowly sat back down, was silent for a long time, and asked, "Do you like him?"

Liu Yue tilted her head. "Eh, Aunt, do you know Li Heng? Why don't you ask what he looks like first? Or what his family conditions are?"

Huang Zhaoyi reached out to take off her opera hat, placed it on the table, and said slowly, "I heard Liu Jia mention him. Last time I went to her office, the Li Heng you're talking about happened to be there, so I've seen him in person."

Liu Yue stared at her for a while and praised her excitedly, "Aunt, you really are an opera singer; you lie without any flaws."

Huang Zhaoyi said nothing.

Liu Yue said, "In elementary school, middle school, and high school, you often went to school to find me, bought me things, sent me vegetables, and sent me delicious food. But in college, it's been almost three months, and you haven't been to Fudan openly. I'm thinking, if you went to Fudan, you wouldn't not look for me, right?"

At this point, Liu Yue paused and then asked, "Or is it that there is someone at Fudan University that Aunt is wary of? And you're unwilling to go?"

Huang Zhaoyi sighed silently, got up, went to the cloakroom, and began to take off her opera costume and change clothes.

Liu Yue sat on the sofa without moving. She first picked up her water cup and took a sip, then picked up the newspaper on the coffee table and flipped through it aimlessly.

Before long, the cloakroom door opened, and Huang Zhaoyi returned to her previous position in a cyan outfit and asked, "When did you find out?"

The playful look on Liu Yue's face flashed by. "I thought you would hold out for a while."

Huang Zhaoyi crossed her hands over her lower abdomen, holding her breath like a statue.

Seeing this, Liu Yue took 13 slips of paper and a photo out of her pocket and handed them over.

The photo was taken when she checked the handwriting on the envelopes and slips of paper last time.

Huang Zhaoyi was stunned, took them, and after taking the time to read them one by one, closed her long eyelashes and remained silent for a long time.

Liu Yue wasn't in a hurry either, slowly waiting for her aunt to digest the information.

Five minutes passed, and Huang Zhaoyi didn't move.

Another five minutes passed, and she still didn't move.

It wasn't until 15 minutes had passed that Liu Yue closed the newspaper in her hand and said, "At the school welcome party, you left right after watching his performance. It was too obvious."

Hearing this, Huang Zhaoyi slowly opened her eyes. "Does your mother know?"

Liu Yue shook her head.

Huang Zhaoyi pinched the paper in her hand. "Did you approach him on purpose for the sake of the handwriting?"

Liu Yue replied, "At first, no. Later, yes."

Huang Zhaoyi asked, "When did you start to suspect?"

Liu Yue recalled, "Last time I flipped through the reader letters in your drawer, I inexplicably felt the handwriting was familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere. It wasn't until I saw him writing in class later that I suddenly realized."

As she spoke, she added, "Li Heng loves reading books and newspapers very much. He reads the newspaper on time every day, and what he browses the most are reports from the outside world about 'Cultural Bitter Travel' and the writer 'December'."

Sweeping her gaze slowly across her niece's face, and then looking at the paper again, Huang Zhaoyi said, "If you have anything you want to ask, just ask."

Liu Yue leaned forward slightly and asked seriously, "Is Li Heng really the writer 'December'?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "Don't you already have the answer?"

"It's different."

Liu Yue pouted. "The distance between speculation and fact may be a millimeter, or it may be worlds apart."

Huang Zhaoyi nodded gently. "It's him."

Liu Yue's eyes were blank, and it took a long time for her to come back to her senses. "Sure enough! I knew it was eight or nine out of ten; it really is him!"

Then she took a deep breath and asked without concealing her shock, "At this age, how did he do it?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "You've read the letters he wrote back to me; he's very talented. Perhaps he is that kind of genius."

Liu Yue said, "But..."

Huang Zhaoyi interrupted, "There is no 'but'. The first 20 chapters of his 'Cultural Bitter Travel' were written temporarily during the journey. Several people can testify to it personally."

Liu Yue's mouth opened wide, almost enough to fit an egg.

For a long, long time, she couldn't help but tease, "For so many years, this is the first time I've seen you look unhappy!"

Huang Zhaoyi acquiesced.

Liu Yue narrowed her eyes and said softly, "I'm not questioning his talent. Just like that song 'The Original Scenery of My Hometown,' it's extraordinarily beautiful, and everyone who has heard it is convinced.

I'm just thinking, a great writer who can also compose such music, and whose erhu playing is also amazing—how on earth did he do it? Is he a god descended to earth?"

Huang Zhaoyi pondered for a moment and said, "There is no shortage of people with extraordinary talent in any era. Zhao Yuanren at the beginning of this century not only knew 33 Chinese dialects but was also proficient in 7 foreign languages, including English, German, and French. He also had high achievements in many fields such as mathematics, physics, philosophy, and linguistics, and was hailed as the number one genius of the Republic of China. Li Heng is undoubtedly this kind of person."

Liu Yue had seen the biography of Zhao Yuanren in a book, and she felt relieved. Then she stared straight at her aunt's eyes and asked seriously:

"Aunt, you've fallen in love with him, right?"

Huang Zhaoyi avoided her niece's eyes, looked out the window, and sighed leisurely, "I dare not speak of love lightly."

Liu Yue raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Huang Zhaoyi said nothing.

Liu Yue pursued, "Because of age?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "I am 14 years older than him; this is an uncrossable chasm."

"Heh!"

Liu Yue scoffed and pouted. "Are there few couples in society with an age difference of more than ten years? Some people are 60 and still specifically look for 18-year-olds. Do they have any misgivings?"

Huang Zhaoyi looked at her.

Seeing that her aunt didn't reply, Liu Yue leaned forward slightly. "Uncle is 45 this year. He raised a mistress in Changning who is at most in her early 30s and even gave birth to a boy. Don't tell me you don't know?"

Huang Zhaoyi: "..."

A moment later, Huang Zhaoyi took a sip of water and said, "It's different. The third generation of the Huang family are all girls. Your grandfather and uncle have always hoped for a boy to inherit the family line. Actually, this matter... the family, including your aunt, is aware of it. The bottom line is that it cannot be made public and cannot be brought home."

Liu Yue's eyes flickered. "So, why can't you imitate Uncle? If you're afraid of what people will say, just don't make it public."

Huang Zhaoyi reached out and tapped her head. "I really spoiled you for nothing. Are you asking your aunt to be his mistress?"

Liu Yue said, "The other way around—let him be your mistress."

Huang Zhaoyi laughed. "Do you think it's possible? A person who can write 'To Live' and 'Cultural Bitter Travel' has his own pride; how could he be my mistress? Besides..."

After a few seconds, she continued, "Besides, even if he were willing, I wouldn't allow it."

Liu Yue was puzzled. "Why?"

Huang Zhaoyi said word by word, "A scholar should have the backbone of a scholar. I allow him to be bad, but I don't allow him to be humble."

Hearing this, Liu Yue was shocked, even more shocked than when she confirmed from her aunt's mouth just now that Li Heng was the writer "December."

For some reason, Liu Yue felt a tightness in her chest and couldn't speak for a long time.

After being silent for a while, she said dejectedly, "It seems his image in your heart is very tall. It seems I came for nothing today."

Huang Zhaoyi turned her head and said helplessly, "Are you that eager for your classmate to be your uncle-in-law?"

Liu Yue replied, "Actually, I don't particularly care who becomes my uncle-in-law. I'm just tired of hearing Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, and Mom urging you to find a partner. You've treated me like a treasure since I was little, and I also hope you can find happiness.

After all these years, you, with your picky taste, have finally met someone you like. Can I not be anxious for you?"

Huang Zhaoyi felt warm in her heart and smiled. "Aunt has decided: when you get married, those two hotels in Xiangjiang will be yours."

Liu Yue hated her for not being assertive and stood up. "What time is it, and you can still laugh? Let's go, I'll take you to see someone."

Huang Zhaoyi was curious. "Who?"

Liu Yue asked expressionlessly, "Li Heng's woman. Do you dare?"

Huang Zhaoyi's red lips opened and gradually closed again. The smile on her face gradually disappeared, and she was silent on the spot, turning into a statue on the sofa just like before.

Liu Yue took two steps, came to her, looked down at her, and said after a long time, "You said you don't speak of love lightly, but I heard the sound of a heart breaking."

Huang Zhaoyi asked in a low voice, "What is she like?"

This question was out of the blue, but Liu Yue understood in a second. "Although I don't want to admit it, objectively speaking, she is very beautiful."

Huang Zhaoyi asked in a murmur, "How beautiful?"

Liu Yue raised her eyebrows. "How beautiful is just a concept. Why don't you go see for yourself and make it tangible?"

Huang Zhaoyi slumped on the sofa, completely different from the upright stone statue before. "In the letters he wrote back, he said he was married and had a daughter who was about to get married. Do you know why I never took the initiative to investigate and verify?"

Liu Yue asked, "Are you afraid that what he said is the truth?"

"Yes, and no."

Huang Zhaoyi shook her head. "Before I knew his identity, I used to fantasize about what he looked like. Was he full of knowledge, elegant, and dashing? Because of this, I couldn't help but send him Peking opera tickets twice, but he refused both times. But after seeing him in person, I became even more afraid of meeting him formally."

Liu Yue asked keenly, "If he hadn't refused and had come to the appointment, what would you have done?"

Huang Zhaoyi was immediately stumped.

Liu Yue narrowed her eyes. "Actually, you had the impulse to dedicate yourself at that time, right? Even if you don't want to admit it, such a thought arose in your heart. And not just once."

The flaw in her heart was magnified and pierced through, and Huang Zhaoyi was speechless.

Liu Yue pressed, "Now you are afraid of meeting him formally. Besides the age mismatch, you are also afraid that he has a partner and that your perfect fantasy will be shattered. I didn't guess wrong, did I?"

One was standing, her eyes full of brilliance.

One was lying sideways, soft and powerless.

For a time, the two girls looked at each other and wrestled, neither saying a word.

After about 10 minutes of stalemate, Liu Yue suddenly said, "If you are so cowardly, then I will pursue him. To be honest, such an excellent man is worthy of me. When we are together in the future, don't be jealous."

Knowing this was a provocation, Huang Zhaoyi's little heart beat rapidly, and finally, she sighed long. "I spoiled you for nothing since you were little; you're using conspiracies against your aunt."

"No, it's an open plot. Either you have both the man and the niece, or both the man and the niece will leave you." Liu Yue's posture swayed, and her words were cold and ruthless.

Huang Zhaoyi couldn't help but laugh or cry. She stood up, picked up the car keys, and asked, "Where is she?"

"At school," Liu Yue replied.

Just like that, the two girls left the villa and drove to Fudan University.

In the car, Liu Yue looked around and asked, "Why didn't you drive the Mercedes? I like that Mercedes."

Huang Zhaoyi said, "He recognizes that car."

Liu Yue realized instantly. "So you bought this Santana separately?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "Mainly to be low-key."

As they chatted, the car soon arrived at the gate of Fudan University.

Seeing her aunt park the car near the school gate and then sit there without moving, Liu Yue asked, "Not going in?"

Huang Zhaoyi raised her right wrist to check. "It's mealtime now. He should bring his girlfriend out to eat. If we wait, we might run into them."

Liu Yue said, "Cowardly as a mouse, how are you going to chase a man?"

Huang Zhaoyi pretended not to hear this.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, the two girls finally waited for Li Heng and Xiao Han. They saw this pair of "dogs" walking shoulder to shoulder, close together, passing in front of the car.

Liu Yue said, "He is very popular. Do you really still want to hide?"

Huang Zhaoyi said nothing, her eyes fixed on Xiao Han.

After Li Heng and Xiao Han crossed the road and walked into a small roadside restaurant, Liu Yue saw a hint of bitterness hidden on her aunt's face, so she immediately opened the door and got out of the car. "I'm hungry, let's go eat too."

Huang Zhaoyi struggled violently in her heart, but finally couldn't help it, pulled out the car keys, and followed her out of the car.

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(End of chapter)