Chapter 28: A Graceful Lady, a Worthy Man

After paying and collecting their books, Sun Manning asked Li Heng: “It’s still over an hour until lunch—where are you going afterward?”

Li Heng had already planned: “My hair’s gotten too long—I need a haircut. What about you guys?”

Liu Li yawned twice: “Didn’t sleep well last night—dead tired. I’m going back to the dorm to catch up on sleep.”

Before Zhang Zhiyong could speak, Sun Manning said: “I’ll go with you to the barber shop. My hair’s thick too—I need it thinned out. You give the books to Zhang Zhiyong, let him take them.”

She turned to Zhang Zhiyong: “You don’t mind, right?”

Zhang Zhiyong shrugged, stifled: “No objection—I’m already set up this way, how dare I complain?”

Once Liu Li and Zhang Zhiyong were far away, Sun Manning spoke again: “Which barber shop? Off-campus or on-campus?”

Li Heng patted his pocket and veered down the right path: “Too lazy to go outside—on-campus is fine. They cut more carefully, and it’s two cents cheaper.”

This wasn’t because he was cheap.

The on-campus barber shop sat beside the faculty cafeteria, run by the principal’s wife. She didn’t need the money—she opened it just to keep herself busy, never expecting it to become wildly popular.

Of course, its success wasn’t just due to skill—on-campus safety was also a major factor.

Especially for girls with some looks—they never went off-campus, because those shops were full of local hooligans.

Some owners were hooligans themselves.

Leaving the crowded area, Li Heng suddenly asked: “Spit it out—you sent them away for a reason, right?”

“Clever. Knew you wouldn’t be fooled.”

Sun Manning stopped, glanced around, then stood on tiptoe and sat on the horizontal bar.

Li Heng walked over and sat on the adjacent bar.

Sun Manning asked: “Did you break up with Chen Zijin?”

Li Heng didn’t grasp her intent yet, stayed silent, only stared at her in confusion.

Sun Manning raised her right hand, mimicking a phone call: “On the fifth day of the new year, I was bored and visited Song Yu’s place—accidentally overheard Chen Zijin calling her.”

If in junior high, Chen Zijin had been closest to anyone, it was Yang Yingwen and Xiao Han.

But in high school, Chen Zijin learned from Xiao Han’s lesson in junior high—afraid someone else would swoop in if they split—so she chose liberal arts with Li Heng.

At this point, since Yang Yingwen and Xiao Han were in another building studying science, the girl she was closest to became Song Yu and Sun Manning.

The three girls ate, slept, used the restroom, even took post-meal walks together—extremely close.

Li Heng thought a moment and asked: “What did you overhear?”

Sun Manning pouted: “Hey, don’t use ‘eavesdrop’—I just caught a few words.”

Li Heng showed an apologetic expression and urged her to continue.

Sun Manning told him: “On the phone, Chen Zijin asked Song Yu about your situation last semester, and told her to keep an eye on you…”

Li Heng was listening intently, then the story ended—no follow-up.

He blinked: “What happened after that?”

Sun Manning said: “That’s it. Song Yu spotted me, so Chen Zijin dropped the subject.”

Then she returned to her earlier question: “Your relationship with Chen Zijin is troubled, isn’t it?”

“Otherwise, given how much she cares about you, why wouldn’t she call you directly? Why go through Song Yu instead?”

This girl’s thinking was sharp—she guessed right on the spot.

Li Heng didn’t answer the question, only sincerely thanked her.

Seeing he seemed down, Sun Manning wisely didn’t press further, and asked her second question:

“Honestly—do you secretly like Song Yu?”

He rarely discussed romantic feelings with this girl, but they had deep mutual trust and rarely lied to each other.

Li Heng said frankly: “I do.”

Her answer didn’t surprise her at all—Sun Manning clapped her hands and praised: “Now that’s a real man—straightforward!”

Li Heng sighed: “I thought admitting this to someone outside would be agonizing—but I didn’t hesitate at all. Sigh… am I hopeless?”

“Hah, don’t be ridiculous.”

Sun Manning chuckled: “Actually, whether you admit it or not, we all know. We just never called you out.”

Li Heng raised his eyebrows sharply: “We? Who else?”

Sun Manning held up three fingers, bending one for each name:

“Me!

Song Yu!

And of course, Chen Zijin!”

With each name, Li Heng froze—then sat motionless.

After struggling to recall, he asked: “How did you figure it out?”

Sun Manning said: “Not guessing—you were just terrible at hiding it. With everyone else, you’re a fox. But every time you looked at Song Yu, your heart betrayed you.”

Li Heng said nothing, sinking into silence.

Not just in the past—even now, with two lives behind him, seeing Song Yu again, he might not be able to keep his face calm.

Sun Manning asked: “If you know your heart strayed, why didn’t Chen Zijin confront you?”

Li Heng looked up: “Why?”

Sun Manning recited a line from the Book of Songs: “A graceful lady, a worthy man’s delight.”

Li Heng chewed over it several times, then slowly understood.

Sun Manning gripped the bar, swinging her legs: “I’ve read countless novels, including Qiong Yao’s; I’ve read many Chinese and foreign classics, including Dream of the Red Chamber; since elementary school, Mai Sui has been my idol.”

But honestly—I’ve never met a real woman who deserved those eight characters… until I met Song Yu.”

Li Heng gazed up at the white clouds, as if seeing three faces there: Song Yu, Xiao Han, and Chen Zijin.

After watching his face for a long while, Sun Manning suddenly asked: “Tonight’s seat change is your last chance in high school—do you want to sit with Song Yu?”

Hearing this, Li Heng turned his gaze back to her: “Last semester’s final exam—I was third in class. I had no choice.”

For years, Song Yu and Mai Sui had alternated as class top scorers—never anyone else.

Their homeroom teacher, Wang Qi, had even compiled the stats:

Since the split into liberal arts and science in sophomore year, across all exams—monthly, unified, and regular—Song Yu had ranked first in class 14 times and first in all liberal arts students 8 times.

Mai Sui had ranked first in class 16 times and first in all students 6 times.

Li Heng was the eternal third—unchallenged, except once when he scored 61 in English.

The two girls were evenly matched, fierce rivals, trading the top spot.

Perhaps because of their rivalry-turned-affection, Song Yu and Mai Sui had always been desk partners—each time choosing seats, they picked each other, never giving outsiders the advantage.

Sun Manning confidently said: “Don’t worry about that—I’ll handle Mai Sui for you.”

Before his rebirth, Li Heng would have been heartstruck but dared not act openly.

But now—he didn’t care what others thought, felt no guilt, only worried about Chen Zijin’s feelings.

Li Heng asked: “Why help me?”

Sun Manning didn’t answer. She jumped off the bar and walked away—as if she’d forgotten the barber shop.

(End of chapter)