Chapter 349: The night is alluring, and this evening is far from peaceful

Seeing him stand in place for a long time without responding, Yu Shuheng asked, "What is it? Don't know which one to choose? Or is your heart thinking of another?"

The "another" she spoke of, of course, referred to Song Yu.

Li Heng picked up the basketball again, casually throwing another three-pointer that hit the rim, only to bounce out again: "That's not it."

"I might have a slight preference for one aspect or another regarding the three of them. But their status in my heart is the same; overall, they are about the same."

Yu Shuheng asked, "So you want all three of them, and you're willing to marry any of them?"

"Yes!"

She was a firsthand witness to the three scarves at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala; Li Heng knew it was impossible to hide, so he simply answered in a crisp and straightforward manner.

He made no hypocritical excuses.

After the question and answer, the two fell into silence.

In the backyard, there was only the sound of the basketball thumping against the ground. She looked at him, and he focused on playing ball; for a time, it was extremely quiet.

Time ticked away, second by second. Who knows how long passed...

When a cold wind blew past, the sky had turned completely dark. Yu Shuheng pulled her coat collar together with her left hand: "The greedy snake wants to swallow an elephant; do you think they will agree?"

Li Heng looked up at the basketball hoop, "Human effort can achieve anything."

Yu Shuheng pondered for a long while after hearing this, then took a delicate sip of red wine and asked out of the blue, "What about the other girls who admire you?"

Li Heng was stunned. A moment later, he turned his head to look at her: "Teacher, it's my first day at Bai Luyuan, can you not add to my troubles? Can't you let me write happily?"

Their eyes met. Yu Shuheng said with a half-smile, "As far as I know, scholars have abundant emotions; the more sorrowful they are, the better articles they can write."

After a standoff for a short while, Li Heng withdrew his gaze and said, "I don't know if it's an illusion?"

"Ever since I had my fortune told by Master Zou, I feel like you've become a different person, Teacher."

Yu Shuheng asked, "Oh, how have I changed?"

Li Heng said, "You're more concerned about my love life, and you're treating me better, too."

Yu Shuheng laughed, swirling the red wine in her glass: "Little boy, put away your probing; I am not Wang Run."

Seeing that she was impervious to reason, Li Heng stopped bothering with her and focused intently on playing basketball—dribbling between his legs, pulling up for jump shots, showing off three-pointers, and then missing several in a row.

Yu Shuheng smiled and said, "If your heart is restless, take a break."

Li Heng said, "My heart isn't restless; my hands just aren't as strong anymore. After all, it's been over 40 minutes of continuous play, isn't it? I'm a bit tired."

With that, he tossed the ball with both hands, and it dropped precisely into the basket under the eaves. He then walked over, sat beside her, and stared blankly into the distant night.

Yu Shuheng gazed at the sky with him for a while and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Li Heng replied, "Nothing at all. What about you, Teacher?"

Yu Shuheng said meaningfully, "I was thinking of Mai Sui. Perhaps she is looking at the north under an astronomical telescope at this very moment."

Li Heng turned his head to stare at her profile.

At first, Yu Shuheng had no reaction, but after being stared at for a long time, she smiled, turned her head, and met his gaze without any avoidance.

One minute.

Two minutes.

When it was nearly four minutes, Li Heng was the first to fail and lose the standoff. He didn't linger any longer, stood up, and returned to his room.

Watching his departing back, the corners of Yu Shuheng's mouth curled up uncontrollably. If she hadn't seen wrong just now, there were sparks flashing deep in the little boy's eyes.

Thinking of this, she downed the red wine in her glass, then returned inside to get a clean glass, pouring two glasses of red wine in a row.

Entering the bedroom, she placed a glass of red wine in front of him and sat on the sofa with great poise, "I'm in a good mood today; will you have a drink with your teacher?"

Li Heng was bending over to open the suitcase he had brought, taking out clothes one by one to hang them in the three-door wardrobe.

He said, "I don't want red wine tonight."

Yu Shuheng asked, "What do you want to drink?"

Li Heng blurted out whatever came to mind: "I want to drink Maotai, preferably paired with peanuts, pig ears, and fermented bean curd; that would be absolutely perfect."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shuheng's gaze lingered on his back for a moment, then she got up and went outside.

Peanuts, there were some in the kitchen.

Pig ears, there were some too, though they were smoked.

Fermented bean curd was even less in short supply; there were four small jars.

Don't ask why the supplies were so well-stocked.

That was because she had long since figured out his preferences and had someone bring them over from Xiangnan early on.

Moreover, the ingredients brought over were far more than just these few items; there were dozens of kinds, covering almost all the dishes he usually loved to eat.

Ceng Yun appeared at the kitchen door at the right time, silent and motionless.

Yu Shuheng glanced at her and said, "You don't need to; I'll do it myself."

Hearing this, Ceng Yun turned and left like a wooden statue.

Although Yu Shuheng's cooking skills were quite average, she could at least manage simple dishes like stir-fried peanuts and stir-fried pig ears.

Adhering to the principle of "if the skill is lacking, add more chili," she added plenty of chili to cater to his taste.

After placing the two dishes on the table and mashing up a small plate of fermented bean curd, Yu Shuheng saw that he was still tidying up the room, so she simply went to take a shower first.

A woman's shower is always a meticulous task; by the time she finished, Li Heng had also just come out of the other bathroom.

He said, "I just realized there are actually two bathrooms in the house."

Yu Shuheng nodded, "The other one is for them to use; we'll use this one."

As she said this, she felt something was off about her words. When she looked up at him, his gaze was indeed fixed on her.

After meeting his eyes for two seconds, Yu Shuheng turned to the dining table with composure, sitting sideways to him, exposing her perfect silhouette to his view.

Under the dim electric light, in the enclosed space, she displayed her noble, elegant, and rich scholarly temperament and feminine charm to the fullest; every gesture was full of the allure of a mature woman.

Seeing this scene, Ceng Yun and Wu Bei, who were observing the surroundings from the shadows, left the wooden house with great tact to stand guard outside.

"The wine and food you wanted are ready; come over and have a drink with me." Yu Shuheng spoke decisively.

Li Heng swallowed secretly, struggling to withdraw his gaze from her.

At this very moment, he highly suspected that she was doing this on purpose.

Deliberately dressing so alluringly!

Arriving at the dining table, he frowned and inspected it, then went to the kitchen, and then to the storage room.

Yu Shuheng didn't stop him, seemingly guessing what he was doing.

Before long, Li Heng appeared at the dining table again, sat down, and sighed, "Teacher, you are too dangerous."

Yu Shuheng placed a glass of white liquor in front of him.

Li Heng picked up the liquor, took a sip, and said, "I just checked; the things I love to eat, the things I eat occasionally, as long as I've eaten them in front of you, you have a backup."

Yu Shuheng smiled without a word.

Li Heng took another sip of liquor, turned his head, and said in a low, solemn voice, "Teacher, don't be too good to me; I'll have a psychological burden."

Yu Shuheng acted as if she hadn't heard this, answering a different question, "Do you like the clothes I'm wearing tonight?"

Do they look good or not?

Li Heng had just experienced the tyranny of her beauty; it was damnably seductive! One careless moment and he was hooked.

Seeing him straighten his body, not daring to look at her too much, a flash of laughter in Yu Shuheng's eyes vanished in an instant. She slowly swirled the wine glass in her hand and said softly:

"Afraid of affecting your writing mood, I specifically wore the color and style you find pleasing."

When she said this, her tone was light and very relaxed, like a babbling brook circling his ears—troublesome! Even more heart-tugging!

How long had it been since he left Zijin? He did a rough calculation; it had been nearly half a month.

No wonder he...!

The young and vigorous Li Heng was stirred to boiling blood by a single sentence, and the desires in his bones were restless.

Well, it wasn't entirely the credit of that sentence, but the effect of her careful dressing tonight.

Or perhaps, the taboo status of the two was stimulating a massive secretion of hormones, making it easy for people to let their imaginations run wild.

Li Heng looked down at the liquor in his glass, held his breath, downed it, and asked, "Are you really planning to resign, Teacher?"

Li Heng didn't know what kind of mindset he was in when he asked this. Under the stimulation of unstoppable desire, in this specific environment, he asked it as if possessed.

As soon as he asked, he regretted it!

He wished he could slap himself to death.

Yu Shuheng glanced at him and said expressionlessly, "How is this liquor? Can you handle it?"

She didn't mention the resignation at all, like an old angler who casts a line into the river and then ignores it.

"Mellow and fragrant, very good." Li Heng said as such.

Yu Shuheng pointed at the dishes on the table with the tip of her chopsticks: "It's been a while since I cooked; I'm a bit rusty. Try it."

"Okay."

Li Heng responded.

He picked up his chopsticks, took a peanut, and put it in his mouth—crispy and refreshing. Then he ate a piece of pig ear—crunchy and chewy. The soul was the full-bodied chili flavor, which catered perfectly to his appetite.

After trying everything, he commented, "Teacher's cooking has improved; these two dishes can be considered excellent."

Yu Shuheng said, "Improvement is hard to say; I just watched you cook several times and remembered how to do it."

Li Heng nodded and ate several more mouthfuls.

Yu Shuheng placed the Maotai on his left, signaling him to refill his glass.

Li Heng held the Maotai in his right hand and said, "I get drunk easily on white liquor; one glass is my limit."

Yu Shuheng stared into his eyes, as if saying: Since that's the case, why were you shouting for Maotai earlier?

Fine, receiving her unfriendly gaze, Li Heng didn't show weakness, poured another glass, raised it, and said, "Teacher, thank you for everything you've done for me; I toast you with this glass!"

Yu Shuheng didn't say anything, picked up her glass, clinked it with his, and took a small sip.

Seeing him finish half the glass in one gulp, she took another sip a moment later and reminded him, "White liquor has a strong kick; drink slowly."

Li Heng said "mm" and really slowed down.

Next, neither of them spoke much, quietly eating their late-night snack and sipping their liquor. The atmosphere wasn't awkward; instead, there was an inexplicable emotion spreading.

After three rounds of drinks, Li Heng said, "Teacher, you should put on a coat; it's late, and you'll easily catch a cold."

Yu Shuheng remained unmoved and said coolly, "A calm heart naturally keeps one cool."

Li Heng: "..."

After a while, he asked, "Last time at the Drum Tower in Jingcheng, when you left, what exactly did you say to my mother?"

Yu Shuheng asked, "Which time?"

Li Heng prompted, "The time you gave the ginseng."

Yu Shuheng recalled it for a moment, revealed a fox-like smile, and asked, "Didn't Auntie tell you?"

Li Heng said, "I originally wanted to ask my mom, but I forgot when I got home. Later, when I remembered, she wasn't home."

Yu Shuheng said meaningfully, "Actually, I told the truth that time."

Li Heng asked, "What truth?"

Yu Shuheng picked up a piece of pig ear, put it in her mouth, chewed slowly, and said meaningfully, "About sleeping in the same bed."

Li Heng's face twitched, and he turned his head to say seriously, "Remove the 'same pillow' part."

Yu Shuheng ignored him, drinking and eating on her own, letting his gaze fall on her again.

For the second time, the two fell into silence, and the atmosphere at the table became even more bizarre.

"Ugh."

After a long time, Li Heng, having downed two glasses of white liquor, finally experienced the fierce kick of the liquor as expected. His right hand couldn't help but pat his forehead, rubbing his temples.

"Are you drunk?" Yu Shuheng, who had been as cold as an iceberg just a moment ago, put down her glass and asked.

"Mm."

Li Heng responded, "About sixty or seventy percent drunk."

After saying this, he supported the corner of the table with his left hand and stood up, taking slow, unsteady steps, preparing to go to the bedroom to lie down and rest for a while.

Seeing this, Yu Shuheng stood up and reached out to support his right arm.

"Teacher, no need to support me."

Smelling her faint feminine fragrance at close range and looking at her perfect silhouette, Li Heng, who had been suppressing his male instincts all night, felt as if oil had been poured and a fuse lit. His mind swayed, dazed and confused.

Yu Shuheng didn't let go, but supported him into the bedroom and to the bedside.

"It's late; I'm leaving, get some rest early." She said, then prepared to leave.

Just as she turned around, Li Heng suddenly reached out like lightning and blocked her.

Blocking her at the waist.

Yu Shuheng paused, staying in place. She first looked down at his hand, then turned her head to glance at him quickly. What greeted her was a pair of eyes unlike any before.

After calming down, holding her breath for four or five seconds, Yu Shuheng moved, walking straight forward into the inner room.

The room was a suite, with an inner room and an outer room, connected by a door in the middle.

Entering the inner room, Yu Shuheng, who had been calm just a moment ago, had slightly disordered breathing. The moment she closed the door, she even took a deep breath with her eyes closed.

Getting on the bed, Yu Shuheng realized she hadn't washed up after eating. Thinking about it, feeling uncomfortable, she got out of bed again, put on her shoes, and walked toward the door.

But when she reached the door, she stopped in place, pricking up her ears to listen to the sounds in the outer room.

It seemed, it seemed there were footsteps approaching, walking toward this door.

In an instant, Yu Shuheng's heart rate accelerated.

It was his footsteps, stumbling and unsteady; the kick of the white liquor must still be taking effect.

One step, two steps, three steps... five steps.

At the seventh step, the footsteps outside stopped.

Yu Shuheng stared tightly at the door bolt, subconsciously reaching out her right hand to slide it into place.

After doing all this, she still didn't relax, staring at the bolt without blinking.

Will he knock?

Will he push the door?

Will he call out?

Her mind went into chaos. In an instant, various different sounds emerged in her mind.

Time was long, as if a century had passed; time was fast, two minutes vanished in a flash.

A moment later.

A moment later, footsteps sounded outside again, not heavy, as if walking on tiptoe. The sound grew more distant and smaller until it stopped at a certain moment, followed by the sound of a bed being pressed down.

He must have returned to bed.

After this incident, Yu Shuheng couldn't care about not brushing her teeth. Her chest heaved a few times, and she turned back to the bed.

She didn't sleep!

Growing up, this was the first time she had been so close to a member of the opposite sex; she had no sleepiness at all.

Staring blankly at the bolt, her mind was a blank slate.

At this very moment, she seemed to hear footsteps again.

But listening closely, there was nothing; it was an illusion, the world was silent.

About ten minutes later, Yu Shuheng didn't know what was wrong; she got out of bed again, put on her shoes, and came to the door on tiptoe.

Reaching out her right hand again, she pulled the bolt open, undoing the lock from the inside.

After doing so, her heart beat even more violently.

More violently than when she heard the footsteps before!

Ten times more violent!

A hundred times more violent!

Then she looked at the bolt, gradually retreated, and eventually returned to the bed, but her gaze was terrified of missing anything, still staring at the bolt without blinking.

Getting into bed, half-covering herself with the quilt, Yu Shuheng leaned against the headboard.

What am I doing?

Suddenly, a voice sounded like a spring thunderclap! It exploded in her heart!

The sound was very, very loud, blasting her back to her senses, blasting her awake.

Yu Shuheng touched her unusual heart with her right hand, got out of bed again, quietly came to the door, reached out, and slid the bolt into place.

Not only that, she also inserted the latch, creating a double insurance.

Watching the double insurance, her heart was no longer drifting, slowly settling down.

"Boom! Boom!"

"Pia! Pia! Pia!"

Suddenly, a blinding white light flashed outside the window, followed by a deafening thunderclap, one after another, lasting for quite a while.

Startled, Yu Shuheng came to the window, pulled back the curtain, and looked outside in confusion. It took a long time for her to realize that it was already spring; this was spring thunder, a very reasonable natural phenomenon.

The thunder tonight was very loud and echoed for a long, long time. Finally, lightning tore through the clouds, tore through the night, and a torrential rain began to fall outside.

Ding-ling-dang-lang, raindrops larger than soybeans hit the eaves and tiles continuously, making a crisp sound.

Yu Shuheng stood in front of the window for a full hour before feeling the chill and pulling the curtains to return to bed.

This night, she didn't fall asleep in the first half. She set up two pillows behind her back, leaning lazily against the headboard, looking out the window one moment and at the door the next, not knowing what she was thinking.

In the second half of the night, Yu Shuheng couldn't overcome her fatigue and finally closed her eyes, falling asleep.

But she didn't sleep peacefully; she had dreams all night.

She had the same dream all night.

In the dream, she heard footsteps one moment, the sound of the bolt moving the next, the sound of the door being broken down, and the sound of footsteps reaching the bedside...

In the dream, she found herself at the door one moment, at the window the next, and leaning against the bedside...

Cycling back and forth like this, in the dream, she seemed to be vaguely expecting something, yet fearing something...

Having the same dream over and over, Yu Shuheng only felt so tired, so tired, her spirit exhausted.

Finally, a voice jumped out: "What are you panicking about! At worst, I'll resign! I won't be this shitty teacher anymore!"

These words were spoken by Shen Xin; Shen Xin said them to her in the dream.

Hearing her own mother's voice and seeing her mother's face clearly, Yu Shuheng felt as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw at the moment of life and death, her heart inexplicably calm.

And then.

And then, relaxed, she welcomed a long-lost joy in her sleep...!

A very rhythmic joy.

After a long, long time, Yu Shuheng slowly opened her eyes, finding that it was still raining heavily outside, and discovering that she had actually had a dream.

At a certain moment, Yu Shuheng lifted the quilt to confirm; her clothes were intact.

It was just a false alarm!

With a cautious heart, she turned on the electric light and looked at the door for the first time; the bolt was horizontal, and the latch was inserted.

It really was just a dream, really just a false alarm.

But then she felt uncomfortable. Being a clean person, she wanted to go outside to shower, but the sky wasn't bright yet, and she didn't know if he was up?

Actually, Li Heng didn't sleep much that night.

Although he was drunk, he wasn't completely drunk; his head was splitting with pain, and coupled with the impact of youthful hormones, it was very uncomfortable.

Of course, besides these factors, there was a more fatal one, and that was the spring thunder!

That's right, it was the spring thunder!

In his previous life, he was struck to death by lightning. In this life, he shivered whenever he heard thunder, subconsciously feeling a danger approaching, so his spirit was tense, his psychological shadow erupted, and he didn't sleep well all night.

In a daze, he felt like he had slept, yet felt like he hadn't.

A casual glance, Li Heng noticed a light shining through the crack of the door; he immediately guessed: Teacher Yu is already awake?

PS: Yesterday's check-up revealed a problem with my thyroid. I ran to another old Chinese doctor to get medicine and didn't get home until very late. My body hasn't been very good these years, sorry about that.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 350 =====