Chapter 390

The first choice was that the two had a relationship, and more than once, so Li Heng would let her be his woman.

However, this choice had conditions: Li Heng wouldn't have only her as a woman, and it was impossible to put all his energy into her; being with him was destined to be hard.

At the same time, she would have to endure loneliness.

As for the second choice, it was quite simple: everyone was an adult, and the love between a man and a woman was a human instinct. No one used force during the process, so it could be said that one was willing to hit and the other was willing to be hit.

If she couldn't accept that he had other women, couldn't endure that loneliness in the future, and couldn't accept the risk of being exposed, then she should stop in time and part on good terms, lest they become enemies in the future.

Li Heng was realistic, speaking the truth, not deceiving, not bewitching, not hiding, but laying his cards on the table with her.

And he put the initiative in her hands, letting her make the choice herself.

Whether she chose the first?

Or chose the second?

Li Heng would respect her will.

Hearing him finish speaking his two conditions from the heart, Huang Zhaoyi's eyes became moist. She had never thought he would treat her this way; she had originally thought she would be alone for the rest of her life, thinking he would despise her for being old and just play around.

It was understandable for her to think this way.

It was really because she had been rejected by him too many times before, and his attitude of rejection was too indifferent, making her dare not, and unable to, have too many thoughts.

At the same time, there were too many excellent women around him, and she wasn't particularly outstanding among them. Especially Song Yu and Zhou Shihe, whose temperament and looks blew all other women away, which stunned her, even though she had been pampered by those around her since she was a child.

She still remembered the scene of Zhou Shihe playing the piano at the Spring Festival Gala; she was fascinated by it in the audience and couldn't help but feel a yearning.

During her performances in Jingcheng, she had even secretly gone to Peking University and quietly watched Song Yu; the other party's ethereal temperament made her unable to even think of competing.

As for Xiao Han and Yu Shuheng, she considered herself to have the strength to compete.

Of course, she knew Zhou Shihe and Yu Shuheng didn't have much to do with him; she was just comparing all the great beauties around him.

Just such a man surrounded by great beauties, now, without minding her age, without just playing with her and dumping her, but seriously and openly laying out two options for her to choose from—instantly, her heart pounded, and she was somewhat excited!

Somewhat happy!

Feeling that happiness had come too fast!

Because it was too sudden, she was unprepared and couldn't speak for a moment.

Facing each other, the atmosphere was heavy. Seeing that she hadn't spoken for a long time, Li Heng said understandingly, "This is a big matter; you should indeed think it over carefully.

I won't force you, nor will I urge you. You take your time to consider it, and when you've thought it through in the future, just tell me the answer."

Having said that, Li Heng withdrew his gaze and turned to walk toward the living room.

One step, two steps...

Just as he took the third step, his waist was suddenly hugged by the woman behind him.

She gathered her courage, reached out to hug his waist, her full chest pressing tightly against his back, and she leaned against his shoulder with her eyes closed.

Li Heng was stunned, stopped his steps, and after a while, asked, "Have you thought it through?"

"Mm," Huang Zhaoyi hummed.

Li Heng tilted his head: "Are you really not going to consider it anymore? I can give you time."

Huang Zhaoyi opened her eyes and looked at him firmly.

After staring at each other for a long time, she said softly, "I will have a sense of proportion; you don't have to worry that I will bring you trouble in the future."

Li Heng felt moved, slowly turned around, and reached out to hug her.

Humans are not made of grass or wood; who can be without emotion?

Not to mention that she was such a great beauty with looks, temperament, family background, and talent!

This was the first time he had hugged her besides for lust. Huang Zhaoyi cherished it very much, looked at him infatuatedly, looked at him, and then carefully hugged him back.

Fearing he would be troubled, she took the initiative to give him a reassurance: "I know your situation, know whose heart you have, and know you are busy. You don't need to worry about me usually, and you don't need to come see me specially because of guilt or anything.

I don't want much; as long as I can leave a mark in your heart before you graduate, that's enough."

Li Heng reached out to touch her face, and after a while, nodded: "Good."

With that "good," a smile appeared on Huang Zhaoyi's face, "You must be very hungry, right?"

The consumption was too great; how could he not be hungry?

Li Heng said, "I am indeed a little hungry."

"Eat first, I'll go heat up the dishes," she said.

Li Heng released her, and the two walked toward the dining room.

Seeing him about to follow her into the kitchen, Huang Zhaoyi, who was in front, pressed him into his seat and whispered in his ear, "Rest for a while; I'll serve you today."

Hearing the word "serve," Li Heng subconsciously glanced at her bright red lips.

Receiving his gaze, Huang Zhaoyi paused, then turned to the kitchen with a hot face to heat up the dishes.

Before long, the five dishes were heated up and placed back on the dining table.

Looking at the dishes on the table, Li Heng was quite surprised.

Huang Zhaoyi set a bowl of rice in front of him, handed him a pair of chopsticks, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Heng asked, "This is Hunan cuisine."

Huang Zhaoyi said yes.

Li Heng asked, "You made this?"

Huang Zhaoyi sat next to him, "It's not made very well."

Looking at each dish one by one, Li Heng said, "Color, aroma, and taste—you've achieved the color and aroma, and it looks pretty good."

Taking an empty porcelain bowl, Huang Zhaoyi smiled and served him a bowl of tea tree mushroom and old duck soup, "This soup has been stewed for more than an hour; try it and see if it suits your taste?"

Li Heng didn't stand on ceremony, reached out to take the soup, and drank two large mouthfuls under her expectant gaze.

After finishing one mouthful, he paused, then drank two more large mouthfuls in succession.

Finally, he praised sincerely, "Not bad, how long have you been learning this dish?"

Huang Zhaoyi answered, "More than half a year."

"Half a year?" Li Heng tilted his head to look at her.

Receiving his meaningful gaze, Huang Zhaoyi felt a little unnatural and smiled reluctantly, saying:

"You should have guessed it; it was the idea I had after I followed you on the plane to Changsha that time."

After letting his gaze linger on her face for about half a minute, Li Heng asked, "Who did you learn from?"

"I learned from a Hunan cuisine chef in Changsha," she said.

Li Heng was stunned, then reacted and asked, "Changsha? You didn't spend a short time learning, did you?"

"I knew nothing could be hidden from you. I set up a business over there, and whenever I had time in the past six months, I went there to learn how to cook and familiarize myself with the local customs." Under his gaze, she revealed everything without reservation.

After staring at each other for a while, Li Heng picked up a chopstick of stir-fried pork with chili and put it in his mouth, "Your plans are quite grand."

Huang Zhaoyi smiled and picked up her chopsticks to pick up food for him.

After chewing and swallowing the stir-fried pork with chili, Li Heng commented, "Mm, this dish has mastered part of the essence, but the heat of the chili stir-fry is still a bit lacking, and the 'wok hei' aroma isn't strong enough.

But for you to learn to this extent amidst your busy schedule is already very good, surpassing the skills of most housewives."

Huang Zhaoyi ate a piece of stir-fried pork with chili and confessed, "I only know these five dishes."

Li Heng glanced at her.

Huang Zhaoyi said, "My talent is limited, and I plan to learn new dishes after a while."

Understanding this woman's intentions, Li Heng didn't say anything about it; as long as she thought it was worth it, then learning and doing it was a happy thing.

He said, "Learning to cook does require a certain talent, but to some extent, talent isn't that important. As long as you are willing to put in the effort and spend time learning, the level of ordinary home-cooked dishes isn't difficult."

After speaking, he smiled and teased himself, "Among the women around me, your cooking skills can rank second."

Huang Zhaoyi was curious: "Who is first?"

Li Heng glanced at her, "Zhou Shihe."

Huang Zhaoyi was surprised: "She plays the piano so well, and she also cooks?"

Li Heng nodded, "Don't be surprised, it's actually quite delicious."

Hearing the word "surprised," she could instantly accept the fact that Zhou Shihe could cook. Just like herself, born into a high-threshold family like the Huang family, yet she was infatuated with a boy under 20 years old and couldn't extricate herself.

Perhaps her family and outsiders couldn't understand, but she alone knew the taste of it, and she was happily immersed in this relationship, unwilling to come out.

Even if it was unrequited love, she had no regrets.

Not to mention that he was now sitting next to her, and not to mention that before in the bedroom, he had tirelessly plowed here for more than an hour. Recalling his heroic posture in bed, Huang Zhaoyi stared fixedly at his profile, somewhat infatuated.

Seeing her like this, Li Heng thought for a moment and said, "Accompany me to eat."

Huang Zhaoyi came back to her senses and asked him, "Do you want to drink some wine?"

Li Heng shook his head: "I still have to go back to write tonight, so let's forget it today."

Huang Zhaoyi subconsciously looked at the sky full of rain outside the window, wanting to ask him to stay the night. She believed that with her body, she could strike while the iron was hot and leave a deeper impression in his heart tonight.

But as soon as she thought of the outside world's slander of his new book, she extinguished this thought; the man was currently in his rising period and should prioritize his career.

This meal lasted about half an hour, and the two talked back and forth, and time passed quickly.

Fearing he would be sensitive, Huang Zhaoyi didn't mention his new book "White Deer Plain" during this time, even though she liked the book very much. She also fantasized about him in the middle of the night because of this book and did some shameful things.

After the meal, she took out a brand-new folding umbrella and a letter from the drawer under the TV cabinet and handed them to him.

Li Heng took the umbrella and said, "Actually, my umbrella can still be used if I fix it."

"Good, leave it with me first, and I'll take it to the repair shop later to see," Huang Zhaoyi put his umbrella, which had been ruined by the wind, into the room on the first floor and said so.

Li Heng asked, "What is this letter?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "It's a property in Changsha, in the Yuelu District. If you are too tired from traveling and pass by, you can go there to rest."

Li Heng looked at the envelope, then at her, and finally accepted the registered letter.

Opening it to take a look, just as expected, it contained the detailed address of the property, and also came with a key.

Putting the things back into the letter, Li Heng didn't intend to use it.

The reason was very simple: he wasn't usually alone when traveling; he either brought Xiao Han or had Mai Sui by his side. Taking another woman to another woman's house always felt weird and inappropriate.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and looking at the posture, there was no sign of it stopping. Li Heng didn't want to wait anymore, opened his umbrella, and was about to rush to school.

"Wait a moment," Huang Zhaoyi shouted from behind.

Li Heng turned back.

Huang Zhaoyi closed the first-floor door, took out her car keys, and said to him, "With such heavy rain, I'll take you."

Li Heng originally wanted to say "No need, it's not particularly far," but after receiving her gaze, he took back the words that were on his lips and got into the Santana.

Inside the car, the two suddenly had nothing to say. One was focused on driving, and the other was quietly looking at the rain curtain outside, and before they knew it, they arrived near Fudan University.

Seeing the car stop a long distance away from the school gate, Li Heng asked casually, "Why stop here?"

Huang Zhaoyi looked at him apologetically.

As their eyes met, Li Heng instantly understood the meaning in her eyes: he was famous at Fudan University, and she was afraid that acquaintances would recognize him and ruin his reputation.

Of course, she was mainly worried that some special women at Fudan would know, thereby affecting his normal life.

Li Heng was silent for a moment and said, "It's okay, drive forward."

After a short stalemate, seeing that his mind was made up, Huang Zhaoyi restarted the car, and the car moved slowly, driving him all the way to the left side of the school gate.

Before getting out of the car, Li Heng remembered one thing, withdrew his right hand that was touching the door handle, turned his head, and asked, "How long will you stay in Xiangjiang this time?"

Huang Zhaoyi said, "About 5 to 7 days."

As she spoke, she took her bag, found paper and a pen from inside, and wrote down a phone number:

"This is the contact information for my residence in Xiangjiang. If you... if you need me, I will fly back in time."

When she said the word "need," her voice was a little small, but even a fool could understand the meaning.

The relationship between the two hadn't expanded in other directions yet, and all communication was currently based on "warming the bed."

From her perspective, Li Heng was young and very energetic. After sleeping together twice, she had a profound understanding of his ability in that regard.

Although they had engaged in long sexual activities in the afternoon, that wasn't all of him, and it was far from his limit, which was also the reason she wanted him to stay overnight before.

In other words, the reason they stopped before dinner was because he played all sorts of tricks and techniques, which didn't consume much physical energy, while she had no experience, leading to exhaustion and the need for a short rest, which caused that situation.

Writing this note was, first, to fulfill her duty and obligation as his woman; second, she had a faint longing for a third encounter with him.

She craved that feeling, the feeling of him on her.

Li Heng realized she had misunderstood, and also knew her deep-seated hope for a third date. He didn't point it out and put the note in his pocket.

In the silence, he suddenly said, "My mother seems to like you very much."

After speaking, he opened the car door and walked down, then opened his umbrella and rushed toward the school gate.

Before entering the school gate, he turned to look at the Santana in the heavy rain, then walked away with big strides, disappearing behind the school gate.

Her gaze followed his figure as it moved, and until he completely left, Huang Zhaoyi in the driver's seat slowly withdrew her mind, her whole brain filled with that one sentence: "My mother seems to like you very much."

This sentence seemed to open up a new world. Huang Zhaoyi was immersed in it and couldn't extricate herself for a long time, feeling a bit of secret joy in her heart. What did he mean by this?

Did he accept her?

Did he want her to have a good relationship with his mother?

Should she take the route of his mother?

In her random guesses, she was very clear that although she had agreed to be his woman, there was a difference between this "woman" and other "women."

The reason he accepted her now was nothing more than the fact that the two had a physical relationship, and he was willing to take responsibility for it. But to say there was a deep emotional bond between the two was purely self-deception.

She didn't blame this; after all, how long had it been since they slept together? How could feelings be established so quickly? If it were really that fast, it wouldn't be worth much.

She was even looking forward to the process of their feelings developing from shallow to deep.

However, this process was destined to be relatively arduous and relatively long, and at the same time, she had to endure loneliness. Because he didn't only have her as a woman.

She was clear that even if she wanted to get the same favor as other women, it was by no means a matter of a day or two; it required time to settle. Other women also accumulated time to reach this step.

Of course, she had made a promise; she had no intention of competing for favor, nor did she want to compete for favor.

She was clear about her positioning; once she competed for favor, age was an irreversible weakness, and she would lose him because of it.

Having finally reached this step, reaching the point of sitting face-to-face with him and eating and talking at the same table, she wouldn't be stupid enough to destroy her own foundation.

Was that Bai Wanying? Was that Zhang Bing?

Looking at a boy pushing a girl into the school gate outside the car, Huang Zhaoyi, whose consciousness had gathered, recognized them. After that, she didn't stay any longer. After the car turned around, she stepped on the gas and left Fudan University.

Today was an unexpected day, and also a day of harvest. Huang Zhaoyi, whose mood was incomparably open, hummed a little tune while driving, rushing toward home.

She wouldn't go to her eldest sister's house tonight; she would stay in Yang Pu. His scent still lingered on that bed, and she was very attached to it.

PS: Published first, edited later.

(End of chapter)