Chapter 447: Here It Comes, Here It Comes

Returned to the dormitory building.

Up on the second floor, Li Heng noticed his scheming bride had redone her appearance entirely, her whole body refined and glowing like fine porcelain.

He teased, "It's this late, why bother dressing up so nicely? You're sleeping with me tonight—won't be messy in minutes."

These words brought back the scene on the door today—the struggle between wanting to be reserved yet unable to be, the singing, the conflicting desire to make him stop yet beg him to hurry—all because of the man before her.

Xiao Han flushed crimson and asked pitifully, "Will you still be rough tonight?"

"Aren't you my wife? Doing something joyful with your own wife isn't roughing it," he said.

Xiao Han pouted, mournfully saying, "Yes, I'm your wife, but you can't use me like this—four, five, six, seven times a day? Even iron would break."

Li Heng laughed heartily. "They say only oxen die from exhaustion, never fields worn out. I don't believe this is your limit."

Hearing this, Xiao Han lifted her head, cleared her throat, and asked, "Then why does Mr. Li need so many fields? Isn't one enough?"

Li Heng's face darkened—he realized chatting with this scheming woman was dangerous; she always had a line ready to shut you down.

Under her peculiar gaze, Li Heng fully deployed his thick-skinned spirit, picked up the gifts from the corner of the room, and headed downstairs.

Watching the flustered figure retreat slowly, Xiao Han smiled faintly, bent down to pick up the remaining gifts, and followed him downstairs.

In the courtyard, Professor Wen Yan was waiting for them. "The car should be here soon. Did you forget anything?"

Xiao Han replied, "No, we took everything."

Speak of the devil, and he appears—before they'd finished speaking, a Santana pulled up from afar and stopped at the alley.

Professor Wen Yan called out, "Hurry up and get in."

"Ah, Teacher, we're off then," Li Heng bid farewell.

Professor Wen Yan smiled at them and nodded.

Xiehe Hospital was in the eastern district, over twenty miles from Gu Lou and Li's old home—not close. Along the way, Xiao Han stared out the window, silent.

Li Heng leaned close and whispered, "You're nervous."

Xiao Han wanted to say no, but her cherry lips betrayed her: "A little."

"That's not like you. In my mind, you fear nothing," Li Heng teased.

Her gaze swept over him, then she spoke crisply: "Don't gloat. When you meet my family, with your reputation as a fickle, roguish man, you'll be more nervous than I am."

Li Heng: "."

She hit the nail on the head—he had no reply.

Wei Wei Wei Shiman wasn't like Jiang Yue; she wasn't easy to deal with. In his past life, because of his three-timing, she ignored him for a long time—even "Mom" went unanswered; she treated him like air.

Only after Xiao Han gave birth did Wei Wei Wei Shiman come to care for her daughter and grandson, slowly mending their relationship back to normal.

To ease her tension, Li Heng took her hand and chatted softly, sharing their summer lives with each other.

As they talked, time flew—before they knew it, they reached Gu Lou.

As they got out of the car, Li Heng remembered something and whispered, "We didn't use protection today."

Xiao Han walked ahead, then after a while, revealed her tiny fangs: "You just realized?"

"Is it safe period?" Li Heng asked.

Xiao Han pouted, "For the past half year, Mr. Li has been doing bad things to this little girl every month—can't you count days? Or are you too busy with too many wives to keep track?"

Li Heng dodged: "Women's cycles are always a few days late or early. I just calculated—these two days seem safe, but maybe not."

Xiao Han laughed, eyes crinkling: "What if I get pregnant?"

Li Heng paused, then said seriously, "If you do, we'll have the baby. I'll take care of you both."

"What about my studies?" she asked.

"You can ask Professor Wen to take a year's leave," Li Heng said.

Xiao Han stopped walking and asked, "Will you marry me?"

Li Heng nodded solemnly: "Yes."

Xiao Han gazed at him for a moment, then sighed pitifully: "Ah, this beauty has no such luck—it must be safe period."

Seeing no one around the alley, Li Heng leaned in and quickly kissed her collagen-rich cheek. "Stop sighing—we'll continue tonight."

"Ah?" Xiao Han groaned, feeling the world had collapsed.

Entering the middle of the alley, they stopped. Li Heng rummaged in his bag, then sighed: "Damn, I forgot the keys—left them in Lushan Village."

Xiao Han studied the sihe courtyard and asked, "Where are Uncle and Auntie?"

"They went to watch opera—they've only got that one hobby. But judging by time, they should be back soon," Li Heng said, checking his watch.

The door was locked from outside with an old brass lock—climbing the wall wouldn't help; they couldn't open it.

After waiting about five minutes, Li Heng asked her opinion: "Wife, shall we go sit at my second sister's shop? It's not far—just two hundred meters."

"Okay," Xiao Han replied crisply.

Two hundred meters passed quickly. Gazing at the pastry shop ahead, Xiao Han suddenly asked, "Is my second sister easy to get along with?"

"You've met her," Li Heng said.

She had met her—once rode the bus together to Shaoshan—but Xiao Han felt uneasy: "We never really interacted."

Li Heng misled her: "My second sister's a bit dumb. Don't worry."

"Dumb?" Xiao Han didn't believe it. How could someone running a shop in Beijing be dumb?

Li Heng continued misleading: "She's truly dumb—clueless dumb. That's why Mom and Dad always stay in Beijing."

Before he finished, Xiao Han turned toward his left, smiling apologetically.

Sensing something odd, Li Heng spun around—and saw Li Lan glaring at him.

Li Lan hissed, "Who? Am I dumb? Clueless?"

Li Heng laughed it off, avoiding the question, and introduced them: "This is my second sister. This is Xiao Han."

Xiao Han crisply greeted: "Second sister."

Li Lan temporarily let go of her brother's slander, turned to Xiao Han, and her previously sinister face instantly brightened. She warmly took their bags, smiling: "This morning, Mom woke up saying she dreamed all night of magpies—something good was coming. Didn't expect the dream to come true so fast! You're even more beautiful than last year, sister-in-law."

No wonder Li Lan could charm anyone—she was a master of reading the room and speaking just right. Just from the gifts they carried, she'd already guessed the purpose of Xiao Han's visit.

So she stopped tiptoeing and boldly called her "sister-in-law."

This helped build a good image for her brother—proving the Li family had always known about Xiao Han, never treated her as an outsider.

Indeed, the effect of "sister-in-law" was immense—like a nuclear blast. Xiao Han's anxious heart instantly settled.

After some small talk, Li Heng asked Li Lan: "Where are you going? You're still carrying pastries."

Li Lan replied, "Where else? Home. I was afraid Mom and Dad hadn't returned, and you'd have nowhere to go."

Then she asked Xiao Han: "Sister-in-law, why not sit at the shop for a bit? We're already here—it's just a few steps."

With such warm invitation, Xiao Han naturally accepted and followed her into the pastry shop.

The shop was nearly empty—only two girls were buying bread, and Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao was serving.

After seeing off the two girls, Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao stared blankly at Xiao Han, dazed.

Li Lan poured two glasses of water for Li Heng and Xiao Han, then signaled Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao urgently: "This is Xiao Han—my little brother's girlfriend."

"This is Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao—our neighbor, grew up together."

Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao was stunned. If Xiao Han was Li Heng's girlfriend, then who was Chen Chen Chen Zijin?

Everyone in the village knew Chen Chen Chen Zijin was Li Heng's girlfriend—she'd even stayed at his house for half a month recently. How could he switch women after only two days home?

But Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao wasn't foolish. After catching Li Lan's signal, she exchanged polite words with Xiao Han, then followed the principle of "watch more, speak less," staying quiet to avoid saying something wrong and upsetting Xiao Han.

Honestly, facing such an impossibly beautiful woman, Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao felt uneasy, unable to relax. She'd rather deal with all kinds of customers than interact with Xiao Han—she felt they weren't even from the same world.

While Li Lan showed Xiao Han around the shop, Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao leaned on the counter and whispered to Li Heng: "Is she really your girlfriend?"

"Of course," Li Heng said.

Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao asked, "Then what about Chen Chen Chen Zijin? Did you break up?"

"No," Li Heng blinked.

"Heavens!" Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao nearly shouted, quickly covering her mouth. After a long moment, she recovered: "Li Heng, how could you? Chen Chen Chen Zijin's already gorgeous—Mom even said she's a great beauty. How can you be so fickle?"

They were childhood friends, raised together. Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao felt no pressure with him like she did with Xiao Han, so she spoke more freely.

Li Heng didn't explain—he couldn't. He only warned: "Keep this secret."

"Got it, got it! I may not be super smart, but I'm not stupid. Don't worry," Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao quickly promised.

At this moment, Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao's worldview had been shattered. Deeply stunned, she secretly observed Xiao Han, utterly baffled: why would such a stunning woman, the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen in real life, end up with Li Heng?

Zou Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao thought: Xiao Han is the daughter of Secretary Xiao from town—surely she's heard the scandal between Li Heng and Chen Chen Chen Zijin?

After lingering about twenty minutes in the pastry shop, Li Heng, Xiao Han, and Li Lan returned home.

Entering the sihe courtyard, Li Lan said to Li Heng: "Little brother, you sit and rest with sister-in-law. I'll tidy up the room for you."

How could she not tidy up?

Li Heng's bedroom was now occupied by Chen Chen Zijin—filled with Chen Chen Zijin's personal items: clothes, expensive skincare products, etc.

Of course, Li Lan wasn't foolish. She didn't touch Li Heng's bedroom. Instead, she closed its door to hide the evidence from Xiao Han, then tidied the empty room beside it.

She also avoided touching his bedroom to prevent Chen Chen Zijin from noticing something wrong and causing a rift with her brother.

But really, these were just surface gestures. With Xiao Han's intelligence, the moment Li Lan closed the bedroom door, she likely already guessed who was staying there.

Still, today she was here to meet her future in-laws, not to cause trouble. Xiao Han pretended ignorance, calmly sipping tea and chatting with Li Heng on the sofa.

After spending ten minutes arranging the bedding, Li Lan cut some fruit and placed it on the tea table, then sat beside them, joining the conversation.

While Xiao Han was in the bathroom, Li Lan's demeanor changed completely. She asked Li Heng: "Are you really that bold? Have you lost your mind? How dare you bring Xiao Han here?"

Though Li Lan was usually careless, she rarely spoke so seriously—clearly, she felt the situation had become extremely delicate.

Having spent so much time with Chen Chen Chen Zijin, she genuinely liked her. The two had built deep friendship. Now seeing her brother recklessly bring Xiao Han home, she felt both sympathy for Chen Chen Zijin and deep worry.

In Li Lan's eyes, Xiao Han was simply too beautiful. Chen Chen Zijin would face immense pressure—and Li Lan couldn't bear it.

Li Heng didn't blame his second sister for her remarks, because she didn't understand the feelings he had with the three women in his past life.

He only said solemnly, "Among the three of them, none is higher or lower than the others. If you have time to say this, why not help me find another sihe academy?"

At the beginning of the year, he had asked Yu Laoshi to get him a few sihe academies, and Yu Laoshi had prepared them, but he never had time to come to Jingcheng, so the handover hasn't been completed yet.

Of course, Li Heng dared not use the sihe academies Yu Laoshi bought to entertain Xiao Han and Song Yu—he was afraid Yu Laoshi might cause trouble.

Li Lan fixed him with a piercing gaze. "Truly no difference in status?"

Li Heng said yes.

Li Lan asked, "Who do you plan to marry in the future?"

Li Heng glanced at the bathroom, almost without thinking, "I most want to marry Song Yu, but Xiao Han and Chen Chen Zijin are fine too. Marrying any of the three would satisfy me."

"Hmph! You still hope to marry Song Yu, don't you?" Li Lan sneered.

Li Heng didn't deny it.

Li Lan asked, "Then what about Yu Laoshi? She's even followed you back to your hometown. Do you think, given her family background, she'll let you marry all three?"

Li Heng: "."

He asked in return, "You know about this?"

The Yu family was too powerful; now that the matter had come to this, Li Lan had no heart left for joking with her younger brother. Her mind was full of worry for him, and she didn't hide it: "Mom and Dad saw you holding hands with Yu Laoshi, and sleeping in the same room."

Li Heng fell silent.

Hearing this, he wasn't particularly surprised.

If Mom had been easygoing or easily fooled, Aunt Zhao Jing would have already slept with Comrade Li Jianguo long ago.

But after all these years, Aunt Zhao Jing never managed to develop a relationship with Comrade Li Jianguo—why? Because Tian Run'e was clever, always on guard.

Li Heng said, "Yu Laoshi is still my teacher. We haven't reached that point yet. We'll see about the future."

Yu Laoshi truly gave him headaches—that was why he had restrained his impulses so many times.

He truly dared not touch her, because a moment of pleasure would bring a lifetime of trouble—try it once, and you're dead.

The bathroom door creaked open. Xiao Han, having reapplied her makeup, stepped out. The brother and sister exchanged a glance and immediately changed the subject, talking about tonight's late-night snack.

Li Lan asked Xiao Han, "Sister-in-law, is there anything specific you want for the late-night snack?"

Xiao Han wasn't hungry, but didn't say so; instead, she replied, "Anything's fine."

Li Lan stood up. "Then you two chat. I'll go pick some red peppers in the yard."

Before Li Lan had even finished speaking, voices came from outside the courtyard—two women's voices.

One was Tian Run'e.

The other voice—Li Heng sat up straight instantly.

PS: Maybe because I've been using computers and phones too long, my eyes are extremely dry today and keep tearing up—even eye drops don't help. Any experts have a solution?

Post first, revise later.

(End of chapter)