[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-1987-my-era":3,"chapter-1987-my-era-1987-my-era-chapter-45":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","1987: My Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2259205,4409,"Chapter 45: A Smile Is Enough","1987-my-era-chapter-45",45,"\u003Cp>Due to the presence of outsiders, Zhang Zhiyong suppressed his inner anxiety and did not ask him about Song Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy is genuinely anxious!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s worried about his good friend Chen Zijin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the beginning of the semester, he’s been trying to set up Chen Zijin and his best brother, doing everything he could to facilitate their dates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But suddenly, Li Heng had fallen for Song Yu—and from the expressions of Mai Sui and Chen Lijun just now, it seemed they had known about this long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re outsiders—I’m your brother! How could they know before me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Heng chatting merrily with Liu Li, Chen Lijun, and Mai Sui, Zhang Zhiyong lost his temper over the lunchbox and returned it to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mai Sui’s talent was innate allure; she sat naturally, doing nothing, yet her ink-black eyes unconsciously radiated seduction like a charm, born to entice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mai Sui cooed, “Li Heng, you’re so biased—you asked about Song Yu, but you didn’t even ask about Manning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their bond was too close; Li Heng spoke without hesitation: “Why ask her? It’d make me look like a playboy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Lijun interjected: “Manning has always seen you as a good friend—she’d be hurt if she heard you say that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng joked, “She won’t hear it—just don’t tell her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a voice came from behind: “Is that so? Turn around and see who I am.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng froze, then spun around quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Manning had placed her small stir-fry from the teacher’s cafeteria on the table and complained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Heng, I went out of my way to get you a chicken leg—you love this one—and now I’ve decided I’m eating it myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the chicken leg, Li Heng’s eyes lit up green. He immediately corrected himself: “No, no! You can’t eat two chicken legs alone—you’ll get too full and ruin your slim figure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Manning lifted the chicken leg with her chopsticks, waving it in front of him, and huffed: “Then say something nice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eating meat for free? How rare is that these days? Li Heng never minded wasting a little breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately praised without mercy: “Comrade Sun Manning is the most beautiful girl in our entire No. 1 High School.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Manning had already decided to forgive him and was about to put the chicken leg in his bowl, but then she glanced at Xiao Han and Yang Yingwen coming out of Window Nine, her eyes darted, and she asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, really? Am I prettier than Xiao Han and Song Yu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been any other names, Li Heng would have answered without hesitation: “What’s so special about XX? They’re not even that pretty—Comrade Manning easily outshines them both.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xiao Han and Song Yu were sensitive words in his heart—he fell silent instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not getting any sweet words, Sun Manning leaned forward slightly, holding the chicken leg toward him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Why’s your sweet mouth suddenly quiet? Are you secretly in love with both Song Yu and Xiao Han?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to resist such temptation, Li Heng snatched the chicken leg with his chopsticks, bit into it, and mumbled: “Nonsense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’d barely taken one bite, before a passing voice said: “Oh! Li Heng, your life is so good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Yang Yingwen, her rustic grin cutting straight to the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Han walked beside her, but the girl didn’t look at Li Heng—not even once. Her gaze flickered over Sun Manning and Mai Sui, then moved away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, her elegant poise, calm and composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng patted the empty seat beside him and invited the two girls: “Yingwen, Xiao Han, there are no seats left in the cafeteria—join us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange thing: the cafeteria was packed, many students squatted outside eating, others leaned against walls, every other table was full—yet their table had three empty seats, and no one dared come over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all understood—it was probably because of Mai Sui. Others were too afraid to sit down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some boys might have had thoughts, some might have been tempted—but in the end, they all stopped at their own hearts, never daring to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a unique trait of the 1980s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thoughts were wildly active, but when faced with a girl who was both smart and beautiful, they were more likely to be shy and restrained, hiding away to secretly fantasize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Liu Li and Zhang Zhiyong—if you called them lively, they’d still stammer and blush when answering questions in class, let alone make eye contact with pretty classmates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you called them shy and introverted, that was nonsense. In the boys’ dorm, they were loud and talkative—discussing everything from astronomy and geography to economics and current events, even debating the measurements of girls and the colors of underwear on balconies, nothing was off-limits, utterly unrestrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Li Heng used to be this kind of quiet, repressed type. If Chen Zijin hadn’t dragged him to meet Xiao Han, Song Yu, and others, left to his own devices, he’d probably have remained just a “classmate” his whole life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, time flies—three years of high school passed in a blink. Everyone was busy with studies; who had the time or energy to deliberately pursue the opposite sex? By the time you gathered the courage, you’d already graduated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in an era where communication meant shouting across distances and contact was inconvenient, most infatuations couldn’t withstand the passage of time—they simply faded away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yingwen was tempted, but after glancing at Xiao Han’s indifferent expression, she politely declined:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, let’s go back to the dorm. You guys eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng was about to say more, but when his eyes landed on Xiao Han, he fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the two girls leave, Zhang Zhiyong—who had barely spoken—suddenly burst out: “Damn! I almost forgot, Li Heng, I’ve got good news for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng pulled himself together. “What good news?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mention of it, Zhang Zhiyong became wildly excited, gesturing wildly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liu Shuiwen is dead! His cousin is dead too! They died this morning—still fresh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Li had never seen someone so happy about a death. She couldn’t help asking: “Why are you so happy? Who were they to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong blurted: “My classmates. From the same village.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Manning raised an eyebrow: “So excited about a classmate’s death? Would you be even happier if more died?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bullshit! They were enemies of my two brothers—family feud level! Of course I’m happy! I’m even planning to buy firecrackers this weekend and celebrate by the river!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, Zhang Zhiyong wouldn’t dare speak like this to city girls—but now he didn’t care, spouting curses without restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng thought back—it rang a bell, but the memory was too distant, vague. He asked: “How did they die?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong lifted his chin: “How else? Two hooligans at No. 12 Middle School skipped class, got into a fight, and were slashed to death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My aunt’s husband told me at lunch—he said Liu Shuiwen died horribly, took over twenty knife wounds. His parents cried and begged my aunt’s husband to help them sue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, now Li Heng remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked: “Did your aunt’s husband agree?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong shook his head vigorously: “No way! Not possible! They were doing society a favor. If the money wasn’t there, my aunt’s husband wouldn’t even look at them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The abrupt twist left everyone speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lunch, the 5th and 6th periods were geography. The teacher was surnamed Li, like Li Heng—bald, with a receding hairline forming a crescent around the back of his head, unforgettable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Li’s face was slightly crooked—a classic case of facial paralysis—but he spoke at lightning speed, calling every detail a key point; miss one word and you’d be lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, under intense mental strain, the two classes flew by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 7th period was the much-anticipated PE class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Zhou was a great guy—he just gathered everyone on the playground, pretended to do a set of broadcast calisthenics, then dismissed them—all in under ten minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Heng, I need to pee. You coming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as PE ended, Zhang Zhiyong came over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In student life, especially middle school, you ate with a group, walked with a buddy, and even went to the toilet with someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, walking alone felt awkward—you kept thinking everyone was staring at your ass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng said: “No, I just went after the 6th period.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong frowned: “Who with? Why didn’t you call me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng felt dizzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of person was this? Even pee was a matter of competition—he couldn’t adjust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Heng unmoved, Zhang Zhiyong pulled out his usual trump card: “Stop pretending. Come with me to pee, and I’ll buy you a soda.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng turned his head: “Bottled?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong jumped in rage: “You bastard! Bottled?! Do you think my money grows on trees?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to beg, cry, threaten, and bribe my old man to get it—he barely scraped it together from his whore money!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng laughed. “Aren’t your mom going to stop you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong spat: “Of course she tries! But she can’t control him—he sleeps with her half the night, then sneaks off to the widow next door the other half. Caught him so many times—he never changes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, the clueless idiot clenched his teeth and swore: “When I earn money, I won’t rely on him—I’ll tie him up and castrate him myself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come on—you’ll never escape your father. If my memory’s right, he’s over sixty and still full of energy, living it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small playground was a bit far from the toilet—you had to pass the rock garden and the snack stall, then walk another several dozen meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the toilet, Zhang Zhiyong glanced down at his own, then over at Li Heng’s, and sighed in frustration: “Can you please not always stand next to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng said: “The toilet doesn’t have your name on it. I’ll stand wherever I want. You gonna police me now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, he deliberately shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck! It’s twice as big as mine! Are you fed with urea?!” Zhang Zhiyong turned away, furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the toilet, they washed their hands, then bought two bags of soda at the snack stall—one each. They bit open a corner and started sucking noisily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing the rock garden, they got the urge to sit on a stone bench inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had they sat down than Zhang Zhiyong said: “I’ve got a question for you. Answer me seriously.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng glanced at him. “What’s with the mysterious act? What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong asked: “Is what Chen Lijun said at lunch true? Do you really like Song Yu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been anyone else, Li Heng would’ve dodged with vague answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was Old Yong…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking, he gave a quiet, noncommittal “Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that, Zhang Zhiyong forgot his soda, looked up at him: “Then what about Chen Zijin? What happens to her? Don’t you like her anymore?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing this idiot was genuinely loyal and cared deeply for his friends, Li Heng sighed: “Not exactly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong pressed: “What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng said: “Old Yong, what if I told you I like them both?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong’s eyes widened: “My dad says that to my mom all the time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng frowned, “Your dad is your dad, I’m me—don’t lump us together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong exhaled heavily, wanting to hit him but knowing he couldn’t win, so he held back: “When did you start liking Song Yu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng said, “High school freshman year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong exclaimed, “Love at first sight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng shook his head, then nodded: “I don’t know. Probably close enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong cursed in envy: “Damn it! I can’t even dare to look at Song Yu twice when I pass her on the street, and you actually like her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me, how did you feel the first time you saw her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng recalled: “Meeting her was better than a hundred miles of spring breeze. I’d spent half my life searching for spring—she smiled, and there it was. That feeling was beautiful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong fell silent. Even if he were dumb and slow, he understood at least a little—his brother had truly fallen in love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, he didn’t know whether to curse or not. He wanted to, but this was his brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after a long pause, the clueless one asked the most pressing question: “Between Chen Zijin and Song Yu, who do you like more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The two of them? I...” Thinking of his past and present lives, Li Heng grew dazed. Just as he was about to speak, a loud cough came from next door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afraid Li Heng hadn’t noticed, two more sharp “coughs!” followed immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice belonged to Sun Man—she seemed to be deliberately interrupting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng and Zhang Zhiyong both froze, exchanged a two-second glance, then instantly leaned toward the corner next door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my god! How are all three of you here?” Zhang Zhiyong blurted out instinctively, then yanked his head back in fright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng didn’t move, staring blankly as Song Yu, Sun Man, and Mai Sui locked eyes with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Man blinked at him and reassured: “Don’t worry, we just got here—we didn’t hear a thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like hell he believed that!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were already several banana peels on the stone table—how could they have just arrived?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, seeing he didn’t look away but instead fixed his gaze on her eyes, Song Yu paused, then quietly shifted her gaze downward, picking up an orange and slowly peeling it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Heng, stop standing there like that—you’ll break your neck. Come eat some bananas and oranges; these were sent by Song Yu’s parents!” Sun Man broke the silence, warmly inviting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mai Sui glanced at Song Yu, then at Li Heng, smiled, broke off a few banana segments and a few orange wedges, stood up, and shoved them into his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She offered him an excuse: “The homeroom teacher seems to be looking for you—probably has something. Go check it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, okay, thanks!” As soon as Li Heng thanked her, Zhang Zhiyong could no longer hold back—he grabbed him firmly and dragged him away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After running a hundred meters or so, Zhang Zhiyong scratched his head, embarrassed: “I think I just pushed you into a fire pit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong said, “You’ve got to believe me—I didn’t mean to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng waved his hand. “It’s fine. Let’s go to class.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really going to see the homeroom teacher?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you stupid? Of course we’re going to study.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the following days, Li Heng continued studying and solving problems as if nothing had happened, ignoring the occasional glances from Sun Man and Mai Sui in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t initiate conversation with Song Yu, nor did he deliberately avoid her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, Song Yu had initially been nervous, afraid that during class, he might suddenly pass her a note.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afraid he’d give up entirely and confess his feelings to her again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several times, when his gaze accidentally drifted toward her, Song Yu, outwardly calm, was inwardly tense—her ten toes inside her white sneakers would always curl tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Li Heng remained quiet—neither overly intimate nor distant, maintaining the same appropriate distance as always.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That eased her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>February 13, Friday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around 11 a.m., as Li Heng was diligently taking Chinese notes, the classroom door suddenly opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher appeared at the doorway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After smiling and greeting the attending discipline master, she called out to Li Heng:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Heng, come out for a moment—someone’s looking for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ps: 4600 words, combined. That’s all for today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2617,"2026-06-19T15:27:33.982Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","869c9e40d4c24dbd8d15ed23a2e2472a26d61d19e2e324a07756c69ebdbfef37","1987-my-era-chapter-46","1987-my-era-chapter-44",713,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002F1987-my-era-cover.jpg"]