Chapter 492: Unexpected

Re-made the bed, the two lay side by side, not mentioning a word about what had happened in the past hour.

Mai Sui didn't mention it because she couldn't bring herself to.

She had never imagined she could be so disgraceful—writhing beneath him, singing softly, desperately trying to suppress her voice, yet the sensation was too ethereal, intoxicating her beyond control, forcing her to murmur involuntarily.

One time would've been enough, but it happened twice in a row.

Just now, lost in the moment, she had no energy to think about it, but now, reflecting, her body still burned hot—could that woman, so alluring and seductive in his arms, really be her?

Li Heng didn't mention it because he feared embarrassing her—and also because he feared reigniting the fire; what had just happened had already pushed Mai Sui to the brink. But for him, it was nothing—barely an appetizer.

Haven't you seen how each time he smashes the door, it lasts two hours?

After a long silence, Mai Sui, her spirit still shaken, couldn't sleep, and felt too awkward to bear it; after a while, she softly said:

"I sent Song Yu a letter today."

Li Heng asked casually: "What did it say?"

Mai Sui hesitated, lips parted but no words came.

Li Heng changed his question: "Did you mention me?"

This time, Mai Sui said: "Yes."

Li Heng replied: "I wrote her a letter too."

Mai Sui leaned in to listen.

But Li Heng dodged the question, gazing at the ceiling and whispering honestly: "Today, my second sister asked on behalf of the family: who means more to you, Song Yu or Mai Sui?"

I told her: Song Yu is the woman I intend to marry properly and bring home; Mai Sui is the woman I want by my side for life."

Mai Sui's eyes went blank, her mind frozen, tears filling her eyes without her noticing, streaming down her cheeks.

After a long while, moved by emotion, she rolled over and wrapped her arms around his waist.

She held him tightly.

Sensing her intense emotional surge, Li Heng freed a hand and pulled her close in return.

At that moment, neither spoke a word—silence spoke louder than any words.

That night, Mai Sui, exhausted yet suddenly light, curled up in his arms and slept soundly until dawn—never before had she slept so peacefully.

That night, holding Mai Sui tightly, Li Heng's body swelled with desire, but he dared not wake her, dared not disturb her—he held her until deep into the night before closing his eyes.

The next day, when Li Heng woke, he found the woman in his arms gone; when he opened the bedroom door and stepped out, he saw Yu Guang staring blankly at two pairs of shorts.

Two pairs of underwear—anyone could tell at a glance: the white one was a woman's, the black one a man's. The problem was, she hadn't had them before going to bed last night; upon waking, two pairs now hung side by side on the opposite balcony.

Seeing Li Heng appear in the living room, Yu Guang shifted her gaze to him; after a moment, the complex emotions on her face quickly faded, returning to her usual icy demeanor—no outsider could tell if she was happy or upset.

Li Heng didn't notice Yu Guang's odd behavior, walking out to the upper veranda and greeting: "Teacher, have you had breakfast?"

Yu Guang gazed at him from afar, her expression as still as a deep well; then she turned and walked back into the living room, ignoring him.

Li Heng was speechless.

What the hell did I do to her this time?

Could it be because she saw me sleeping in the same room as Mai Sui last night?

Forget it. No point dwelling on this. He washed up quickly and went downstairs to the kitchen.

His second sister was preparing breakfast, and Mai Sui was helping her—both women cheerful and harmonious, filling him with quiet comfort.

Seeing him at the kitchen entrance, Li Lan turned her head and instructed: "Younger brother, go call Yu Guang to come eat. The food's almost ready."

Li Heng said, "Alright."

Li Lan asked Mai Sui: "Hey, sister-in-law, where are your classmates? Are they here too? Invite them over for breakfast—I've cooked enough for them."

His second sister was truly impeccable—thoughtful, polished, covering every angle.

But Mai Sui replied: "Shihe and the others are in the dorm—they didn't come. Probably eating in the cafeteria."

"Oh, well, if you have time, invite them over for a visit—let them taste my cooking," Li Lan said aloud, but inwardly she was fixated on the girl who played piano.

During the Spring Festival Gala broadcast, she'd thought that girl had extraordinary poise—not just beautiful, but extraordinary.

After returning from Shanghai to Beijing, Tian Rune had casually mentioned Zhou Shihe, praising her endlessly. Her own mother was beautiful and rarely praised anyone so lavishly—yet she'd praised Zhou Shihe multiple times, something Li Lan had never seen before, and it had stuck in her mind.

Mai Sui didn't think much of it and agreed.

Only Li Heng subtly rolled his eyes—he understood his second sister's intentions—but since he and Zhou Shihe were completely innocent, and had nothing to hide, he said nothing.

Crossing the alley, Li Heng knocked on Yu Guang's door.

Through the door, without him speaking, Yu Guang already knew his purpose; she studied his eyelids—exhausted—and replied coldly:

"Mai Sui isn't like other women. You must learn restraint—know when to stop."

Li Heng was speechless: "I was thinking last night, couldn't sleep. Teacher, what are you even talking about?"

Yu Guang glanced at the two pairs of underwear on the balcony, said nothing more, and handed him a bag: "Remember to give me 50, 00 yuan in principal every year."

Li Heng took it and said: "I'll give it to you all at once when the next royalty payment comes in."

Yu Guang refused: "No need. Just give me 50, 00 yuan annually."

Li Heng looked at her, then suddenly realized—his mouth twisted: "Teacher, your ambition is huge—you just want to tie me down for ten years with this tiny sum."

Her secret plan exposed, Yu Guang smiled faintly, confident and poised: "Besides me, which woman would spend so much money on you?"

Li Heng's mind flashed with Huang Zhaoyi's image, but he said: "It's not a gift—I have to pay you back, right? You act so entitled—I'm starting to look like I'm living off a woman's money."

Hearing this, Yu Guang stepped forward two paces, flicked her long hair, and said with particular allure: "I'd be happy to let you live off me—dare you?"

Soft?

Li Heng's gaze flickered over her chest, then shook his head vigorously and turned to leave.

Yu Guang watched his back, then looked down at her own full figure, remembering how his hands had once freely roamed there—multiple times—and a strange warmth surged within her.

During breakfast, Yu Guang's eyes kept secretly drifting toward Mai Sui—seeing her flushed cheeks and tender eyes, her mood grew complicated.

After breakfast, Yu Guang went about her own business.

Mai Sui took Li Lan to nearby Wujiao Square for a stroll.

Li Heng went nowhere—he retreated to his study and worked hard on the unfinished tutoring textbook.

For several days, TV, newspapers, even both sides of the streets were flooded with ads—Anta and li-heng repeated endlessly in people's vision, like a virus, brainwashing them.

People of this era weren't like those of later times—they'd never seen such a spectacle, never endured such bombardment; everywhere you went, you saw it, and soon their heads buzzed, filled with that addictive catchphrase: Nothing Is Impossible.

Nothing is impossible—encouraging people to challenge limits, transcend themselves. It perfectly matched China's difficult situation in the 1980s, and echoed the Chinese team's breakthrough spirit at the Olympics.

At first, people didn't think much of Anta's slogan.

But when the li-heng logo kept appearing on news and media, those who knew Li Heng grew uneasy, rushing to ask him: What's going on here?

Coincidence?

Or was this spelling really his name?

To close friends, Li Heng confirmed it was. To acquaintances, he just smiled, brushed it off with laughter.

After all, it wasn't time to reveal the truth yet—wait until the Seoul Olympics, then drop the bomb all at once—the impact would be greater!

He looked forward to that moment.

When Zhang Bing brought the news, the two dorm mates stared at each other in silence; the boys in Room 325 fell collectively quiet—even Hua Ping and Li Guoyi, always so self-assured, felt Li was a monster—how were they supposed to live now?

In Room 107, after the girls fell silent, Liu Yanling couldn't help self-mocking: "Sigh, no wonder I couldn't chase him down, no wonder he ignored me, sigh!"

"Exactly," Cai Yuanyuan rolled on her bed, face full of despair: "When I went home for summer break, folks back home still praised me as a Fudan top student with a bright future. But compared to Li Heng, I realized I'm nothing."

Zhao Meng said: "Hey, Yanling, why not use your 36D charm again? Men love big ones—maybe there's still a chance."

Liu Yanling cupped her 36D and cooed: "Really?"

Wei Sisi cut in: "Slut, put away that flirtatious thought—your 36D isn't original anymore. Do you think Li Heng would even look?"

"I say, stop fantasizing. The only one among us with a real shot is Xiaozhu—not just a beauty, but a pure, radiant one. I've noticed: Li Heng has never been with a girl like her. She's irreplaceable."

Sun Ye sighed enviously: "Exactly—if I had Xiaozhu's looks, I'd definitely get Li Heng."

Hearing this, all the girls in the dorm turned to look at Wei Xiaozhu.

Facing seven pairs of eyes, Wei Xiaozhu smiled helplessly: "Don't forget—Li Heng already has a girlfriend. That's Xiao Han."

Dai Qing thought: Even without Xiao Han, Mai Sui was a barrier no ordinary woman could cross.

Seeing how loud the shoe ad was, Li Heng called Li Wang, curious: "Little cousin, how are sales? Any improvement?"

Li Wang, who lived at the shoe factory, listed details like a pro: "Decent. Since the ad launched, these five days, the ten direct stores in Shanghai sold over 9, 00 pairs—far better than the previous 100+ per day. Jing'an, Huangpu, and Xuhui stores are the best—each sells hundreds daily. Beijing's total is similar to Shanghai's; Guangzhou is slightly weaker, but still over 6, 00 sold."

Li Heng was satisfied—he thought advertising really worked; TV ads were still rare in this era, yielding far greater returns than in later times.

He praised: "Good job. Keep it up. I'm looking forward to our brand soaring during the Olympics."

Li Wang counted the days: "Only nine days left—suddenly feeling nervous."

Li Heng smiled; they chatted for over ten minutes before hanging up.

His second sister had been here four days already; the tutoring textbook outline was finalized. As for details, he had no time—he'd leave that to the teaching research group.

On the morning of the 7th, Li Heng accompanied his second sister on a flight back to Beijing.

Yu Guang came too—she'd just finished teaching a few classes and took the chance to visit the New Future Tutoring School.

This annoyed Li Heng—having a third wheel around, how could he meet Zijin and Song Yu? How could he sneak off to meet the Great Blue Dress?

Huang Zhaoyi was currently in Changsha. Originally, after finishing his business in Beijing, he had planned to make a detour through Changsha. Lately, he'd been feeling suffocated—his body longed for release—and the Great Blue Dress was the perfect outlet.

As soon as the plane landed, the three didn't return to Gulou—they rushed straight to the New Future Tutoring School. Today was the trial class day.

The ad had run for a week, costing tens of thousands, achieving full coverage—air, land, and sea—leaving no corner of Beijing untouched.

According to Li Ran: "Boss, rest assured—our ad campaign is unprecedented. Even the rats in the sewers and the cockroaches in the corners have definitely heard of New Future."

New Future Tutoring School was located near the Second Ring Road, close to the Third Ring, renting an old elementary school. It took over an hour to get there from the airport.

But as soon as they arrived at the school gate, before even entering, the three were stunned by the scene inside!

He'd imagined a crowd, but not this many—the schoolyard was packed with a sea of black heads, voices roaring, deafeningly noisy.

Fortunately, it was overcast today, no scorching sun—otherwise, we'd have been roasted alive.

Li Heng immediately spotted Li Ran, busy greeting and seeing off guests. Li Ran also spotted the three at once and hurried over.

Li Ran nodded to Yu Shuheng and Li Lan, then asked Li Heng: "Great musician, what are you doing here? Didn't you say you were busy?"

"I brought the textbooks. You kept bragging on the phone, so I got curious and squeezed time to come over."

Li Heng handed her the textbooks, then asked: "How many people are here roughly?"

Li Ran explained: "People started arriving from six in the morning. By half past seven, all 4, 00 of our small stools were filled. For emergencies, we borrowed over 3, 00 more from nearby schools, theaters, and textile factories—look, they're nearly full too."

Li Lan interjected: "Textile factories?"

Li Ran said: "Some textile factories aren't doing well—their workshops are empty, and the stools just sit there useless. Perfect for us."

Li Heng looked around and warned: "There are too many people. To prevent stampedes, you need to assign more temporary security."

At that moment, Yu Shuheng said: "Finding temporary security now might be too late. Leave it to me—where's the phone?"

Li Ran led the three into a classroom, also serving as a temporary office. Yang Yingwen was on the phone, answering inquiries about the trial class.

The call lasted about forty seconds; then the receiver passed into Yu Shuheng's hands. She stated her identity, explained the situation and location—just six sentences total. Soon after, three police cars arrived at the gate, and officers from the local police station came to help maintain order.

When the crowd first saw the police, they erupted in noise, thinking New Future School was illegal and the cops had come to shut it down.

Some, scarred by past experiences, had become like startled birds, bending low to stand up and sneaking off to climb the wall and flee.

To calm everyone, Li Ran quickly grabbed the microphone and shouted: "Don't worry, don't panic—the police officers are here specifically to maintain order. There are too many people today; we're preventing accidents."

Hearing this, the 8, 00 people looked at each other, then at the dozen or so officers in uniform. Their anxiety vanished. They began to trust New Future School a little more, thinking: if government officials came here personally to oversee things, the school must be legitimate, with powerful backing—so studying abroad would be far safer.

It proved true: sometimes unintentional actions outwit deliberate ones; planting willows carelessly makes them grow. The police's arrival instantly calmed everyone. Many lingering doubts melted away.

Li Heng and the others noticed the shift. He turned to Yu Laoshi and said, "Thank you."

Yu Shuheng gave a slight nod, her full attention fixed on the eleven teachers.

The eleven teachers were even more stunned than Li Heng and the others. Though most were from prestigious schools, and though they'd once imagined tutoring centers might be popular, seeing the packed crowd below and hearing the noisy clamor from the audience, imagining the school might one day earn a fortune daily—all of them felt their blood boil with excitement.

After inspecting the scene, Li Ran suddenly ran over with a two-stringed fiddle and said to Li Heng: "Boss, you've got to come up and give the opening speech."

Li Heng frowned: "With the erhu?"

"Of course it's the erhu! Only the erhu! To boost our school's credibility and make tomorrow's enrollment smoother, I've decided to reveal your identity as a musician—to use your current fame to launch our first big hit!" Li Ran grew more animated, gripping Li Heng's arm tightly, as if he'd kneel and beg if refused.

Nearby teachers chuckled but chimed in, saying it was a great idea—that his pure music album was selling wildly and highly praised in Jingcheng, and that revealing the boss's legendary musician status would make today's enrollment twice as successful and flawless.

Li Heng instinctively glanced at Yu Shuheng.

Yu Laoshi gave a subtle nod, supporting him.

Li Heng thought for a moment, then agreed: "Then I'll play 'The Street Where the Wind Lives'—it suits the erhu."

With his approval, Li Ran grinned and walked off to make arrangements.

Li Heng touched the erhu, feeling tricked. This wasn't some cheap, mass-produced instrument—it was high quality, clearly prepared in advance, waiting for him to step right in.

Time flew amid anticipation and unease. When the clock struck nine, Li Ran walked to the podium with the microphone. The crowd gradually fell silent. The trial class began.

Of course, the trial class wasn't just a free English lesson. Besides introducing New Future Tutoring School, there were three other themes.

The first theme: Professor He Wen from Beihang University would explain the overseas study process.

The second theme: Foreign teacher Ella would introduce British and Western culture, customs, and local traditions.

The third theme: Professor Zhao Li from Renmin University would explain how to master English, how to score high on exams, and how to prepare for TOEFL and other tests.

PS: Posted first, edited later.

Also: Heavily cut. Dear readers, please keep following.

(End of Chapter)