Chapter 507: The Study

Leaving Wu Jiao Square, Zhao Yan was slightly displeased: "We were chatting so well with them just now—why did you suddenly leave? Are you really still thinking about Wei Xiaozhu?"

Li Guoyi shot back: "Don't you trust me?"

Zhao Yan said: "I once asked you who was the most beautiful among Fudan students, and why did you instantly say Wei Xiaozhu? Why not Zhou Shihe? I think that was your instinctive reaction—you secretly admire Wei Xiaozhu."

Li Guoyi tilted his head lazily: "What? You mean Zhou Shihe? She's a celestial fairy—how could a mere mortal like me dare to covet her?"

You know Hu the Handsome in our dorm, right? Even he's that good-looking, yet he was so nervous around Zhou Shihe he couldn't even let out a fart. We long ago stopped even discussing girls in her league—she's incomparable!"

Zhao Yan asked: "You really don't have a crush on Wei Xiaozhu? Swear it."

Li Guoyi raised his hand to the sky: "Heaven above, if I ever betray you, may I die a wretched death."

Zhao Yan asked: "Then explain this—why did you drag me away the moment Wei Xiaozhu showed up?"

Li Guoyi spat on the ground: "Leave? If we hadn't left, your eyes would've fallen right onto Old Li. You're my woman—why keep staring at him?"

Seeing her boyfriend jealous, Zhao Yan believed him a little, and deliberately said: "Li Heng is handsomer than you, more talented, has better aura, and is taller—any woman would glance at him a few extra times. He's basically your school's Zhou Shihe—no other guy can compare."

Li Guoyi didn't get angry; he grinned and slung an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder: "Stop praising my buddy—keep it up and I'll really get jealous."

Come on! Let's find an empty classroom—we haven't seen each other in half a month. Let's see if this little wife of mine has changed."

…

On the other side.

The rain grew heavier; Li Heng held his umbrella and hurried toward Lushan Village.

Just as he reached the end of the alley, he encountered Zhou Shihe and Ye Ning each holding an umbrella, stepping out of Building 27.

Ye Ning circled him once and couldn't help muttering: "Huh? How come a big guy like you is holding a red umbrella?"

Zhou Shihe's attention also fixed on the umbrella, and a figure instantly surfaced in her mind—but she said nothing, standing quietly to the side.

Li Heng glanced at the young lady and immediately realized she recognized it. Of course—Zhou Shihe and Wei Xiaozhu spent every day together during summer break; how could she not know?

He admitted: "It started raining on the way, and I happened to meet Wei Xiaozhu and Dai Qing—they lent me their umbrella. By the way, where are you headed?"

"Oh! So it's Wei Xiaozhu's! No wonder it looked familiar!"

Ye Ning nodded, pointing to Building 26: "We're going to your place! Your number-one wife hasn't come over in ages, so I and Shihe came to check on her."

Li Heng was speechless, ignoring Ye Ning's teasing, then turned his attention to Zhou Shihe: "Comrade Shihe, are you busy tomorrow, on the weekend?"

Zhou Shihe walked forward as she replied gently: "Not busy. Do you have something?"

Too familiar to beat around the bush, Li Heng asked bluntly: "Tomorrow some guests are coming to my place—could you cook for me?"

Ye Ning interjected: "Big writer, aren't you a great cook yourself? Why are you handing this off to Shihe? Our Shihe is delicate—you don't just cook for anyone."

Li Heng explained: "The guests don't like spicy food. Without chili, my dishes lack soul."

Seeing his hopeful gaze fixed on her, Zhou Shihe tucked a strand of falling hair behind her right ear: "Any requests?"

Li Heng beamed: "So you're agreeing?"

Zhou Shihe smiled faintly—acknowledging silently.

Li Heng gestured with his fingers: "Editor Liao told me the guest especially loves turtle. Can you cook it? Other dishes are up to you—just make what you're good at."

Zhou Shihe replied effortlessly: "Black pepper turtle, braised turtle, yam turtle—which do you think suits best?"

Li Heng pondered the three dishes, then said: "Braised turtle."

Zhou Shihe gave a simple reply: "Okay."

Entering the second floor of Building 26, all three immediately saw Mai Sui standing on a stool, wiping the windowpane—half her body leaned out.

Li Heng immediately dropped his umbrella and rushed over: "That's too dangerous—I'll do it."

Mai Sui smiled sweetly at him: "You're back."

"Mm."

Li Heng murmured, then instinctively lifted her off the stool: "You're sweating—let me finish wiping. You rest a bit."

Their movements were too intimate; Mai Sui's cheeks flushed faintly red, as delicate and alluring as a shy rose.

"Wow! So romantic! I wish I had love like yours!" Ye Ning clapped excitedly from the side.

Zhou Shihe smiled faintly, stepped past Ye Ning, and sat gracefully on the sofa, picking up a book from the coffee table and flipping through it calmly.

But as she read, she happened to glance up—her eyes briefly fell on Mai Sui's lower abdomen.

Just then, Mai Sui looked at her too; their gazes met, then both women quickly looked away.

Zhou Shihe lowered her head and continued reading.

Mai Sui, flustered, twisted the cloth and handed it to Li Heng to wipe the window together.

Ye Ning didn't idle; she picked up the mop and helped clean the puddles on the floor.

Seeing everyone busy, Zhou Shihe felt slightly embarrassed, stood up, and looked around—but the house was already nearly spotless, leaving nothing for her to do. So she sat back down.

About ten minutes later, the cleaning wound down; Mai Sui fetched fresh clothes and went into the shower.

Ye Ning placed her hands on her hips and groaned: "Ugh! It's so stifling hot—just moving makes me sweat. No way! I need to go take a shower too."

Saying that, the girl dashed off to the neighboring Building 27.

With her friend gone, Zhou Shihe also prepared to leave—she wouldn't stay and be an eyesore; she'd give them space.

But the moment she stood, a voice called from the study: "Comrade Shihe, come help me move this table."

Hearing this, Zhou Shihe didn't hesitate; she turned and walked into the study.

Seeing her enter, Li Heng grinned: "Look—books everywhere on the desk and drawers, heavy as hell. I'm too lazy to sort them all out—help me move it."

"There's probably a thick layer of dust underneath—it's been ages since I swept. Today's the perfect day to clean it all."

Zhou Shihe smiled lightly, walked to the other end of the table, gripped the corner, and helped shift it.

Indeed, the desk's underside was coated in dust, and even the corner against the wall had cobwebs.

Watching him diligently wipe with the cloth, Zhou Shihe paused and asked: "Will your guest be coming to the study tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Li Heng said yes, then asked: "Have you read Jin Yong's wuxia novels?"

Zhou Shihe replied softly: "You mean the one from Hong Kong? Jin Yong, hailed as the foremost of Hong Kong's Four Talents?"

Li Heng nodded: "That's him."

Zhou Shihe was slightly curious: "Why would he come to you?"

Li Heng explained: "He read my Bai Luyuan, then wrote me letters repeatedly, saying he wanted to visit. Honestly…"

He chuckled to himself: "Honestly, 'visit' feels a bit too hot to handle—I mean, he's so much older than me."

"But he was sincere—he even had someone track down Editor Liao, and he constantly praised me publicly in the media until I felt embarrassed and accepted."

Seeing his face—clearly enjoying the praise despite his modest words—Zhou Shihe smiled understandingly and spontaneously began helping him tidy the study: sorting the messy books, wiping dust off volumes that hadn't been touched in ages.

The study held over 1, 00 books—all collected gradually, some ordered through Editor Liao and editor Zou Ping, others personally hunted down. After all, human energy is limited; some books, once read, were never revisited, and over time, dust accumulated.

Mai Sui usually kept the house spotless, but rarely entered his study—first, to avoid disrupting his reading and writing rhythm; second, to avoid touching anything private.

The study was stiflingly hot—even with all windows open, it felt like an oven.

After working a while, Zhou Shihe felt a fine sheen of sweat on her skin. She looked out the window, wishing the rain would grow heavier—to wash away the stifling heat and bring coolness.

As she refocused on organizing the study, her peripheral vision caught a certain man's subtle movement.

Zhou Shihe was naturally stunning; her fragile, pitiful beauty easily pierced a man's heart, stirring his overwhelming urge to protect her.

At this moment, her thin white blouse had become damp with sweat, clinging tightly to her skin—her graceful figure shimmered faintly through the sheer fabric, her slender waist swaying like a willow, exuding beauty at its earthly peak.

Li Heng glanced once—and was instantly, invisibly, completely captivated.

Sensing his furtive glances, sensing his gaze drift over her body, sensing it finally settle on her chest, Zhou Shihe felt a faint flush rise—rarely did a strange emotion flicker in her heart.

Yet her expression remained calm as water; only her delicate lips, unknowingly pursed, betrayed her unease.

After a moment, seeing he hadn't looked away, her lovely lips pursed again—tighter. Then, without a word, she stepped quietly from the southern bookshelf to the northern one.

His gaze followed—still fixed on her. She hadn't misread it.

Li Heng glanced, looked down to work, then involuntarily stole another glance, worked again, then stole another glance…

When he stole yet another glance… he suddenly caught Zhou Shihe turning to face him, motionless, staring straight into his eyes.

In that instant, her heart beat wildly—but her gaze was sharp, unwavering, meeting his without flinching.

Their eyes locked across the air; time froze. The atmosphere thickened. The study's air grew strange. One crouched on the floor looking up, the other stood before the bookshelf looking down—their gazes intertwined, neither speaking. It was eerily still.

Long moments passed. Li Heng surrendered, lowering his head, pretending nothing happened as he wiped dust from the corner.

Afraid he'd glance at her again, he turned his back to her—giving her a silent reassurance.

The astute Zhou Shihe seemed to read his thoughts. Her gaze lingered on his back for a long while, then finally withdrew, focusing solely on wiping dust from each book.

For a long time after, neither spoke. Their eyes avoided each other's positions. Each worked alone—relationship complex: part enemy, part old friends who'd silently guarded each other for years—no words, yet both knew the other was there.

Seconds ticked by. How long passed, no one knew. Then, the bathroom door opened in the living room—and some mysterious threshold broke. The study's invisible barrier seemed shattered; both exhaled inwardly in relief.

Soon after, Mai Sui appeared at the door. She glanced at her friend, then at Li Heng mopping the floor, and said softly: "The study's damp—before, I didn't open the windows. It's so hot inside. Shihe, your clothes are wet—come out and rest. I'll bring in a fan."

"Okay." Zhou Shihe softly replied, set the dry towel aside, and followed her out of the study.

Bring a fan?

Damn it, am I an idiot today? My brain short-circuited—I forgot the fan entirely. Serves me right for nearly suffocating!

Mai Sui brought in a fan, plugged it in, turned it to max, and moved to take over Zhou Shihe's task of wiping the books.

Seeing this, Li Heng stopped her: "You just showered—don't sweat again. I'll do it. You rest—there's hardly anything left."

Mai Sui didn't listen.

But Li Heng wouldn't let her—he walked over, gripped her shoulders, and gently pushed her out the door.

Mai Sui smiled sweetly, helplessly: "It's almost four. Shihe and I will go buy groceries—what do you want for dinner?"

Li Heng glanced at Zhou Shihe, who had just washed her hands in the bathroom, and said: "Just meat—I'm not picky. The rain's getting heavier—remember to bring a thick umbrella."

"Mm-hmm."

Mai Sui hummed twice, then turned to Zhou Shihe and said, "I'll accompany you home for a bath first, then we'll go buy groceries."

Zhou Shihe nodded silently and walked ahead toward the stairwell.

The two women descended the stairs, exited the courtyard, and headed toward the neighboring small house.

Along the way, they spoke not a word, as if maintaining some unspoken balance.

Inside No. 27, upon entering, they found a note on the tea table downstairs, written in Ye Ning's handwriting.

The note read: "Manning and I went to Pentagon Square to browse the department store—haha! Today, someone's husband is back home; he'll surely cook a feast to celebrate, right? Please prepare some dishes for us—I'll have tofu, Manning wants fish, the rest is up to you. See you at dinner!"

After reading the note, Zhou Shihe's face softened with a faint smile, warm as spring breeze. She slipped the note into her friend's palm and went upstairs alone to bathe.

When the footsteps faded upstairs, Mai Sui blushed, then, eyes half-lidded with shy delight, smiled to herself. Afterward, she unconsciously looked up toward the stairwell—and there, around the corner, half a face emerged, pale as congealed fat, exquisitely beautiful.

Face to face, Mai Sui felt her cheeks burn with shame, wishing she could dig a hole and vanish into the ground.

Seeing her friend so flustered, like a child caught doing something wrong, Zhou Shihe held back her laughter—then couldn't, and let out a soft chuckle before turning to go upstairs.

This time, she truly went up.

PS: Posted first, edited later. Requesting monthly tickets and subscriptions!

(Two more chapters left)

(End of chapter)