Chapter 511: Outrage and Excitement

Under the instigation of Liu Yanling, Sun Ye, Wei Sisi, and others, the girls in Room 107 rushed out en masse, heading for the campus gate to see the banner and confirm whether it was real.

But two people didn't move: Wei Xiaozhu and Dai Qing, who was slightly drunk.

Wei Xiaozhu had already half-sat up, picked up a copy of Bai Luyuan from her bedside, and idly flipped through the pages with her fingers.

Dai Qing, half-drunk but clear-headed, lay on her bed and asked: "Xiaozhu, I've noticed you always keep Living, A Bitter Journey Through Culture, and Bai Luyuan on your bedside—don't you admire Writer Shiyue? Why are you so calm now? Why aren't you at the campus gate?"

Though outwardly calm, Wei Xiaozhu was anything but—unconsciously, a figure surfaced in her mind. She had known during the summer break that Li Heng was Writer Shiyue; her aunt had secretly told her.

But to keep it secret, she had never mentioned it to anyone, not even to Mai Sui or Zhou Shihe, pretending ignorance even when they spoke of it.

And when facing Li Heng himself, she suppressed her curiosity, never asking him a single question about his writing.

There were three reasons for this silence:

First, she didn't know how to ask.

To ask suddenly would seem abrupt, overly opportunistic—she didn't want Li Heng to think that of her.

Second, she feared he might misunderstand.

After all, Li Heng's official girlfriend was Xiao Han, and he maintained an ambiguous relationship with her best friend Mai Sui; she didn't want him to misunderstand, nor did she want Mai Sui to misunderstand.

The third reason: asking him meant revealing the secret. Since he had kept it low-key, she wouldn't disrupt his life.

Wei Xiaozhu didn't know whether Zhou Shihe and the others knew about Li Heng's writing.

But she understood Mai Sui must know—after all, Mai Sui took care of Li Heng's daily life with a tenderness even greater than a wife's.

Meeting her friend's gaze, Wei Xiaozhu smiled: "I wouldn't say I admire him, but I do truly enjoy his books. Don't you dare lecture me—I remember you can recite Living and A Bitter Journey Through Culture."

Dai Qing didn't deny it; she rolled over and said: "I can recite Living and A Bitter Journey Through Culture—I've even read Bai Luyuan four times. It's written so well. Do you think…"

Mid-sentence, Dai Qing fell silent, staring blankly at the ceiling.

After a moment, Wei Xiaozhu glanced at her and asked: "What were you saying?"

Dai Qing snapped back to attention: "Do you think Writer Shiyue is really from Fudan University?"

Wei Xiaozhu smiled broadly: "You're worried he's an old man, aren't you?"

Dai Qing nodded vigorously: "Exactly. But I think he's probably an old man."

Wei Xiaozhu flipped two more pages, read for a while, then teased: "If he is an old man, you won't read his books anymore?"

Dai Qing propped her chin on her hand, thought a moment, then concluded: "No, I admire the words on his page—not the man himself."

Hearing this, Wei Xiaozhu said: "Maybe once you meet him in person, you'll admire the man too."

Dai Qing lifted her head: "Have you met him?"

Wei Xiaozhu laughed: "He's so mysterious—even the most powerful media haven't found him. Where would I meet him?"

"True… He's already famous, a top literary figure, yet still so low-key—I truly admire him," Dai Qing sighed.

Wei Xiaozhu asked: "What exactly do you admire about him?"

Dai Qing said: "I admire that he's unmoved by fame or profit. If it were me, I'd have been unable to sit still—I'd have thrown myself into the spotlight long ago."

Wei Xiaozhu thought it made sense, then teased her friend: "Looks like you've fallen for someone else—abandoned Li Heng and fallen for Writer Shiyue."

"No way. Don't say that."

Dai Qing sat up: "We're sisters—I don't hide anything from you. Li Heng is the only guy I've ever truly liked, since childhood until now—he exists in my real life. But Shiyue? He's just a fantasy, an ideal—I won't confuse fantasy with reality."

Wei Xiaozhu slowly raised her head and smiled: "If Li Heng and Shiyue stood before you right now, and you had to choose one—who would you pick?"

Dai Qing answered bluntly: "Neither. Li Heng doesn't want me, and I don't want an old man."

Wei Xiaozhu said: "Maybe Shiyue isn't an old man."

Dai Qing took off the hair tie from her wrist and began tying her hair: "Even if he's not old, he's probably married. I'm not ugly, my education isn't low—I'll easily find a husband someday. Why would I become someone's mistress?"

Hearing this, Wei Xiaozhu said nothing and kept reading.

After tying her hair and re-dressing neatly, Dai Qing said to her friend: "Xiaozhu, get up—the rain's stopped. Let's go for a walk."

Wei Xiaozhu asked: "Really just a walk? Not to the campus gate?"

Her hidden motive exposed, Dai Qing felt uneasy: "I said I don't want to be a mistress—I didn't say I hate him."

Wei Xiaozhu smiled, put down the book, lazily stretched, then got up and accompanied her friend out of the dorm.

…

On the other side.

After parting from Li Xian and Zhou Min, Li Heng calmly made his way to Dormitory Building 4.

Along the way, he kept seeing groups of male and female students rushing out, excited, constantly talking about Writer Shiyue.

Li Heng froze inside—had his identity been exposed already?

Then he realized: no, if it had been exposed, people would be gathering around him directly.

Thinking this, he arrived at Room 325.

Inside, only Tang Daoling was present, folding a letter from home.

Hearing the door, Tang Daoling turned around: "Heng-ge, you're back? When did you get back from Jingcheng?"

Li Heng replied smoothly: "Just got back. Why is the dorm empty?"

Tang Daoling glanced around and explained: "Old Hu and the others went to the campus gate—they say Fudan has produced a genius and want to witness the miracle. I'm going to join them soon. You coming?"

Li Heng probed: "Which genius?"

"You haven't heard?"

Tang Daoling slapped his forehead: "Duh—you just got back, you wouldn't know. Writer Shiyue—you've heard of him, right? He's from Fudan. How deep is the cover-up?"

So it was about him—Li Heng now understood.

It had been over ten days since the semester started; he'd planned to return to the dorm and catch up with his brothers, but Tang Daoling dragged him off to the campus gate.

Before they even reached the gate, they heard a clamor—and before them stretched a sea of dark, bobbing heads.

A rough count: over three hundred.

More kept arriving from all directions—men and women, second-years, seniors, even a few young professors.

Tang Daoling spotted the two linked dorms' gathering spot in a corner to the left and tugged Li Heng's sleeve: "Heng-ge, Old Hu and the others are over there—let's go."

"Mm."

Li Heng's attention was on the crowd; he murmured assent and followed.

Seeing Li Heng arrive, Sun Ye teased: "Music prodigy, now Fudan's got a big writer coming to steal your spotlight—scared?"

At this, everyone in both dorms turned toward him.

Everyone else looked curious and probing—only Wei Xiaozhu's eyes flickered with a strange glint; she knew the two were one and the same.

Li Heng chuckled: "Fudan's full of geniuses—there are countless nationally renowned figures here. None of them are simple. Doesn't affect me—I've got a girlfriend already."

Hu Ping pulled out a pack of Huazi from his cigarette case, but seeing Wei Xiaozhu nearby, slipped it back into his pocket and said to Li Heng: "Old Li, why wait? Tonight, let both dorms have dinner together?"

Others chimed in: it had been too long since they'd eaten together, they wanted to drink.

Li Heng didn't refuse: "Fine."

He greeted everyone one by one, then asked: "Has Old Li, Old Zhou, and Zhang Bing arrived yet?"

Hu Ping said: "Old Zhou's going to get the banner made—he'll be here soon. I'll go call Zhang Bing—he's probably wrapping up. I don't know where Old Li is."

Then Hu Ping asked the group: "Has anyone seen Old Li?"

At the mention of Li Guoyi, Li Guang's expression darkened as he glanced secretly at Yue Yao, hesitated, then said: "I think I know where Li Guoyi is."

Hu Ping asked: "Where?"

Li Guang said: "In the classroom. I'll go get him—you wait here."

Li Guang didn't reveal what Li Guoyi was doing in the classroom—he didn't want Yue Yao to feel uncomfortable—but he knew full well. Li Guoyi had done this before, many times; the guys in Room 325 all knew.

Indeed, upon hearing "classroom," the guys in Room 325 all nodded knowingly and fell silent.

But the girls weren't so easily fooled. The most outspoken among them, Sun Ye, asked: "Is he in there doing something indecent with someone? He's already manipulated Yue Yao's feelings by playing both sides before."

Wei Sisi chimed in: "Exactly!"

Li Guang waved his hands frantically: "No, no—he's just studying in the classroom. Otherwise, why would I go get him?"

Seeing Sun Ye about to press further, Yue Yao quietly tugged her hand; Sun Ye relented: "Good. If he goes too far, our girls from Room 107 won't sit with him at dinner."

Wei Sisi turned to Tang Daoling: "If you ever fall for another girl, tell me straight—we'll part amicably. I won't hold you back, but don't play me."

Tang Daoling rubbed his head: "Goddess, don't take your anger out on me."

Wei Sisi rolled her eyes, then linked her arm with his and smiled brightly: "I'm not angry—I'm just warning you. I can be dumped, but I won't be disrespected."

Seeing the conversation spiral, Hu Ping quickly intervened: "Old Li isn't like that. He failed a course last semester and has a makeup exam coming up—he's been studying in the classroom every day."

Cai Yuanyuan asked: "I thought everyone in your dorm had good grades—how did Li Guoyi fail?"

Hu Ping signaled Tang Daoling, who added: "It's not that his grades were bad—he just skipped more than six classes, so the professor marked him. His exam score was over ninety."

Tang Daoling spoke the truth: Li Guoyi had indeed failed for this reason. No matter how high his score, it didn't matter—he'd tried three times to apologize with gifts, begged and pleaded, even nearly knelt down—but the professor refused to pass him.

Furious, Li Guoyi had cursed in the dorm and vowed: "If I don't pass this makeup exam, I swear I'll seduce the professor's daughter."

The professor's daughter was a first-year student at Fudan, part of the 1988 cohort.

Twenty minutes later, Zhou Zhang and a group of student union members returned, carrying banners to hang at the campus gate.

When the crowd saw the words "Writer Shiyue" on the banner, they erupted—emotions surged, the noise at least eight times louder than before.

Wei Sisi pulled out her camera, handed it to Tang Daoling, and dragged Sun Ye to stand directly in front of the banner: "Take our picture—get the whole banner in frame."

Watching this, Wei Xiaozhu said to Li Heng: "So popular."

Li Heng gave a flat "Mm."

Wei Xiaozhu asked: "Where are Sui and the others?"

Li Heng answered: "Back at the dorm."

Wei Xiaozhu asked: "Will you go back to Lushan Village tonight?"

"They just went to the dorm for something," Li Heng replied.

After Wei Sisi and Sun Ye finished taking photos, Liu Yanling ran over and pulled Wei Xiaozhu, Dai Qing, and Le Yao to take a picture together.

Seeing the girls hadn't invited any boys to take photos, Hu Ping whispered to Li Heng, Tang Dailing, and Zhou Zhangming: "Looks like they've got a serious grudge against Li Guoyi—we're all suffering collateral damage. It wasn't like this before."

Li Heng showed no reaction and made no comment.

Tang Dailing was an honest man. "To be honest, I don't really get Li Guoyi either. Le Yao's really nice. Back then, plenty of guys chased after her."

Zhou Zhangming looked at Le Yao: "Actually, there are still quite a few guys writing love letters to her now."

A little later, Zhang Bing came to pack up his stall.

Li Guoyi and Li Guang appeared before everyone at the same time.

The group dinner was still at the usual place—Room 203 at Lao Li Restaurant.

After ordering, Hu Ping, unwilling to give up, launched his fifth pursuit, gathering courage to sit beside Wei Xiaozhu again.

Seeing this, everyone understood and didn't rush to sit with Wei Xiaozhu.

But Dai Qing clearly understood her friend's feelings and, to spare her embarrassment, sat automatically to her left.

Wei Xiaozhu ignored Hu Ping's actions and kept whispering to Dai Qing.

Zhao Meng, Cai Yuanyuan, and Hu Ping were old partners; the three sat together naturally.

Zhou Zhangming and Liu Yanling, as a couple, did the same; so did Wei Sisi and Tang Dailing.

Li Guoyi glanced at Le Yao, brought over a case of beer, and said to Li Guang: "Little Li, we haven't had a drinking contest in ages. Let's go today—dare you?"

Li Guang frowned: "Damn it! My parents don't even call me Little Li—call me Fourth Brother!"

Because of Le Yao, Li Guang held some resentment toward Li Guoyi. Back then, both had pursued Le Yao, but she chose the two-faced Li Guoyi.

Li Guoyi chuckled and immediately corrected himself: "Fourth Brother, I'll serve you drinks tonight!"

Li Guang went out and returned with two bottles of Maotai: "Beer's just for rinsing your mouth—what's the point? If we're drinking, it's baijiu. One bottle each."

Li Guoyi rolled up his sleeves: "Who's afraid of whom? But this isn't enough—let's add a bet."

Li Guang asked: "What kind of bet?"

Li Guoyi pointed at the big table: "The loser pays for dinner tonight. I know you're not short on cash, Fourth Brother."

Li Guang put one foot on the bench: "Damn it! You're sure I'm gonna lose?"

Li Guoyi patted his belly. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's down three beers first to warm up the mood."

"Fine, I'm not scared of you," Li Guang, unable to resist provocation, swiftly opened six beers—three for him, three for Li Guoyi—and started chugging.

Though the girls collectively disapproved of Li Guoyi, it was still a group gathering, not a full-blown mob scene. Seeing the two men go at it, everyone nearby cheered and egged them on.

Sun Ye pulled Le Yao over to Li Heng and asked: "Great scholar, we've got nowhere to sit—will you take us in?"

"Oh, just call me Old Li."

Li Heng shifted over to make room, warmly inviting: "Come, ladies, please sit."

Sun Ye sat down with Le Yao and smirked: "I'm not a beauty, but Le Yao is."

Li Heng smiled and poured three beers, half each: "Deep feeling, one gulp. Let's drink."

"Oh, you're pouring for us? We're truly honored," Sun Ye said, but she lifted her glass without hesitation, clinked it with his, and downed it in one go.

Le Yao smiled at him and also drank it all.

Seeing this, Li Heng couldn't back down—he drank his own in one gulp too.

After finishing the first glass, Sun Ye asked: "I bought eleven pure music albums. Could you sign one for me? Don't worry—I won't resell them. I just can't stand my family and high school classmates nagging me to get your autograph."

Li Heng readily agreed: "No problem. Anytime."

Hearing this, Sun Ye refilled both their glasses, raised hers, and said: "This one's to you."

Li Heng accepted without hesitation, very straightforward.

After the second glass, Sun Ye asked: "Where do you live? Can you tell me? I'll bring the albums tomorrow—or we can meet somewhere."

Knowing his identity would be fully exposed tomorrow, Li Heng didn't hide it: "In Lushan Village. Have you been there?"

Sun Ye said: "I've walked around that area, but never went inside. I heard only famous professors and officials live there—I didn't dare enter."

"Hmm."

Li Heng nodded and added: "Wei Xiaozhu knows. If you're worried about finding it, ask her to come with you."

Sun Ye was surprised, yet not really: "Did Xiao Zhu go to your place?"

She was surprised because no one else knew where Li Heng lived—but Xiao Zhu did.

She wasn't surprised because Wei Xiaozhu had always been close to Li Heng; visiting his place seemed perfectly natural.

Li Heng nodded: "I've been there a couple times with Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe."

Le Yao chimed in: "Li Heng, can I ask you something?"

Li Heng said: "Go ahead."

Le Yao asked: "Do you know Wu Siyao? From Tongji University?"

Li Heng was confused: "Never heard that name."

Seeing his expression, Le Yao laughed happily: "She's my high school classmate. When our class had a reunion dinner this summer, she came with my high school roommate. When she found out I knew you, she kept circling around, asking me about you."

Or rather, she came to our class reunion just because of you. Otherwise, we couldn't have invited her."

Sun Ye asked: "Is Wu Siyao hard to deal with?"

Le Yao replied: "She was famous in high school for her beauty and rich family—extremely hard to get!"

"Really? I've never heard that name. Could you describe her appearance?" For some reason, hearing "Tongji University" made him suddenly picture someone.

The girl he'd seen at the Bank of China this afternoon—the one who'd blocked his path on the bus for nearly a year!

Le Yao thought for a moment and described her with several adjectives.

After listening, Li Heng confirmed: It was definitely that bank girl. He hadn't expected to learn her name this way.

PS: Posted first, will edit later.

(Two more chapters left)

(End of chapter)