Chapter 522: Absurd Social Death

Li Heng asked, "Which two things?"

Yu Shuheng released him and continued massaging his temples: "First, I suppressed the photo of you talking with Xiao Han in Xianghui Hall—it won't be reported."

Li Heng exhaled in relief.

He wasn't afraid of the photo leaking himself—he feared his romantic escapades spreading too soon would tarnish Xiao Han, Song Yu, and Zijin's reputations and disrupt their ability to study in peace.

He sincerely thanked her.

Yu Shuheng continued, "I've sent Ceng Yun to Aba to find a suitable place to settle. Do you have any special needs? I'll arrange them."

Li Heng pondered for a long while, then finally said, "I like bathing and eating meat—that's all."

Yu Shuheng laughed, "These teachers have already accounted for that. But I think someone's biggest weakness is beautiful women—should I arrange two for you?"

Seeing her in good spirits, Li Heng played along: "Beautiful women? What level?"

Yu Shuheng leaned close and teased, "What about your teacher?"

That actually counted—he didn't lie: "Yes, and what else?"

Yu Shuheng's eyes narrowed, radiating danger: "Should I bring Runwen over? We'll both attend to you."

Li Heng froze, then slowly relaxed, not daring to speak.

He didn't understand why his teacher was acting strangely—she was wary of Zhou Shihe and Teacher Wang, yet showed little jealousy toward Mai Sui or Xiao Han.

The study fell silent.

Li Heng closed his eyes to rest.

She patiently massaged his temples until her hands ached, only then realizing the man on the chair had fallen asleep without her noticing.

Yu Shuheng slowly withdrew her hands, walked quietly to the chair opposite him, and studied him in silence.

His features were sculpted—deep-set eyes and brows, a perfectly shaped nose, lips, ears, and jawline—all flawless together.

It made her unconsciously think of Tian Run'e—having beautiful parents was indeed an advantage.

Then, inexplicably, she wondered: if she bore his child, would it be just as beautiful—or even more so?

If it were true—if the child were truly lovely—she wouldn't mind having more.

Time slipped away, second by second, she didn't know how long had passed…

As she sat across from him, sipping coffee and letting her thoughts drift, a whisper suddenly broke the silent study.

"Shihe…"

The moment those two syllables left his lips, Yu Shuheng snapped out of her fantasy, staring fixedly at Li Heng.

"Shihe… hmm…"

She hadn't imagined it—when the second utterance came from his mouth, her brows knitted tightly, her hand holding the coffee cup tightening until veins stood out.

Why did he call out Zhou Shihe?

Was he having a dream?

Yu Shuheng's good mood instantly turned to ice; a chilling aura radiated from her.

She wondered: had something happened between him and Zhou Shihe that she didn't know about?

Last time, this little man had whispered her name in his sleep—back then, she'd deliberately teased and provoked him, and in his frustration, he'd dreamed of her.

Now…

Had Zhou Shihe recently provoked him too?

At this thought, Yu Shuheng felt an unexpected sense of urgency.

She wasn't worried about Xiao Han or Mai Sui, nor about Chen Zijin—but only Zhou Shihe and Song Yu. She had always wanted to surpass every woman and claim the most important place in his heart.

Among all the women near him, Song Yu and Zhou Shihe were different—they had conquered him with invisible charm, the only two he had actively chosen to like.

So Song Yu and Zhou Shihe were undoubtedly the greatest obstacles on her path.

…

As Li Heng slept, he dreamed of a shower room.

In the dream, he suddenly flung open the shower door and cornered Zhou Shihe as she was lathering herself with body wash.

Whether she consented or not, no matter how she struggled, he lunged at her…

Li Heng jolted awake—only to meet a pair of ink-black eyes, cold as ice, their expression complex.

Yu Shuheng's gaze lingered for a moment on a certain part of him—his towering peak piercing the clouds—then lifted to meet his gaze as he stirred awake.

Li Heng was deeply frustrated.

His mind was filled with Zhou Shihe's exquisite body—especially how, in the dream, she'd first wept helplessly, then, eyes closed, reluctantly surrendered to his touch, finally…

Finally, the frail young lady slapped him twice—those slaps were what woke him.

He was exasperated—he wasn't some starving man; just two days ago, he'd tangled with Da Qingyi for hours.

Why had he dreamed of Zhou Shihe now?

Thinking of how pitifully she'd suffered in his dream, he wanted to slap himself dead.

Slap himself dead—that's what a man should do?

Honestly, even though he'd seen something he shouldn't have this afternoon, he hadn't fantasized about it afterward.

Why did he dream of her?

Had he unconsciously been poisoned by her?

That didn't make sense—he was a good man! So many women threw themselves at him, yet he never took any casually…

Why was this happening? So strange.

Fine, even if he dreamed of Zhou Shihe—she was stunning, her delicate aura irresistible, hard to resist.

Men sometimes had these dreams—it was understandable, forgivable.

Maybe Zhou Shihe herself had entered his dream, seducing him while asleep?

But whether she'd come to him in his dream or he'd dreamed of her out of desire—the dream had taken place in his own home.

So why had he woken up in Building 25?

And why had he woken up facing Yu Teacher, who looked ready to devour him?

Forcing the vivid, tempting image from his mind, Li Heng struggled to speak: "Teacher, what time is it?"

He was embarrassed and grasping for words.

Yu Shuheng stood, icy and silent, turned, and left the study—every motion clean, precise, no hesitation.

Once she was gone, Li Heng looked down—and groaned in despair.

Damn it!

His thin pants had a visible print—no wonder Yu Teacher wouldn't look at him.

Fine, he'd brought this on himself—he couldn't stay another second, jumped up, didn't even check his watch, and bolted out.

Downstairs, he slammed his palm hard against his forehead—unsatisfied, slammed it twice more.

What a disgrace!

He'd had a dream right in front of Yu Teacher—after she'd massaged him for so long—and he didn't even know…

He didn't even know if he'd whispered Zhou Shihe's name in his sleep.

This was one of his bad habits!

Total social death.

Outside, rain had begun—light but dense. Li Heng dashed out, crossed the courtyard, raced through the alley, and headed straight for home.

Mai Sui had returned.

Zhou Shihe and Sun Manning were there too—the three women were curled up on the second-floor sofa, snacking on sunflower seeds and watching TV.

Seeing him rush upstairs like a gust of wind, then vanish into the shower room, the three exchanged glances.

Then a voice called out: "Mai Sui, bring me clothes."

At this, Zhou Shihe and Sun Manning both turned to Mai Sui.

Sun Manning winked: "He's going to shower? Don't go—he's probably already naked, waiting for you to walk in."

"Naked" made Zhou Shihe freeze; her gaze flickered toward the shower room, her calm heart suddenly fluttering.

Mai Sui blushed but set down her sunflower seeds, went to the bedroom, picked out fresh clothes, and carried them into the shower room.

Watching this, Sun Manning sighed: "Shihe, look—she adores him but won't fight for him. My heart breaks—I'm so frustrated for her."

In the same place, the bathroom was experiencing the same scene—Zhou Shihe's thoughts were entirely on the shower room, and only when Sun Manning repeated her question did she snap back.

Zhou Shihe paused, then said, "Why do I feel Mai Sui isn't afraid of Xiao Han?"

She was testing.

Continuing the half-spoken test from this afternoon.

Extending the probe she'd begun at Lantian Restaurant.

She wondered who the girl Sun Manning called her equal was—was she real? Did he know her?

Sun Manning, now hyper-alert after nearly slipping up twice, feigned confusion: "Huh? She's not afraid of Xiao Han? Then who is she afraid of?"

Then she added, chattering: "So what if she was late? So what if she became the third party? They're not married anyway, and Li Heng likes her—if it were me, I'd have fought for him already!"

Zhou Shihe watched Sun Manning's micro-expressions closely; seeing no cracks, she asked casually: "Wasn't Mai Sui in the same class as Li Heng in high school? Xiao Han studied science—they didn't spend much time together—how did Xiao Han get ahead?"

On the surface, she asked about Mai Sui and Xiao Han—but she was really asking about the beautiful girl Sun Manning mentioned.

In other words: was there a prettier girl who stole Mai Sui's spotlight, forcing her to only dare love silently?

Zhou Shihe had once heard Zhang Zhiyong and Zhang Haiyan mention over dinner that Xiao Han hadn't started dating Li Heng from the beginning—they only got together after the college entrance exam.

Putting it all together, she wondered: why did Mai Sui love silently instead of openly?

Sun Manning's heart tightened—she realized she'd spoken too much, but since Zhou Shihe and Li Heng were clean, just good friends like herself, she didn't need to be overly cautious.

Fortunately, Shihe was a discreet person who wouldn't gossip around.

Sun Manning firmly denied: "Xiao Han definitely studied science, but they were junior high classmates. Though they never openly dated at school, their relationship was exceptionally close—we all felt they were secretly seeing each other. And back then, our school cracked down hard on early romance; even if Suisui liked him, she wouldn't dare say it outright."

Sun Manning answered both questions with vague terms.

First question: On the surface, Xiao Han and Li Heng only got together after the college entrance exam. But no one knew the real situation—they might have been together long before, just announced it after the exam.

How could they have gotten together right after the exam if there was no emotional foundation?

That logic held up.

Second question: Sun Manning said Mai Sui was an extremely conservative, well-behaved girl. The school strictly forbade early romance, so naturally, Mai Sui could only harbor secret feelings.

And after the exam, Li Heng got together with Xiao Han, so naturally, she was left behind.

Anyway, this girl didn't expose Song Yu or Chen Zijin.

As Li Heng's good friend, though she often teased him in daily life, she still spontaneously defended him when it came to matters of principle—protecting his reputation and dignity.

Otherwise, if the truth about Li Heng dating four girls at once came out, Shihe's whole worldview would shatter; she'd likely see him differently and never get close to him again.

Her perfect answer left Zhou Shihe with no clues. When Mai Sui stepped out of the shower, the two women ended their conversation on the topic. Sun Manning tilted her head and teased Mai Sui: "Was the view inside nice?"

Mai Sui smiled softly but didn't answer.

Sun Manning tilted her head: "You used to wash his clothes after he showered. Why aren't you washing them today?"

This wasn't the first or second time—Mai Sui had built up some immunity to her friend's teasing. She replied gently: "I'll wash them after he finishes showering."

Sun Manning grinned and asked the question she'd held back for a long time: "What's it like washing his underwear?"

Zhou Shihe glanced at Manning, placed the sunflower seeds back in the bowl, and picked up a book to read.

For such a private question, Mai Sui couldn't handle the embarrassment. She ignored it entirely and got up to boil water.

More than ten minutes later, Li Heng stepped out of the shower and washed his pants, hanging them to dry on the balcony.

At that moment, Ye Ning rushed in, sprinting up to the second floor and asking the three women on the sofa: "Hey, where's Li Heng, the great writer? Isn't he with you?"

Sun Manning pointed to the balcony: "He's hanging clothes. He'll come in once he's done."

Ye Ning turned around and asked: "Big talent, didn't we agree to meet at Lao Li Restaurant at nine? Why'd you stand us up?"

Li Heng froze in place.

Damn it, he'd completely forgotten about this—he'd fallen asleep after Yu Laoshi's massage.

He instinctively glanced at his watch: 10: 2.

Li Heng apologized: "Got caught up in something and lost track of time. Did you just come back from Lao Li Restaurant?"

"Yeah, you didn't show. My cousin kept saying it was fine, even comforted Zhao Menglong. But I could feel she was deeply disappointed." Ye Ning didn't blame him for standing her up—she sounded almost gleeful.

Li Heng said: "I really forgot. It wasn't intentional."

Sun Manning asked: "So where were you before?"

Li Heng didn't hide it: "At Yu Laoshi's place, discussing some things."

Sun Manning asked again: "Then why did you rush straight to the shower when you got home without even greeting us?"

Li Heng plopped onto the sofa and said lazily: "Three urgent needs. Don't ask."

"Pfft! You even washed your underwear—our Mai Sui was waiting to wash it for you!" Sun Manning launched into a furious rant.

Li Heng: "..."

Zhou Shihe, quietly reading, gave a light smile. When she felt the man's gaze land on her, she pursed her lips slightly and gradually stilled all expression.

Ye Ning burst into laughter beside them, curling up on the sofa until her intestines felt twisted, her delight so intense it made you want to pinch her to death.

Mai Sui, embarrassed, grabbed a pillow and threw it at Sun Manning's head—but that was all she could do, helpless.

The next five hours, the five of them watched TV and chatted until nearly midnight.

Before bed, Sun Manning found a moment alone with Li Heng and whispered: "I've got something to tell you."

Li Heng said: "Go ahead."

Sun Manning asked: "Have you mentioned Song Yu and Zijin to Shihe and the others?"

Li Heng rolled his eyes: "Do I look like an idiot? Would I go around broadcasting my private relationships?"

Sun Manning patted her chest, sighed in relief, then stuck out her tongue: "I might've accidentally let slip something to Shihe."

"What did you let slip?" Li Heng stared at her intensely.

Sun Manning, fearing he'd misunderstand, frankly repeated word for word what she'd said yesterday: "'You two are perfectly matched—I couldn't tell which one you were with, couldn't find a flaw.'"

After speaking, she let her hands hang straight by her sides, guiltily awaiting his reaction.

Li Heng frowned deeply.

He suddenly understood why Zhou Gu Niang had asked that question at Lantian Restaurant.

So the root of the problem was here.

What a useless, trouble-making woman—he was furious.

Li Heng asked: "You didn't mention Song Yu's name, right?"

Sun Manning shook her head violently: "No, absolutely not! I swear!"

Li Heng frowned: "That's not like you. If you didn't reveal Song Yu or Zijin, why are you confessing now?"

"Do you think I wanted to? Tonight, Shihe was testing me…" Then she recounted her entire conversation with Zhou Shihe, without embellishment.

After finishing, she asked: "Can you analyze this? Do you think Shihe suspects something?"

Li Heng thought for a long while, then concluded: "She's just starting to suspect. But your response was timely and flawless—for now, you're safe."

Sun Manning exhaled deeply in relief: "Good thing I'm clever."

Li Heng snapped: "You? Clever? Clever what? I don't even know what to say to you. Forget it—never mention Song Yu or Zijin again. Let it end here."

"I thought you'd punish me," Sun Manning said happily, relieved he'd let her off.

Li Heng waved his hand dismissively, looking disgusted: "Why punish you? No looks, no chest. Go to sleep."

"Li Heng, you bastard! I'm sleeping with you tonight!" Even if her looks were inferior, she couldn't tolerate the chest comment. Sun Manning grabbed him angrily, dragging him toward the bedroom, clearly intending to sleep with him right in front of the other three women.

Fortunately, Mai Sui and the other two women appeared at that moment.

Li Heng shouted jokingly: "Mai Sui, save me! Sun Manning wants to sleep with me!"

Zhou Shihe and Mai Sui exchanged glances, barely holding back laughter.

Ye Ning crossed her arms and burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.

Sun Manning stamped her foot in fury. Even with her thick skin, she couldn't take this—then she grabbed Zhou Shihe and Ye Ning by the arms and dragged them off.

Once the door closed, only Li Heng and Mai Sui remained. The earlier chaos instantly turned silent.

After a moment of eye contact, Li Heng said: "It's late. Let's rest."

"Okay."

Mai Sui followed him upstairs.

But the moment she turned off the living room light, her feet left the ground—he swept her up from behind, carrying them both to her bedroom.

This time, Mai Sui felt only shock, no cry. Once on the bed, she let him kiss her.

Their lips met, a passionate French kiss, then gradually slowed.

But stopping wasn't an option—she had a mental block, and her period had come.

He could only stare helplessly.

Li Heng rolled off her, lay beside her, and stared at the ceiling: "I'll stay a bit, then leave."

Mai Sui didn't argue. She accepted his decision.

After a silence, she asked: "Have you decided when you'll leave?"

Li Heng said: "After September."

Mai Sui said: "Li Heng, I've been having the same dream lately."

Li Heng asked: "What dream?"

Mai Sui hesitated, then bit her lower lip and whispered: "I dreamed I was pregnant."

Li Heng turned his head: "But your period came…"

He stopped mid-sentence.

He suddenly understood—she wasn't referring to this period. She was taking precautions. She was terrified of pregnancy.

Her unspoken meaning: Don't cross the line—not even like last time, not even external ejaculation.

Li Heng fell silent.

After a long while, he sat up abruptly: "I'm going."

Mai Sui suddenly reached out and grabbed him, her eyes filled with deep regret—for what she'd just said.

Li Heng leaned down and kissed her forehead gently: "It's fine. Between us, we say what we feel. We understand and accept each other. Besides, our bond isn't about that."

Mai Sui murmured "Mm," turned off the light, and, summoning courage, whispered: "Stay with me tonight."

Li Heng turned his head sharply.

Mai Sui rolled over, avoiding his gaze.

Even though it was raining and pitch-black outside, neither could see clearly—yet she still faced away from him, too shy to look.

Li Heng suddenly grinned, laughing softly, then lay back down, wrapping his arms around her from behind, pressing close. Their breaths grew heavier, silent.

Neither spoke.

Even as their bodies moved in quiet harmony, they remained silent, holding back, letting something unfold in thick, unspoken intimacy.

An hour and a half later, Mai Sui lay limp, limbs weak. After several deep breaths, she regained her strength, pushed aside her damp hair with her right hand, and sat up.

After a while, she got out of bed, put on her shoes, picked up the underwear covered in his maps, and went to the shower.

Li Heng lay on the bed like a lord, staring at the ceiling, mind blank—until Mai Sui returned, finished, and he remembered he needed to shower.

In the second half of the night, the two still slept curled up together; compared to the silent battle of the earlier hours, this time was far warmer, and they slept until dawn.

"Tap tap tap!"

"Tap tap tap!"

"Li Heng, open up! I've got good news—you made it onto sixty-five newspapers!"

The two in the bedroom had just opened their eyes when they heard Sun Man outside banging on the door and shouting.

Mai Sui pushed herself up from his arms and said softly, "I'll get the door. You get dressed."

"Mm."

Li Heng picked up the digital watch on the nightstand: 7: 9.

He thought, this Sun Man girl really is up early.

PS: Post first, edit later.

(Still more)

(End of chapter)