Chapter 562: Good Fortune Keeps Coming

After stepping out of the bathroom, Li Heng hung the washed clothes on the balcony and clipped them securely to keep them from blowing away in the wind.

Only after finishing all this did he return to the living room.

First, he instinctively peeked into the study and, seeing Xiao Han deeply absorbed in her book, he didn't disturb her, instead turning to the sofa and flipping through today's newspaper as usual.

"Li Heng! Li Heng!"

As he read an article on economics, a voice called out from the alley outside.

He didn't need to go up to the attic—he already recognized the caller as his cousin Li Wang.

He put down the newspaper and rushed downstairs at top speed to welcome her inside.

He poured her a cup of hot tea and asked, "Cousin Wang, with this heavy rain, why did you come?"

Li Wang paid no attention to the tea, setting the cup aside. "I'm so happy today, I couldn't wait to come and share the good news with you."

Li Heng perked up. "What good news? What's got you so excited?"

Li Wang told him: "As of noon today, Anta Sports' revenue officially surpassed one hundred million!"

Li Heng shot to his feet, excitedly asking, "Really?"

Li Wang pulled a stack of documents from her bag and handed them to him. "Of course it's true."

Li Heng took the documents and carefully, seriously, and repeatedly checked them front and back twice. When he finished verifying everything, his mouth nearly split into a grin. "Good! Good! Good!"

One hundred million—that's a qualitative leap!

Tomorrow's headlines are guaranteed.

He repeated "good" three times in rapid succession.

After he'd taken time to absorb the news, Li Wang added: "Earlier, as you requested, I reapplied to the relevant authorities for expanded factory land. The approval has come through."

Li Heng asked, "How much land?"

Li Wang said, "Approved for 250 mu."

Li Heng thought for a moment, then nodded. "Combined with the original 80 mu, it's enough for now. But the Feng Shui here in Pudong is excellent—the more land, the better. We should seize this momentum and apply for even more."

Li Wang understood his intentions perfectly—how could she disagree?

The two then engaged in a deep discussion on company management, operations, distributor networks, direct retail stores, R&D centers, and employee benefits. Time slipped away in the blink of an eye—half an hour had passed.

When they finished the last item, Li Heng asked, "Have you had dinner yet? Want to have a drink tonight?"

Li Wang tucked the documents into her bag, checked her watch, and bluntly declined: "I'm meeting government friends for dinner soon—I don't have time to stay. I'll come find you another day."

Li Heng held an umbrella and walked her to the door. "Alright, be careful on the way."

Li Wang came in a rush and left in a rush, her steps full of energy, radiating confidence and vigor.

He stood at the door for a moment, then closed the umbrella and shut the door, returning upstairs.

At this point, Zhou Shihe had finished reading chapters 13 through 16 of "Dust Settles," and was now reading another book.

Hearing movement at the study door, she turned and asked, "Li Wang?"

Li Heng nodded. "Yes, her."

Zhou Shihe said, "From her tone, she seemed thrilled. It looks like another stroke of good fortune for you."

Li Heng gave her a thumbs-up and showered her with praise: "No wonder you're the Queen of Fudan—your intelligence is unmatched. Nothing escapes you."

Zhou Shihe smiled lightly, looking at him.

Li Heng briefly explained the reason for Li Wang's visit.

Zhou Shihe sighed after listening. "You're riding a wave of fortune now—tomorrow, even thunder will avoid you."

Bullshit.

In his past life, he had received all of Song Yu's love and believed fortune smiled upon him—yet their child died young, and he himself was struck dead by lightning beside Song Yu in his old age.

He had an instinctive fear of thunderstorms, and no amount of good luck would lessen it anytime soon.

The richer he became, the more he clung to life, the more he feared death.

After chatting a while, Li Heng said, "I need to make a call from your place."

Zhou Shihe didn't ask why—she simply agreed readily: "Alright."

Li Heng asked, "Come with me? Or wait here for Mai Sui to return?"

Zhou Shihe stood up, book in hand, stepping out of the study: "Together."

Arriving at the small house next door at No. 27, she immediately busied herself—bathing, washing clothes, tidying her bedroom, and so on.

She left Li Heng alone on the second-floor living room to do as he pleased.

He didn't hold back—he dialed Wang Ye first.

"Ding ling ling…"

"Ding ling ling…"

The phone rang twice before connecting—Wang Ye had clearly been waiting. "Mr. Li?"

"It's me."

Li Heng replied, then asked, "Have you been waiting for my call all along?"

Wang Ye answered: "I called Lao Yu's house earlier, but no one answered."

Li Heng nodded. "Sorry to keep you waiting. How's the enrollment going today?"

Wang Ye cut straight to the point, flipping through the numbers on her clear report: "Today's enrollment figures exceeded expectations. Beijing collected 3. 74 million, Tianjin 2. 18 million, Yangcheng 2. 8 million, Shanghai 3. 02 million—totaling 11. 74 million."

"Based on today's advance payment of 100 yuan per applicant, we project another 13 million in revenue over the next week."

11. 7 million?

11. 7 million!

Before calling, Li Heng had guessed the numbers might be high—but hearing this concrete, terrifying sum, his heart pounded wildly!

He was beyond thrilled.

Even more excited than when he heard Anta's revenue had broken one hundred million.

How could he not be?

New Future School was nothing like Anta Sports—it was nearly capital-free, and he was the sole shareholder—every penny earned went straight into his pocket.

As he listened patiently to Wang Ye's report, he pondered: After the second phase ends, how much equity should I reward Wang Ye and the management team?

Having lived two lives, he understood one truth: To gain, you must give. Don't try to hoard everything—cooperation brings mutual gain; shared interests ensure lasting success.

But the second phase has just begun—no rush yet.

He asked, "Yangcheng and Shanghai each hit around three million—why is Tianjin so much lower? Is it because it's close to Beijing?"

Wang Ye explained: "Proximity to Beijing is one factor. But mainly, more people pre-registered there, and fewer paid in full today—expect strong growth over the next week."

To seize market share quickly, Wang Ye finished her report and added her own proposal: "Boss, for the third phase, I plan to use this momentum to run TV ads on CCTV, expand more branches, and secure first-mover advantage—make 'New Future' a household name."

Li Heng asked, "Which cities?"

Wang Ye said, "Jinan, Shenyang, Wuhan, Chengdu, Xiamen, and Xi'an—these six are my top priorities."

Damn, all major cities.

At that moment, her ambition was laid bare.

But Li Heng didn't stop her—he encouraged her: "Go ahead. But prepare your talent pipeline first—don't stretch too far and tear your own pants."

He understood clearly: dreaming too much now was useless. The urgent task was to push New Future's annual profit past 500 million—and even 1 billion!

Perhaps then, just perhaps, he'd have a sliver of hope.

Since meeting Song Yu, he dared only use the word "sliver"—he dared not dream too big.

The two then discussed next steps in detail for over half an hour.

Among other things, Wang Ye told him that starting with the third phase, New Future would integrate teaching teams from ten cities, jointly revise curricula, and release supplementary educational materials to the public.

She said: "Boss, we've done deep research—this market for supplementary materials is completely blank. If we seize the opportunity, the profit potential rivals overseas training."

Li Heng asked, "What kinds of materials?"

Wang Ye replied: "Middle school entrance exams, high school entrance exams, and studying abroad—mainly these three. I'm still designing the framework, but once operations stabilize, could we allocate funds to host nationwide youth English competitions? To further boost New Future's influence…"

As she described her vision and plans over the phone, Li Heng nodded repeatedly—and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Master Jin Yong, Master Jin Yong—you've sent me a treasure.

After over an hour of deep exchange, Li Heng gained a deeper understanding and full recognition of Wang Ye's abilities.

But he wasn't idle—he drew on his decades of experience in the education market from his past life and immediately refined and expanded her ideas.

Wang Ye started by listening, then began taking notes.

Soon, the receiver echoed: "Boss, slow down… Boss, repeat what you just said…"

After filling three full pages with notes, Wang Ye felt as if she'd been struck by ten thousand blows.

She'd thought herself brilliant, thorough, gifted in business—but compared to Mr. Li's intellect, she felt her mind was inadequate.

Her right hand, gripping the pen, unconsciously scribbled over a dozen "Li Heng"s on the blank margins. Suddenly, she felt a powerful, burning desire—to borrow his seed.

She believed bearing a child with a man like him might produce descendants of excellence for three to five generations.

The call lasted a long time—over an hour at first, then another half hour—totaling two full hours.

When the call ended, Li Heng instinctively checked the time: 11: 9.

Damn, is it already this late?

Li Heng looked up and noticed the music room light was on. Through the half-open door, he could see Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe leaning close, chatting together.

His gaze lingered on the two women for a moment—just as he was about to make his second call—

The landline on the table rang abruptly.

Li Heng reached for the receiver instinctively, assuming Wang Ye had another question.

But the moment he picked it up, he regretted it.

But as soon as he picked it up, he regretted it.

This isn't my own home, and there's no caller ID— I never gave Wang Ye my number, so how did they get through?

Sure enough, a middle-aged woman's voice came from beside his ear: "Shihe…"

Li Heng recognized who it was, but he said nothing. He quietly set the receiver on the coffee table, then immediately rose and headed for the music room.

It wasn't that he was petty; it was just that the night was deep, and as a married man, staying in a young lady's room was inappropriate.

Though she probably wouldn't misunderstand.

But he had to be perceptive and avoid giving her any reason to.

As for putting the receiver down without speaking—was that rude? He trusted that Miss Zhou, being clever, had a thousand ways to smooth it over.

He quickly approached Zhou Shihe and whispered, "Miss Zhou, your mother called."

Hearing this, Zhou Shihe instantly realized she hadn't yet informed her family she was safe.

He murmured softly: "It's too late, so I picked up the receiver but didn't speak. Use your wit."

Zhou Shihe blinked lightly, then stepped out the door.

As soon as Miss Zhou left, Li Heng turned to Mai Sui and asked gently, "When did you get here?"

Mai Sui replied softly, "Around nine-thirty."

She added, "I saw you deep in conversation with Wang Ye, so I didn't interrupt."

In the dim glow of the lamp, gazing up close at Mai Sui—whose inner allure was overwhelming—Li Heng suddenly felt a deep sense of fulfillment; his affection for her had already sunk into his bones.

No wonder, in his past life, even Song Yu—the pinnacle of human beauty—had kept her at a distance. She changed daily, growing more enchanting with each passing day.

She left him utterly captivated, unable to let go.

Their eyes met, and sensing the tender affection in his gaze, Mai Sui's heart fluttered like a startled deer; a faint blush crept across her cheeks.

As time passed, she felt more and more clearly his fondness and indulgence toward her.

If before the college entrance exam she could only secretly adore him, now she could openly spend time with him within a small circle.

If a year ago she had been anxious, constantly fearing loss, now her heart had finally settled—because he truly cared for her.

Though this feeling was shadowed by Song Yu's presence, she was already deeply content.

After all, she was the latecomer, only gaining his affection by slipping through the cracks.

She had imagined: if she, Li Heng, and Song Yu had all entered Peking University together, her secret love would have remained forever secret. Wherever Song Yu was, he would rarely turn his attention to her.

Li Heng stepped closer and suddenly asked, "What are you thinking?"

Mai Sui's reflexes lagged. "N-nothing."

Li Heng stared into her eyes, speaking slowly, word by word: "Lying to me?"

Mai Sui smiled softly and sweetly, knowing she'd been caught daydreaming. She stopped defending herself and urged, "It's late. Go home and rest."

Li Heng frowned. "Aren't you coming with me?"

Mai Sui hesitated, looking troubled. "Shihe is alone at home tonight—we agreed I'd sleep with her."

Li Heng grumbled, "Why didn't Sun Man and Ye Ning come?"

He called Sun Man and Ye Ning "female hooligans" because recently he'd overheard them giggling about his underwear, saying how big it was.

He'd been furious then, thinking: This is nothing. When I stand up, I'll scare you both into leg cramps.

Sensing his resentment, Mai Sui glanced at her friend on the sofa, then said gently, "They've been busy with club activities lately, so they can't always come. How about I accompany you for a while?"

As she said "for a while," her body grew suddenly warm.

This wasn't a hint anymore—it was an outright invitation. To soothe him, she had abandoned her reserve and thrown caution aside.

Li Heng was deeply tempted, but he suppressed the urge within him. He stepped closer, embraced her, pressed his forehead to hers, and murmured tenderly: "No need. Don't force yourself. Right now, I care more about you as a person—I just want to see you every day."

Mai Sui smiled sweetly, leaned in, and kissed his lips lightly. Then she remembered something and suddenly looked toward the living room.

Of all the bad luck! At that exact moment, Zhou Shihe happened to catch the intimate scene.

Their eyes met across the room. Zhou Shihe, mid-sentence, froze. She glanced at the man clearly enjoying himself, then calmly turned away, facing the opposite direction, continuing her call to her mother.

Seeing her friend's expression, Mai Sui felt utterly humiliated—she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Li Heng asked, concerned: "What's wrong?"

Mai Sui stepped out of his arms, uneasy. "Next time, be more subtle."

Li Heng glanced toward Miss Zhou in the living room and muttered deliberately: "You were the one who kissed me. I'm the innocent one."

"You're taking advantage and acting innocent!" Mai Sui mimicked his usual expression, rolling her eyes.

The gesture was so adorable it made him laugh. He teased, "From now on, feel free to roll your eyes at me anytime—I like it."

Mai Sui laughed along.

As for in front of Shihe, she was slowly coming to terms with it.

Back on the sofa in Building 26, he had once pinned her down and overwhelmed her—Shihe had seen it all. What could be more embarrassing than that?

A few minutes later, Zhou Shihe finished her call, went to the bathroom, then entered the master bedroom next door.

Li Heng immediately took his leave: "I'm heading over. Get some rest."

"Okay." Mai Sui walked him downstairs herself, locking the courtyard gate and all first-floor windows and doors.

…

As Li Heng stepped out of Building 27, he suddenly noticed the courtyard gate of Building 25 was slightly ajar.

He paused, looked up.

Huh?

The house wasn't lit. Had someone broken in?

Or had that "ghost pressing on the bed" thing sneaked inside?

Remembering that Teacher Yu wasn't home, he instantly grew uneasy. He quickly pulled out his keys, rushed into his own house, grabbed a kitchen knife from the counter, and headed toward Building 25.

At this moment, if you asked him if he feared ghosts?

Of course he was instinctively afraid.

But I'm a man reborn— even ghosts had better kneel before me.

The courtyard gate wasn't locked. The front door on the first floor wasn't locked either.

Li Heng entered and turned on all the lights downstairs—yet found nothing?

Maybe upstairs?

Thinking this, he gripped the knife tighter and crept silently up the stairs.

But as soon as he reached the second-floor hallway, a calm, refined voice came from the darkness: "It's me."

Judging by the voice, it came from the sofa.

"Teacher Yu?" Li Heng was stunned.

"Mm." Yu Shuheng murmured.

Li Heng exhaled softly, slipped the knife behind his back, and fumbled for the light switch.

The moment the light turned on, Yu Shuheng sat there, holding a cup of coffee, gazing at him with a faint, knowing smile.

Li Heng was speechless: "Why didn't you lock the courtyard gate? And why didn't you turn on the lights?"

Yu Shuheng took a small sip of coffee. "Didn't it work well?"

Li Heng's mind raced. After a few seconds, he finally understood: Teacher Yu had deliberately set up this ruse.

He placed the knife on the dining table and sat down beside the sofa.

Yu Shuheng spoke softly: "I meant no harm. I just wanted to see you."

Li Heng glanced sideways. "You could've just come to my place. No need for this. I was terrified walking over here."

Yu Shuheng gave him a look of apology.

He knew, though, that this was pointless. He was at Miss Zhou's house—unless absolutely necessary, Teacher Yu wouldn't have come over.

The two women were currently in a state of superficial harmony, hidden tension. Normally, they maintained appearances with grace, but if things ever exploded, even he might not be able to stop it.

She stood up. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Li Heng shook his head. "Too late. I won't sleep if I drink it." Hearing this, she didn't press. Instead, she walked over and sat beside him, turning her back to him.

He watched her back for a moment, then understood. He reached out with both arms, pressed himself tightly against her, wrapping her in the same embrace as before.

The instant his arms encircled her waist, Yu Shuheng slowly closed her eyes, leaning fully into his arms. She said nothing—but everything was said.

She missed him. That's why she had to see him tonight.

Strangely, breathing in her faint feminine scent, Li Heng's mind grew calm. He didn't try to take advantage.

Yu Shuheng also remained silent. Her scholarly, elegant face rested gently against his. In this silence, words were unnecessary.

After about sixteen or seventeen minutes, Teacher Yu slowly opened her eyes, her expression content. She turned slightly and lightly kissed his lips.

Then she pulled away, returning to sit across from him on the sofa.

After she took two sips of coffee, Li Heng asked, "Teacher, why were you away so long?"

Yu Shuheng smiled. "Are you asking because you care… or because you missed me?"

Li Heng stared straight at her.

Yu Shuheng turned her coffee cup slowly. "A close friend passed away in a mishap in Singapore. I attended the funeral."

"Also, some business matters arose—I had to settle them before returning."

These were deeply personal matters. Li Heng didn't press further, but he worried for her: "Didn't that leave you behind on your teaching schedule?"

Yu Shuheng replied, "I've coordinated with the school. I'll make up the lessons urgently."

Then she looked at him intently and said: "Young man, congratulations! Your pure music album has finally reached #1 on the Billboard charts. Your fame overseas is tremendous. Everyone I met abroad asked about you."

Li Heng felt a quiet joy. "Thank you, Teacher. This is all our work."

Yu Shuheng said: "A payment will be settled on New Year's Day."

Li Heng asked, "A purely musical album?"

Yu Shuheng nodded. "Settlement for these three months."

Li Heng leaned forward slightly. "Last time it was 850, 00 pounds. How much this time?"

Yu Shuheng paused. "The final figures won't be out for another week. But based on the current financial statements, it's around 3. million pounds."

Li Heng was stunned. "That much? So much more than last time?"

Yu Shuheng said, "It's held the top spot on the billboard for three and a half weeks. Don't underestimate the power of this global number-one music chart—it brings immense influence."

"Because it topped the billboard, many tracks have surged rapidly up music charts in over thirty countries and regions, including Europe, America, Japan, and Korea. Almost every single rank increase means more money."

Li Heng understood, his blood boiling with excitement: "Is the pound exchange rate still 14?"

Seeing his greedy expression, Yu Shuheng smiled. "About that. There's some fluctuation, but not much."

3. million times 14 equals 43. million RMB.

After calculating, he froze.

This!

This is nearly half a hundred million.

This is a fortune beyond imagining!

Damn it, in his past life his bank savings were only 40 million—now he's almost caught up in one go. Who could handle this?

Who wouldn't be dazed by this?

Li Heng sat still for a long time, gradually calming his inner turmoil and excitement.

But then he thought, this was exactly the kind of brilliance this album deserved.

After all, this one album had stolen half a century's worth of classic songs—it was unique, unprecedented, impossible to replicate, unmatched in fame.

After discussing the album, Yu Shuheng asked about the matter she always cared about most: "Have you started writing the new book?"

Li Heng nodded. "I've started. I'm already on Chapter 16."

Hearing this, Yu Shuheng put down her coffee cup, stood up, and couldn't hold back her urge: "Let's go to your place."

Li Heng stood up too.

On the way down the stairs, he remembered something and asked, "Teacher, are you free tomorrow?"

Yu Shuheng turned back. "What is it?"

Li Heng recounted Zhao Ran's letter exactly as given: "Tomorrow marks exactly three months. I need to visit my senior's home."

Yu Shuheng agreed. "Fine. I haven't seen Suyun in a while—let's meet up, have a meal together."

Li Heng was surprised. "Is Sister Xu still in Shanghai?"

Yu Shuheng shook her head. "I've been busy and haven't contacted her. But knowing her personality, I doubt she'll return to Jingcheng."

Li Heng asked, "Didn't you say her family disapproved? Why didn't she take you home?"

Yu Shuheng stopped walking, her tone strange: "Chen's family also disapproved of you and Chen Zijin—yet didn't Chen Zijin still sleep with you?"

Li Heng's eyelid twitched. "You've been investigating me?"

Yu Shuheng fell silent, gazing at him with deep, unreadable eyes.

Li Heng's scalp prickled under her stare.

After a long while, she turned and walked on, her voice soft but clear: "I've changed a lot for you. You shouldn't doubt me."

Li Heng opened his mouth, then closed it again, speechless.

Inside Building No. 26, Yu Shuheng explained: "Your situation with Chen Zijin was easy to guess."

"If there had been no problem between your families, you wouldn't have submitted 'To Live' to 'Shouhuo'—you'd have sent it to 'People's Literature,' where Chen Xiaomi works."

"Chen Zijin wouldn't have suddenly transferred to Jingcheng in her second year of high school, leaving the door open for other women."

"Of course, Runwen once mentioned your relationship with Chen Zijin to me. All these signs make your families' conflict obvious."

She sighed. "Chen's family held all the right cards and played them terribly. If Chen Zijin's mother had been as open-minded as Xiao Han's mother, perhaps there would have been no Song Yu, no Xiao Han, no Maisui—and maybe you and I would never have crossed paths. You'd have gone to Jingcheng to study."

If his past life had gone that way, he couldn't be sure—he might have spent his whole life with Zijin alone.

But in this life, it was impossible.

Even if Chen's family changed their stance overnight, he would never abandon Song Yu and Xiao Han. The reason was simple: they were his women for life.

Upstairs on the second floor, Li Heng went off to his own business—washing up, doing laundry, writing a letter to Song Yu.

He and Song Yu exchanged letters every half-month; each time he received hers, his heart swelled with joy.

Yu Shuheng walked straight into the study and began reading the new book.

She stared at the four characters on the title page—"Dust Settles"—for a long while, then finally opened to Chapter One and began reading in quiet focus.