Chapter 598: , as long as you show favor, there will be gain

Hearing the mention of Wei Xiaozhu.

Li Heng's gaze projected onto the top of Zhou Shihe's head, wanting to say a national curse, damn it! Why are these women so shrewd?

Confirming that there was no redness or swelling where the basketball hit, he replied: "Wei Xiaozhu and Dai Qing often run and exercise with me in the morning, but Comrade Xiaozhu runs 8 laps every day without fail, and then sits here waiting for us."

His answer avoided the important and focused on the trivial, didn't deny it, and also told the truth, but it felt like something was missing in Zhou Shihe's ears?

Fortunately, she was well-versed in the way of getting along with friends and wouldn't get to the bottom of other people's private affairs.

Zhou Shihe glanced at him strangely, then sat down on the spot, and said gently: "You continue to play ball, I want to stay quiet for a while."

"Eh, okay."

Li Heng responded, picked up the basketball on the ground and returned to the court again.

His physical strength was very good, and he wouldn't be tired even after playing for half an hour. Among them, the most high-light moment was hitting 6 three-pointers in a row.

Even he himself felt it was incredible, feeling that his state was explosively good today.

When hitting the 6th three-pointer, Li Heng shared his happy mood across the air, "How about it? The level is not bad, right?"

Zhou Shihe watched him play ball the whole time. Seeing him so smug, she also smiled shallowly, without making any response in words.

Later, a couple of teachers came. The man was a professor of physics, and the woman was a physical education teacher. They were old acquaintances of Li Heng on the court. The three of them played together for a while.

When the sky was about to turn dark, Li Heng walked over holding the basketball with sweat all over his head, saying: "Comrade Shihe, kept you waiting for a long time, let's go home."

Zhou Shihe said okay, stood up and followed along the return path.

On the way, she asked: "When did you start coming into contact with basketball?"

Li Heng thought for a long time before making his vague memories clear, "Probably around the 3rd grade of elementary school, yes, it should be the 3rd grade."

Zhou Shihe was a little surprised: "Your school had basketballs back then?"

The reason she was surprised was because he came from a remote mountain village in a poverty-stricken area. In that era, people couldn't even eat their fill, so where would they care about other things.

Li Heng recalled: "Yes, don't know where our head teacher got a basketball and a volleyball. He also hung a simple homemade basket on a big tree on the playground, and that became the place where we spent all our break time."

Zhou Shihe evaluated: "Having such a head teacher is really a kind of luck."

Li Heng felt: "Yes, among all my male teachers from childhood to adulthood, he left the deepest impression on me. It's just a pity."

Zhou Shihe looked at him in confusion.

Seeing she wanted to listen, Li Heng didn't hide it: "My teacher's surname is Huang, and he passed away from illness at 28. His wife is relatively beautiful. Later, in order to support the two children, she found a man from another village to marry into the family. That man from another village was a stonemason from Guizhou, and his craftsmanship was quite good. When someone asked for work, he would go out to work, and when he was free, he would sell tofu to earn some money."

Zhou Shihe asked: "Do they have children?"

Li Heng asked: "Are you talking about the Guizhou man?"

Zhou Shihe gave a soft "um."

Li Heng nodded: "Yes, they had a daughter. However, the man was also very good to my teacher's two children, and his reputation in the village was very good."

Chatting all the way, they arrived at the end of the alley unknowingly.

The two stopped abruptly, looked at each other for a while, and tacitly walked toward the small building No. 26.

This time, without him issuing an invitation to stay again, after eye confirmation, Zhou Gu Niang spontaneously followed behind him and entered the house.

Changing shoes, closing the door, going up to the second floor in one breath.

Playing basketball made him sweat all over, and his clothes were soaked. Li Heng didn't care about anything, found clothes to change, and went into the shower room.

Zhou Shihe sat on the sofa, first looked for TV channels for a while, but didn't find the program she wanted to watch. After the weather forecast finished playing, she turned off the TV, and then quietly flipped through books.

About 20 minutes later, Li Heng appeared on the balcony outside, drying clothes.

Glancing at him inadvertently, Zhou Shihe put down the

After 7:00 PM, Li Heng appeared in the study and began reading and writing, meticulously revising Chapter 26 of "The Dust Settles."

Forty minutes later, Zhou Shihe tentatively pushed the study door open a crack, then poked half her head inside, her pure, simple black-and-white eyes gazing at him just like that.

Li Heng seemed to sense it; without turning his head, he said, "Stop hovering. If you're itching to come in, just do it. You've already disturbed me anyway."

Zhou Shihe, outside the door, paused, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face, but in the end, she couldn't resist the temptation of the new book. She pushed the door open a bit more and stepped inside sideways.

Once she closed the door, Li Heng said, "Feel free to find a book to read; I haven't finished revising yet."

After saying this, he paid her no more mind, pen in hand, focusing intently on pondering and revising word by word.

Zhou Shihe stood at the doorway, watching him quietly, not making a move for a long time.

At this moment, her thoughts were complex; she didn't know if she should have entered this study door.

She didn't know if she should be alone with him.

After all, the "crossing the red line" incident from last night was still fresh in her mind, yet her life's two greatest hobbies, "reading and music," happened to be exactly what this man excelled at. The words from his pen were like a chronic poison to her, very hard to quit.

Sometimes she would sigh and think to herself: Is this man sent by heaven to test me?

Because he was completely her nemesis, keeping her preferences under strict control.

After struggling internally for a long, long time, Zhou Shihe finally moved her position on tiptoe and sat on the bench.

She didn't follow his suggestion to find a book; instead, her gaze drifted through the window, staring blankly at the vast starry sky outside.

The study was quiet, and neither of them disturbed the other until around 8:50, when Li Heng broke the silence with a long sigh.

Coming back to her senses, Zhou Shihe withdrew her gaze from the window and turned it toward him.

Having maintained one posture for so long while revising the manuscript, Li Heng was a bit tired. He stretched and asked, "You didn't even read a book, you just sat there blankly for over an hour?"

Zhou Shihe blinked gently, her gaze shifting downward to the manuscript on the desk.

Li Heng was speechless. He immediately handed her the revised manuscript and sighed, "Take it, take it! Honestly, here I am, such a handsome guy, and I'm not even as attractive as a few sheets of paper, sigh."

Zhou Shihe smiled cleverly, took the manuscript, and lowered her head to read it earnestly.

Perhaps because it was only one chapter, she cherished it, reading very slowly, savoring it almost word by word.

Maybe it was the effect of the enclosed space, or maybe it was that her outfit today was too perfectly suited to a certain man's aesthetic, but the woman had an extraordinary charm under the dim electric light.

Watching her so close at hand, an inexplicable emotion began to spread within Li Heng.

As time passed, this emotion grew increasingly intense, even breeding an impulse in his blood—an impulse to get close to her!

At this moment, this impulse suddenly reared its head, then became unstoppable, rampaging through his bones and growing more and more intense.

Except for Song Yu, in this life or the last, he had never been as eager as he was at this moment—eager to possess a woman.

At one point, enduring and enduring, the more he endured the more stimulated he became, and on a whim, he suddenly stretched out both hands, wanting to pull her into his arms.

However, just as his hands stretched out about 10cm, Li Heng woke up instantly. While a chill broke out on his back, he forcibly pulled his outstretched hands back.

What was he doing?

Li Heng was secretly alarmed. Feeling the evil energy rampaging through his body, he slowly closed his eyes, blocking her out of his sight.

Like this, who knows how much time passed?

Li Heng suddenly opened his eyes and stood up with a swoosh.

Zhou Shihe was immersed in the world of the book, keeping her head down and reading the manuscript with a calm heart. If not for the fact that her right thumb and index finger had almost pinched the paper out of shape, and if not for her frail frame trembling slightly as he stood up, it would have been truly hard to detect any clues.

At this very moment, she was very nervous.

Her eyes were fixed on the handwriting on the white paper, her vision almost blurring.

Her nerves were taut, terrified that he would lose control.

Fortunately...!

Fortunately, the next second, the man who had stood up left, turning and walking out of the study.

Listening to the footsteps gradually fading away, Zhou Shihe suddenly let out a sigh of relief, then her right thumb and index finger quietly released the paper, and she slowly raised her head.

She looked up at the empty chair in front of the desk, her heart filled with bewilderment.

What should she do?

It seemed the story had returned to the starting point.

She could clearly feel that Li Heng's feelings for her were growing day by day, and the increase was beyond her imagination, reaching a point where they were about to lose restraint.

She had actually seen those hands he had just stretched out in the corner of her eye.

But she dared not speak up, afraid that any slight movement would further stimulate him.

Should she clarify things with him?

Or stay away from him?

Or, like last night, remain silent about it and wait until after university to talk?

Three choices, one anxiety subsided, and another surged into her heart.

Before she knew him, she had never been this troubled.

After knowing him, she tasted the flavor of sorrow, day after day.

Leaving the small building No. 26.

Li Heng first did 200 push-ups in the middle of the alley, then ran back and forth on the bluestone slabs, seeking to quickly dissipate his excess energy.

If not for his concern for Zhou Shihe's personal safety, he would have loved to fly out of Lushan Village right now, fly to Huang Zhaoyi's side, and hold that tall, charming woman to pamper her fiercely for the night.

There was almost no one in Lushan Village on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, only the light from the study of the small building No. 26 at the end of the alley.

While running, Li Heng kept an eye on the light, thinking to himself: Did she notice his rash actions just now?

Perhaps with Zhou Gu Niang's keenness and shrewdness, she should have noticed long ago, but chose to pretend not to know to avoid mutual embarrassment.

Perhaps she was completely immersed in the world of the book and hadn't noticed him, he thought luckily.

But no matter what?

At this moment, the study light was still on, which meant things hadn't reached the worst point yet.

About an hour later, the study light suddenly went out, and the entire alley was completely shrouded in darkness.

Li Heng, who was running, stopped abruptly, leaned against the wall in the alley, and looked at the courtyard gate of the small building No. 26 by the faint starlight.

One minute.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour... she still hadn't appeared from the main gate, and Li Heng's hanging heart finally dropped halfway.

Waiting a while longer, Li Heng checked his watch: 10:23.

The time was neither early nor late.

Li Heng pondered for a moment and still went into the house.

Slowing his steps to the second floor, it was pitch black; there were no lights in the living room, no lights in the study, no lights in the washroom, and no lights in Mai Sui's room.

However, the door to Mai Sui's room was closed at this moment.

Li Heng stayed at the entrance of the hallway for about half a minute, then finally went to the shower room to take his second bath of the day.

After doing all this, he didn't linger, returned to his room, and flopped onto the bed, trying to make himself fall asleep.

But people, sometimes, like to be difficult with themselves, like to go against themselves; the more he wanted to sleep, the less he could, and his mind became increasingly alert.

Tossing and turning on the bed for half an hour, seeing that the bed board was almost about to be pierced, he wailed powerlessly:

Damn it, the little deputy manager is thinking about women again!

Should I go next door? Just strike while the iron is hot! She hasn't left, maybe she has you in her heart. You're just a lecher, the prettier they are the more you like them, the better their temperament the less resistance you have. No need to pretend to be a saint; taking her is victory, charge, charge, charge!

Suddenly, a devilish thought popped into his mind, urging him to do bad things.

No, no! Zhou Shihe not leaving is completely giving you face. If you just go over and desecrate her like this, what kind of skill is that? What kind of hero is that? Another thought tried to persuade him to be good.

Forget it! Dare you say you haven't fallen for Zhou Shihe? If you dare say that, I'll drink the Yangtze and Yellow River water backward. Go for it! It's no big deal, losing your head is just a scar the size of a bowl. Such a stunning woman is rare in the world, can you really leave her for someone else? This doesn't fit our style of doing things... the devilish thought continued to incite him.

You shut up! Falling for such a woman is not shameful! How many men in the world can resist not being moved when staying close every day? Besides, are you sure you really love her if you rush over like this? Isn't it just lust going to your head?... The persuasive thought grabbed him tightly, not letting him make a mistake.

There were two thoughts fighting in his mind, engaged in a fierce battle between heaven and man.

One was for good, one was for evil, their strength was evenly matched, and it was unbearable.

Later, Li Heng got annoyed, so he simply sat up, put on his clothes and shoes, and went to the study. His greatest hobby in life was reading, and he hoped to use reading to suppress his restless thoughts.

At first, he was still distracted, still letting his imagination run wild.

But three hours later, believe it or not, heaven rewards the diligent; he gradually forgot about women, forgot about other things, and his mind was full of writing inspiration.

Taking advantage of this, he didn't dare to delay, immediately spread out his notebook, unscrewed his pen cap, and the nib rustled on the white paper: Chapter 27, Dolma.

That night, the butler's attentiveness made me angry. He sent people out to find girls again. It must have been midnight; I finally managed to drive the face of the Ronggong girl from my eyes and fell into a shallow sleep, but was awakened by the sound of galloping horse hooves.

Solang Zeling and Xiao Er Yi were still standing in front of my window. I really hated them so much I gritted my teeth and said to Xiao Er Yi, "Go, kill that person riding the horse, and chop off all four legs of that horse for me."

Because he was in a good state and had a strong desire to express himself, Li Heng wrote non-stop from late night until the next morning. If not for the sudden knocking on the door outside, he could have kept writing.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Knock, knock, knock!"

He seemed not to have heard the first knock.

When the second knock sounded, he turned his head and shouted, "The door isn't locked, come in."

The study door opened a crack at the sound, revealing half of Zhou Shihe's face. She said gently, "Li Heng, hurry up and wash up, we have to leave."

Li Heng was stunned and immediately raised his left wrist to check his watch.

Well, it would have been better not to check!

One look gave him a big fright: 7:52.

Wasn't it agreed to leave at 8:00? It was only a few minutes away. No wonder Zhou Gu Niang would risk interrupting his writing train of thought to call him.

Li Heng stood up like a gust of wind, asking as he walked, "Has the person your teacher sent to pick us up arrived?"

Zhou Shihe said softly, "They're here, my teacher is here too, they're waiting downstairs."

Li Heng didn't have time to think too much and said directly to her, "Help me tidy up the desk and bring the unfinished manuscript."

As he spoke, he rushed to the washroom in a flurry.

Watching his hurried back, Zhou Shihe stood silently for a short while, then walked into the study and began to help him tidy the desk.

Were there new chapters again?

Did he write all night last night?

She knew he hadn't slept all night last night, and she also guessed why he couldn't sleep.

Zhou Shihe picked up the manuscript pages of Chapter 27, read the extreme beginning carefully, and finally suppressed her thoughts, putting everything that needed to be taken into the backpack.

Then she closed the window, drew the curtains, locked the study, and waited in the living room.

He was taking a bath, seemingly his third bath in just 24 hours.