Chapter 599

As soon as he stepped out of the airport gate, he encountered a man and a woman welcoming Master Wu Yili.

The man had golden hair and blue eyes, around fifty-something; the woman had a standard Chinese face, much younger, likely in her mid-thirties. Both were extremely warm toward Wu Yili.

Even the man took Wu Yili's hand and kissed it with obvious adoration to show his respect and affection.

After introductions, the man was called Jack; the woman was Xu Yun.

Li Heng asked in a voice only the two of them could hear: "They're very familiar with Teacher Wu, aren't they?"

Zhou Shihe glanced at him, as if guessing his inner thoughts, then considered before saying: "He's Spanish. He's been deeply infatuated with Teacher Wu for years, once pursued her passionately, and remains single for her even now."

Li Heng was startled, scrutinizing the old man up and down, then whispered: "Is he also a musician?"

He felt only someone from that circle could endlessly magnify the brilliance in Wu Yili, could be so fervent for her.

Zhou Shihe nodded lightly. "He's a pianist too."

Two cars arrived. Wu Yili and the blond-haired, blue-eyed man entered the front vehicle, discussing concert details along the way.

Li Heng and Zhou Shihe, sensing the situation, slipped into the back car, driven by Xu Yun.

In his past life, he had been to Singapore, but never experienced Singapore in 1989. Li Heng felt a flicker of curiosity, watching the buildings, street scenes, and passersby through the car window.

As the car neared Marina Bay, seeing his silence, Zhou Shihe softly asked: "What are you thinking about?"

Li Heng blurted out: "I'm thinking about people."

Zhou Shihe asked: "People?"

Li Heng grunted.

Zhou Shihe paused, then asked: "Xiao Han? Or Sui Sui?"

Li Heng dodged the question: "Yes, and no."

Zhou Shihe tilted her head slightly, looking at him.

Li Heng sighed inwardly: "Being abroad makes it easy to be stirred by the scenery."

Zhou Shihe kept watching him.

Meeting her gaze, Li Heng spoke slowly: "Life is always deep and shallow, light and shadow intertwined. Some are painted in bold strokes, some pass by lightly, some appear repeatedly in life yet leave no trace."

"But some people—just one encounter embeds itself deep in the brain's circuits, settles into the oldest memories, as if they came uninvited, overstayed their welcome…"

Hearing this profound remark, Zhou Shihe stopped looking at him and turned her head toward the window.

Her heart was not calm; she was pondering his meaning:

Those painted in bold strokes—Xiao Han and Sui Sui were clearly among them.

Those who passed by lightly—Dai Qing and Li Xian could be placed here.

Those who appeared repeatedly yet left no trace—she unconsciously thought of the most beautiful flower at Tongji University, Wu Siyao.

On the bus ride to Xuhui last time, from his brief exchange with Wu Siyao, Zhou Shihe had sensed the general course of their pursuit.

To chance upon Li Heng, Wu Siyao took the bus alone nearly every weekend, hoping to run into him by luck, often needing four or five tries for one encounter—but over the year, she met him on the bus no fewer than ten times. What perseverance! What hardship!

That was why Zhou Shihe remembered Wu Siyao so vividly.

As for the one who came uninvited and overstayed—Zhou Shihe unconsciously thought of herself. Was he gently expressing feelings toward her?

She said nothing in reply, and did not look again at those eyes full of stories.

After this brief exchange, the car fell silent. Each lost in their own thoughts, neither spoke.

Only when the car stopped at a hotel entrance did Li Heng break the quiet: "The Lufthansa Hotel?"

Zhou Shihe said yes.

Li Heng asked: "I heard this hotel is very old. When was it opened?"

Zhou Shihe didn't answer, but Xu Yun, who was opening his door, replied: "Mr. Li, the Lufthansa Hotel opened in 1887."

Li Heng said: "So over a hundred years?"

Xu Yun replied politely: "This year marks exactly 102 years."

Li Heng muttered: "Then it truly is a genuine century-old establishment."

Xu Yun smiled. Her ancestors were Chinese, and her grandfather was from Chaoshan in Guangdong Province, so she was naturally familiar with mainland China's time-honored brands.

After getting out, Li Heng carefully surveyed the surroundings of this famed hotel.

Seeing this, Xu Yun briefly took on the role of tour guide: "On the left bank are neatly arranged government offices and cultural facilities; on the right bank is Chinatown, once a segregated ethnic zone, now Singapore's oldest and largest Chinese residential area."

A Chinese residential area? Li Heng watched curiously for a while. Only after the blond-haired Spanish man left did the two reunite with Wu Yili.

Wu Yili smiled warmly at them: "Come, let's go inside the hotel."

Li Heng and Zhou Shihe exchanged a glance and followed her toward the entrance.

The Lufthansa Hotel's exterior was nearly pure white, with tall palm trees swaying in the sea breeze. Stepping into the lobby, the Victorian-era British antiquity enveloped them—the sound of a harp drifting through the air, instantly transporting one back to the nineteenth century.

Noticing he furrowed his brow slightly, Zhou Shihe whispered: "You don't like this hotel?"

Li Heng said: "Can't say I like it, can't say I dislike it—just feels… off somehow."

Zhou Shihe studied his profile, already having an idea. After a moment, she asked: "Shall we change hotels?"

"Huh?"

Li Heng blinked. "Won't that be troublesome?"

Zhou Shihe said: "This hotel was arranged by Teacher Wu—it's currently the best in Singapore. But if you'd prefer somewhere more relaxed, it's not…"

Her sentence was cut short as the hotel manager and staff hurried over.

The manager first politely exchanged pleasantries with Wu Yili, then, to everyone's surprise, shifted focus abruptly to Li Heng.

The manager looked at Li Heng with excitement and respectful tone: "Are you Mr. Li Heng?"

The man spoke Chinese.

But considering Singapore's majority Chinese population, this was hardly surprising.

Surprised by the stranger's enthusiasm, Li Heng was momentarily baffled—but as the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling face—so he nodded: "Yes."

Sensing his confusion, the manager quickly added: "Your pure music album, 'Eternal,' is extraordinary! Every track a classic—we're your loyal listeners.

Our boss specifically instructed me that if I ever had the honor of meeting you, I must convey his highest respect on his behalf."