Chapter 608

This, this…!

Liu Xin’s eyes were filled with disbelief—was that person Zhou Shihe?

It must be Zhou Shihe.

People say a man’s name is like a tree’s shadow; even though she was far away at Shanghai Medical University, she had heard multiple times about the beauty of the Fudan King.

Rumor had it that the Fudan King was the one towering over every girl in Shanghai.

Hanhan is already exquisite! Beautiful! But in terms of aura, if she were a boy, she’d choose Zhou Shihe.

In Liu Xin’s eyes, the only one who could outshine Hanhan was Zhou Shihe from Fudan.

Should I tell Hanhan?

Could what I just saw have been a misunderstanding?

After weighing it, Liu Xin ran far to find a small grocery store and slipped in to ask: “Boss, can I make a phone call?”

“Where to?” the grocery store owner asked.

Liu Xin said: “Hunan Province.”

The grocery store owner checked his watch, wrote down the time on paper, and signaled her to dial.

Familiar with the routine, Liu Xin dialed the Xiao family’s number.

Soon after, the call connected—it was Xiao Han’s voice: “Happy New Year, who’s calling?”

Liu Xin said: “Hanhan, it’s me.”

“Oh my goodness! We just called each other on New Year’s Day, why are you calling again? Xinxin, did you find money? So generous with phone charges.” Xiao Han bit into an apple with her right hand.

To save on phone charges, Liu Xin didn’t waste words: “I have something to tell you—prepare yourself.”

“What’s so serious?” Xiao Han asked, chewing slowly.

Liu Xin cut to the chase and told her sister everything she had just seen and heard.

After listening patiently, Xiao Han set the apple aside, found it unappealing, then picked it up and tossed it into the trash bin: “What a coincidence?”

“What coincidence? That man is definitely your boyfriend—I’ve seen him so many times, I’d recognize his ashes. That stunning woman is definitely Zhou Shihe.” Liu Xin declared firmly.

Xiao Han was deeply annoyed, but her voice was crisp: “I told him to go to Jing’an Temple—I’ve been having nightmares and can’t sleep, so I asked him to burn incense for me.”

Liu Xin was stunned—she hadn’t expected such an answer from Hanhan: “Then what about Zhou Shihe?”

In her mind, Xiao Han had already stabbed Zhou Shihe dozens, even hundreds of times—what a fox spirit! While this beauty was dozing off, the fox had spread her peacock feathers and snatched my honey!

After mentally tormenting Zhou Shihe countless times, Xiao Han feigned indifference: “Tell me, doesn’t Zhou Shihe strike you as frail and delicate?”

Liu Xin thought back: “Yes, frail and delicate, heartbreakingly beautiful.”

Xiao Han showed her sharp little canine teeth, dissatisfied: “Take out ‘heartbreakingly beautiful.’”

Hearing this, Liu Xin—who had been worried for her friend—burst out laughing: “Take it out! Take it all out!”

Xiao Han smiled sweetly: “Zhou Shihe is sickly, always taking medicine, always praying and burning incense. They just got back from Singapore and happened to go to Jing’an Temple.”

Liu Xin didn’t read newspapers and didn’t know about the Singapore concert, so she asked: “Really?”

“Of course, absolutely true. You’re lucky—just wandering around Jing’an Temple and you get to see my incredibly handsome honey.” Xiao Han yawned casually.

“But! I just saw Li Heng and Zhou Shihe sharing one umbrella, and they stared at each other for a long time under it—it looked exactly like a couple who’d just had a fight.” Liu Xin voiced her doubts.

Xiao Han asked: “Did they hold hands?”

Liu Xin shook her head: “No, they didn’t.”

Xiao Han’s dimple appeared: “Then it’s fine. Their personalities have always clashed—they argue every time they meet, often bickering in Lushan Village. Oh, don’t spread this around—they’re musical partners, it wouldn’t look good if it got out.”

Liu Xin was skeptical: “But Zhou Shihe seems like she should have a gentle personality—how could she be so hard to get along with?”

Xiao Han asked: “Have you ever heard ‘knowing a person’s face doesn’t mean knowing their heart’?”

Liu Xin answered instinctively: “Yes.”

Xiao Han warned: “Don’t slander my man. When school starts, make him take you out to dinner.”

Liu Xin was smart—she knew Hanhan was giving her a gag order.

Thinking of Li Heng’s current fame, prestige, and immense wealth, Liu Xin weighed her options and quickly suppressed her gossip, making the right choice: “Haha, you’d better keep your word—remind your fiancé to treat me to a big meal.”

Xiao Han tossed out four words: “Peace Hotel.”

“Alright, alright.” Liu Xin hung up and painfully paid the phone bill.

Stepping out of the grocery store, Liu Xin thought: Hanhan seemed completely unconcerned—she must have already known about Li Heng and Zhou Shihe’s relationship. Either I’m overthinking it, or Hanhan doesn’t want me to guess the truth. Either way, Hanhan is my best friend—I should support her.

Of course, in Liu Xin’s heart—or among the girls in Room 303—all of them hoped Hanhan and Li Heng would end up together, become husband and wife; then Li Heng would become their unofficial powerful ally, greatly helping them after graduation.

After much thought, Liu Xin came to a decision: she wouldn’t offend Li Heng, nor dare to offend him—otherwise, her studies might be cut short. So she decided to bury what she’d seen today deep inside, and focus on maintaining her bond with Hanhan.

…

On the other side.

Xiao Han put the receiver down, grabbed a plush toy from the sofa, and tugged at its fur, troubled: No wonder I picked him—he goes outside to cheat the moment he’s away from me, and the girl’s not even low-class.

Then she narrowed her eyes, thinking: Zhou Shihe, are you really willing to harbor filth? Don’t make me look down on you.

She felt a bit wary of Zhou Shihe—her danger level was no less than Song Yu’s.

If Zhou Shihe plunged in, she didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

For a moment, she wanted to set off for Shanghai immediately, but then her energy drained—her train ticket with her sister was for the twelfth day of the first lunar month; she couldn’t leave now.

…

After leaving Jing’an Temple, the two under one umbrella said little, walking quietly, boarding the bus with quiet decorum.

When the bus reached Hongkou, Li Heng suddenly asked: “My mouth tastes bland—do you still have White Rabbit candy?”

Zhou Shihe glanced at him, reached into her bag, pulled out three candies, and silently offered them to him.

Li Heng asked: “That’s all you’ve got?”

Zhou Shihe murmured: “Mm.”

Li Heng took two, left one for her: “Let’s eat together.”

Her gaze lingered on the White Rabbit candy in her palm. After a moment’s thought, she unwrapped it slowly, took a small bite, then asked gently: “Maning told me Suisui gave you this candy in high school?”

Li Heng countered: “Why does that girl tell you everything?”

Zhou Shihe smiled faintly: “Ningning is curious about you and Maisui—she’s always digging for details from Maning.”

Li Heng recalled: "Yes, I did eat some. But it wasn't just White Rabbit candy—Maisui usually carried all kinds of paper-wrapped candies; White Rabbit candy only appeared once every seven or eight times."

Zhou Shihe asked: “Hard to find in Hunan?”

Li Heng said: “First, hard to find; second, expensive. Ordinary families couldn’t afford them regularly.”

Through the paper-wrapped candy, their conversation flowed freely—as if some invisible barrier had vanished. They chatted all the way until they reached Fudan University.

They got off the bus, and Li Heng opened the umbrella again, skillfully holding half over her head.