Chapter 613: Zhou Shihe

January 16, morning.

Zhou Shihe and Sun Manning returned to school.

Yu Shuheng also came back from Tokyo.

By coincidence, the two groups arrived at the entrance of Lushan Village alley almost simultaneously.

Facing each other across the distance, Zhou Shihe spoke first: “Teacher.”

Yu Shuheng smiled and asked, “Didn’t stay at school?”

Zhou Shihe gave a soft hum: “Went home for a bit.”

Yu Shuheng nodded: “We leave for the Netherlands tomorrow. Let’s practice for a while this afternoon.”

Zhou Shihe replied, “Alright.”

As Yu Shuheng walked into the alley, Sun Manning, who had been silent, stealthily tugged at Zhou Shihe’s sleeve and asked with a puzzled expression: “Hey! Can’t you two be any more fake when greeting each other? Smiling with your lips but not your eyes—why do I feel zero sincerity?”

Zhou Shihe asked gently: “What do you mean by sincerity?”

“Like me—full of enthusiasm.” Sun Manning grinned widely, showing her teeth.

Zhou Shihe smiled along, then walked into the alley.

Sun Manning followed after her: “I don’t get it—how could you two have such a big conflict? Is it really just about musical philosophy?”

Zhou Shihe stayed silent and kept walking.

Sun Manning persisted: “Could it be that old saying—opposites attract, same types repel? You’re both too beautiful, so you can’t stand each other?”

Zhou Shihe’s cherry lips moved slightly, then settled back into stillness.

At the end of Lushan Village, Sun Manning shouted loudly in the center of the alley: “Li Heng, come out and serve your customers—I’m back, and I brought you something delicious!”

Instead, Mai Sui stepped out from Building 26: “Li Heng isn’t home.”

Sun Manning asked offhandedly: “Where did he go?”

Mai Sui said: “He went to Xuhui this morning.”

“Xuhui? He ditched you to see Xiao Han?” Sun Manning asked with a sly grin.

Mai Sui ignored the provocation, stepped past her, and spoke to Zhou Shihe: “Shihe, have you had lunch yet?”

Zhou Shihe shook her head: “Not yet.”

Mai Sui said: “Neither have I. Go put your luggage down and come eat with me at Lao Li Restaurant.”

Zhou Shihe said, “Alright.”

Sun Manning pressed on: “Mai Sui, you’ve been well-fed by a man for so long—won’t you treat us today?”

Mai Sui laughed and pinched her arm: “All the professors in Lushan Village are back. Keep your voice down, or I’ll throw you out.”

“Oh my! I’m so scared! You won’t have me, Li Heng won’t have me—but I’ve got Shihe, I’ll stay with Shihe.” Sun Manning said this, but her voice dropped noticeably.

Before leaving, Mai Sui kindly invited Teacher Yu to join them for lunch, but Yu Shuheng politely declined, saying she was tired from catching a flight and needed to rest for half an hour.

Li Heng had indeed gone to see Xiao Han. He had originally planned to pick her up at the train station on the twelfth of the first lunar month, but his elder sister Xiao Qing had an emergency, so the trip was delayed, and they ended up staying home until after Lantern Festival.

Xiao Han had initially been very worried about Zhou Shihe and Yu Shuheng, but when she learned Mai Sui had come out, her anxiety eased instantly. In her view, Mai Sui was low in aggression and posed no lethal threat; having such a woman by Honey’s side could effectively keep Zhou Shihe and Yu Shuheng at bay.

Of course, Xiao Han now tacitly accepted Mai Sui’s presence for another important reason: she didn’t want to treat every beautiful woman near him as a hypothetical enemy, or else she’d end up isolated herself.

After weighing all the options, filtering through every woman close to Mr. Li, Xiao Han found that Mai Sui was the one she could most readily accept.

As for how she learned Mai Sui was in Lushan Village?

One word: simple!

Isn’t Zhang Zhiyong running a noodle shop at Fudan University’s gate?

Foolishly terrified of Xiao Han, he fell for her sweet-talking trap and accidentally revealed Mai Sui’s name.

Li Heng had lunch at Professor Wen Yan’s home. Due to his elder sister Xiao Qing being present, due to Professor Wen Yan having a mess to clean up, and due to his appointment with Teacher Yu for afternoon practice, Li Heng didn’t linger long in Xuhui.

After lunch, he took Xiao Han and her sister to tour their newly purchased villa, then hurried back to Fudan University on time.

Once Li Heng left, Xiao Qing relaxed and wandered through the entire villa: “It’s really huge—how many square meters is it again?”

Xiao Han said: “Over 1600.”

Xiao Qing spread her arms and spun twice on the grass: “He treats you so well—Li Heng is so generous!”

Xiao Han smiled sweetly: “Sis, pick a bedroom on the second floor—I’ll decorate it according to your style.”

“I’ve already picked it—right across from your master bedroom, that window-facing one. Perfect for watching the white magnolias outside.” Xiao Qing pointed.

Following her sister’s finger, Xiao Han said brightly: “Good taste—you picked the best guest room.”

Xiao Qing said: “I’ll be staying here for over a month—I’ll decorate the room myself.”

Xiao Han asked: “Do you have that much money?”

Xiao Qing retorted: “I’ve worked for years—I’ve saved some. Are you going to pay for me?”

Xiao Han pulled a savings book from her pocket as if by magic and dragged out the word: “Of course I do.”

Xiao Qing stared at the book: “How much is inside?”

Xiao Han said: “Fifty thousand.”

Xiao Qing asked: “Li Heng’s allowance for you?”

Xiao Han’s dimple appeared: “Of course—he’s the only man I have.”

At that moment, Xiao Qing’s eyes revealed envy.

Since childhood, she had always known her younger sister was lucky. Beyond her refined features and beauty beyond a small town, she had pined for a man for six years—and ended up with unimaginable happiness.

The only flaw was that Li Heng was a bit fickle.

But consider this: if a man had even half of Li Heng’s qualities, he’d likely struggle to remain emotionally faithful.

Even if Li Heng’s love for your little sister never changed, there are still countless outstanding women out there—and they’re all ready to fly into flames for him.

Li Heng can refuse thousands for your little sister—but what if one slips through?

What if one can outmatch your little sister in every way?

What if one happens to touch Li Heng’s heart?

Well, in reality, there are no longer any “what ifs.”

Song Yu is that slip, Mai Sui is half, Chen Zijin is half, Teacher Yu is one.

As for Zhou Shihe—Xiao Qing dared not think about it. If Zhou Shihe became another slip, could her little sister’s position even be preserved? It was very uncertain.

Especially since, during the Singapore red carpet, Li Heng held Zhou Shihe’s left hand and Yu Shuheng’s right hand—leaving many to speculate, yet no one dared ask the parties involved.

Still, she chose to believe in Li Heng, betting he was the kind who cherished old feelings.

Returning to her thoughts, Xiao Qing asked: “Is it because I’m here that Li Heng can’t be intimate with you, so he went back to school?”

Xiao Han linked arms with her sister and cleared her throat: “No such thing—he’s leaving for the Netherlands tomorrow, and today he’s rehearsing with his partner.”

Xiao Qing understood: “So that’s why you didn’t follow him to Fudan this afternoon.”

Xiao Han admitted: “An overseas performance is a big deal—I didn’t want to distract him.”

Distract him how?

How would she distract him?

Both sisters knew perfectly well: if they went to Fudan, they’d inevitably run into his other romantic interests—they feared embarrassing him.

…

Building 27.

Around 2:30 p.m., Li Heng returned from Xuhui with his dizi and erhu, hurrying toward the music room.

But Yu Shuheng and Zhou Shihe were already inside—Zhou Shihe sat quietly before the piano, Yu Shuheng stood by the window, both holding sheet music, silently reviewing, no words exchanged.

In truth, they knew the scores inside and out—even blindfolded, they could recite them backward. They held the sheet music only to maintain a thin veil between them.

“Sorry I’m late,” Li Heng said, rushing to the door and breaking the fragile silence.

Zhou Shihe looked at him.

Yu Shuheng turned her head and smiled warmly: “Rest first—we’re not in a rush. There’s plenty of time.”

“Alright,” Li Heng said, entering and closing the door, then plopping onto the sofa to compose himself.

After sitting for a moment, he sensed the tension in the room and made small talk: “Teacher, did you buy your ticket?”

“Yes. Flight at 8 a.m. tomorrow,” Yu Shuheng said.

“Then we need to leave early,” Li Heng said.

Yu Shuheng replied: “We must depart before dawn.”

After a brief exchange, Li Heng took his usual seat—on the chair to the left of the piano.

Seeing this, Yu Shuheng returned to her own position: “Let’s start with ‘Original Landscape of the Hometown.’”

She was their elder and their actual university teacher—her word was law. Li Heng and Zhou Shihe had no objections.

They had rehearsed “Original Landscape of the Hometown” countless times before, and with all three possessing above-average musical talent, once the mood was right, there was no such thing as “awkwardness.”

The first rehearsal was both starting point and peak.

After eight or nine runs, they had it down and switched seamlessly to “The Street Where the Wind Resides”—a piece they had performed successfully in Singapore just ten days prior. Instantly explosive, not a single wasted motion.

While playing “The Street Where the Wind Resides,” Yu Shuheng kept a careful eye on Li Heng and Zhou Shihe’s interactions and micro-expressions.

As someone who understood music, Yu Shuheng knew the power of this piece—even the calm Zhou Shihe could not suppress emotional fluctuations each time she played it.

Each fluctuation meant Zhou Shihe’s heart had softened a little toward someone.

This was an extremely dangerous signal.

If she could, Yu Shuheng would never perform “The Street Where the Wind Resides”—any other piece would do. She feared only this one.

In her view, if Li Heng and Zhou Shihe ever truly broke through their first emotional barrier, this piece would be “indispensable”—it would be their love song, their matchmaker.

Unsurprisingly, as the music reached its most intense phase, Li Heng involuntarily glanced at Zhou Shihe—she, as if sensing his gaze, felt it the moment he moved.

But this time, Zhou Shihe did not interact with him; she suppressed the inner calling with great willpower, keeping her head lowered as she played the piano, never looking up.

When the piece ended, Yu Guang quietly exhaled.

But the situation didn’t allow her to relax for long—when Zhou Shihe reached the fifth practice run of “The Street Where the Wind Resides,” she suddenly stopped.

No mistake—the literal meaning, she stopped!!!

At that moment, Zhou Shihe’s hands had left the black and white keys; her slender figure sat upright before the grand piano, eyelids lowered. After a long silence, she apologized softly: “Let’s stop here. I feel dizzy and tired. I want to eat something and rest.”

Yu Guang looked at Zhou Shihe, then at Li Heng—she knew better than anyone: Zhou Shihe wasn’t physically exhausted, but spiritually drained.

As for why she was spiritually drained, and for whom? Did you even need to ask?

Everyone was smart enough to guess at least part of it.

Yu Guang gave Zhou Shihe another meaningful glance, then checked her watch. As she packed away her violin, she said: “Today’s rehearsal went well. It’s almost mealtime. Shihe, eat something and rest. Li Heng, come with me.”

With that, Teacher Yu picked up her violin and left the practice room, hurried down the stairs, and departed from Building 27.

As soon as Teacher Yu left, Li Heng put down his erhu and stepped forward to ask Zhou Shihe: “What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you.”

She hadn’t fully returned from the world of the music yet; his voice, in some way, was like poison—deadly.

Fortunately, Zhou Shihe had strong willpower. She kept her head down, quietly studying the sheet music, her delicate lips tightly pursed, ignoring him.

The practice room held only the two of them. The air grew heavy, the atmosphere subtly tense. Unconsciously, Li Heng took another step closer, staring fixedly at the fine strands of hair beside her ear, longing—as he had before—to reach out and brush them behind her ear.

But he didn’t.

A voice in his mind struggled to warn him: Don’t do this.

Zhou Shihe seemed to sense his thoughts. Her chest rose and fell slightly. She fell still, then with her right hand, she tucked the stray strands of black hair behind her ear—and without a word, she shifted half a step backward.

Farther away from him.

Sensing her defensive move, Li Heng fell silent. After a moment, he said: “Teacher Yu probably wants to speak with me. I’ll go now. I’ll send Mai Sui in. If you want anything to eat, tell her.”

Zhou Shihe, sitting like a statue, finally responded—with a weak, barely audible “Mm.”

Throughout, she never looked up. Never at him.

Seeing this, Li Heng wisely didn’t linger. He turned and left the practice room, descending the stairs.

Hearing his footsteps fade away, Zhou Shihe’s taut nerves instantly loosened. Her body collapsed like a deflated balloon, slumping heavily onto the piano.

She had always cherished the piano, never once leaning her body on it like this.

But today, she was utterly drained—physically and mentally—and didn’t care anymore. She just needed somewhere to hold her inner turmoil.

Why did you have to come in?

Aren’t those three women enough for you?

For the first time, she didn’t dare to flee anymore—she named the shadow in her heart.

But she wanted to wipe it out. Wanted to drive him away.

…

Leaving Building 27, Li Heng returned straight to his own home.

Upon entering, he told Mai Sui, who was tidying the sofa: “Mai Sui, Comrade Zhou Shihe isn’t feeling well. Go take care of her. I have to go see Teacher Yu.”

Mai Sui paused her work, straightened up, and asked worriedly: “Is she very unwell?”

Li Heng shook his head: “She’s probably just hungry. Low blood sugar.”

Whether it was low blood sugar or not didn’t matter—it was almost mealtime anyway. Might as well eat something. That’s what he thought.

Mai Sui said: “Alright, I’ll go right away. You go ahead.”

Li Heng nodded, placed his tao flute and erhu on the sofa, and turned toward Building 25 across the way.

…

At that moment, Yu Guang was brewing coffee on the second floor.

His cup: three sugar cubes.

Hers: plain, as always.

Seeing him appear at the stairwell, Yu Guang’s lips curled slightly—a half-smile, half-sardonic. “I thought you’d seize the moment. Didn’t expect you’d come this soon.”

Seize the moment? What moment?

Obviously, the perfect chance to launch a romantic offensive against Zhou Shihe!

The old saying goes: miss this village, and you won’t find this shop. Double the results with half the effort. Such an opportunity is rare.

Yu Guang still worried the young man might succumb to temptation and act recklessly.

So before leaving, she’d left him that one hint—telling him to come find her. The purpose? Self-evident.

Li Heng rolled his eyes and sat across from her. “Come on, you’re my teacher. Act like one. Don’t set traps for me, okay?”

“Teacher? Who kisses their teacher? Who hugs their teacher?” Yu Guang’s gaze turned strange, heavy with pressure—as if she meant to devour him alive.

Their eyes locked. Two minutes passed. Li Heng broke first, blinking his dry eyes. “Alright, fine. What did you call me here for?”

Yu Guang nodded toward the coffee. “Have coffee with me.”

Li Heng groaned inwardly but picked up the cup and took a few sips, out of politeness.

Yu Guang asked: “How’s the taste?”

Li Heng answered honestly: “Same as always. Tastes good.”

Yu Guang smiled smugly, lifted her own cup with elegance, and sipped slowly.

For a while, both seemed to forget time, forget conversation—lost in quiet, peaceful enjoyment of their coffee.

After slowly finishing half the cup, Yu Guang set her cup down, parted her red lips, and broke the silence: “For your trip to the Netherlands, you have two tasks. First, an interview with Time Magazine. Second, a performance.”

Li Heng asked: “When is the interview scheduled?”

Yu Guang said: “The day after tomorrow, morning.”

Li Heng asked: “Will you and Shihe be interviewed together?”

Yu Guang said: “Yes, together. But you’re the main subject—you’ll get the most questions. I and Shihe are just supporting roles.”

Li Heng set his cup down and asked the most pressing question: “What questions will Time Magazine ask? Have you seen them? Otherwise, I won’t do the interview.”

Western media always viewed China through colored lenses. They excelled at double standards and setting traps. If I walk in blind like this, I won’t even bother.

So what if you’re the famous Time Magazine? If you don’t suit my taste, who gives a damn?

Yu Guang had clearly prepared thoroughly. She immediately pulled a stack of documents from her bag and handed them to him: “These were sent to me by them. I’ve reviewed every question carefully, consulted professional lawyers and experts, and already crossed out a few sensitive topics.”

As for the rest, read them yourself. Answer if you want to. Avoid if you don’t. If anything comes up, I’ll take responsibility.”

“Take responsibility” meant cover his back.

Her meaning was clear: Answer however you wish. I’ll be your final shield.

Li Heng felt warmth in his chest. He took the documents and began reading carefully.

The process took a while—about ten minutes. Yu Guang observed his micro-expressions calmly, then finally asked: “How do you feel?”

Li Heng said: “It’s fine. Thank you, Teacher.”

Hearing this, Yu Guang rose and moved to sit beside him. “To avoid surprises, for safety’s sake, let’s go over the questions and possible answers together. Let’s align our stories.”

Li Heng knew she meant well. The two leaned close, analyzing each question one by one.