Chapter 619

About ten minutes later, Zhou Shihe stepped out of the bedroom.

At that moment, Li Heng was sitting on the sofa drinking a cup of hot tea; hearing the sound behind him, he turned to look.

Meeting his gaze, Zhou Shihe, whose mind had been filled with him all night, froze for a moment and unconsciously stopped walking. Then, realizing she had lost composure, she quietly resumed forward, heading toward the bathroom.

Yu Shuheng had just stepped out of the bathroom when she ran straight into Zhou Shihe.

The two women glanced at each other; after two seconds, each gave a slight nod—enough to acknowledge the other—then passed by without stopping.

Li Heng observed all their expressions and movements, and finally felt a flicker of relief: Good, good! At least they didn’t start yelling or fighting the moment they saw each other—that was the baseline; this was already better than expected, a stroke of luck!

After Zhou Shihe entered the bathroom, Yu Shuheng walked over and sat beside him, tilting her head to gaze at him with deep meaning.

Li Heng felt his scalp prickle. “Teacher, it’s early morning—why are you looking at me like that?”

Yu Shuheng’s gaze grew even stranger; she leaned forward, whispering softly into his ear: “Little boy, I really underestimated you—you’re truly impressive!”

What do you mean you underestimated me?

What do you mean I’m impressive?

I’ve never even sunk a golf ball into a hole—how could you possibly know if I’m impressive or not?

Li Heng looked utterly confused.

Seeing his clear, stupid expression, Yu Shuheng smiled faintly and said nothing.

She had said that because she noticed Zhou Shihe’s eyelids were heavily tired, as if she hadn’t slept all night.

And second, she was testing Li Heng—had he slipped into Zhou Shihe’s room last night, causing someone as disciplined as Zhou Shihe to lose sleep?

But the next second, she dismissed her own suspicion.

If Li Heng had truly gone into her room, there would’ve been some sign, some noise—she had been quietly watching all night.

Besides, Zhou Shihe was too proud; under current circumstances, she would never allow him to act recklessly.

As another outstanding woman and a rival in love, Yu Shuheng understood her better than most.

Over ten minutes passed, and Zhou Shihe emerged from the bathroom. The three exchanged glances, rose to change shoes, and left the hotel.

Breakfast was simple—just something quick to fill their stomachs.

At 8:30, the three arrived at the Royal Concert Hall in Amsterdam as agreed—but as soon as they reached the entrance, Li Heng was stunned!

Truly stunned!

The entire scene was packed with people: the Dutch royal couple and their children, the conductor and all members of the Royal Concert Hall Orchestra—all gathered outside to welcome Li Heng and the others.

Is this level of reception a bit too heavy?

I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

“, I’m very glad you’ve come to the Netherlands,” the Dutch king stepped forward two paces and warmly extended his right hand toward Li Heng.

“Hello, thank you,” Li Heng smiled and extended his own hand to shake his.

“I love your music—especially ‘Original Landscape of My Hometown’ and ‘Memories of the Forbidden City’—I never tire of them. Thank you for creating such great works,” the king said without pretense, his left hand still holding Li Heng’s right, clearly delighted.

In such a situation, what could Li Heng say? Aside from a swelling sense of accomplishment and inflated vanity, all he could do was thank him again.

After chatting with Li Heng, the Dutch king formally greeted Yu Shuheng and Zhou Shihe.

Then the three exchanged pleasantries with the orchestra’s staff.

Next came the expected photo session: photos with the king, photos with his children, then photos with the entire orchestra.

The king’s daughter even warmly presented each of them with a bouquet of roses as a welcome gesture.

After all that fuss, they had spent at least ten minutes at the entrance.

Damn it! Damn it! Li Heng, silently cursing inside, was thoroughly delighted—across two lifetimes, he had finally experienced superstar treatment.

I have to admit, this feeling was wonderful.

No wonder so many people get lost in fame and fortune—it really does make you float!

Once inside, Yu Shuheng whispered to him: “Surprised?”

Li Heng nodded. “To be honest, a little.”

Yu Shuheng asked with interest: “What does it feel like to be welcomed by the Dutch king and every member of the Royal Concert Hall Orchestra?”

Li Heng thought for a moment. “My soul left my body.”

Yu Shuheng burst out laughing softly, whispering so only he could hear: “That’s a good description. But teacher asks you—is it even better than hugging me?”

Wow, what kind of question is that?

Teacher, teacher, what’s gotten into you today? Can’t you pick your moment?

He secretly rolled his eyes at her, then realized: seeing how much attention he was getting, the teacher was just teasing him out of sheer delight.

Indeed—that was the case. Otherwise, Yu Shuheng, who always appeared cold and aloof in public, would never show this side.

At Fudan University, teachers and students rarely saw her genuine laughter, let alone her witty, humorous side.

She had now poured her entire heart into this little man; the more successful he was outside, the higher his social status, the more content, happy, and fond she became.

Seeing how deeply invested the teacher was in him, Li Heng didn’t disappoint her kindness—he smiled and replied: “The two feelings are different. But if I had to choose one, I’d pick hugging you.”

Yu Shuheng gave him a half-smile, silently calling him a sneaky little rascal, a clever fox.

Yu Shuheng whispered softly: “I told you before—your fame and popularity in Europe and America far exceed expectations. Otherwise, media outlets that always apply double standards to our country wouldn’t have elevated you so highly. It’s because Western elites have been utterly won over by your classic pieces, and thus grown fond of you.”

Little brother, what you saw today is just the tip of the iceberg. There will be more—get used to it quickly. Keep making teacher proud.”

Li Heng grinned happily. “Hey, alright! Next time something this grand happens, I’ll bring both of you along.”

Hearing “both of you” instead of just “you,” Yu Shuheng’s eyes narrowed slightly; then she glanced sideways at Zhou Shihe.

Zhou Shihe was highly perceptive and felt the teacher’s gaze, but she kept her expression calm, staring straight ahead as she followed the group into the Royal Concert Hall.

The entire morning was spent communicating and rehearsing with the orchestra.

During this process, Li Heng once again directly experienced another side of Yu Shuheng—efficient and decisive.

In major settings, Teacher Yu was no longer the woman who indulged him and pursued him romantically; instead, she fully displayed the excellence of her aristocratic lineage, quietly handling everything with flawless precision, and the orchestra respected her deeply.

Zhou Shihe observed every move Yu Shuheng made, silently raising her assessment of Yu Shuheng’s difficulty level.

At noon, after rehearsal, the three were invited by the Dutch king to lunch together.

Also present were two senior members of the orchestra: the chief conductor and the music director.

After lunch, the three returned to the hotel for a one-and-a-half-hour rest, applying makeup while also conserving energy for the upcoming performance.