Chapter 621: Return to the Hotel

The doorknob turned slowly.

After half a turn, the door opened.

Outside was Li Heng!

Zhou Shihe’s body froze for a moment, stopping in place.

“Shihe, are you alright?” Li Heng asked, worried.

As he spoke, his eyes fixed directly on Zhou Shihe.

At first Zhou Shihe avoided his gaze, but seeing him persistently staring at her, she stopped evading altogether, lifting her chin slightly to meet his stare head-on.

One wore shoes of 180 cm, the other 166 cm; one stood above at the doorway, the other leaned helplessly against the sink, their gazes entwined, neither willing to yield.

Seeing her eyes faintly reddened, Li Heng felt a pang in his chest, gazing steadily at her fragile figure; suddenly he stepped forward, instinctively extending both arms to pull her into his embrace and comfort her.

Zhou Shihe seemed to guess his intention, slightly sidestepping, then using her right hand to tuck a strand of fine hair behind her ear, lowering her head and quietly stepping one foot sideways, intending to pass him and leave the restroom.

Li Heng instinctively reached out his left hand, blocking her at the waist.

Zhou Shihe’s body stiffened, yet remained motionless.

In that moment, the two, nearly passing each other, stood in silent confrontation.

An indescribable energy lingered between them, swirling endlessly, their hearts drawn together yet filled with repulsion.

Time slipped away second by second, neither knowing how long they had stood like this.

At one moment, when new footsteps approached from outside the door, Li Heng snapped back to awareness and withdrew his left hand.

Zhou Shihe’s cherry lips pouted slightly, then she lightly stepped away from the restroom.

Li Heng didn’t move, his gaze fixed on the smudged mirror, where droplets of water still dripped slowly down its surface.

Soon after, someone entered the restroom—it was the Alarno family’s heiress, with Ajanie dragged along behind her.

When Ajanie saw Zhou Shihe exiting the restroom, she automatically halted at the doorway, thoughtful, her eyes following Zhou’s figure as it moved.

But the Alarno heiress paid no mind, walking straight in and approaching Li Heng with a cheerful greeting: “What a coincidence, Mr. Li, you’re here too.”

Hearing this, Zhou Shihe’s body twitched imperceptibly, then she calmly left the area.

Ajanie observed the entire scene, watching Zhou Shihe vanish around the corridor’s corner before turning to face her friend and Li Heng.

One doesn’t strike a smiling face; though Li Heng didn’t know her, he still nodded with a smile.

The Alarno heiress seized the chance to introduce herself, then pulled Ajanie forward. “Mr. Li, this is France’s number one beauty—she’s been eager to meet you.”

Hearing this, Ajanie wanted to die; she’d only been dragged here for moral support, yet now she was being presented this way. Still, having met countless celebrities, she didn’t panic, offering a few polite smiles: “Hello, Mr. Li.”

Li Heng returned the greeting: “Hello.”

The Alarno heiress asked: “Mr. Li, are you free today?”

Li Heng looked at her.

The Alarno heiress linked arms with Ajanie. “Ajanie fell for you at first sight—she’d like to invite you to dinner.”

Ajanie’s eyes widened slightly, but under her friend’s frantic blinking pleas, she remained silently awkward.

Li Heng glanced between Ajanie and the Alarno heiress, paused, then shook his head. “Sorry, I have plans tonight.”

The Alarno heiress pressed: “What about tomorrow or the day after?”

Li Heng replied: “I have matters back home—we’re returning to China tomorrow.”

Hearing this, the Alarno heiress’s face darkened with disappointment; after a moment, she pulled out a business card and a pen, wrote a phone number on it, and handed it over:

“Mr. Li, if you ever come to Europe again, please contact us—we’d be honored to host you.”

Clearly, the card was the Alarno heiress’s.

The newly written number was Ajanie’s home landline.

Ajanie was speechless, but to preserve her friend’s dignity, she said nothing.

Li Heng accepted the card, thanked her, gave both women a polite smile, and walked out of the restroom.

The two women returned the smile.

Only after he was far away did Ajanie tease: “She’s the Alarno family’s heiress, you know—if the world found out you were chasing men like this, you’d be on the front page for weeks.”

The Alarno heiress looked downcast. “I don’t mind the headlines—no law says an Alarno woman can’t pursue a man. The problem is, he doesn’t seem interested in me.”

It was precisely because she sensed Li Heng’s lack of interest in her that she immediately shifted focus to her friend Ajanie—that’s why she’d insisted so hard that Ajanie had fallen for him at first sight.

The goal was simple: this heiress hoped to use the title of “France’s number one beauty” to capture Li Heng’s attention, securing more opportunities to interact with him later.

Ajanie comforted her: “Maybe he doesn’t know what the Alarno family represents in France.”

The Alarno heiress shook her head. “It might not matter. I just asked someone at the Philharmonic about the violinist Yu Shuheng—he’s said to come from China’s most elite family.”

Ajanie wasn’t surprised; Yu Shuheng radiated aristocratic grace—clearly not the product of an ordinary household. “Why are you asking about Yu Shuheng?”

The Alarno heiress said: “Mr. Li’s external affairs are all handled by Yu Shuheng.”

Ajanie thought for a moment. “I think if you truly want to pursue Mr. Li, you should pay more attention to the woman who just left here.”

The Alarno heiress realized: “Zhou Shihe?”

Ajanie nodded.

The Alarno heiress asked: “Why?”

Ajanie replied: “No reason—purely female intuition.”

The Alarno heiress grew even more dejected, pacing around her friend once, then again, finally saying: “It’s not fair—so many men in France and all across Europe are crazy for you, yet you can’t even get him to share a dinner?”

Ajanie was speechless. “Didn’t your Alarno family’s prestige just fail too?”

The Alarno heiress clapped her hands. “Men like him are more interesting—they make me want to chase him even more. He’ll definitely come back to Europe for another performance. Let’s team up and corner him. Whoever sleeps with him first, the other backs off.”

Ajanie laughed helplessly, thinking her friend had gone mad for men, and fell silent.

…

Rest room.

When Li Heng pushed the door open, Zhou Shihe was inside, and Master Yu had returned.

Hearing the noise, Yu Shuheng looked up.

Zhou Shihe sat quietly in her chair, motionless.

Yu Shuheng gave him a half-smile. “Oh? So you’re back? I heard the Alarno heiress and France’s number one beauty went to the restroom to ambush you—did you turn them down, or were you scared?”

Li Heng rolled his eyes. “You’ve got good sources.”

Yu Shuheng said: “Naturally.”

Li Heng asked: “Then why didn’t you help me out?”

Yu Shuheng asked curiously: “Help you out? Why would I? If the man I like gets stolen away so easily, is he even worth my care?”

Hearing this, Zhou Shihe glanced at Master Yu, barely noticeable, surprised—she hadn’t expected Master Yu to openly admit her feelings for Li Heng.

In the past, though everyone understood, Master Yu had always maintained her teacher’s dignity in public, never acting too intimately with him, let alone saying “the man I like.”

Clearly, Master Yu meant something by this.

Clearly, Master Yu had changed inside—become more urgent.

Zhou Shihe understood: during the performance, she’d revealed a crack in her own emotions; perhaps half of this remark was meant for her.

Li Heng felt embarrassed, yet kept his expression calm, pulling out the business card the Alarno heiress had given him and placing it in Master Yu’s palm. “Teacher, let’s head back to the hotel—I’m hungry.”

He offered no defense for himself—just the card was enough.

Yu Shuheng glanced at the card, then at the handwritten landline number, and smiled gently. “This line below—is it Ajanie’s number?”

Li Heng stretched. “Don’t ask me—I have no idea. If you’re bored, go call her yourself.”

Yu Shuheng turned the card in her hand. “If I call, they’ll be disappointed when they hear my voice.”

Li Heng stated plainly: “That’s not my concern.”

Yu Shuheng was very pleased with his attitude, smiling slightly. “Shihe, let’s go back to the hotel.”

Zhou Shihe stood up, and the three left the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Back at the hotel, the three removed their performance makeup, waited over ten minutes, then received Xu Li and Xu Sheng. Together, the five headed for Chinatown.

There was no choice—food elsewhere was unpalatable; only Chinatown could fill their stomachs.

During dinner, Xu Li asked: “We’re leaving tomorrow morning—won’t you stay one more day?”

Yu Shuheng said: “School has started. Li Heng and Shihe need to return to class, and I need to report in.”

Xu Li knew this was just a casual excuse and didn’t press further.

After dinner, the group wandered aimlessly through streets and alleys, bought some souvenirs, and returned to the hotel before nightfall, laden with packages.

Li Heng bought a watch for Song Yu, perfume for Xiao Han, a bag for Zijin, and a bracelet and chocolate for Maisui.

Zhou Shihe wondered why he bought so much, but didn’t ask, assuming some were for Xiao Han, some for Maisui, and the rest for his family.

Yu Shuheng naturally recognized Song Yu and the others; she saw through the gifts but said nothing, smiling lightly.

After changing shoes and entering the suite’s living room, Zhou Shihe went straight to her room without lingering.

Yu Shuheng watched her go, as if expecting nothing else.

Li Heng entered last, closed the door, and asked: “Teacher, what time’s our flight tomorrow?”

Yu Shuheng said: “Eight.”

Li Heng said: “What? So we’re leaving before dawn again?”

Yu Shuheng teased: “If you don’t want to leave so soon, you can stay—someone here would be delighted to host you.”

Li Heng’s eyelid twitched; he leaned close to her ear and whispered: “Look, stop talking nonsense—who here is more beautiful than my teacher?”

After speaking, he picked up his bags and returned to his own room.

Yu Shuheng smiled, deeply pleased by his words; she stood still for a moment, then followed him into the bedroom.

Inside the room, she closed the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and watched him unpack the gifts.

After a while, she teased, “Why didn’t you buy me and Shihe anything?”

Li Heng didn’t look up. “You two are rich women—do you really need this little thing?”

Yu Shuheng said, “What we have is ours. What you give is different.”

Li Heng feigned ignorance. “How’s it different?”

Yu Shuheng said nothing, just smiled at him steadily.

Li Heng was worn down. “Since I met you, I’ve spent nearly all my time with you—went to Bai Luyuan, A’ba, Singapore, came to Europe, spent last winter and summer breaks back home with you—we see each other every day. Do I even need to give you other gifts? Isn’t I myself the best gift?”

Yu Shuheng was left stunned.

After a long while, she leaned forward, cupped his face in both hands, studied him left and right, then kissed him several times, unable to let go. “You know what? That actually makes sense, little brother. You’ve passed this test.”

After organizing the gifts, Li Heng took a bath, then laid out his brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and began reading.

Yu Shuheng asked, “Are you writing tonight?”

Li Heng said, “Chapter 33 isn’t finished—I still need about seven or eight hundred words to wrap it up.”

Yu Shuheng nodded silently, sat beside him without speaking, quietly keeping him company.

That night, Li Heng first read to find his rhythm, then picked up his brush to continue Chapter 33 of “Dust Settles,” refined it twice more, and didn’t stop until past midnight.

Yu Shuheng watched the whole time. When he put down his brush, she came behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and carefully helped him relax.

Li Heng didn’t resist—he closed his eyes and savored it, then, even more boldly, leaned back fully, resting his head on her chest, so comfortable he nearly sighed aloud.

She’d been kissed by him twice already; though slightly awkward, she endured his boldness—first massaging his shoulders, then his temples.

After about twenty minutes, Li Heng fell asleep, his even breathing signaling deep rest.

Seeing this, Yu Shuheng rubbed her aching wrists, then sat beside him, her eyes soft as she gazed at him.