Chapter 627

“Sweetheart, can’t you sleep?”

Just as Xiao Han stood motionless on the balcony lost in thought, Li Heng suddenly embraced her from behind.

Xiao Han was deeply familiar with his scent; she melted into his arms, tilted her head back to glance at him, and asked brightly, “It’s the middle of the night—why are you out here alone? Going to sneak around?”

Li Heng rolled his eyes: “My wife’s locked up, guarded by guard dogs—where would I even sneak?”

After a moment of locked gazes, both burst into laughter.

He bent down and kissed her, asking, “Thinking about something?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Just thinking randomly.” She said.

Random thinking meant she was thinking a lot—and burdened. Based on his wife’s patterns, Li Heng reached this conclusion.

Thinking of this, he rested his chin on her forehead and held her tighter.

Li Heng asked: “What did Mom talk to you about on the grass this evening? Why were you both so happy?”

Xiao Han closed her eyes, smiling sweetly: “Auntie was circling around, trying to pin me down—wanted me to promise you two fat sons someday.”

Li Heng pressed: “Did you agree?”

Xiao Han lifted her curved eyebrows, looking pitifully: “When you’re under someone else’s roof, you bow your head. If I hadn’t agreed, I’d have been thrown out tonight. Sigh… my man causes trouble everywhere—I can’t fight him.”

Li Heng held her silently, then bent down and bit her lips, kissing her fiercely.

He wasn’t stupid.

He understood: beneath her teasing words, the black-hearted wife was revealing one truth—whether facing Song Yu, Zijin, or any other woman, she needed a guaranteed, unshakable position.

Though he said nothing outright, through this kiss, he silently gave his promise.

Sensing his sincerity, Xiao Han tilted her head slightly and urged: “It’s late—the dew’s already out. Let’s go back to bed.”

“I’m sleeping with you tonight,” Li Heng said.

Xiao Han hesitated, instinctively glancing toward the bedroom where Li Jianguo and Tian Rune slept, then lowered her head, pursed her lips, and silently accepted.

It was already like this—her body had long been his, their parents had met. She saw no point in pretending anymore. If her honey wanted to sleep with her, let him.

That night, they whispered softly in bed until nearly dawn, when they finally closed their eyes.

That night, Tian Rune and Li Jianguo barely slept either.

Hearing a series of door openings and closings outside, Tian Rune turned over and asked: “Jianguo, are you asleep?”

Li Jianguo stared at the ceiling: “You’ve been tossing and sighing all night—how could I sleep?”

Tian Rune elbowed her husband’s waist and asked: “What do you think of Hanhan?”

Li Jianguo replied: “You asked me this before.”

Tian Rune said: “Before was before. Now is now.”

Li Jianguo thought a moment, then answered: “From what I’ve observed these two days, Hanhan clearly wants to marry our son.”

Tian Rune said: “I didn’t ask you about that. I asked about her as a person.”

Li Jianguo answered without hesitation: “With Hanhan’s qualifications, our Li family couldn’t find a single flaw—we’ve hit the jackpot.”

Tian Rune sighed: “Exactly. Whether it’s Zijin or Hanhan, I love them both. Every time I’m with them, I feel guilty. I’ve spent my whole life doing good deeds, yet gave birth to a son like this. Jianguo, you owe me.”

Li Jianguo broke into a sweat, but couldn’t argue now. He thought to himself: I’ve been screwed by Zhao Jing my whole life.

The next morning, the old couple rose early.

But Xiao Qing was even earlier—she was already in the kitchen making breakfast.

After washing up, Tian Rune walked into the kitchen: “Qingqing, why are you up so early?”

Xiao Qing turned and smiled: “I slept well last night, woke up wide awake, so I got up. Why don’t Uncle and Aunt sleep a little longer?”

Tian Rune helped with the cooking: “We’re old—we don’t need many hours of sleep.”

Then she asked: “Have Hanhan and him woken up yet?”

Xiao Qing said: “Probably not yet.”

At that point, both fell silent.

Because they both knew: last night, Li Heng and Xiao Han slept together—and that carried immense meaning.

At just after eight, Xiao Han and Li Heng woke up.

For the first time, sleeping beside her in-laws, even someone as composed as Xiao Han felt shy—she peeked out from behind Li Heng’s back before daring to step out of the bedroom.

The scene made Xiao Qing secretly smile—her little sister had such an adorable side after all.

Li Jianguo and Tian Rune exchanged a glance—everything was understood without words.

Remembering her past promises to Wei Shiman and Xiao Hai, Tian Rune weighed her options, then stood up, took Xiao Han’s hand, and smiled warmly: “Hanhan, come sit with Mom and have breakfast.”

The word “Mom” meant Xiao Han’s status in the Li household had been fully transformed.

Xiao Han dimpled slightly, embarrassed yet delighted, and followed.

The breakfast was simple—but deeply meaningful.

Xiao Qing was glad for her sister—she’d finally gotten ahead, filling every gap. Any woman outside now wanting to steal her sister’s place would have to pass Tian Rune and Li Jianguo first.

Li Heng found his parents’ actions neither strange nor forced—he felt it was natural. After all, his former wife Xiao Han had been his real wife for decades, dining peacefully with his mother. This was merely a replay of the past.

He felt dazed, deeply willing to see this scene—as if he’d returned to his past life.

After breakfast, Li Heng accompanied his parents to Jingcheng.

This trip to Jingcheng had three purposes: to see his parents off, to visit Zijin, and to inspect the new Future Tutoring School.

Before leaving, Xiao Han asked him: “When will you be back?”

Li Heng said: “Three days if things go fast, a week if slow.”

Xiao Han cleared her throat: “Then I’ll come to Lushancun this weekend to find you.”

Li Heng remembered it was spring—the time to plant ginkgo trees—and nodded immediately: “Alright. Wait for my call.”

“Mm-hmm,” Xiao Han nodded sweetly, watching the three of them leave.

From Xuhui to the airport, then from the airport to Jingcheng, they arrived back at Gulou Sihe Academy by two in the afternoon.

Chen Zijin had received word from Li Lan ahead of time and was already waiting at home with her second sister.

Seeing the three, Chen Zijin greeted the old couple warmly, then threw herself into Li Heng’s arms with deep affection.

Tian Rune watched her son embrace Hanhan one moment, then Zijin the next—she felt she’d given birth to a demon. Her chest ached with inexplicable frustration. Everywhere she went now, she was just putting out fires—exhausted.

Yet the only comfort she had was that her son had excellent taste—every girl was stunning and outstanding, making her unwilling to disappoint any of them.

After a long embrace, Li Heng and Chen Zijin pulled apart.

He asked gently: “Are you busy with school now?”

Chen Zijin said: “It’s manageable.”

“Manageable” meant quite busy. Li Heng gently stroked her long hair: “Being with me has made you tired, I’m sorry—”

Chen Zijin shook her head, placing her hand over his lips: “Don’t say sorry. I chose this willingly.”

Li Heng fell silent, pulling her back into his arms. After a moment, he said: “Since you’ve taken the day off, come with me to walk around—we’ll buy two outfits.”

Li Heng fell silent, pulling her back into his arms, and after a moment said, “I took the day off anyway; come with me to wander around and let’s buy two sets of clothes.”

After lunch, Li Lan seized the chance to whisper: “Have you got a secret child outside?”

Li Heng stared in shock, pressing his palm to her forehead: “No—you’re not feverish, are you? What nonsense are you spouting?”

Li Lan swatted his hand away: “I dreamed last night—you had a secret child who called me Auntie. I even gave him a red envelope.”

Li Lan pushed his hand away: “Lately I’ve been dreaming you have a secret illegitimate son who calls me Auntie. I even gave him a red envelope.”

He rolled his eyes, ignoring her.

As his brother tried to slip away, Li Lan grabbed him, then spoke more seriously: “If you don’t plan to marry Zijin or Xiao Han, make sure the first child is born to one of them. Preferably, let Xiao Han give you the first boy.”

The fact that her second sister said “preferably” twice told Li Heng she’d weighed the pros and cons.

He didn’t ask why Xiao Han—because he instantly understood the implication.

After all, the Chen and Li families weren’t on good terms. The first boy would best reassure the Xiao family.

After all, he now had a large family and fortune—being the eldest son carried real advantages.

Li Heng gave no direct reply to his second sister, but wondered: was this sharp-as-a-monkey sister picking up on something?

Was her dream fake? Was she testing him through a dream?

Or had she already found out about Huang Zhaoyi?

Looking at Li Lan before him, Li Heng felt uneasy—seriously suspecting his sister might be scheming again about Huang Zhaoyi.

Facing each other, Li Lan asked: “Do you have other thoughts?”

Li Heng spread his hands: “They’re all my women—both palms are flesh. Who gives birth first? I’m not partial. Let fate decide.”

Li Lan scoffed: “Pfft. ‘Let fate decide.’ If you’re going to be so casual, wait until graduation—let all your little birds start on equal footing. No protection. Whoever gets pregnant first, wins.”

Li Heng frowned, walked to a stone bench in the courtyard, and sat down: “Just speak plainly. No riddles.”

Li Lan glanced back at Zijin, who was chatting warmly with her mother, then sat beside her brother and lowered her voice: “Yesterday noon, Huang Zhaoyi’s mother came here.”

Li Lan turned back to glance at Zijin, who was chatting enthusiastically with her mother, then sat down beside her brother and lowered her voice to reveal a piece of news: “Yesterday at noon, Huang Zhaoyi’s mother came over here.”