Chapter 677

Retreat to advance, use stillness to control movement.

These short eight characters are the core of wisdom in this pursuit of love.

Mai Sui looked at her pitiful best friend and knew better than anyone: Li Heng simply couldn't resist Shihe's charm.

She understood: when Shihe used this strategy, it was equivalent to having already won half the battle.

The two women looked at each other for a while, silent and still.

After a long time, Zhou Shihe slowly swirled the wine glass in her hand and asked: "Of all his confidantes, who do you most hope will end up with him?"

Mai Sui said softly: "That question is a killer."

Zhou Shihe smiled gently but didn't make a sound.

Mai Sui pondered for a long time and said from the heart: "If there were a ranking, Song Yu would be first, you second, Zijin third, Yu Laoshi fourth, and the others, whatever."

Zhou Shihe asked: "Aren't you afraid of hurting my feelings by ranking me like this?"

Mai Sui appeared quite frank: "If you were my high school classmate and my high school best friend, I would also rank you first."

Hearing this, Zhou Shihe not only didn't blame her but instead toasted with Sui Sui in respect.

After finishing the wine, the two women looked at each other again; everything was understood without words.

After a while, Mai Sui asked: "He has several women; who do you think is the hardest to deal with?"

Zhou Shihe seemed to have thought about this question for a long time and didn't hesitate: "Song Yu and Xiao Han."

Mai Sui was surprised: "Not Yu Laoshi? Not Huang Zhaoyi? I heard the Huang family is quite powerful."

Zhou Shihe said: "Why Song Yu is hard to shake, you already know in your heart; and Xiao Han has a delicate heart, a fickle personality, is hard to fathom, and is very favored by him.

As for Yu Laoshi, she takes the upright and honest route, and it's hard to achieve anything in the short term; Huang Zhaoyi rarely meets him in public. I guess this has to do with her initial improper acquisition of status, and coupled with her older age, I estimate she has no intention of competing. However..."

Hearing it stop suddenly halfway, Mai Sui couldn't help but ask: "However what?"

Zhou Shihe pondered for a moment and said: "Precisely because Huang Zhaoyi is older and will soon be an advanced-age pregnant woman, her biggest pursuit is probably not marrying Li Heng, but rather getting pregnant and giving birth."

Mai Sui was silent, and it took a long time to come back to her senses: "That's human nature. If I were Huang Zhaoyi, my biggest wish might be to have a child with him as soon as possible."

Zhou Shihe continued to analyze: "If Huang Zhaoyi really has a child early, the danger level will rise in a straight line."

Mai Sui looked straight at her, pricking up her ears to listen.

Zhou Shihe lowered her eyelids and said: "In families like ours, sometimes you can't help yourself. Not everyone is as open-minded as my mother and Shen Xin; most people prioritize family reputation and interests in every word and action."

Mai Sui understood: "Then what do you think Yu Laoshi will do?"

Zhou Shihe said: "The others are useless. Unless Song Yu and Xiao Han formally come forward to stop it, and the core of the problem is still with him. Let's see what he thinks."

Mai Sui said: "I can understand Song Yu, but Xiao Han? Xiao Han is probably still unaware of Huang Zhaoyi's situation."

Zhou Shihe parted her red lips and said softly: "Never underestimate an opponent. Especially one who successfully snatched food from Song Yu's mouth."

The "snatching food successfully" here refers to the fact that after the college entrance examination, Li Heng gave up going to the capital and instead came to Shanghai to pursue Xiao Han.

The two sisters chatted for a long time, and lunch was replaced by beer, until a knock on the door downstairs interrupted their conversation.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Mai Sui, Shihe..."

It was Li Heng's voice in the alley below.

Zhou Shihe looked at Mai Sui.

Mai Sui looked at Zhou Shihe.

The two women tacitly didn't move or speak, with no intention of opening the door at all.

After several knocks without result, the sound below stopped, and it became quiet.

Just when the two women thought Li Heng had given up, footsteps suddenly came from the stairs.

Without needing to look back, Zhou Shihe knew who it was; with her absolute pitch, she was more than familiar with Li Heng's footsteps.

Mai Sui asked: "Is it him?"

"Hmm," Zhou Shihe gave a soft hum.

Having said that, Zhou Shihe stood up, went straight to the bedroom, and closed the door behind her.

Before long, Li Heng appeared at the second-floor landing. Looking around, he walked to the sofa and asked: "Damn, you didn't call me when you were drinking, and you bought so many good dishes; I was starving to death at home."

Mai Sui looked at him without answering.

Li Heng's eyebrows twitched, and he walked over to sit next to her: "Still angry with me?"

Mai Sui asked: "Didn't I tell you to stay home honestly? Why did you run out?"

Li Heng was speechless: "I already gave you the answer just now—starving to death."

As he spoke, he opened a new bottle of beer without hesitation, eating and drinking, eating as if no one else was there.

Mai Sui didn't stop him, just watched everything from the side.

Halfway through eating, feeling much better in his stomach, Li Heng finally asked: "Is Comrade Shihe in the bedroom?"

Mai Sui said: "She's drunk and sleeping."

Li Heng asked in a low voice: "Really drunk?"

Mai Sui found it funny: "Should I leave and make space for you to smash the bedroom door?"

As she spoke, Mai Sui stood up and left.

Li Heng hurriedly grabbed her hand and pulled her back, "You still have so much food left; wait for me to eat a bit more."

Seeing him wolfing down the food, Mai Sui glanced at the master bedroom and said: "Take the food with you; I'll go home and cook you a bowl of noodles."

Li Heng's eyes lit up, and he agreed immediately. He gathered the food and left with Mai Sui.

Arriving downstairs, as they were leaving the courtyard, Mai Sui examined the door lock for a good while, and finally couldn't help but ask: "The lock is intact, and the bolt wasn't damaged—how did you get into the house?"

Li Heng said happily: "Every trade has its master; this is just a minor trick."

Mai Sui asked: "Did you learn this specifically to get into a woman's bed?"

Li Heng: "..."

He realized that this girl in front of him was still more or less angry with him, so he wisely chose to play deaf and dumb, not wanting to touch a sore spot.

Returning to Building No. 26 one after the other, Mai Sui really went into the kitchen to cook noodles.

Well, that was the extent of her culinary skills; cooking noodles was her best trick, because she usually bought the same kind of noodles, and after asking Shihe for tips on timing and heat, she just set a timer.

Once the time was up, she just had to fish the noodles out.

When a bowl of noodles was served on the table, Li Heng asked: "You haven't eaten your staple food either, right? Want to eat some together?"

Mai Sui said: "I'm not hungry."

Li Heng didn't listen, picked up the first chopstick of noodles, and brought it to her mouth.

Mai Sui glanced at the noodles, glanced at him, and asked half-seriously, half-teasingly: "I haven't seen you like this before; now you know how to please me?"

Li Heng blinked and brought the noodles closer: "Look at what you're saying; you're my wife Mai Sui, can't I please you whenever I want?"

Hearing him change his address for the first time, Mai Sui thought she had misheard, "What did you just call me?"

Li Heng leaned in, kissed the corner of her mouth like lightning, and his tone became even more intimate: "Wife."