Chapter 703

After lunch.

Li Lan drove her younger brother to the airport herself. Tian Rune and Li Jianguo did not go; instead, they went to a pastry shop to help out.

Chen Zijin also did not go to see him off, because some man had forbidden it, telling her to stay home and quietly “nourish the fetus.” She was torn between laughter and tears, not even sure if there was a fetus inside her. In the end, unable to resist, she followed her in-laws to the pastry shop, just to clear her mind.

When passing a newsstand, Li Heng told her to stop the car, got out, and bought several newspapers.

Li Lan glanced outside and said, “Congratulations, little brother. Your new book seems to be selling well—people are lining up at Xinhua Bookstores everywhere these days.”

Li Heng had been busy accompanying Song Yu and Zijin and hadn’t paid much attention to outside matters. “How’s it selling?”

Li Lan retorted, “Didn’t you read the news yourself?”

Before he could answer, she realized: “Oh right, you’ve been busy making babies—you wouldn’t have the energy.”

Li Heng: “...”

Li Lan asked the same question Tian Rune had asked: “If Zijin gets pregnant, do you hope for a boy or a girl?”

This made him think of his past life.

In his previous life, Zijin gave birth to their first child—a girl—and then a boy, two and a half years apart.

But he didn’t know if this life would follow the same order: girl first, then boy?

Would this life’s child still be the same beloved child from his past life?

Different time, different cells—this life’s child might not be the same as the one before... Thinking of this, Li Heng felt an inexplicable heaviness in his chest.

In his past life, though he never married Zijin, her children were still very filial to him, and their family relationship was excellent.

Three years since his rebirth, he suddenly felt boundless longing for his past-life children: How were they doing? Were they well?

After waiting a moment without a reply, Li Lan asked, “What? Stuck?”

Li Heng slowly came back to himself and said, “No, boy or girl is fine—I don’t care.”

Li Lan glanced at him: “You don’t care. But if Zijin really gets pregnant, many people will secretly watch. I think Zijin probably hopes for a boy too.”

This made him fall into thought.

Li Lan worried for him and said, “Getting Zijin pregnant now isn’t exactly a mature idea. Have you considered how Zhou Shihe and Yu Guang would react if they found out? Would it cause chaos? Would they leave you?”

Li Heng replied, “What you say is true. But Zijin is my woman. As you said, I’ve already wronged her—I can’t let her feel heartbroken again over this child. So I won’t overthink it.”

Li Lan said, “You’re sentimental.”

Li Heng stared ahead. “Zijin means something special to me—different. If the Chen family hadn’t interfered, I’d have had a hard time choosing between marrying her or Song Yu.”

Li Lan was surprised: “I didn’t realize Zijin meant so much to you. You’ve got some conscience after all.”

She added, “By the way, you mentioned Song Yu and Zijin—why not mention Xiao Han?”

Li Heng stayed silent. He couldn’t tell his second sister that Xiao Han was his wife in his past life—so naturally, he prioritized Song Yu and Zijin this life.

But it was only priority—he still deeply loved his sly wife, and this life, he’d do his best not to betray her.

Arriving at the airport, Li Lan parked by the roadside. “Little brother, you go on alone. I won’t get out—I’ve got something to handle and need to hurry back.”

Li Heng nodded. “Alright. Drive safely.”

He opened the door, stepped out, waved goodbye, and turned toward the airport.

At 3 p.m., a plane took off from Jingcheng. During ascent, Li Heng felt slightly nauseous, but once at cruising altitude, it gradually passed.

Just as he calmed his emotions and prepared to open the newspapers he’d bought, he noticed the man beside him was also reading a newspaper—the headline clearly read: Exposing the Wealth Secret Behind the Massive Success of “Dust Settles!”

Wow. That’s quite a headline.

His vision was sharp; through his sunglasses, he skimmed the article in seconds and finished reading it.

In just twenty days, “Dust Settles” sold 3.81 million copies!

Damn. Such terrifying speed! Such insane growth!

Seriously, it even scared him!

The article analyzed: The legendary writer December’s new book sold so well because of his reputation.

“Alive,” “The Bitter Journey of Culture,” and “Bai Luyuan” had already built December’s reputation, erecting a wall that turned many readers from initial supporters into fanatical devotees.

As the article stated: With such a solid foundation, even if December’s new book were a pile of shit, people would still buy it. That’s the power of “faith.” And “Dust Settles” is a rare masterpiece—the legendary writer continues his legend!

After quickly reading the article, Li Heng recalled a saying: Anything produced by Blizzard is guaranteed to be excellent.

Because “World of Warcraft” was so wildly successful, even though Blizzard later released many garbage games, countless fans still bought them out of nostalgia.

Li Heng’s reputation was, in some ways, identical to Blizzard’s—strikingly similar.

The middle-aged man sensed his gaze, turned his head, saw Li Heng wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, assumed he was a celebrity, and instantly lost interest.

Fine. Ignored. Li Heng smiled to himself, looked away, and opened his own newspapers.

Because “Dust Settles” was so wildly popular and widely discussed, many media outlets were jumping on the bandwagon. Even randomly flipping through any newspaper, you’d find news about him.

Li Heng skimmed eight or nine articles and found most supported him—but criticism existed too.

Their repeated excuse for belittling him was always the same: “Dust Settles” doesn’t match “Bai Luyuan”; his skill has declined sharply.

Having been in the industry for years, Li Heng was now a seasoned veteran—he’d long grown used to such abuse and criticism. He read two more articles about himself, then closed the papers and closed his eyes.

Yesterday afternoon to night, seven valve openings—he’d expended quite a bit. Though his strength wasn’t enough to cause serious damage, he still took precautions, nurturing his body to maintain peak condition.

Well, “always peak” might be unrealistic. But based on his past life, even after 55, he remained vigorous.

Xiao Han, Song Yu, and Zijin still couldn’t match him.

But then again, this life is different from the past. With that utterly seductive Mai Sui around, he was both deeply eager—and somewhat anxious, preparing himself mentally.

Perhaps Mai Sui alone could match the combined endurance of his three sly wives—or even surpass them.

As his thoughts drifted, two hours passed without notice. They arrived in Hushi.

Following the crowd out of the airport, Li Heng spotted Yu Guang at the exit gate.

She wore a sleek black outfit, tall and elegant, radiating scholarly grace—she stood out like a crane among chickens; everyone around her seemed dull in comparison.

Li Heng walked over and instinctively called out, “Teacher, you came.”

Yu Guang nodded, smiling warmly. “Why buy so many newspapers?”

Li Heng replied, “I was afraid I’d get bored, so I bought some to pass the time on the flight.”

With many eyes around, they exchanged brief words, then silently headed toward the airport exit.

Soon, they entered a Mercedes and left the area.

After driving about four or five miles, the car suddenly turned onto a narrow road and stopped beside a patch of reeds.

Li Heng froze, thinking: Is the teacher planning to kill me? Has she already picked the burial spot?

The absurd thought had barely formed when a teasing voice came from beside him: “What are you thinking?”

Li Heng turned his head to look at her. “What’s this move? Not like you.”

Yu Guang stretched, murmured, “A bit tired,” then collapsed onto the seat to rest.

Li Heng studied her carefully for a while, then slowly leaned forward.

Yu Guang, seeing his head so close, smiled silently.

After a moment of eye contact, Li Heng, understanding the moment, kissed her.

She didn’t pull away, parted her lips slightly in response. Their tongues entwined, and soon both mouths were wet.

As time passed, Yu Guang’s body grew softer, her breathing quicker. At one point, she pulled away from his lips, her hand caressing his face, whispering softly: “Little man, I’ve been jealous these past days.”

Li Heng understood—this woman was truly jealous.

She didn’t envy Mai Sui, didn’t envy Xiao Han, didn’t envy Huang Zhaoyi, didn’t envy Chen Zijin. But every time, she envied Song Yu, Zhou Shihe, and Wang Runwen.

Li Heng said nothing comforting. He reached out, unfastened her seatbelt, opened the door, lifted her out in a bridal carry, and walked toward the deep reeds.

Yu Guang, carried like a princess, smiled gracefully, arms wrapped around his neck: “Little brother, what are you doing?”

Li Heng looked around. “Finding a fengshui gem—I’m going to dig a well for my teacher.”