Chapter 73: ..., I like you

The atmosphere in the private room became a bit cold unexpectedly, Li Heng stared fixedly at the black-bellied and vengeful girl in front of him.

He suddenly remembered something?

Suddenly interested, he opened his mouth to ask a classic question she asked him in his previous life:

"Comrade Xiao Han, do you think there is pure friendship between men and women?

Xiao Han glanced at him, not knowing what medicine he was selling in his gourd?

Are you going to confess to me?

Or hint at me to confess to you?

So she pursed her lips and tested: "Aren't you and I?"

Li Heng leaned forward a little again, "Are we really pure friendship?"

Xiao Han nodded guiltily but pretended to be calm: "Yes."

Li Heng looked into her eyes and said gloomily: "Then can you confess to try the purity?"

I like you... she said so in her heart, but she picked up the water cup with curved eyes and drank it sweetly.

After waiting for a long time without waiting for a reply, Li Heng was inexplicably disappointed, "I am a merciful person, often giving others opportunities, but others don't appreciate it."

Xiao Han pretended not to understand and asked happily: "What if someone confesses, what do you do?"

Li Heng smiled: "Add an "also"."

I like you.

Add an "also," and it becomes I also like you?

Thinking of this, Xiao Han suddenly regretted it very much, feeling like she missed a hundred million.

The honey in her hand flew away like this, a little angry.

She secretly complained to herself: Xiao Han, how long are you going to be timid? Will you die if you say "I like you" to him?

Even if it's a joke, you are sincere!

She had already whipped her heart eight hundred times, but her face still smiled sincerely and cheerfully.

After a while, she asked with beautiful eyes: "What if someone hates you?"

According to her answer in the previous life, Li Heng replied without thinking: "Also add an "also"."

Sure enough, it was a joke. Hearing this, Xiao Han's regret disappeared instantly, restrained all expressions on her face, and said faintly after a long time: "Actually, sometimes you are really a bastard!"

Li Heng supported his chin with his right hand and asked meaningfully, learning from her previous life: "Are you angry?"

At this moment, Xiao Han could feel that this person on the other side of the table was teasing her. To be honest, she was a little angry, as if her sincere and pure feelings had been insulted.

Is my love for you something that can be joked about at will?

However, soon, her emotions were immersed by that clean face and the deep black eyes like pool water, and her heart tightened, feeling annoyed for her rude offense to him just now.

I love him so much, how can I be angry with him? He was obviously just enlivening the atmosphere.

Looking at each other, she, who was inexperienced, was afraid of cold fields again, and afraid of saying the wrong thing, not knowing how to respond?

She finally wisely covered her stomach, pretending to be pitiful, not saying a word.

This trick really worked.

Li Heng immediately asked with concern: "Hungry?"

Xiao Han pretended to be embarrassed and said mm.

Li Heng stood up: "The food hasn't been served yet, it's really been waiting for a long time, I'll go to the kitchen to urge."

Just at the door, he held the doorknob, turned around and asked: "Besides the dishes ordered, is there anything else you particularly want to eat?"

This scene is familiar, isn't it the words he often asked Chen Zijin what she wanted to eat in the past?

She was so envious and jealous at that time.

Deeply touched, she now really wants to roar: You made me misunderstand just now, punish you to treat me to soda and barbecue!

Ghostly, she, who was a little jealous, blurted out: "Mr. Li, can I eat whatever I want?"

Li Heng said: "Of course."

Xiao Han learned from Chen Zijin's words before and said three words that Chen Zijin said most often: "Anything is fine."

Anything is fine...

Such familiar words, now just changed to someone else.

Li Heng was stunned, and a little bit reacted. This girl seems to be jealous again.

Leaving the private room, he first went to the kitchen to urge the food, and then ran to buy soda.

Coincidentally, he happened to meet Liu Li and Zhang Zhiyong.

Liu Li leaned over: "Eh? Li Heng, shouldn't you be treating Xiao Han to dinner, why are you here?"

Li Heng didn't deny it, and asked casually: "How do you know?"

Liu Li said: "Old Yong told me, but I also saw it. I was playing basketball on the playground and saw you and Xiao Han walking out of the school gate together."

Hearing this, Li Heng didn't want to go into it, and holding the idea that free labor is not used for nothing, he immediately pulled Zhang Zhiyong and Liu Li, bought many kinds of soda and barbecue, and returned to the private room.

For Xiao Han, he is very generous now that he has some money in his pocket.

Since this girl is jealous, and since she said anything is fine, then I will buy one of each kind, let's see if you dare to say "anything is fine" casually next time?

It's really against you, can't I cure you?

Looking at the eight or nine kinds of soda in front of her, looking at the 20 kinds of barbecue spread out on the table, Xiao Han was stunned!

The first reaction was that she really wanted to scold him: Mr. Li, are you a fool? Where did you get so much money to lose? How can you finish eating so much?

The second reaction was that she immediately took out her wallet and turned to look at Zhang Zhiyong, asking very responsibly:

"Zhang Zhiyong, how much money did Li Heng borrow from you?"

Before Li Heng could speak, Zhang Zhiyong, who had been hit all day, teased her: "This money was borrowed by my brother, what does it have to do with you?"

Xiao Han insisted on stuffing the money into Zhang Zhiyong's hand, crisply saying: "Of course it has to do with me, this is a family matter between me and Mr. Li, I can't eat if an outsider gets involved..."

Before this words were finished, Xiao Han, who realized that she had let her heart slip out, lowered her head and hurriedly turned to other places, her right hand picked up the broken hair again and again, so ashamed that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

"Ah? Family matter?" Zhang Zhiyong and Liu Li stared round, stunned on the spot.

After a long time, the two gave Li Heng a thumbs up admiringly, and then slipped away.

After the two left, and the sound of the door closing sounded, Li Heng reacted:

"Comrade Xiao Han, you have become a big head, the money for soda and barbecue was paid by myself."

Not until the two of them had left and the sound of the door closing echoed did Li Heng finally react and say:

"Comrade Xiao Han, you've been taken for a sucker; I paid for this soda and barbecue myself."

Xiao Han was puzzled and asked with a wry smile, "Did you rob a bank? Or did you go out and sell your face? Where did you get so much money?"

Li Heng pretended to be displeased and asked, "In your eyes, am I really that useless? Can't I earn money honestly without relying on this face?"

Xiao Han tried her best to remain calm, but she couldn't settle down because she felt embarrassed by what she had just said:

"Mr. Li, you should be content; at least this face of yours is still very popular with girls."

After that, she stopped paying attention to him and didn't dare to look up, fearing that if she met his eyes, she would lose her composure. She simply focused on enjoying the soda and barbecue, taking a bite of each item.

Whenever she wanted to feign calmness but felt it was difficult to achieve, she would bury her head and focus on one thing like this. This allowed her to quickly sink into a state of natural dazedness, becoming so numb to her surroundings that it felt completely natural.

Li Heng reached out and pushed her shoulder.

She lowered her head, blushing, and made a few "humming" sounds, swaying left and right with his force like a roly-poly toy, performing her talent for playing the fool to the fullest.

Seeing her cute appearance, Li Heng grinned from the bottom of his heart. Afterward, he thought for a moment and told her everything about his writing.

Xiao Han remained silent for a long time after listening, then suppressed herself from showing any surprise, nor did she ask him how much money he had earned.

She listened silently, and after he finished, she showed great perceptiveness by offering her blessings: "Then congratulations to you; another large wave of girls is about to be infatuated with you."

Although there wasn't much conversation in the second half of the meal, it lasted a long time. The two of them quietly ate until they were full, and only left when they were stuffed.

When checking out and leaving the Laoli Restaurant, Li Heng ran into Sun Man and Mai Sui.

Sun Man reached out from far away and shouted, "Hey, Li Heng, wait a second."

Hearing this, Li Heng said to Xiao Han, "Wait for me a moment, I'll be right back."

Xiao Han scanned Sun Man and Mai Sui with the corner of her eye and said with a smile, "I'll go wait for you at the newsstand by the school gate."

"Okay." Li Heng agreed without even thinking.

Just as Xiao Han crossed the road and approached the newsstand, she heard a middle-aged man ask the newsstand owner:

"Boss Jia, have the new issues of 'Harvest' and 'October' magazines arrived this month?"

'Harvest' magazine?

The magazine publisher that Honey submitted his novel to?

She instantly pricked up her ears to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Boss Jia replied, "Section Chief Sun, you're in luck. The 'Harvest' magazine just arrived a moment ago, and you're the third person to get one. The usual, one of each?"

"Yes, one of each." The middle-aged section chief counted out the money, took the two books, and left.

While keeping an eye on the movements of the three people over there, Xiao Han asked the newsstand owner:

"Uncle, 'Harvest' magazine sells for three yuan a copy; is it very famous?"

A great beauty can always bring visual pleasure to others, so the owner patiently told her:

"Famous, of course it's famous. 'People's Literature' in the north and 'Harvest' in the south are both national-level literary journals; their names are resounding."

Xiao Han's eyes brightened, and she asked with great anticipation, "So, being able to publish a novel in 'Harvest' magazine is a very remarkable thing?"

The owner immediately gave a thumbs up and indicated, "That's right! Those who can publish novels in 'Harvest' are the best of the best, dragons and phoenixes among people! They are awesome! They are top-notch!"

Hearing this, the last trace of embarrassment deep in Xiao Han's heart was squeezed out by immense joy.

She thought to herself: This boss is actually quite a nice person.

…

On the other side.

Li Heng walked toward Sun Man and Mai Sui and asked, "Have you two eaten?"

"We have. We were too full, so we came out to buy some things and digest the food by the way."

Sun Man looked at Xiao Han not far away and asked gossiping, "How did you get mixed up with Xiao Han?"

"What do you mean mixed up? She and I are friends and classmates; we've known each other for 6 years," Li Heng said as such.

Sun Man felt a bit embarrassed, stuck out her tongue, and said, "The Dean of Students' house is right next door to ours. I helped you get two scholarship photos from the music teacher, as well as the negatives.

Here, my pockets aren't empty, they're stuffed full. You should keep the photos yourself; I almost threw them away as trash when I was eating just now."

Logically speaking, students don't have photos, nor can they get the negatives; clearly, this was an extra benefit brought by the rich girl.

Li Heng took the photos and looked at them. They were taken quite well, and he was very photogenic. He was immediately happy and said, "Thank you, Comrade Rich Girl."

"What are you thanking me for? You're welcome. Go accompany your classmate; we're leaving." Sun Man waved her hand, took Mai Sui's arm, and left.

Mai Sui, who hadn't spoken the whole time, smiled at him as a farewell.

Crossing the road, Li Heng showed Xiao Han the photos in his hand: "Scholarship photos."

He then said, "I'm a bit stuffed from eating; why don't we walk along the campus? Take a stroll?"

Xiao Han's mind was entirely on the newsstand now, so she shook her head and said, "No, please take me back to the dormitory."

Li Heng was surprised and joked, "There are many people who want to accompany me for a stroll, but I've never given anyone the chance."

Xiao Han walked toward the school gate with a sly smile: "You really are a big swindler. Chen Zijin often accompanied you in the first and second year of high school, and just last week you were strolling in the rockery with Song Yu."

Li Heng: "..."

This girl wouldn't mention them, but once she did, she brought up the two most sensitive names.

It made him unable to judge for a moment whether she was doing it intentionally or unintentionally.

Entering the school and passing through the large playground, the teaching building, and the rockery cafeteria, they arrived at the girls' dormitory.

When she was only about 10 meters away from the entrance, she stopped, turned around, and thanked him, "Thank you for the treat today, goodbye."

Taking advantage of this moment, Li Heng stuffed the money for the barbecue and soda into her pocket, "We're so familiar, you're too polite. See you another day."

Xiao Han stared at her pocket and pondered for a while, but in the end, she didn't take the money out and turned to walk straight toward the entrance.

But just halfway there, she paused, turned back, and said, "Mr. Li, I want to confess something to you."

Li Heng was curious: "What is it? You're even using the word 'confess'."

Pursing her lips and looking up to meet his gaze, Xiao Han gathered her courage and said, "Last time at the cafeteria entrance, I actually bumped into Song Yu on purpose."

Li Heng didn't speak, just looked at her straight on.

Being stared at, she felt inexplicably insecure. She steadied herself and continued to explain:

"At that time, I just impulsively wanted to interrupt you two, I didn't expect to knock the spoon and the dishes onto the floor..."

Li Heng said, "I know."

"Ah? Th-this... you knew?" Xiao Han was shocked, as if she had instantly become a transparent person, with no secrets left in front of him.

Li Heng blinked: "Otherwise? Did you think it was really that easy to 'touch porcelain' with me while I was eating? Not everyone has that qualification."

Hearing this, Xiao Han wanted to crawl into a hole in embarrassment.

She first lowered her head to look at her toes for a while, and finally, under the indescribable immense pressure, she couldn't hold on any longer. She looked up, gave him a sweet smile, and turned to flee!

Like a gust of wind, she escaped into the hallway in a flash.

The speed was so fast that she could participate in the women's 100-meter final at the Olympics, making Li Heng feel ashamed.

Running into the hallway, Xiao Han didn't appear on the second-floor corridor immediately; there was someone watching from below, and she no longer had the courage to appear in his line of sight.

At the corner, she pressed herself tightly against the wall, her left hand touching her face, which was redder than burning charcoal, and she cursed herself: This is great! I'm so ashamed! It's really embarrassing! He not only knows you have a crush on him, but he also knows you're prone to jealousy.

After a while, she reached out her right hand to forcibly pull her left hand down and comforted herself: What's there to be ashamed of? If he knows, he knows. I really do like him.

Regardless, after being honest with him, the air she breathed had never felt so comfortable.

Hiding in the hallway for about 20 minutes, she tentatively peeked outside. Seeing that he had truly left, the pressure in Xiao Han's heart decreased sharply.

Not long after, she ran frantically toward the newsstand outside the school, excitedly saying, "Boss, one copy of 'Harvest' magazine, no! Give me two."

The owner, who was feeding a child of about 3 years old, put down the bowl and chopsticks and took two copies for her.

She took out the money, put it on the counter, rolled up the books, and left quickly, just like a thief, as if she were afraid of being discovered.

Seeing her take the books and leave, the newsstand owner shouted from behind, "Miss, I still need to give you your change."

She smiled with her eyebrows curved and said, "Uncle, I'm happy today, no need for change. Buy some candy for the child to eat."

After saying that, she ran toward the distance against the wind.

…

Starting in February, the cold winter gradually faded, and the weather in Shaoshi gradually improved.

By the end of the month, the sunshine was warm and pleasant, casting mottled light and shadows through the leaves, making people feel fresh and tranquil.

Having just returned from a meeting at school at noon, Song Shi first went to the grocery store to buy a bottle of soy sauce and a bottle of vinegar. The ones at home were finished, and his wife had instructed him in the morning to bring new ones back. Yu Bao was coming home for dinner in the afternoon, and they would need them to cook big dishes.

Carrying the bottles and jars, Song Shi arrived at the newsstand right on time. Today was the day the bimonthly 'Harvest' magazine arrived. He didn't have many hobbies; reading books and newspapers and writing articles were habits he had formed over many years.

Hmm, and he had to add smoking.

And when it came to reading, his favorites were 'People's Literature' and 'Harvest'. Every time a new shipment arrived, he had to buy them to read immediately; otherwise, he would feel itchy and restless, feeling as uncomfortable as if he had lost something precious.

"Professor Song, you've come just in time. I've only just opened the packaging for the 'Harvest' magazine."

They were old acquaintances, and the other party was a university professor who also held a position, so the newsstand owner respected him very much. He hurriedly put down his work and personally rolled a cigarette for him.

Song Shi lit it, took a deep puff, and said with emotion, "Old Zheng, your tobacco is still the one that touches my heart; it has more flavor than Bai Sha."

Boss Zheng boasted, "I can't take out anything else, but this tobacco is indeed potent. It was brought back by my old woman from her maiden home in Chenzhou. It's self-grown tobacco leaf, and no pesticides were used."

Song Shi said, "Next time your sister-in-law goes back to her maiden home, let her bring some back for me. The price is negotiable."

Boss Zheng hurriedly waved his hand: "We've known each other for so many years, what's this about money? If you don't mind it being low-grade, I have plenty of this at home. Just come here and find me when it's late in the evening."

"Eh, okay!"

The two chatted, finished a cigarette, and then bought and sold books, each doing their own thing and getting busy.

Just after returning home, Song Shi saw at a glance that his daughter was killing a duck and plucking its feathers in the courtyard with his wife.

"Dad, you're back."

"Hmm, the college entrance examination is only a few months away. Is the study pressure heavy lately?"

Song Yu answered with a smile, "It's okay."

"That's good." Song Shi nodded. His daughter was the apple of his eye, and he usually treasured her to no end.

His wife, Jiang Yue, said at this time, "Our daughter won the special scholarship again. She said that when the money comes down, she wants to buy us a set of clothes. Old Song, you are truly blessed."

Song Shi beamed with joy, poured a cup of tea, took a big gulp, and asked, "Are you three still the ones who won the special scholarship in liberal arts? What about Xiao Feng and Mai Sui?"

Song Yu nodded and then shook her head: "Xiao Feng still is, but Mai Sui was pushed out by someone else, by 0.1 points."

Jiang Yue looked up: "Just 0.1 points?"

Song Yu gave a light "hmm".

Jiang Yue asked her daughter: "Who is the other party? Is it that Luo something Jie?"

Song Shi corrected from the side: "Luo Zhijie. I remember this person won the special scholarship once."

Song Yu shook her head gently: "It's not Luo Zhijie. It's changed; Li Heng won it."

"Li Heng?"

Jiang Yue and Song Shi looked at each other and said, "This name sounds familiar, as if I've heard it somewhere. Old Song, do you have any impression?"

Song Shi recalled for a while, "I also seem to have heard it, but I can't remember the specifics."

After saying that, the couple looked at their daughter together.

The reason their family's relationship was so good was that they liked to share their big and small matters in daily life, and they were very happy during the communication process.

Song Yu hesitated for a moment, but still said: "He is Chen Zijin's partner."

"Oh! So it's him. I remember now. No wonder it sounded familiar. It's quite rare to be secretly dating so early." Jiang Yue suddenly realized.

Song Shi took another sip of tea and nodded: "I met them a couple of times when strolling by the Zi River. He's tall and thin, a bit introverted, not as generous as Zijin."

Jiang Yue asked gossiping: "Chen Zijin went to Jingcheng; are the two of them still dating?"

This question stumped Song Yu, and she didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Should she say they are still dating?

The two basically had no contact, and their state was obviously not right; it didn't feel like the interaction between normal boyfriend and girlfriend.

Should she say they broke up?

But Zijin obviously still had deep feelings for Li Heng, and every time she wrote a letter or made a phone call, she would ask about him at great length.

Seeing her daughter silent, Jiang Yue asked: "What? They didn't end up together, they broke up?"

"Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling...!"

Just at this moment, the phone in the living room rang abruptly. Song Yu had a premonition that it was Chen Zijin calling; the two had agreed to talk on the phone once a month.

But it was already the end of the month, and the other party hadn't called yet; maybe it would be today.

Seeing that Song Shi was about to enter the room, Song Yu hurriedly washed her hands and shouted: "Dad, let me get it."

Song Shi was in a hurry to read the newly bought 'Harvest' magazine. Hearing this, he stopped his steps immediately, found a rattan chair to sit down, took the book, and began to flip through it comfortably.

The ducks in early spring were molting, and the fine feathers were like bamboo shoots after a rain, dense and countless. Jiang Yue originally wanted to call her husband to help, but when she saw the word "Harvest" written on the cover of the magazine in his hand, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Not only that, she also took the initiative to stop the conversation.

She knew her husband loved literature and would submit articles every now and then. Unfortunately, he had never succeeded in major literary magazines, but he could often be seen in provincial and municipal newspapers.

"Eh? There's an extra new novel today, and it's in such an important position."

Every time before reading a book, Song Shi had a small habit of flipping through the table of contents and the book from beginning to end, a bit like a primary school student who had just received a Chinese textbook.

"'To Live'?"

"Personally recommended by Old Man Ba?"

"This is a rare thing."

Song Shi muttered a few times and immediately became extremely interested. He was very curious about what was so different about this 'To Live' that it deserved such praise from Old Man Ba?

"When I was ten years younger than I am now, I obtained an idle profession, going to the countryside to collect folk songs..."

Just after reading the first page, Song Shi was completely immersed in it.

PS: 12,500 words updated, asking for monthly tickets! Asking for subscriptions!

(End of chapter)