Chapter 99

The man in the white shirt did not obtain the information he wanted. With a look of regret, he still smiled and thanked the two before taking his leave.

However, he did not leave Shaoshi.

After all, having finally obtained news of the writer "December," and having finally made the trip from the capital, he naturally could not just walk away like this.

Not to say he would definitely find the low-key December, but according to the man in the white shirt's thinking, he at least had to conduct an in-depth investigation and visit inside Shaoshi First High School before deciding whether to stay or go. Who knows, there might be a surprise?

This time, the English teacher was very straightforward. As soon as she finished the egg-fried rice, she settled the bill, paying for Li Heng's as well.

Li Heng happily buttered her up: "Teacher, a generous woman always appears so beautiful and elegant."

"Ha! You ate so slowly, wasn't it just to wait for me to pay?"

"Don't wrong me. I rode in a car all day today, and my head is a bit dizzy, so I ate slowly."

"Is that so? Then give me the money."

"Oh, you really want the money? Let's not be so distant between us; I'll treat you next time."

The English teacher crossed her arms over her chest, sneered, and walked away.

Holding those 'big white rabbits' like that every day, aren't your arms tired?

Li Heng muttered to himself, and followed her up to the third floor of the teachers' residential building.

As she opened the door to go in, the English teacher told him, "Yesterday morning, your parents called me to ask about your writing."

Li Heng was not surprised by this and asked, "What did you say?"

The English teacher replied, "I told them everything I knew."

Li Heng nodded upon hearing this, walked to the side of the coffee table, picked up the receiver, and quickly dialed the number for *Harvest* magazine.

Seeing this, the English teacher poured him a glass of water and went into the bedroom.

"Hello, hello, please help me find Editor Zou."

"Good afternoon, Li Laoshi, that's me."

"Good afternoon. I heard from my teacher that you were looking for me this morning?"

"That's right, there are two pieces of news to tell you..."

The two pieces of news from Editor Zou Ping:

The first piece of news: The manuscript fee of 2,500 yuan for the serialization of *To Live* by the Shanghai Radio Station, along with the 1,350 yuan manuscript fee for *The Troubleshooters*, had been paid to him via money order.

A total of 3,850 yuan—another huge sum of money.

Li Heng was overjoyed!

He happened to have just over 100 yuan in scholarship money on hand, and now, adding this, his private little treasury directly broke the 4,000-yuan mark.

4,000 yuan—what kind of concept is this huge sum?

It could build two new houses in the village.

It could marry off several wives.

At current prices, one could lie down and eat for 10 years.

Let's put it this way: many people couldn't earn this much money in their entire lives.

However, he didn't intend to give this money to his family; he wanted to keep it for his own use.

After all, he had just given his family 3,800 yuan, which was enough to support their expenses for quite a few years.

And he would need money for his summer trip to the capital, and he would also need money for college in the second half of the year.

Besides, as a man—especially one who had seen big money in his past life—without some savings in the bank, he always felt a sense of unease.

The second piece of news Zou Ping brought was: Since its publication in February, *To Live* had caused a huge reaction in society, and the sales of *Harvest* magazine had set historical records for two consecutive issues, breaking the 2.5 million mark—directly doubling compared to its past peak record.

This awesome and eye-catching data left the people at *Harvest* magazine and all their peers dumbfounded, completely shocked.

Moreover, the most critical thing was that the momentum was still very strong, with a feeling that it might pull *People's Literature* off its top spot.

It was precisely because the results were too dazzling, making peers jealous and red-eyed, that *October* had tried every means to bribe an editor at *Harvest* magazine, wanting to solicit a manuscript from Li Heng.

Zou Ping said on the phone, "Li Laoshi, now it's not just the readers who are reacting strongly; the overall reviews in the literary world are also overwhelmingly positive.

Under this premise, the editorial board held a full discussion yesterday regarding the publication of *To Live* as a standalone book, and finally held a vote."

Li Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked urgently, "How did the vote go?"

Seeing that the talented Li Laoshi could also be nervous, Zou Ping felt an indescribable excitement and offered his blessings with joy on his face:

"Congratulations, Li Laoshi. The meeting passed the proposal to publish the standalone book.

On behalf of *Harvest* magazine, I formally notify you that, taking advantage of this momentum, the first batch of *To Live* standalone books is planned to hit the market on July 1st, with an initial printing of 300,000 copies.

Once the printing volume in the contract is triggered, we will pay you a 5% royalty according to the contract."

Yes, royalties!

Royalties were the key point; this was what he had been waiting for. Li Heng felt his blood boil, and he became instantly excited:

"Good, thank you, Editor Zou. You've all worked hard."

"Not hard at all, not hard at all, it's what we should do. We all hope *To Live* sells well," Zou Ping said, stating his true expectations.

How could they not hope so?

If the standalone book *To Live* sold well, it would bring huge practical benefits to Li Heng, the magazine, and even Zou Ping himself. All three parties were beneficiaries; it was truly a win-win-win situation.

This phone call was quite long, and they continued to chat for a while afterward. When he hung up, Li Heng specifically looked at the wall clock to calculate the call time, and the result gave him a shock.

Guess how much?

Damn it! 22 minutes and 38 seconds.

This was a long-distance call! Every minute and every second was money! It would cost dozens of yuan.

Comrade Tian Run'e couldn't earn that much money even if she sold 100 jin of rice.

Li Heng felt a heartache; he regretted why he hadn't been thick-skinned enough to hang up earlier.

He secretly urged himself that next time, damn it, he must learn his lesson. As soon as the call connected, he would find an excuse to hang up and wait for the other side to call back.

Of course, this was just a thought; he couldn't really be shameless and hang up. So what to do?

Nothing to do, just keep it short next time.

Depressed as he was, Li Heng still counted out a stack of bills and placed them on the coffee table, pinning them down with the landline phone.

He couldn't always be a freeloader, right?

Even though it was his own English teacher's, and even though she had a big chest.

Hmm, damn it, what was he thinking about?

Sin! Sin!

Li Heng repented in his heart, then looked up toward the master bedroom. Almost half an hour had passed; why hadn't the teacher come out yet?

Could she have fallen asleep?

Thinking of this, Li Heng, who had originally wanted to exchange a few pleasantries with her, immediately got up, left the living room on tiptoe, changed his shoes, closed the door quietly, and left the teacher's home.

It was just bad luck; as soon as he stepped out, he ran into Sun Manning in the hallway.

Mai Sui was also standing next to her.

Four eyes met—no, six eyes met. Li Heng instinctively wanted to greet them.

As a result...

As a result, before he could even speak, that girl Sun Manning had already walked up to him in two or three steps, wrinkling her nose and sniffing constantly, slowly circling him.

Li Heng asked, "Are you a dog? What are you sniffing?"

Sun Manning muttered in a low voice, "I'm sniffing for a scent. I'm sniffing to see if you have the English teacher's scent on you."

Li Heng immediately pulled a long face and questioned, "So, did you smell anything?"

Seeing that he was unhappy, Sun Manning immediately stepped back two paces, then clapped her hands and said very bluntly, "No. Who told you to keep running to the English teacher's house for no reason? Don't you know she's an older single woman?

Don't you know her figure is particularly sexy and alluring? I haven't even seen you run to Song Yu's place this diligently."

The other party did have a point. Li Heng sighed and said, "Don't guess blindly; I came to make a phone call."

"Make a phone call? It wouldn't be to Chen Zijin, would it?" Sun Manning's eyes were full of gossip.

Li Heng pushed her away, not indulging her bad habits: "Mind your own business about who I call. Stop prying.

Look at Mai Sui, how virtuous and quiet she is. Only you have so much nonsense every single day."

Hearing this, Mai Sui smiled at him.

Sun Manning was unconvinced and reached out to hook her arm through Mai Sui's. "She doesn't live on the third floor, so she hasn't seen you frequently sneaking into the English teacher's room. Otherwise, she might be even more curious than I am."

Li Heng stopped in his tracks and pointed at Sun Manning to ask Mai Sui: "Mai Sui, will you turn into this kind of person?"

Mai Sui blinked her eyes charmingly and skillfully took three chocolate candies out of her pocket.

She handed one to Li Heng.

She stuffed one into her friend's mouth.

She ate one herself. Mai Sui indicated she wouldn't get involved in their bickering.

Having gotten candy to eat, Sun Manning tactfully changed the subject: "Li Heng, we're filling out our applications soon. Which school do you plan to put as your first choice?"

Li Heng was speechless: "Didn't you ask already? Peking University."

This was what he had told Song Yu to her face; naturally, it wouldn't change.

"Hey, Song Yu and Mai Sui's first choice is also Peking University. My parents want me to fill out Fudan. Hey, hey, in the future, we'll be looking at each other from north to south; we won't be able to get together."

Sun Manning sighed several times in one sentence; it was clear she was quite sentimental about the friendship that was about to be separated.

Li Heng comforted her: "Fudan is also good. Actually, I hesitated; I wanted to put Fudan as my first choice."

Sun Manning was surprised: "Really? You really thought about it?"

Li Heng nodded: "Why would I lie to you? I really thought about it, but Song Yu is definitely going to Peking University, so I have no choice."

Sun Manning immediately urged him: "Then you can put Fudan as your second choice. In case you don't get into Peking University, we'll still have a companion."

Li Heng frowned: "You're cursing me."

Sun Manning put her hands on her hips: "Not at all, I'm serious. Although putting Fudan as a second choice isn't reasonable, I can ask my father; maybe he can help you."

Li Heng thought of Xiao Han. If things followed the historical trajectory, this girl would go to Shanghai Medical University, so putting Fudan as his second choice really wouldn't be bad.

It's just, if he puts Peking University as his first choice and Fudan as his second, would Fudan even bother with him?

Unless, unless he exposed his identity as a writer.

But, if he exposed his identity as a writer, Peking University might not necessarily reject him either?!

Song Yu, Xiao Han; Xiao Han, Song Yu. Li Heng struggled for a while, then gave up, deciding to leave it to fate. Whoever fate intended him to be with, he would be with.

He pondered for a moment and asked: "Is your father's influence really that strong?"

Sun Manning looked left and right, lowered her voice, and said: "He has a connection with the vice president of Fudan; of course it's strong. I just told Mai Sui to put Fudan as her second choice too.

Don't go around telling everyone, lest others come begging for favors. I'm only telling you two."

Li Heng joked: "Playing favorites? Didn't tell Song Yu and Chen Lijun?"

Sun Manning shook her head: "Song Yu's grades are more stable than yours. My father said if there are no accidents, in liberal arts, she and Xiao Feng shouldn't have any problems getting into Tsinghua or Peking University. As for Lijun, the university she admires is Renmin University."

As she spoke, she looked depressed again: "Actually, I also want to go to Fudan, want to go to a big city like Shanghai to wander around."

During the evening break, Li Heng suddenly stuffed two bags of preserved plums to Song Yu.

And attached a note, which read: "Words are followed by deeds; promises must be kept."

Song Yu smiled beautifully, immediately opened a bag of plums, and shared them with the people around her.

She picked up a pen and wrote on the note: "Has your new novel been approved?"

Li Heng replied: "Yes, it will be published in *Harvest* magazine on June 20th."

After reading it, Song Yu put the note away and didn't ask him what the novel was called.

Probably for the same reason Li Heng said last time—that the new novel wasn't suitable for her to read.

After this monthly break ended, time seemed to be wound up like a spring, and in the blink of an eye, the school held its third mock exam.

Actually, as the college entrance exam drew closer, Li Heng felt that the third mock exam was purely for boosting students' confidence.

Or to put it more bluntly, the target audience for the third mock exam was students with average to below-average grades. For top students like Song Yu and Xiao Feng, the improvement wasn't high.

Sure enough, Song Yu only improved by 5 points, Mai Sui improved by 2 points, and Li Heng also only improved by 2 points.

On the other hand, Liu Yejiang, who had failed the scholarship exam, the first mock, and the second mock, staged a comeback this time, with his score breaking the 600-point mark.

The moment he got his report card, this guy laughed up at the sky, feeling a sense of relief and pride, like the line, "Laughing up at the sky, I go out the door; how could I, a man of my talent, be a commoner?"

Sweeping away the gloom of this semester, Liu Yejiang even spouted off to Li Heng:

"Li Heng, the college entrance exam is coming up soon; I will definitely surpass you!"

Liu Yejiang was in high spirits when he said this, and he said it in front of the whole class.

Hearing this, Liu Li in the back row couldn't help but mutter: This damn guy is a cockroach that can't be killed; he doesn't learn from being beaten or scolded, and he's come to provoke Old Heng again.

Before Li Heng could counterattack, Sun Manning in the front row chimed in:

"Liu Yejiang, Li Heng is going to take the exam for Peking University. Do you dare to take the exam for Peking University?"

Zhang Zhiyong joined in the fun: "Right! Right! My Master Heng is going to take the exam for Peking University with Song Yu. Liu Yejiang, do you have the guts?"

Damn it!

This idiot had no filter on his mouth and just sold him out like that.

Seeing the whole class staring at him and Song Yu with strange looks, Li Heng really wanted to tear that jerk's lips off.

I was just going to sneakily take the exam for Peking University with Song Yu; why are you shouting?

Now it's great; the whole class knows, and the Chinese teacher in the hallway outside heard it too.

Perhaps because she had heard too much gossip, or perhaps because she had long known Li Heng's intentions, facing everyone's ambiguous gazes, Song Yu was calmer than expected.

This girl calmly opened a math test paper, unscrewed the cap of her fountain pen, and quietly started doing problems.

Afraid that the attention would be diverted, Zou Aiming, who found Liu Yejiang very unpleasant, added a sharp jab:

"Liu Yejiang, Old Heng dares to take the exam for Peking University. As a man, what are you afraid of? Just take the exam and show him."

At first, hearing Zou Aiming's words, one might think he was cheering Liu Yejiang on.

But those who were paying attention understood that Zou Aiming was using reverse psychology to goad Liu Yejiang into taking the exam for Peking University.

Sure enough, Liu Yejiang, who was in the spotlight, didn't need to wait for Li Heng to personally retort; he was already unable to back down. He immediately turned red in the face and swore:

"I'll take it, I'll take it. With my current grades, I can get into Peking University too."

"Good! Good, good, good!" Several people led by Zhang Zhiyong and Zou Aiming took the lead in applauding.

Where there are people, there is a world. With people taking the lead, many boys in the class joined in the fun, clapping their palms fiercely amidst the strange noises.

Chen Lijun whispered: "I wonder if Liu Yejiang will really fall for it. Manning, you did that on purpose, right?"

Sun Manning turned her head: "I just don't like him. Why? Are you feeling sorry for him? Oh, right! He's your admirer."

Being told this, Chen Lijun's face instantly turned as pink as a peach blossom: "Not at all? I remember he first had a crush on you, but everyone spread rumors that you liked Li Heng, so they put this messy account on me. I'm not taking the blame."

Li Heng, who was enjoying the gossip, was speechless: "Hey, hey, if you want to bicker, bicker properly; don't drag me into it. It's not good to let people misunderstand."

Chen Lijun said: "Li Heng, are you afraid of being misunderstood by Song Yu?"

Since she had called him out by name, how could Li Heng back down? He immediately turned his guns and asked Song Yu: "Song Yu, would you misunderstand?"

Seeing his thick skin, the few people next to them couldn't help but laugh out loud.

They had never seen anyone like this, pursuing a girl so blatantly.

Song Yu looked at him quietly for a moment, said nothing, didn't get angry, and lowered her head to continue doing problems.

After the third mock exam results came out, the next most important thing was filling out the college entrance exam application.

In this era, there wasn't the perfect school and major information for you to query like in later generations, nor were there so-called expert live streams on the internet to guide you. There was only a directory of admissions majors, which everyone flipped through until it was worn out, but they were still half-understanding and confused.

With application priority, early batches, and different paths for undergraduate and junior college, even Li Heng, who had participated in the college entrance exam once, appeared to have no absolute certainty due to the long passage of time and blurred memories.

Among the hundreds of universities across the country, he hadn't even heard of the names of many of them.

Therefore, in this day and age, many students' applications were actually filled out based on the guidance of teachers' experience.

No surprises, Song Yu filled out Peking University as her first choice.

As Song Yu's strongest competitor all along, Mai Sui was equally decisive and also filled out Peking University.

Chen Lijun filled out Renmin University.

Sun Manning chose Fudan.

Liu Li peeked at Chen Lijun's application and secretly followed suit by filling out Renmin University. After filling it out, he asked Li Heng: "Why haven't you filled yours out yet, you guy?"

Hearing this, Song Yu, Mai Sui, Chen Lijun, and Sun Manning all leaned over to look at Li Heng, waiting for him to fill out his application.

Sun Manning asked: "You're not scared, are you? Don't want to pursue Song Yu anymore?"

Song Yu wanted to speak at this moment, but when she made contact with Li Heng's gaze, which carried strange emotions, she stopped herself.

Just as Li Heng was pondering in his heart where Xiao Han would fill out, and whether Xiao Han would change the historical trajectory, the English teacher's voice appeared at the door:

"Li Heng, come out for a moment."

"Oh, okay."

Li Heng got up and said to the others: "I'll fill it out when I get back. While you have time, you should reconsider your other second choices."

Arriving in the hallway, the English teacher took him to a corner where no one was around and asked: "Where are you filling out?"

Li Heng said: "Peking University."

The English teacher paused and asked again: "What about your second choice?"

Li Heng shook his head: "Teacher, do you have any good suggestions?"

The English teacher hesitated for a long time and asked: "Are you determined to go to the capital?"

There was a reason she asked this: Chen Zijin was in the capital, and Song Yu was also going to the capital.

Li Heng's eyes lit up: "Is it that if I go to other schools, Teacher, you have a way?"

The English teacher stared at him for a while, then looked toward the playground and said: "I mentioned your situation to my best friend.

She said that you can go to any school you want, but if it's a specific school, your identity as a writer might need to be exposed on a small scale, and she will help you operate it."

Li Heng was surprised: "Tsinghua or Peking University are both okay?"

The English teacher nodded: "Yes, but as a liberal arts student, Peking University is best."

Li Heng asked: "Then what about filling out Fudan as a second choice?"

The English teacher still nodded: "Naturally, that works."

Li Heng was shocked: "What does your best friend's family do?"

The English teacher glanced at him: "Don't ask too much, don't have any crooked ideas, just focus on pursuing your Song Yu."

Li Heng's face twitched several times: "Teacher, you really think too highly of me. How could such a person be someone I could pursue?"

"Hehe! It's good that you have self-awareness," the English teacher mocked him mercilessly.

Li Heng asked curiously: "Teacher, since you have such a big connection, why are you still staying at Shaoshi First High School?"

The English teacher asked back: "Is the First High School not good?"

"It's good, but it doesn't match your status," Li Heng said with a grin.

"I'm willing."

After saying this, the English teacher walked past him expressionlessly and entered the homeroom teacher's office. There were many students inside at this time, all consulting about filling out their applications.

Li Heng stood in the hallway for a while, then slipped away to the next teaching building. Upon entering, he ignored the gazes of other students in Class 206 and went straight to the point, asking Xiao Han:

"Comrade Xiao Han, which school are you filling out as your first choice?"

Seeing him come to ask about her application, Xiao Han felt a wave of sweetness in her heart and handed her application form to him.

Li Heng took it and glanced at it: Shanghai Medical University.

Thank goodness, thank goodness!

The historical trajectory hadn't changed, and his rebirth hadn't caused a butterfly effect. Li Heng breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Next, he looked at the application Yang Yingwen had filled out; the four characters "Tsinghua University" were particularly eye-catching.

Yang Yingwen asked him: "What about you, where are you filling out?"

Seeing Xiao Han looking over, Li Heng thought for a moment and said: "All the teachers suggested that I fill out Peking University as my first choice, but I haven't filled it out yet; I wanted to hear your opinions."

He was very skillful in saying this, with the prefix being "all the teachers."

What did that represent? Of course, it represented that all the teachers were optimistic that he could get into Peking University.

Tsinghua and Peking University—the gold content in the eyes of teachers and students was self-evident; it wasn't something other schools could compare to. He believed Xiao Han could understand.

And the phrase "wanted to hear your opinions" was, of course, said for Xiao Han to hear.

Sure enough, she felt a faint sense of loss at the first half of the sentence, but at the second half, that trace of loss instantly disappeared, and she said with utmost seriousness:

"The teacher is right. You should fill out Peking University; I support you filling out Peking University."

Hindered by the presence of outsiders, Li Heng worried about it reaching Song Yu's ears, so he sat down and wrote in his notebook: "If I go to Peking University, then we might have to be separated for four years."

After writing, he handed the notebook to Xiao Han.

Xiao Han stared blankly at the draft notebook for a long time before replying: "Four years, will Mr. Li forget me?"

Li Heng decisively wrote: "No. If two hearts are joined in love, does it matter if they are apart? Besides, I will come to see you often."

This line, "If two hearts are joined in love, does it matter if they are apart," was almost equivalent to a confession. Xiao Han felt a bit dazed, and thinking of the sweet time they had during the monthly break, she really couldn't bear to part, really wanted to keep him by her side.

But she wasn't a fragile woman. She gave him a sweet smile and replied: "To verify Mr. Li's long-lasting love, then you should fill out Peking University even more."

Li Heng wrote: "Okay."

The homeroom teacher of Class 206 came in, and Li Heng didn't stay too long before returning to his own class.

Yang Yingwen, who had witnessed the two writing notes the whole time, said with regret: "My intuition tells me that if you asked him to stay, he would go to Shanghai with you."

Xiao Han asked back crisply: "If it were you, would you ask him to stay?"

Yang Yingwen really thought about it carefully for a long while before shaking his head: "I couldn't be that selfish."

Xiao Han pursed her little dimples: "Me too."

After saying this, the smile on her face gradually faded; she thought of Song Yu.

Yang Yingwen seemed to have guessed her thoughts and comforted her: "What's yours is yours; what isn't yours can't be forced."

The look of loss on Xiao Han's face flashed and vanished. She waved her hands and laughed: "It's okay, it's okay, no need to comfort me. I don't believe in fate."

Yang Yingwen understood her determination: "Fine. If he really goes to the capital, I'll debase myself once and be a spy for you for four years."

"Hmm, okay."

Returning to Class 204, Li Heng, having settled things with Xiao Han, didn't hesitate anymore and filled out Peking University as his first choice.

He filled out Fudan as his second choice.

As for the other choices, humph, he just filled them out randomly. Flipping through the school's application directory, he wrote down whichever one looked pleasing to the eye.

Seeing him really follow her lead and fill out Peking University, his deskmate Song Yu didn't say anything else, just quietly handed him a preserved plum.

When he handed the application form to the homeroom teacher, Wang Qi exclaimed: "Li Heng, do you want to think about your second choice again?"

The English teacher leaned over to take a look and replied: "No need, it's quite good."

Teacher Wang Qi looked at Wang Runwen and then at Li Heng. Having probably guessed something, he burst into loud laughter: "Fine. With your word, Teacher Wang, I can rest easy."

Leaving the office, Li Heng said quietly to the English teacher: "Teacher, I have a request."

Wang Runwen brushed her hair with her right hand: "Speak!"

Li Heng said: "If the college entrance exam results come out and my score isn't enough for Peking University, you must get me into Fudan."

Wang Runwen was stunned: "Why not get into Peking University?"

Why not get into Peking University?

That, of course, was fate.

Fate didn't let him be with Song Yu, letting him choose Xiao Han first; how could he go against it?

Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh; they are all the same.

Li Heng replied: "I quite like Fudan."

Wang Runwen stared at him, frowning and pondering for a long time, but didn't come up with anything. In the end, she said, "I can't understand you," and walked away.

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(End of this chapter)