1987 My Era

Chapter 705, Open Scheme

After dropping Li Heng off at school, Yu Shuheng left without entering Lushan Village.

She said she was going back to Tokyo to invest in Hengyuan, as the Nikkei stock market had been showing unusual signs lately. She said she would only feel at ease if she kept a close eye on it herself.

Well, leaving Shanghai was partly due to work requirements, but also related to personal relationships.

This young man has just tasted wheat, and he's already hooked. Given wheat's figure and demeanor, it's likely that the two of them will be inseparable in bed for a long time to come.

Yu Shuheng didn't want to see that scene right under her nose, so she simply chose to avoid seeing it and prevent further annoyance.

Returning to Lushan Village along the cobblestone path, Li Heng looked around and found that the doors and windows of his house at No. 26 were tightly closed and no one was home.

Looking at building number 27, the doors and windows were also tightly closed, but they were locked from the inside, so someone was probably home.

Back at his home, Li Heng was very thirsty. He first drank a large glass of water, then sat on the doorstep, basking in the comfortable monsoon breeze and closing his eyes to rest. He had opened the gates seven times in the capital the night before and stayed up all night with Mai Sui last night. Now he was in a state of being without desires.

He wanted to go up to the second floor to see if the landline phone had been installed.

When I looked up, I saw the telephone line running from the balcony into the second-floor living room. I figured it was probably installed, so I didn't bother going up.

He sat there on the threshold for half an hour, and then a slender figure suddenly popped into his mind. Who else could it be but Comrade Zhou Shihe?
It seems that since arriving in Shanghai, he hasn't had a proper conversation with Miss Zhou yet. He was just in a deadpan state, but now he feels inexplicably itchy.

Damn it, isn't this just being a jerk?

After weighing his options, Li Heng went to the small building next door, number 27. Looking at the closed courtyard gate, he was easily swayed. With a little trickery, the courtyard gate opened, and the door to the house opened as well.

He walked in with his hands behind his back, swaggering in.

There's no one on the first floor.

So they rushed up to the second floor.

The second floor was also quiet. He stood at the entrance of the hallway, looking around, and found that Miss Zhou was indeed at home, reading a book on the sofa. She had her back to him, showing no intention of checking who it was.
Li Heng paused for a moment, then walked to the sofa, plopped down, and teased, "You really have good self-control. People come to the house, and you don't even get up to check. What if a thief breaks in?"

Zhou Shihe didn't even look up, her gaze still fixed on the book, and said calmly, "A heart thief?"

"Well…."

Li Heng was speechless for a moment before asking, "Are you in such a good mood today?"

Zhou Shihe replied irrelevantly, "What do you want with me?"

Li Heng asked, "Why are you home alone? Where is Maisui?"

Zhou Shihe said, "School starts tomorrow. She, Manning, and Ningning went to the student council for a regular meeting to prepare for welcoming the new students."

Oh, I see. I didn't even realize it until it was mentioned. I feel like I've been so busy all day that I've almost forgotten I'm still in college.

Seeing that she was completely focused on her book and didn't seem inclined to talk to him, Li Heng tried to make conversation by asking, "Is my home phone installed yet?"

Zhou Shihe said, "It was installed this morning."

At this point, the two fell silent again.

For a moment he looked at the woman, who was slowly turning the pages of her book, reading line by line.

The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a while, Li Heng's gaze shifted to the book in her hands, and he couldn't help but tease her, "I can understand reading classic works from ancient and modern times, and I can understand reading romance novels. But why are you, a woman, reading history books with such relish?"

That's right, Miss Zhou was holding a copy of the Book of Han at that moment.

The book's contents also relate to Emperor Jing of Han and his favorite concubine, Consort Li.

Zhou Shihe smiled slightly and replied, "Learn from history."

"Well…."

Li Heng let out a speechless "uh," thinking, "This reason is damn powerful."

There was no way to refute it for the time being.

He stretched and asked, "Are you planning to go into politics after graduation?"

Zhou Shihe remained silent.

Then the two fell silent again.

After a long while, Li Heng, shameless as ever, broke the deadlock. He suddenly stood up, came to her side, and sat down next to her.

Zhou Shihe glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then sat still and continued reading.

Li Heng leaned closer, his gaze also falling on the book.

Looking at the head so close to hers and smelling his scent, Zhou Shihe remained calm and didn't react much. She calmly held the corner of the book page, preparing to turn the page.

Li Heng suddenly spoke up, reciting from the book: "The eldest princess has a daughter who wants to become the crown prince's concubine. Consort Li is jealous, and all of Emperor Jing's beauties have gained favor because of the eldest princess. Consort Li is resentful and angry every day. She thanked the eldest princess and refused."

The eldest princess wished to give herself to Lady Wang, and Lady Wang agreed. Later, Empress Bo was deposed, and the eldest princess began to slander Consort Li daily. Emperor Jing once addressed the children of his concubines, saying, "After I pass away, I will take good care of them." Consort Li angrily refused to respond and spoke disrespectfully. Emperor Jing harbored resentment but did not express it.

After muttering to himself, Li Heng sighed, "Consort Li could have gone even further and become Empress, but she stopped at the last hurdle. Tell me, isn't it a pity?"

Zhou Shihe said, "It's not a pity."

Li Heng casually asked, "How so?"

Zhou Shihe said, "The empress is the mother of the country. Consort Li does not have the magnanimity and ability to be a mother to the world. If she were to take the throne, she would only bring disaster to the country and its people."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng turned his head and looked into her eyes.

Their eyes met, and after a long while, Zhou Shihe pouted slightly, released her fingers from turning the page, and looked up to ask him, "Did you go to Anta Shoes with Teacher Yu this morning?"

Li Heng nodded: "Yes, it's been almost half a year since I last went there. My cousin gave me a big surprise this time."

Zhou Shihe said gently, "There are reports in today's newspapers that Anta Shoes' revenue exceeded 400 million yuan in the first eight months. Is that true?"

Li Heng replied, "Some are true, some are false."

Although he hadn't had time to read the news, he knew it was a rumor deliberately spread by Li Wang. Although it was somewhat exaggerated, the purpose was to advertise and further enhance Anta Shoes' reputation.

Zhou Shihe thought for a moment, then asked him with a strange look, "You've been acting strange ever since you came back from the shoe factory. What's wrong? Did Teacher Yu force you to make her your empress?"

Wow, this girl is really smart; she understands things very quickly.

Instead of answering directly, Li Heng asked, "What do you think of Teacher Yu?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shihe paused, closed the Book of Han in her hand, and then smoothed her hair behind her ear with her right hand, saying, "She is a very good person, generous, virtuous and capable."

Li Heng shifted his gaze to the window and said, "The industries under my management are developing very rapidly. On the way back, Teacher Yu gave me a suggestion: to establish a think tank specifically to serve me and be responsible for liaising with other companies."

What do you think of Professor Yu as the chief of this think tank?

After more than two years of getting to know each other, this was the first time the man in front of her had talked about his businesses. He wasn't making things up, nor was he deliberately teasing her. Zhou Shihe understood his deeper meaning almost instantly.

But she pretended to know only a little: "Including Hengyuan Investment and the book's copyright, as well as all the big and small matters related to music?"

Li Heng shook his head: "Not included. Hengyuan Investment and these things were all managed by Teacher Yu in the past, and will continue to be managed by Teacher Yu in the future. They will not be separated."

Hearing this, Zhou Shihe understood: "We can consider Song Yu for the think tank. Or Xiao Han, with Huang Zhaoyi assisting."

Li Heng was surprised, then turned his head and stared into her eyes.

He didn't expect that the girl would directly recommend Song Yu and Xiao Han, and also recommend Huang Zhaoyi in the process.

After a long, long silence, Li Heng stood up. "I'm a little sleepy. I'm planning to go back, take a shower, and get some sleep. I won't bother you anymore. You can cook dinner tonight; I'm craving it."

After saying that, he turned and left, walking away gracefully and without any hesitation.

Zhou Shihe quietly watched him leave. As his figure disappeared, she slowly fell into a daze, her mind going blank.

Time passed by, second by second, and slowly, without me even realizing how much time had gone by…

By the time Zhou Shihe slowly came to her senses, the wind had started to blow and it was raining outside.

But she seemed oblivious to all of this.

She opened the book again, staring intently at the passage of classical Chinese that Li Heng had just read, lost in thought. She knew that Li Heng must have had a deeper meaning in telling her what he had said today.

Reflecting on his conversation with her, he asked Kurihime if it was a pity that she could have gone further but stopped there.
She replied that it was no pity, because Consort Li lacked the magnanimity and wisdom to be an empress.

Magnanimity, wisdom and ability...

Thinking of this, her chest heaved several times. Was he targeting her?

On the red prayer ribbon at Jing'an Temple, she wrote: "May I win the heart of one person."

As a result, she had conflicts with Song Yu and Xiao Han during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Is he saying that he is not magnanimous enough and not qualified to be the "Empress"?
Thinking it over, Zhou Shihe leaned back, slumped onto the sofa, and slowly closed her eyes.

She knew that Yu Shuheng's probing for the position of chief of the think tank was absolutely genuine.

She knew that, given his personality and usual way of doing things, he would have politely declined Teacher Yu's offer with silence. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up with her.

She also knew that in the conversation just now, Teacher Yu was just a prelude. He mainly wanted to use her to bring up Song Yu and Xiao Han, including herself.

But he also subtly reminded himself of his shortcomings, using the image of Princess Kuri as a metaphor for his lack of virtue and magnanimity.

Who is his favorite for the chief think tank position?
Zhou Shihe realized: This man is ambitious and cunning. He is using open schemes to take her body and soul in one fell swoop, and also to make her and Teacher Yu restrain each other.

Having figured out the key points of the matter, Zhou Shihe finally opened her eyes. She then put the book she was holding on the coffee table, raised her right wrist to glance at her watch, and saw it was 3:43.
She immediately stood up, walked towards the stairwell, went down to the first floor, found a few umbrellas, opened the door and went out.

She first went to the student council.

Somewhat coincidentally, the student council meeting for the new semester had just ended, and Zhou Shihe quickly found Mai Sui, Sun Manning, and Ye Ning.

Sun Manning exclaimed loudly, "Hey, my dear Shihe, what brings you here?"

Zhou Shihe said with a smile, "It's raining, so I brought you umbrellas."

After chatting for a while, Sun Manning and Ye Ning took their umbrellas and left to prepare for tomorrow's birth.

Zhou Shihe asked Mai Sui, "Aren't you going?"

Mai Sui shook her head, "No need, Dai Qing didn't arrange anything for me."

Over time, the entire faculty and students of Fudan University now know that Mai Sui is Li Heng's confidante.

With this special status, neither the student council nor the school teachers would make things difficult for her.

Moreover, not only did they not make things difficult, but some female professors had even subtly extended olive branches to Mai Sui, offering her a place in their graduate programs and wanting to be her advisor. The purpose, of course, was self-evident: to use Mai Sui as a connection to get closer to Li Heng and Yu Shuheng, and to create interaction between them.

After all, Li Heng's fame, reputation, and wealth, and Yu Shuheng's power and background are things that these teachers are eager to acquire.

When Dai Qing was mentioned, Zhou Shihe casually asked, "I heard that Dai Qing wants to go into politics in the future?"

Mai Sui asked, "You heard it from Xiao Zhu, right?"

Zhou Shihe didn't deny it, and gave a soft "hmm".

As they left the library, Mai Sui asked, "Has he come back yet?"

Zhou Shihe said, "I came back at noon and am sleeping at home."

Mai Sui opened her umbrella and smiled sweetly: "He contacted you?"

These six simple words convey a profound meaning that only the two sisters can understand.

Zhou Shihe acquiesced.

Mai Sui reached out and took her best friend's hand. After walking for a while, she asked, "Where are you taking me? Aren't we going home?"

Zhou Shihe said, "The vegetable market."

Mai Sui realized what was happening and asked, "He wants to eat the food you cook."

Zhou Shihe hummed in agreement again.

A group of students arrived. Mai Sui hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and said after the crowd had passed, "They installed a phone at home today. I guess he wants to be upfront about a lot of things. You don't have much time to hesitate. Are you really sure about what you've thought about?"

Zhou Shihe looked ahead, her expression somewhat complicated, but in the end she said nothing, only asking softly, "Do you think the others would strongly object if I married him?"

Mai Sui was stunned, wondering why her best friend asked that question.

Because it's obvious.

Mai Sui didn't mince words, speaking from the heart: "The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind; this is an inevitable outcome."

Zhou Shihe then asked, "What if it's Song Yu?"

Mai Sui pondered for a moment before replying, "The situation might be a little better for you. Xiao Han and Zi Jin will be more likely to accept it. Didn't you say that Song Yu and Teacher Yu have reached an agreement? I guess there won't be much resistance from Teacher Yu's side."

Zhou Shihe asked again, "What if it were Teacher Yu?"

Mai Sui thought for a long time before saying, "If we weigh the pros and cons, Teacher Yu is probably the most suitable candidate right now."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shihe fell silent and quietly walked forward.

Mai Sui asked worriedly, "Why are you asking about these things today?"

Sui Sui is not an outsider; the two sisters are now almost in a deep bond. Zhou Shihe hesitated for a while, but finally told her everything about Li Ji and the chief of the think tank.

After listening patiently to the whole thing, Mai Sui asked in surprise, "He really came to you to say all this?"

Zhou Shihe nodded gently.

Mai Sui suddenly laughed and said, "He's brainwashing you."

Zhou Shihe smiled knowingly and said, "Yes, I know."

Maisui said, "But you can't refuse."

Zhou Shihe said calmly, "I need your help."

Mai Sui understood what her best friend meant. After hesitating for a moment, she finally agreed, "Okay."

Upon arriving at the market, the two women, familiar with the area, bought some of his favorite vegetables and some seasonal produce, before heading towards Lushan Village.

As soon as they entered the school gate, they encountered Wei Xiaozhu and Wei Sisi.

Mai Sui stopped and asked, "Xiao Zhu, where are you going?"

Wei Xiaozhu glanced at the groceries in their hands: "Sisi and I are going to Wujiaochang to Wanying's place. Are you going home to cook?"

Mai Sui extended an invitation: "Shi He is cooking today. Would you and Si Si come over for dinner?"

Wei Xiaozhu and Wei Sisi exchanged a glance and shook their heads: "We've already promised Zhang Bing and Wanying that we'll eat over there, so we won't be coming over."

After chatting for a while, the four women separated.

Watching Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe walk towards Lushan Village, Wei Sisi said enviously, "I really envy Li Heng, having such beautiful women like Shihe and Mai Sui with him every day. Oh, I forgot, there's also the intellectual Teacher Yu."

Wei Xiaozhu smiled and said, "This is Li Heng's skill, something others can only envy."

Wei Sisi was unaware of the relationship between Li Heng and Zhou Shihe. "You said Shihe comes from that kind of family, can she really cook?"

Wei Xiaozhu said, "Not only can she cook, but her dishes are also incredibly delicious. I've eaten her Huaiyang cuisine and her Hunan cuisine. Her cooking skills are much better than my aunt's."

Wei Sisi asked in confusion, "She can cook Hunan cuisine? She's from Yuhang and can't eat spicy food, how could she do that?"

Wei Xiaozhu said, "Maybe it's because I watched Li Heng cook so many times that I learned from him."

Wei Sisi shook her head: "I hope Li Heng won't be attracted to Shi He, otherwise my worldview will be destroyed, otherwise this will be a disaster."

Wei Xiaozhu asked, "Why do you say that?"

Wei Sisi muttered, "Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe are always inseparable. Are they going to share a husband in the future? Just think about two such beauties, no one can accept that. I don't think the Zhou family will agree. They'll probably cause trouble with Teacher Yu."

Wei Xiaozhu thought to herself: All of this has already happened. Even she is worried about Li Heng. She can't guess the final outcome.

(End of this chapter)