1987 My Era

Chapter 706
It's raining outside the window.

The rain was light but dense, hanging like silk threads across the entire sky, bringing a welcome coolness to the otherwise sweltering heat.

After working through the night for two consecutive nights, Li Heng slept soundly until around 3:30 pm when he slowly opened his eyes.

He stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking to himself: I wonder if Miss Zhou fully understood what Consort Li said.
Logically speaking, given Comrade Shihe's intelligence, she should have grasped it immediately.

To be honest, this was a question he posed to Miss Zhou, and the answer lay in whether she could cook dinner.

If she cooks dinner, it proves that she's not just doing it unilaterally, that she's still on my side, and that she fully understands.

If she refuses to make dinner, then I may have gone too far with my words today, and I need to consider my next move.

Thinking this, he turned over, put on his shoes, got out of bed, and walked around the first and second floors, inside and out.

The house was very quiet; not even a ghost could be seen, let alone the smell of food coming from the kitchen.

Have I misunderstood something?

Is it still too early? Miss Zhou hasn't arrived yet?
Actually, at this very moment, Zhou Shihe was in the library picking up Mai Sui, planning to go to the vegetable market outside the school. Li Heng stood at the kitchen door for a long time, pondering, before finally going to the washroom.

A few minutes later, he returned to his study on the second floor.

After catching up on a long nap, feeling refreshed, he sat comfortably in his chair, spread out his pen and ink, and prepared to continue writing "The Book of Doomsday".

This time, he was bursting with inspiration, his pen moving like a dragon, the nib of his pen writing non-stop on the white paper without a break, and he wrote more than 4000 words in one go.

Just as he finished writing the first chapter and began writing the second, getting into the swing of things, the study door quietly opened a crack, and Mai Sui silently peeked in with half her head inside.

Seeing that he was engrossed in the world of the book, Mai Sui quietly retreated and gently closed the study door.

Walking up to the sofa, Mai Sui told her best friend, "He's creating something."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shihe picked up a newspaper from the coffee table and casually began to browse through it.

Mai Sui sat down next to him, thought for a moment, and asked, "Shi He, can I ask you something?"

"Mmm," Zhou Shihe hummed softly.

Mai Sui asked, "Your aunt must have guessed about your relationship with Li Heng, right?"

This "auntie" refers to Zhou's mother.

Zhou Shihe nodded and then hummed in agreement.

Mai asked, "Didn't your aunt stop you?"

The reason she asked that question was because Xiao Han, Teacher Yu, and Song Yu were all present during the Dragon Boat Festival. Even a fool could see through the deception and realize that Li Heng was juggling multiple relationships.

This is a place that both piques Maisui's curiosity and causes her concern.

Zhou Shihe paused for a moment, then looked up and met her best friend's gaze. She said calmly, "The only condition is that he marries me."

"Huh?" Mai Sui was both surprised and unsurprised by this.

Surprisingly, the aunt didn't stop Shihe and Li Heng from being together.

Unsurprisingly, given the Zhou family's background, they would never allow Shihe to become Li Heng's mistress.

Mai Sui said understandingly, "Then you should make a decision soon, otherwise it may be too late."

The wheat ear was just a general statement, not referring to anyone in particular, but the two sisters knew exactly who it was.

Zhou Shihe agreed.

After a while, Zhou Shihe suddenly asked, "What's your relationship with his parents like?"

Mai Sui shook her head: "Don't you already know?"

A moment later, Mai Sui realized what was happening and lowered her voice: "You want me to get along better with his parents?"

Zhou Shihe glanced at the study, hesitated for a moment, and said, "My intuition tells me that his parents don't like me very much."

Mai Sui was taken aback: "Really? The first two times they came to Lushan Village, they treated you very well."

Zhou Shihe said, "That was just politeness and courtesy, it was the old man's good manners. But deep down, I guess he was resistant to me."

Maisui blurted out, "You're so perfect, why? Why would they reject you?"

Zhou Shihe remained silent, but her expressive eyes seemed to convey everything: it was precisely because she was too perfect that the old man felt too adrift and insecure.

In other words, the old man was a little wary of her and felt uncomfortable around her.

Mai Sui understood her best friend's gaze and realized her thoughts: she hoped to get along well with Li Heng's parents and then provide Shi He with more opportunities.

In dealing with Li Heng's parents, Shihe is currently far behind Song Yu, Xiao Han, and Teacher Yu.

Therefore, it needs to be remedied.

The breakthrough to make up for it lies in the wheat ears.

Mai Sui was somewhat troubled. "I don't know how to get along with his parents?"

Zhou Shihe smiled gently and said, "No need to rush, Li Heng will make the arrangements."

This was only half the story; the complete statement was: Now that you've had a relationship, Li Heng will find a way to arrange for you to meet his parents.

Mai Sui took a deep breath: "Now that you mention it, I'm suddenly a little nervous."

"Jingle Bell…"

"Ring ring..."

Just as the two were having a heart-to-heart talk, the landline phone on the coffee table rang.

Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe looked at each other in bewilderment. The phone was newly installed this morning, and probably not many people even knew the number. Why would someone call now?

When the phone rang for the fourth time, Mai Sui asked, "Should I answer it?"

Zhou Shihe didn't speak, but looked towards the study.

Sure enough, the next second, the study door opened, and Li Heng, who had been interrupted from writing by the phone call, came out.

Seeing the two women sitting on the sofa, Li Heng asked in bewilderment, "You're here? Then why didn't you answer your phone?"

Wheat Ear said, "I don't know who it is?"

Li Heng paused for a moment, then understood. He quickened his pace, plopped down next to Zhou Shihe, and picked up the white receiver: "Hello, who is this?"

"Manzai, have you had dinner yet?" Tian Run'e's voice came from the other end of the line.

To avoid worrying his mother, Li Heng blurted out, "I've already eaten, Mom. How did you know I installed a phone?"

Tian Run'e smiled and said, "Teacher Yu told me. I spoke with Teacher Yu on the phone earlier; she's in Tokyo now, and she said she wanted to buy me some clothes..."

That makes sense, since the landline was installed by someone sent by Teacher Yu, so it's only natural that they would know the phone number.

It was clear that Tian Run'e was in a particularly good mood.

In particular, the fact that Teacher Yu actually asked her size and wanted to buy her clothes and gifts made the old lady a little flattered.

The living room was quiet at the moment, without any noise. Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe heard every word of their conversation.

Just moments ago, she was talking about the harmonious relationship between the other women and Li Heng's parents, but now she's been proven wrong. Mai Sui reached out and took Shi He's arm, secretly worried.

Seemingly sensing that her best friend was preoccupied, Zhou Shihe smiled slightly at Sui Sui, indicating that everything was alright.

"Ahem." Mentioning another woman in front of one woman is a major taboo. Li Heng was afraid of being killed, so he quickly coughed twice to interrupt his mother's spell.

Tian Run'e indeed stopped showing off and asked with concern, "Manzai, what's wrong? Is your throat sore?"

Li Heng replied, "No, it's just that my throat suddenly felt itchy."

Then, he turned to Mai Sui and said, "Comrade Mai Sui, could you pour me a cup of tea?"

Mai Sui gave him a meaningful look, smiled gently, and got up to pour him tea.

Hearing that Mai Sui was beside her son, Tian Run'e immediately sobered up. She stopped mentioning Teacher Yu and instead asked, "What stage are you and Mai Sui at now? Have you had a relationship...?"

Before she could finish her question, she heard her son's voice on the other end of the phone. However, he wasn't talking to her; he was talking to Zhou Shihe. Li Heng said to Zhou Shihe, "Comrade Shihe, I was in a hurry when I came out, and I left the study window open. The manuscript is on the desk, and it's windy. Could you go and tidy it up for me?"

"Okay." Zhou Shihe smiled and left.

Tian Run'e was completely stumped. After a long while, she asked dumbly, "Is there anyone else around?"

Li Heng said, "No, is there something Mom wants to talk to me about?"

Tian Run'e patted her chest and said with lingering fear, "It's okay. You were so startled that you forgot what happened. I need to catch my breath later."

As she spoke, Tian Run'e asked, "You and Zhou Shihe, this girl?"

Li Heng gave an irrelevant answer: "Maisui is your daughter-in-law."

Tian Run'e froze, her body stiffening, her limbs stiffening. Before she finished speaking, she said earnestly, "Manzai, take it easy. I'll bring you some old hens later, and some of the ginseng that Teacher Yu gave you."

Li Heng: "..."

He suddenly realized: this phone call was probably deliberately lured by Teacher Yu to call his mother, who was worried that he wouldn't be able to control himself on Mai Sui's bed. And Teacher Yu couldn't say much, so she could only move people.

Is Teacher Yu jealous? That's what he's thinking.

She must have been jealous, after all, Teacher Yu is a woman too.

The call wasn't very long. Since Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe were both there, Tian Run'e gave them a few instructions and then tactfully ended the call.

There was no way to leave it unfinished. Tian Run'e was inexplicably afraid of Zhou Shihe and didn't know whether she should talk to these two girls. So she became a deserter.

...

Dinner was great.

There's dry pot duck, river shrimp with chives, braised mandarin fish, golden coin eggs, twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, and a soup.

Li Heng was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected that Miss Zhou would quietly prepare his favorite meal.

Seeing that the two women had already sat down, he asked, "Where are Manning and Ye Ning? Aren't we waiting for them?"

Mai said, "They're having dinner with the student council tonight and won't be coming back for dinner."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng ran to the corner of the kitchen and grabbed a few bottles of beer. "With so many delicious dishes and such a hot day, it would be a shame not to have some drinks with this meal. Would you like some?"

The wheat ear agreed.

Zhou Shihe shook her head.

Seeing that he was staring intently at Shihe, Maisui added, "Shihe is not available today."

Oh, I see. Li Heng understood, and then asked, "How about I go buy you a bottle of soda?"

Zhou Shihe looked up at him but didn't say anything.

But Li Heng turned around and left, got on his bicycle, and returned with several bottles of soda in no time: "They're room temperature, I didn't dare buy you iced ones."

Zhou Shihe said gently, "Thank you."

Li Heng sat down, poured himself and Mai Sui a full glass of beer, raised his glass and said, "Come on, we'll be juniors tomorrow. Half of college has passed in the blink of an eye. Let's have a drink."

Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe were very polite; they picked up their glasses, clinked them together, and then took a big gulp.

After finishing his drink, Li Heng picked out a duck leg and put it in Zhou Shihe's bowl. "You've worked hard today. You're so weak, have a duck leg to help you recover."

Zhou Shihe smiled gently and silently accepted the gesture.

Li Heng then found a second duck leg and put it in Mai Sui's bowl, saying, "Wife, eat."

Mai Sui glanced at her best friend and, seeing that her friend didn't react much to the word "wife," felt relieved: "You've given us all the good stuff, what are you going to eat? You should eat half too."

As she spoke, Maisui offered him half of the duck leg.

Li Heng wouldn't allow it and tried to stop him with his chopsticks.

But Mai Sui felt sorry for him and insisted on giving him half.

In the end, Li Heng couldn't resist and happily ate half of it.

Zhou Shihe glanced at the two lovebirds, picked up a duck leg with her chopsticks, and quietly ate it, taking small bites.

While eating and chatting, after finishing a bottle of beer, Li Heng asked the two women, "Have you read any science fiction novels? Did you understand them?"

The two women exchanged a glance, and Mai Sui said happily, "The subject matter is very novel. Shi He and I were completely engrossed in reading it. How many words did you write in this book?"

Li Heng said, "I don't know, I'll probably just write as I go."

He wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't know.

He didn't intend to plagiarize verbatim, as he felt the original book, *The Book of Doomsday*, was too simplistic. Therefore, he wanted to enrich the storyline based on his experiences from his previous life. The exact number of words added by this revision is impossible to predict.

Zhou Shihe asked, "There are many Western fantasy elements in it. Are you planning to publish it abroad?"

Li Heng nodded: "That's right, Comrade Shihe has a good eye. Just like with the instrumental album, I want Teacher Yu to find a publisher overseas to publish it."

Mai Sui asked with concern, "You're Chinese. In the current climate, will overseas readers buy into this?"

Zhou Shihe was also looking at him.

Li Heng shook his head. "I don't know. But I'm not exactly a complete beginner; I've at least made an appearance with a pure instrumental album. According to Teacher Yu, I'm quite famous overseas, and he wants to use that as a gimmick and a breakthrough to successfully open up the overseas market."

Zhou Shihe pursed her lips and said, "With your background as a musician, it will indeed be much easier and more efficient. At least the differences and conflicts caused by race, system, and nationality shouldn't be a big problem for you. The most crucial thing is the quality of the book."

Li Heng happily raised his glass again: "Thank you for your kind words. Come on, let's have another drink."

Zhou Shihe picked up her soda and clinked it against his.

Li Heng clinked his glasses with the wheat ears again and finished his drink.

The two women were very interested in science fiction, and even Zhou Shihe, who was usually quite calm, joined in the conversation and chatted for a long time. The three of them got carried away and talked for quite a while, and the meal lasted for more than an hour before they parted.

After dinner, Zhou Shihe went to the small building next door to wash up.

Li Heng helped Mai Sui tidy up the dishes and chopsticks, and before leaving, asked, "Do you have any activities planned for tonight?"

Unexpectedly, Mai Sui said with a look of anticipation, "Let's go see a movie."

Li Heng blinked: "The three of us?"

Mai Sui blinked at him, mimicking his expression: "How about we leave Shi He behind and sneak off?"

Teased by her, Li Heng hugged the lovely girl from behind and kissed her cheeks several times. "Sleep with me tonight, okay?"

The wheat stalk said, "No!"

"what?"

Li Heng exclaimed, "I took a nap during the day and I've recovered."

"No, that won't work either. We agreed this morning that you could rest for a few more days." Although Mai Sui was in his arms, she was very stubborn and wouldn't budge no matter how much he pleaded.

Finally, having exhausted all other options, Li Heng simply turned her over and kissed her red lips fiercely. His fleshy member went straight to her core, rendering her speechless.

Seeing his strong desire for revenge, Mai Sui rolled her eyes at him, then nestled obediently against his chest, tilting her head slightly, and the two happily exchanged saliva.

A few minutes later, Zhou Shihe returned, appearing silently at the kitchen door. Seeing the two of them inside, so deeply in love, she felt a strange mix of emotions.

There was no jealousy, but a hint of envy lingered.

But she wasn't as jealous as she had imagined, because she had genuinely accepted Sui Sui.

However, she was still a woman, and seeing the man she loved embracing and kissing her best friend inevitably made her feel awkward and jealous.

She came quietly and left quietly. After leaving Building 26, Zhou Shihe stood in the middle of the alley, looking up at the rain. She had even forgotten to open her umbrella and looked completely bewildered.

The conversation from noon earlier that day involuntarily surfaced in her mind: the empress is the mother of the nation, and Consort Li lacks the magnanimity and virtue to rule the country; if she were to ascend to the throne, she would only bring disaster to the nation and its people.

(End of this chapter)