1987 My Era

Chapter 672
Retreat to advance, remain still to control movement.

These eight simple words are the core of wisdom in this pursuit of love.

Looking at her pitiful best friend, Mai Sui knew better than anyone else that Li Heng was simply no match for Shi He's charm.

She understood that when Shihe used this strategy, it was as if she had already won half the battle.

The two women stared at each other for a while, then remained silent.

After a long silence, Zhou Shihe slowly swirled the wine glass in her hand and asked, "Of all his female confidantes, who do you most hope will end up with him?"

Mai Sui said softly, "Your question is deadly."

Zhou Shihe smiled gently but remained silent.

After pondering for a while, Mai Sui said from the bottom of her heart, "If there were a ranking, Song Yu would be first, you second, Zi Jin third, Teacher Yu fourth, and the others would be up to you."

Zhou Shihe asked, "Aren't you afraid of hurting my feelings by arranging it like this?"

Mai Sui appeared quite candid: "If you were my high school classmate or my best friend, I would still put you first."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shihe not only did not blame her, but respectfully clinked glasses with Sui Sui.

After finishing their drinks, the two women looked at each other again, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

After a while, Mai Sui asked, "He has several women, who do you think is the most difficult to deal with?"

Zhou Shihe seemed to have thought about this question long ago, and said without much hesitation: "Song Yu and Xiao Han."

Mai Sui asked in surprise, "No Teacher Yu? No Huang Zhaoyi? I heard the Huang family is quite powerful."

Zhou Shihe said, "You already know why Song Yu is so hard to shake; while Xiao Han has a clever mind, a changeable and unpredictable personality, and is very favored by him."

As for Teacher Yu, she has taken the path of uprightness and honesty, so it's unlikely she'll achieve much in the short term; Consort Huang rarely meets him in public, which I suspect is related to her illegitimate initial rise to power, coupled with her advanced age, probably because she's lost the will to compete. But…”

The conversation abruptly stopped halfway through, and Mai Sui couldn't help but ask, "But what?"

Zhou Shihe pondered for a moment and said, "Precisely because Huang Zhaoyi is old and will soon be an elderly mother, her biggest pursuit is probably not to marry Li Heng, but to get pregnant and give birth."

Mai Sui fell silent for a long time before she came to her senses: "That's only natural. If I were Consort Huang, my greatest wish would probably be to have a child with him as soon as possible."

Zhou Shihe continued her analysis: "If Huang Zhaoyi really had a child early on, the level of danger would increase dramatically."

The wheat ears stared straight at her, listening intently.

Zhou Shihe lowered her eyes and said, "In families like ours, sometimes we are not in control of our own lives. Not everyone is as open-minded as my mother and Shen Xin. Most people prioritize the family's reputation and interests in their words and actions."

Mai Sui understood. "Then what do you think Teacher Yu will do?"

Zhou Shihe said, "No one else is of any use. Unless Song Yu and Xiao Han officially step in to stop it, and the core of the problem still lies with him. Let's see what he thinks."

Mai Sui said, "I can understand Song Yu, but Xiao Han? Xiao Han probably doesn't know about Consort Huang's matter yet."

Zhou Shihe parted her red lips and spoke softly: "Never underestimate your opponent. Especially someone who has successfully snatched food from Song Yu's mouth."

The "successful pursuit of food" here refers to Li Heng's decision after the college entrance examination to give up going to Beijing and instead go to Shanghai to pursue Xiao Han.

The two sisters chatted for most of the day, having beer for lunch, until they stopped talking when they heard a knock on the door downstairs.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

"Ears of wheat, ears of poetry..."

Li Heng's voice could be heard coming from the alley below.

Zhou Shihe gazed at the ears of wheat.

Mai Sui looked at Zhou Shihe.

The two women remained silent, showing no intention of opening the door.

After several unsuccessful knocks, the noise stopped and fell silent.

Just when the two women thought Li Heng had given up, footsteps suddenly came from the stairs.

Without turning around, Zhou Shihe knew who it was. With her perfect pitch, she was extremely familiar with Li Heng's footsteps.

Mai asked, "Is it him?"

"Mmm," Zhou Shihe hummed softly.

After saying that, Zhou Shihe got up and went straight to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

A moment later, Li Heng appeared at the entrance of the second-floor corridor. After looking around, he walked to the sofa and asked, "Wow, you guys didn't invite me to drink, and you even bought so much good food. I'm starving at home."

Wheat looked at him but didn't say anything.

Li Heng's eyebrows twitched, and he walked over and sat down next to her: "Are you still angry with me?"

Mai Sui asked, "Didn't I tell you to stay home and behave yourself? Why did you run out?"

Li Heng was speechless: "I already gave you the answer, I'm starving."

As he spoke, he unceremoniously opened a new bottle of beer and began eating while drinking, completely oblivious to everyone else.

Maisui didn't stop it; she just watched everything unfold.

Halfway through the meal, feeling much better, Li Heng asked, "Is Comrade Shihe in the bedroom?"

Maisui said, "She's drunk and sleeping."

Li Heng asked in a low voice, "Really drunk?"

Mai Sui found it amusing: "How about I leave, giving you space to bang on the bedroom door?"

With that, Mai Sui stood up and left.

Li Heng quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back, saying, "You still have so much food left to eat, let me have some more."

Seeing him wolfing down his food, Mai Sui glanced towards the master bedroom and said, "Take the food with you, I'll make you a bowl of noodles when I get home."

Li Heng's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed. He gathered the vegetables together and left with the wheat.

When they got downstairs and were leaving the courtyard, Mai Sui examined the door lock for a while before finally asking, "The lock was intact, and the bolt wasn't damaged. How did you get in?"

Li Heng chuckled and said, "Everyone has their own expertise; this is just a minor skill."

Mai Sui asked, "You're learning this just so you can get into women's beds, right?"

Li Heng: "..."

He knew that the girl in front of him was still somewhat angry with him, so he wisely chose to pretend not to hear and avoid provoking her.

They returned to Building 26 one after the other. Mai Sui went into the kitchen to make noodles.

Well, that's about all the cooking skills she has. Cooking noodles is her specialty, because she usually only buys the same type of noodles. After asking Shihe for tips on cooking techniques and heat control, she sets a timer.

When the time is up, just scoop out the noodles.

When a bowl of noodles was served, Li Heng asked, "You haven't had any staple food either, have you? Why don't you eat some with me?"

The wheat stalk said, "I'm not hungry."

Li Heng ignored her and used his chopsticks to pick up the first mouthful of noodles, bringing it to her lips.

Mai Sui glanced at the noodles, then at him, and asked, half seriously and half teasingly, "I've never seen you like this before. Now you know how to please me?"

Li Heng blinked and brought the noodles closer: "Look at what you're saying. You're my wife, Mai Sui, so I can't even try to please you all the time?"

When Mai Sui heard him address her differently for the first time, she thought she had misheard. "What did you just call me?"

Li Heng leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the corner of her lips, his tone even more intimate: "Wife." Mai Sui stared blankly into his eyes.

After a long while, her red lips finally parted slightly, and she ate the noodles from the corner of her mouth.

Seeing this, Li Heng worked even harder, feeding him four more chopsticks of noodles.

After finishing her fourth bite, Mai Sui's attitude softened: "I'm full, you can eat by yourself."

"Hey." Li Heng happily started eating.

During this time, two drops of noodle soup fell onto his clothes. Mai Sui got up and took a wet towel. She held his clothes with her left hand and wiped them with the towel with her right hand. "You're 20 years old, and you're still as clumsy as a child. How could I have ever fallen for you?"

With his mouth full of food, Li Heng asked with a muffled laugh, "Regret it?"

Mai Sui said, "Not really. I just feel mentally exhausted and don't want to have children in the future."

Li Heng abruptly stopped eating, turned to look at her, and then asked with a serious expression, "Why did you have this idea? When did you have it?"

Mai Sui wasn't scared by him. She complained softly, "You're harder to take care of than a child. If I have children in the future, how will I have the energy to take care of you?"

Upon hearing this, Li Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm a grown man, I won't die if I live a rough life."

Mai Sui joked, "That's true. Didn't you say you wanted to keep me by your side at all times? If I don't serve you well, what will happen when your first wife, second wife, and third wife all spit on me?"

What seemed like a joke actually revealed the unease in Maisui's heart.

It also concealed her probing.

To test whether his original intentions have changed.

To be honest, she's under a lot of pressure right now. With Song Yu in front and Shi He behind, she's starting to doubt her own charm and worries that he might get tired of her one day.

Actually, she was overthinking it. Her inner charm was constantly growing, and when she reached her peak, she would be just as charismatic as Song Yu and Zhou Shihe.

However, people often fail to see their own strengths, but instead grasp their weaknesses clearly. Moreover, she had just returned from her hometown and hadn't fully recovered from her relationship with Li Heng and Shi He, so it was inevitable that she would feel somewhat anxious and uncertain.

Li Heng looked down at the woman meticulously wiping away the red oil. At one moment, he put down his chopsticks and reached out to embrace her.

He apologized with utmost sincerity, saying, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Upon hearing his apology again, the kind-hearted Mai Sui paused, then rested her head on his shoulder and said, "I really want to prick you with the needle in my hand. Of all people to mess with, you had to go and mess with Shi He. Now I don't have any true friends left."

Li Heng said, "Sun Manning and Ye Ning are both your friends."

Mai Sui tilted her head slightly in his arms, smiled sweetly, and said, "If they were prettier, would they still be friends?"

Li Heng retorted, "Nonsense! Isn't Comrade Xiaozhu pretty enough? Isn't she your friend?"

The wheat stalk seemed to want to say something but then fell silent.

Li Heng pressed his forehead against hers and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Mai Sui slowly closed her eyes and said softly, "I'm so tired. Hold me tighter, I want to sleep in your arms."

She was really exhausted. Her grandfather had just passed away, and she was emotionally fragile. Now that she was back, she had to clean up his messes. Suddenly, she just wanted to snuggle up in this man's arms for a while.

"Okay." Upon hearing this, Li Heng simply scooped her up with both hands and held her in his arms.

In an instant, the living room became completely silent.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, Li Heng suddenly whispered in her ear, "Go to sleep, and when you wake up, be the confident Mai Sui you used to be, the Mai Sui I want to take with me wherever I go."

Receiving the promise before going to sleep, Mai Sui felt at ease and fell into a deep sleep, drifting off to sleep.

She had a dream.

I dreamt that I gave birth to a son and a daughter for Li Heng, and that I was chasing after them in the courtyard to feed them, which was quite distressing.

He, however, was like a magistrate, leisurely flipping through the newspaper on the swing, occasionally picking a grape and putting it in his mouth, and sometimes saying, "Wife, don't talk about my daughter, give that disobedient boy a good spanking."

Mai Sui rolled her eyes at him. Her son was her mother-in-law's darling, and her daughter was her husband's precious jewel. She couldn't afford to offend either of them.

Mai Sui slept soundly, a smile playing on her lips.

Li Heng then carefully carried her to the bed, lay down fully clothed, and continued to hold her.

Around 4:30 pm, Mai Sui woke up, opened her eyes and saw him, asking, "What time is it?"

Li Heng glanced at his watch. "4:27."

Mai Sui felt dizzy and confused. "I slept for more than three hours?"

Li Heng rolled over onto her, asking, "Have you had enough sleep?"

Mai Sui felt his unusually robust physique and her face flushed instantly: "You're having impure thoughts while I'm sleeping?"

"Please! Don't you know how beautiful and charming you are? I'm a man of vigor, after all." Li Heng rubbed his nose against hers.

After rubbing their noses together for a while, the atmosphere in the bedroom became incredibly intimate. Gradually, the rubbing spread from their noses to all parts of their bodies. Neither of them spoke, enjoying the indescribable bliss.

In a fleeting moment, their eyes met and they kissed.

This kiss, so passionate and lingering, lasted for more than ten minutes, with its coming and going.

Li Heng whispered, "Your body is softer than cotton, I think."

Mai Sui didn't respond immediately, but after more than ten seconds, she gave a muffled and shy "hmm".

Li Heng asked in surprise, "Huh?"

The wheat stalks became even more shy and hummed in agreement again.

Li Heng became somewhat agitated, his right hand involuntarily reaching inside her clothes, his eyes fixed on her, thinking: After going back, Mai Sui has changed her ways?

Or perhaps, after a long talk with Song Yu, he resolved his inner conflict?
At this moment, his eyes were sharp and gleaming, and he looked like he wanted to devour someone. Mai Sui didn't dare to look him in the eye and turned her head away, closing her eyes.

With her tacit approval, Li Heng became even more excited. As his hands lingered over her body, his sense of accomplishment surged wildly.

Mai Sui's face was flushed with the radiance of spring. She opened her hazy, alluring eyes, biting her lip as she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

She had already prepared herself mentally.

But he suddenly stopped.

Li Heng hugged her and kissed her on the forehead, saying, "Grandpa just passed away, we have a long future ahead of us."

Mai Sui was deeply moved, and all her distracting thoughts vanished instantly. She nestled in his arms and said, "I thought you had suddenly lost interest in me."

"How could that be? Reach out and touch it." Li Heng grabbed her hand, wanting to reach for a certain mysterious place.

As if guessing what mischief he was planning, Maisui instinctively shrank back and said tenderly, "No."

Li Heng tried twice, but Mai Sui firmly disagreed, so he had to give up in the end.

Just as he was about to inquire about his hometown in Shaodong, he heard Sun Manning and Ye Ning shouting from downstairs.

"Wheat Ear! Wheat Ear! Open the door for me!"

With his beloved in his arms, Li Heng had no intention of letting go. "Ignore them."

Mai Sui said, "Oh, I remember now. When they went shopping, I asked them to bring me some things back."

Li Hengshun asked, "What is it?"

Wheat said, "Things for women."

Li Heng reluctantly let go of her, complaining, "Hey, it's a good thing we didn't communicate properly just now, otherwise... Ouch, when did you learn to hit people?"

Mai Sui blushed and patted him lightly before fleeing in panic.

(End of this chapter)