1987 My Era

Chapter 698
After lunch.

Li Lan personally drove her younger brother to the airport. Tian Run'e and Li Jianguo, the couple, didn't go; instead, they went to help out at the pastry shop.

Chen Zijin didn't go to see him off either, because her husband wouldn't allow it, saying she should stay home and "rest peacefully during her pregnancy." She was both amused and exasperated, not even knowing if she was pregnant. In the end, she couldn't resist and went to the pastry shop with her in-laws, just to clear her head.

When they passed a newsstand, Li Heng called for the car to stop, got out, and bought several newspapers.

Li Lan glanced outside and said, "Congratulations, brother. Your new book seems to be selling quite well. There have been lines of people buying it at Xinhua bookstores everywhere these past few days."

Li Heng had been busy spending time with Song Yu and Zi Jin and hadn't paid much attention to what was happening outside. "How are the sales?"

Li Lan retorted, "Didn't you read the news yourself?"

Before he could reply, she realized, "Oh, right, you've been so busy making babies, you really don't have the energy for that."

Li Heng: "..."

Li Lan asked Tian Run'e a similar question, "If Zijin were pregnant, would you prefer a boy or a girl?"

These words reminded him of his past life.

In her past life, Zijing's first child was a girl, and her second was a boy; the siblings were two and a half years apart.

I wonder if things will still follow the original order in this lifetime? Women first, then men?
Are the children in this life still the same as the babies in the previous life?

At different times, in different cells, the child in this life may not be the child in the previous life... Thinking about this, Li Heng felt inexplicably depressed.

In his past life, although he didn't marry Zijing, Zijing's children were quite filial to him, and the family had a very good relationship.

Three years have passed since his rebirth, and he suddenly felt an overwhelming longing for his children from his previous life: How are they doing? Are they alright?
After waiting a while without receiving a reply, Li Lan asked, "What's wrong? Are you having trouble?"

Li Heng slowly came to his senses and said, "No, I don't care if it's a boy or a girl, I'm not picky."

Li Lan glanced at him: "You're not picky. But if Zijing is really pregnant, many people will be secretly paying attention. I think Zijing probably hopes to have a boy."

These words made him fall into deep thought.

Li Lan was worried for him, saying, "Letting Zijing get pregnant now isn't a very mature idea. Have you thought about how Zhou Shihe and Yu Shuheng would react if they found out? Would things fall apart? Would they leave you?"

Li Heng replied, "What you said is true. But Zijing is my woman. Like you said, I have already wronged her. I can't let her down again because of the child. So I won't think about it too much."

Li Lan said, "You do seem to cherish old friendships."

Li Heng looked ahead. "Zijin means something special to me, something different. If it weren't for the Chen family interfering, would I have been able to choose between marrying her or Song Yu?"

Li Lan was surprised: "I didn't expect Zijing to hold such a high place in your heart. You still have some conscience."

Then she asked, "By the way, you mentioned Song Yu and Zi Jin, but why didn't you mention Xiao Han?"

Li Heng remained silent. He couldn't tell his second sister that Xiao Han was his wife in his past life, so naturally he would prioritize Song Yu and Zi Jin in this life.

However, it's only a priority; he still loves his cunning wife very much and will try his best not to let her down in this life.

Upon arriving at the airport, Li Lan parked the car on the side of the road: "Brother, you can go wait for your flight yourself. I won't get out of the car. I have some things to take care of back home."

Li Heng nodded: "Okay, drive carefully on the road."

He opened the door, got out of the car, waved goodbye, and turned to walk towards the airport.

Around 3 p.m., a plane took off from Beijing. During the climb, Li Heng felt a little uncomfortable in his stomach, but he gradually felt better once he reached the stratosphere.

Just as he calmed himself down and was about to open the newspaper he had bought, he noticed that the uncle sitting next to him was also reading a newspaper. The headline read: "Revealing the Wealth Secrets Behind the Bestseller 'Dust Settles'!"

Wow! That's quite a unique title.

With his good eyesight, he could read ten lines at a glance through his sunglasses and quickly finished reading the news content.

In just 20 days, "Dust Settles Down" sold 381 million copies!

Wow, that's terrifying speed! That's terrifying growth!
That's fucking terrifying! It scared him to death!
The article analyzes that the reason why the legendary author's new book in December is so popular is still related to his reputation.

"To Live", "A Cultural Journey" and "White Deer Plain" have helped author December build a reputation and a wall, leading many readers to evolve from initial support to their current fervent attitude.

As the article says, with such a solid foundation, even if a new book in December is a complete disaster, many people will still buy it. That's the power of "faith." Besides, *Dust Settles* is a rare gem; the legendary author continues to write his legend!

After quickly reading the article, Li Heng couldn't help but think of a saying: "Anything produced by Blizzard is bound to be a masterpiece."

Because World of Warcraft was so successful, even though Blizzard Entertainment later released many terrible games, countless fans still bought tickets for it out of nostalgia.

Li Heng's reputation is similar to that of the game company Blizzard in some ways, sharing a remarkable similarity.

The middle-aged man felt his gaze, turned his head to look at him, saw that he was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, and assumed he was a celebrity, and instantly lost interest.

Well, he'd been ignored. Li Heng chuckled to himself, looked away, and opened the newspaper he'd bought to read.

Because "Dust Settles" is so popular and has such a wide audience, many media outlets and newspapers are now discussing the topic. Even if you just randomly flip through a newspaper, you can find news related to yourself.

Li Heng skimmed through eight or nine news articles and found that most of them supported him, but there were also disparaging voices.

Those people keep repeating the same reason for belittling themselves: saying that "Dust Settles Down" is not as good as "White Deer Plain," and that their writing skills have declined significantly.

Having been in the industry for several years, Li Heng is now a seasoned veteran and has long been accustomed to the insults and criticisms. After reading two more news reports related to himself, he closed the newspaper and dozed off.

He opened the valve seven times yesterday afternoon and evening, which took a toll. Although he's not seriously injured, he's taking precautions to get his body in good shape and stay at his peak condition.

Well, staying at his peak forever might be a bit unrealistic, but based on his past life experiences, he was still full of energy even after the age of 55.

Xiao Han, Song Yu, and Zi Jin were still no match for him.

However, on the other hand, this life is different from the previous one. There is an extremely charming woman named Mai Sui in this life, which makes him both look forward to it and want to prepare himself mentally as soon as possible.

Perhaps, Mai Sui's resilience alone is comparable to that of the three scheming wives, and maybe even more.

Lost in a jumble of thoughts, more than two hours passed before I knew it, and we arrived in Shanghai.

Following the flow of people out of the airport, Li Heng spotted Yu Shuheng near the exit gate.

She was dressed in a cool black outfit, tall and slender, with a strong scholarly air. She stood out from the crowd, making everyone around her pale in comparison.

Li Heng walked over and habitually called out, "Teacher, you've come."

Yu Shuheng nodded and asked with a warm smile, "Why did you bring so many newspapers?"

Li Heng said, "I was afraid I would be bored, so I bought some to pass the time on the plane."

With so many people around, the two exchanged a few brief words and then tacitly headed out of the airport.

A short while later, the two got into the Mercedes and left the place.

After driving for about four or five miles, the car suddenly turned onto a small road and stopped beside a clump of thatch.

Li Heng was stunned, thinking, "Is my teacher going to kill someone? He's already chosen a place to dump the body?"
This absurd thought was just the beginning when a mocking voice came from beside me: "What are you thinking about?"

Li Heng turned his head to look at her: "What kind of operation is this? This isn't like you."

Yu Shuheng stretched and muttered, "I'm a little tired," before collapsing back in her chair to rest.

Li Heng scrutinized her for a while, and after a long time, he tried to peek over.

Yu Shuheng looked at the head so close to hers, smiled, and remained silent.

After gazing at each other for a moment, Li Heng, quite knowingly and tactfully, kissed her.

Yu Shuheng didn't back down, and slightly opened her mouth to cooperate. Red tongues intertwined, and before long, both mouths were soaked.

As time went on, Yu Shuheng's body became increasingly weak, and her breathing became more and more rapid. At one point, she pulled away from his mouth, stroked his face with her right hand, and said softly, "Little man, I've been jealous these days."

Li Heng realized that the woman in front of him was truly jealous.

She wasn't jealous of Mai Sui, Xiao Han, Huang Zhaoyi, or Chen Zijin. But she was always jealous of Song Yu, Zhou Shihe, and Wang Runwen.

Li Heng didn't say anything to comfort her. He reached out and helped her unbuckle her seatbelt, then opened the door, got out of the car, carried her out, and walked into the depths of the reeds.

Yu Shuheng, who was being carried in a princess carry, smiled gracefully and hooked her arms around his neck: "Little brother, what are you doing?"

Li Heng looked around: "I need to find a good spot to dig a well for my teacher." Although she knew he was just making things up, Yu Shuheng showed a rare shyness, and her body felt hot. "Don't go any further in. There are snakes in the grass this time of year."

Li Heng whispered in her ear, "Is the teacher afraid of snakes?"

Yu Shuheng pinched his neck with her right hand and stared at him intently with her deep, dark eyes.

After a long pause, she finally spoke up jokingly: "I once saw a news report that said a snake's venom reserves are limited. Biting two people in a short period of time, it should have used up all its venom!"

Li Heng didn't respond, but just looked at her with a meaningful smile.

As they stared at each other, Yu Shuheng, who had initially been exuding confidence and holding an absolute advantage, gradually began to show signs of weakness. In the end, she turned her head away guiltily and looked elsewhere, finally giving up.

She had no choice but to accept defeat; this man had already shown her with his actions what true vitality and enduring energy meant!
"It might rain, let's get back in the car." After a long standoff, seeing that he deliberately didn't move, she finally gave in and said this.

"Alright!" Li Heng replied happily, as if he had won a battle, and carried her back to the Mercedes-Benz.

However, instead of going back to the front row, we went to the back row.

As soon as the car door closed, Li Heng ignored everything and lowered his head to find those intellectual red lips, immersing himself in an intimate embrace.

Yu Shuheng wrapped his arms around her neck and entwined with her, also moved by the moment.

After a long kiss, Yu Shuheng grabbed his hand that was trying to slip inside her clothes, shook her head and said, "That's enough, I'm not used to being in the car."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng respected her greatly, decisively withdrew his hand, sat up straight, and asked, "When did you return from Tokyo, teacher?"

Yu Shuheng said, "The day before yesterday."

Li Heng asked, "Where is Teacher Wang?"

Yu Shuheng said, "She took a plane to Beijing at noon to report to Wang Ye."

Li Heng was taken aback: "Noon?"

Yu Shuheng said, "Yes, the plane took off 3 hours ago, and they should have met up with Wang Ye by now."

As she spoke, she tossed her hair down with her right hand and asked teasingly, "What, disappointed that you didn't see Runwen's sexy figure?"

Li Heng rolled his eyes, lay down, and snuggled into her arms, saying, "Don't stir things up, or I'll teach you a lesson today."

Yu Shuheng smiled at him, holding him in her arms like a baby, and whispered in his ear after a long while, "I really like you like this."

Li Heng asked, "What?"

Yu Shuheng said, "Lie in my arms."

Li Heng smirked smugly.

Yu Shuheng understood and, after a brief, tentative kiss, took the initiative to kiss him for a short while.

Two minutes later, she pulled away from his lips, her eyes brimming with tears, and asked, "Are you satisfied?"

Li Heng gave him an approving look: "You've made progress. Congratulations on getting through the beginner phase."

Looking at each other, Yu Shuheng smiled and said, "You've taken advantage of me so many times, even if I were a block of wood, I would have learned how to do it."

Li Heng rolled over, positioning his head against her lower abdomen, and asked, "How was your trip in Tokyo?"

Yu Shuheng said, "The gains have been substantial. Hengyuan Capital's profits in the stock market have already exceeded $1.7 million. $2 million is just around the corner."

Li Heng calculated the time; there were still a few months until the end of the year, and he thought to himself that that would be the final frenzy.

He then asked, "How are Lao Fu and Sister Chen doing?"

Yu Shuheng said, "Siya's health has improved somewhat, but she hasn't stopped taking the medication and is still quite thin, much worse than before."

Old Fu is very busy, shuttling between the company and home. However, his mental state is much better now, and he even cracks jokes occasionally.

"That's good. They say that those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune. Maybe Sister Chen has driven away all the bad luck in her life and will live to be a hundred." Li Heng was happy for them.

Yu Shuheng hummed in agreement: "Yes, I hope so. Siya has indeed suffered a lot."

Then she thought for a moment and asked, "Where are we going to spend the Chinese New Year this year?"

Li Heng looked up: "The New Year is still a long way off, why is the teacher asking about this?"

They gazed at each other, and Yu Shuheng spoke her mind: "I want to spend the New Year with you."

Last year, she was originally staying at the Li family's house, but in order to avoid Xiao Han, she went to Wang Runwen's house for the New Year.

This year, she wants to spend the Lunar New Year with this man.

Of course, the Chinese New Year was just a pretext. It was more of a test.

To test how far his relationship with Song Yu and Chen Zijin had progressed during his trip to Dongting Lake and the capital.
To test whether he had ever considered having a relationship with her?
This is a way to test whether one's position in his heart has changed or risen.
This is such a frustrating problem. I promised Zijing yesterday that if she got pregnant, I would spend the New Year with her in the capital this year.

Li Heng hesitated for a moment, then said with an apologetic look, "I might spend the New Year in the capital."

Yu Shuheng was surprised, but quickly regained her composure and asked astutely, "Why is it 'possible'?"

Li Heng said, "Because I haven't made a final decision yet."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shuheng's eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly. This answer was out of character for a man like him: he had always seemed easy to get along with, always smiling, but in reality, he was extremely opinionated and not easily bound by others. And now he was using "possibly?"
Could it be related to Chen Zijin?
In the capital, it should be related to Chen Zijin.

A woman who has been neglected for a long time has now been revived. Is there a secret behind this?

Yes, in Yu Shuheng's eyes, or in the eyes of Li Heng's other confidantes: Chen Zijin has always been unassuming, not as favored as Song Yu, not as noticeable as Xiao Han, not as close to him as Mai Sui every day, and not as irresistibly charming as Zhou Shihe. Like an ancient concubine who was once favored by the emperor but was then banished to the cold palace, almost all her competitors have gradually ignored her.

But now, Li Heng says he might stay in Beijing for the New Year.

Something strange about this place suggests that something unspeakable may have happened recently.

Of course, none of the women dared to ignore Chen Zijin, after all, she was Li Heng's childhood sweetheart, his first love, and his first woman. Anyone who dared to ignore her would be asking for trouble.

This "ignoring" is, in a sense, a benchmark against the degree of potential threat.

However, Yu Shuheng has always been quite doting on the man in her arms. Even if she had doubts, she didn't want to pry into the matter. She just secretly made a note of it and decided to pay more attention to Chen Zijin's movements later.

As the old saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Although she had no intention of framing anyone, she still needed to have an accurate assessment of the basic situation, since her ultimate emotional desire was to marry Li Heng.

Yu Shuheng didn't dwell on the topic of the Lunar New Year. Instead, she said, "I originally wanted to come before the start of the semester, but it's too late now. How about National Day? You can come home with me when you have some free time. Dad really likes your new book."

This was something that had been promised before summer vacation, and now that the matter had been brought up again, Li Heng naturally wouldn't refuse: "Okay."

With his approval, Yu Shuheng's expression softened a bit, and she said with a smile, "Oh right, I forgot to congratulate you. In my mother's words: Not bad! Your new book is selling very well. My son-in-law has a bright future."

Li Heng was very pleased to hear this, and said, "Please thank Auntie for me."

Yu Shuheng tilted her head and looked at him.

Li Heng immediately changed his tune: "Please thank Mom for me."

Yu Shuheng hummed in agreement, glanced at her watch, and said, "It's starting to rain outside, and it's getting late. Let's go home first."

Li Heng looked outside and saw that a light drizzle had started falling outside the window. Although it wasn't heavy, the ground was already wet.

Yu Shuheng said, "I checked the weather forecast last night. There will be thunderstorms and heavy rain in the evening. Let's go."

"Eh."

Li Heng responded and sat up, saying, "I'll drive. I plan to go to Editor-in-Chief Liao's house first."

Yu Shuheng said, "Your new book is selling so well, and you haven't been seen for a long time, so you really should go and visit."

After saying that, the two returned to the front seat, and Li Heng started the car, drove out of the bushes, and sped towards Xuhui.

Passing through Jing'an and entering Xuhui, Yu Shuheng asked, "Should we buy some gifts?"

Li Heng said, "Okay, I'm familiar with the department stores here. We'll talk about it over there."

(End of this chapter)