This is what I prayed for you in front of the statue of the Ancestor Master.

Chen Zhi walked Lin Wanwan to her front door.

The hallway light was dim. Lin Wanwan stood by the door, looking at him.

"Go back and get some rest early, you still have to visit relatives tomorrow," Chen Zhi said, reaching out to rub her head.

Lin Wanwan raised her wrist, revealing the red string bracelet.

"You're not allowed to take it off, not even when you shower!" She lifted her chin, her tone playfully bossy.

"I know, I know. As long as I'm alive, the string stays on." Chen Zhi perfunctorily pushed her back inside. "Hurry up and go in, it's cold out."

Watching the security door click shut, Chen Zhi let out a long breath.

He quickly pulled out his phone and switched to WeChat.

First, he replied to Li Zhiyi: [I'm almost at your neighborhood gate. Bundle up, it's windy outside.]

Then, he replied to Pei Ningxue: [Just finished dealing with the relatives at home. I'm heading over to find you now, send me your location.]

The master of time management was officially online.

Chen Zhi stuffed his phone back into his pocket, hailed a cab at the neighborhood entrance, and headed straight for Li Zhiyi's place.

The car pulled up to the gate of Li Zhiyi's residential complex.

Under the yellowish glow of the streetlights, Chen Zhi immediately spotted the figure standing by the flowerbed.

Li Zhiyi was wearing a slightly oversized puffer jacket and a thick scarf wrapped around her neck, hiding more than half of her face.

The tip of her nose was red from the cold. She kept bringing her hands to her mouth to blow warm air on them while doing small stomps on the spot to keep her feet warm.

Chen Zhi walked over and directly reached out with both hands to cup her freezing cheeks.

Startled, Li Zhiyi's shoulders jerked.

Once she saw it was Chen Zhi, her eyes instantly curved into happy crescents.

"You're here."

She didn't pull away; instead, she nuzzled her cheek against Chen Zhi's warm palms.

"Why are you just standing here like a fool? Couldn't you find somewhere out of the wind to wait?" Chen Zhi frowned, grabbing her hands and stuffing them into his own jacket pockets.

"I wanted you to see me the moment you got out of the car," Li Zhiyi said softly, her voice a little nasal.

Chen Zhi's heart softened. He led her across the street. "Come on, let's go get you something hot to drink."

The two arrived at a milk tea shop that was still open.

After ordering two cups of hot milk tea, they found a window seat and sat down.

Chen Zhi didn't waste any time. He reached into his left pocket, pulled out the red string, and dangled it in front of Li Zhiyi's eyes.

Li Zhiyi froze.

She stared at the delicately woven red string in his hand, carefully reaching out with both hands to cradle it in her palms.

"Is this... the token you were talking about?" Li Zhiyi looked up, her eyes brimming with tender affection.

Chen Zhi cleared his throat and, without blushing or skipping a beat, started spouting total nonsense.

"This isn't just any ordinary red string. I specifically went to the Changchun Temple, lined up for two hours, and knelt before the founder's statue to pray for this for you. The old Taoist priest said it's called a true love knot. It will bless us with peace, safety, and a long life together."

Li Zhiyi's eyes instantly turned red.

Having lost her parents at a young age and been raised by her grandparents, what she lacked most was this kind of devoted, unconditional love. Hearing that Chen Zhi had waited in line and knelt to beg for an amulet just for her, she couldn't suppress the overwhelming emotion welling up inside her.

"Chen Zhi... you're so good to me." Li Zhiyi sniffled and offered her left wrist to him. "Put it on for me."

Chen Zhi swiftly tied the red string around her wrist.

As he tied the knot, he silently apologized to the founder of Changchun Temple.

Sorry, Grandmaster. I took the liberty of expanding your business a bit. I hope you don't mind.

Once it was tied, Li Zhiyi examined it from every angle, unable to hide the joy in the corners of her eyes.

She touched the red string on her wrist, her tone completely serious: "Chen Zhi, I'll wear it all the time. I won't even take it off when I shower."

Chen Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

Why did that line sound so familiar?

"Alright, hurry up and drink your milk tea before it gets cold." Chen Zhi quickly changed the subject, pushing the cup with the straw inserted toward her.

After finishing their tea, the two strolled along the tree-lined avenue outside her neighborhood for a while.

They walked for a bit, and just as Chen Zhi figured it was about time, the phone in his pocket vibrated twice right on cue.

He pulled it out and glanced at it; it was the location sent by Pei Ningxue.

"Zhiyi, I have to go." Chen Zhi put his phone away, looking troubled. "There's a cross-border video conference at the company. Several investors are waiting for me to log on."

Hearing this, Li Zhiyi immediately let go of his hand.

"Then hurry up and get to work, don't let me delay your business." Instead of asking him to stay, she urged him on. "Work is important. I'm already so happy that you found time to come see me."

Looking at Li Zhiyi's sensible and sweet demeanor, a rare pang of guilt arose in Chen Zhi's heart.

"I'll come see you again tomorrow." Chen Zhi gave her a hug.

"Mhm, I'll be waiting." Li Zhiyi nodded obediently.

The moment he was out of Li Zhiyi's sight, Chen Zhi instantly dropped the affectionate expression from his face and hailed a passing taxi.

"Driver, Wanda Reign Hotel."

Wanda Reign Hotel, top-floor executive suite.

Chen Zhi stood outside the door, adjusted his expression, and then raised his hand to knock.

The door opened quickly.

Pei Ningxue was wearing a turtleneck knit sweater today, with a cashmere coat draped loosely over her shoulders. Her long legs, wrapped in black stockings, were crossed as she sat on the living room sofa.

She didn't even spare Chen Zhi a glance, just kept scrolling on her phone.

"Boss Chen is certainly a busy man."

Pei Ningxue's red lips parted slightly, her tone laced with mockery.

"It's the second day of the Lunar New Year, and you've kept me waiting from morning until night. What, have you finally finished appeasing Lin Wanwan and Li Zhiyi?"

Chen Zhi didn't change his expression. He took off his long black puffer jacket and casually hung it on the coat rack in the entryway.

He changed into slippers, walked over to sit on the other side of the sofa, poured himself a glass of water, and took a massive gulp.

"Cut the sarcasm," Chen Zhi said, leaning back against the sofa and letting out a long breath. "I was out doing something major today."

"Oh? What major thing?"

Pei Ningxue sneered. "Playing ring toss at the Changchun Temple?"

Chen Zhi nearly spat out the water he had just swallowed.

How did this woman know he went to play ring toss?

Pei Ningxue didn't give him any time to think, sliding her phone directly in front of him.

"The provincial capital is only so big. You were parading around the pedestrian street with a rising A-list actress. Did you really think no one would take pictures?"

Chen Zhi looked down.

The photo had been secretly taken from behind and to the side. In the frame, he had his sleeves rolled up, throwing rings with all his might at a stall, while Lin Wanwan stood next to him laughing uproariously. The two were even wearing matching black and white couple's puffer jackets.

Although the pixels were a bit blurry, anyone who knew them could instantly recognize their figures and side profiles.

He stared at the photo for a full five seconds before suddenly sighing.

That sigh contained three parts helplessness, three parts exhaustion, and four parts the bitterness of being misunderstood.

"Do you think I wanted to play that stupid ring toss?"

Chen Zhi reached up and massaged his temples, his voice deep and solemn.

"It's the second day of the New Year. Every single aunt and uncle came over to the house. Lin Wanwan insisted on dragging me out to get some peace and quiet. The adults from both families were watching us, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't exactly blow up at her in the middle of the street and say I had to go to a hotel to see another woman, could I?"

Pei Ningxue crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at him from above.

"And so? Is that your excuse for giving me the cold shoulder? Shopping with Lin Wanwan, playing ring toss, eating grilled squid, all while leaving me in this hotel to eat takeout?"

"Of course not."

Chen Zhi suddenly sat up straight, looking at Pei Ningxue with incredibly sincere eyes.

"Actually... I only went along with her to the pedestrian street so I could go to Changchun Temple."

Pei Ningxue raised an eyebrow, disbelief written all over her face.

"Why go to Changchun Temple? To draw lots and tell your fortune? To calculate when this sinking ship of yours is finally going to capsize?"

"To pray for this."

Chen Zhi reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the very last red string.

He placed the red string on the coffee table.

Pei Ningxue glanced at it. Just one look, and she almost laughed out of sheer anger.

"Chen Zhi, do you think I'm that easy to fool?" Pei Ningxue pointed at the red string.

"What is this piece of junk? A red string you can buy by the handful for two bucks at a street stall, and you're using it to brush me off? Do I, Pei Ningxue, look like I lack a few bucks' worth of jewelry?"

"Look closely."

Chen Zhi completely ignored her rant and directly held out his left hand.

He pushed up the sleeve of his hoodie, revealing his wrist.

There, prominently worn on Chen Zhi's wrist, was an identical red string.

Pei Ningxue's voice abruptly stopped.

She froze, her gaze darting back and forth between the red string on the coffee table and the one on Chen Zhi's wrist.

"It's a lover's knot from Changchun Temple, consecrated in front of the statue of the founding master."

Chen Zhi stared into Pei Ningxue's eyes, his tone becoming extremely slow, even carrying a hint of imperceptible hoarseness.

"The Daoist priest said that this pair of lover's knots can only be given to the person you care about most in this lifetime."

He pointed to the one on his wrist.

"I wear one."

Then, he pointed to the one on the coffee table.

"You wear the other."

Pei Ningxue's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Chen Zhi knew the timing was perfect; it was time to lay it on thick.

"Do you think this red string was easy to get?"

Chen Zhi gave a bitter smile and leaned back.

"Changchun Temple was packed with a sea of people on the second day of the New Year. While Lin Wanwan was outside eating snacks, I used the excuse of going to the restroom to sneak into the main hall."

"The priest told me that to obtain this lover's knot, one's heart must be sincere. I kowtowed with every step I took, knocking my head all the way from the entrance of the main hall right up to the founding master's praying mat. I climbed exactly ninety-nine steps!"

Chen Zhi spoke with absolute conviction, not even blinking an eye.

"My knees are still bruised! I went through all that just to pray for this 'piece of junk' for you, and you're scorning it?"

Pei Ningxue's eyes completely changed.

She looked at the red string on Chen Zhi's wrist, then looked back at the one on the coffee table.

The chest full of anger she originally harbored was instantly extinguished, leaving only wisps of sweetness spreading across her heart.

"I suppose you still have a bit of a conscience," Pei Ningxue scoffed, snatching the red string off the coffee table.

She sat down next to Chen Zhi, handed the red string over, and raised her chin: "Put it on me."

Chen Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and skillfully tied the red string around her wrist.

Pei Ningxue raised her wrist to take a look. Although her mouth was still complaining that it was ugly to death, the smile in the corners of her eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Chen Zhi, I'm warning you. If you dare take this string off, I'll cut you off," Pei Ningxue threatened viciously.

"Don't worry, as long as I'm alive, the string stays on." Chen Zhi recycled the exact same words he had said to Lin Wanwan.

Pei Ningxue's mood visibly improved.

She took the opportunity to lean against Chen Zhi's shoulder.

"I'll let you off the hook this time."

"However, you left me all alone in the hotel for an entire day. How are we going to settle that score?"

Chen Zhi naturally wrapped his arm around her slender waist; even through her knit sweater, he could feel its soft touch.

"How do you want to settle it?"

Chen Zhi lowered his voice, leaning in close to her ear.

The tips of Pei Ningxue's ears instantly turned red, but her mouth remained unforgiving.

"That depends on your performance tonight."

She tilted her head back, her red lips slightly parted, exhaling a fragrant breath.

The atmosphere instantly became intimate and ambiguous.

A fire stirred in Chen Zhi's heart, and he was just preparing to lower his head and kiss her.

Pei Ningxue suddenly reached out and pressed against his chest, forcefully pushing them apart.

"Wait."

As if suddenly remembering something, Pei Ningxue's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

Chen Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

What now?

Pei Ningxue stood up from the sofa, looking down at Chen Zhi.

"You just said that at Changchun Temple, you kowtowed with every step, climbed ninety-nine stairs, and your knees are still bruised?"

Chen Zhi's scalp went numb.

"Ah... yeah."

He braced himself and answered.

A playful smile curled the corners of Pei Ningxue's mouth. She extended a pale finger and pointed at Chen Zhi's pant legs.

"Words are no proof."

Pei Ningxue looked at him with a beaming smile. "Roll up your pant legs. Let me see those bruised knees of yours."

Holy crap!

Chen Zhi froze completely on the sofa, breaking out in a cold sweat.

From the entrance of Changchun Temple's main hall to the praying mat, let alone ninety-nine steps, there wasn't even a single door threshold. It was entirely flat ground!

Where on earth was he supposed to get bruised knees to show her?!