Pei Yan had timed his trip to Jiangnan for a specific reason: he wanted to celebrate Mei Wanying’s birthday with her.

He had originally thought this wish would go unfulfilled, but he never expected to be so lucky.

Not only could he spend Ah Yin’s birthday with her, but he had also received her forgiveness.

Struck by this wonderful surprise, Pei Yan wanted to throw a grand birthday banquet for Mei Wanying.

’He wanted everyone to know that it was Ah Yin who didn’t want the title of Empress, not that she was unworthy of it!’

Mei Wanying didn’t want all the fuss.

She just wanted her family to be together for a quiet meal.

When Mei Wanying came of age, Pei Yan still hadn’t recognized his own feelings. He avoided her, spending all his days in the army barracks, and failed to discuss marriage with her family at the earliest opportunity.

Later, General Mei passed away, and Mei Wanying observed three years of mourning.

After she left the Capital City, time flew by. Now, their child could already run and jump.

Mei Wanying’s perspective had changed; she no longer felt her own birthday was such an important event.

She didn’t want to host a big celebration, either. It would be too tiring.

She asked Pei Yan, "You came all this way just for this?"

The man hummed in affirmation. "I’ve always regretted not being with you for your birthdays in the past."

The year Ah Yin came of age, he just gave her a gift and left. He wasn’t there for her birthdays in the years that followed, either.

In the blink of an eye, several years had passed.

Time was passing too quickly, so fast that a sense of panic began to grow in Pei Yan’s heart.

He and Ah Yin had truly missed so much.

If he didn’t do certain things now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

"Ah Yin, what do you want?" Pei Yan asked earnestly. "Whatever you desire, I will give it to you."

Pei Yan had brought chests of gold, silver, and jewels from the Capital City, along with the latest fashions in jewelry and clothing...

Mei Wanying loved beautiful things, and Pei Yan was catering to her tastes.

’But he felt it wasn’t enough.’

’Ah Yin didn’t particularly cherish these kinds of things. What he was doing still wasn’t good enough.’

Pei Yan always felt he was indebted to Mei Wanying. As long as she asked, he would grant her wish, even if she asked for the moon and the stars.

The birthday gifts had already been moved to Mei Wanying’s storerooms, and she quite liked them.

She was long past the age of innocent romance; ’these gifts were very practical,’ she thought.

Meeting the man’s focused gaze, Mei Wanying didn’t have the heart to refuse his kind intentions.

After a moment’s thought, she said, "Then give me another peace charm."

Pei Yan had given both Mei Wanying and Ling peace charms that he had personally prayed for at a temple.

Ling’s was still intact and had been well-preserved.

As for Mei Wanying’s... she had burned it to ashes.

Pei Yan was no fool; it only took him a moment to understand what had happened.

’Given how things were before, Ah Yin must have burned everything he’d ever given her.’

Pei Yan wasn’t angry.

He had angered Ah Yin, and it was better for her to vent her frustration than to bottle it up inside.

He said, "In the future, if I make you angry, you can hit me or yell at me. Just don’t take it out on yourself or the peace charm."

"It’s meant to keep you safe, Ah Yin. You have to take good care of it."

Mei Wanying’s beautiful eyes widened as she glared at him. "You’re already planning on making me angry again?"

The man rubbed the tip of his nose. "I don’t."

He was just worried he might do something wrong and inadvertently anger Ah Yin again.

They had known each other for so long that some things didn’t need to be said aloud for Mei Wanying to understand what Pei Yan meant.

Her gaze turned dangerous. "Are you implying... that I’m some kind of petty person?"

Pei Yan was taken aback.

He quickly wrapped his arms around Mei Wanying. "I didn’t say that, and I wasn’t thinking it. You can’t falsely accuse me."

Mei Wanying lifted her chin. "Well, I am petty. So you’d better not do anything to hurt my feelings."

Pei Yan nodded repeatedly. "I’m petty, too. When I go back to the Capital City, you’re not allowed to look at any other men."

He had Gu Xun trapped in the Capital City, unable to come to Jiangnan in search of Ah Yin.

But Pei Yan still wasn’t at ease.

He was afraid that a man more considerate than him would appear and catch Mei Wanying’s eye.

He was confident that he was the one Ah Yin loved.

But if Ah Yin so much as glanced at another man, he would get jealous. ’It would feel like the sky was falling!’

’This man was incredibly petty.’ For once, Mei Wanying didn’t argue with him.

She hummed in agreement. "I won’t."

The corners of Pei Yan’s mouth lifted uncontrollably. "Ah Yin, does this mean you love me very much?"

Just saying the word "love" made Pei Yan’s earlobes flush bright red.

It was a good thing his complexion wasn’t fair, or his entire face would have been beet red.

When he didn’t get a response, Pei Yan’s hand tightened on her slender waist. "Say it, or I’ll kiss you."

’In broad daylight, he was actually saying such indecent things.’

A crimson blush quickly spread across Mei Wanying’s face. "You’ll say anything, won’t you? Have you no shame!"

But Pei Yan wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted.

"Are you going to say it or not?"

Mei Wanying covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes crinkling with amusement.

’She was clearly toying with him!’

Pei Yan clicked his tongue and lowered his head to kiss Mei Wanying.

Suddenly, a gasp came from the doorway.

It was Xue Xingyao.

She had stopped by to give her dear friend a birthday gift before heading to the Xu Family’s residence.

She knew Pei Yan was staying in the old residence, and she figured that for Ah Yin’s birthday, it was best to let the family of three celebrate on their own. She hadn’t intended to disturb them.

Xue Xingyao had been in a hurry and never expected to walk in on such a scene. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

Mei Wanying shoved Pei Yan away, shot him a glare, and hurried over to Xue Xingyao.

She said lamely, "A bug flew into my eye."

Xue Xingyao gave her a knowing, ambiguous smile.

’Does she think I’m a child she can fool so easily?’

She said nothing, but her expression said everything. Mei Wanying’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Not long ago, she had told Ah Yao that she never wanted to see Pei Yan again.

And yet...

’Am I not eating my own words right now?’

Xue Xingyao had been through it all before; she knew how tangled the affairs of the heart could be.

It was normal to think one thing today and something completely different tomorrow.

After all, hadn’t she herself almost forgiven Chen Shujing?

If he hadn’t actively tried to suppress her, she would have eventually compromised, no matter how much his deception had bothered her.

It was Chen Shujing himself who had "woken her up," forcing her to see his callousness and indifference. Only then was she able to walk away without a second thought.

Ah Yin’s situation was different.

Pei Yan would only ever protect Ah Yin; he would never deliberately suppress her or force her to beg for mercy.

Xue Xingyao could understand why Ah Yin chose to forgive him.

They had Ling to consider, after all. Ah Yin was making the right choice.

Now, she had her freedom, as well as Pei Yan’s adoration and protection. On top of that, Ling had been officially named a Princess.

Wasn’t that much better than being a widow with a fatherless child?

Most importantly, Ah Yin was beautiful and wealthy, but she had no father or brothers to protect her. It was the equivalent of a child carrying a bar of gold through a crowded market.

The ones who would scheme against her weren’t limited to her own Mei family relatives.

Her household was full of the old and the young. If she were truly targeted by ravenous wolves, how could Ah Yin possibly fend for herself?

’Yes, this was for the best.’

So thought Xue Xingyao.

Feeling Pei Yan’s stare, she didn’t dare tease Mei Wanying. Instead, she quickly shoved the birthday gift into her hands.

"I have urgent business to attend to, so I won’t disturb you. Please, continue..."

With that, she beat a hasty retreat.

Mei Wanying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "She ran off so fast, you’d think a dog was chasing her."

Pei Yan said, "At least she knows when to make herself scarce."

In the end, he got his way, pulling Mei Wanying into a deep kiss.

The pad of his thumb brushed against her lips. Pressing his forehead to Mei Wanying’s, Pei Yan whispered, "Ah Yin, wait for me."

’He would kneel before heaven and earth, pray to all the gods and buddhas, and bring back the most potent peace charm for Ah Yin.’

’He wanted Ah Yin to be safe and well, year after year, for all the years to come.’