The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

Pei Ningxue thought this day would come to an end at the coffee shop on Wukang Road.

After all, when Chen Zhi mentioned "the last gift," she had several guesses—a private dinner on the Bund? A private event at a Michelin-starred restaurant? Or something else she couldn't even imagine?

But she didn't expect that Chen Zhi would take her hand and lead her all the way from Wukang Road to Shiliupu Wharf.

"What are you doing here?"

Pei Ningxue stood by the dock, the river breeze loosening a few strands of her neatly styled low bun, and lifting a corner of her cheongsam.

Chen Zhishun took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Pei Ningxue adjusted the collar of her coat and looked up at him.

"What are you doing at the dock?"

"walk."

Chen Zhi made up a story on the spot and took her hand, leading her into the interior of the dock.

The Shiliupu Wharf was bustling at night, with tourists queuing everywhere for sightseeing cruises. Pei Ningxue thought Chen Zhi was going to buy tickets, but Chen Zhi pulled her across the long queue and headed to the VIP exclusive berth at the very back.

A three-story luxury yacht was quietly moored in the berth.

It was pure white, and the warm yellow ambient lights on the deck were all lit up, casting a halo of light into the dark river water.

A captain in uniform stood by the gangway and immediately went to greet the two men as they approached.

"Mr. Chen, Ms. Pei, good evening. The flight route application is complete, and we can depart at any time."

Pei Ningxue stopped and turned to look at Chen Zhi.

When did you charter the boat?

"Last night," Chen Zhi said, leading her up the gangway, "when you were snoring."

"You're the one who snores!"

Pei Ningxue subconsciously retorted, pinching his waist, but she could barely suppress the smile on her lips.

The two walked onto the open-air deck on the second floor of the yacht.

With a deep roar from the engine, the yacht slowly left the berth and headed towards the center of the Huangpu River.

The river surface widened.

The neon lights of Lujiazui shimmered like golden scales on the river. The Oriental Pearl Tower and the Shanghai Tower, those towering buildings, looked particularly magnificent in the night.

A small round table was set up on the deck. The waiter had already decanted the red wine, poured it into two stemmed glasses, and then very tactfully retreated to the lower cabin.

Only the two of them remained on the entire second deck.

Chen Zhi picked up two glasses of red wine and handed one to Pei Ningxue.

Pei Ningxue took the wine glass, walked to the edge of the deck, and leaned against the white railing. The river breeze made her hair a little messy, and the silver hairpin that held her low bun in place gleamed faintly in the night.

She lowered her head and took a sip of red wine.

"Chen Zhi".

"Um?"

"Isn't this considered extravagance?" Pei Ningxue swirled her wine glass. "Although you have money now, the company is burning through cash very quickly every day. You might as well use this money to poach a few more people."

Chen Zhi leaned against the railing next to her, tilting his head to look at her.

"President Pei, you're off today, so you're not allowed to mention the company's accounts."

"snort."

Pei Ningxue gave a haughty snort and took another sip of wine.

Whether it was the aftereffects of the red wine or the river breeze, a faint blush rose on her cheeks, and her eyes became somewhat unfocused.

She turned around, leaned against the railing, and looked at Chen Zhi.

"My feet hurt."

She wore five-centimeter high heels today, paired with that moon-white cheongsam. She'd been walking with Chen Zhi on Wukang Road for half a day, and her heels were already blistered and red.

Chen Zhi put down his wine glass and prepared to squat down to help her check.

Pei Ningxue simply lifted her foot and kicked off both of her high heels.

The shoe rolled twice on the deck and stopped next to the round table.

She was barefoot, stepping on the wooden deck, the river breeze lifting the hem of her suit jacket.

Pei Ningxue took two steps forward and stood in front of Chen Zhi.

She reached out and placed her hands on Chen Zhi's shoulders.

"Dance with me."

Chen Zhi was stunned for a moment.

"There's no music."

"No music is needed."

Without saying a word, Pei Ningxue pulled Chen Zhi's right hand and placed it on her waist, then put her left hand into his left hand.

Chen Zhi doesn't know how to dance a waltz at all, and Pei Ningxue is obviously only a novice.

The two of them were on the deck of the yacht sailing in the middle of the Huangpu River, listening to the sound of the river water lapping against the hull, and awkwardly swaying their feet.

"You stepped on me," Pei Ningxue complained.

"You bumped into me yourself."

"Chen Zhi, don't you have any gentlemanly manners?"

"Does being a gentleman mean standing still and letting you step on me?"

"Ouch—you stepped on me again!"

Enraged, Pei Ningxue lifted her bare foot and stomped heavily on Chen Zhi's leather shoes.

Chen Zhi did not dodge.

After Pei Ningxue finished stepping on him, she leaned forward and buried her face in his chest.

Chen Zhi tightened his grip on her waist.

The two stopped spinning around and simply held each other, swaying gently in the night breeze.

The lights of Lujiazui receded behind them.

A deep, muffled chime suddenly rang out from the Jianghai Customs Building in the distance.

"when--"

The sound traveled across the river and reached the yacht.

Pei Ningxue's body stiffened slightly.

"Chen Zhi, what time is it?"

Chen Zhi raised his left hand and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

It's twelve o'clock.

Pei Ningxue's voice lowered even further.

"Once midnight passes, my borrowed holiday for today will be over."

She looked up and met Chen Zhi's eyes.

The river breeze made her eyes a little red.

"After midnight, I'll be the CFO of Deep Space Technology again. I'll have to deal with those difficult investors and look at those endless reports."

She paused for a moment, then a self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips.

"And also, I'm going to become Pei Ningxue again, the one I can only see at night."

Cinderella's spell is about to be broken.

The eighteen-year-old girl who ate pan-fried dumplings in the alley, rode the carousel at Disneyland, and tried on cheongsams in the old villa is about to put on the identity of "President Pei" again.

Chen Zhi felt a pang of sadness when he saw her trying so hard to suppress her disappointment.

He released his grip on Pei Ningxue's left hand and reached into his pocket.

"Pei Ningxue," Chen Zhi called her name.

He pulled a dark blue velvet box out of his pocket.

Chen Zhi did not kneel down on one knee, but calmly opened the box lid with one hand.

There was only a plain platinum band ring with a few extremely simple streamlined patterns engraved on the surface.

He picked this out at the counter yesterday afternoon at Hang Lung Plaza while Pei Ningxue was in the restroom.

Chen Zhi took out the ring and held it between his fingers.

He took Pei Ningxue's right hand in his.

Pei Ningxue's fingers were trembling slightly. She thought Chen Zhi was going to put the ring on her ring or middle finger, after all, that was the usual script for all love stories.

But Chen Zhi did not.

He steadily pushed the plain ring onto Pei Ningxue's index finger.

The index finger represents independence, career, and self.

Pei Ningxue lowered her head, staring at the cool metal ring that had appeared on her index finger, and froze on the spot.

"I don't like those fancy things, and neither do you," Chen Zhi said, looking into her eyes.

"This ring isn't meant to tie you to the house and make you some kind of virtuous wife and loving mother."

"Yesterday at Disneyland, you said you wanted to meet me first in your next life."

"I'm telling you today, whether it's this life or the next, whether you're that eighteen-year-old girl who's afraid of roller coasters or the eldest daughter of the Pei family."

Chen Zhi gripped her hand, the one with the ring on it.

"You will always be the co-pilot of the Deep Space Technology aircraft carrier."

The clock on the Jianghai Customs Building just struck its last chime.

Pei Ningxue stared at the ring on her index finger, her vision blurring. A tear slid down her cheek and landed on Chen Zhi's hot hand.

Pei Ningxue raised her hand and hastily wiped the corner of her eye.

She stopped crying and smiled, then put her hands back on Chen Zhi's neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his lips.

This was a kiss filled with endless longing.

The river breeze was still blowing, and the yacht left a long white trail on the river.

After a long while, Pei Ningxue released him and took half a step back.

She pulled her suit jacket back over her shoulders, and the vulnerability and sadness on her face vanished.

"Mr. Chen, we're meeting with Mr. Li from NIO tomorrow, we can't be late."