The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

May 19th, 11:30 PM.

Chen Zhi stared at the "May 20th" mark on his phone's calendar, and cold sweat instantly poured down his back.

Tomorrow is my birthday.

There are only 24 hours in a day.

It'll be May 20th right after midnight. Pei Ningxue has clearly made preparations; we need to keep things calm for now. Li Zhiyi is probably planning something too. Lin Wanwan is recording a variety show in Hangzhou, but knowing her personality, she'll definitely pull off a surprise attack.

Chen Zhi was considering the upcoming itinerary:

From midnight to 8 a.m., I accompany Pei Ningxue and eat the breakfast or other things she prepares.

From eight o'clock to noon, try to meet Li Zhiyi, accept the gift she prepared, and say a few kind words.

Fly to Hangzhou this afternoon? No, that won't be enough time. How about Lin Wanwan flies to Beijing tonight? Or maybe a video call?

Chen Zhi's head was spinning more and more.

There's simply no way to arrange them all.

"Guo Yang." Chen Zhi jumped up from the bed, his voice very low.

Guo Yang was watching a game livestream with headphones on and didn't hear it.

Chen Zhi kicked his bed board directly.

"Holy crap!" Guo Yang took off his headphones. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going out for a bit, I might not be back tonight."

"Where are you going in the middle of the night?" Guo Yang glanced at his phone. "It's 11:40."

"Save the world."

Chen Zhi put on his shoes, grabbed his coat, and rushed outside.

"You're insane!" Guo Yang cursed at his retreating figure.

Chen Zhi had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.

While waiting for the elevator, he sent Pei Ningxue a WeChat message: [Are you asleep?]

No reply.

He texted Lin Wanwan again: 【What are you doing?】

I didn't reply.

He didn't dare send a message to Li Zhiyi, afraid of giving himself away, because she might actually agree.

The elevator arrived, and Chen Zhi climbed in and pressed the button for the first floor.

First, go to Wanliu Academy. Pei Ningxue's side has made the biggest commotion and has been preparing for the longest time, so we need to appease her first.

After leaving the school, Chen Zhi hailed a taxi.

"Master, Wanliu Academy, hurry!"

The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror: "Young man, where are you going so late? The housing prices there are high."

"Go collect the rent," Chen Zhi casually made up.

The driver fell silent.

The car was moving quickly; there weren't many cars on the roads of Beijing in the early morning. The streetlights cast streaks across the car window, their light flickering on Chen Zhi's face.

He took out his phone and glanced at the time.

11:52.

Eight minutes left.

……

Wanliu Academy, top-floor duplex.

Chen Zhi unlocked the door with his fingerprint, and the door clicked softly.

The living room lights were off, with only a sliver of warm yellow light coming from the kitchen. There was a faint smell of flour in the air.

He took off his shoes in the entryway, walked barefoot on the floor, and tiptoed towards the kitchen.

The closer you get, the clearer the sound becomes.

"Ouch—it's so hot!"

It was Pei Ningxue's voice.

Then came the clanging of spatulas, the gushing sound of running water from the tap, and... the sound of slurping noodles?

Chen Zhi leaned against the kitchen door frame and peered inside.

The kitchen counter was a complete mess.

Flour was scattered everywhere, and there was still a little less than half a bowl of dough left in the stainless steel basin. Next to the trash can were three or four lumps of failed dough, some too hard and cracked, and some too soft and collapsed.

A low flame was burning on the stove, and steam was rising from the pot.

Pei Ningxue had her back to him, wearing a dark gray apron covered in white flour—on her back, cuffs, and even in her hair. She held chopsticks in her left hand and a slotted spoon in her right, carefully scooping noodles from the pot.

The noodles were scooped into a white porcelain bowl.

On top lies a fried egg, its edges slightly charred, but the yolk is still runny.

Pei Ningxue put down the strainer, picked up a small bowl next to her, and added something to it. Chen Zhi squinted and saw that it should be chopped green onions and sesame oil.

She stared at the bowl of noodles for a few seconds, then suddenly murmured "yes".

Chen Zhi spoke up at that moment.

"What are you doing?"

"ah--!"

Pei Ningxue was startled. She turned around and saw Chen Zhi leaning against the door frame. She breathed a sigh of relief, but her face quickly turned cold.

"Why are you here?"

Chen Zhi didn't answer. He walked into the kitchen, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the counter before settling on Pei Ningxue's face.

There was a clump of paste stuck to her forehead, a bit of flour on the tip of her nose, and it seemed like there was some on her eyelashes too. The apron straps were tied a little too tightly, creating a crease at her waist.

"Today..." Chen Zhi deliberately dragged out the sound.

Pei Ningxue's eyes flickered.

"What's the date today?" Chen Zhi asked.

"May 19th." Pei Ningxue turned her face away.

"Oh." Chen Zhi nodded. "And tomorrow?"

Pei Ningxue fell silent.

She stared at the bowl in her hand, at the poorly presented longevity noodles, and at the slightly overcooked fried egg.

From the moment she heard Chen Zhi say, "It seems like I've never had a proper birthday," she began preparing.

Patek Philippe bespoke creations, Montblanc limited-edition pens, and this bowl of noodles.

Just to give him a surprise, both materially and emotionally.

The results of it?

He arrived ahead of schedule.

Like an uninvited guest, he disrupted all her plans.

"I prepared for this bowl of noodles for four whole days," Pei Ningxue's voice trembled slightly.

Pei Ningxue bit her lip.

"I was planning to bring this bowl of noodles to you first thing tomorrow morning. I bought the candles, ordered the cake, and even had the gift rushed back from Switzerland by air. I arranged everything, just so you—"

"You didn't even say hello, you just showed up in the middle of the night."

Pei Ningxue sniffed and turned her head away so that Chen Zhi wouldn't see her expression.

"What surprise?"

"And you, without even saying hello, barged in and ruined everything I prepared."

Pei Ningxue turned around, her back to Chen Zhi.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

Chen Zhi watched her back as she walked away, noticing the flour stains on her apron.

He stepped forward and hugged her from behind.

Pei Ningxue struggled slightly: "Let go."

I don't want to talk to you right now.

Chen Zhicai won't let go, otherwise it will really be over.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's my fault."

Pei Ningxue struggled a couple more times, but couldn't break free, so she simply stopped moving.

Chen Zhi turned her around, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb, and wiped away the clump of paste from her forehead.

"The noodles are getting cold."

Pei Ningxue turned her face away: "Throw it away when it gets cold."

"That won't do." Chen Zhi pulled out a chair, sat down, and picked up the bowl of longevity noodles. "I have to try it."

He picked up his chopsticks and took a mouthful of noodles.

The noodles were a bit hard, and some parts were even stuck together, but when you bite into them, you can taste the wheat flavor of the flour.

The soup base is made with chicken broth, and it's very flavorful.

Chen Zhi ate slowly, one bite at a time.

Pei Ningxue stood by and watched.

She watched as Chen Zhi finished his noodles, his fried egg, and drank every last drop of soup.

Then he put down the bowl and looked up.

"This is the best noodles I've ever eaten in my life," Chen Zhi said.

Pei Ningxue snorted: "Liar, I tried it myself, it tastes awful."

"Really," Chen Zhi said earnestly, "It tastes better than any noodles."

Pei Ningxue turned around and took two boxes from the corner of the kitchen counter: a dark blue velvet Patek Philippe watch box and a black lacquered Montblanc pen box.

"This is for you." She pushed the box in front of Chen Zhi. "A birthday present."

Chen Zhi opened the watch box.

Inside is a Patek Philippe with a platinum bracelet and a deep blue dial, like the midnight sky. Turning it over, the case back is engraved with a line of extremely fine text:

The characters are very small, written by Pei Ningxue herself, and laser-restored onto the metal watch case.

Every second is proof that I miss you.

Chen Zhi's fingers traced the inscription.

"The other thing is a fountain pen," she said. "Your handwriting is too ugly. If you use a better pen, maybe you can write better."

Chen Zhi opened the pencil case and took out the Montblanc.

The pen body is made of deep sea blue resin, the clip is platinum, the cap is inlaid with a white six-pointed star logo, and there is also a line of laser engraving on the bottom of the pen body:

CZ—∞

"Infinity," Pei Ningxue explained, "meaning... never mind, figure it out yourself."

The emotion Chen Zhi felt was beyond words.

Several seconds passed.

"How much did you actually spend?"

"None of your business."

"Patek Philippe Bespoke, you—"

"Chen Zhi," Pei Ningxue interrupted him, "I'm giving you something, you only need to say two words."

Chen Zhi raised his head.

"Thanks."

"wrong."

"……nice?"

Pei Ningxue gave him a cold glance.

Chen Zhi thought for a moment, then cupped Pei Ningxue's face and kissed her lips.

"I love you, Pei Ningxue."

Pei Ningxue looked into his eyes and responded to his confession.

Happy birthday, Chen Zhi.