Pei Ji patiently followed Shen Zhiyi as they toured the temple.

He watched her kneel on the prayer cushions in front of the Buddha statues, worshipping them devoutly.

Her gentle eyebrows and eyes seemed to be shrouded in a faint Buddhist light.

He stood to one side, lifted his eyelids, and looked at the tall, silent Buddha statues.

He thought.

If there truly is a Buddha.

If everything she believes is true.

Therefore, he hoped that every Buddha statue could listen attentively to her wishes.

All her requests were granted.

However, these things come at a price.

Then he should pay for it.

...

When they came out, Shen Zhiyi asked him with great interest.

"Pei Ji, why don't you believe in these things?"

Pei Ji's gentle eyes and brows fell on her through his glasses.

He brushed the stray hairs from her forehead.

"No reason."

"Perhaps it's because they already have something to believe in."

"What is it?" Shen Zhiyi asked in surprise.

Pei Ji looked at her with a smile.

He didn't say anything.

But a voice whispered in my heart.

Of course it's you, baby.

My only faith.

He watched as she was bathed in light, even her eyelashes trembling with golden glints.

It was so beautiful it seemed like an illusion.

A secret worry suddenly rose in Pei Ji's heart.

Can it really be used to tie her down?

He looked down at the chain on her wrist, so delicate that it would break at the slightest tug.

Pei Ji's eyelashes trembled.

I felt a strange sense of panic.

Shen Zhiyi didn't ask any further questions.

Her gaze drifted to a spot not far away.

They saw a woman with features strikingly similar to Pei Ji coming out of the temple gate.

Her eyes flickered.

"Pei Ji, I'm going to the restroom."

"Wait here for me."

"Okay." Pei Ji closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the anxiety and panic in his heart. He rubbed her head and then reluctantly let go.

He watched her turn around.

I walked towards the restroom.

She silently touched the bracelet on her wrist.

Shen Zhiyi turned her back to him and looked up.

Sunlight shone on one side of her face, casting a dark shadow on the other side that obscured half of her features.

She remembered the wish she had just made to Buddha.

She needed a catalyst.

An opportunity to resolve Pei Ji's inner conflict.

She wanted to cast a ray of light into his dark soul.

A light that shines eternally.

The light that dispels all unease and fear.

But that means...

We must first expose his darkness and confusion.

How can one have the courage to face pain without confronting it?

Shen Zhiyi stared straight ahead.

With a determined look in his eyes, he walked forward.

"Pei Ji?!"

A surprised voice rang out from behind.

Pei Ji's whole body stiffened.

Slowly, in disbelief, I turned my head to look.

A middle-aged woman rushed up to him, her face showing the joy of having found what she had lost.

"It really is you...it really is you!"

She murmured, tears welling in her eyes, "It's Mom!"

"Pei Ji, it's Mom!"

She grabbed Pei Ji's sleeve, afraid that the hope of regaining what she had lost would slip through her fingers.

I never expected that the wish I made to Buddha would come true so quickly.

She can finally stop living this messy life and return to the wealthy family to be a rich wife again!

She was too naive when she was young.

She thought that by leaving the Pei family and all that deceit and treachery, she could live a truly happy life with the person she loved.

But reality slapped her in the face.

There is no place that is peaceful.

As long as human desires exist, there will never be peace.

And the lack of money only exacerbates this suffering.

She went back to find Pei Ji many times, but the Pei family had very strict security, their whereabouts were unpredictable, and most of their businesses were kept secret.

She couldn't find them at all.

I never expected to run into him in this small temple in Anju!

Isn't this a golden opportunity?!

Pei Ji was her son.

Whether from a legal or moral standpoint, he cannot abandon her!

She tightened her fingers, tears of regret and longing streaming down her face, making her look somewhat distorted.

Pei Ji looked down at her.

His gaze was unfocused.

Mother?

He sized up the woman in front of him.

Her hair had turned a few strands white, and her clothes were old and worn.

It seems like things aren't going well for them.

After abandoning him.

After choosing to pursue a life that I can control.

After discovering that it wasn't as wonderful as I had imagined.

Are you finally starting to regret it?

But what she regrets is abandoning her son, or her status as a wealthy socialite adorned with jewels.

Pei Ji felt a wave of dizziness under the sunlight.

It even made me feel nauseous.

“Madam, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” He smiled gently and brushed her hand away.

His gaze, however, was as cold as ice.

"Admit your mistake?" The woman's tears stopped on her face.

Suddenly she grabbed his arm again.

"Impossible! Impossible!"

“Pei Ji, you must still blame your mother, right?” A hint of panic appeared on her face. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have abandoned you.”

"But I had no choice!"

"Over the years, not a single moment has passed without regret!"

"Pei Ji, please forgive your mother, please forgive your mother."

After realizing that her pleas were in vain, the woman's face showed a hint of annoyance.

The words spoken turned into blame.

"You are a piece of my flesh, how can you not recognize your mother?!"

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