Chapter 134: Strange Wish

When the clerk first saw the good-looking couple, Chen Mo and Su Yuqing, especially noting their well-off appearance, he had immediately recommended the 1,000-yuan Prayer Tablets.

He never expected to run into such expert hagglers.

Having settled on a price, Chen Mo and Su Yuqing went back inside the shop.

The scent of sandalwood mixed with fresh wood shavings wafted through the shop. As Su Yuqing crouched down to pick out a wooden tablet, the nape of her neck was exposed, the pale skin gleaming like a pearl in the moonlight. The posture also accentuated the fullness of her chest.

Chen Mo felt too awkward to stare, so he turned and casually picked out a wooden tablet for himself.

"What are you going to wish for?" he asked, giving the Prayer Tablet he had just bought a little shake.

Su Yuqing just gave him a mysterious smile. "I’ll show you when I’m done."

With that, she turned to start writing. As she did, her ponytail brushed against the back of Chen Mo’s hand, leaving a faint, tickling sensation.

Chen Mo watched her silhouette as she leaned over a small table to write. The tip of her brush hovered over the tablet, hesitating for a long moment, but he didn’t try to peek.

Instead, he found an adjacent table and began to write on his own Prayer Tablet.

He didn’t normally care for this sort of thing, but since Su Yuqing seemed to enjoy it, he was happy to go along.

At the same time, his experience of returning to the present from the future had made him start to believe that there might be such a thing as destiny in the world.

Soon, he finished writing on his Prayer Tablet.

"To remain in this world, for the rest of this life."

’If fate could send me back here, could it one day send me away again?’

The thought had always filled Chen Mo with a vague sense of dread.

’He always had a feeling that the moment he discovered who was responsible for Su Yuqing’s death, he would wake up and find himself back in his original time, and everything he had experienced would turn out to be nothing more than a long, beautiful dream.’

That was why he had made such a wish.

By the time Chen Mo finished writing on his Prayer Tablet, Su Yuqing had already walked over, clutching hers to her chest.

"What did you write?" she asked, playfully glancing at the Prayer Tablet in his hand, eager to know his wish.

"What about yours?" Chen Mo asked in return.

"I asked first," Su Yuqing said, being deliberately difficult.

Chen Mo chuckled and showed her the Prayer Tablet.

"’To remain in this world, for the rest of this life?’" Staring at the baffling phrase, Su Yuqing couldn’t quite make sense of it.

’Is he saying he doesn’t want a next life?’

Su Yuqing felt a strange melancholy emanating from the words.

She had always sensed that beneath the sunny, cheerful exterior Chen Mo showed everyone, there was a secret sorrow hidden deep within him.

She’d had this faint feeling ever since they listened to music together in the car.

But Chen Mo so rarely showed any negative emotion in front of her that it was difficult for her to get a deeper sense of his inner world.

From this wish, however, she could glimpse a hidden helplessness in his heart.

After reading Chen Mo’s Prayer Tablet, her heart clenched for no reason. She immediately revealed the one she had written.

"May our three worldly treasures all be well."

"Three worldly treasures?" Chen Mo glanced at Su Yuqing, curious. "What are they?"

These were the three treasures as defined by Su Yuqing herself: the three most precious fortunes for anyone in this world—family, friendship, and love.

These were Su Yuqing’s three worldly treasures.

She was wishing for the best in all three aspects for both herself and Chen Mo: family, friendship, and love.

Her own family life, for the most part, was in tatters.

But that didn’t stop her from holding out hope.

What child doesn’t wish for their parents’ genuine love and for their family to live together in harmony?

But Su Yuqing knew that wish was a difficult one to grant.

But wishes wouldn’t be wishes if they weren’t for things that are hard to achieve.

Hanging this Prayer Tablet was just her way of leaving behind a beautiful aspiration.

"They say the higher you hang your Prayer Tablet, the more likely your wish is to come true," Su Yuqing said, smiling at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo didn’t really believe in such things, but he would do whatever Su Yuqing wanted.

’It’s better to believe than to be skeptical,’ he thought.

After standing on his tiptoes to hang up his own Prayer Tablet, Chen Mo offered a hand to Su Yuqing. "Here, let me help you."

"No, it’s only effective if you hang it yourself," Su Yuqing said, shaking her head.

"Alright, then." Chen Mo smiled and stood aside to watch her.

However, when he saw her wobbling precariously on her tiptoes as she tried to tie the red ribbon, he couldn’t help but reach out and steady her slender waist.

Her hair brushed against the side of his neck, sending a fine tingle across his skin.

And when his hands landed on her waist, a tingling jolt shot through Su Yuqing.

She hastily finished hanging the Prayer Tablet and planted her feet firmly on the ground. At the same time, Chen Mo discreetly pulled his hands away.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Only the highest branches trembled gently, and a few wooden tablets suddenly knocked against each other, making a crisp, clacking sound.

"Let’s go," Chen Mo said, breaking the silence and walking on ahead.

’There was an excuse to hold her hand on the way up, but not on the way down.’

Su Yuqing followed quietly behind him, her mind still mulling over the words of his wish.

The faint hum of the city drifted up from the foot of the hill, mingling with the crisp clatter of the wooden tablets and the gurgling of a small stream nearby.

Su Yuqing thought as she walked, but she still couldn’t figure out what Chen Mo’s strange wish was supposed to mean.

Before they knew it, they were back at the foot of the hill.

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice that Chen Mo had stopped up ahead. She couldn’t stop in time and bumped right into his broad back. The steep slope made her stumble, and her arms shot out instinctively to grab onto something for support. She ended up wrapping them around Chen Mo’s waist from behind.

Instantly, they drew stares from all the other passersby.

Many of them were even trying to stifle their laughter.

Realizing the position she was in, Su Yuqing quickly pulled her hands back, blushing as she stood straight and apologized. "I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention and bumped into you."

"Silly girl, why would you apologize to me?" Chen Mo gave her a gentle flick on the forehead, then smiled and took her small hand in his again as they left People’s Park.

However, they couldn’t find a taxi outside the park.

Taxis and other vehicles weren’t allowed to congregate in the area, as it would create traffic chaos. Plus, with so many children playing in People’s Park, it would be a huge problem if a kid suddenly darted into the road.

So, if Chen Mo and Su Yuqing wanted to get home, they would have to walk a bit further.