Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

Cheng Zhier's face immediately turned red.

She lowered her head shyly and said, "Brother Chengting, Zhier will only marry you in this life. Whether we are rich or poor, I will never give up on you."

A smile appeared on Ying Chengting's face.

The girl in front of him had eyes full of infatuation with him, and he suddenly felt incredibly comfortable.

However, he was somewhat disappointed.

"If Lord Cheng is willing to help, perhaps I can escape this calamity and then be with you in peace," Ying Chengting tentatively suggested.

Cheng Zhier's face immediately turned bitter. "My father is forcing me to break off the engagement with you. He won't help us."

A hint of disappointment and despair flashed in Ying Chengting's eyes.

The Cheng family indeed gave up on him.

Then Cheng Zhier said, "But no matter what, I will not give up on you, Brother Chengting. Let's go quickly, let's go out the back door, let's leave here first, and then we can make a more careful plan."

Ying Chengting thought about it, and realized that he had no other choice at the moment.

If caught, they would be imprisoned in the imperial jail.

They would either be beheaded or exiled.

He didn't want to die. He had a bright future ahead of him. How could he die?

He had no choice but to hastily disguise himself and go out through the back door with Cheng Zhier, getting into a carriage.

"Brother Chengting, there must be people checking things closely at the city gate right now, so we can't leave the city."

I have a private house not far away. Let's go there to hide for a while; Father and the others won't be able to find it for the time being."

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say." Ying Chengting's eyes were full of tenderness.

Cheng Zhier was also deeply touched; she had never been so close to him before.

"Brother Chengting, I'm glad you don't mind." She recalled the time at Huangjue Temple when she and the other three were stripped naked and thrown together.

"How could I despise you? I will never let you down in this life!" Ying Chengting reached out and pulled Cheng Zhier into his arms.

Cheng Zhier nestled happily into his arms, her heart pounding.

The carriage arrived at Cheng Zhier's private residence, and the two quickly went inside.

"Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief, Brother Chengting. You must be hungry, right? I'll go and ask someone to prepare some food for you, and then you can take a shower and change your clothes."

Cheng Zhier's heart and eyes were filled with him.

Ying Chengting's stomach rumbled; he had been starving since yesterday.

Today he almost got drowned again, but then he escaped through a secret passage.

Since his identity was discovered yesterday, he has not eaten or drunk anything.

Cheng Zhier ordered the old servant in the private residence to make preparations.

Before long, the hot meal arrived, and Ying Chengting wolfed it down.

We had just finished eating when the hot bath was ready.

After eating and drinking his fill, Ying Chengting sat down in the bathtub with a look of enjoyment on his face.

Cheng Zhier blushed and turned to leave.

Ying Chengting suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Zhi'er, would you like to scrub my back?"

Ying Chengting's face was full of sincerity.

Cheng Zhier's eyes filled with tears, and she stammered, "This...this isn't a good idea, is it?"

"Zhi'er, we're already a pair of star-crossed lovers, what's the point of arguing? Why not just enjoy life while we can?"

Cheng Zhier turned around, picked up a cloth from the side, and touched his back with trembling fingertips.

Ying Chengting turned around, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Once he and Cheng Zhier have consummated their relationship, he can use this to threaten the Cheng family, forcing them to save him even if they don't want to.

Ying Chengting slowly narrowed his eyes, enjoying Cheng Zhier's service, occasionally saying a few ambiguous words, which made Cheng Zhier's heart flutter.

A moment later, Ying Chengting stepped out of the bathtub and scooped Cheng Zhier up in his arms.

The two of them rolled onto the bed with her.

"Zhi'er, I swear to Cheng Ting that I will never betray you in this life. If I break this vow, may I die a horrible death!"

With a face full of deep emotion, he made a vow and reached out to unbutton Cheng Zhier's clothes.

A silver crescent-shaped pendant suddenly fell out of Cheng Zhier's bodice. Ying Chengting was slightly taken aback, feeling that the object looked somewhat familiar and had actually caught his eye.

Seeing him staring intently at the pendant, Cheng Zhier said coquettishly, "Brother Chengting, are you looking at this pendant?"

"Hmm, it looks somewhat familiar."

Ying Chengting turned his gaze away and looked at the spring scenery before him.

Cheng Zhier said sweetly, "Brother Chengting, don't you remember this pendant?"

Ying Chengting paused for a moment, "This pendant...this pendant is unique and beautiful, and you wear it close to your body, so it must be very important to you, right?"

Cheng Zhier was also stunned.

She said, "Isn't this pendant just as important to Brother Chengting?"

Ying Chengting immediately said indulgently, "Of course, what is important to you is equally important to me."

A look of surprise suddenly flashed across Cheng Zhier's eyes.

She suddenly pushed Ying Chengtin away, straightened her clothes, stared straight at him, and said, "Brother Chengtin, you're so forgetful. Have you forgotten that this pendant was a gift from you to me back then?"

Ying Chengting suddenly realized something was wrong. He frowned, staring intently at the pendant, a bad premonition creeping into his heart.

His mind raced, and he suddenly realized, "I remember now, this pendant is the one I gave you back then. No wonder it looked familiar."

He said tenderly, "Zhi'er, you actually wear the pendant I gave you close to your body. I finally understand your feelings for me."

As he spoke, he reached out and hugged Cheng Zhier.

Cheng Zhier's face was devoid of any smile. She stepped down and looked at her expressionlessly: "Brother Chengting, you're lying to me. This pendant wasn't given to me by you at all."

Ying Chengting's expression suddenly froze, a wave of panic washed over him, and then a fierce glint appeared in his eyes.

Then Cheng Zhier said with a resentful look, "Have you forgotten that back then, I was the one who snatched it from you?"

Ying Chengting's mood instantly plummeted from its peak to its trough. He let out a subtle sigh of relief and smiled, "Yes, it's been a while, I can't remember clearly."

He stepped forward and hugged Cheng Zhier again. Cheng Zhier did not push him away, but her eyes turned completely cold.

"Brother Chengting, do you still remember that Lantern Festival?"

Ying Chengting was about to press Cheng Zhier back onto the bed when he heard this, a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

"I remember, what's wrong?" he asked.

"That year, on the Lantern Festival, the Jade Pavilion caught fire..."

Ying Chengting's expression suddenly changed.

The fire at Yuxiao Tower happened more than a decade ago.

When the mother learned that Shangguan Tang had taken Ying Zhuoxiu to Yuxiao Tower, she ordered someone to set it on fire.

People come and go at Yuxiao Tower, but who knows how the fire started?

Moreover, it's the Lantern Festival, so flooding is perfectly normal.

Why did Cheng Zhier bring this up?

"That's the day I stole this pendant from you."

Ying Chengting: "..." Why are you still talking about this pendant?

Suddenly, he felt dizzy and realized that he had been smelling a faint fragrance since earlier.

He fell to the ground with a thud, and saw Cheng Zhier looking down at him.

"This pendant isn't yours at all."

"So, who was the person who rescued me from the fire back then?"

Who...is the owner of this pendant?

Cheng Zhier stared at the small "应" on the pendant, and thought of the thin, small boy's back in her memory. Suddenly, an extremely absurd and terrifying guess jumped into her mind.

Cheng Zhier's face turned deathly pale.