After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Seeing Wang Dazhuang's obedient attitude, Xie Jinchen could only sigh and turn to close the door to the private room.

He sat down next to Jiang Dusheng, turned his head to look at her profile, chuckled softly with a helpless expression, and spoke with a tone of doting affection:

"I knew you were acting strange last night. Turns out you were after me, the one with a guilty conscience."

Jiang Dusheng finally moved, turning his head slightly, his clear black and white eyes looking at him, still without saying a word.

Xie Jinchen knew he couldn't avoid it any longer, so he stopped keeping him in suspense.

He took out a sandalwood jewelry box from his pocket, gently opened the lid, and found it lined with dark green velvet.

On the velvet cloth, a pair of jade bracelets and a hairpin lay quietly.

He pushed the box towards Jiang Dusheng, his tone carrying a hint of regret that he hadn't been able to hide:

"I originally intended to keep it from you and give it to you on your birthday, but who knew I couldn't hide it from you after all."

"Birthday?" Jiang Dusheng was taken aback, then suddenly realized.

After descending the mountain, she experienced so much and was troubled by so many trivial matters that she almost forgot that her birthday was in two days.

In previous years at Nanchansi Temple, although life was simple and austere, the master would always remember to go down the mountain on that day to buy her favorite roasted chicken leg and cook her a bowl of longevity noodles by himself.

Seeing her stunned expression, Xie Jinchen knew she had truly forgotten, and gently tapped the back of her hand.

"Take a look, do you like it?"

His voice was deep and gentle, with a hint of coaxing.

Jiang Dusheng snapped out of his daze, lowered his eyes, and focused his gaze on the box.

The pair of jade bracelets were made of the finest mutton-fat white jade, with a restrained luster, and the bracelets were meticulously carved with continuous, undulating auspicious cloud patterns.

The cloud pattern is also faintly visible with a dense lotus scroll pattern, which is elegant yet lively.

And that hairpin was especially unique.

The hairpin features a lifelike blue phoenix, woven using filigree and gilding techniques. The phoenix holds its head high and spreads its wings, displaying a graceful posture, with a deep-sea pearl the size of a grain of rice in its beak.

The blue phoenix is ​​associated with auspiciousness and companionship; its intention is self-evident.

"This..." Jiang Dusheng was somewhat surprised.

Xie Jinchen picked up the jade bracelet, carefully took her wrist, and put it on her wrist.

The jade bracelet was the perfect size, encircling her slender, fair wrist and making it appear even more lustrous and translucent.

He explained in a low voice, his tone tinged with a rare hint of embarrassment: "The design is a sketch I drew myself. I always felt that the styles commonly found on the market were too craftsman-like and didn't suit you. I revised it several times before I was barely satisfied."

He paused, his thumb unconsciously stroking the smooth surface of the jade bracelet:

"As for polishing, I went to Linglong Pavilion to ask Linglong Niangzi for advice, learned a little bit from her, and tried it myself."

Xie Jinchen raised his eyes, meeting Jiang Dusheng's somewhat surprised gaze with a self-deprecating smile:

"The craftsmanship is naturally crude, not even a fraction as good as a master craftsman. Look closely, here, and here..."

He gently held Jiang Dusheng's hand, his fingertips pointing to a few polishing marks on the inside of the jade bracelet that were barely noticeable unless you looked closely. "It's not smooth enough."

Following the direction he pointed, Jiang Dusheng raised his wrist and carefully examined the bright sunlight streaming in through the window.

The mutton-fat white jade gleamed with a soft, warm light under the sunlight, and the cloud patterns inside seemed to be flowing slowly.

The subtle details he pointed out, at this moment, seemed to move Jiang Dusheng more than any exquisitely crafted treasure.

She gently turned the jade bracelet on her wrist, the cool, smooth touch against her skin. The slight displeasure she felt because of his concealment had long since vanished, replaced by a bittersweet warmth.

Wang Dazhuang and Ruan Guyan exchanged a glance and tacitly retreated to the door. Wang Dazhuang gently opened the door, and the two quickly slipped out, carefully closing the door behind them.

In the hallway outside, Wang Dazhuang patted his chest and lowered his voice to say to Ruan Guyan:

"Oh my goodness, it was supposed to be a surprise, but it almost turned into a fright!"

Ruan Guyan smiled and glanced at him, "It's all your fault, always encouraging the master to overthink things."

Inside the room, Xie Jinchen picked up the blue phoenix hairpin with pearl in its bead and got up to walk behind Jiang Dusheng.

He carefully inserted the hairpin into her updo.

The blue phoenix flapped its wings as if about to take flight, the pearl in its beak swaying gently with its movements, reflecting its exquisitely beautiful profile and slender, fair neck.

In a daze, one can't tell whether the jewelry complements the person or the person complements the jewelry; they seem to be a perfect match, like a fairy in a painting.

Xie Jinchen took two steps back, examined it carefully, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration, and sighed softly, "Beautiful."

I don't know whether it's the hairpin that's beautiful or the person who's beautiful.

Jiang Dusheng raised his hand, his fingertips gently touching the blue phoenix on his hair bun. He then looked down at the jade bracelet on his wrist, raised his head, and gazed into Xie Jinchen's gentle eyes, saying earnestly:

"I like Xie Jinchen very much."

Xie Jinchen felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but then he remembered Jiang Dusheng's words from earlier, and couldn't help but snort. He sat down and began to dredge up old grievances:

"Who was it just now, all that was so aggressive, saying they wanted to change to a husband who can't lie?" He raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes teasing.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng raised an eyebrow and immediately began to dredge up old grievances, not to be outdone:

"Oh? I wonder who it is, leaving early and returning late for several days in a row, giving vague answers when asked, and today being so busy with official business that they accompanied another woman to a restaurant?"

She paused deliberately, mimicking his tone, "On your birthday, I'll prepare a surprise for you too. I'll leave early and return late at night, then go to a restaurant alone with a handsome man to have tea and discuss business."

She even nodded slightly, mimicking Xie Jinchen's earlier gesture, "Yes, let him wear a veil too, making him look mysterious."

Xie Jinchen couldn't help but chuckle at her appearance, his chest heaving and his eyes filled with indulgent laughter.

"You're still laughing?" Jiang Dusheng glared at him, but his cheeks flushed slightly from his cheerful laughter.

Xie Jinchen suddenly reached out, scooped her up, and gently placed her on his lap.

Jiang Dusheng gasped softly and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

The two were instantly close enough to hear each other's breath.

Xie Jinchen wrapped one arm around her waist and gently stroked her cheek with the other, his thumb caressing her skin, his voice low and gentle: "Jiang Dusheng, I'm very happy."

Jiang Dusheng was slightly taken aback by his seemingly random words, and a look of doubt appeared in his eyes.

Xie Jinchen continued to whisper, "Because this is the first time you've ever been jealous of me."

He paused, his fingertips brushing against her trembling eyelashes. "Although I invited Lady Linglong to this banquet today only to thank her for her meticulous guidance and generous sharing of knowledge, and had no other intentions, seeing you like this makes me feel happy."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Dusheng was stunned. Xie Jinchen's words were like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples all around.

She suddenly remembered that Xie Jinchen seemed to have said more than once that she didn't like him.

Jiang Dusheng's heart softened suddenly, and his usual composure seemed to be overwhelmed by a more surging emotion at this moment.

She looked at Xie Jinchen's handsome face so close to hers, said nothing, but suddenly turned her head and kissed his lips.

The kiss was urgent and deep, like someone who had been thirsty for a long time finally finding water.

She gently kissed his lips, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and seemed to want to embed herself in his embrace.