If someone were to ask Lin Li right now: "Lin Li, are you happy?"

Lin Li would certainly shake his head firmly: "My surname is not Hu, it’s Lin."

But happy he is.

At this moment, he feels extremely content and comfortable.

The gray-blue Moon Tide Lake unfolds in the overcast weather, with one or two clusters of withered yellow reeds swaying in the wind at the shore occasionally visible.

Chen Yu Ying wraps her arms around Lin Li’s waist, her cheek feeling the warmth from his back through the fabric and the slight movement of his muscles as he pedals.

The more content and comfortable he is, the more content and comfortable she feels.

Then Chen Yu Ying looks up, as the bicycle turns around a slightly overgrown corner, and a "different" scenery appears along the lakeshore.

Actually, it’s just the wishing pond by the lake, or rather the wishing lake.

It’s not the traditional independent pool with a sculpture fountain, but a design integrated into the lakeshore.

A platform, not too big or small, slightly elevated above the water, is set at the shore. The edge of the platform juts into the shallow lake water, with a large stone carp completely submerged in the water at the center of the platform, its gaping mouth open upward.

A wishing pond always has a target, and clearly, the target here is the mouth of the carp; tossing a coin into the mouth is a good omen.

Around the stone carp and the water area it faces, the lake is crystal clear, revealing many coins that didn’t make it into the mouth, lying quietly in the crevices of the pebbles at the bottom.

Wishing ponds are quite common in reality — for example, a bus is essentially a wishing pond, where tossing a coin can fulfill your wish to reach some destinations, so it’s nothing rare, and since it’s not a main feature here, it’s not a popular spot.

Therefore, the tourists on the lakeside trail are in couples or threes, mostly passing by without stopping or resting on distant benches, watching the lake.

At the moment, only a couple of young people are present by the shore, making it seem a bit deserted.

But this solitude is just to Lin Li and Chen Yu Ying’s liking; if the place were crowded with people, they’d lose interest.

Parking the bike, locking it, the two walk side by side toward the wishing pond.

"There’s actually a coin machine, it seems our meticulously thought-out plan is a bit redundant," Lin Li points to the coin machine not far away, smiling at Chen Yu Ying.

"The coins that come out of those cold machines are different from the ones I bring out from my warm backpack; mine are better," Chen Yu Ying slightly raises her chin, her words tinged with humor and pride, she doesn’t agree.

Lin Li thought Chen Yu Ying was right.

Walking to the edge of the wishing pond, there’s only a young man in a gray hooded sweatshirt nearby, casually tossing a coin in his hand.

Hearing footsteps nearby, he instinctively turns his head for a glance, first looking at Lin Li who’s closer, just arching his brows; but when his eyes pass over Chen Yu Ying, they pause instantly, filled with undisguised admiration and amazement.

Immediately after, as his eyes turn back to Lin Li, there’s a trace of unabashed envy and jealousy — "What did this guy do to deserve this?"

Lin Li keenly captures this gaze, turns to meet the young man’s eyes, and then his lips curve into a slight cold smile.

The young man, named Xiang Zhi Cheng, quickly retracts his gaze, no longer looking at the two, turning back to the stone carp in the pond.

He takes a deep breath, clasps his hands together, closes his eyes, and his lips move rapidly in silence as if sincerely praying. Then he breathes deeply, yelling towards the stone carp with all his might, "My wish is to find love!!"

As soon as he finishes, he forcefully throws the coin in his hand.

The coin falls into the water with a crisp sound, and it’s actually thrown quite accurately, but once in the water, the coin’s trajectory is unpredictable. For instance, this one didn’t land in the carp’s mouth as wished, but swayed onto the fish’s fin, then slid down the slope into the pebble bottom.

Nearby, Xiang Zhi Cheng’s voice of frustration can be heard, "just missed it."

Lin Li’s eyes suddenly light up, patting Chen Yu Ying’s shoulder.

"What’s up?" Chen Yu Ying looks at him quizzically.

"This pond is really miraculous," Lin Li exclaims in a bit of surprise.

"Hmm?" Chen Yu Ying tilts her head slightly, a bit confused: "How is it miraculous?"

"It doesn’t hem and haw like other superstitions, it gives a direct response!" Lin Li explains earnestly, "Didn’t you hear, this guy just shouted ’I want to find love’, then threw a coin in, and the wishing pond immediately responded with ’lonely for life’, isn’t that a response."

"Lonely for life... huh?"

Chen Yu Ying is initially startled, then upon realizing, she presses her lips together, lowering her head; her shoulders, however, tremble slightly, and a few forcibly suppressed chuckles escape her throat.

But the laughter ultimately slips between her fingers that cover her mouth, and she decides that covering her own mouth is futile and moves to cover Lin Li’s mouth instead:

"Keep it down, you! The person involved is still here!"

Xiang Zhi Cheng: "..."

Too late.

I heard everything!!

And you weren’t speaking quietly, either!!

Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re pretty!

"Dude! That was ’glub’ not ’lonely for life’! Don’t spread false rumors! That’s not what the divine means!" Xiang Zhi Cheng can’t help but step forward to argue with Lin Li.

Lin Li looks confused: "Yeah, lonely for life."

"Hey, you’re really stubborn, aren’t you?"

"Damn, why are you so hard to please... But," Xiang Zhi Cheng shakes his head helplessly, pauses, and admits frankly, "dude, your girlfriend is insanely gorgeous, no wonder you got a bit defensive earlier."