The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

Carrying a drink and the sense of accomplishment from just finding a job, Ye Shu pushed open the door and returned to her apartment in Yunduanyuan.

The living room remained quiet, just as it had been when he left. An Suxue's bedroom door was still tightly closed; it was unclear who was inside.

They're probably still in their room.

Ye Shu muttered to himself, but didn't think much of it. He changed into slippers, walked to the coffee table, casually placed the packaged Emerald Lemon Green drink on it, took the half-finished glass, and went back to his room.

As his body sank into the soft bed, his tense nerves finally relaxed. Having solved the problem of survival, this grounded feeling allowed him to truly unwind.

He lay on his back, staring at the simple outline of the light strip on the ceiling. The cool air in the room enveloped him, and a drowsy feeling unique to summer afternoons instantly surrounded him.

As her eyelids grew heavier, Ye Shu's consciousness gradually blurred, sinking into a state of chaos.

……

In a hazy dream, he seemed to be in a small room, surrounded by a layer of pink lights unsuitable for children. Worst of all, there were four girls in front of him, surrounding him. Although he couldn't see their faces, Ye Shu knew they must be beautiful.

Ye Shu felt his mouth go dry, and just as he was about to say something, the four girls in front of him made a move.

They actually... started to dance...

Seeing this inappropriate scene, Ye Shu's heart began to pound.

Is this something I can watch for free? Am I really going to give up all the skills I've painstakingly cultivated over twenty years today? Dad, your son is growing up.

Just as Ye Shu was preparing to "face the challenge head-on," the four girls in front of her suddenly pulled out a gleaming... machete?!

"Wait! That's not how the script goes!"

But the four girls were already wielding machetes and hacking at him!

Ye Shu nearly wet himself in fright, but he still turned and ran. But for some reason, his legs felt numb, as if they were under anesthesia, and he couldn't muster any strength, while the sound behind him grew closer and closer...

dong dong dong!dong dong dong!

A series of urgent knocks on the door, like a rope, abruptly pulled him out of this absurd nightmare.

Ye Shu suddenly opened his eyes, panting heavily. He stared blankly at the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling, taking several seconds to confirm that he had returned to reality.

It was just a dream...

He let out a long sigh, then felt his legs go numb from being curled up. No wonder he couldn't run in his dream; his sleeping posture was truly something else.

Boom boom boom!

The knocking started again, more urgent than before, and a clear, slightly impatient female voice came from outside:

"Ye Shu! Still not awake? Are you fast asleep?"

"I'm... I'm awake!"

Ye Shu quickly responded, struggled to sit up, turned to look out the window, and found that the sky had darkened at some point, and the neon lights on the street were already on.

How long have I been asleep?

A sense of unreality, as if from another world, enveloped him, and now he wasn't even sure if the idea of ​​working at the bubble tea shop was real.

Ye Shu quickly reached for her phone and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Chen Xing's name in the contact list.

He shook his head, trying to shake the absurd dream out of his mind—being chased by four women with machetes... Could it be that he was a scumbag in his past life, and those were girls he had cheated on, who had come back for revenge?

"Are you coming out or not?! If you don't come out, I'm going in!"

The voices at the door grew even more impatient.

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Ye Shu hurriedly got out of bed, went to the door, and opened it.

Outside the door, Xia Qing was leaning against the door frame, having changed into a refreshing black sports vest and hot pants.

Seeing the door open, her gaze immediately swept over, and when she saw Ye Shu, whose hair was a little messy and who was rubbing his eyes, Xia Qing raised an eyebrow:

"Hey, you're awake? You're something else. If I hadn't woken you, would you have slept until tomorrow morning?"

"Ah... haha, I accidentally overslept."

Ye Shu rubbed his eyes somewhat embarrassedly, chuckled dryly twice, and quickly changed the subject:

"Xia Qing... Sister, is something the matter?"

"Cough..."

Asked this, Xia Qing suddenly blushed, cleared her throat, and glanced at the wall beside her, her fingers unconsciously twirling the hem of her vest.

"Um... cough... I heard you can cook?"

Looking at the awkward Xia Qing in front of him, she was completely different from the person who had been slamming the table and drinking last night. Ye Shu stared blankly, blinked, and subconsciously replied:

"Ah... I know a little bit, wh... what's wrong?"

When Ye Shu asked her that question, the slight blush on Xia Qing's face instantly spread to her ears, and she exploded as if her tail had been stepped on:

"What else? I've already hinted so obviously, are you still playing dumb with me? Do I have to spell it out for you? I'm hungry! You! Go cook! Do you understand?!"

"Okay, I got it! I'll go right now!"

Ye Shu was instantly jolted awake. How come she felt that Xia Qing was one of the people who had chased her with a machete earlier?

He stopped in his tracks as soon as he entered the kitchen.

On the stove and on the floor, there was a pile of plastic bags of all sizes, stuffed full of various kinds of vegetables, fish and meat.

What... what's going on?

Ye Shu was a little confused. Was it the Snail Fairy? Or had the fox come to repay a debt of gratitude?

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get to work! I'm starving! Hurry up!"

Xia Qing walked over, crossed her arms, and leaned against the door frame.

"Sister Xia Qing, these..."

Ye Shu pointed at the pile of supplies, her face full of doubt.

"Of course I bought it!"

Xia Qing glanced at him as if he were an idiot:

"The little stuff you bought, is it even enough to fill a tooth gap? Besides, we're sharing an apartment, we can't let you do everything yourself, would that make us look like we're bullying you? If word got out, how would I, Xia Qing, ever be able to face anyone?"

She raised her chin and pointed to the plastic bags:

"From now on, I'll pay, and you'll do the work. I'll be in charge of buying the groceries, and you'll be in charge of cooking. How about that? Give me a straight answer."

"Sure! Of course! You're awesome, Sister Xia Qing!"

Of course that's fine. How could it not work if I don't have to pay for it myself? Ye Shu looked at "Sister Qing, the tough one" and suddenly felt much more friendly towards her.

"Then it's settled. Hurry up and do it."

After Xia Qing finished speaking, she turned and went back to the living room. She had only taken two steps when, as if remembering something, she turned back and called out towards the kitchen:

"Hey! By the way, is that drink on the coffee table yours?"

Ye Shu was washing vegetables by the sink, and replied without looking up:

"Ah, those are for you guys. Whoever is thirsty can drink them."

He had barely finished speaking when Xia Qing's voice came from the living room:

"Oh, I thought it was yours. But even if it was yours, it's too late, I've already finished it, hahahahaha..."

The hearty laughter, tinged with a mischievous smugness, pierced through the kitchen doorway and reached Ye Shu's ears clearly.

Ye Shu paused in washing the vegetables, then shook her head with a chuckle.

Well, this woman is really... not at all reserved. But, this feeling... isn't so bad?

He shook the water droplets off his hands, looked at the complete array of ingredients in front of him, took a deep breath, and a long-lost sense of homey warmth, mixed with Xia Qing's noisy and cheerful warmth, slowly filled the kitchen that had once been as deserted as a showroom.

start!