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

After a few cold beers, my stomach warmed up, and I started talking.

Han Yang poked at the edamame in the plate with his chopsticks, glanced at Ye Shu sideways, and brought up the old topic again:

"Seriously, Xiao Shu, you're doing pretty well these days, living in a mansion."

Ye Shu forced a smile, revealing a hint of weariness and self-deprecation:

"What's possible? Shared accommodation, 800 a month."

"How much...how much?!"

Han Yang looked on in disbelief, his eyes wide open:

"Eight hundred?! That's not even enough to rent a toilet! Are you doing charity?"

"Who can argue with that?"

Ye Shu picked up her glass and took a small sip. The cool beer slid smoothly down her throat, feeling very comfortable.

"I really did happen to be lucky enough to have this kind of windfall."

Han Yang smacked his lips, his expression shifting from shock to skepticism. He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and gave a lewd smile that every man would understand:

"Eight hundred yuan...living in a luxury house...shared with...it's not some kind of auntie, is it? Xiao Shu, tell me the truth, you really didn't...hmm?"

As he spoke, he winked at Ye Shu:

"Honestly, if you really didn't have to work hard for decades, I would feel really bad."

Looking at his face, which seemed to say "afraid his brother would suffer, but even more afraid his brother would drive a Land Rover," Ye Shu laughed and scolded him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:

"Get lost! Can't you think of anything healthy? Not some 'auntie'!"

"Not your auntie?"

Han Yang keenly grasped the key words and instantly became interested:

"Female? How old? Is she pretty? Is she single? Can you...?"

He fired off a barrage of questions, his body almost leaning across the table.

Ye Shu quickly picked up a peanut and threw it into his mouth:

"Stop, stop. I advise you not to think that way. This girl's situation is a bit special; you can't handle her."

Han Yang chewed on peanuts, sat back in his chair, somewhat unconvinced:

"What, you practice Sanda (Chinese kickboxing)? Is there anything you can't handle?"

At this point, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and a wicked, extremely irritating smile appeared on his face as he drawled out the words:

"Or... are you being possessive of your food, reluctant to part with it? Hmm? Are you interested in that young lady? Hey! You audacious scoundrel, confess the truth now!"

As he spoke, he formed a sword-finger gesture with one hand and gripped the chopsticks in the other, as if holding a sword, striking a pose.

"Interesting my foot! We've only known each other for two days at most!"

Ye Shu retorted verbally, but felt a little awkward inside. He couldn't explain why, even though he and An Suxue were completely innocent, Han Yang's teasing made him feel inexplicably uneasy, and he had a strange protective instinct that was afraid An Suxue would be disturbed.

He picked up the wine bottle and poured wine for Han Yang, changing the subject:

"Stop talking about me, what about you? Where did you go to make your fortune after graduation?"

Han Yang could tell he didn't want to talk more, so he decided to stop while he was ahead, leaning back and popping a handful of edamame into his mouth.

"What else can I do? I go back to help out at my family's supermarket, that's all. I drive my beloved car around hauling goods all day. Damn it, I bought this car thinking I'd take young girls for a spin, but it's all I get left hauling radishes and cabbages."

Ye Shu was amused by his words and teased him:

"What did I say back then? Trying to pick up girls with your seven-handed 'Godzilla' is no less difficult than chasing a supercar on a bicycle."

Han Yang was amused as well.

Just then, Uncle Sun came over carrying an iron plate, on which the meat skewers were sizzling and dripping with oil.

"Come on, come on, let's eat first."

"Eh."

The two responded and each grabbed a skewer of meat and put it in their mouths. One bite filled their mouths with the rich, oily flavor.

After eating a few skewers of meat, the hunger pangs from the alcohol subsided. Ye Shu thought of her roommate and asked:

"By the way, what happened to those guys from our dorm? Have you kept in touch?"

Han Yang said while chewing on the beef tendon:

"Zhang Xiaoqiang ran off to another city. I heard he's now dealing in clothing and opened a small shop, but I don't know the specifics. Wang Yu was the unluckiest guy; he got tricked into a pyramid scheme by a fellow villager. Luckily, he was quick-witted, realized something was wrong, beat up the villager, and ran away. Now he seems to have gone back to his hometown to farm. He posts pictures of cucumbers and persimmons on his WeChat Moments every day, which is fine."

Ye Shu listened, silently took a sip of her drink, and sighed:

"It's not easy for anyone."

"you do not say!"

Han Yang shared the same sentiment, raised his glass and clinked it heavily with Ye Shu's, the two of them tilting their heads back in a gesture of mutual destruction.

Setting down his glass, Han Yang pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands, his expression becoming more serious as he looked at Ye Shu:

"Xiao Shu, you still haven't told me what you need me for? Are you short of money?"

Han Yang reached out and picked up a string of kidneys. Just as he put it to his mouth, he seemed to be electrocuted and shook his head as if he had been burned.

Ye Shu's smile slowly faded. He stared at the foam clinging to the glass, rubbing his fingers repeatedly on the surface. After hesitating for a long time, he said somewhat awkwardly:

"Well, I won't pretend with you anymore. To tell you the truth, I only have about thirty yuan left on me."

Han Yang wasn't surprised when he heard this; instead, he laughed and said:

"I knew it, you weren't up to anything good coming to me."

After saying that, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and tapped it a few times.

Almost simultaneously, Ye Shu's phone, which was on the table, vibrated.

He picked it up and saw a transfer message on the screen: "Han Yang has transferred 2000.00 yuan to you."

"We don't need that much, just enough to last a month."

"Take it."

Han Yang had already put his phone back in his pocket, picked up a skewer of meat, and didn't even look up.

"It's not for you. You can return it whenever you need it. I don't need it in a hurry."

Ye Shu held the phone, feeling the body getting slightly warm.

Just now, when Han Yang took out his phone, he saw it too. It was the old phone Han Yang used when he was in college. The screen had some scratches on the edges, and he hadn't replaced it for so many years.

Someone who uses an old phone and drives a beat-up car can transfer two thousand yuan to you without hesitation when you ask.

Ye Shu felt a lump in his throat, a throbbing, aching sensation. He took a deep breath, raised his full glass, and said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. I've already found a job, and I'll pay you back next month... at the latest next month."

Han Yang also picked up his cup and clinked it against his, making a crisp sound.

"I told you there's no rush, why are you talking so much nonsense?"

After clinking glasses, he winked at Ye Shu again, reverting to his slightly lewd demeanor, and lowered his voice:

"Hey, how about this? You call me 'Dad' now, and I'll give you a 500 discount, okay?"

"Get lost!"

The two exchanged a smile and downed their cold beer in one gulp.

All the awkwardness, embarrassment, and gratitude melted into their laughter and the chilly drinks.