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

After a satisfying meal, Han Yang, with a toothpick dangling from his mouth, sauntered to the counter to pay the bill.

Ye Shu followed him out of the store; the afternoon sun was a bit too bright. He subconsciously took out his phone to check the time: 1:30 PM.

This timing was like a tiny needle, gently pricking him.

At home… has that timid little girl eaten yet? The image of An Suxue hugging the carrot pillow flashed through my mind instantly, along with her frightened, doe-like eyes this morning.

"What's wrong? Let's go."

Han Yang, who had already reached the door, turned around and looked at Ye Shu, who was standing there in a daze.

Ye Shu suddenly snapped out of her daze and quickly said:

"Oh, it's okay, wait for me."

After saying that, he turned and walked quickly back, saying to Uncle Sun who was tidying up the table:

"Uncle Sun, grill me some more skewers, to go."

Ye Shu paid for the takeout, and when she turned around, she saw that Han Yang hadn't left. Instead, he was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, a sly smile on his face, and he asked in a drawn-out voice:

"Hey—? Xiao Shu, you're something else! This is... for which sweetheart? So thoughtful!"

Ye Shu felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, his face flushed, and to hide his embarrassment, he pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Go away! Kids shouldn't pry into adult matters!"

"Hey, you're even shy!"

Han Yang raised his eyebrows smugly, then stopped pressing the issue and strolled back to sit down, leisurely sipping his free tea.

After waiting for another ten minutes or so, Uncle Sun came out carrying two large bags of packaged barbecue. The bags were stained with dark oil and were still steaming.

"Here you go, be careful, it's hot."

"Thank you, Uncle Sun."

Ye Shu took the two heavy bags, and the aroma of barbecue wafted into her nose.

Pushing open the shop door and stepping onto the street, Han Yang was slightly tipsy from the afternoon breeze. He walked towards his God of War car, feeling dizzy, and habitually took out his car keys.

Ye Shu grabbed his arm:

What are you doing?

Han Yang was pulled and stumbled, turning around blankly:

"Huh? Going home? What's wrong?"

"Dude! You've been drinking! And you're driving? Want to experience life here?"

Han Yang then realized what was happening and slapped his forehead:

"Oh my god! Look at my brain, I was so careless, so careless."

He took out his phone, swiping as he spoke:

"Okay, call a designated driver... wait, this junk car isn't worth the cost of a designated driver, let's take a taxi!"

The two of them each called a car on their phones.

Standing by the street in the afternoon, waiting for the bus, the shadows of the trees swayed, and a hot breeze brushed my face... It was still a bit hot.

Soon, two ride-hailing cars arrived one after the other. The two brothers waved to each other, got into their respective cars, and drove off in different directions.

Ye Shu leaned back in the back seat, clutching the two bags of warm barbecue tightly in his hands. The street scene outside the car window rushed past, and he just stared out the window, watching all sorts of passersby, lost in thought.

When Ye Shu got home, she opened the door and found the entryway quiet.

He changed his shoes, walked into the living room, and immediately saw the figure on the sofa.

An Suxue was curled up in the corner of the sofa, wearing a pink plush rabbit pajama set that wrapped her up tightly, and was taking small bites of a dry-looking biscuit.

Hearing the door open, she jerked her head up like a startled animal.

Eyes facing each other.

An Suxue instantly dropped the cookie in her hand and hurriedly grabbed the huge carrot pillow next to her and hugged it tightly.

Ye Shun could tell that her first reaction was to run away, and her body tensed up slightly, but for some reason, she only moved her buttocks slightly and did not actually run back to the room.

Ye Shu's gaze shifted from the girl's panicked face to the opened bag of cookies on the coffee table, and she asked:

"You're having this for lunch...?"

With half her face covered by a carrot pillow, An Suxue gave a weak "hmm".

Ye Shu sighed silently and said subconsciously:

"Well... at least order some takeout..."

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. Let An Suxue face the deliveryman alone? He probably couldn't do that. He immediately changed his mind:

"At worst, there's still some leftover food in the fridge from last night; we can just heat it up in a pan."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw An Suxue's large eyes quickly fill with tears, her eyes redden, and her voice tremble with grievance:

"I...I dare not...I dare not use fire..."

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Ye Shu's resentment vanished instantly.

He felt so ashamed; he wanted to slap himself twice.

Ye Shu shook the plastic bag in her hand:

"It's okay, it's okay. I was just worried you hadn't eaten at home, so I brought you some barbecue. It's still warm, eat up."

As he spoke, he tried to take a few steps forward. Sure enough, as he approached, An Suxue, clutching her cushion, slowly shrank back to the other end of the sofa like a snail.

Ye Shu wisely stopped at the other corner of the coffee table, which was furthest from her, and put down the two full plastic bags.

"Well... you eat first, I'm going back to my room, I won't bother you."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to his room without any hesitation, and closed the door quietly without making a loud noise.

The living room fell silent instantly.

An Suxue maintained her defensive posture, clutching the pillow, staring longingly at the closed door. Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, such as a "thank you" or "have you eaten?", but in the end, no sound came out.

A mixture of shame, frustration, and anger at her own incompetence welled up inside her. She slammed her fist on the carrot pillow in her arms, as if punishing herself for being so useless.

Just then, a rich aroma wafted out from the gaps in the plastic bag, drifting into the air.

An Suxue's little nose twitched slightly involuntarily, and she began to drool uncontrollably.

Eating only cookies...it seems...I'm really not full...

Like a kitten drawn to a sausage, she slowly moved to the coffee table, stretched out her fingers, and gently pried open the plastic bag.

The inside was full of grilled skewers sprinkled with cumin and chili powder.

She picked up a skewer of meat that was still steaming hot and took a small bite.

Instantly, the complex flavors of caramelization, saltiness, and a hint of spiciness exploded on the taste buds, a world apart from the dry biscuits just now.

An Suxue's eyes lit up, and then, with a second bite, a third bite... she ate faster and faster, her cheeks gradually puffing out.

As she ate, a smile, which she herself was unaware of, quietly crept onto the corners of her mouth, blossoming into a satisfied and warm arc on her lips, which were glistening with the oil from the barbecue.

An Suxue looked back at the closed door. This person... didn't seem so scary anymore.