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

The rain outside the window is pattering on and on, never-ending.

It's a little past six in the evening. Although the days are longer in summer, it's already dark outside.

Just as Chen Xing had said, not a single customer had entered the shop since it started raining.

Chen Xing finished watching another episode of the TV series, yawned, stretched, looked out the window at the rain-shrouded streets, and shook his head:

"Looks like there's no chance today. With this rain, nobody's going to go out. Xiao Ye, if you're almost done getting ready, you should go home early. It's safer to go home in this weather."

"Okay, sure."

Ye Shu responded and washed and hung the rag to dry.

Just as they finished tidying up, they heard the sound of a car engine turning off outside. Immediately afterwards, a white sedan slowly pulled up to a stop on the side of the road in front of the shop.

Chen Xing glanced at it, picked up his bulging canvas bag, rummaged through it for a while, took out a key, and placed it on the bar.

"Here, Xiao Ye, this is the shop key. Keep it safe."

She gestured towards the car outside the door, her speech quickening; it was clear she couldn't wait.

"When you leave, remember to check that the water and electricity are turned off, the lights are off, and then lock the door securely. It's a double lock, just turn it twice."

She paused, pointed to the unused materials on the worktable, and blinked:

"It's a shame to throw all this stuff away. Why don't you try making a couple of drinks to take home, consider it a staff perk. Oh, and by the way..."

She raised an eyebrow at Ye Shu:

"Remember to bring a drink for your roommate too, okay? Pretty thoughtful of me, right?"

Ye Shu felt her ears burn slightly under her gaze, and was about to say something when Chen Xing grabbed her bag and hurried toward the door.

"Alright, I'm going to be late for my romantic date, gotta go!"

Before she finished speaking, she had already pushed open the shop door, and a gust of wind carrying rain swept in, which she quickly shut out.

Ye Shu only had time to see her run into the rain and get into the waiting white car.

The car started quickly, leaving only two gradually shrinking red dots that eventually disappeared into the rain.

The shop suddenly fell silent, leaving only Ye Shu and the endless sound of rain outside the window.

He walked to the workbench, looked at the raw materials, and realized that throwing them away would indeed be a waste.

Remembering that esoteric manual, he smiled, opened the notebook, and, following the instructions of "almost," "a little," and "do as you see fit," tried mixing two drinks.

He cautiously tasted it, and the taste was... alright? At least it wasn't bad.

It seems that you really have to practice to develop a feel for things.

After checking all the power sources in the store, turning off the last light, locking the door by the light from outside, opening the umbrella, and carrying a plastic bag containing two drinks in one hand, I headed home.

Ye Shu held up an umbrella, the umbrella constantly making a pattering sound as the rain hit it.

"Is the Dragon King having an allergic reaction today...?"

Ye Shu casually made a comment.

The streetlights cast long shadows on the wet ground. There were few pedestrians, only a few poor oxen and horses like him who had to brave the rain to get to their destination, hurrying along.

Just as he was about to turn out of the commercial street and walk onto the main road, a bar called "Maze" caught his attention.

Unlike most of the surrounding shops that were closed or deserted, this bar was brightly lit at the entrance, with several black luxury cars parked outside.

What was even more striking was that two rows of men in black suits stood beside the car. The scene didn't resemble bar security guards; it looked more like…a secret agent from a movie.

"What kind of extravagance is this? A 007-themed night? Or did some big shot book the whole place?"

Watching is a traditional virtue passed down from our ancestors. Seeing this scene that looked like a movie being filmed, Ye Shu unconsciously slowed down her pace.

Just as he was about to walk past the bar's main entrance, the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside.

Two men in black, each the size of a bear, practically carried a young man in a white shirt out, one on each side.

The young man seemed to be unconscious, his head drooping, his legs as limp as noodles, letting the other person drag him and stuff him into the back seat of a car in the middle.

Immediately afterwards, a figure slowly walked out from inside the door.

She was a woman wearing a long black velvet dress.

She didn't use an umbrella, but looked up slightly at the still rainy night sky. Immediately, a bodyguard stepped forward and held up a black umbrella for her.

She simply waved her hand casually, indicating that she didn't need it, and then walked straight to the car with a composed demeanor and a powerful aura. She opened the car door and got into the back seat.

Afterwards, the group of 007s got into other vehicles.

With a low hum of engines, the convoy drove away and soon disappeared at the end of the rain-shrouded street, leaving only empty parking spaces and the flashing neon sign outside the bar.

Ye Shu stood in the rain not far away, holding an umbrella, looking a little bewildered.

What... is going on?

A: This is a short drama being filmed, the kind where a domineering heiress falls in love with me.

B: That woman is actually the young man's mother. Her son sneaked out to go clubbing and was caught and taken back for a reprimand.

C: That young man was kidnapped and taken away for a kidney-cutting incident...

Thinking of this, Ye Shu subconsciously reached for his pocket.

If it really is a kidnapping, we should call the police...

He looked up at the direction the convoy had disappeared, then at the bar's sign, and then down at the two drinks he was carrying, his soaked trouser legs, and the mud splattered on his shoes.

Forget it.

That kind of extravagance, that woman, those cars... it's from another world entirely. What does it have to do with an ordinary person like me?

He shrugged, turned around, and continued walking home.

They're too busy crying over their ancestral graves to even think about crying over those mass graves.

Instead of worrying about those family feuds, it's better to think about what to cook for dinner tonight.

Ye Shu, holding an umbrella, hurried along, and had just reached the bottom of the stairs when, before she could even fold it up, everything suddenly went white, as if it had turned into daytime in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, a muffled clap of thunder came from overhead.

"BOOM—!!!"

The sound didn't seem to come from the horizon; it was more like an explosion that occurred directly on the rooftop, causing the surrounding glass to tremble slightly.

"Hiss... This rain isn't going to stop anytime soon, it's going to get even heavier."

When he finally stood at his doorstep, his trousers were soaked from the knees down, and his shoes felt damp inside.

He habitually pressed his thumb on the fingerprint lock, but there was no response.

I tried again, but it still didn't work.

Helpless, Ye Shu had no choice but to put down the drink bag in his hand and take out a spare key from his pocket.

Pushing open the door, there was no warm light as I had expected, no sound of a television; instead, it was pitch black.

Ye Shu's heart sank suddenly as she recalled the scene she had just witnessed on the street, and she immediately tensed up.

What happened? Where is everyone? What's wrong?

"Sister Zhi Qiu? I'm back."

He raised his voice and shouted, but his voice sounded weak in the living room.

There was no response, only the sound of rain pattering against the windowpane.

A chill ran down my spine.

Ye Shu's heart raced. He put down his umbrella and drink bag, instinctively reached for his phone, and turned on the flashlight.

The moment he raised his phone...

"Ugh—!"

Ye Shu felt a dark shadow rushing towards him and then crashing into him hard.

Caught off guard, he staggered back a few steps from the impact. His first thought was:

Oh no, we've been attacked by thugs!

But just as he was preparing to fight the thugs to the death, he froze, because the person in his arms was making a soft sobbing sound.

Ye Shu shone her flashlight downwards, and the first thing she saw was a pair of pink plush rabbit ears.

"An Suxue...?"