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

The rain kept falling outside the window, and the atmosphere wasn't exactly harmonious.

Ye Shu gently placed the bowl of rice in front of An Suxue, and seeing her with her head down, he felt a little puzzled.

She seems... unusually quiet since just now, almost excessively so. Unlike the quietness of a frightened rabbit earlier, this quietness seems more like... a deep-seated, evasiveness?

"Does your arm still hurt?"

Ye Shu sat down in the chair opposite, trying to find a topic to ease the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

An Suxue shook her head, glanced down at her immobilized left arm, and replied softly:

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Oh...it doesn't hurt...it doesn't hurt anymore..."

Ye Shu wondered why cooking a meal had become so awkward.

He casually ate a mouthful of rice, his gaze falling on the half-finished drink beside An Suxue, and said:

"How does the drink taste?"

"Mmm, it tastes good."

An Suxue still didn't look up, and ate her meal in small bites.

"As long as it tastes good! Sister Chen Xing is a nice person. She said that after get off work, I can use the leftover ingredients from the shop to make my own drinks and bring them home. She'll bring you something different every day so you can try it."

His intention was simply to share something good and make her happy.

However, An Suxue stopped chewing.

She slowly raised her head, looking directly at Ye Shu for the first time. The shyness, panic, and furtive glances that had previously shone in her large, slightly red eyes from crying seemed to have faded. In their place was something... a mixture of wariness and tension.

"Sister Chen Xing?"

"Yeah, the owner of the bubble tea shop where I work is a really nice person."

Ye Shu picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, answering casually.

"A woman?"

An Suxue's voice was very soft, but somewhat flat, sounding more like a confirmation than a question.

Ye Shu swallowed his food and nodded:

"Yeah, how come..."

Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that An Suxue's emotions were not right.

Her eyes... seemed a little cold, completely different from her usual soft and evasive gaze.

The next second, An Suxue spoke coldly:

"Then don't bring them back anymore."

"what?"

Ye Shu was stunned, her chopsticks hanging in mid-air.

An Suxue seemed startled by her own words, a flash of panic crossing her eyes.

She quickly lowered her head, her fingers fidgeting with the chopsticks in her hand, and her voice immediately became even softer:

"It's not good to always...not good..."

She spoke these words quickly and softly, the last syllable almost inaudible; it was less of an explanation and more of a cover-up.

After saying that, she stared intently at the rice in the bowl, constantly poking at it with the tip of her chopsticks.

The air at the dining table seemed to freeze, with only the sound of rain pattering against the window remaining.

Ye Shu held up her chopsticks, looking at the small head across from her that was almost buried in the bowl, feeling completely lost.

Don't want to bring it? Trying to get a bargain?

She's so thin-skinned and so afraid of owing favors, probably because she feels it's not a good thing.

"Uh...it's okay. Sister Chen Xing said it's an employee benefit, so it's not like I'm taking advantage of anyone. Besides, it's a waste not to use the materials anyway. I can learn to make them; it's not difficult at all..."

"I said I don't want it!"

An Suxue interrupted him again, her voice even louder than before.

After saying that, she was startled by her own voice and lowered her head even further, almost burying her face in the bowl.

Ye Shu was completely speechless. He pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with any clues. He could only nod and say, as if coaxing a child:

"Okay, then I won't bring it... Let's eat, the food's getting cold."

He stopped mentioning it and continued eating, but his gaze would occasionally drift to the little quail across from him, who exuded an aura of unapproachability and pitifulness.

Meanwhile, An Suxue realized that her attitude just now was problematic. A mix of frustration, guilt, and inexplicable grievance welled up inside her, making her even more at a loss.

What am I doing? Why am I talking to him in this tone?

A few seconds later, she slowly raised her head, her reddened eyes looking timidly at Ye Shu, her voice soft but full of apology:

"...I'm sorry...I...I didn't mean to get angry at you...it's just...it just felt bad..."

"It's nothing, it's really nothing."

Ye Shu quickly waved his hand. He had already found a reasonable explanation for An Suxue's outburst.

It must be that this girl has too much pride and is particularly afraid of owing favors. She feels awkward because she keeps accepting things from others, but she can't bring herself to say it, which is why she got anxious.

Thinking this, his gaze towards An Suxue changed, his eyes filled with "This child is so sensible." He picked up a large slice of meat and placed it in her bowl:

"Eat quickly, don't think too much about it. You really don't need to feel like you're getting a bargain or anything. Sister Chen Xing is a really nice person. I think she probably just runs that shop as a hobby to pass the time. Didn't you see the car her boyfriend picked her up in today? It didn't look cheap, so she definitely won't be short of money."

"Huh?!"

An Suxue was about to reach for the piece of meat in her bowl with her chopsticks when she froze in mid-air. She abruptly raised her head, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, and stared straight at Ye Shu, as if she hadn't heard what he had said.

"……Boy friend?"

"yes."

Ye Shu nodded and swallowed the food in her mouth:

"Tonight, her boyfriend picked her up from get off work for a date, so I closed the shop early and came back. Otherwise, how could I be back so early..."

An Suxue couldn't hear a single word he said after that.

That Chen Xing sister...does she have a boyfriend?

Tonight... am I going on a date?

So... Ye Shu came back early... because of this?

So it turns out... it wasn't because of...

Suddenly, all those inexplicable frustrations, awkwardness, and temper tantrums she had felt earlier... instantly made her feel ashamed.

An Suxue felt a surge of heat rush to her face, and her whole body began to burn at an alarming speed. She wondered if steam was starting to rise from her head.

What on earth was I doing?!

What are you angry about?! What are you being stubborn about?! What are you saying, "Don't bring it"?!

Just because she heard he was an "older sister," she automatically imagined a whole bunch of random things, and then... she even got angry at him?!

"I...I...um...the food's getting cold! Hurry up and eat!"

She struggled to utter a few words, then suddenly lowered her head, burying her flushed face deep inside her hat, leaving only a pair of pink fluffy rabbit ears facing Ye Shu.

Her chopsticks trembled as she frantically rummaged through the rice in her bowl, unable to get a single grain into her mouth. Her heart pounded like a drum, making her dizzy.

After a long while, An Suxue finally spoke with her head down:

"From now on... I'd like to try some different flavors..."

Ye Shu sat opposite him, blinked, looked at the head that was almost buried in the rice bowl, opened her mouth, and only said:

"it is good."

Forget it, girls' thoughts are too hard to guess. Let's just eat.