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

"Hey kid! You bumped into me! Pay up!"

The man looked up, his face showing no signs of being hit; instead, he was filled with joy at the prospect of making money.

"What the hell?!"

Ye Shu hadn't even caught his breath when this happened. His mind went blank for a moment, and his anger surged again. He tried to pull his leg back, but the other person held on tightly.

"When did I bump into you? I didn't touch you at all!"

"I crashed into him! My leg hurts, and my back is all twisted! Enough talk, give me 800 yuan for medical expenses, and we'll call it even!"

The man glared at Ye Shu, spitting so hard it almost landed on his trousers. He secretly pinched his thigh with his other hand, grimacing in pain.

They didn't catch up with the person and ended up getting into a lot of trouble!

Ye Shu felt a tightness in his chest from anger. He quickly scanned his surroundings and spotted a security camera hanging in the corner of the wall above the alley entrance. He immediately pointed at the camera and shouted sternly:

"Open your eyes and look! There are security cameras there! We'll know whether there was a collision or not in a flash!"

The man glanced in the direction Ye Shu pointed, and instead of being afraid, he sneered:

"Kid, you think you can pull this on me? That thing broke ages ago, it's just for show! Enough talk, just give me the money! It's a thousand now! I advise you to just hand over the money and that'll be the end of it, otherwise it'll go up in a bit."

Raising prices on the spot?! Threat! This is a blatant threat!

Ye Shu was burning with rage from being spied on all morning and had nowhere to vent it. It was a case of anger rising from the heart and evil thoughts taking root in his mind.

"You said the camera is broken, right?"

Ye Shu suddenly spoke up, bending down slightly and staring into the eyes of the man on the ground.

"Oh no! Hurry up and pay up, young man, why are you talking so much nonsense... Ah!!!"

Before the man could finish speaking, Ye Shu had already kicked him in the chest with a "24-step kick that's never enough."

The man was kicked backward, seemingly gasping for air, clutching his chest and his face contorted in pain.

"Damn it, you still dare to try and extort money from me after I've messed up?! Do you really think I have no temper?!"

Ye Shu cursed as he kicked, giving the man's buttocks two sharp slaps.

"Stop, stop kicking me! I was wrong! I don't want the money anymore! Ah!!!"

Seeing the man being kicked on the ground and twisted like a ribbonfish, Ye Shu finally vented his anger and felt very relieved. The anger of not catching up with the man also subsided a lot.

Ye Shu looked at the man still groaning on the ground, didn't say another word, and was too lazy to argue anymore. Ye Shu glared at the man, turned around, and strode away from the alley.

Not long after Ye Shu's figure disappeared at the entrance of the alley, several men in suits flashed in from the other end of the alley and jogged over to the middle-aged man who was still sitting on the ground, grimacing and rubbing his buttocks.

"Chairman! Are you alright?"

The man with the buzz cut who was in the lead immediately squatted down, reaching out to help, but seemed hesitant to touch him.

"Ouch... Slower, slower, slower..."

The man, referred to as "Chairman," used the force to stand up, but his buttocks were clearly in great pain, and his posture was somewhat awkward.

He rubbed his tailbone as he turned to look in the direction Ye Shu had left, but his face didn't show much anger. Instead, he grinned and commented:

"This kid... he's quick-witted, but he's really ruthless... that kick I got..."

"Chairman, what do we do now?"

A man in a suit quickly stepped forward to brush the mud and footprints off his body, accidentally brushing the area that Ye Shu had just focused on.

"Ouch! Gently, gently!"

The man, in pain, slapped away the man in the suit's hand, rubbing his buttocks, and said:

"What should we do? Go home, of course. They've already found out, what more do they want?"

"Yes, Chairman."

Supported by two men in suits, the man left the alley, got into a car parked some distance away, and drove off.

When Ye Shu returned to the shop with two takeout meals, the last two customers who had been chatting were just getting up to leave.

The wind chimes tinkled crisply, and the shop returned to silence, leaving only the faint warmth of the coffee machine and the subtle sweet aroma in the air.

Chen Xing seemed to have turned into a puddle, slumped on the bar stool behind the bar, her head resting on her arm. Hearing the door open, she let out a weak, drawn-out wail:

"Little Ye! You're finally back! My stomach is so hungry it's starting to digest itself! Did you go buy food or cook it?"

Ye Shu smiled somewhat embarrassedly and placed the food on the bar counter. As she untied the plastic bag, the aroma of the food wafted out.

"Something happened on the way, which delayed me a bit."

Hearing Ye Shu say this, Chen Xing looked up, noticed the dust on his pants, and asked:

"What? Did you get into a fight? Or did you fall down?"

Ye Shu placed a box of rice in front of Chen Xing, sat down in a chair, opened the box, ate a couple of bites, and then said:

"Nothing serious, just ran into a scammer."

"A staged accident?"

Chen Xing picked up his chopsticks but put them down again, looking Ye Shu up and down:

"Where are you? Are you alright? Did you get scammed?"

"No, it's nothing."

Ye Shu picked up a piece of food and briefly recounted his feelings from the morning, the process of pursuing someone, and then the incident of being scammed. However, he omitted some unnecessary details, such as his kick to the chest and the physical methods used to deter the other person.

Chen Xing breathed a sigh of relief, but his brows were still furrowed:

"You scared me! I'm so glad you're alright... These people these days are really something... They especially target young people. You too, next time you encounter something like this, don't fight back. If you can avoid it, do so; if you can call the police, call the police. What if they're not alone, or they're armed? You'll be at a huge disadvantage!"

Chen Xing's words were genuinely out of concern for Ye Shu. As Ye Shu listened, the anger and lingering resentment in his heart were completely dispelled by this "nagging from his sister." He knew that Chen Xing was right.

"Okay, I understand."

"Good to know! Let's eat, the food's getting cold."

Chen Xing then picked up his chopsticks again, took a large mouthful of food, and stuffed it into his mouth. His eyes narrowed slightly, showing some displeasure.

"Hmm... this place's cooking isn't good, I won't buy from them next time."

"Okay, sure."

Ye Shu took out her phone and sent a message:

【Have you got a meal yet?】

Messages are replied to almost instantly:

[I'm eating right now.]

The photo was followed by a shot from the sofa to the coffee table, on which sat a bowl of steaming instant noodles in a bucket, with half a sausage next to it.

The person taking the photo seemed to be trying to prove they were "really eating," with a small section of their fair, white fingers peeking out from the edge of the instant noodle bucket, holding a plastic fork.

Looking at the rather pathetic lunch photo, Ye Shu was speechless for a moment, and even found it a little funny.

Instant noodles... in a bucket.

He couldn't help but wonder, how did they manage to eat before I arrived? Did they live on takeout, instant noodles, and snacks every day?

Sister Zhi Qiu seems to be so caring, doesn't she cook?

At this moment, Chen Xing, who was enjoying his meal across from him, caught a glimpse of his slightly furrowed brow and almost amusement while looking at his phone, along with the rapid typing. A knowing smile immediately appeared on his face, and he asked in a drawn-out voice:

"Hey~ our little Ye, even while eating, you're taking a break to message your roommate and report your whereabouts?"

"Just... ask her if she's eaten. She... can't cook, so she probably just ate something quick and easy again."

"Not very good at cooking?"

Chen Xing blinked and suggested:

"Well—how about this? We need to eat lunch anyway, so from now on, you can have her come to the shop to find us! The three of us can eat together, it's just a matter of having an extra pair of chopsticks! It's on me! How about that?"

She thought her idea was brilliant:

"Besides, I'm also curious about what kind of girl our hardworking and reliable roommate is that we care so much about. Let me meet her and give you my opinion?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Shu felt a chill run down her spine. For some reason, she just didn't want them to see her working.

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate, Sister Chen Xing?"

Ye Shu quickly waved her hand, forcing an awkward yet polite smile, and tried to come up with an excuse:

"It's too much trouble for you, and besides, she... she's a bit shy and doesn't really like going to crowded places."

"I'm shy..."

Chen Xing drew out his words, seeing right through Ye Shu's little scheme. He found it amusing but didn't point it out:

"Alright, alright, it's up to you~ I just mentioned it casually, worried that your roommate might be hungry. If you don't want to, then forget it."

Ye Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her chopsticks again, but her heart was inexplicably stirred by Chen Xing's "casual remark".

Integrating "them" into another aspect of one's life... seems like a distant and delicate topic.