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

The morning light, filtering through the gaps in the slightly open curtains, cast several hazy patches of light on the bedroom floor.

An Suxue was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window, her consciousness slowly surfacing from sleep. Before she even opened her eyes, she had already reached for her phone on the bedside table.

8:50?

An Suxue frowned slightly, wondering if she was too sleepy and had misread the time. She turned her phone screen off and on again... 8:51.

Strange, why didn't Ye Shu knock on the door today? Did he oversleep too?

I put down my phone and then grabbed a notebook from the bedside table.

This is an unwritten agreement between them: some memories are fragmented, some emotions are unique, and some explanations... must be left behind.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, her face still flushed from a good night's sleep, a few strands of hair sticking up playfully, her mind a little fuzzy, and opened her notebook.

The first few lines are a message from Sister Zhi Qiu, written in neat and beautiful handwriting:

The clothes have been washed and put away; they're in the second compartment from the left in the wardrobe.

I've already replenished the food in the refrigerator.

My teeth felt a bit sensitive last night, probably from eating too many sweets. We'll try to control our snack intake this week.

These were all small, warm, everyday reminders, and An Suxue's lips unconsciously curved into a smile, her heart filled with warmth. Sister Zhi Qiu was always like this, taking care of everything so meticulously and thoughtfully, making her feel incredibly at ease.

Her gaze followed the delicate handwriting downwards and landed on the last line.

Little Shu's brother has left; we don't know when he'll be back.

Suddenly, the notebook seemed to be electrified, and it flashed An Suxue's hand.

pat.

The notebook slipped from her hand and landed squarely on her exposed forehead.

"Hmm..."

She instinctively covered the spot where she had been hit; the pain was nothing compared to the confusion and...fear in her heart.

Ye Shu is gone?

Why did he leave? Where did he go? Last night? He... isn't he coming back?

In an instant, countless question marks popped into her still somewhat dazed mind.

It felt as if a large chunk of something inside me had been scooped out with a small spoon. A familiar sense of emptiness and unease began to spread rapidly from that hollowed-out area.

For a moment, everything in the room seemed to dim.

She remained lying on the bed, her head still covered, for a long while before she seemed to suddenly remember something. She hurriedly reached for the notebook that had fallen onto the blanket and quickly turned to the next page.

Sure enough, there was more content on the next page, seemingly added by Sister Zhi Qiu:

[I just got a call. Xiao Shu's grandma is sick, so he has to rush back tonight. Don't worry too much, he'll be back after he's taken care of things.]

Oh……

It turned out to be the case.

Grandma is sick... He's not... He's not not coming back.

The tense nerves and the sudden emptiness in my heart seemed to be gently supported by those words. But the void that had been ripped out wasn't immediately filled; it just prevented the panic and unease from spreading further.

Knowing the reason did not lessen the worry. But the sting of the thought of being "abandoned" softened into a lingering sense of loss.

An Suxue held the notebook and stared blankly at the line of supplementary explanation for a while.

Then, as if all her strength had been suddenly drained, she swayed and slowly, slowly slid back into the soft quilt.

She buried her face in the pillow, wrapped her arms around the carrot pillow that had been with her for many years, and curled up.

The room was quiet, with only the faint chirping of birds coming from outside the window.

But suddenly she felt that this bedroom, which usually made her feel safe and warm, seemed a little...too quiet this morning.

It was so quiet that I could clearly hear the disorienting sense of loss pounding in my heart.

he's gone.

Although it was because of unavoidable circumstances.

Although I will come back.

but……

She closed her eyes, buried half her face deeper into the pillow, and unconsciously tightened her arms around the pillow.

It seems... I've already started missing him.

This realization caused a subtle, belated blush to rise on the tips of her ears.

......

Meanwhile, the high-speed train sped along the tracks, with fields rushing past the window. Most passengers were catching up on sleep, the silence broken only by whispers and announcements.

Ye Shu sat by the window, his body numb from sitting stiffly for so long. He hadn't slept a wink all night. From the shock of receiving the phone call to the panic of packing his luggage, and then to the bumpy ride on the night train, all his emotions weighed heavily on his heart, making it impossible for him to fall asleep.

He checked his phone; it was almost nine o'clock. At this hour, Sister Chen Xing should be on her way to the store.

He opened WeChat, found Chen Xing's profile picture, and paused for a few seconds on the keyboard, organizing his thoughts. Asking for leave was necessary, but he didn't want to appear too flustered. He edited and revised, finally sending a message as concise as possible:

【Sister Chen Xing, something happened at home. My grandma was hospitalized last night, so I have to go back to my hometown. I'm on the high-speed train now and won't be able to go to the shop for the next few days.】

After sending it, he hesitated for a moment. To prove it, he raised his phone again, took a blurry photo of the scenery rushing past the window, and sent it along with the other photos.

It's as if it's saying: Look, I'm really on my way, things are urgent.

After sending the message, he placed his phone face down on his lap, closed his eyes, and tried to calm his throbbing temples.

But my thoughts just wouldn't stop; Grandma's illness, my father's heavy voice, all sorts of possible scenarios at the hospital... all intertwined in a chaotic jumble.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe only a few minutes, when my phone vibrated on my leg.

It was Chen Xing's reply, a voice message that lasted several tens of seconds.

Ye Shu tapped the screen and held the phone close to her ear. Chen Xing's voice immediately came through, accompanied by some background noise—the sound of wind, car horns, and her slightly rapid breathing—clearly indicating she was walking briskly outdoors.

"Oh, Xiao Ye, it's alright. Your parents' health is the priority, so don't worry about the shop. I'm giving you a break, no rush to come back. I'll keep your job for you, don't worry."

Another horn sounded in the background; she seemed to flinch, the sound receding slightly before coming closer again.

"Hey, do you have enough money on you? How about I give you your salary for this month? If you need anything, just tell me, don't be shy."

A barrage of words, like a summer downpour, poured urgently yet warmly onto Ye Shu's heart.

There were no unnecessary formalities, no boss interrogating employees, only the most direct care and support.

In short, it boils down to three sentences: We'll give you leave, we'll give you money, just let us know if you need anything.

After listening to the voice message, Ye Shu felt a warm glow in her heart.

In this city where he has no relatives or friends, it's probably really his good luck to meet a boss like Chen Xing.

This care, unconditional and purely out of "one of us," is especially precious at such times, like a cup of plain water on a cold night that, while not scalding hot, is enough to warm your heart.

He immediately typed a message in reply:

"Okay, thank you, Sister Chen Xing. Don't worry about the salary yet; I'll check things out when I get back."

This time, Chen Xing didn't send a long voice message; he simply replied with a cat nodding vigorously, accompanied by an OK emoji.

Exiting the chat with Chen Xing, Ye Shu saw the chat box at the top, where the name he had personally saved as "Them" lay quietly.

His fingertip hovered above the screen, paused.

He wanted to open it.

She wanted to tell Sister Zhi Qiu where she was, ask An Su Xue if she had eaten breakfast properly, and even hear what Xia Qing might say, like "Be careful on the road."

I wonder if, after he left, the mornings at that house were still the same.

But the fingertips ultimately did not fall.

What should I tell them? Should I say I'm worried? Should I say Grandma's condition is unclear? Besides making them worry too, what else can I do?

Sister Zhi Qiu might offer gentle comfort, An Su Xue might be afraid, Xia Qing might tell him "don't overthink it"... but none of these could truly alleviate the heavy pressure in his heart at this moment.

They were in "home," the place he was trying so hard to create a sense of security for. He didn't want to prematurely convey his heavy worries from afar to them.

Forget it.

Let's talk about it when we get home.

He silently suppressed the thought, as if doing so would temporarily seal away the unease and prevent it from affecting the light shining for him on the other side of the screen.

He locked his phone screen and stuffed it into his coat pocket. He turned back to face the car window.

The scenery outside the window was changing rapidly, but Ye Shu's gaze was unfocused. He just watched silently, and the bright colors and flowing scenery could not truly enter his eyes at this moment.