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

"So Xiaoxue agreed, right?"

"Um."

"Xiaoxue cried, didn't she?"

"Um."

"Little Shu cried too, right?"

"No!"

Ye Shu immediately shook his head.

On the high-speed train back to Nancheng, Ye Shu sat in the aisle seat, and Zhi Qiu sat next to him, leaning to the side with her elbow on the small table and resting her chin on her hand, looking at him with a smile.

"Really not?"

"Of course not, when have you ever seen me cry?"

Ye Shu was starting to feel overwhelmed by Zhi Qiu's gaze. She forced herself to remain calm, scrolled through her phone's notifications, cleared her phone's background processes, and tried to find something to do.

"There are many, like that time when I had a cold and dreamt I was complaining to my mom about how bad my sister's cooking was..."

"Sister Zhi Qiu, I was wrong."

Ye Shu immediately put down her phone, clasped her hands together, and bowed her head to admit her mistake.

"All right."

Zhi Qiu smiled and nodded, then sat up straight and gently leaned against Ye Shu's shoulder.

"If Little Shu says no, then no, I believe you."

Although Ye Shu knew that Sister Zhi Qiu definitely wouldn't believe it, she decided to take the opportunity to save face.

Zhi Qiu rubbed against Ye Shu's shoulder, finding a comfortable position for herself. Then she reached out and took Ye Shu's right hand in her own, pinching Ye Shu's fingers with both hands as if she were playing with them.

"But little Shu, do you remember what you promised your sister?"

Ye Shu didn't react much, simply responding with a sound:

"We will give you a satisfactory answer."

"Yes, that's good."

Zhi Qiu was very satisfied with Ye Shu's answer. This was the promise he had made to Zhi Qiu, and also to them.

After saying that, she took out her phone, patted their clasped hands, then got up and went to the window to take pictures of the distant mountains.

Ye Shu didn't move, watching Sister Zhi Qiu take pictures over there, her mind starting to drift away with Sister Zhi Qiu's camera lens.

it's time.

Now, thanks to Sister Chen Xing, my job is stable, and I've also improved financially.

On their side, Xiaoxue's agreement meant that all four of them fully agreed to get married.

He promised to give them a wedding that would be theirs and that they would both be satisfied with.

but……

On the other side, Zhi Qiu took pictures of the scenery outside the window for a while, then slowly put her phone down.

But she didn't turn around immediately. Instead, she turned sideways to the window and softly spoke:

"Little Shu, actually, you don't have any good solutions right now, do you?"

Ye Shu thought to himself, "I have a way. I'll figure it out, just like the male protagonists in novels and anime who can give a perfect answer."

But when the words reached his lips, he simply couldn't bring himself to say them, because that would be a lie.

At least for now, he doesn't have a good solution that satisfies everyone.

Ye Shu fell silent, staring at the small table in front of him without saying a word.

As the high-speed train entered the tunnel, the scenery outside the window turned pitch black, and the shadows of the two people were reflected on the glass by the lights inside the carriage.

Zhi Qiu sat up straight and leaned against Ye Shu's shoulder again. She took Ye Shu's right hand and kneaded it gently in her own, then slowly began to speak:

"Sister knows. Sister has seen Little Shu's account book. She has read every single page."

After saying that, Zhi Qiu immediately added:

"But I didn't mean to go see it, little brother. Don't be angry, it's all the potato chips' fault, hehe."

Ye Shu didn't speak. That ledger was for calculating future expenses. It recorded every penny of her income, every step of her plan, and her anxieties.

When Sister Zhi Qiu saw it, he didn't feel like his privacy had been exposed; instead, he felt powerless.

All my plans seem so flimsy in the face of reality.

He really hoped that a lightbulb would suddenly pop into his head right now, and he could turn to Sister Zhi Qiu and say, "I've got a solution!" just like in the anime.

But there are no light bulbs in reality; his mind was filled with nothing but a vague, directionless void.

Zhi Qiu tilted her head slightly up over his shoulder, looked at his furrowed brows, and chuckled softly:

"Little Shu is still a child after all; his worries are written all over his face."

Upon hearing Zhi Qiu's words, Ye Shu tried to relax her brow, but couldn't.

Zhi Qiu lowered her head again, looked at Ye Shu's right hand, and continued:

"Actually... little brother Shu doesn't need to put so much pressure on himself."

Her gaze slowly darkened, and her voice became softer and slower:

Ultimately, we are just different personalities split off from Xiaoxue. In a sense, we are all Xiaoxue, just different facets, different fragments of her.

Hearing these words, Ye Shu felt a sudden tightness in his chest, and even breathing became difficult.

His right hand twitched slightly in Zhi Qiu's hand, as if he knew what Zhi Qiu was going to say.

As expected, Zhi Qiu continued speaking, sounding as if she was trying to persuade Ye Shu:

"Only Xiao Shu would treat each of us so seriously, considering each of us as complete individuals, and...loving us."

The last syllable of her sentence trembled slightly, but Zhi Qiu controlled it, and continued speaking gently:

"But, your older sister doesn't want to see you under so much pressure, little brother, and doesn't want to see you making things so difficult for yourself. So, little brother, how about..."

"no."

Ye Shu suddenly spoke, silencing Zhi Qiu before she could finish her sentence.

His voice wasn't loud, but it sounded very excited.

Ye Shu suddenly turned her head, and her right hand, which had been held by Zhi Qiu, also grabbed Zhi Qiu's hand.

His reaction was too strong, and he didn't control his strength well. Zhi Qiu was hurt by his grip and let out a soft "Ouch".

Zhi Qiu raised her head and looked at Ye Shu, her smile freezing for a moment.

She saw Ye Shu looking at her, but his eyebrows were furrowed, and the usual gentleness in his eyes was gone; instead, he seemed to be staring at her with a hint of anger.

"What's wrong?"

Sister Zhi Qiu is still Sister Zhi Qiu after all; she quickly adjusted her emotions. Although her hand was a little sore from being gripped so tightly, she didn't struggle. Instead, she gently patted Ye Shu's hand with her other hand, comforting her:

"Why such a sudden reaction? You startled me! Let me finish what I have to say..."

"I won't listen."

Unlike usual, Ye Shu didn't just accept whatever Zhi Qiu said. His attitude was serious as he spoke to the somewhat surprised Zhi Qiu:

"I know what you're trying to say. You're trying to tell me to leave you alone, right? To stop treating you as independent individuals and just focus on taking care of Xiaoxue, right? You're trying to say that you're all part of Xiaoxue, that you're just accessories to be abandoned to save me trouble, right?"

Ye Shu stared into Zhi Qiu's eyes, his hand trembling slightly as he gripped hers, unsure whether it was from the force he was using or something else.

"Is that so, Sister Zhi Qiu?"