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

Downstairs in the living room, An Jianxing sat on the sofa, but the sofa was so hot it felt like it was burning his bottom, and he couldn't sit still.

He would glance at the stairwell every now and then, and then glance at it again.

"Why aren't those two kids making a sound up there? Could something have happened to them?"

An Jianxing couldn't sit still any longer and stood up to leave.

"Should I go take a look?"

Shen Jingwan sat quite steadily beside him. She reached out and tugged at An Jianxing's sleeve, pulling him back down to sit.

"You sit there quietly for a while. If something was wrong, given Xiao Shu's personality, she would have come down already. The fact that she hasn't made a sound for so long means she's already whispering inside. What are you doing up there? Just making things worse?"

"I was mainly worried because of how our daughter was this morning..."

An Jianxing stopped mid-sentence, gesturing with his hand to his temple.

Shen Jingwan understood what her husband meant; he was afraid that her daughter would be upset and revert to her old ways.

However, she believed in her daughter and trusted Ye Shu.

"It should be fine. Xiao Shu is over there. He knows what he's doing. Let's wait a bit until he comes down before we talk about it."

The couple just stood there downstairs, enduring the hardship.

More than an hour passed, and those hours felt like an eternity to the couple.

The TV was on, but nobody knew what was on.

The fruit on the coffee table was cut up, but no one ate it.

Just as footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs and Ye Shu came down, An Jianxing stood up anxiously and waved to Ye Shu.

"Xiao Shu!"

Ye Shu walked over, her expression seemed normal, but she looked a little tired.

"How are you? Is Xiao Qing alright?"

An Jianxing quickly asked.

Ye Shu waved his hand and said:

"It's nothing, she's just a little hungry, let me make her something to eat."

Upon hearing "It's alright," An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan both breathed a sigh of relief, a breath that felt so tight in their chests that it almost made their lungs explode.

Shen Jingwan looked at Ye Shu and asked softly:

"Why...why did Xiao Qing suddenly..."

Ye Shu glanced at the stairwell, then turned to the two people on the sofa, and without hiding anything, said directly:

"Because of the marriage certificate issue, Xia Qing saw Xiao Xue's chat history with Qin Lili last night this morning. Xiao Xue told Qin Lili about our marriage registration, and she felt a little uncomfortable."

"So she couldn't understand it, so..."

Shen Jingwan asked.

"It's not that I can't understand it."

Ye Shu shook her head:

"Xia Qing didn't originally intend to compete with Xiao Xue for this. She understands the logic, but when she suddenly saw this news, she felt a surge of resentment and felt uncomfortable, thinking that she would never be able to have that kind of marriage certificate with me in this lifetime."

The couple nodded, and then An Jianxing asked from the side:

"So how did you persuade them?"

Ye Shu's lips curled slightly upwards, and he said mysteriously:

"I can't tell you about this yet."

After saying that, he turned his head and looked towards the stairwell:

"This is a secret between me and them."

secret?

Shen Jingwan and An Jianxing were both stunned.

Ye Shu ignored all of that and said to Shen Jingwan:

"Auntie, may I use the kitchen? Xia Qing hasn't eaten all day and is still hungry."

"Use it, use it as you like."

Shen Jingwan turned to look at her husband, as if to say, "Do you understand what Xiao Shu is talking about?"

Seeing that An Jianxing was also shaking his head in confusion, he gave up and called out towards the kitchen:

"Do you need any help from the housekeeper?"

"No need, Auntie, I can do it myself."

After a while, Ye Shu made a bowl of noodles and added a poached egg, then brought it upstairs.

He stayed in the room with Xia Qing until she finished her meal, and after watching her drink every last drop of soup, he got up to say goodbye.

An Jianxing and his wife invited him to stay for dinner downstairs and told him to stay there instead, so he wouldn't have to travel back and forth.

Ye Shu simply smiled and shook her head in refusal.

"No need, Auntie, Uncle An. Let them rest here for the next couple of days. It's reassuring to have them with you."

After saying that, he turned and left.

As Shen Jingwan watched Ye Shu leave, she felt something was off. She turned and went upstairs to her daughter's room.

Xia Qing had already lain down, turned to her side, with her back to the door, but Shen Jingwan could tell that she wasn't asleep.

"Xiao Qing".

Shen Jingwan sat on the edge of the bed, gently patted her back, and tentatively asked:

"What did Xiaoshu talk to you about just now? Can you tell Mommy?"

Xia Qing didn't turn around, but simply pressed her face deeper into the pillow, though her answer was the same as Ye Shu's:

"secret."

"What secret can't you even tell your mother?"

Shen Jingwan smiled and teased her, trying to get even the slightest bit of information out of her.

"I just can't say."

Xia Qing turned over, her eyes still red, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned:

"This is a secret between Ye Shu and me."

Although Shen Jingwan was curious, she knew from her daughter's expression that she would never get an answer.

The situation remained the same the next day.

Ye Shu didn't even need Shen Jingwan to call him after get off work; he just took a taxi and came over.

I greeted the elderly couple as I entered, then went straight upstairs to the bedroom, closed the door, and went to whisper to each other.

Shen Jingwan and An Jianxing sat downstairs, straining their ears but unable to hear a sound.

About an hour later, Ye Shu came downstairs, still skipping dinner, and left in a hurry.

Shen Jingwan quickly went upstairs to check.

Today's daughter is Xiao Nuan. Xiao Nuan is sitting on the edge of the bed reading a book. Compared to Xia Qing's breakdown yesterday, she seems much calmer.

"Warm and cozy."

Shen Jingwan sat down next to her and patted her head:

"Can you tell Mom what you and Ye Shu talked about here just now?"

Xiao Nuan looked up, stared at her, blinked, and then said softly:

"No, Mom."

Why?

"Because this is a confidentiality agreement between me and Ye Shu, this matter cannot be told to a third person, so I can't tell you, Mom, please don't make things difficult for me."

Shen Jingwan looked at her daughter and felt like she was about to explode, but there was nothing she could do but go downstairs.

After going downstairs, An Jianxing was also sitting on the sofa waiting. He could tell from his wife's expression that she hadn't gotten anything out of her.

"Tell me... what exactly did Xiao Shu say to them upstairs? They're all being so secretive."

"Xiao Shu can't...with our girls...huh?"

An Jianxing frowned and asked in a low voice.

"No way...?"

Now that things have come to this, Shen Jingwan can no longer guarantee anything.

"Xiao Shu isn't that kind of child."

On the third day, Ye Shu came and left as usual.

And today's daughter is Zhi Qiu.

As Shen Jingwan went upstairs, Zhi Qiu was about to go downstairs, and the two met at the corner of the stairs.

Zhi Qiu looked perfectly normal, except that her eyes were slightly red, as if she had just been crying, but her expression was the same as always, she was smiling.

Shen Jingwan looked at her most mature daughter, reached out and took her hand, and said earnestly:

"Xiao Qiu, can you tell Mom what you and Ye Shu were doing in the room?"

Although she knew the chances were slim, Shen Jingwan still wanted to ask, because An Jianxing's idea yesterday had left her feeling uncertain.

Seeing her mother's nervous expression, Zhi Qiu revealed a smile identical to Shen Jingwan's, and asked in return:

"What are you doing? We're just talking in the room."

"Is it really just talk?"

Shen Jingwan looked at Zhi Qiu, a little anxious:

"No...you didn't do anything out of line, did you? You didn't..."

After hearing this, Zhi Qiu was slightly taken aback at first, but then she understood what her mother meant, and she chuckled softly:

"Mom, what are you thinking? Our little Shu isn't that kind of person. We were just talking inside, that's all."

"That……"

Seeing her daughter's expression, Shen Jingwan knew she wasn't lying, and half the weight was lifted from her heart.

"Are you all really alright? You've all been so secretive, not saying a word. Your father and I have been worried sick these past few days."

Seeing her mother so anxious, Zhi Qiu felt a pang of pity. She looked up at Shen Jingwan, whose gentle eyes held a newfound clarity, as if they had found a home. She whispered:

"Yes, it's alright now. Because little Shu has already given his heart to us."