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

That's enough...that's enough...

These four words kept echoing in Xia Qing's mind, and with each repetition, her heart ached a little more.

She looked down at the potato chip lying on her lap, pinched its soft ears, and rubbed its warm belly.

The potato chips were being rubbed so comfortably that they were humming softly, but her face wasn't as radiant as when she was rubbing against the chips earlier.

Is that really enough?

Of course not.

Which girl doesn't want to wear a wedding dress, hold hands with her loved one, and receive blessings from relatives and friends?

Which girl doesn't want to be a unique bride witnessed by the whole world?

But the reality is right here: she is Xia Qing, and she is also An Suxue. They are different souls, separated by the same body.

This love is too crowded; there's no room for so many people at the wedding.

She didn't want to compete, didn't want to fight, and didn't want to put Ye Shu in a difficult position. That wouldn't suit Xia Qing's style, and it wouldn't make any sense.

So she could only hypnotize herself in her mind over and over again, that was enough, that he could be by her side, that was enough.

Xia Qing rubbed the potato chips with her eyes vacant, her movements slowed down because she was thinking about too many things.

Just as she was trying to process her emotions, someone suddenly poked her in the face.

This was precisely when her psychological defenses were at their most vulnerable. Being suddenly poked at like this startled her, and she instinctively wanted to hide herself, absolutely not letting anyone see her like this.

"What...what are you doing?!"

Xia Qing suddenly leaned back; it was her instinct.

Then she glared at Ye Shu, her voice rising considerably – a way for her to mask her anger.

Ye Shu was still in the same position, poking her with his finger. He leaned towards her, propped his other arm on the sofa, and just looked at her.

Ye Shu used [Surprise Attack], while Xia Qing used [Intimidation].

"Sister Xia Qing, I want to hear what you really think."

"What's the truth?"

Xia Qing looked away and used [Dodge] again, replying with an indifferent attitude:

"Didn't I just say that what I said just now was my honest opinion?"

"Really?"

This time, Ye Shu didn't use any roundabout tactics; instead, he stared directly into her eyes and asked:

"Sister Xia Qing, what I want to say is, please believe me. I'm not the same person I was when we first met, struggling to even support myself."

He lowered the hand that had just poked Xia Qing's face, sat up straighter, and looked at Xia Qing:

"I now have the ability and the means to give you what you want. So..."

As he said this, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth towards Xia Qing, and his voice softened a little:

"So, with me, you don't need to be constantly prepared to sacrifice yourself, or to wrong yourself for the sake of the so-called 'big picture.' Because you are also someone I love, okay?"

Ye Shu used the "Truth or Dare" technique, and it was incredibly effective, delivering a critical hit.

Xia Qing was stunned. Her eyes widened slowly, and the anger she had just used to bluff disappeared. She just stared at Ye Shu.

Now, the two are sitting on the sofa. Ye Shu's position is directly facing the floor-to-ceiling window, and the sunlight outside shines on Ye Shu from behind Xia Qing.

Under those eyes and with that heartfelt promise, Xia Qing was momentarily dazed. At that moment, Ye Shu seemed to be glowing.

The light wasn't dazzling, yet it made you want to cry.

So... he knew all along.

It turns out that he never intended for anyone to compromise.

She didn't even notice the potato chips crawling off her lap.

Her eyes gradually reddened; she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

She felt as if her heart, which had been sinking, had been steadily supported by someone.

Just then, Xia Qing lunged forward, grabbed Ye Shu's neck tightly, and pulled him over as well.

Immediately afterwards, Ye Shu felt something soft pressing down hard on her lips.

It wasn't a light touch that only scratched the surface, but a forceful, all-or-nothing effort. In an instant, all the unspoken grievances, emotions, and reliance were conveyed.

It all happened so fast, in just a few seconds. Ye Shu hadn't even fully reacted yet. Just as he was about to look down, he heard Xia Qing say to him:

"Idiot, close your eyes!"

Ye Shu immediately and obediently closed her eyes tightly.

The kiss was very powerful and forceful.

Because Xia Qing pounced on him, Ye Shu, who was sitting down, was caught off guard and could only lean back with Xia Qing, half-lying on the sofa.

Ye Shu also subconsciously reached out and wrapped his arms around Xia Qing's waist, holding her tightly in his arms.

Ye Shu didn't know how much time had passed until the pressure on her lips slowly disappeared before she dared to slowly open her eyes.

Xia Qing was still lying on Ye Shu, burying her face in Ye Shu's shoulder, which was warm.

Ye Shu wanted to turn her head to look at the person in her arms, to see if she was crying, or something else...

But as soon as he turned his head, Xia Qing forcefully pressed her head against his face, preventing him from turning back.

"Don't move, don't look at me... let me hold you for a little while... just a little while..."

Ye Shu was obedient and didn't move if he wasn't told to. He stared at the large chandelier on the ceiling, which he had seen countless times, quietly feeling the strong heartbeat of the person in his arms and the warm, damp patch on his neck.

Xia Qing lay motionless on top of him, her breathing gradually slowing down. Ye Shu then gently patted her waist and whispered:

"Xia Qing, are you asleep?"

"no."

Xia Qing immediately answered, sounding a little unhappy, as if Ye Shu had broken the atmosphere.

"oh."

Ye Shu immediately shut up and continued to maintain this posture.

After a while, just when Ye Shu thought Xia Qing was really going to take a nap, Xia Qing suddenly spoke up, directly stating:

"I want to have my wedding on the grasslands."

"Yes, you mentioned that."

Ye Shu immediately responded.

"I want to ride a horse too."

"Riding, that's also possible."

Ye Shu hugged Xia Qing and laughed:

"Then, I'll carry the load, and you'll lead the horse, welcoming the sunrise and seeing off the sunset, okay, Second Brother?"

Then his shoulder throbbed slightly, and Xia Qing bent down and took a bite out of it:

"Stop joking, I'm being serious! I... I also need the witnesses of my family and friends."

This is different from when Ye Shu asked her about her ideal wedding last time. Last time, she only mentioned grasslands and horseback riding, but she also said that she didn't need anyone else.

Now, she has corrected that.

Ye Shu knew in her heart that this was her last concern.

To outsiders, it seems a bit unreasonable for the same person to hold several weddings.

Xia Qing doesn't need a grand affair or an expensive wedding dress, but she wants a legitimate witness, she wants someone to see her become the bride of the person she loves.

"Yes, of course we should have that."

After saying that, Xia Qing fell silent and returned to her quiet, cuddly state.

All she ever wanted was this simple: a title, a witness, and the respect she deserved, no less than anyone else's.

Ye Shu smiled, turned her head slightly, and asked in a low voice:

"Xia Qing, this time... you're not allowed to secretly shed tears."

The person in my arms visibly trembled, followed by that slightly fierce stubbornness:

"Who...who's secretly shedding tears? I'm not..."

After a few seconds of silence, she asked softly:

"You...you found out?"

"It's hard not to notice."

Ye Shu deliberately tried to lighten the mood, saying:

"In the middle of the night, someone was hugging their own arm and crying softly, sobbing every now and then, like they were eating noodles in bed. Can you imagine how scary that was?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the arms around his neck tighten, making it hard for him to breathe.

"Stop talking..."

Xia Qing complained, but it was just a coquettish complaint, because Ye Shu could clearly feel that the temperature on his shoulder had risen several degrees.