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

Ye Shu, who had just finished two bowls of tofu pudding and five steamed buns, was almost bursting with hunger. He only found out when Xiao Nuan casually grabbed a tissue from the table to wipe her mouth after eating a steamed bun and said she was full.

Xiao Nuan originally thought the steamed buns were the smaller, more delicate kind, like the crab roe buns Zhi Qiu had taken Ye Shu to eat—the kind that's only slightly larger than a billiard ball. That's why she said she wanted the same kind as Ye Shu. But when they arrived, these steamed buns were bigger than Ye Shu's fist! One of them would definitely fill her up.

Ye Shuxin thought to herself, there's no point in packing up and carrying two steamed buns; it's too much trouble. But it would be a pity to throw them away. Putting aside the money, wasting food is also not good.

Could I ask the boss for a refund for the two steamed buns...? I just couldn't bring myself to say it. Ye Shu gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and decided to just eat them.

Xiao Nuan took out her phone, ready to pay. Her hand was only halfway out when Ye Shu pressed it down.

"Now that we're on my turf, do you think I'd let you pay me?"

Ye Shu stood up; he desperately needed to walk around and digest his food.

Xiao Nuan glanced at her hand that he was holding down, then looked up at him and said bluntly:

"But you don't have much money right now either."

......

Ye Shu was taken aback. This girl had a good memory, and she was a bit too blunt.

"I can afford to treat you to a meal! Could you please give me some face...?"

Seeing the embarrassed expression on Ye Shu's face, Xiao Nuan understood that this "face" seemed to be something Ye Shu cared about a lot. She didn't insist anymore, nodded, and put away her phone.

Ye Shu paid the bill, picked up the small suitcase, and walked out of the steamed bun shop.

The sunlight seemed even stronger than when I came in, and it felt warm on my face.

He had just stopped at the door when he felt a little disoriented. After trying to find his bearings, he felt a warmth in his left hand.

A soft little hand slipped into his palm, then reached up and grasped his free left hand.

Ye Shu turned her head, looked down at the two hands clasped together again, and then looked up at Xiao Nuan beside her, who looked as calm as if she had just grabbed a broom.

Oh well... let her be. If she wants to hold my hand, she'll always find a reason, and those reasons will sound perfectly reasonable. Let her hold my hand then, anyway... it feels nice to have another soft little hand in my hand.

After strolling around the street for a while, Ye Shu waved at a small red Minato.

The car stopped in front of them. Ye Shu first put the suitcase in, then gestured for Xiao Nuan to get in. By the time Ye Shu squeezed in as well, the car was already a bit cramped.

The back seat could barely seat two adults, and with the suitcase lying across their feet, the two were practically shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh, squeezed together.

Ye Shu tried her best to stay close to the car door to give Xiao Nuan some space, and at the same time briefly explained the next steps to her:

"Come home with me first. I can't let you come all this way for nothing. I have to treat you to a proper meal. Then... I'll find you a small hotel tonight, you can make do for the night, and we'll go back to Nancheng tomorrow, is that okay?"

His voice wasn't loud, but since they were so close together, Xiao Nuan could hear him clearly.

"Um."

Xiao Nuan responded briefly, indicating her agreement. Her gaze was fixed on the back of the driver's seat in front of her, but all her senses seemed to be receiving information from the heat source beside her.

It's late August now, and even though this place is in the north, the temperature inside the car isn't low... Ye Shu feels very hot right now.

He reached into his pocket with some difficulty and pulled out a small pack of toilet paper.

This is a habit he developed when he went out; he always carried a pack of tissues in his pocket, which came in handy wherever he went.

When you're out and about, if you encounter an emergency, even if there's no toilet for miles around, as long as you have toilet paper in your pocket, you still have a last resort. As the old saying goes, "As long as you don't look up, there are outhouses everywhere."

But if there's no paper... he still can't accept his neighbor's habits.

He pulled out a tissue and wiped his forehead haphazardly, immediately soaking a small patch of it. Then, he handed the rest of the tissue to Xiao Nuan next to him.

"Here, wipe your sweat, it's too stuffy in the car..."

As he spoke, he naturally turned his head, intending to slip the tissue into Xiao Nuan's hand.

The conversation abruptly ended.

Their movements froze instantly.

Because without warning, he bumped into a pair of eyes that were right next to him, staring at him silently.

Xiao Nuan had turned her face to the side at some point, staring at him intently. They were already very close due to the crowd, and her turning her face made their faces almost touch.

Ye Shu could even count each of her long, thick eyelashes and see his own momentarily stunned reflection in her clear pupils.

The sky was clear and cloudless today, and the sun was shining brightly. Sunlight streamed in through the small glass window on the side of Xiaogangtian and fell right on Xiaonuan's face.

Perhaps the driver was a bit lazy; there were some water stains and dust clinging to the car windows. The sunlight, refracted by these stains, cast shimmering halos on Xiao Nuan's fair and delicate face, like ripples on water. It made her face appear as if it were seen through a layer of shimmering, rippling water, unreal in its beauty, yet possessing a dreamlike fragility.

In a word, beautiful.

Two words: beautiful.

Three words: Really beautiful.

Ye Shu was so engrossed in watching that he no longer felt crowded or hot, and he just wanted to keep watching.

Xiao Nuan saw Ye Shu staring at her blankly, but said nothing. She simply turned her face back and looked out the window. It was as if that century-long gaze was just another ordinary observation she was making.

She even reached out and gently took the pack of tissues that Ye Shu, who was still frozen in shock, had forgotten to hand over.

He pulled out a card, lowered his head, and silently wiped his nose and forehead, which weren't actually sweating much.

!

Ye Shu suddenly snapped back to reality, turning around as if burned, staring intently at the worn leather texture on the driver's seat in front of her.

His ears were ringing, and his heart was pounding wildly in his chest. He even felt that if his throat were any bigger, his heart would have jumped out of his chest.

What just happened...?

That look...that distance...that light...

He secretly glanced at Xiao Nuan, who was admiring the scenery outside the window as if nothing had happened, out of the corner of his eye.

Ye Shu took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, forcing herself to calm down.

It must be because it's too hot and there's a lack of oxygen, causing hallucinations.

Yes, that must be it.

He told himself this, but he couldn't explain the lingering palpitations in his heart and the persistent burning sensation on his cheeks.

Xiaogangtian drove forward, crossing the street.

The carriage was still stuffy and crowded.

Xiao Nuan stared at her reflection in the car window, her cheeks slightly flushed, unable to utter a word.