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

Ye Shu took a deep breath, pushed open the door to her father's bedroom, and walked back into the living room.

The TV was still on, playing some trivial GG, but the previously lively conversation had quieted down.

Ye Shu noticed that Zhi Qiu on the sofa was still sitting upright with a gentle smile on her face, listening attentively to her aunt's words, occasionally nodding and responding softly.

But Ye Shu could see that her hands, clasped together on her knees, were tapping lightly with her fingertips. Although her eyes held a smile, a faint trace of weariness was also evident.

She was tired. Dealing with the elders for so long had taken its toll, and even someone as capable as Zhi Qiu was inevitably feeling mentally exhausted. Moreover, she had just gone through a personality switch, so she wasn't in her best condition to begin with.

Ye Shu quickly walked to the sofa, interrupting her aunt's new round of academic research on "cultural differences in New Year customs between the North and South":

"Auntie, it's almost noon. Stop chatting with them. They're hungry."

Ye Shu said he was hungry, but inwardly he was groaning.

Hungry? Of course he's hungry! Five steamed buns and two bowls of tofu pudding—he's probably still hungry!

The aunt was engrossed in her conversation when she heard this and paused, glancing instinctively at the old clock on the wall. Then she received a series of winks and gestures from her nephew, and realized that she had probably been talking to the girl for too long and asking too many questions.

If you're so busy being happy and asking questions that you forget they're guests, you might get tired or feel awkward.

My aunt slapped her thigh, quickly stood up, and laughed heartily:

"Oh dear! Look, I was so busy talking that I forgot to cook. Xiao Qiu must be hungry too, right? Wait here, I'll go buy groceries right now, you should try your aunt's cooking!"

After saying that, he turned his gaze and saw Ye Shu's father sitting on a small stool next to the TV, picking up the remote control and looking for a TV program, looking completely indifferent.

Aunt stepped forward, grabbed Ye Shu's father's clothes, and lifted him up from the small stool:

"You're so idle, come with me to buy groceries!"

Ye Shu's father looked completely bewildered:

"Why don't you just go yourself? You could walk through the market eight times with your eyes closed, what would I do there?"

"Can't you help me carry my things?!"

My aunt glared at me, and her fierce temper returned.

Despite his advanced age, Ye Shu's father's rebellious spirit was ingrained in his genes from a young age, crushed by his older sister.

According to Ye Shu's grandmother, who wished to remain anonymous, Ye Shu's father was often beaten by his older sister when he was little, until she cried and couldn't fight back. From then on, Ye Shu's father was terrified of his older sister; it was a fear ingrained in his very being.

"...Okay, okay, go away, let go, let go, you're tearing my clothes..."

Ye Shu's father muttered to himself, but in the end he didn't dare to resist. He reluctantly put down the remote control, and his aunt pulled his arm, giving him a forced-to-work expression, and followed him out of the house.

Grandma, who had been sitting with a smile on her face, slowly stood up, holding onto the sofa armrest. She glanced at Zhi Qiu, who seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief, then at her grandson standing beside her, and said gently:

"Well, after chatting for a while, Grandma is tired too. I'm going back to my room to lie down for a bit. You two young people, stay here and chat, watch TV, and have some fun."

After saying that, she walked back to her bedroom without anyone's help and gently closed the door behind her.

Now, only Ye Shu and Zhi Qiu remain in the large living room.

The TV's sound was exceptionally clear, yet it seemed as if it were coming through a pane of glass. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting bright, shimmering spots on the floor, while dust motes danced silently within the beams of light.

All the previous noise, exploration, enthusiasm, awkwardness, scrutiny... receded quickly like the tide, leaving behind this sudden silence, carrying a subtle emptiness and countless unspoken words.

Ye Shu was still standing there, unconsciously clutching the half-eaten, slightly oxidized and yellowed apple in her hand.

Zhi Qiu remained seated on the sofa, her back no longer as straight as before, leaning slightly back.

The professional, gentle smile on her face slowly faded, replaced by a more genuine and relaxed one. She raised her hand and gently rubbed her temples. Then, her eyes, which were always filled with tenderness and warmth, lifted up and quietly and clearly looked at Ye Shu, who was standing not far away.

Their eyes met.

There were no family members around, no social masks, no reason to flee in an emergency; it was just the two of them.

Being stared at so openly by Zhi Qiu made Ye Shu feel even more uncomfortable than when she was ignored by her whole family earlier.

He subconsciously looked away, but couldn't help glancing back again, only to meet Zhi Qiu's knowing tenderness in her eyes, and his face immediately flushed.

My mind kept replaying what my father had said in the bedroom: "If you really like someone... then treat them well..."

like……

Do you like it?

He seems... to really like it.

This feeling had quietly grown and become deeply entrenched in the worries, guilt, panic, and excitement of these past few days, but he had never dared, or was unwilling, to clearly name it.

But... who does he like?

This more pointed question, like a tiny thorn, suddenly pierced his chaotic thoughts.

Is it this gentle, tolerant, and occasionally cunning Sister Zhi Qiu in front of him, who makes him feel both at ease and uneasy?

Is she still the timid An Suxue who relies on him and needs his protection?

Or perhaps it's Xia Qing, the flamboyant, unrestrained, awkward yet genuine girl who gives him a headache yet makes him unable to stop caring?

Even... was it Xiao Nuan, who was so rational that she was unbelievable and whose behavior was unpredictable, yet he found her both adorable and heartbreaking?

They are four completely different souls, yet they share the same body and the same time intertwined with him.

Is his "liking" a special admiration for one of them, or an inseparable attachment and responsibility to all of them and to this peculiar "family"?

He hasn't figured it out yet.

This feeling was too complex, too special, beyond his almost nonexistent experience. Before he could figure out where his heart was headed, he dared not speak rashly, dared not give any clear signals.

"Come, sit here."

Zhi Qiu's voice interrupted his reverie. She patted the empty space on the sofa next to her, speaking as naturally as if Ye Shu was a guest visiting.

Ye Shu said "Oh" and walked over somewhat stiffly, sitting down about half an arm's length away from Zhi Qiu.

Zhi Qiu turned to the side, tilting her head slightly to look at him. Her gaze seemed to pierce through his calm exterior, reaching the turmoil in his heart. With a gentle smile on her face, she asked softly:

"What are you thinking about? You look so preoccupied."

"Hmm? I wasn't thinking about anything."

Ye Shu quickly shook his head and took two bites of the apple in his hand.

Looking at his barely concealed expression, Zhi Qiu's smile deepened, a hint of affection and a touch of helplessness flashing in her eyes:

"Little Shu, do you remember I told you that you're not good at lying?"

"Yes, really?"

Ye Shuqian chuckled twice, feeling his cheeks burning even hotter. In front of Zhi Qiu, his thoughts always seemed to be laid bare.

"Yes, I have."

Zhi Qiu nodded firmly, reached out her hand, and gently pinched Ye Shu's cheek, which was slightly puffed up from the apple, teasingly saying:

"Like a child, everything on her mind is written all over her face."

Her fingertips were slightly cool and soft to the touch. The pressure of her pinching his cheek was very light, but it made Ye Shu stiffen all over. He stopped chewing and his ear tips turned red at a visible speed.

Zhi Qiu seemed satisfied with his reaction, smiled and withdrew her hand, no longer pressing him for answers.

She stretched on the sofa, giving a slightly weary yawn, the line of her neck tracing a soft arc in the sunlight.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned her head, her gaze falling on Ye Shu's face with a hint of curiosity:

"Hey, we've been talking for so long, where's your room? I haven't seen what your childhood home looked like yet. I'd like to see it, is that okay?"

Ye Shu didn't see anything wrong with it, so she nodded, put down the half-eaten apple, and stood up.

"Yeah, it's over there. It's a bit messy, but don't mind."

"Won't."

Zhi Qiu smiled and stood up, following behind him.

The two walked one after the other through the quiet living room toward Ye Shu's small bedroom.

As I pushed open the door, sunlight streamed into half the room, illuminating the dusty old objects and furnishings frozen in time.

This is Ye Shu's "past".

At this moment, he is leading the girl who stirs his emotions about the "present" and the "future" into this realm of memories that belongs only to him.

The door closed gently behind me.

This isolates the sound of the television in the living room and the ambient noise from outside the window.

In this private space filled with the spirit of young Ye Shu, there were only the two of them, and the stories waiting to be sorted out—about their feelings for each other, about the past, and about each other.