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

Carrying Xia Qing on his back, Ye Shu finally returned to the doorstep of "Cloud Garden".

He opened the door, and squeezed in sideways with the large bundle on his back.

The room was quiet. The setting sun shone through the French windows, bathing the furniture in gold. Everything was almost the same as when I left, yet it seemed somewhat different.

He walked to the sofa in the living room, slightly bent his knees, carefully adjusted his center of gravity, and whispered to the person behind him who had been silent the whole way:

"Sister Xia Qing, we're here, come down."

No response.

The person behind him remained quietly lying down, their even breaths brushing against his neck, their arms loosely wrapped around him.

Ye Shu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be? Did she really faint?

He turned his head slightly and glanced at his shoulder out of the corner of his eye. Xia Qing's cheek was pressed against his shoulder, her eyes were closed, her lips were slightly parted, and her breathing was long and steady.

Are you asleep?

Ye Shu was both amused and exasperated, but also relieved. It seemed she was utterly exhausted, and the weakness from low blood sugar had caused her to fall asleep on his back.

He carried Xia Qing on his back and the two of them sat on the sofa, just about to unload Xia Qing onto the sofa.

However, just as his bottom touched the edge of the sofa, and he was about to let go and put her down...

"Well……"

Xia Qing, who was behind him, seemed to sense the change in her support. She unconsciously moved in her sleep, and the arms that had been loosely wrapped around his neck suddenly tightened. Her legs also instinctively curled up, wrapping around his waist more firmly and pressing closer to his back. She even unconsciously rubbed against him, finding a more comfortable position.

Xia Qing felt comfortable, but Ye Shu quickly realized how nauseating she looked.

Her arms were locked tightly around Ye Shu's neck, and she activated the "Seven-Day Lock of Unbreakable Bond" on Ye Shu, not giving him a single breath!

In an instant, Ye Shu felt his head start to swell, and his lungs felt like they were about to explode. Because of poor blood circulation, his face started to feel numb, and he experienced a stinging, tingling sensation like being pricked by tiny needles.

"Relax...let go..."

Ye Shu managed to squeeze out a few breaths from his throat, frantically trying to pry open the arm around his neck.

But Xia Qing in the dream, with an inexplicable stubbornness, not only didn't loosen her grip, but instead tightened her hold as she felt the resistance, muttering incoherently:

"Don't move... mine..."

Ye Shu almost rolled her eyes, as if she could see her great-grandmother standing on that ominous bridge, waving at her.

Just as he was about to go find his great-grandmother, a flash of inspiration, as if guided by her, suddenly appeared in his mind.

It was not long after he moved here that Zhi Qiu, with a mysterious smile like the Mona Lisa, said something to him that left him completely baffled at the time.

"When facing Xia Qing, if you feel you're about to give up, immediately shout 'I surrender!' Remember that!"

At that time, he didn't understand what it meant, but now! He understands! He completely understands! Sister Zhi Qiu! For saving my life!

Ye Shu used the last of her strength to squeeze out a sentence from the depths of her almost locked throat:

"I...I give up! Sister Xia Qing...I give up!..."

A miracle happened.

The moment the word "surrender" left his lips, the suffocating force around his neck vanished instantly, as if a switch had been flipped.

"snort……"

Xia Qing let out a soft, ambiguous hum in her sleep. Her arms slid down limply, and her body slumped against the back of the sofa. She even adjusted her position herself, curled up on the sofa, and continued to sleep.

"Cough! Cough cough cough!!!"

Ye Shu regained her freedom and instinctively bent forward to prevent Xia Qing from putting her neck in a chokehold again.

He gasped for breath, the air rushing into his lungs bringing a stinging pain and a lingering sense of dizziness. He touched his neck with lingering fear; it was definitely red.

Turning to look at Xia Qing, who had fallen asleep again on the sofa and was smacking her lips, he felt incredibly conflicted.

He went to the refrigerator and, among the many beers, found a can of sugary drink. He opened it and placed it on the coffee table; the faint sound of bubbles was particularly clear in the quiet living room.

"Sister Xia Qing."

He bent down, leaned closer, and spoke very softly:

"Wake up, you can't go back to sleep right away. You need to replenish your sugar first. Get up and have a sip before you go back to sleep, okay?"

His voice was so soft now, like a kindergarten teacher coaxing a picky eater to take another bite.

"Um……"

Xia Qing let out a muffled nasal sound, her brows furrowing even more, and rubbed her head against the pillow, trying to get rid of the sound that was disturbing her sleep.

She was exhausted, her body felt as heavy as lead, and her consciousness hovered on the edge of sleep and wakefulness, enveloped by a bizarre dream.

She could vaguely sense someone calling her, but the power of the dream and the weakness of her body, like thick syrup, held her firmly in the abyss of slumber.

"No...don't make a sound..."

She mumbled incoherently and waved her hand, as if trying to shoo away annoying flies buzzing around her ear.

Ye Shu looked at her face, which was scrunched up in discomfort, and couldn't bear to wake her. However, low blood sugar can be dangerous if sugar isn't replenished promptly.

He had no choice but to lean closer, raising his voice slightly, but still gently:

"Xia Qing, listen to me, just take a sip. Drink it before you sleep, or you'll have a headache tomorrow."

The scenes in her dream seemed to intertwine strangely with the sounds of reality. Xia Qing felt the sounds stubbornly drilling into her ears, making the images in her dream begin to shake.

A sense of unease rose within her, mixed with vague, disturbing fragments of her dream. She mumbled incoherently:

"Hmm...no...#￥@%annoying...*%￥want...pig%#......*&#like......"

These words floated lightly into the silent air.

!!!

The moment the word "like" left her lips, Xia Qing's consciousness, which was immersed in dreams and exhaustion, was struck as if by a thunderbolt.

Like? What do you mean, like? Like who?! What am I talking about?!

Upon hearing this, I was utterly shocked! It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over my head, or I was holding ice in my arms!

Xia Qing's eyes snapped open, wide open, her pupils still somewhat unfocused, and her gaze quickly locked onto Ye Shu's face.

"What...what did I just say?!"

She practically sprang up from the sofa, ignoring her dizziness and weakness. She grabbed Ye Shu's arm, her voice hoarse, her eyes fixed on him, not missing a single subtle change in his expression. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest.

Of course she knew what she had just said, and she even knew who she was talking to. But she was afraid he would find out; he couldn't know... at least not now.

Ye Shu was startled by her sudden reaction and instinctively leaned back a little.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? I wasn't making any noise, did you get scared?"

"No! I... I was just... talking in my sleep, wasn't I?!"

Xia Qing persisted, her fingers unconsciously tightening, her nails digging into Ye Shu's sleeve.

She had to confirm! What if... what if...

Ye Shu grinned, reached for the drink on the coffee table, and shoved it into Xia Qing's hand. The icy touch made her shiver slightly.

"How am I supposed to know? You've been muttering to yourself for ages, who knows who you're arguing with in your dream? Hurry up, it's good you're awake. Drink your drink to replenish your sugar levels. I still need to go downstairs to get my luggage, leaving it with the security guard isn't a good idea."

After saying that, he straightened up, no longer looking at her absent-minded appearance, and turned to walk towards the door. The sound of the door closing softly shut out the outside world, and also temporarily shut out Xia Qing's heart pounding in her chest.

"call--"

Only after Ye Shu's footsteps disappeared outside the door did Xia Qing feel as if all her strength had been drained away. She slumped back onto the sofa, her back covered in a cold sweat that clung to her clothes.

He... seemed not to hear.

At least, I didn't hear the most crucial part.

"I like you"... She almost said those two words aloud in her dream? And she was even facing Ye Shu's direction?

Thank goodness that guy was a blockhead! Thank goodness he didn't hear me! Otherwise... otherwise he really could have jumped out the window!

A wave of intense fear and shame washed over her, instantly overwhelming her. She grabbed a nearby cushion and pressed it tightly against her face, writhing and rolling silently on the sofa like a crocodile hunting its prey, suppressing moans from her throat.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Ye Shu stood with his back against the door, looking at the tightly closed elevator door opposite.

Did she just say... that she... likes... someone?