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

On the other side of the door, Xiao Nuan stood in the room, her breathing a little rapid. The room was dark, and the neon lights and moonlight streaming in from the window outlined the blurry silhouettes of the furniture.

She raised her hand and gently touched her face with her fingertips. The touch was warm, and her face was a little hotter than usual.

In the quiet space, she could clearly hear her own heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump... The pattern is there, but the usual smoothness is gone.

She stood there for a while, until the temperature on her face and the rate of her heartbeat gradually calmed down, before walking to her desk and turning on the desk lamp.

She pulled out her ever-present notebook from her pocket, opened it, and found it filled with densely packed, neatly written characters, categorized and recording observations, data, time points, and simple analyses.

Recently, the same name has been appearing repeatedly on more and more pages.

[A record of the subtle curve and duration of Ye Shu's smile at the corners of her eyes.]

[Ye Shu's reaction to external disturbances while cooking in the kitchen.]

[Ye Shu's differing attitudes towards others.]

[A hypothesis regarding the relationship between Ye Shu's average number of times she turns over during sleep and the decibel level of external noise.]

……

Xiao Nuan picked up her pen, paused on the blank page, and then put pen to paper.

The handwriting was still neat, but at the beginning of each stroke there was an almost invisible ink dot, which was a brief hesitation when putting the pen down.

[Behavior Log: Hug (Initiated by me, recipient: Ye Shu)]

Duration: Approximately 58 seconds.

[Environmental variables: Indoor environment, entryway, Tang Xiaotao is in the next room, posing a potential disturbance.]

[Subject's response: Initially, the subject exhibited rigidity, a significant increase in body temperature, marked dilation of facial capillaries, accelerated heart rate, and brief disturbances in speech function.]

[Self-monitoring data: abnormally accelerated heart rate, increased body surface temperature, facial flushing, and brief non-command priority occupation of the logical center.]

[Preliminary conclusion: This interaction triggered significant physiological stress responses in both parties, indicating high-intensity emotions or neuroendocrine activation. This differs from previous observations. The single-point data in this study was affected by environmental interference and does not possess independent conclusive power.]

[Recommendation: Repeated experiments should be conducted under controlled conditions to verify the results.]

After closing the notebook, Xiao Nuan didn't put it away. Instead, she sat there quietly, staring at the lamp and thinking about something.

The room was quiet, so quiet you could hear your own blood flowing. But at this moment, these background noises were drowned out by a more powerful internal disturbance.

All she could think about was the collar she saw, the scent she smelled, the warmth of her arms around Ye Shu, and the rising body temperature she felt when she hugged him in the entryway.

The scene flashes to the taxi, where he confesses his feelings for Ye Shu. Amidst the encouragement of Xiao Tao and the driver, and under Ye Shu's blushing gaze, his heart suddenly races.

These images, accompanied by a vague, turbulent feeling that cannot be precisely defined, are colliding back and forth in her mind.

She tried to structure it like she would any other phenomenon, but after trying, she found that none of her analyses could explain that feeling of satisfaction, a slight burning sensation, a desire to get closer yet a vague urge to retreat.

She didn't understand; she had no matching idea in her mind, couldn't provide a solution, and couldn't even describe it accurately.

This sense of the unknown and loss of control brought a slight feeling of unease to Xiao Nuan.

She needs explanations, understanding, and help.

Xiao Nuan took out her phone from her pocket and dialed a number from her contacts.

The phone rang a few times, and Shen Jingwan's gentle yet slightly puzzled voice came through:

"Hey? Daughter? Calling your mother so late, is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Or have you run into some trouble?"

On the phone, An Jianxing seemed to ask "What?" from the side, followed by the clattering sound of car keys.

Xiao Nuan held the phone, and although she was on the phone and the other person couldn't see her, she still shook her head before speaking:

"Mom, I'm not feeling unwell, but I have a problem that I need your help with."

"Ah, it's Nuannuan."

Shen Jingwan's voice visibly relaxed:

"What's the problem? Tell me, and Mom will guess if it's related to Xiao Shu?"

No one knows a daughter better than her mother, and she immediately guessed the most likely possibility. After all, she knew Xiao Nuan's personality all too well; this was the only thing that could cause the child such distress.

"Yes."

Xiao Nuan nodded, and then began to report her itinerary for the past two days, what she had done, and her changes in mindset over the phone.

She explained everything in great detail, even mentioning the movie she watched with Ye Shu last night to Shen Jingwan, leaving no detail out, as if she were afraid of misdiagnosing someone because of even the smallest detail.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Shen Jingwan seemed to be unable to hold back her laughter, followed by a clearing of her throat:

"Cough... Hmm, Nuannuan, didn't you say it yourself? You like Xiaoshu. The feelings you described are the feelings you often have when you like someone."

Xiao Nuan frowned slightly, seemingly not satisfied with the answer, and tried to refute it in her own way:

"Mom, my judgment that I like Ye Shu is based on long-term observation, data collection, and logical evaluation. The evaluation parameters include Ye Shu's good character, predictable and safe behavior patterns, and efficient yet harmless problem-solving methods. The overall evaluation result is 'I don't dislike her.' According to logical deduction, 'I don't dislike her' is highly correlated with 'I'm willing to get close to her,' so I came to the preliminary conclusion of 'liking her.' This seems to be a different parameter system than the feeling you mentioned."

"Silly child."

Shen Jingwan's voice held a mixture of affection and amusement:

"There are many kinds of liking, but the kind of liking you just described is more like recognition or appreciation. It would be more accurate to describe it as not disliking someone. However, not disliking someone is not the same as liking someone, understand? Those are two different... um, levels, or rather, natures."

Xiao Nuan nodded at the air, then spoke:

"Therefore, according to your definition, my previous conclusion that I liked Ye Shu is invalid; I don't actually like Ye Shu."

"No, no, no, that's not how it is, Nuannuan."

Shen Jingwan quickly interrupted her, glancing somewhat amusedly at the bewildered case information beside her, before patiently explaining over the phone:

"That's not what Mom meant. What I meant was that you used to analyze things with your brain. But now, you're using your heart. You're feeling what it means to like. It's a more direct, stronger, and sometimes irrational feeling."

Shen Jingwan decided to try a different approach to guide him:

"Nuan Nuan, close your eyes... Hmm, try not to think about those data, just feel it, tell Mommy based on your first instinct, what do you feel when you think of Xiao Shu, or when you are with him?"

Xiao Nuan obediently closed her eyes on the other end of the phone, and after feeling the sensation as her mother had instructed, she spoke:

"When I think of him, or am close to him, my heart rate exceeds its normal range, my face feels hot, and my thinking efficiency decreases, but... at the same time, it's accompanied by an increase in excitement, similar to a sense of satisfaction, but not exactly the same. And..."

"What else?"

Shen Jingwan gently encouraged her to continue.

"Furthermore, I want this non-logical priority occupation to continue. I want... to always be near him. I want my gaze to remain focused on him. When he leaves my range, I will unconsciously estimate the probability and time it will take for him to return."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Shen Jingwan's somewhat satisfied voice came through:

"That's right, Nuannuan. Your heart races, your face turns red, you feel happy just thinking about him, you want to see him all the time, to stay by his side... That's what liking someone is, it's truly liking someone who has taken up their heart, do you understand?"

Xiao Nuan's phone didn't speak for a long time before finally replying:

"I understand, Mom. I need to observe and verify further. Thank you, I'll hang up now."

"Okay, okay, Nuannuan, call Mom anytime if anything happens."

Xiao Nuan put down her phone but didn't get up immediately. She sat on the chair for a few seconds, as if simulating something, before getting up and walking towards the door.

In Ye Shu's room, Ye Shu was facing away from the door, struggling to pull a quilt out from the top of the wardrobe.

The blanket was a bit too big, and he stood on tiptoe, pulling at it while muttering:

"How did I even manage to shove it in there...?"

Tang Xiaotao was squatting next to the open suitcase, taking out some bottles and jars of skincare products and a few pieces of clothing, while humming an off-key tune.

"Is this blanket thick enough? Don't turn the air conditioner too low tonight."

Ye Shu turned around, still holding the blanket, and patted it twice.

Just then, he saw Xiao Nuan appear at the door of the room.

Her face still had a lingering blush, but her eyes were clearer than usual as she looked directly at him.

Ye Shu bent down and placed the blanket on the bed, a little unsure of her purpose. After all, she was Xiao Nuan, and she could come for anything.

"What's wrong, Xiao Nuan? Is it... another experiment?"

Xiao Nuan shook her head and stopped about a meter in front of Ye Shu.

The distance was just right—neither too far nor too close—allowing her to clearly see every subtle change in Ye Shu's expression and to let him hear every word she spoke.

She raised her head, her gaze unwavering, directly meeting Ye Shu's somewhat bewildered eyes, and then, in her unique tone, began to state her new discovery:

"Ye Shu, I understand, I like you."

This time, her expression of liking was not based on data analysis or logical calculations.

It was based on an abnormal heartbeat, a flushed face, an urge to get closer, and a desire to keep their eyes glued to each other.

It's the kind of genuine affection that my mother described—the kind where "you've filled your heart with someone."