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

In the living room, the three people looked at the two children sitting close together opposite them and couldn't help but smile.

An Jianxing flicked his cigarette ash and, with the appreciative remark typical of an elder speaking of a younger generation, said to Ye Guoqiang:

"Brother, look at these two kids, they get along so well. To be honest, my wife and I really like Ye Shu. He's steady, responsible, caring, and most importantly, he's honest and kind-hearted."

This shower of praise made Ye Shu blush with embarrassment. Was this really the same Uncle An?

Ye Guoqiang took a drag of his cigarette, nodded, and the expression on his face softened considerably in the smoke he exhaled.

"Yes, this child has been obedient since he was a child and has no bad intentions."

He paused, then turned to look at the figure who had been burying his face in his son's shoulder, his tone softening slightly:

"Xiao Qiu...this girl is good too. Last time I visited her home, she was quiet, well-mannered, and a good child. Our family all think she's good too."

After a round of mutual flattery between the parents, it's time to get down to business.

An Jianxing's smile faded slightly. He tapped his cigarette against the ashtray, sat up straight, and looked at Ye Guoqiang with much more seriousness.

"But, brother, we can't hide anything from you about the child, and we have to be frank with you. I don't know if Ye Shu has told you in detail before."

He stopped there, glancing up at An Suxue, who was sitting right next to Ye Shu, and then turning to look at his wife.

With just a glance, Shen Jingwan immediately understood her husband's meaning. Her gentle smile remained unchanged, and she simply spoke to An Suxue:

"Xiaoxue, look how far Xiaoshu ran this early in the morning, he must not have rested well. Why don't you take Xiaoshu to your room to rest for a while? We'll call you for dinner later, okay?"

An Suxue listened intently to her parents' conversation, though she didn't hear most of it due to nervousness. But Shen Jingwan's words made her lift her head from Ye Shu's shoulder, look up at Ye Shu, and then at her mother.

Ye Shu instantly understood Shen Jingwan's meaning, but what she was about to say was inappropriate and should not be heard by Xiaoxue.

He lowered his head, met An Suxue's eyes which seemed to be asking "Are you going or not?", and nodded.

"Yes, I am a bit tired. I'm going to rest for a while, okay?"

"Um......"

An Suxue released her grip on Ye Shu's arm, but her fingers still unconsciously tugged at his sleeve. Her face flushed, she said to Ye Shu:

"Let's go... let's go to my... room..."

Ye Shu nodded to the three elders as a greeting, and then, led by An Suxue, the two walked upstairs one after the other.

An Suxue left in a hurry, as if she wanted to escape this extremely uncomfortable scene as soon as possible, or as if she wanted to take Ye Shu to a place she thought was safe.

Only after the two men turned and disappeared around the corner of the stairs, and their footsteps could no longer be heard, did An Jianxing look at Ye Guoqiang again.

He took a deep breath, stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, and confessed to Ye Guoqiang:

"Brother, our daughter suffered some trauma when she was little, which led to her unique condition. To put it simply, it's like several people are splitting up inside her brain. The doctor said this might... be something that will stay with her for the rest of her life."

......

Ye Shu followed An Suxue upstairs. An Suxue pushed open the door, went in first, and then looked at Ye Shu outside the door with a mixture of anticipation and shyness.

Ye Shu followed her inside, but after just one glance, she froze.

The room's layout, color scheme, furniture arrangement... even the faint scent of An Suxue in the air, were exactly the same as the bedroom in Yunduanyuan.

The same curtains, the same carpet, the same furniture, even the large carrot pillow is now leaning against the bed with its head tilted to one side.

The only difference was that the carrot nightlight he had given me was no longer on the bedside table.

It was empty there, as if waiting for something, or perhaps it was simply not needed here.

For a moment, Ye Shu was in a daze, feeling as if her journey from the airport to the hotel and then to Anjia was all a dream, as if she had been in Yunduanyuan all along, and it was all a dream...

"You...you come in."

Seeing him standing in the doorway in a daze, An Suxue urged him softly, her face still flushed. She walked to the bedside, moved the carrot pillow aside, then turned to look at Ye Shu, clutching her skirt with both hands:

"You...you should go lie down on the bed for a while..."

Ye Shu walked to the bedside, simply sat down along the edge, and patted the spot next to her:

"Come sit down, I'm not tired, it looks strange to talk standing up."

An Suxue did as she was told, sat down next to him, and then habitually hugged his arm. However, she was much more relaxed than when they were downstairs.

Ye Shu turned her head and looked at An Suxue's flushed face, saying:

"Were you particularly nervous downstairs just now? I'm sorry to have troubled you. What did you think of my dad?"

Instead of asking "What do you think of my dad?", he asked "How does he look?", which focused more on An Su-xue's intuitive feelings and was easier for her to answer.

Upon hearing this, An Suxue released her grip on Ye Shu's arm, lowered her head, and clasped her hands together, her fingers twisting her skirt. After a long while, she slowly revealed her feelings:

"When I first saw him... I thought, Uncle... was a bit... fierce. He had dark skin, and when he wasn't smiling, he looked... a bit scary. I... I was very scared."

She paused for a moment, thinking about what happened next:

"But... later, when my uncle spoke... his voice wasn't loud, and he didn't look at me fiercely anymore, so he didn't seem so scary anymore."

An Suxue looked up at Ye Shu, her voice even softer:

"I...I feel that my uncle...is a very good person...like, like my parents. I...I'm not so scared anymore."

Ye Shu listened quietly, then reached out and took An Suxue's hand, which An Suxue returned the gesture.

"Um."

He responded softly, as if affirming An Suxue's words, or perhaps speaking to himself.

"My dad... he's a very good person."

The two held hands tightly. The room was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.

Suddenly, An Suxue spoke, her voice very soft:

"Will my uncle...dislike me...?"

Ye Shuxin's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at An Suxue.

An Suxue kept her head down, her gaze fixed blankly on their clasped hands. When she asked the question, her voice was calm, without any sense of grievance or expectation of comfort from Ye Shu; it was as if she had already resigned herself to her fate.

Ye Shu felt a pang of sadness, but he still managed a forced smile and gave An Suxue a relaxed one.

"No way, that can't be."

An Suxue slowly shook her head. She didn't look at Ye Shu, but seemed to be talking to thin air, and also to the small figure that was always curled up deep inside her heart, and whispered:

"No, I know... My situation... is different from others. It's normal to be disliked... to be feared, to be thought of as strange."

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her fingers gently withdrew from Ye Shu's palm:

"Even... many of my relatives... look down on me. The way they look at me... is different, and the way they talk to me is... different. My dad... even argued with them about this, and several relatives no longer keep in touch."

As she said this, she looked up at Ye Shu, her usually timid eyes filled with a pained worry for the person she loved.

"I don't want you to be put in a difficult position because of me. I don't want your father to end up like them. I don't want you to suffer in the middle."

Ye Shu's heart began to ache, a real, visceral ache. He released his grip on An Suxue's hand.

As An Suxue was slightly startled by being suddenly released, her fingers instinctively reaching out to grasp the vanished warmth, Ye Shu had already reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Ye Shu patted her back with one hand and gently supported the back of her head with the other.

He could feel An Suxue's body stiffen instantly, and then tremble slightly.

"No, don't overthink it. My dad isn't that kind of person, and I won't make things difficult for him for anything."

He whispered in An Suxue's ear:

"You are wonderful, Xiaoxue, you are all wonderful. You deserve all the good in the world, not anyone's disdain, remember that?"

An Suxue didn't speak; she buried her face in Ye Shu's shoulder. She didn't respond, but her hands, which had been unsure where to go, slowly wrapped around Ye Shu's waist.

The movements were light, yet the force was strong.