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

When did I start liking you...?

Ye Shu hadn't expected this. He thought An Suxue would talk about her feelings or discuss future plans.

Ye Shu thought about it carefully and realized that he really couldn't give a specific time point. Everything seemed to develop naturally.

Falling in love with her, and with them, wasn't a sudden realization, but more like a gentle spring rain, nourishing things silently. It fell without us noticing, and by the time we realized it, our hearts were already moistened.

He shook his head, also somewhat curious:

"Hmm... I really don't know, when?"

An Suxue leaned on his shoulder, and upon hearing his words, her face seemed to heat up even more. She remained silent for a few seconds before uttering the turning point:

"It was...it was that day when the power went out...do you remember?"

power failure......

Of course he remembered, how could he not? It was shortly after he moved in, when he had just started working at Sister Chen Xing's shop. He just hadn't expected An Suxue to be there so early on...

"Yes, I remember."

Ye Shu's lips curled up slightly, thinking of teasing An Suxue on purpose, and said half-jokingly:

"How could I not remember? The day I opened the door, you gave me a solid headbutt, almost knocking me back into the elevator. I was wondering at the time, isn't this neighborhood pretty safe? How come there are still criminals launching surprise attacks?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle twice.

"No... I didn't use that much force!"

An Suxue's face burned even more after hearing what he said. She blushed and lightly punched his arm, squeezing his hand tightly as she whispered a reproachful rebuke.

"I...it was from that day on...that I started...with you..."

She hesitated for a long time, but the last two words seemed to be stuck on the tip of her tongue, and she couldn't utter them no matter what.

Ye Shu felt the temperature on his shoulder rising higher and higher. He was truly afraid that if An Suxue continued talking, she would set him on fire. He quickly squeezed An Suxue's hand and whispered:

"Yes, I understand."

The topic was considered closed, and An Suxue took a deep breath, deciding to finish what she had been keeping in her heart:

"But that time... even though it was only our third meeting... actually, while I was asleep, I could vaguely sense some things... um... what they went through, like a dream. So... I actually understand some things... for example, you are very gentle, and... different from other people."

Ye Shu seemed to remember this matter; An Suxue seemed to have mentioned it before, that she could sense other people, so she wasn't surprised and just listened quietly as she finished speaking.

"At that time, I also thought...it was too strange...how could it be...to fall for someone I'd only met a few times, and...in that situation...but..."

She paused, this time for a longer time. Ye Shu could feel her breathing quicken slightly, and her grip on his hand tighten.

"But... I just realized that things are different."

"Ever since that night, whenever I see you, or even just hear your voice... my heart races, it beats fast, and I can't help but want to look at you a few more times, yet I'm afraid you'll notice. I pay attention to when you leave and when you come back. Hearing you talk to other people, even if those memories are blurry, makes me feel incredibly at ease... Ye Shu, I can't control myself..."

At this point, An Suxue lifted her head from Ye Shu's shoulder, turned her head and looked into Ye Shu's eyes with a blush on her face. Although her gaze trembled slightly, she did not look away.

She finally got to the most crucial part, speaking very quickly with almost no pauses.

Although the word "like" was not explicitly stated, all the descriptions and differences pointed to the same, unmistakable answer.

Ye Shu listened quietly, and he suddenly understood why she had suddenly gotten angry that night because of Sister Chen Xing, and then slowly relaxed after hearing that Sister Chen Xing had a boyfriend.

It turns out that the seed had already been planted back then and had quietly taken root.

He didn't say anything, but simply reached out and pinched her slightly flushed, soft face.

An Suxue didn't flinch, but her face flushed even more under Ye Shu's fingertips. She gently bit her lip, but didn't avoid his gaze.

After a while, as if remembering what she was going to say next, she raised her hand and pointed to a corner of the room.

"Look there."

Ye Shu followed her hand and saw a pile of plush toys in that corner, with dolls of all sizes crammed together.

"When I moved into Cloud Garden alone... my dad decorated my bedroom there exactly like this one... He said... he was worried I'd be scared living alone..."

She also looked at the pair of dolls, as if she saw the girl curled up in the room.

"Before you came... I was really... really scared."

Her voice lowered and trembled slightly:

"Especially at night, the house is so quiet, it's like all the sounds have been swallowed up, leaving only me... Sometimes... when that feeling comes, my heart races... but I can't let anyone else out... At those times, I just..."

She pressed herself against Ye Shu again:

"I wrapped myself in a blanket, hugged the biggest doll, and huddled in that corner, completely still..."

She turned her head to look at Ye Shu, her eyes slightly red:

"Isn't it... silly, and also... ridiculous..."

"Not stupid."

Ye Shu shook his head and ruffled her hair:

"You are very strong."

An Suxue's eyes welled up with tears because of the warmth of Ye Shu's palm and his answer, but she tried hard not to let them fall.

She took a deep breath and spoke again:

"But things are different now that you're here. I'm not afraid at night anymore. Even though the room is still quiet, even though sometimes... I still feel a little lonely, I know it's different. Because I know you're here in this house. You're next door, or in the living room, or in the kitchen... When you're here, I'm not alone."

At this point, the tears she had been holding back finally slid down her cheeks. But instead, a smile of immense happiness bloomed on her face.

"Ye Shu..."

An Suxue called his name, her voice as soft as a feather, yet it landed heavily on Ye Shuxin's heart. Tears slid down the corners of her upturned lips.

"You are mine..."

Whoops!

A sudden gust of wind blew in from outside the window, stirring the curtains that weren't fully drawn.

The curtains swung open, and suddenly, the afternoon sunlight flooded in. It illuminated the dust motes dancing in the air, the pile of plush toys, and the two people sitting side by side on the bed.

Sunlight fell on An Suxue's face, and a tear fell like a star onto her cheek. She squinted slightly at the sudden light, but she couldn't tell whether the light was from the sunlight outside the window or the light in the heart of the person in front of her.

The wind stopped, the curtains fell gently, but the sunlight lingered.