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

Zhi Qiu was in the living room, idly wiping the coffee table with a rag.

The house wasn't actually messy; she was just keeping herself occupied. Besides, even though she was wiping the coffee table, her mind was elsewhere.

Ye Shu's bedroom door was ajar, with a crack left open. She had left it open on purpose when she left, thinking that if her little brother Shu woke up, was thirsty, felt unwell, or needed anything, she would hear him immediately if he made any noise.

As she wiped, she slowly stopped.

It sounds like... there's some kind of sound.

It was very faint and intermittent, like someone was crying, sobbing, and there was also the sound of sniffling.

The noise wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Zhi Qiu's ears.

Following the sound, Zhi Qiu slowly arrived at Ye Shu's bedroom door. The closer she got, the clearer the crying became.

She slowly pushed open the door and peeked inside.

Ye Shu was still lying on the bed in the bedroom, her eyes closed, still asleep.

But tears kept welling up in his eyes, sliding down his temples onto the pillow, which was already partially soaked.

His shoulders trembled slightly as he cried, and he mumbled something indistinctly, but it was hard to understand.

As Zhi Qiu watched, she felt a sharp pain in her heart. She quietly walked in and slowly sat down beside Ye Shu's bed.

Seeing Ye Shu crying so hard, she wanted to reach out and wake him up, but she stopped halfway through.

Should we wake him up?

Wouldn't it be even more uncomfortable if I forcibly woke him up?

And seeing how heartbroken he was, there might be something he cared about in his dream.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhi Qiu ultimately remained silent. She simply moved closer and gently touched his forehead.

Thankfully, it's not as hot as it was before I left; the fever reducer must have worked.

At this moment, Ye Shu, who was asleep, seemed to sense something, and stretched an arm out from under the covers and draped it over the edge of the bed.

Zhi Qiu looked at his hand, his fingers slightly curled, as if he was trying to grab something, but he couldn't grab anything at all.

Without thinking much, she reached out and gently grasped that hand.

Because of the fever, Ye Shu's hands were a little cold. When she was gently held by the other woman, she unconsciously squeezed back.

Perhaps it was the warmth from her palm that calmed Ye Shu's sobs, and her whimpers gradually subsided.

But this calm lasted only a short while. Soon, the crying started again, and it seemed even louder than before. The person was trembling violently, and tears were streaming down their face like they were free.

He cried harder and harder, his hand gripping Zhi Qiu's hand tightly. Zhi Qiu's hand hurt a little from his grip, but she still didn't let go, just looked at him with such heartache.

Finally, at the height of her grief, Ye Shu gasped sharply, and then her eyes, which had been brimming with tears, suddenly opened.

When Zhi Qiu saw that he was awake, she gently stroked his face with her other hand and wiped away his seemingly endless tears.

"What's wrong, little Shu? Did you have a nightmare?"

Ye Shu stared blankly at Zhi Qiu's face, his breathing still heavy and trembling slightly. He hadn't yet recovered from being on his mother's shoulder, and was just staring straight at Zhi Qiu's face.

After a while, Ye Shu's somewhat unfocused gaze slowly returned to normal. He blinked his eyes, which were aching from crying, and slowly came back to his senses.

He raised his hand, casually wiped his face, and wiped away the tears from his eyes.

He didn't speak, his breathing was still a little labored, and his nose was blocked. He just looked up and quietly stared at Zhi Qiu.

Zhi Qiu just looked at him with such heartache. Her eyes were like two calm, deep pools, able to hold all of Ye Shu's sudden sadness and unspeakable vulnerability.

Ye Shu didn't think about anything this time, following her instincts completely.

He loosened his grip on Zhi Qiu's hand, then quickly stood up, raised both arms, and hugged Zhi Qiu tightly as she sat on the edge of the bed.

He buried his face in her shoulder, hugging her tightly, wanting to shrink himself into her real, warm embrace.

Zhi Qiu was knocked back slightly by his impact, and then raised her hands to catch him.

She wasn't surprised, nor did she resist, and didn't even ask "What's wrong?" again. She simply shifted her body slightly to make Ye Shu more comfortable.

Then she raised her hand and gently stroked his hair, one stroke at a time.

Zhi Qiu's voice was as gentle as a warm cotton ball, softly brushing against Ye Shu's ear:

"Okay, okay...it's alright now...I'm here...it's alright now..."

Amazingly, Ye Shu's heart, which had just been tossed about in the storm, was gradually, little by little, guided by Zhi Qiu's comforting words, from the tempestuous storm into a warm haven.

My heartbeat gradually calmed down, my breathing slowed down, and my tense body relaxed.

I feel at ease, very at ease.

But this sense of security is somewhat different from the security I feel when I lean on my mother's shoulder in my dream.

The peace of mind his mother brought him was like a small lid on his heart. No matter how fierce the storm outside, as long as he closed this lid and hid in this safe zone built by maternal love, he could forget everything and become that child who didn't have to think about anything again.

That sense of security is a return, a refuge.

And Zhi Qiu's embrace...

Ye Shu closed her eyes, feeling her gentle touch and heartbeat.

Bang, bang...

His heartbeat seemed to gradually synchronize with his own.

It felt like... another heart had been gently placed beside his own.

This sense of security comes from reliance and companionship.

When one heart is helpless after a storm, another heart will gently approach to offer warmth.

One heart is immersed in the sadness of the past, while the other heart accompanies him in the present moment to pull him back to reality.

They are independent yet closely interdependent; this sense of security is based on coexistence and mutual support.

Ye Shu finally calmed down completely. He gently nuzzled Zhi Qiu's shoulder, breathing in her reassuring scent, and then slowly spoke:

"Sister Zhi Qiu... I dreamt about my mother."

Zhi Qiu was still gently stroking his hair when she understood why he had cried so hard. She had learned from her last trip back to Ye Shu's hometown that Ye Shu's mother had passed away from cancer a long time ago, a wound in Ye Shu's heart that had never healed.

Ye Shu usually appears reliable, as if she's already digesting her sadness, but Meng never lies; she lays bare those wounds and regrets when people are least on guard.

"Hmm, what did Auntie say in her dream?"

"I told her about us, about you, about Sister Xia Qing, about Xiao Nuan, and about Xiao Xue... about Uncle An and Aunt Shen, about so many things... about everything that has happened over the years."

He paused, then tightened his arms, holding her even more tightly:

"Then... my mom said to me... she was relieved, and then she left... I watched her leave, but I couldn't catch up... and then I woke up."

Zhi Qiu listened quietly without interrupting; she could imagine how heartbroken Ye Shu felt.

She slowly tightened her arms, holding Ye Shu even closer, then turned her head, her lips almost touching Ye Shu's ear, and whispered:

"Um."

"Don't worry, Auntie."

"I will take good care of you."