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

"I will take good care of you."

These words, though spoken softly, felt like a warm pebble from the sun set in Ye Shu's heart.

He held Zhi Qiu in his arms, without speaking or moving, simply burying his face deep in her shoulder and neck, breathing in the scent that gave him a sense of pride and peace.

Zhi Qiu quietly hugged him, stroking his hair gently like petting a cat.

A sliver of time flowed slowly, rippling gently in their embrace. The sun climbed slowly in the sky, and the room was so quiet it made one feel drowsy.

After a while, Zhi Qiu spoke, still as gentle as before, but it seemed to carry a different meaning than before.

"Little Shu, I have a question for you."

"Okay, go ahead."

Ye Shu was in her arms, completely relaxed and unguarded, with the corners of her mouth unconsciously turning up slightly.

Zhi Qiu, out of Ye Shu's sight, curved her lips into a smile, her eyes slowly narrowing again, and asked leisurely:

"Is my sister's cooking... really that bad?"

"ah?!"

Zhi Qiu clearly felt Ye Shu shiver in her arms.

Ye Shu lifted her head from Zhi Qiu's shoulder, her eyes wide open, tears still clinging to her face, but her expression clearly conveyed the bewilderment and guilt of "How did you know?!"

His heart started pounding uncontrollably. He remembered, of course he remembered, when he was crying his eyes out in his dream, he seemed... maybe... probably... he did mutter that sentence.

But he thought it was just a dream! How could sleep talking count?! How could Sister Zhi Qiu have heard that?!

Now that things have come to this, all they can do is insist they never said it. Deny it! They must resolutely deny it!

"No...it's not bad at all. Who said this food is bad? It's delicious! Sister Zhi Qiu, the porridge you made...uh, it's very creative! Yes, creative!"

Ye Shu forced out a genuine smile. Sincerity wasn't enough now, but in Zhi Qiu's eyes, this affected manner was just a sign of guilt.

Zhi Qiu slowly loosened her arms around him, moved her body back slightly, and created some distance between them.

The distance was just right, allowing her to carefully observe every subtle change in Ye Shu's expression.

Seeing his stubborn and guilty expression, Zhi Qiu's smile deepened, and her eyes curved into crescents.

She tilted her head slightly, mimicking Ye Shu's tearful, sleep-talking words:

"Sister Zhi Qiu... your cooking is so bad... I was too embarrassed to say anything..."

She only heard those parts; she didn't hear the "Mom" at the beginning. When she heard that sentence just now, Zhi Qiu was so angry that she laughed.

Ye Shu felt a chill run down her spine. She thought to herself, "Ye Shu, you're just wasting your time!"

Isn't this pointless? The evidence is conclusive, and the perpetrator has been caught red-handed!

awkward.

Add a pinch of salt to awkwardness, and it'll make it even more saccharine.

Putting embarrassment in a car is just too embarrassing.

Sending a wreath to someone who's embarrassed is just so awkward.

The feeling of being caught in the act made his face flush rapidly. He grabbed Zhi Qiu's hand, stammering as he tried to salvage the situation:

"Sister Zhi Qiu, it's not... it's... that... it's..."

He doesn't know what it is anymore.

Zhi Qiu tilted her face slightly to the side, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she adopted a sorrowful and pitiful expression, just like Lin Daiyu who had suffered a great injustice. She even raised her hand in a convincing manner and gently touched the corner of her eye, which had no tears at all, with her fingertips. Her voice was also tinged with sobs and resentment.

"Sigh... So little Shu was too embarrassed to tell his sister in person, so... he secretly went to his dream to tell Mom."

She paused, as if trying to suppress her grief, before slowly uttering the truly damaging words in a more resentful tone:

"Little Shu, is this...disliking your older sister...?"

After saying this, Zhi Qiu slowly turned her back to him.

Ye Shu could only see that her shoulders seemed to tremble slightly, and she raised her hand to wipe her eyes.

The sky has fallen! I actually made Sister Zhi Qiu cry! Because of a bowl of porridge! Because of a dream I made! I made such a gentle Sister Zhi Qiu cry! I deserve to die.

What should I do? What should I do now?

A: Tell Sister Zhi Qiu that the things in dreams are actually the opposite of what they mean, which proves that everything Sister Zhi Qiu makes is delicious!

B: I told Sister Zhi Qiu that I have pica and I like to eat spicy food!

C: I'm fine thank you, and you?

Ye Shu suddenly felt an urge to give himself a big punch. He was already in a dire situation, and he still had time to think nonsense.

What is all this?! I won't even go into the first two, but what's with that last English listening comprehension option?!

Wait, is this the time to complain about the options?!

Ye Shu felt like his CPU was about to overheat. Embarrassment, guilt, panic, and a guilty conscience... all these feelings were mixed together, making him forget everything else. He scooted forward on the bed, grabbed Zhi Qiu's arm, and said:

"Sister Zhi Qiu...! Sister Zhi Qiu, please don't do this! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong!"

Zhi Qiu didn't pull her arm back, nor did she turn around. She just let out a soft "humph" through her nose, sounding aggrieved, and then made a sniffling sound.

I really cried.

Ye Shu immediately raised the white flag and surrendered, then began to use all her sincerity to coax him:

"Sister Zhi Qiu, I was wrong! I really know I was wrong, don't cry... How about this, as long as you can forgive me and calm down, I'll agree to anything you ask!"

After he finished speaking, the room suddenly fell silent.

Ye Shu waited there for a response, her heart pounding with anxiety, but she was already beginning to regret the condition that she had agreed to anything.

As it turned out, his regret was justified.

With her back to him, Zhi Qiu asked in a wronged tone to confirm:

"You just said... you'd agree to anything I asked, right?"

"Right...?"

Ye Shu grinned, feeling as if he had fallen into a trap.

"Oh~"

Zhi Qiu slowly turned around. Ye Shu looked at her and saw that there wasn't a trace of tears on Zhi Qiu's face, not even a trace of crying.

Moreover, the corners of her mouth were turned up even more than before, and her whole face was beaming with laughter.

It's beautiful... truly beautiful, but also truly cunning...

Ye Shu was speechless:

"I knew it...you lied to me again..."

"Huh? What did I lie to you about?"

Zhi Qiu tilted her head, looking completely innocent, her eyes full of laughter:

"I was just imitating how little Shu talks in his dream, as for what happened next..."

She shrugged, her smile growing even more innocent:

"It was some silly girl who was in a hurry and insisted on agreeing to everything I said. I didn't force you."

"I...I was..."

Zhi Qiu reached out and grabbed Ye Shu's arm, then leaned close to his ear and said with a smile:

"Since someone has already promised to 'agree to anything,' then I, your older sister, won't hold back, little brother Shu~"