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

Let's go eat. What should we eat?

"Let's have hot pot!"

Xia Qing, who was standing beside him, lit up when Ye Shu asked what she wanted to eat, as if she wasn't the one who had just had a stomachache.

Ye Shu turned her head and gave her a look that said, "Are you stupid?" Ye Shu really admired this kind of spirit of forgetting the pain once the wound healed.

"No. Go get some clear soup noodles or some porridge."

Decisive, efficient, and without room for negotiation.

Upon hearing the words "clear soup noodles" and "porridge," Xia Qing instinctively wrinkled her nose, feeling as if her mouth was so bland it would taste like nothing at all. Still clinging to a sliver of hope, she tried to argue with Ye Shu:

"Maybe, fight fire with fire? Maybe eating something spicy and sweating it out will help? Besides, isn't there a saying that you should supplement what you lack?"

"no."

Ye Shu didn't even look at her, and threw out two more words.

Xia Qing had suffered repeated setbacks, and her inherent pride prevented her from giving in so quickly. Especially when she saw Ye Shu's expression that said, "I'm doing this for your own good, don't be ungrateful," her rebellious streak flared up instantly.

"OK!"

She stiffened her neck and shouted at Ye Shu.

Seeing her stubborn look, Ye Shu turned around to face her and said:

"You'd rather let the sore fester than let your mouth go hungry. Isn't this the same time you were saying 'Ah~ Ye Shu~ my stomach hurts~' a while ago?"

He mimicked Xia Qing's whimpering voice perfectly.

Xia Qing's face flushed red instantly, half from embarrassment and the other half from anger.

This guy, how dare he expose her weaknesses like that! Fine, you expose them, but you even imitated them so perfectly!

Overwhelmed with shame and indignation, her powerful instincts compelled her to reach out, hook her arm around Ye Shu's neck, and pull him forcefully towards her.

In the past, when she did this, Ye Shu would definitely bend over following her force and give in after a while.

She hooked her arm around Ye Shu's neck, slightly tiptoeing because of the height difference, but this posture did not diminish her imposing presence.

She glared at Ye Shu and declared in a very domineering manner:

"If I say yes, then yes! If I say we'll have hot pot, then we'll have hot pot!"

But Ye Shu today doesn't seem to buy into that.

Ye Shu bent down, but her face did not show the helplessness or indulgence she usually did.

Instead, he raised his arm and, mimicking Xia Qing's posture, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, their foreheads touching.

Xia Qing could clearly feel the temperature of his forehead.

Ye Shu, unusually serious, stared intently at Xia Qing's eyes, which widened slightly in surprise.

"I said, no way. I'm not kidding you, but believe it or not, if you eat hot pot, you won't be drinking hot water at the arcade this afternoon; you'll be in the hospital getting an IV drip."

His demeanor had completely changed; he was no longer the Ye Shu who could be easily suppressed by Xia Qing, who would blush, and who would helplessly compromise.

This overwhelming aura made Xia Qing forget to struggle and refute for a moment.

Xia Qing stared blankly at Ye Shu's face in front of her.

His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his expression serious, and his forehead pressed together, creating a somewhat imposing presence.

This kid looks... kind of handsome when he's serious.

For no apparent reason, this thought popped into Xia Qing's mind.

Ye Shu, who was playing a head-butting game with her, appeared calm and collected on the surface, but in his heart he was thinking:

Xia Qing must think I look kind of handsome when I'm serious.

Nearby, a slightly older couple passed by. The aunt was holding the uncle's arm, and they were talking quietly when their gaze inadvertently fell on the two who were playing head-butting.

The aunt blinked, looked carefully, tugged at her husband's sleeve, and asked:

"Hey old man, look at those two kids over there... what are they doing?"

The uncle adjusted his glasses, examined the man carefully for a couple of seconds, and then nodded.

"Hey, can't you tell? These two are practicing wrestling, neither of them giving an inch. Tsk, young people, full of energy."

Ignoring the interpretations here for now, the two on the other side remained in the same position. Ye Shuqing cleared his throat:

So, porridge or noodles?

Xia Qing glared at him, looking at his face that screamed "no discussion allowed," and then she remembered the twisting pain in her stomach earlier, and his earlier warning to "go to the hospital for an IV drip."

Reason finally prevailed over the rebellious urge to eat, but I still felt a little embarrassed.

She loosened her grip on Ye Shu's neck, and Ye Shu followed suit.

Xia Qing turned her face away, refusing to look at him, leaving him with only a look of resentment:

"snort!"

This "humph" was less an expression of opposition and more a last shred of dignity maintained after defeat.

Seeing that she had seemingly given in, Ye Shu quickly added:

"Clear broth."

Xia Qing didn't argue or turn around; she simply walked toward the noodle shop Ye Shu pointed to.

Her steps were a bit fast, and her back view conveyed an awkward "I'm very unhappy but I'm holding back" attitude.

The noodle shop is small, with wooden tables and chairs. As soon as you step inside, a rich aroma of bone broth wafts over.

Ye Shu randomly found a seat and ordered two bowls of the simplest plain noodles. She repeatedly told the owner not to add any chili, just clear broth, thin noodles, and green vegetables, with a sprinkle of scallions at most.

The boss is a very honest person; he does whatever Ye Shu asks.

The noodles arrived quickly, in a white porcelain bowl. The broth was so clear you could see the pattern on the bottom of the bowl. Strings of noodles lay in the soup, with a few green vegetable leaves and a few scallions floating on top.

This looks...healthy...

Xia Qing stirred the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks, picked up two strands, and put them back down. Thinking about the grilled squid, sausage, and roujiamo she had for breakfast that morning, she suddenly felt even more tasteless.

This noodle dish doesn't whet my appetite at all.

She stirred the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks while scanning the table with her eyes. Finally, her gaze settled on a white porcelain jar on the corner of the table.

A spoon handle protruded from the white porcelain jar, and there were still some red oil stains on the rim of the jar.

This is... chili oil!

A bold idea emerged.

Xia Qing's heart beat a little faster. Her eyes remained fixed on her bowl of healthy noodles, but her left hand slowly, very slowly emerged from under the table and moved towards the chili jar, little by little.

Her movements were very slow, and she would occasionally glance at Ye Shu opposite her, a little guilty, to see if he had noticed her little actions.

Ye Shu sat opposite him, completely unaware, and didn't even change the speed at which he slurped his noodles.

Xia Qing's lips curled up involuntarily.

Good, he didn't notice. Just a little bit is enough to give this bowl of noodles some color and flavor...

Her hand was just a hair's breadth away from the jar of chili peppers; victory was in sight.

A warm feeling instantly enveloped her hand.

Xia Qing looked up abruptly and saw Ye Shu, who had just been oblivious to everything around him and focused solely on eating plain noodles, now smiling at him.

His smile was so innocent; words like kind and gentle are not enough to describe it.

But Xia Qing could clearly see in his smile that he had expected it and that he was smug, thinking, "I've got you."