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

An Suxue looked at Ye Shu's face, gently shook her head, and pursed her lips.

That feeling of guilt resurfaced, making her hesitant to look Ye Shu in the eye. She simply stared at his chin and softly hummed in agreement.

Ye Shu reached under the covers and gently took An Suxue's slightly shiny little hand in his.

"Your hands are so cold."

Ye Shu gently rubbed her palm with her fingers:

"Something on your mind? Tell me about it."

An Suxue felt a ticklish sensation in her palm, feeling the warmth of Ye Shu's hand gradually seep into her own, soothing her somewhat chaotic emotions.

She looked up at Ye Shu and found that there was only concern in Ye Shu's eyes, and no impatience or blame.

She wanted to say that those worries were stuck in her chest, but she didn't know where to begin, afraid that if she spoke them out, she would seem even more immature.

Ye Shu noticed her hesitation but didn't urge her. Instead, he spoke in a tone of someone who had been through it all:

"Xiaoxue, do you know, after so many years of observation, I've found that the reason why most couples can't stay together and break up is actually not some earth-shattering event."

He paused to make sure An Suxue was listening:

"Often, when there's a problem or a knot in your heart, you don't tell anyone. You keep it all bottled up inside, and then you overthink it by yourself, making things worse and worse. What might have started as a trivial misunderstanding or a small emotional outburst gets fermented, swelled up, and eventually..."

As he spoke, he made a friendly Italian gesture:

"So, if there's a problem, you have to speak up. If you don't, it won't disappear on its own; it will only grow bigger and bigger until it crushes both of you."

An Suxue listened attentively; Ye Shu's words were like a breeze blowing into her heart.

She recalled her past connections, realizing they were all just her own wild speculations. She didn't want that; she didn't want things to end up like that with Ye Shu.

She strained, tightening her grip on Ye Shu's hand slightly, and asked cautiously:

"Ye Shu...are you under a lot of pressure?"

"Hmm... I'm under a lot of pressure right now."

An Suxue then realized that she was tightly gripping Ye Shu's hand. Her face flushed, and she quickly let go.

"I'm so sorry..."

Ye Shu instead held her hand tightly, preventing her from pulling it away, and then asked seriously:

"Why do you ask that? What kind of pressure do you think I'm under?"

An Suxue bit her lower lip, her gaze darting away, but she finally spoke her mind, her voice growing softer and softer:

"I...I'm worried...what will people say about you after they see that video you posted? Will they think...I forced you to post it? Or...that you were too impulsive...and that it's causing you trouble..."

The more she spoke, the more ashamed she felt, and finally whispered:

"Maybe... we should just delete it... and pretend it was never posted..."

After she finished speaking, she hesitated to look at Ye Shu, waiting for his possible reaction.

Angry? Helpless? Or do you think she's overthinking things?

Ye Shu remained silent for a few seconds, simply holding her hand quietly. During those few seconds, many thoughts raced through Ye Shu's mind.

He knew that An Suxue's situation over the years had shaped her into an instinctive way of thinking: she was sensitive, anxious, and would subconsciously assume the worst about everything; one could say she was a pessimist.

She worries about what others think, fears becoming a burden, and feels pain before things even happen. This is probably her way of protecting herself—preparing for the worst by experiencing pain first to give herself a transition period so that she won't be unable to accept it when it actually happens.

While this method is safe, it's too tiring and will cause you to suffer more pain for no reason.

But to be honest, when Ye Shu sent out the message, she didn't really think about what others would think or whether the pressure would be too great.

His idea at the time was simple: to give An Suxue a tangible and reliable guarantee so that she wouldn't be afraid.

As for the reaction to posting it on WeChat Moments?

He didn't have time to think about it, nor did he care.

Looking at An Suxue's cautious and anxious demeanor, like a kitten caught wreaking havoc at home, Ye Shu felt not anger, but rather a sense of relief.

The fact that she was able to express these worries that were troubling her, instead of bottling them up until she broke down, shows that she believes in herself, wants to communicate with herself, wants to show him her most vulnerable side, and waits for his response.

Thinking of this, Ye Shu reached out and pinched An Suxue's soft little face.

"what!"

An Suxue let out a soft cry as she was pinched, covering the spot where she was being pinched. She looked at Ye Shu with some confusion, not understanding why he had suddenly started bullying her.

Ye Shu raised an eyebrow at her and posed a question:

"Who exactly are you referring to as 'other people'?"

An Suxue blinked, not expecting him to be concerned about this first. She followed up on Ye Shu's question and said:

"You mean...those people you know...friends, classmates, and stuff like that..."

"Do you know them?"

Ye Shu continued to ask, and An Suxue honestly shook her head:

"I don't know him."

That settles it.

Ye Shu shrugged, looking relaxed as if the problem was solved:

"You don't even know them, so why should you care what they think?"

"Huh?"

An Suxue was stunned by this simple and straightforward logic. Ye Shu's answer bypassed the point she was struggling with, leaving her momentarily speechless.

It seems...that's how it is, but something seems off?

Ye Shu didn't give her time to think it over, and continued:

"Let them think what they want, what's it to us? We're getting old and we don't expect them to support us. If they don't like it, let them keep it to themselves. Let them think what they want. Are they going to come and beat me up just because I have a girlfriend?"

Ye Shu's words were too arrogant and unreasonable, but they were inexplicably satisfying to hear.

"puff……"

An Suxue couldn't help but almost burst out laughing, so she quickly covered her mouth with her hand and looked at Ye Shu with her eyes crinkling.

The heavy weight that had been pressing on my heart seemed to have been loosened by Ye Shu's twisted logic.

"But……"

She wanted to argue back, but this was her usual way of thinking; she always felt she should consider things thoroughly and avoid causing trouble for others.

But after saying "but," she couldn't say anything else.

Ye Shu's words were rough, and An Suxue always felt that something was off, but it also made a lot of sense.

Why should I think so much about people I've never met and may never have any contact with in my life, and torture myself like this?

Ye Shu found it somewhat endearing to see her looking like she wanted to retort but couldn't find a way to say it, as if her CPU was about to overheat. He reached out and flicked her forehead again, interrupting her train of thought.

"ah!"

It seemed like she'd been flicked hard. An Suxue reached out and covered her forehead, staring wide-eyed at Ye Shu.

Why did you flick me again?

"But what 'but'?"

Ye Shu withdrew her hand, finding it amusing to see her in a pose reminiscent of Ji Wuming's suicide attempt, but deliberately raised her voice:

"Why are you up in the middle of the night, getting upset over a bunch of people whose shapes you don't even know? Aren't you stupid?"

An Suxue felt a little wronged by his playing, but Ye Shu's words eased a lot of the knot in her heart.

Seeing that she had taken his advice to heart, Ye Shu pressed her advantage and decided to reinforce her understanding:

"Xiaoxue, let me tell you, there are billions of people in this world. Can you take care of everyone's feelings? Can you make everyone like you and understand you? It's impossible. Even someone as great as Confucius still had people who criticized him and didn't understand him. Do you really think you're better than Confucius?"

An Suxue subconsciously shook her head.

"That's right!"

Ye Shu clapped her hands, looking relaxed as if to say, "You finally understand."

"So, the most important thing is to live our own lives well and take care of our own hearts. We shouldn't break the law or do anything immoral. We should live our lives honestly and uprightly behind closed doors. Whether it's sweet or bitter, that's our own business. Let others think what they want. We don't need to, and have no obligation to, worry about what they think. Do you understand?"

An Suxue was still trying to digest his whole set of theories when she heard the good news... that's how it works?

Although it may sound a bit selfish and inconsiderate of others' opinions, if the price of caring about others' opinions is to plunge yourself and the people you care about into pain and suspicion, is such concern really necessary?

Although I can't fully accept it yet, at least the heavy sense of guilt and fear of the unknown gaze have eased considerably.

"I see."

Although it's impossible to immediately change her long-standing thinking habits, at least for now, she's willing to trust Ye Shu and let go of those unnecessary worries.

When Ye Shu saw that she agreed, he knew that the matter was probably over.

He suddenly raised an eyebrow, stretched out his hands, and pressed them against An Suxue's face, squeezing them together.

An Suxue's face was squeezed so tightly that she pouted involuntarily.

"Huh? You just made me delete the video? Tell me! Are you up to something, trying to make me a faithless person with a smile, hoping I'll suffer from boils on my head and pus from my feet, and never have chopsticks when I order takeout? An Suxue, what are you up to? Confess!"

An Suxue's eyes crinkled with laughter as she was amused by him, and she reached out to grab Ye Shu's face in retaliation.

"I...I didn't! Let go..."

She also imitated Ye Shu, using both hands to pinch Ye Shu's face.

On the hospital bed, Qin Lili opened one eye at some point and looked at the two people hurting each other on the bed.

She didn't say anything or move, she just watched silently, and then closed her eyes again.

Now she understood why all four of them had confessed.

Outside, the ward door was slightly ajar, and Shen Jingwan and An Jianxing stood by the door, listening to the sounds inside.

They could hear everything clearly, from Ye Shu trying to reason with An Suxue with his profound wisdom to the sounds of the two of them playfully fighting.

Shen Jingwan turned to An Jianxing and said:

"Xiao Shu is such a good child."