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

Ye Shu was busy at the stove, swinging the spatula so hard it almost flew through the air. The kitchen was filled with clanging and banging noises, it was almost as if a bunch of gourds were calling him grandpa.

Zhi Qiu was sitting obediently on the sofa in the living room, leaning against the backrest with one leg crossed over the other. She had a carrot pillow lying across her chest, and was absentmindedly tugging at the leaves of the carrot pillow with one hand while holding her phone in the other.

Her fingers traced names on the screen. As she looked at them, her usually languid, smiling eyes suddenly widened slightly, and her eyebrows rose.

However, she didn't speak immediately. She just stared at the screen for a while, then glanced at Ye Shu, who was struggling with shredded meat in the kitchen, and then looked down at the screen again.

In the end, I simply locked the screen, casually placed the phone on the coffee table, and didn't intend to say anything.

She simply closed her eyes and sat there listening to Ye Shu cooking in the kitchen.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Zhi Qiu got up and walked to the door. Without even looking through the peephole, she could roughly guess who was outside. Only Qin Lili had a doorbell but didn't use it; she just liked to knock.

As soon as the door opened, Qin Lili saw Zhi Qiu's long dress, her hair styled up, and her gentle, watery smile. She raised an eyebrow:

"Zhi Qiu, look how timely my return is."

As she spoke, she stood at the doorway changing her shoes and glanced towards the kitchen.

Zhi Qiu simply smiled slightly and closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, long time no see."

Qin Lili changed into slippers and sat on the sofa with Zhi Qiu:

"It's still warmer at home."

She took a deep breath, smelled the aroma of food wafting out, and turned to look at Ye Shu in the kitchen, who was wearing an apron with cartoon carrots drawn on it.

This was the first time she had seen Ye Shu cook, and she called out towards the kitchen:

"Wow, he can cook too! Not bad, not bad at all. I didn't expect him to be such a culinary guy."

Upon hearing this, Ye Shu's eyebrows furrowed immediately, and he clicked his tongue in obvious displeasure.

What kind of talk is that?

You called him a "virgin"?

A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!

He turned around, spatula in hand, and glared at the woman on the sofa who was grinning broadly.

"What did you call me?"

Qin Lili wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she winked at him and said confidently:

"Little Chef, what's wrong with that? Look, a woman who can cook is called a 'little chef,' and you, a grown man, who can cook, are obviously a 'little chef.' Isn't that fitting, Zhi Qiu?"

She did it on purpose...

Ye Shu gripped the spatula in her hand, muttered "childish," then ignored her and turned to continue cooking.

Qin Lili seemed to be in a good mood. Seeing Ye Shu's discomfiture, she turned to Zhi Qiu and shook her head.

Zhi Qiu, looking helpless, reached out and patted Qin Lili on the shoulder:

"You, really..."

The meal was served: three dishes and a soup. Although it wasn't as tempting as what you get outside, it was still quite appealing in terms of color, aroma, and taste.

Ye Shu took off her apron and hung it on a hook on the kitchen wall.

Qin Lili got up very consciously, took two cans of beer from the refrigerator, thought for a moment, and turned to ask Zhi Qiu:

"Want a can?"

Zhi Qiu shook her head upon hearing this:

"No need, I'll just have the soup."

Qin Lili didn't insist. She placed a can of beer next to Ye Shu, opened another one herself, and took a big gulp.

"Ah, that feels great! After a long day, something ice-cold is so refreshing!"

Ye Shu walked to the dining table and gestured with her chin towards it:

"Try it, the shredded pork with green peppers is probably too salty, they added too much salt."

The three sat down, with Zhi Qiu and Ye Shu on one side and Qin Lili on the opposite side.

Zhi Qiu ate quietly, chewing slowly and elegantly. She picked up a piece of egg with her chopsticks, put it in her bowl, and then looked up at Qin Lili, who was gnawing on ribs across from her, and asked:

"What did you do all day?"

Qin Lili raised her head, took another sip of beer to smooth things out:

"I went to see a friend, caught up, and talked about some things. Oh yeah, I was so busy eating that I had something to tell you guys."

Zhi Qiu put down her chopsticks, picked up her water glass, and took a sip.

Ye Shu also raised her head and looked at Qin Lili, waiting for her to continue.

Qin Lili picked up another piece of pork rib, but this time she didn't eat it right away. Instead, she used her chopsticks to dab some on her rice.

"I'm leaving tomorrow..."

The dining table fell silent.

Ye Shu didn't speak, but silently swallowed the mouthful of rice in his mouth. He didn't really feel anything; his attitude towards Qin Lili had always been very clear.

Qin Lili considered Qin Lili her good friend; she was a guest, and he welcomed and entertained her. Since she wanted to leave, he had no reason to stop her. He was just a little surprised that it was happening so soon.

But Zhi Qiu was clearly very reluctant to part with her. She looked at Qin Lili, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Why... so soon? Didn't you say you'd be staying for a while?"

Qin Lili looked at Zhi Qiu, feeling a little uncomfortable. Although she had stayed here for a few days, she had only just met Zhi Qiu.

The feeling of having to part ways so soon after a reunion is indeed hard to bear.

But she simply shook her head and explained:

"There's nothing I can do, plans can't keep up with changes. A friend of mine is getting married soon, and I have to go."

Hearing that it was a serious matter like a friend's wedding, Zhi Qiu, though reluctant, simply nodded slightly and whispered:

"We should go."

After she finished speaking, she asked again:

"And then what? Do you still plan to continue traveling the world like before?"

This question came out of the blue and was quite insightful.

Ye Shu noticed that Qin Lili's chopsticks trembled slightly, and he could also tell that Zhi Qiu's voice was filled with heartache when she asked that question.

After asking her question, Zhi Qiu seemed to realize that she had gotten a little emotional. Her voice deepened, and she returned to her usual calm tone:

"Lili, you've been searching for so many years. Shouldn't some things... have an answer, or at least be put to rest? You..."

"Alright, alright, stop."

Qin Lili interrupted Zhi Qiu before she could finish speaking, waving her hand to stop her. Her carefree smile remained as she picked up her beer and took another large gulp.

"Why talk about this? We can talk about the future later. Besides, it's great to travel all over the world, so free and easy. So many people envy that."

She spoke frankly and smiled brightly.

But Ye Shu happened to see a fleeting emotion in her eyes as she tilted her head back to drink.

What kind of emotion was that? Bitterness? Confusion? It was definitely not happiness.

Qin Lili put down her beer, burped, and seemed to want to get off the conversation. She turned to look at Ye Shu, who was silently eating beside her.

"Hey, Ye Shu, stop just eating. Tell me, are you really planning to stay in that little tea shop forever? Don't you have any other ideas?"