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

Ye Shu changed her clothes as quickly as possible and quickly washed up. She looked up at herself in the mirror and took a few deep breaths, trying to put on an expression that said, "I'm fine, I'm normal, it was all an illusion," but the effect was not good.

Before leaving the bedroom, he pressed his ear against the door, sticking it out high.

The living room was quiet; there were no sounds of eating, footsteps, or the television.

Xia Qing has probably already gone back to her room, right?

Ye Shu had a plan in mind: avoid confrontation for now, and let time heal all wounds when she returned in the evening; the awkwardness should lessen considerably. When they met again, she would pretend nothing had happened.

Escaping may be shameful, but it's actually quite effective!

With this ostrich mentality, he gently turned the doorknob and peeked out like a thief, intending to scout out the enemy's situation first.

However, plans can never keep up with changes.

He had just stuck his head out when he came face to face with the person outside the door.

Xia Qing stood by the wall outside his bedroom door, leaning against it with her hands behind her back, her head down, the blush on her face still quite noticeable, and her eyes somewhat unfocused.

But he pressed his lips down hard, biting his lower lip, trying to appear calm, mature, and like he wasn't thinking about anything.

Their eyes met, and she was clearly waiting for him.

The air froze, and countless awkward particles, visible yet intangible, exploded between the two of them.

Ye Shu's barely suppressed embarrassment surged back. He stood at the door, unsure whether to go out or go back. He opened his mouth, but found his throat tight, unable to utter a single word.

What should we do now?

A: Pretend that nothing happened, it was all an illusion, and chat and laugh with Sister Xia Qing.

B: Kneel down before Sister Xia Qing, then hug her legs, sobbing and crying, telling her that she has an eighty-year-old grandmother and... currently doesn't have a baby under a month old, begging her not to tell anyone.

C: Tell Xia Qing that you are actually an alien, and what she saw just now was actually an antenna connecting your spaceship to take you home.

……

Clearly, neither option is reliable.

Given the incredibly awkward atmosphere between them, thick enough to be used as glue, how could they possibly pretend nothing had happened and continue chatting and laughing?

The second one was even worse. He only had to imagine the scene before a chill ran down his spine. Even if Xia Qing really didn't think it was a big deal, given her tendency to stir up trouble and her hypocritical nature, if he actually did that, she would have him completely under her thumb, with no chance of ever turning the tables.

As for the third one... Ye Shu was too lazy to even complain about himself.

Just as Ye Shu was still struggling with how to break the awkward silence, Xia Qing made a move, but Ye Shu could tell that she was also embarrassed.

She curled her fingers behind her back, took a deep breath, and turned to face Ye Shu.

"That... Ye Shu."

Xia Qing's voice was slightly more tense than usual, but she tried her best to sound calm, putting on an air of "experienced person" to comfort Ye Shu, and even patted him on the shoulder:

"It's okay, oh, it's okay, don't overthink it."

Looking at Ye Shu's lowered head and bright red ears, her own face burned even hotter. But she still steeled herself and continued to comfort him:

"Boys, it's normal to have that kind of reaction when they wake up in the morning... It's really normal. There's nothing wrong with it, don't be embarrassed..."

She spoke faster and faster, her voice grew softer and softer, and the blush on her face became more and more pronounced.

She originally intended to comfort Ye Shu, wanting to project an image of "the big sister knows everything and can understand everything," and to gloss over the matter lightly.

However, it is counterproductive.

This straightforward approach to guidance, instead of easing the awkwardness, was like repeatedly roasting the two people on a flame called "awkwardness," and then sprinkling cumin on it.

The atmosphere became even more eerie, subtle, and suffocating.

An eerie silence hung in the air, a silence that seemed to say, "We all know it, but no one is saying it, and we're all trying to pretend it doesn't exist."

Normal? Yes, it's normal, perfectly normal... but it's not normal if it gets seen!

"Um……"

Ye Shu gave a vague reply, not daring to look up at Xia Qing, and simply said, "I'm going to work." He then turned to the side, walked along the wall with his head down, and head down, walking as fast as a race walker.

"Hey, you...you don't eat breakfast?"

Xia Qing watched Ye Shu's retreating figure, her mind a jumble of emotions. She found it funny, felt a little guilty, but mostly had an indescribable feeling.

It felt awkward, exciting, a little thrilling, and also a little shy... I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"I'm not eating anymore, there's no time. Xia Qing, you can eat it yourself."

Ye Shu didn't look back, put on her shoes, and rushed out.

Inside the elevator, Ye Shu let out a long breath and squatted down to tie the shoelaces she hadn't had time to tie when she left in such a hurry.

"What kind of mess is this...?"

Ye Shu ran all the way to the corner tea house. When she pushed open the glass door, the clock on the wall showed 9:35.

There were already a few customers in the store, some talking in hushed tones, others typing away on their laptops.

Sister Chen Xing stood behind the bar counter, her back to the door, making coffee.

Ye Shuyou walked over and said, very embarrassed:

"I'm so sorry, Sister Chen Xing, I'm late. I'm really sorry."

Chen Xing turned around upon hearing the sound and smiled at him:

"It's alright, no need to rush. The shop isn't very busy right now."

As she spoke, she poured the frothed milk into the coffee cup, drawing a simple heart shape and placing it on the bar counter.

"Seeing how tired you were yesterday, it's normal to sleep in a little longer today. Go to table number 12."

Chen Xing's words immediately reminded Ye Shu of Xia Qing's words, "Boys...it's normal."

Normal...it's normal again. There are too many normal things happening today, which makes it seem a little abnormal.

Ye Shu brought the coffee to table number twelve, placed it on the table, and politely addressed the person who was typing away on the computer:

"Hello ma'am, your coffee."

"Thanks."

The woman didn't look up, she just responded with a sound, her eyes still fixed on the screen.

Ye Shu didn't pay much attention and turned back behind the bar.

There weren't many customers in the shop right now, so it was quite quiet. Ye Shu was wiping the countertop with a rag while chatting with Chen Xing.

Somehow, as we were chatting, the topic turned to how he had overslept that morning.

Ye Shu casually complained:

"I slept so soundly this morning that my girlfriend set an alarm for me, but I didn't hear it at all."

"Oh? There's even a heart-shaped alarm clock?"

Chen Xing, who was setting out cups nearby, looked up at the sound of this, his face full of curiosity:

"Can I hear it?"

She was really curious about what kind of love alarm clock that little girl, who dared to kiss Ye Shu in public but also cried so pitifully, had set.

However, it's easy to guess that it might be a soft voice saying "Baby, wake up~", or singing a love song or something.

Ye Shu didn't think much of it. She found the audio file, turned the phone volume down, and held it to Chen Xing's ear, reminding him before playing it:

"Let it go."

"Let it go."

Chen Xing tilted his ear, ready to hear a cute, coquettish voice.

The next second...

"Ye Shu! Get up and cook! Ye Shu! Get up and cook! Ye Shu! Stop pretending to be dead! Get up and cook!!!"

The voice was extremely penetrating, booming like a bell, full of energy, and powerful enough to make Chen Xing shudder...

Ye Shu was also amused and put her phone away:

"Impressive, right? With this volume, I would have jumped up by now, but today I didn't react at all."

Chen Xing was at a loss for words. She never expected that the girl in the video, who looked so cute and gentle, could shout so loudly.

She gave Ye Shu a thumbs up without saying anything more.

The two were laughing and joking, and neither of them noticed that not far away, the female customer at table number twelve had slowly stopped typing after hearing Xia Qing's alarm clock.

Table number 12 wasn't far from the bar, and you could hear Xia Qing's loud, shrewish voice.

She turned her head toward the bar, first glancing at Chen Xing who was giving a thumbs-up, then slowly moving her gaze to Ye Shu's profile and winking.

Then I decisively got up and walked towards the bar:

"Ye Shu?"