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

Ye Shu yawned as she walked out of the coffee shop. Chen Xing was carried to the car by her boyfriend, who was asleep. After locking the door, she left.

As the cold winter wind blew, Ye Shucai felt a chill emanating from the sweaty spot on his back.

He didn't bring two drinks home today, not because he forgot, nor because Sister Chen Xing would say anything.

It's just that I'm too tired, so tired that I don't even bother to enjoy these basic employee benefits.

Moreover, Chen Xing's boyfriend was helping to tidy up the store. Although this brother-in-law certainly wouldn't mind, Ye Shu still felt a little embarrassed in front of him, as if he had been caught taking advantage of someone else.

He wasn't the type to take advantage of others, so he simply came out empty-handed.

When Ye Shu reached the fork in the road where he usually went home, he immediately turned around and took a shortcut leading to a small square.

In the square, an old man was pedaling a small tricycle, preparing to pack up his stall.

Ye Shu hurried a few steps to catch up:

"Sir, do you still have candied hawthorns?"

"These are all left: hawthorn, grape, and yam bean flavors."

The old man got off the tricycle and rubbed his hands together.

Ye Shu glanced around; there were no strawberry ones left. But... grape ones are sweet too, so they should be about the same, right?

He bought all the remaining bunches of grapes, and when he scanned the code to pay, his phone screen lit up, and he noticed several unread messages.

He was so busy today that he didn't have time to look at his phone.

After paying and carrying a bag of candied hawthorns, Ye Shu continued walking back before opening WeChat.

Besides Xia Qing asking her "Where did you go?", "Why aren't you replying to my messages?", "If you don't reply to my messages, you don't need to come back", and "Don't force me to look for you", there was another person who also sent her a message.

It was Qin Lili. The message was simple; it was sent in the afternoon.

【I've mentioned your job to them. You can go for an interview the day after tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. Don't be late. The address is the Qianxue Group headquarters building. When you arrive, tell the receptionist that you have an appointment with the HR department.】

About five minutes later, another message was sent:

Don't put too much pressure on yourself. It would be great if you could get a job, but if you can't, so be it. Just consider it an opportunity to broaden your horizons. Don't feel burdened.

Although she didn't mention the favors or face she might lose in those two short sentences, Ye Shu understood.

It's time to come.

He clutched his phone as he walked back down the street, the candied hawthorns swaying gently in the bag, his heart churning with conflicting emotions.

To go or not to go? That is the question.

Go...

Sister Chen Xing is truly amazing to me; she pays me a much higher salary than initially agreed, and the work environment is impeccable.

She's free, without so many rules and regulations, and Sister Chen Xing never acts like a boss.

If I were to turn around and go for another job interview, I would feel like I was letting people down, like I was betraying them.

Moreover, deep down, he has an instinctive aversion and fear towards the white-collar life of clocking in and out, sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer, and the complex backstabbing and infighting.

Just thinking about those days makes me feel like everything is bleak.

But if I say I don't want to go...

How am I going to explain this to Sister Lili? She went out of her way to get me an interview opportunity, using her connections. If I don't even go, wouldn't I be ungrateful, letting her be so kind as to refuse her offer? How am I supposed to face her again?

This is difficult, truly difficult.

The cold wind blew on her face, and Ye Shu took a deep breath, trying to calm her irritation.

Actually, he was more inclined not to go.

He likes his current job, he likes the atmosphere in the coffee shop, and he likes the feeling of being physically tired but mentally relaxed.

He doesn't want to change.

hiss……

He suddenly realized something and looked at Qin Lili's message on his phone again. The four words "Qianxue Group" looked a little glaring under the streetlights.

Qianxue Group?!

Ye Shu's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

I was so focused on deciding whether to go or not, and who I should apologize to, that I almost forgot about this name.

Qianxue Group, that business giant in Nancheng? The Qianxue Group that's always in the news?!

The scene he had witnessed that night suddenly flashed into his mind.

The bar that used to be called "Mystery Domain" but was renamed "Snow Ink" the day after that night, the person being shoved into the car by the burly man, and the woman in the black dress behind him.

The next day, Sister Chen Xing even gossiped with me, saying that according to rumors, the woman in the black dress was very likely the current president of Qianxue Group.

He still remembered what Chen Xing had said at the time:

"Family feuds run deep. It could be about money owed to the company, or some other entanglement... Anyway, that kid being personally asked to leave by that person means he's probably in big trouble."

At the time, I just felt like I was listening to a story from a completely different worldview than mine, but now this story... seems to be inexplicably seeping into me, an ordinary person.

Ye Shu shivered involuntarily, but this time it wasn't because of the cold wind.

Working as a slave in an ordinary company might just be mentally exhausting.

But Qianxue Group... anyone with a brain would know how much is hidden behind such a large operation, not to mention that he personally witnessed the kidnapping-like scene that night, which made him instinctively feel disgusted.

He just wanted a peaceful life, to take care of Xiaoxue and the others, and to live a stable and uneventful life.

He didn't want to get involved in any of those troublesome family feuds, not even the slightest bit. Although these family feuds were indeed completely unrelated to him, he still didn't want to be even remotely involved.

The pressure is immense, because the name Qianxue Group seems to imply an even greater scale.

Ye Shu's current mood is like a candied hawthorn in her hand, wrapped in a sweet sugar shell, but inside lies a heavy, sour secret.

A gust of cold wind cleared my mind. After careful consideration, those jumbled thoughts gradually came together.

I definitely will go.

The favor has already been done to Sister Lili, and it wouldn't be right for me not to even show my face.

Sister Lili is right. Let's just go and see what it's like. Whether it works out or not is another matter. At least we should show our attitude and not let their good intentions go to waste. Ye Shu has that much awareness.

Once the decision to go was made, an even more perplexing problem immediately arose.

How should I tell Sister Chen Xing?

Tell her the truth? Tell her you're going for an interview at Qianxue Group?

He could roughly imagine Chen Xing's reaction; she would probably pat him on the shoulder and say, "Great news, Xiao Ye, go give it a try!"

But Ye Shu didn't want to disappoint Chen Xing, especially not because he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Chen Xing treated him like her own younger brother, and he cherished that affection deeply.

Then... should I make up a reason to ask for leave?

First, he can't get over his own conscience; lying to someone who truly cares for him makes him feel guilty. And this guilt, like tiny worms, slowly gnaws at him as he lies.

Secondly, one lie leads to countless others to cover it up. If Sister Chen Xing finds out about this later, the situation will be beyond embarrassing; what will Sister Chen Xing think?

Ugh……

Ye Shu needs to hurry home and find her good older brother, Xia Qing, to help her sort things out.

Perhaps this is the meaning of home: a place where you can talk to someone when you're feeling lost.