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

Back in their school days, Ye Shu and his roommates mostly hung out in this university town near the school.

It's been a long time since I've been here, but it's still full of life, with all sorts of food stalls, restaurants, and open-air food stalls lining both sides of the street.

The neon signs were flashing so brightly they were almost blinding. The air was filled with the smells of smoke and fire, the aroma of food, the laughter of the crowd, and music from afar—it was quite lively.

Many students who are still studying, or people who work and live nearby, like to come here to stroll around.

At 6 p.m., Zhang Xiaoqiang, Wang Yu and Han Yang arrived at the place they had agreed to meet. Zhang Xiaoqiang had booked a small private room in advance.

This is a restaurant they often frequented when they were in school. The storefront is unremarkable, and the decor is rather ordinary, but the food is delicious, the portions are generous, and the prices are reasonable.

Right now, the three of them are squatting in a row on the side of the road in front of the restaurant, each with a cigarette between their fingers, taking the opportunity to see if there are any pretty girls among the passersby.

Zhang Xiaoqiang took a deep drag on his cigarette, squinted at his phone, then looked up at the intersection:

"How far does Ye Shu live from here? Why haven't we arrived yet?"

Wang Yu also checked the time:

"It should be soon, there might be traffic at this time."

"He does live quite far from here, in Yunduanyuan, have you heard of it? It's that legendary upscale residential area around here. Where does he live now?"

Han Yang squatted down beside him and spoke slowly. Although he didn't live there, he felt proud that his buddy had become successful.

"Holy crap, really?!"

Zhang Xiaoqiang turned his head and looked at Han Yang with an incredulous expression:

"He struck it rich? He won the lottery?"

Wang Yu also looked curious:

"My brother Ye is something else, making a fortune in silence."

Han Yang, with a knowing smile, stubbed out his cigarette on the nearby trash can.

"Him? You can ask him yourselves. He's here."

As he spoke, he stood up and gestured with his chin in that direction.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoqiang and Wang Yu also put out their cigarettes and stood up to look in that direction.

Ye Shuzheng was walking from the street corner, a genuine smile on his face, like that of someone seeing an old friend.

He's still the same, looking much the same as he did in college. But if I had to say, he seems to have gained a little weight.

However, their attention was quickly drawn to the shadow behind Ye Shu.

Behind Ye Shu, a person followed closely step by step, and that person's attire was truly...

He was dressed entirely in black, from head to toe.

He wore a long black coat with the collar pulled up high, obscuring his chin. He wore a black mask and sunglasses, and a black hat on his head.

What... what's going on? A spy rendezvous? Will we have to exchange passwords later? Like, something like "The mountains and rivers seem to block the way, but then a village appears amidst the willows and flowers."

Zhang Xiaoqiang and Wang Yu turned to look at Han Yang beside them in perfect unison, their eyes asking:

What's going on? You've been through this, can you tell me about it?

Han Yang was also completely bewildered and shook his head at the two of them.

Although he had met Ye Shu's girlfriend before, this black-clad ninja was someone he had never seen before.

While they were still completely bewildered, Ye Shu had already pulled the dark figure to their side. His face remained expressionless as he gently shook the hand of the person beside him and introduced them:

"Have you been waiting for a while? There's been a bit of traffic." This is my girlfriend, An Suxue.

As he introduced her, the dark figure slowly emerged from behind Ye Shu, but she kept her head down, her hands nervously gripping Ye Shu's hands. She didn't speak, only nodded slightly, and then hid back behind Ye Shu.

A slightly awkward silence followed.

Zhang Xiaoqiang was the first to react, and he laughed:

"Oh, sister-in-law, hello sister-in-law. It's... a bit chilly outside, and I'm afraid of the cold."

Wang Yu quickly stubbed out his cigarette and flicked it into the nearby trash can, then replied:

"Yes, yes, it's cold outside. Let's go inside and talk about it there."

The two walked inside as they talked, and Ye Shu, holding An Suxue's hand, whispered:

"It's alright, let's go inside."

An Suxue gave a soft "hmm" and walked in, staying close to Ye Shu.

Han Yang stood at the very back, remaining silent. He glanced at the person following Ye Shu, frowned slightly, but said nothing, and followed them inside.

The private room wasn't large, with a round table, a few chairs, and an old landscape painting hanging on the wall.

The store was well-heated, and as soon as they came in, Zhang Xiaoqiang and Wang Yu complained that it was so hot that they took off their coats and hung them on the coat hooks by the door.

Ye Shu held An Suxue's hand, turned his head and whispered:

"It's hot inside, take off your coat, okay?"

An Suxue hesitated for a moment before nodding gently and taking off her black coat.

Ye Shu took it and hung it on the hook.

Then, hats, sunglasses, and masks were removed one by one, revealing An Suxue's nervous face.

Without these protective items, An Suxue lowered her head and clasped her hands together.

Zhang Xiaoqiang was the first to clearly see An Suxue's face, and he started to stir things up:

"Oh my, sister-in-law is so beautiful! No wonder she's so covered up. It must be that Ye Shu doesn't want others to see her and wants to enjoy her all by himself!"

Wang Yu also laughed and joined in the commotion:

"Exactly, this child has been stingy since he was little."

Suddenly being praised and teased, An Suxue's face flushed red; she felt a little flustered and nervous.

How did the conversation suddenly turn to me? What should I say? What kind of expression should I make?

do not know……

All she could do now was lower her head as far as she could, wishing she could bury it under the table.

She began to wonder why she had to come out with Ye Shu; it would have been much better if she had stayed home alone.

I must look really stupid and embarrassing, right? Am I making Ye Shu lose face? Will his friends think I'm weird?

Various thoughts uncontrollably flooded her mind, and her hands clenched tightly.

Just as she was about to lose control of these thoughts and be overwhelmed by them, a hand reached out from the side and grasped her fist.

Ye Shu's voice, tinged with amusement, rang in my ears, sounding slightly cheeky:

"Of course, it's my girlfriend, so I'm the only one looking at it. I'm warning you three old bachelors, don't look around like that. If you want to look, find another section yourself, don't be envious of mine here."

"Damn, you're really like that imported plastic bag, you can really hold a lot."

The group immediately started joking and teasing each other again.

An Suxue knew that Ye Shu was helping her out of a predicament, diverting attention away from her that made her feel uneasy.

A wave of emotion washed over her. Her somewhat cold hands slowly warmed in Ye Shu's palms, and the urge to run away lessened.

Listening to Ye Shu and her friends bickering beside her, she bit her lower lip, looked at Ye Shu's profile, and a small surge of courage suddenly welled up in her heart.

She can't go on like this, at least... at least she has to say something.

So, she tried her best, speaking in a not-too-loud voice, into the air:

"Hello, everyone..."

Her voice was soft and trembling slightly.

The group of people who were chatting and laughing suddenly stopped and looked at her. None of them had heard what An Suxue had just said.

Ye Shu also squeezed her hand and asked softly:

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

An Suxue could feel everyone's eyes refocusing on her, and the little bit of courage she had just mustered began to dissipate rapidly.

But the words were already out. She slowly raised her head, glanced at the faces of the three boys opposite her, then lowered her head again to look at the table, her voice slightly louder than before:

"Hello... I am... Ye Shu's... girlfriend."