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

"So, although there may only be one name in the law, I will definitely give each and every one of you an explanation."

"Although I don't know exactly what to do right now, this is my promise, a promise to you, and to all of you."

It was late at night, and Zhi Qiu lay in bed, holding her phone, playing those two sentences over and over again.

Yes, she recorded it.

When Ye Shu said he was going out for a walk that evening, she had a premonition that Ye Shu might say something important, something... that she wanted to keep to herself.

She knows her little brother, Xiao Shu, all too well.

really.

Now, listening to Ye Shu's promise over and over again, savoring his somewhat clumsy determination, Zhi Qiu closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up, and finally buried her face in the pillow, chuckling softly a few times.

"Little Shu, really..."

She complained sweetly:

"You keep saying things like that, how can I not be tempted?"

She's usually so adorably timid, easily teased, yet at times like this, she can utter such poignant words. Even this mature older sister couldn't help but feel like a young girl receiving a confession for the first time, hiding under the covers, listening to the recording and giggling foolishly.

Zhi Qiu shrank further under the covers, hiding herself inside.

Ye Shu finished showering in the bathroom and yawned while drying her hair with a hairdryer.

He'd been spending the past few days at his hometown celebrating the Lunar New Year and had gotten quite lazy, but after a day of intense work, his whole body was sore.

However, a hot shower washed away 50% of my fatigue, so I'll leave the other 50% to my soft, cozy bed.

Thinking of his big, soft bed, Ye Shu chuckled a couple of times, feeling rather pathetic.

After drying her hair, Ye Shu changed into her pajamas and headed towards her bed.

His pajamas weren't the proper kind; they were an old T-shirt made of very soft fabric and a pair of loose-fitting shorts that were very comfortable to wear.

I glanced at the clock on the bedside table; it was already past ten o'clock.

He stretched, then did a somersault, threw off the covers, and slipped himself into bed.

However, before he could even lie down, he sensed something was wrong.

Why is my bed so warm?

He then noticed a small bulge next to him in his blanket, which looked like a human figure.

The image of a female ghost hiding inside the blanket flashed through Ye Shu's mind.

But just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt something grab his waist.

"Oh my god!"

Startled, Ye Shu threw off the covers...

There was no female ghost.

There is one woman, though.

Zhi Qiu was wearing a wine-red silk nightgown, lying on top of him with her arms wrapped around his waist and her face pressed against his stomach.

"Sister Zhi Qiu?! What are you doing here?!"

Seeing his frightened expression, Zhi Qiu smiled slightly:

"Sister, you should rest. What else can we do? Look at the time!"

The warm breath she exhaled as she spoke seeped from Ye Shu's T-shirt onto her stomach, feeling like a small iron.

"No... if you want to rest, go back to your room and rest!"

Ye Shu's voice trembled; this was far more terrifying than a female ghost.

Upon hearing this, Zhi Qiu raised her face, her brows furrowing slightly in displeasure. She began to complain:

"Little Shu, you're being a bit fake. We've been together for so long, it's not like we've never slept together before, why are you making such a fuss?"

"Of course I didn't sleep with him!"

Ye Shu quickly corrected:

"It's not about sleeping together, it's about not sleeping together!"

"Aren't they all the same?"

"It's different!"

Seeing his flushed face, Zhi Qiu's smile grew wider and wider.

She slowly got up and straddled his lap.

"you!"

Ye Shu tensed up instantly, bracing himself on the bed with both hands, afraid to move.

Zhi Qiu leaned down and moved closer to him, instantly shortening the distance between them.

She opened her squinted eyes slightly, staring into Ye Shu's eyes, her gaze slowly sliding down to his nose, and finally stopping at his lips.

"That……"

Zhi Qiu spoke softly, her voice deliberately low, almost hypnotic:

"Sister, how about we let them all be the same today?"

These words were incredibly damaging. In an instant, it was as if a firework from New Year's Eve had gone off in Ye Shu's mind. As the firework exploded, all her emotions vanished in an instant.

He stood there, frozen, only instinctively swallowing hard, one sentence repeating over and over in his mind:

Mom, I'm going to be an adult now.

Zhi Qiu was still staring at him, seeing his somewhat dazed expression and flushed face, and she was very satisfied with her little brother Shu's reaction.

However, just when Zhi Qiu felt that the time was right and was preparing to stop while she was ahead, she discovered that Ye Shu was crying.

Yes, I cried.

A tear slid down his cheek and landed on his clothes.

Zhi Qiu was stunned. She just wanted to tease the Jesuit and see his cute blushing face, but why was he crying today?

"Little Shu, my brother?"

Zhi Qiu released her arms from his neck, cupped his face, and gently wiped away his tears with her fingers:

"What...what's wrong? Why are you crying? Did your sister scare you?"

Ye Shu then came to his senses. He didn't know why he had cried so pathetically, and quickly turned his head to wipe his tears.

"No, I didn't cry..."

He took a deep breath, turned to look at Zhi Qiu, and said with a pained expression:

"Sister Zhi Qiu, it's not ready yet..."

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

Zhi Qiu didn't understand what he meant.

"We can't do that right now..."

Ye Shu spoke these words through gritted teeth and clenched fists, and after she finished speaking, another tear rolled down her cheek.

"Sister Zhi Qiu, I like you very much, really very much. I know you like me too... but our situations are different."

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Zhi Qiu saw a lot in his eyes: struggle, guilt, and regret... but most of all, perseverance.

"Your body belongs to all four of you. I can't... I can't just... do that with you. It's irresponsible of them. Do you understand what I mean?"

After saying this, Ye Shu collapsed onto the bed, unable to look at Zhi Qiu's face.

And in his heart, he was now furiously cursing himself:

Ye Shu! What the hell are you pretending to be, this gentleman?! You won't even eat the meat that's been delivered right to your mouth! You deserve to be a virgin forever!

But he knew he couldn't do that. If he really took the bait tonight, how would he face other people in the future?

This is not just a matter of momentary impulse; it could disrupt a delicate balance and cause unimaginable harm.

Of course he loves each and every one of them, and it is precisely because of love that he cannot be so hasty.

When Zhi Qiu saw him say those words with all his might, she was surprised, deeply moved, and also filled with regret.

She really wanted to tease him and see him embarrassed.

But deep down, is there really not even a hint of expectation or testing?

There must be.

Ye Shu's promise touched her heart and made her want to get closer, to confirm this unique love in a more intimate way.

But he never expected that his usually timid younger brother, who would blush at the slightest provocation, would think so much and so deeply at this critical moment.

He wasn't thinking of himself, or of momentary pleasure, but of all of them, of the body they shared, and of the responsibilities that had to be taken into account in this special relationship.

He was clearly enduring so much hardship, clearly longing for it so much, but because of this sense of responsibility and his deep affection for all of them, he abruptly stopped the car.

Really...

Zhi Qiu didn't say anything more, but leaned down again and gently kissed Ye Shu's lips.

Then she got off Ye Shu's lap, sat down next to him, and looked at him with a smile:

"A consolation prize for you."

A consolation prize?

"Um."

Zhi Qiu reached out and gently wiped Ye Shu's eyes:

"To reward my little brother Shu for thinking of us so much, to reward you for being so restrained, so gentle, and so... silly."

Ye Shu pursed her lips, savoring the feeling from just now.

The knotted feeling in my heart just now seems to have... eased up quite a bit.

"alright."

Zhi Qiu stopped looking at him, lifted the blanket and lay down, pulling it under her neck, and said to Ye Shu with a smile:

"It's getting late, let's go to sleep. We still need to figure out what to do with those local specialties tomorrow."

"Oh... um."

Ye Shu nodded and reached out to turn off the bedside lamp.

I crawled into bed in the dark, closed my eyes, and slowly calmed my still-rapid heartbeat.

A few seconds later, he suddenly opened his eyes again, turned his head to look at the side and said:

"Wait, Sister Zhi Qiu, aren't you going back to your room to sleep?!"

Then Ye Shu felt a soft, warm body leaning towards him.

Zhi Qiu turned to the side, put one arm around Ye Shu's arm, and placed the other hand on his chest and gently on his other shoulder, half-embracing him.

Her face was pressed against Ye Shu's shoulder, her breath blowing directly on Ye Shu's neck, making it a little itchy.

"What does it matter...?"

She spoke incoherently, as if she were truly about to fall asleep:

"I'm going back... Sister, I have to come back again in the middle of the night, what a hassle... Why bother? I might as well just get a good night's sleep here... Goodnight, little Shu..."

After saying that, she touched Ye Shu's face with her hand, and then seemed to really fall asleep.

Ye Shu was speechless... What kind of reason was that?

But upon reflection, it does seem to make sense.

Fine……

Ye Shu slowly relaxed his body, hesitated for a moment, then raised his free hand and gently grasped the hand that Zhi Qiu had placed on his chest.