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

"Huh? Me?"

Ye Shu pointed to her nose and made the same pose as the meme.

"Sister Chen Xing, stop messing around. Me, a grown man, dancing in a coffee shop, is that appropriate? Who would watch? No way, absolutely not!"

"Why not?"

Chen Xing thought this method worked. She got off the chair, walked out of the bar to Ye Shu's side, and patted him on the back.

"This young man is so energetic, tall, and has a straight posture; he'll definitely be a great dancer. Think about it, I've even come up with a title for him."

She cleared her throat and, mimicking the announcer's tone from the short video, said:

"A quiet, handsome barista is actually a dance master in private, or perhaps a dance king whose talent was wasted on being a barista—he's right here at Corner Tea House! See? That's the contrast, isn't it?"

Ye Shu's current feeling, to use a popular internet phrase from a few years ago, is that she's been struck dumb with shock.

"Sister Chen Xing, stop, stop! What dance expert... I can't dance at all! I couldn't even keep up with the rhythm when we did calisthenics in school..."

"Oh, whether you can jump or not isn't the key point at all."

Chen Xing waved her hand, clearly already in the zone. She was now like a coach on the field, motivating a timid player:

"Attitude! The key is attitude! It's about having the courage to try! It's about the spirit to challenge yourself! It's about never giving up in the face of difficulties and actively seeking breakthroughs!"

As she spoke, she hurried back behind the bar, tapped twice on the laptop connected to the store's sound system, and muttered:

"Make it a bit more rhythmic, but not too noisy..."

Then the store's speakers immediately started playing a pop song with a strong rhythm.

"Just jump without worry."

Chen Xing sat behind the bar, looking at Ye Shu with excitement:

"Anyway, there are no customers in the store right now, so only heaven, earth, you, and I know. Let's give it a try. You can just wiggle around or jump around a bit. The important thing is to be authentic."

As she spoke, she raised one arm, clenched her fist, and said:

"Think about it, you're going to be the manager of this store someday. For the long-term development of our store and to attract more customers, shouldn't you make a small sacrifice? That's responsibility! That's commitment!"

Ye Shu was a little stunned by her combination of punches. His ears were filled with pounding music, and his mind was being brainwashed with the concepts of responsibility and commitment. He opened his mouth:

"But Sister Chen Xing, aren't you the store manager now?"

"The store manager is working tirelessly and wholeheartedly on online promotion for the store, offering countless ideas and strategies!"

Chen Xing raised his chin, speaking with an air of righteous indignation, then sat down in the chair, crossed his legs, and struck a pose like a professional judge.

She gestured with her chin toward Ye Shu, who was standing at the bar, and said:

"Alright, student, please begin your performance. If you perform well, this mentor might turn around for you."

……

In Yunduan Garden, An Suxue ate the breakfast Ye Shu bought, cleaned up the trash, and then lay down on the sofa in the living room with Xiao Xiaosu in her arms.

Outside the window, the sky was overcast on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. The sun tried several times, but it couldn't completely pierce through the thick clouds.

The house was very quiet; so quiet you could hear the water flowing from the radiators.

Ye Shu went to work, and the house suddenly felt too empty without the presence of another person.

When An Suxue is alone, she likes to daydream. Her thoughts can wander far away, or she can simply space out and wait for Ye Shu to come back.

But after a while, you can start to feel a little bored.

She picked up her phone, opened a short video app, and started browsing her personal profile.

This account was registered by Sister Zhi Qiu for several of them last year, saying it was to record their daily lives.

But most of the time, it's Sister Zhi Qiu and Sister Xia Qing who post, and I... just look at them.

On the homepage, there are only a few hundred followers, most of whom are strangers who followed casually.

She doesn't care about that.

She wanted to see videos posted by other people on this account.

This account has already posted quite a few videos, with a wide variety of content.

The most common type is very gentle instrumental music or English songs, paired with a very soft filter.

The images often capture subtle beauty, such as the afternoon sunlight shining on the ground through the window, a new tender leaf growing on the succulent plant on the windowsill, an unnamed wildflower by the roadside, a steaming teacup in winter, and two people holding hands.

The background might be a street or a bench; no face is shown, but you can feel the quiet companionship and peaceful tranquility even through the screen.

It was warm and peaceful.

Another style is Xia Qing's.

Most of them are taking selfies with their faces right up, and some even add some facial expressions and effects.

She would wave to the camera, share her newly bought gadgets, and complain about things that happened to her.

Many of the photos are also of her with Ye Shu. Sometimes she suddenly pounces on Ye Shu from behind and hugs her neck, leaving Ye Shu looking startled and helpless. There are also photos of the two sitting side by side, with her making a peace sign and Ye Shu smiling beside her. There's also a photo of Ye Shu asleep on the sofa, with her sneaking over and making a funny face at the camera.

There are also a few other examples with a completely different style.

The camera focuses entirely on a sheet of paper covered with formulas and calculation steps, with only a voice-over providing a quiet explanation:

"Therefore, by substituting this formula here, we can find the value of X..."

Yes, these kinds of videos usually have the lowest number of likes and views.

She scrolled down through the videos, watching the little moments of their life together being recorded, and a faint sense of loss gradually welled up in her heart.

This account contains the beauty of Sister Zhi Qiu, the joy of Sister Xia Qing, Xiao Nuan... and occasionally shares knowledge. Everyone leaves their own trace in this little space.

Only An Suxue herself hasn't posted a single video.

She was like a quiet spectator, hiding behind the screen, watching other people's lives being presented.

She also...wanted to give it a try.

But what should we film?

The videos that Sister Zhi Qiu filmed require an eye for beauty and good editing skills, which I don't seem to have.

Just thinking about how confidently Xia Qing speaks to the camera makes my face flush and my heart race.

As for Xiao Nuan... needless to say, she doesn't have much knowledge to share.

She couldn't do anything, and after thinking it over, the thing she was best at was probably just staying quietly.

Moreover... the thought of having cameras pointed at her, and that many strangers might see her, made her feel nervous and even afraid.

Those strangers, even those on a screen, made her feel lost and helpless.

But I still wanted to take some pictures.

She hesitated before starting to record, switched to the front camera, and looked at herself on the screen wearing a bunny ear hat, holding a carrot pillow in her arms, her hair a little messy because she was curled up on the sofa.

She looked at herself in the camera, feeling uncomfortable, and subconsciously looked away, unable to press the record button no matter what she tried.

Do you want to say something? Or just take some pictures of your home?

She twirled her phone, the camera panning across the furniture in her home, across the hazy sky outside the window, and it seemed... nothing particularly special.

An Suxue finally sighed softly, put down her phone, and curled up on the sofa again.

Never mind, I'll think about it later.