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

That's how jigsaw puzzles are; once you successfully complete one, its lifespan is over.

Moreover, before you manage to piece it together, you might even slap yourself in the face and question your life.

But the moment you put in the last piece, a thought involuntarily pops into your head:

"It's that simple?"

It felt like I had been stubbornly fixated on something, and my intelligence had been insulted.

Ye Shu is currently in this state of enlightenment, a state of sagehood.

He lay on the bed, having failed countless times, started over, failed again, and started over again...

Just as he was beginning to wonder if the old plastic sheet had any thermal expansion and contraction properties, it was finally pressed in at an angle when he casually gestured to it.

The seventh piece, the one that had tormented him for hours, with each attempt ending in a tiny little tuft of plastic, finally slipped in at an O. Henry-esque angle.

Ye Shu stared at the puzzle for a long time, then felt a sense of accomplishment that he had finally solved it, and a little bit of hindsight that it was so simple.

Then, suddenly overcome by a desire to show off, he held up the jigsaw puzzle that represented the culmination of his wisdom and brought it up to Xiao Nuan to prove to her that he was not mentally challenged.

"Xiao Nuan, look! I've finished putting it together!"

See? I told you I could do it! It took me a while, but I managed to pull it off!

Ye Shu revealed a crooked smile, like that of a dragon king.

Xiao Nuan turned to look at the wooden frame in her hand, then nodded:

"Um."

Ok?

Just light, huh?

Ye Shu was hoping she would at least say something like "not bad," or at least give him a perfunctory reply. But all she said was "hmm?"

Just as Ye Shu was about to ask Xiao Nuan to say something, like a self-satisfied little boy, Xiao Nuan spoke up again.

"It took me three hours and twenty-seven minutes longer than when I first put this together."

Forget it, you'd better not say anything.

Ye Shu silently complained to herself, then put the puzzle on the bed and comforted herself, telling herself that she couldn't compare to Xiao Nuan.

He turned over, lay on the bed, and let out a long sigh.

I was so engrossed in the exercise that I kept my elbows propped up on the bed and lying face down for too long. When I moved, I felt a sharp pain in my arms and shoulders.

He couldn't help but hiss, grimacing as he moved his arms.

After catching his breath, he lay on his side and looked at Xiao Nuan.

She remained in the same reading posture, leaning against the headboard, head down, reading the book.

It seems she's been in the same position ever since we were doing the puzzle, without changing it.

Ye Shu watched for a while, then reached out and gently poked Xiao Nuan's waist with her finger:

"Xiao Nuan, stop looking at that and give your eyes a rest. And your neck, isn't it tiring to be bent over like that all the time?"

Xiao Nuan was obedient. After Ye Shu finished speaking, she actually closed the book, took off her glasses, and put them on the bedside table.

Then, she also lay down on her side.

Now, the two are lying face to face, separated by only a few dozen centimeters, and can see the details on each other's faces clearly.

Xiao Nuan just stared at Ye Shu, as if waiting for him to say something next, or as if she was simply looking at him.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable under her scrutiny, Ye Shu decided to start a conversation.

"Xiao Nuan, what did you do at home when you were little?"

"Read a book."

"Besides reading?"

"It's nothing."

That concludes the discussion.

Ye Shu gave up; there was simply no way she could have a casual chat with Xiao Nuan.

She doesn't initiate conversations, and her responses are usually extremely concise, answering only what is asked without elaboration or unnecessary words.

Now, faced with her childhood filled with little more than reading, Ye Shu didn't even want to ask those follow-up questions like, "Don't you find it boring?"

Because asking would be pointless; her world was inherently so pure.

But Ye Shu wasn't that innocent. The long period of idleness, coupled with the three hours and twenty-seven minutes of jigsaw puzzles just now, made it impossible for Ye Shu to lie down any longer!

He needs excitement! He needs activity! He needs to watch some exciting programs!

Even those boring variety shows!

I'm going all in. I'll just get bored to death lying here anyway. Whether I stick my neck out or not, I'll still get stabbed. So let the storm rage on!

Ye Shu suddenly sat up in bed and turned to look at the nurse who was still staring at him:

"Xiao Nuan, I'm not lying down anymore, I want to get out of bed! I want to go to the living room, I want to watch TV and play on my phone!"

I spoke each of my "I want" statements with such force and conviction, as if I were about to be executed.

Without giving Xiaonuan any time to react, he twisted his body, grabbed the cane beside him, and thought viciously to himself:

"It's today, so be it! Even if I lose my head, I'll only have a big scar. Eighteen years from now, I'll... well, I'm going all in! What's the worst that can happen? She's not really going to have laser eyes, I don't care!"

He was already prepared to face Xiao Nuan's suppression, such as her expressionless "No" or her oppressive gaze.

He even rehearsed his response and his act of feigning helplessness twice in his mind.

However, Xiao Nuan simply lay on the bed, calmly watching him.

Watching him awkwardly using crutches, watching him wince in pain because he stretched his foot in his haste to get up, watching him challenge me like a child.

Ye Shu's impulsiveness was completely neutralized by Xiao Nuan's cold violence, because there was nowhere to release it. It was too quiet. Xiao Nuan was too quiet, making Ye Shu feel as if he had punched a plastic bag being blown by the wind.

He leaned on his crutches, looked at Xiao Nuan, and swallowed nervously.

"Aren't you...aren't you going to stop me?"

Xiao Nuan blinked, then slowly sat up and looked at Ye Shu, analyzing:

"I won't stop you. If I keep stopping you, it will only make you more rebellious, which will not be good for your emotional stability and may cause you to do something more dangerous when I'm not paying attention."

"That's right! Xiaonuan, you're so understanding! I knew you were the best!"

This is truly a case of unexpected turns of events, a glimmer of hope after a period of darkness, and unwavering perseverance!

A whole host of words flashed through Ye Shu's mind in an instant. He nodded quickly, and his attitude improved.

"Don't worry! I'll only play for a little while, really, just a little while!"

Xiao Nuan didn't say anything, but just looked at his bedroom with an expression as beautiful as if she had won the lottery, and nodded slightly.

Having obtained Xiao Nuan's consent, Ye Shu stopped talking nonsense, and, leaning on his crutches, hopped out of the bedroom on one leg.

Xiao Nuan didn't move on the bed, but just sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the open bedroom door and blinking. It was unclear what she was thinking.