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

"Well... to be honest, there's no particularly good solution. The fear is still there. But maybe... it's precisely because of these fears that the joy and anticipation seem even more precious. And sometimes, when I talk to your brother-in-law, I find out he's also panicking, which makes me feel a little more at ease. Because you realize, oh, it turns out I'm not the only one who overthinks things; everyone's the same."

As Chen Xing spoke, he turned around and casually washed the small spoon that he had just used to hit Ye Shu under the sink.

Turns out I'm not the only one having these wild thoughts...

Ye Shu pondered those words over and over in his mind.

Chen Xing walked back, put the clean spoon back in its place, wiped the water off his hands, and continued what he had been saying:

"If you ask me, getting married is really like jumping over a ditch."

She gestured with her hand to indicate the shape of a ditch:

"You know this ditch might not be particularly deep, you definitely won't die from a fall, but you just can't see what's below, so you're unsure. Before jumping, you'll definitely be scared, and your mind will conjure up all sorts of terrible scenarios of falling. But, if you truly love the person standing on the other side of the ditch, if you truly want to be with her again, what can you do?"

Chen Xing looked at Ye Shu, then bent his knees, swung his arms back and forth, and assumed a standing long jump stance.

"All you can do is take a deep breath, close your eyes, and then..."

As she spoke, she lightly tiptoed in place:

"Jump over there! All that's left is to wait for you to land, then we'll hold hands and go see what's on the other side of the ditch. It might be a small garden with flowers, or it might be a wasteland waiting to be cultivated. But as long as we're together, holding hands, none of that matters, right?"

Chen Xing's words were so insightful that Ye Shu even suspected that she and her brother-in-law had seen them online when they were feeling anxious.

But none of that mattered; Ye Shuzhen was really pondering those words over and over in her mind.

Seeing him pondering so intently, Chen Xing laughed:

"So, Xiao Ye, what are you afraid of right now? Are you struggling with whether to jump or not? Or are you struggling with which direction to jump in? Or are you afraid that the ditch is too wide and you won't be able to jump over it on the first try and fall in? Or...?"

She leaned closer, narrowed her eyes, and asked very seriously:

"What you're really afraid of is jumping over and finding that the other side isn't what you imagined at all, or... that the person has changed after you get there?"

Ye Shu felt a pang of anxiety when asked these questions, especially the last one.

He kept his head down, his thumbnail scratching back and forth on the bar counter. For a moment, neither of them spoke, only the soothing background music playing from the speakers and the low murmur of the guests talking.

Chen Xing gave Ye Shu four directions to her previously clueless fear, and Ye Shu also pondered what she was really afraid of.

Is it that jumping motion?

It seems that's not entirely true.

Which direction should I jump in?

They'll definitely jump towards them!

Are you afraid of falling into a ditch?

No, because Ye Shu knew that the ditch couldn't be deep, since his father, Aunt Shen, and Uncle An had filled it all in for him.

What I'm afraid of is...

"I'm worried..."

Ye Shu finally spoke, but he spoke slowly, as if he couldn't quite get the words out:

"I'm afraid that after we get married... our feelings will fade away, just like everyone says. Life will become bland, just the mundane routine of daily chores. We'll lose all our excitement for each other, leaving only habit and responsibility. I'm afraid..."

He swallowed hard, unable to bring himself to say what followed, because it felt too... humble.

"Are you afraid she'll stop loving you?"

Chen Xing said the second half of the sentence for him.

These words struck Ye Shu right where it hurt most.

I'm afraid, afraid they won't love me anymore.

When Chen Xing voiced this thought so directly, Ye Shu suddenly felt a pang of pain in his heart, because he mentally reviewed how the four of them had treated him coldly...

This was the situation he dared not think about in detail.

Throughout her life, in this small home in Yunduanyuan, Ye Shu has always consciously or unconsciously played the role of protector and supporter.

When Xiaoxue encountered trouble, he would stand in front of her to protect her.

Xiao Nuan has a unique way of thinking, and he tries his best to understand and accept it.

Although Sister Zhi Qiu and Sister Xia Qing seem strong, he also provides emotional value in his own way.

When they encounter difficulties or insurmountable obstacles, Ye Shu always tries his best to find solutions, racking his brains to spout a bunch of profound truths, appearing mature and reliable, as if he would be the first to hold up the sky if it were to fall.

But what is the reality?

He couldn't possibly be a young man in his early twenties. No matter how mature he is, how mature can he be?

Those so-called sense of responsibility and clarity are nothing more than things that have been honed by life early on and prematurely matured by reality.

Deep down, he is actually a child who is afraid, anxious, and craves warmth and certainty—a child who has never grown up.

He was afraid too.

I'm afraid that one day they'll feel they're not good enough, afraid that their gaze will no longer be focused on me, afraid that they'll leave.

His dependence on them, the deep-seated need to be needed by them, to be recognized by them, and to be loved by them...

In fact, they depend on him no less than they depend on him.

Ye Shu's personality is such that he tries his best not to cause trouble for others. He hides these feelings and covers them up with jokes, attentive care, and "I'm fine."

To some extent, their current close connection, their deep affection, and their mutual need for each other are precisely one of the sources of Ye Shu's inner sense of security.

Their joys and sorrows will affect his emotions, their companionship will heal the wounds in his heart, and their love will fill the gap in the warmth he once lost.

He had actually been inseparable from them for a long time, but he had never thought about it in detail.

Now, after being bombarded with those toxic motivational quotes online about how marriage erodes love and how couples grow to hate each other after marriage, combined with her own deep-seated inferiority complex and fear of being abandoned, Ye Shu felt as if she had already seen a terrible future.

Just thinking about it made Ye Shu feel scared.

Chen Xing saw Ye Shu's face turn a little pale, and she tried her best to maintain a calm expression. The little bit of joking thought in her heart was completely gone.

She could tell that this guy wasn't just nervous before the wedding; he was genuinely head over heels for her, terrified of losing her, terrified of change, terrified to death.

"Xiao Ye".

Chen Xing reached out and patted Ye Shu's arm:

"Let me tell you, marriage might change some things. For example, you might bicker over little things like what to eat for dinner or whether you've exceeded your budget this month. That feeling of being inseparable every minute when you're in love might gradually fade."

As she said this, her tone became even more serious:

"However, the love of someone who truly loves you won't fade or disappear just because of a marriage certificate. It will transform into a different state, from passionate and intense to a gentle and enduring love, from saying 'I love you' all the time to adding a layer of clothing when it's cold and cooking you a bowl of noodles when you're hungry. Love isn't a consumable; it's not something that diminishes with use. True love is constantly generated throughout the days you live together."

She looked into Ye Shu's eyes and asked:

"Do you think the woman you've fallen in love with is the kind of person who would easily stop loving you after marriage? Do you think what you've been through together is something you can so easily discard?"

Ye Shu didn't speak, but he remembered the pure dependence in Xiao Xue's eyes when she looked at him, Xiao Nuan's direct expression, Xia Qing's tough exterior but soft interior protection, and Zhi Qiu's cooking... no, Zhi Qiu's tolerant gentleness.

Ye Shu didn't speak, but her eyes had already changed.

Chen Xing knew that this kind of inner conflict couldn't be fully explained in just a few words, so she patted Ye Shu on the shoulder and said:

"Alright, stop scaring yourself. If you're so scared, talk to her. As for the future... we'll talk about that later."

Indeed, Ye Shu felt much more relaxed. He looked at Chen Xing and asked:

"Sister Chen Xing, what you just said was really insightful."

Chen Xing smiled and raised an eyebrow at Ye Shu:

"Of course he's talented. Your brother-in-law was a first-prize winner in the district's essay competition back in the day. That's what he told me."