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

Even late at night, the southern part of the city is still brightly lit, but the hustle and bustle of the day has subsided, giving way to a more relaxed kind of liveliness.

Many small shops along the street still had their lights on, and people were out drinking in twos and threes. Exhausted workers hurried along after overtime. This was the unique nighttime atmosphere of a big city.

The rain has stopped, and the air still carries that faint, fishy smell of rainwater on the asphalt. The streetlights shine on the wet ground, reflecting patches of light that, from a distance, actually create a somewhat hazy, dreamlike effect.

Ye Shu and Xia Qing walked out of the door of Chen Cui. Ye Shu was carrying several paper bags, which he had asked the waiter for, to put his few treasures in.

He even carefully folded the unwrapped packaging paper into squares and put it all into the bag, treating it like a precious treasure.

The meal was finished just like that.

When it came time to pay the bill, Xia Qing insisted on paying, not giving Ye Shu a chance at all.

Ye Shu still saw the number at the bottom of the bill, and although she was mentally prepared, her heart still skipped a beat.

It's almost four figures already.

What impressed Ye Shu the most was a dish with a name that sounded like a tongue twister: "crisp cucumber with sweet water chestnuts and white bamboo shoot slices".

The name sounds impressive, but the dish itself is even more impressive.

The waiter brought out a very large white porcelain plate, with a cucumber strip about the size of a finger placed in the center. On top of it were two slices of what I think were water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, so thin they were almost like paper. There was probably some kind of dry ice underneath, and it was emitting a misty, ethereal aura.

When Ye Shu saw the plate, her first thought was, "Where's the food? Why are you putting a plate on me?"

As a result, Xia Qing saw that he was still staring at the door, looking anxiously, and asked:

"Eat up, what are you waiting for?"

"What...what should we eat?"

Ye Shu looked down at the plate in front of him again. This is it? If you hadn't told him, he would have thought it was just decoration.

Ye Shu looked down at the crisp, tender cucumber, ate it all without even taking a bite, and then took a bite... Hey! Guess what? It really did taste like cucumber!

This isn't even as good as the cucumbers Ye Shu makes herself!

And yet he still dares to sell it for sixty-six?

Sixty-six! At the market, sixty-six can buy a whole basket of tender cucumbers with blossoms and thorns still on!

At that moment, Ye Shu thought of an internet meme: "He could have just snatched it, but he gave me a cucumber instead."

The two walked slowly home along the wet sidewalk. The night breeze was a bit chilly because it had just rained.

Xia Qing took his arm and leaned closer to him.

She looked up and saw Ye Shu standing beside her, eyes fixed on the road beneath her feet, clearly not paying attention. She nudged Ye Shu's shoulder with her head.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

Ye Shu smacked her lips and said:

"Saying good memories of the dishes we just had."

He was actually referring to the price of the entire table of dishes, but Xia Qing didn't realize it and pressed for an answer:

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

To be honest, putting price aside, several dishes really amazed Ye Shu.

For example, there was a fish dish with flesh as tender as tofu, and the taste was the kind of deliciousness Ye Shu had never tasted before.

There was also a soup that was so delicious that Ye Shu felt refreshed and her senses cleared up.

The problem is that while it's delicious, it's only delicious for a single bite. Each dish is like a fleeting glimpse; you taste its sweetness and then it's gone.

This unsatisfying feeling, coupled with the extravagant price, made it difficult for Ye Shu to give a proper evaluation.

"Yeah, that fish was really delicious. I've never had fish cooked like that before. It's just... there wasn't enough of it."

Xia Qing knew that this person was definitely worried about the money.

She hugged Ye Shu's arm even tighter, almost hanging on it, and looked up at him with her face slightly tilted back.

"Right, I also think that fish was delicious. As for the others... well, we'll just eat something new."

As she spoke, she became a little more serious and pinched Ye Shu's arm:

"However, Comrade Ye Shu, listen to me carefully. Today is to celebrate your birthday. The focus is on celebrating your birthday, not just having a meal. The dishes, no matter how expensive, are just garnishes. The people accompanying you and the sentiment behind it are the main course, understand?"

"main course?"

Perhaps it was the ambiguous atmosphere of the night and the lights, or perhaps the recent emotion and the current intimacy that made Ye Shu's heart flutter, or perhaps the word itself was simply easy to evoke certain associations in certain contexts...

In short, when Ye Shu heard "the person who accompanies you is the main course," his mind immediately went astray.

He couldn't help himself and repeated it, even turning his head to look at Xia Qing, who was standing very close to him.

Xia Qing had spoken with great confidence, and she was even thinking of giving Ye Shu a more profound theme.

But when Ye Shu looked at her with that kind of gaze and even repeated the main course, she instantly realized that what she had just said seemed a bit off.

What, "heartfelt sentiment and people are the main course"... This makes it sound like I'm implying something!

Ye Shu looked at Xia Qing's face, and it immediately turned red in front of her.

She was both ashamed and angry. She released one of her hands that was holding Ye Shu's arm, raised her hand, and slapped Ye Shu's buttocks very hard. Ye Shu's buttocks went numb even through his pants.

"Ye Shu! What are you thinking! You scoundrel! Your thoughts are unhealthy!"

Ye Shu was stunned after being hit on the buttocks; he didn't feel any pain, but rather a numb feeling.

He looked at Xia Qing's rosy cheeks and round eyes, and stubbornly said:

"I didn't say anything."

"You've thought about it! You definitely have! But it's no use even if you have!"

Xia Qing's face turned even redder. She glared at him intently, wanting to use her eyes to righteously condemn Ye Shu.

One of them smiled helplessly, while the other was coquettishly annoyed. Although they were bickering and slightly resisting each other, neither of them stopped walking. They leaned on each other and slowly walked towards home.

Xia Qing glared at Ye Shu for a while, but he just smiled and didn't argue.

She slowly lowered her head, looking at the shadows in front of the two of them.

A few seconds later, Ye Shu thought the matter was over and was about to find a new topic when he heard Xia Qing mutter very quietly beside him:

"At least... at least we should wait until everyone else agrees..."

After saying that, she lowered her head, her face almost disappearing into her collar, only the tips of her ears showing, which were bright red.

She didn't dare to say anything more, but just held Ye Shu's arm even tighter.

Ye Shu heard those words clearly, but he didn't turn to look at Xia Qing. He just stared at the rain-washed street ahead and the lights of the convenience store in the distance.

Because he felt his face was burning up now.

The two didn't speak again late into the night, but simply continued walking forward in this somewhat awkward posture.

The cool night breeze on their faces did nothing to cool them down; instead, it seemed to fan the flames of the delicate atmosphere between them.

The unique freshness of the air after the rain, combined with Xia Qing's faint, pleasant scent, and Ye Shu's increasingly clear heartbeat.

The atmosphere had been built up to this point. Ye Shu clenched his fist, holding the gift, and gave himself a pep talk. Then he suddenly stopped:

"Sister Xia Qing."

"ah?!"

Xia Qing, still lost in the embarrassment and daydreaming of her own words, was startled when Ye Shu suddenly called her name. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, her face flushed, and she was filled with wariness and guilt.

"What are you doing?"

Ye Shu turned around to face her.

The two were standing on the inner side of the sidewalk, which wouldn't block the way, but it wasn't very spacious either.

Occasionally, late-night pedestrians would glance at them as they passed by.

Ye Shu felt the gazes of the passersby, which made him even more nervous, but there was no turning back now that the arrow had been released. He looked at Xia Qing.

The streetlights shone from the side, and he could see that Xia Qing's face was still excessively red, and her eyes were full of doubt, nervousness, good news, and a bit of anticipation.

Ye Shuqing cleared her throat and said, blushing:

"Sister Xia Qing, today is my birthday... I... could I... make a request?"

"W-What are your requirements?"

Hearing his words, Xia Qing's heart began to race. Could it be that this kid really couldn't hold back anymore? Had he unleashed his beastly nature? Could it be…

In an instant, all sorts of indescribable images flashed through her mind.

Seeing Xia Qing's suddenly evasive gaze and increasingly flushed face, Ye Shu inexplicably began to feel nervous as well.

But since things had come to this, he mentally prepared himself and then, for the first time, took the initiative to move closer to Xia Qing in public.

The two were already very close, and this step caused their toes to touch.

As Xia Qing watched him approach, saw his slightly lowered head, and his face so close to hers, her mind seemed to go blank for a moment.

She subconsciously closed her eyes slowly and tilted her head back slightly.

On the street after the rain, their shadows collided.

"Thank you, Sister Xia Qing."

Thank you.

"Thank you for loving me so much."