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

Ye Shu lay on the bed contemplating life, staring at the ceiling light so intently that he almost saw a double image.

Qin Lili must have explained things to Xiaoxue in great detail outside, because the class lasted for more than forty minutes.

His recent daydreaming about another path in life had left him somewhat exhausted. His eyelids were drooping, and he was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard the bedroom door being gently pushed open.

He opened his eyes and saw Xiaoxue still standing at the door in the dress she had worn when she went out.

Sure enough, her little face turned as red as a freshly cooked hairy crab.

The moment their eyes met, Xiaoxue seemed to be burned and abruptly turned her face away, but within two seconds, she couldn't help but steal glances back.

Glance at it, then look away; glance at it again, then look away again…

She just stood there at the door, going around in circles, hesitant to go in.

"Minor Snow?"

Seeing her like this, Ye Shu called out.

But this call startled Xiaoxue, and she immediately replied in a flustered and guilty manner:

"W-What are you doing?!"

Seeing her shy and timid appearance, Ye Shu was puzzled. What exactly did Qin Lili talk to her about? The child was fine just now, how did she end up like this?

He sat up in bed, yawned, and asked:

"What's wrong? What did Lili say to you?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoxue's face turned even redder.

She glanced back down the corridor, probably seeing Qin Lili nearby, before hesitantly moving in step by step, not forgetting to close the door behind her.

She lowered her head, her hands clasped together, rubbing her nails back and forth, slowly moving to the edge of the bed. Instead of sitting down, she stood there, staring at the bunny slippers on her feet, and then whispered:

"I...I'm...I'm sorry..."

sorry???

This apology left Ye Shu stunned. He had thought that Xiao Xue might blush and say those things that needed to be censored, or she might simply be unable to say it and choose to run away.

But he really didn't expect that this was unacceptable.

"What are you apologizing for? How can you say I'm apologizing?"

When Xiaoxue heard Ye Shuwen's question, she lowered her head even further, staring at her two hands at an angle that was extremely harmful to her cervical spine.

She pinched her fingertips together faster and faster, bit her lip, and finally spoke:

"I...I didn't think...that you would feel...feel uncomfortable..."

At this point, she secretly glanced at Ye Shu, and seeing that Ye Shu was still staring at her, she quickly looked at her hands again, and mumbled something in her throat:

"You must be feeling really pent up...?"

What are you talking about? You must be really frustrated! What does this have to do with anything?

Although... although that is indeed the case, is it really appropriate to ask such a direct question?!

Now it was Ye Shu's turn to blush. He looked at Xiao Xue, and was so provoked by those words that he almost choked on his breath:

"Xiaoxue! You...I...this...!"

He didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected Xiaoxue to say such aggressive things.

Lies don't hurt people, but the truth is the sharpest knife. Especially after Xiaoxue found out about his little skill, he suddenly felt like Xiaoxue was pressing his old face to the ground and rubbing it repeatedly.

Ye Shu couldn't control himself when he shouted, and Xiao Xue blushed even more when she heard it. She looked like she was about to melt on the spot from embarrassment.

Just as the two people inside were comparing who could keep their temperature, a burst of unrestrained, maniacal laughter suddenly came from outside the door:

Hahahaha!

Qin Lili!!!

The laughter was so over-the-top, she didn't even need to say anything, you could tell just by listening to it, it was full of the wicked sense of "these two idiots are so funny".

This is using someone else to do the dirty work! This is using someone else to do the dirty work!!!

Ye Shuyuan was initially pleased with himself, thinking that he was the one holding the knife, and wanted to use Qin Lili as a knife to break through the thin veil of reserve between himself and Xiaoxue.

Only now did he realize that he was the one who had been stabbed, and that he had been bound and killed!

He was starting to empathize with Cao Cao, and suddenly felt like he'd been played.

He rolled out of bed, slipped on his slippers, rushed to the door, yanked open the bedroom door, and saw Qin Lili leaning against the door of Xiaoxue's bedroom across the room, arms crossed, grinning at him.

Ye Shu closed her bedroom door, her face flushed, and asked in a low voice:

"What...what nonsense are you spouting to Xiaoxue?!"

Qin Lili was still laughing, and when she heard his question, her laughter became even more unrestrained:

"What can you say? It's just common sense between normal married couples."

She reached out and patted Ye Shu on the shoulder, speaking in a tone of someone who had been through it all:

"Children have to grow up eventually. It's not like there's anything shameful about it, so why are you embarrassed?"

Ye Shu somewhat disdainfully pushed her hand away, glanced back guiltily at the closed bedroom door behind him, and then lowered his voice to ask:

"That's not what I asked. I meant... what does 'you're bursting with pent-up energy' mean? Did you teach Xiaoxue to say that?!"

"yes."

Qin Lili grinned, her words ringing out crisply without a hesitation, and she even raised an eyebrow at Ye Shu:

"Otherwise, do you expect Xiaoxue to figure these things out on her own? That child has absolutely no knowledge in this area. Even if she finds out one night that you've secretly slipped away, she'll think you went out for a midnight snack."

"you……!"

Hearing Qin Lili's words, Ye Shu blushed with embarrassment. She wanted to be angry but couldn't find the right words, and finally only managed to stammer out:

"How could you teach her to say such things?!"

Seeing Ye Shu's cowardly appearance, Qin Lili narrowed her eyes, her expression changing from a wide smile to a deep grin, and looked into Ye Shu's eyes as she asked:

"Brother, something's not right with you. Why are you acting like a doting father? Are you really raising Xiaoxue like a daughter? You two are husband and wife, a legally married couple, understand? I'm helping you out, don't be ungrateful. Otherwise, on your own, Uncle Xing and Aunt Wan will never have a grandson in their lives, believe it or not?"

The words were a bit direct, but they left Ye Shu speechless.

He wanted to argue that it was impossible, but after opening his mouth for a long time, he couldn't utter a single word.

Qin Lili was telling the truth. Despite how capable and reliable Ye Shu usually appeared in front of them, his biggest weakness was his thin skin, to the point that he was practically a coward.

In addition, he couldn't bear to hurt Xiaoxue in any way; this deep affection he held in his heart made it even harder for him to say it.

Seeing his discomfiture, Qin Lili sighed and patted his arm again:

"Alright, I've done all I can to help. The rest is up to you. Ugh, I'm so sleepy. I've been hanging out with you two all day, my legs are about to give out. I'm going to sleep now."

As she spoke, she reached behind her, turned and opened the bedroom door, then went into Xiaoxue's bedroom. Just before closing the door, she turned back and winked at Ye Shu, saying with a mischievous smile:

"By the way, I'm a heavy sleeper. Unless there's a lot of noise, I usually can't wake up."

Then, the door closed, leaving Ye Shu alone in the doorway, feeling feverish.

Although Qin Lili did help him and Xiaoxue break through the barrier between them, why did it feel so frustrating?