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

Sigh, I can't sleep.

Around 1 a.m., Ye Shu's eyes were wide open, like light bulbs, and she lay in bed, too afraid to move.

Xiaoxue next to him was sleeping soundly. Ye Shu used to listen to this as white noise to help him sleep when he couldn't sleep, but today he felt more and more awake the more he listened to it.

Even though we've been married for a while and sleep in the same bed every day, why am I still a little nervous about saying "I do" in public tomorrow?

In this respect, Ye Shu was not as brave as Xiao Xue; at least Xiao Xue wasn't so nervous that she couldn't sleep.

Ye Shu gently got up, put her pillow in Xiao Xue's arms, then left the bedroom, went to the living room to change her clothes, and left the guest room.

Spending more money really makes a difference. Ye Shu had never stayed in a hotel with a living room before.

To be practical, this is more luxurious than the most expensive building in their hometown... but that seems obvious.

Ye Shu left the guest room. The lights in the corridor were bright, but it was very quiet; everyone must be asleep.

He took the elevator down to the lobby on the first floor. Two receptionists were chatting together. When they saw him get off, one of them quickly stood up.

"Is there anything you need, sir?"

Ye Shu quickly waved his hand:

"It's okay, you guys rest. I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."

The young lady smiled and said politely:

"Sir, please be careful."

As soon as I stepped out of the hotel, that humid and stuffy heat hit me again; it was still so hot even though it was already late at night.

Ye Shu strolled onto the lawn, where the wedding venue had already been set up. He looked at the flower archway and stood beneath it, imagining the scene for tomorrow. He seemed even more nervous.

He sighed and walked to the side.

Next to it was a narrow boardwalk with painted wooden railings that felt a little damp to the touch.

Looking to the other side of the railing, you can see the sea in the distance.

At this time of day, the sea is pitch black, and you can't see anything except for the occasional small bright spot that appears and disappears, probably a passing ship.

He leaned against the railing, looking at the distant sea, trying to clear his mind, but his mind was still filled with all sorts of thoughts.

What if something goes wrong tomorrow? What if I don't perform well tomorrow? What if it's not Xiaoxue tomorrow?

All sorts of "what ifs" and "what to do" kept flooding his mind, leaving him no time to clear his head, and making the child almost anxious to death.

Ye Shu was cosplaying as a pressure cooker when she heard a soft sound behind her:

"Ye Shu..."

In the middle of the night, Ye Shu was startled when a woman's voice suddenly called his name from behind. He turned around abruptly and saw Xiao Xue standing behind him, walking towards him step by step.

Her hands were behind her back, and she looked a little nervous.

Is this Xiaoxue? It's so dark, would Xiaoxue dare to come out of her room alone to look for me?

When Xiaoxue walked up to him, Ye Shu took a closer look. Her expression and demeanor confirmed it was indeed Xiaoxue.

"Why did you come down?"

Ye Shu got up from the railing, took two steps forward, and looked at Xiao Xue, saying:

"Go back to sleep for a while. We have to get up early today. If we sleep for another two or three hours, we'll have to get up."

"Yes, I know..."

Xiaoxue nodded, took out a hand, gently took Ye Shu's hand, and led him to the railing. Looking at the dark sea in the distance, her voice was soft:

"There's something I haven't done yet... I was planning to sneak down here tonight, but I found you here."

"Is there anything else?"

Upon hearing that there was something else to discuss, Ye Shu quickly went through it in her mind, but still couldn't recall anything.

Xiaoxue didn't say anything, bit her lip a little shyly, and then slowly raised her other hand that was behind her back, still holding something in her hand.

It was an invitation, the one for Ye Shu's mother.

That night, Xiaoxue lay on the small table and wrote very carefully, stroke by stroke. Ye Shu was afraid that Xiaoxue would be embarrassed, so he deliberately didn't go over to look. Therefore, he doesn't know what Xiaoxue wrote on the invitation.

All he knew was that Xiaoxue wrote very slowly and very carefully that night.

Xiaoxue glanced at the invitation in her hand, then looked up at the shimmering light on the distant sea and whispered:

"I want to...give it to my mother myself. Even though she's gone, I want to say it to the sea one last time...Ye Shu, can you come with me?"

Ye Shu could no longer open his mouth; he could only hold Xiao Xue's hand tightly, his eyes fixed on the distant sea, motionless.

Xiaoxue understood his answer. She lowered her head, using the lamplight of the manor beside her, and spoke slowly and deliberately, word by word, towards the distant sea:

"Mom, Mom..."

Xiaoxue stammered at her first sentence, but bit her lip and tried her best to read it aloud:

"I... I am Xiaoxue, your daughter-in-law... I have never met you, but Ye Shu often talks about you and how much you loved him when he was a child."

"We're getting married tomorrow. Ye Shu told me that you've never seen the sea, so we've reserved a spot for you at our wedding by the sea..."

Xiaoxue paused here, looked up at the distant darkness, and saw that small dot was still flickering, as if someone was blinking:

"I...I'm afraid I'll make a mistake tomorrow. Just thinking about all those people watching me makes me...I get nervous. But Ye Shu said not to be afraid, and when he held my hand, I stopped shaking..."

Xiaoxue's face flushed slightly as she read this, and she secretly glanced at Ye Shu, only to find him staring intently at the distant sea. From this angle, she couldn't see his expression. Xiaoxue continued reading:

"Thank you. You made it possible for me to meet such a perfect Ye Shu and have such a beautiful love... Don't worry, I will definitely love him well in the future and stay with him for the rest of my life."

"Your daughter-in-law... Xiaoxue..."

After Xiaoxue finished reading the last word, she looked up at Ye Shu and found that Ye Shu was still staring intently at the distant sea, motionless. However, Xiaoxue felt that Ye Shu's hand was gripping her hand so tightly that it hurt a little.

"Was my writing...not very good?"

"No, it's fine..."

Ye Shu's perfectly good ending sounded off, so he quickly coughed twice to clear his throat, turned his head to the other side, rubbed his arm a couple of times, and even made a couple of slurping sounds before turning his head back:

"It's very well written."

By the light of the streetlamp beside the boardwalk, Xiaoxue saw that Ye Shu's eyes were red and slightly moist. She lowered her head, avoiding looking into Ye Shu's eyes, and asked softly:

"So... Mom will receive this invitation, right?"

"It definitely will."

Ye Shu reached out and hugged Xiaoxue tightly, then lowered his head and kissed the top of her head.

"Definitely."

Xiaoxue smiled, wrapped her arms around his waist, rubbed her face against Ye Shu's chest, and softly hummed in agreement.

Just as the two were embracing, a gust of wind suddenly blew by, making the green belt along the boardwalk rustle loudly.

Xiaoxue's arm was still around Ye Shu's waist, and she was still holding the invitation in her hand when she suddenly felt the invitation slip from her grasp.

It wasn't that I didn't hold it properly, but rather that it felt as if someone had reached out and taken it away.

"Huh?!"

Xiaoxue quickly turned her head and saw the invitation being swept up by the wind, flying over the railing, drifting far away, and finally disappearing into the dark sea.