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

It was still very quiet in the Cloud Garden at midnight. The air conditioning inside was on and the room was very cool. Xia Qing and Ye Shu had covered themselves with the blankets up to their necks.

Xia Qing couldn't sleep. The hot water bottle on her stomach had long since stopped working. She lay on her side, her arm draped over Ye Shu, staring at his face.

Ye Shu was sleeping soundly, her eyebrows still slightly furrowed. It was unclear what she was dreaming about; she was probably exhausted from the day.

Xia Qing had been staring at his face for almost half an hour before she finally muttered something under her breath:

"Ye Shu, do you think I'm too easy to fool?"

Ye Shu didn't respond or even move. Xia Qing let out a long breath through her nose.

She was thinking about a lot of things right now. In fact, even without Qin Lili pointing it out, she was already surprised by her own thoughts.

It really hurt in the morning, but it got much better after resting in the afternoon.

She once got into a fight and was hit on the leg with a stick, but she gritted her teeth and walked home, sweating profusely from the pain without uttering a sound.

But what about today?

She groaned whenever Ye Shu touched her waist.

Qin Lili teased herself, and she even took advantage of the situation, deliberately shrinking into Ye Shu's arms.

Even when potato chips rubbed against her trouser leg as if trying to hug her, she refrained from bending over, afraid that if she did, she would give herself away.

Qin Lili said she was afraid of the pain, but only she knew that she wasn't afraid at all.

No, it's not that I'm not afraid, I am afraid, but it's not about sex.

Instead, Ye Shu will forget about him, just like she did today.

She used to be afraid of many things, such as being sick and having no one at home, fearing she would die; being cornered in the toilet by several people, fearing she would get hurt; or getting into trouble, fearing she would be scolded.

But she had the courage to face all these fears.

If you get sick, just call an ambulance to go to the hospital; if you can't win a fight, just practice; if you get into trouble and can't handle it, just run away; at worst, you'll get scolded, but you can always move on.

But Ye Shu forgot about her, so she had no room to resist.

The four of them share one body. Xiaoxue is the real owner, the legal wife, while Xia Qing is just living in this body.

If Ye Shu really forgets, she won't even have a chance to fight back; even the trace of her existence might be erased.

Thinking about this, she felt as if a weight had been placed on her heart, leaving her feeling uncertain and unsure of what to do.

This idea started this morning when I learned that Ye Shu and Xiao Xue had already taken care of things without my knowledge.

She could only repeatedly reassure herself in her mind that Ye Shu wouldn't forget her.

But comforting yourself is just a psychological comfort and doesn't really help much.

Fortunately, Ye Shu behaved very well today. He helped her walk, massaged her waist, squatted down to change her shoes, and tested the temperature of the hot water bottle three times before applying it to himself.

These details, when put together, gave Xia Qing a strong sense of security, making her feel that Ye Shu had not forgotten her.

She craved this sense of security of being cherished, because only in this way could she clearly feel that Ye Shu was truly looking at her.

She used to always play the role of the big sister, protecting everyone from being bullied and taking the blame when they were hurt.

But with Ye Shu, she could be a delicate person who could be indulged.

This contrast is like a poison laced with sugar; one bite and you're hooked.

As for why Xia Qing suddenly thought this way today, in the end, it was still because of the unequal status between them.

The four of them had always started from the same point, and none of them were any special compared to the others.

But now Xiaoxue has taken a step forward and become Ye Shuming's lawfully wedded wife, while he is still just a girlfriend.

The fact that Ye Shu had forgotten about it made her even more resentful.

But she was also strong-willed and couldn't bring herself to say anything soft. She wouldn't say "I'm scared" to Ye Shu like Xiao Xue, nor would she use her own methods to achieve her goals like Zhi Qiu, and she certainly wouldn't say it outright like Xiao Nuan.

She could only use this shameless, clumsy method to get Ye Shu's attention: to act weak, deliberately walk slowly, and complain of back pain, displaying all her vulnerability in front of Ye Shu so that he would pay more attention to her and remember that besides Xiao Xue, there was also Xia Qing who needed his care.

As Xia Qing was thinking, her nose suddenly stung for no reason. She snuggled closer to Ye Shu, pressing her face against his collarbone, and muttered softly:

"Useless..."

Although she said that, the arm around his waist tightened its grip.

But with this exertion, she felt a slight pressure on her left ring finger. She raised her hand and looked at the ring on her ring finger; it was Xiaoxue's wedding ring.

She looked at the wedding ring, and couldn't help but pout slightly. She quickly put her arm back on Ye Shu, buried her face in his chest, and whispered to herself:

"I wonder if you've forgotten what you promised me... If you dare to forget, it won't be as easy to just move on as it is today."

"Of course I haven't forgotten. We're going to go horseback riding on the grasslands and hold our wedding there."

Suddenly, Ye Shu's voice came from above, startling Xia Qing. She looked up and saw Ye Shu looking down at her.

"You...how did you wake up?"

Xia Qing felt her face starting to burn. She didn't know when this idiot woke up, or how much he had heard.

"If someone stays up all night and secretly feels wronged in my arms, how can I not wake up?"

Ye Shu laughed, but Xia Qing instinctively retorted stubbornly:

"Who, who's wronged?! I... I just can't sleep."

"Yes, yes, I just can't sleep."

Ye Shu raised her hand, lightly touched her fingertips to her collarbone, and rubbed it with her thumb:

"I didn't brush against it, it couldn't be you drooling, could it?"

Xia Qing then realized what was happening, and with the air conditioning blowing on her, she felt a cool sensation in the corners of her eyes.

Embarrassed, she raised her hand and lightly punched Ye Shu's shoulder, but with no force. She immediately pulled back into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and nudging his chin with her head.

"Get lost! You're the one drooling!"

Ye Shu also rested his chin on Xia Qing's head, reached out and pulled her into his arms, becoming slightly more serious:

"I'm so sorry, Sister Xia Qing. I promise you, it will never happen again. I will never forget you."

Xia Qing let out a long sigh of relief in his arms, her heart filled with a sense of peace and contentment from Ye Shu's words.

However, she still snorted and nudged Ye Shu's chin with her head:

"You'd better try it next time."

Her words were harsh, but her arms around Ye Shu tightened even more.

Xia Qing closed her eyes, smelling the familiar scent on Ye Shu, and silently cursed herself again in her heart:

"Xia Qing, you're still too easy to fool."