Professor Xie, isn't this a case of forcing customers to buy products that don't match the

"It's about Zhou Xu'an, and... Professor Xie."

Shang Song's heart skipped a beat, and the relaxed expression on his face faded.

He never expected that Shen Yan would mention Zhou Xu'an's name on his wedding day, followed by Xie Jing.

"When Zhou Xu'an is drunk or emotionally unstable, he often mentions his mother, always saying that his mother compares him to one of his cousins."

"They say he's not as smart as his cousin, not as successful, not as respected by his elders, and that he's lived his whole life in his cousin's shadow."

Shang Song listened quietly without interrupting.

"I had never known who his cousin was before, nor did I know Professor Xie at all."

"All I know is that you have a very impressive boyfriend surnamed Xie, who is a professor."

"The few times I saw Professor Xie before, I was always far away and couldn't see him clearly, so even though the names sounded similar, I never thought about it that way, until... the day you fell down the stairs."

Shen Yan's eyes held a complex emotion. "That day, the words Zhou Yun shouted, and later, at the hospital, when I saw Professor Xie so clearly for the first time."

"At first glance, I was a little...dazed. He and Zhou Xu'an do look a little alike. They are both very tall, with excellent bone structure, and their profiles and eyes also have that cold and aloof feeling..."

"...So that's how it is." Shang Song murmured, feeling a mix of emotions.

It turns out that Zhou Xu'an was Xie Jing's cousin who was expelled from the clan.

It's that person who no longer has the surname Xie.

Shen Yan observed his expression and knew he had taken it to heart. After a few seconds of silence, he continued:

"There's another thing, which Zhou Xu'an said when he was very drunk. At that time, he hadn't fully revealed his true nature yet, and I was still... trying to help him out..."

"He was crying very hard, and he kept saying things in fits and starts..."

He said, "Actually, I've known all along... that my dad is a murderer..."

Shen Yan frowned slightly, as if recalling something. "He said that when he was about seven years old, his father touched his head, very excited, probably because he was particularly happy about something, and said to him: 'Xu'er, my good baby, from now on you will be the most precious child in the entire Xie family, and no one can take away what belongs to our Xu'er.'"

Shen Yan repeated the story slowly, trying his best to reproduce Zhou Xu'an's incoherent ramblings after getting drunk.

"Zhou Xu'an said that he was young at the time and didn't understand. He just felt that his father was very happy, and he was happy too. But as he grew up and became more sensible, he learned about the unexpected deaths of his uncle and aunt. Combined with his mother's resentment and curses over the years, he guessed what had happened..."

Shang Song felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and all the blood in his body seemed to have frozen.

He stared blankly at Shen Yan, his mind buzzing.

After falling down the stairs, perhaps due to a concussion, the body has its own trauma protection mechanisms.

He only remembered that he was holding a fruit basket and was pulled and pushed down the stairs by Zhou Yun. As for the details of that day, they were extremely vague.

It wasn't until Shen Yan brought it up that he vaguely remembered that Zhou Yun's words that day were very strange.

and so.

It was Zhou Xu'an's father who killed Xie Jing's parents.

And on Xie Jing's abdomen, such a shocking scar was left.

It was Zhou Xu'an's mother who, after twenty years, almost killed Shang Song again.

Therefore, Xie Jing saw much more than just his injury.

Instead, the bloodshed that took his parents and changed his life twenty years ago is now, grinning maliciously, lunging at the lover he now cherishes.

Shang Song's face was frighteningly pale. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

His heart was throbbing with pain.

For Xie Jing, who survived the tragic deaths of his parents in childhood and carried the burden of a blood feud and his family.

In the past twenty years, Xie Jing, who has severe contact impairment, has brought a crack to that cold world.

On the day he was injured, what kind of hellish experience was Xie Jing dragged back to?

What kind of overwhelming despair and fear did they experience again?

Therefore, Xie Jing stopped mentioning marriage, stopped talking about their future, and stopped showing that possessive desire...

Is it because Xie Jing is afraid?

"Shang Song, are you alright?" Shen Yan's worried voice pulled Shang Song back from his chaotic thoughts. He looked at Shang Song's pale face and quickly poured a glass of warm water and handed it to him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying this today, but I just feel you should know," Shen Yan said, his voice tinged with apology but also with insistence, "You might not know..."

He recalled again, his eyes filled with lingering fear, "The day you fell down the stairs and were taken to the hospital, Professor Xie looked like that. I'm afraid I'll never forget it for the rest of my life."

Shang Song took the water glass and looked at Shen Yan, "What...what happened to him back then?"

"After you were wheeled into the operating room, Professor Xie stood at the door. He stood straight for two hours without moving. I wasn't very close at the time, but I could feel that he was completely drained. He was surrounded by people in black suits, all of them tall and big, but they all had their heads down and didn't dare to breathe. The atmosphere in the whole corridor was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe."

Shen Yan described the scene: "I have never seen anyone who could make people feel so desperate and so terrifying just by standing there."

"Later, you were wheeled out and transferred to a ward."

"Many doctors and nurses came, along with caregivers and a professional team, but he wouldn't let anyone touch you. He just wiped your face and hands, adjusted your IV drip, and every movement was incredibly gentle. He just stayed by your side, his eyes never blinking, as if you might disappear at any moment."

"So I think you should know these things."

"I..." Shang Song held the glass of warm water, his nose tingling, but he didn't want to cry on Xu Zhao and Shen Yan's wedding day, so he forced himself to stay calm and said, "I understand, Shen Yan, thank you for telling me all this."

He forced a reassuring smile at Shen Yan: "Today is a big day for you and Xu Zhao. I... I'm fine, really. You and Xu Zhao must be happy."

Shen Yan looked at his forced smile and said nothing more.

Just then, there was a knock on the door; it was time for the ceremony.

Shang Song downed the warm water in his hand in one gulp, stood up, and squeezed his eyes shut. "Let's go, groom!"

Shen Yan took a deep breath, straightened his suit and bow tie, and a nervous yet gentle smile returned to his face.

The sun shone brightly at the wedding, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers.

Xu Zhao, dressed in a white dress, was so nervous that she moved her hands and feet in unison. But the moment she saw Shen Yan appear, she couldn't wait to run over and tightly grasp Shen Yan's hand.

They only had eyes for each other.

The surrounding noise, commotion, and blessings seemed to fade into the background noise.

The ceremony went smoothly. Xu Zhao cried like a fool while reciting his vows. Shen Yan gently wiped away his tears, but her own eyes also reddened.

Exchanging rings, kissing, hugging, cheering, the champagne tower, cutting the cake... every moment was filled with happiness.

Shang Song stood in the crowd, smiling and clapping, but felt empty inside.

He had never felt such an urgent need to see Xie Jing as he did at this moment.

"Hey! Shang Xiaosong! What are you daydreaming about! Come and take a picture!" Xu Zhao shouted in his loud voice. He was holding Shen Yan and waving vigorously at Shang Song.

Shang Song took a few steps, then immediately switched to walking upon hearing Lin Zhou's cough. "Here I am! What's the rush? Be careful I steal the groom's thunder!"

He smiled and squeezed into the frame.

The third brother hooked his arm around the eldest brother, the eldest brother hooked his arm around Shang Song, Shang Song hooked his arm around Xu Zhao, and Xu Zhao hugged Shen Yan.

The camera freezes on that moment.