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

Genting Highlands, 85th floor.

Shang Song naturally leaned against Xie Jing's chest, her tone curious: "What were you two talking about just now? And for so long?"

Xie Jing: "...It's nothing, we just exchanged some cat-raising tips."

Shang Song: "Tips on raising cats? That's it? Do we need to close the tea room door so tightly to exchange tips on raising cats? I thought you were having some kind of secret deal in there."

Xie Jing remained silent for a few seconds, not answering Shang Song's question, but instead asking, "...Is Mr. Shen very handsome?"

Shang Song didn't react for a moment, and subconsciously replied, "Huh? Mr. Shen? He is quite handsome..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately slammed on the brakes, "But you're not as good-looking as me! You're the best-looking!"

Xie Jing didn't speak, he just looked at him.

Shang Song felt a little guilty under his gaze, though he didn't know why he felt guilty.

But he still instinctively added, "Really! You're the most beautiful! I swear! Mr. Shen's kind of beauty is... ethereal! Like a god! It's not from my world! But you're different! You're genuinely beautiful! I can see and touch you every day! I love you the most!"

Xie Jing's lips curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it again.

He raised his hand to brush away the stray hairs from Shang Song's forehead, lowered his head to kiss Shang Song's forehead, and then turned and walked towards the elevator. "I'm going to get Mimi some water."

Shang Song: "...Mimi's water bowl is automatically refillable."

Xie Jing didn't stop walking, his voice fading into the distance: "Then let's go see if it's drinking water properly."

Shang Song touched his forehead where he had just been kissed, then took a step and chased after him:

"Wait! I'll go check if Mimi's been drinking enough water!"

The half-closed elevator doors reopened, and Xie Jing stood inside. He withdrew the hand that had pressed the open button and then extended his other hand toward Shang Song.

Shang Song lunged forward, grabbed the hand, and was pulled into Xie Jing's arms.

The elevator begins to move upward.

Shang Song looked down at their clasped hands, then looked up at Xie Jing's profile.

Yes, very calm and composed.

Unfortunately, the red mark near his ear gave away Master Xie's identity.

Shang Song suppressed a laugh and shook their clasped hands. "Professor Xie, were you jealous just now?"

Xie Jing didn't look at him, and said in a flat tone, "No."

"Really not?"

"……No."

"Oh." Shang Song nodded, then shook their clasped hands again. "Mr. Shen is indeed quite handsome..."

Xie Jing didn't speak, but he tightened his grip on Shang Song's hand noticeably.

Feeling the pressure in his hand, Shang Song could no longer suppress his laughter. He leaned closer, stood on tiptoe, and pecked Xie Jing's earlobe. Then, he whispered in Xie Jing's ear:

"...However, after thinking about it carefully, I still think you are the most beautiful."

Xie Jing's ear tips visibly turned even redder.

The elevator doors opened, and he led Shang Song out of the elevator before saying, "From now on, you are not allowed to meet with that Mr. Shen alone."

Shang Song found it amusing, but still tilted her head in a cooperative manner, deliberately drawing out her words: "Hmm?"

Xie Jing's tone remained calm: "...He's too flashy-looking, you'd better not look at him too much."

Shang Song finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing: "Hey, Professor Xie, we're married! We've had our marriage certificate for over a year! And you still don't trust me?!"

Xie Jing didn't speak, but he didn't refute either.

Shang Song added, "And didn't you notice how protective Mr. Shen is of Xiao Yu? And the way they look at each other—their eyes are practically drooling! There's definitely something fishy going on!"

Xie Jing was stunned this time, "...The boy with the white hair?"

"Exactly!" Shang Song nodded. "Look at the way he brought Xiaoyu here. He settled Xiaoyu in first, and after they finished talking, the first thing he did was look for her. They were even holding hands when they left. Could they be just an ordinary shop owner and employee? I bet they're a couple!"

Xie Jing was silent for a moment, seemingly recalling the boy he had glimpsed earlier that day. Then, with some uncertainty in his voice, he said, "...The boy looked very young. I thought he was Mr. Shen's younger brother."

Shang Song: "She just looks young! Maybe she's just young-looking! Besides, you know, that Xiao Yu is really strange."

Xie Jing turned his head slightly, waiting for him to continue.

Shang Song lowered his voice, as if sharing some earth-shattering gossip: "When I went to the shop the second time, Xiao Yu told me that he could talk to cats! Before that, he even said that he had been eating fish for over a thousand years and was tired of it! Over a thousand years! Can a normal person say something like that? I thought to myself at the time that this kid seemed to have a bit of a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)."

Xie Jing did not comment.

Shang Song continued, "But today, he said something very serious to me."

He paused, mimicking Chu Yu's expression and tone at the time, "The master taught me that cats don't spy on what's hidden, and Brother Shang Song is a human being, a gentleman who doesn't spy on what's hidden."

"Anyway, when he said that, he was very serious. He didn't seem like a teenager anymore. He seemed like... well, a very knowledgeable person. You could tell he was well-educated by Mr. Shen."

"Besides, didn't you hear him always call Mr. Shen 'Sir'? He calls everyone else 'brother'."

Xie Jing listened quietly to everything, "...My lord?"

"That's right!" Shang Song nodded frantically. "At first, I thought Mr. Shen's name was 'Da Ren,' like the 'Ren' in 'Ren, Zhi, Li, Xin,' until I saw Mr. Shen's visiting card and realized that's not the case at all. Mr. Shen's name is Shen Ci!"

Xie Jingmei frowned slightly, pondering before speaking: "In today's society, those who address elders as 'adults' are either using it jokingly, or they genuinely come from some old-fashioned family or lineage system, and have been using it to address their elders since childhood, so it's become a habit and they can't change it."

Shang Song blinked: "So, which type do you think Xiao Yu is?"

Xie Jing did not answer directly, but shook his head: "The one who can say that a gentleman does not pry into what is hidden is not the former."

"Moreover, that Mr. Shen, he doesn't understand Wagyu beef or the realities of e-commerce, but his demeanor is elegant and composed, as if he has just come from a secluded environment and is unfamiliar with modern society, yet unwilling to show his ignorance."

Shang Song blinked: "So you mean?"

Xie Jing concluded, "The Xie family ancestors were also a family that lived in seclusion deep in the mountains. It was only in the generation of my great-grandfather that they gradually connected with the outside world."

"When I was young, there were still many old-fashioned rules in the clan. Mr. Shen's mannerisms were somewhat similar to those of the elders in the ancestral home who never left the village."

He paused, then added, "However, that Mr. Shen..."

He shook his head. "Indeed, it's unfathomable."

Shang Song tilted his head, seemingly having lost interest in Shen Ci and Chu Yu, and changed the subject: "Speaking of which, you haven't taken me to your ancestral home yet. I still don't know where your ancestral home is."

Xie Jing was slightly taken aback, choked for the nth time by Shang Song's erratic train of thought, "...It's deep in the mountains of the southwest, you need to take a helicopter to get there."

Shang Song: "So far away? Wouldn't that mean being completely isolated from the world?"

"It was originally built to avoid the world." Xie Jing nodded. "Our ancestors chose a site deep in the mountains, with only mountain paths for access. Later, a helipad was built. Some elders in the clan are used to mountain life and still live there today, unwilling to move out."

Shang Song asked curiously, "What are the conditions like? Is it very difficult?"

Xie Jing answered truthfully: "We are self-sufficient in ingredients. In spring we eat bamboo shoots and mushrooms, and in winter we eat cured meat."

Shang Song exclaimed excitedly, "That sounds really interesting! I want to go check it out!"

Xie Jing: "You won't be used to living here. There's no internet, and no shopping mall."

Shang Song waved his hand, "I'm not staying long! I'll just stay for two days! You can't go back alone every year for the annual festival, can you?"

The light in Xie Jing's eyes flickered, and he said, "...Okay, then we'll go back together for the annual memorial service this year, and after that, we'll go back to your hometown for the New Year."

Shang Song immediately cheered, "Great!"

The two finally finished talking and headed towards the cat room.

Mimi is awake and is splashing on the carpet, watching the fish in the aquarium cast their graceful shadows.

Shang Song picked up a cat toy and joined in playing with Mimi.

Xie Jing watched the fight between the person and the cat, and suddenly said, "From now on, Lin Zhou will handle the regular follow-up visits to the pet shop."

Shang Song paused in his teasing of the cat, then looked up blankly at Xie Jing, who was leaning against the doorframe with a blank expression.

Shang Song: "..."

Wait, what's wrong with Xie Jing, this blockhead?

He's already changed the subject so many times, why is he still remembering this?!

The Cat's Adventures is over.