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

Shang Song was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window.

He stared at the unfamiliar white gauze canopy for a while before realizing where he was.

West Mountain. Tingyun Residence.

Xie Jing's wooden hideout.

He habitually reached for his phone; the screen lit up, showing the time as 8:27.

There are several new messages on WeChat.

Ah Ken asked him why he didn't come to work today.

Xie Jing left a message: After you wake up, you can come to the east wing of the main courtyard for breakfast.

The tone was harsh, like a work notification.

Shang Song stared at the message, gritting his teeth for a while, before resignedly getting up to wash up.

The clothes provided in the bathroom fit surprisingly well and were soft.

As he changed his clothes, he couldn't help but wonder how this tiny sweater could be so soft, and whether it would pill so easily.

Pushing open the door, the cool morning air rushes in. In the courtyard, plum branches cast sparse shadows, moss grows softly on the corners of the stone steps, and a stream murmurs beneath the pavilion, where fish swim leisurely.

Lin Zhou had been waiting quietly under the eaves for some time. When he saw him come out, he bowed slightly and said, "Good morning, Mr. Shang. The head of the family is waiting for you in the east wing. Please come with me."

As Shang Song followed Lin Zhou through the winding corridors once more, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

The garden was completely visible in the daylight. Shang Song couldn't make out anything about it, but he could tell that it was very large and the scenery was beautiful, like a 5A scenic spot.

The east wing faces the water, and the windows on that side are open, directly facing a pool of clear water and a rockery.

Xie Jing had been sitting at that round wooden table for who knows how long.

Today he was wearing a light gray V-neck shirt, and his profile was faintly illuminated by the morning light, making him appear as serene as a statue carved from cold jade.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up towards the door.

The moment their eyes met, Shang Song's heart skipped a beat.

"Good morning," Xie Jing said, then gestured for Shang Song to sit down opposite him.

"Good morning," Shang Song replied curtly, then walked over and sat down opposite Xie Jing.

A servant quietly set out breakfast.

Boiled bok choy, two pan-fried fish until crispy, a basket of shrimp dumplings, a porcelain bowl of porridge, and some side dishes to accompany the porridge.

This breakfast of small pieces of meat is so... ordinary!

Shang Song picked up his spoon with little appetite and began to eat.

Then the dishes looked ordinary, but they were very tender; the fish looked ordinary, but it was very fresh; the shrimp in the shrimp dumplings was huge, and it was both chewy and bouncy; even the porridge was thick and just the right consistency, and the aroma of rice filled the air... Then Shang Song ate until he was stuffed.

"Professor Xie," he said, burping and wiping his mouth with a tissue, "the breakfast was delicious, thank you for your hospitality. So, what would you like to talk about? Go ahead, I should head back after we're done."

Xie Jing stopped eating, slowly wiped his lips with a tissue, and then asked, "Going back where?"

"Of course I'm going back to my own apartment!" Shang Song found Xie Jing's explanation utterly baffling. "Didn't you say last night that I could rest for a day? I've already slept here last night and eaten at your place. We'll talk in a bit, and then I need to go back to work, right?"

Xie Jing remained noncommittal, simply placing the tissue on the table, looking up at him quietly, and asked, "So, what do you think of our relationship?"

Shang Song was taken aback.

Relationship?

What other relationship exists between them?

Six months after breaking up?

Is it because of the forced love but the fact that they sleep in separate hospitals?

"It's...it's like that," he mumbled, looking away.

How else can we interpret it?

He didn't want to watch.

Xie Jing is a blockhead; talking about feelings with him is like casting pearls before swine.

He even forced me to love him! It scared him so much that he almost developed a love-struck brain last night.

As a result, he was made to play house on the mountaintop with him.

Xie Jing frowned and pressed, "Just like that? What do you mean by 'just like that'?"

Annoyed by his questioning, Shang Song retorted in a fit of pique, "What else can we do? Let's go our separate ways. Professor Xie, we're from different worlds, there's no point in forcing us together. I'll just consider last night's incident... an accident. Please, be lenient and let me go back, okay?"

He tried to make his tone sound relaxed and carefree, as if in doing so, he would still be the same Shang Xiaosong from half a year ago, with an iron will who only wanted to get rid of the rotten wood.

Xie Jing stared at him silently for a long while, and then, in a flat, monotone voice, said:

"Then you can't go back."

Shang Song: "...?"

He almost thought his ears were broken.

Can't go back? Why?!

Good grief, so Xie Jing, this blockhead, only intends to use "coercion" and not "love"?

"No, Professor Xie, can't you be reasonable?" Shang Song's voice rose involuntarily. "I have to go to work! My project isn't finished yet! My roommate is waiting for me to come back for dinner! I have my own life, I don't have time to play this mountaintop imprisonment play with you!"

He grew angrier and angrier as he spoke. The fright he felt last night, the frustration of being tempted again only to be disappointed, and the grievance of being unjustly detained all rushed to his head at once.

Xie Jing seemed unmoved by his agitation, but after he finished his low growl, his gaze locked onto him for a moment, and he asked, "Are you so agitated because of that Chen Yu?"

Shang Song's anger came to an abrupt halt.

Chen Yu?

What does this have to do with Chen Yu?

He suddenly remembered the messages Chen Yu had sent him, and a strange sense of unease crept into his heart. His eyes darted around unconsciously, and his voice lowered: "...It has nothing to do with him; it's my own business."

"Is that so?" Xie Jing's eyes seemed to darken slightly. After lowering his gaze, he said, "But there's no possibility between him and you."

Shang Song froze for two seconds before reacting, looking at him incredulously: "...What did you say?"

"Chen Yu," Xie Jing repeated clearly, "has been transferred to the H City branch. The transfer order came this morning."

Shang Song's mind went blank for a moment, and he was completely stunned.

Transferred? To H City? Because of him?

He felt a buzzing sound, and then his blood surged through his body, causing even his fingers, which were gripping the edge of the table, to tremble. He stared at Xie Jing and asked, "...You did this?!"

Xie Jing did not deny it, and nodded in agreement: "Yes."

He spoke calmly, even in a matter-of-fact tone, adding, "I offered him a future he couldn't refuse: the position of deputy general manager at Qingguo's H city branch, with a 55% increase in annual salary and a clear path for promotion. It was an opportunity that suited his development."

As soon as Xie Jing finished speaking, Shang Song's anger was like a pot of fire that had been burning at its brightest, but it was suddenly suffocated by a cotton quilt.

Vice President? Promotion? Such a big salary increase? And with a clear career path attached?

He had a bellyful of accusations—"Why do you have the right to do this?", "You've gone too far!", "You're ruining my future"—but he couldn't utter a single one.

He even subconsciously thought about what Xie Jing said and realized that being the deputy general manager of the H City branch was indeed much more promising than being the head of the UI department at headquarters.

Chen Yu is a capable worker and ambitious. I once mentioned to him the frustration of limited career advancement in the UI design department.

"You..." Shang Song's momentum weakened, but he scratched his head irritably, making his already messy hair even more disheveled. "Even if you promote him and give him a raise, this is still wrong! You're... you're using money and power to settle everything!"

Xie Jing did not answer immediately, but just looked at him silently.

The morning light streamed through the open window, casting interplay of light and shadow on his perfect profile, making his expression somewhat enigmatic.

Finally, instead of refuting or defending himself, he slowly opened his mouth and admitted:

"I know it's wrong."

His quick admission of his mistake surprised Shang Song.

Xie Jing didn't look away and continued, "But I can't accept you choosing him. Not even a possibility."

Shang Song was speechless at his blunt words.

After a while, he scratched his head in frustration, feeling that Xie Jing was simply unreasonable. "This...this is so boring!"

He glared at Xie Jing, trying to reason with him: "Professor Xie! When it comes to matters of the heart, shouldn't it be... even if Chen Yu were here, even if there were other options, I still chose you, that's the right thing to do! How can you do this, just eliminating your rival in love?"

Xie Jing listened quietly as he finished speaking, his long, thick eyelashes drooping slightly, obscuring the dark color in his eyes. Then, his thin lips moved slightly, and he uttered two words in a low voice:

"no."