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

The elevator doors opened, and Shang Song rushed out, pushing open the heavy glass doors of the company lobby. The evening breeze rushed towards him.

As the city lights began to twinkle, Xie Jing's car remained parked in the shadows of the trees.

Shang Song took a deep breath and jogged over.

The rear window silently rolled down halfway as he approached.

Xie Jing sat inside and gave him a cold, indifferent glance.

The twilight and the dim light inside the car intertwined, outlining the profile of his incomparably handsome face, his jawline taut, and his whole being shrouded in a thick, impenetrable silence.

Shang Song's heart pounded with nervousness. He opened the car door and climbed inside.

"Xie Jing..." He had barely sat down when he hurriedly began to explain and reassure her.

Xie Jing slowly turned his head.

Their eyes met, and all the words Shang Song hadn't said caught in his throat.

He had never seen Xie Jing like this before.

Those usually calm and profound eyes were now like the sea before a storm, seemingly calm, but churning with turbulent waves beneath.

He just stared at Shang Song without saying a word, but the accusation and despair in his eyes made Shang Song more flustered than a thousand words.

Shang Song's eyes instantly reddened. Without thinking, his body leaned forward almost uncontrollably, and he opened his arms wide...

He wanted to hug him.

This is supposed to be the most effective way for lovers to comfort each other.

However, just as his arm was about to touch Xie Jing's body, he suddenly froze.

He can't touch him.

Xie Jing has contact difficulties.

Touching him when he's so emotionally unstable could make things worse, or even trigger a more intense rejection reaction.

So, he could only awkwardly withdraw his arm, and then began his incoherent explanation, trying to appease Xie Jing:

"I've been so busy lately. The new version of the project is coming out, and my boss is exhausted from teaching and going to the hospital. I... I didn't mean to stand you up, I didn't mean to not contact you! I just... I just thought you'd understand... I was wrong! I was really wrong! I shouldn't have left you hanging, I shouldn't have just said it but didn't do it!"

Xie Jing watched him quietly, noticing his reddened eyes, trembling lips, and the hands that wanted to hug him but fell limply to his sides.

The turbulent emotions in those eyes seemed to gradually subside amidst Shang Song's incoherent defense, but the somber look in his eyes did not completely disappear.

After a long silence, just as Shang Song was on the verge of tears, Xie Jing finally spoke slowly:

"Now, come back to Xishan with me."

"I spent both days of the weekend in Xishan."

"I'll drive you back to work on Monday morning."

Shang Song nodded emphatically almost without hesitation, "Okay! I'll go back with you! Let's go now! Work... I'll handle the work with my laptop! I'll spend the whole weekend with you! We won't go anywhere!"

Unfinished work and weekend plans were all unimportant in the face of Xie Jing's current unhappiness.

Xie Jing didn't speak again, but nodded almost imperceptibly and then instructed the people in front to return to Xishan.

The car started and glided into the evening traffic. The lead and follow-up cars silently took their positions from one side of the intersection, and the convoy headed towards Xishan.

The carriage was so quiet that the only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioner.

Shang Song slumped in his seat, utterly exhausted. He turned his head to look at the city night view rushing past outside the window, trying to calm himself down.

As the car drove through the bustling commercial district, some lampposts and trees were already adorned with Spring Festival decorations, bright red and particularly eye-catching in the night.

Shang Song tried to find a topic to chat about with Xie Jing, "The New Year is almost here."

He turned to Xie Jing and asked cautiously, "Xie Jing, does your family... have a particularly grand New Year celebration? Do you have ancestral worship or something? I noticed Lin Zhou kept calling you 'Head of the Family'... does it involve a lot of people?"

Xie Jing turned his gaze from the window to Shang Song's expression as he tried to lighten the mood. After a moment of silence, he spoke:

"The Xie family is not quite the family you imagine. The collateral branches do not participate in the annual ancestral worship ceremony."

The explanation was brief and didn't reveal many details.

But just a few words are enough to outline a cold and complicated world, completely different from ordinary families.

The so-called "annual festival" is probably not a lively family reunion, but rather a solemn ritual.

Shang Song gave an "oh" and wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

He took out his phone, glanced at the calendar, and subconsciously started calculating the time: "It seems our company's holiday this year is from the 29th to the 6th of the Lunar New Year... I need to keep an eye on ticket purchases. High-speed rail tickets are so hard to get during the Spring Festival travel rush, I need to set an alarm."

He muttered to himself, completely unaware that as soon as he finished speaking, Xie Jing's gaze suddenly darkened again.

Xie Jing slowly turned his head to look at Shang Song, and something in his eyes was freezing little by little.

He spoke, but his voice was no different from usual, even more steady:

Are you going home for the Chinese New Year?

Shang Song looked up at him, somewhat puzzled. "Yeah, of course we have to go back. I'm my parents' only son, so we definitely have to go back for a family reunion. What's wrong?"

He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, completely unaware of what this meant for Xie Jing.

Xie Jing did not answer immediately. He just stared at Shang Song quietly for a long time, so long that Shang Song felt a little uneasy.

Then, Xie Jing lowered his eyes, seemingly talking to himself, and said:

"...But I only have five months left."

He initially proposed a six-month period because he thought Shang Song would spend most of his time in Xishan.

They have plenty of time together, and he can try, learn, and awkwardly get closer.

Even if there is no immediate physical contact, at least the person is in front of you, you can see them, you can talk to them, and you can gradually adapt.

But now?

A month has passed, and they haven't seen each other once. During the upcoming Spring Festival, Shang Song will be away for at least ten days, or even longer. After the Spring Festival, will there be new projects at work? Will there be any changes in his roommate's situation? Will Shang Song have other friends who need his company?

"Five months... subtract the Chinese New Year, subtract your work overtime, subtract your visits to friends... how much is left?"

Xie Jing's tone wasn't harsh, but the despair, panic, and even helplessness in his voice were so clear and undeniable.

He wasn't being unreasonable; he was watching helplessly as those already short six months slipped away like sand through his fingers.

Has there been any substantial progress between them?

No.

Even the "dates" we used to have, which lasted for several hours each week and spent quietly together in the library, are gone now, compared to before the breakup.

What happens after six months?

Xie Jing could almost picture that scene.

Five months later, Shang Song said to him apologetically, "Xie Jing, I'm sorry, we're still not right for each other. You see, in the past six months, we don't seem to have made any progress, or even gotten worse. I don't want to continue like this."

Then, turn around and truly, completely, leave him.

"You..." Xie Jing's throat bobbed with difficulty, his voice hoarse, each word uttered with difficulty. He asked:

"Did you... already plan this out? Six months, just a delaying tactic? To wait for me to relax, for you to find a more suitable reason, or... for me to continue wasting these five months, so you can then conveniently say that we're still not a good match?"

"Because we are no different now than before the breakup, or even... worse."