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

Shang Song got up and walked to Shen Yan's workstation, then knocked on the partition.

Shen Yan looked up; his eyes were somewhat dark, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

"My friend brought lunch over to visit the set, and specially brought one for you too. Want to go out for some fresh air?"

Shen Yan seemed somewhat surprised, then he pursed his lips, nodded silently, and saved the document.

The two went downstairs one after the other.

Upon arriving at the lobby on the first floor, I saw the second brother leaning against the front desk, wearing a black motorcycle leather jacket. He was tall and had long legs, carrying a motorcycle helmet in one hand and an insulated bag in the other, with the "Xu Ji" logo printed on the bag.

"Shang Xiaosong! Over here!" The second brother immediately waved when he saw Shang Song, his smile bright and revealing a set of white teeth.

However, when his gaze swept past Shang Song and landed half a step behind him on Shen Yan, who was wearing a gray sweater and was thin and pale, his bright smile seemed to be paused, frozen for a full two seconds.

Then, his eyes flashed as if some bright flame had ignited.

Shang Song didn't notice the second brother's unusual behavior. He walked over and naturally took the insulated bag: "Thanks, I've been craving your old man's cooking."

"Don't be so polite with me." The second brother replied, but his eyes were still glued to Shen Yan.

Shang Song stepped aside and introduced, "Shen Yan, my colleague, and this is my college roommate, Xu Zhao, who is the second oldest in our dormitory."

Shen Yan then raised his eyes, looked at Xu Zhao, and nodded slightly. "Hello, Mr. Xu. Thank you for your help."

His gaze met Xu Zhao's, then quickly shifted away, returning to the ground.

Xu Zhao was invigorated by that glance, his smile widening with his natural ease: "No trouble at all! Just call me Xu Zhao! All this 'Mr.' stuff! So formal! Come on, come on! The pork knuckle is still warm! Let's go to the little park outside! There's a pavilion there!"

The three walked towards a small park near the company. Shang Song, carrying a bag, followed behind, watching the second brother fussing over Shen Yan. He talked about everything from the weather and the bare trees by the roadside to their family's secret soup recipe, finally pulling out his phone, eagerly opening a WeChat QR code, and handing it directly to Shen Yan: "Let's add each other on WeChat! We'll be friends from now on! You're in Qingguo, and I have a shop nearby. Let me know if you need anything! And tell me what you want to eat!"

Shang Song: "..."

What is this?

A blatant display of double standards?

I told him to stay away from this the day before yesterday, but today he's gotten involved himself?

And they're doing this so...blatantly and enthusiastically?

If you stick a dog's tail in there, it'll be shaken off.

Shen Yan stared at the phone screen handed to him, clearly stunned, and even stopped in his tracks.

Xu Zhao, however, was still holding up her phone, staring longingly at it.

The atmosphere gradually became a bit tense. Just as Shang Song was about to speak up to smooth things over, he saw Shen Yan nod, then take out his phone and scan the QR code.

"Okay." His voice was very soft.

Xu Zhao's smile widened instantly, and his fingers tapped the screen rapidly. The next second, a dialog box popped up on Shen Yan's phone.

Xu Zhao

Following this is a smiling Samoyed emoji.

Shen Yan glanced at it, didn't reply, turned off the screen, and put the phone back in his pocket.

When they arrived at a nearby park, the afternoon sun was shining brightly, and the three of them found a small pavilion to sit down.

Xu Zhao immediately snatched the insulated bag from Shang Song's hand, opened it eagerly, and inside were several pre-packaged lunch boxes.

He first opened the largest lunchbox, which contained a braised pork knuckle that was trembling slightly. He then opened the side dishes in the other lunchboxes, pushed the rice in front of Shen Yan, carefully wiped the wooden chopsticks with a tissue, and then handed them to Shen Yan.

"Come on, eat it while it's hot! My dad's braised pork knuckle is amazing—fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry. I specifically asked him to pick out the leanest part!"

Shen Yan looked at the sumptuous lunch in front of him and the pair of carefully wiped chopsticks that had been placed in his hand. He remained silent for a few seconds before whispering, "Thank you, you've gone to so much trouble."

Then, he picked up his chopsticks, took a small piece of lean meat, and put it in his mouth.

He ate very politely, making almost no sound, his eyes lowered, his long eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes.

Xu Zhao stared at him intently until he swallowed the meat, then asked expectantly, "How was it? Did you like it? Was the saltiness alright?"

Shen Yan looked up and nodded slightly: "Yes, just right."

Xu Zhao grinned from ear to ear, then tossed a lunchbox in front of Shang Song, slammed the chopsticks down on it, and continued talking to Shen Yan without even glancing at Shang Song.

"Shen Yan, are you a local? What are your plans for the New Year? Why don't you come to my house for New Year's dinner? My grandfather loves a lively atmosphere..."

Looking at the lunchbox that had been casually shoved into his hands, Shang Song suddenly felt that even the braised pork knuckle in front of him didn't smell so good anymore.

He silently unwrapped the chopsticks, poked at the rice in his own box, and couldn't help but say, "Xu Lao Er, isn't my treatment a bit too much? Did they just throw these chopsticks at me?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhao seemed to only just notice Shang Song, turning his head and saying matter-of-factly, "You're just a rough old man, you can make do with this. Shen Yan..."

His gaze then drifted to Shen Yan, who was quietly eating beside him, and his voice softened unconsciously: "She's obviously more particular than you."

Shang Song: "..."

Okay, this is a really good brother.

Shang Song had nothing to say, and turned his grief and anger into a hunger.

The braised pork knuckle was indeed stewed exceptionally well, and he tried his best to eat more rice than Shen Yan.

He was diligently shoveling rice into his mouth when Xu Zhao, her gaze fixed intently on Shen Yan, began asking, "By the way, will it just be you and your aunt at home for the New Year? Have you prepared all the New Year's goods? Do you need any help? I can help with moving things!"

Shen Yan shrank back, lowering his head even further. "...No need, thank you."

Before Xu Zhao could say anything more, Shang Song finally couldn't help but kick him under the table and glare at him fiercely.

You fucking shut up on Daddy!

Xu Zhao then awkwardly touched his nose, turned to Shang Song, and tried to ease the tension: "By the way, Shang Xiaosong, when are you going home? Have you bought your ticket?"

Shang Song was shoveling food into his mouth when Xu Zhao asked him this question. A hint of undisguised smugness crept onto his face, and he chuckled, "Tickets? No need to buy them!"

"Hmm?" Xu Zhao raised an eyebrow.

Shang Song tried hard to keep a straight face, but his grin only widened, his eyes gleaming: "I'm going back in Professor Xie's car! I'll take him home for Chinese New Year this year!"

"Oh—!" Xu Zhao immediately drew out his words, his eyes lighting up with an exaggerated expression: "Finally, I got to touch Professor Xie's car door handle, huh? How does it feel to ride in a luxury car? Isn't it especially stable, especially quiet, and the seats especially soft?"

Shang Song stubbornly insisted, "It's just a regular car! Nothing different!"

Xu Zhao scoffed, then stroked his chin, looking Shang Song up and down with a sly grin: "Not bad, bro, you're quick on your feet! Meeting the parents already?"

Shang Song's face flushed slightly: "Meet my parents! They don't even know me yet... I'll just say I'm bringing a friend home for the New Year, a regular friend! You know what I mean!"

"Just a friend?" Xu Zhao's eyes gleamed with gossip. "Then where does your 'just a friend' live? Your place only has two rooms, right?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Song's mind went blank!

"Holy crap!" he blurted out, his expression momentarily blank. "A room... my house only has two rooms! My room, my parents' room, and my bed is a shabby single bed... are you suggesting Professor Xie stay in a hotel?"

He immediately shook his head, rejecting the idea himself, "No way, no way! My parents would kill me! How can they let guests who've come all this way stay in a hotel!"

Xu Zhao suppressed a laugh, waiting to see his next reaction.

Shang Song frowned, his mind racing, muttering to himself, "Then... sleep with me?"

The moment those words came out, he himself was startled.

Sleeping in the same bed with Xie Jing?!