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

Shang Song stood in the entryway with his head down, like a primary school student who had made a mistake, not daring to look at his parents' faces.

Xie Jing stood quietly in the center of the living room, his posture upright, calmly accepting the complex scrutinizing gazes of Shang Song's parents.

The more Mrs. Shang looked, the more alarmed she became.

This young man is truly handsome, and his temperament is even more outstanding. Even standing in their old living room, he is like a pearl placed in a rough pottery bowl, his brilliance cannot be concealed.

Her attire appeared simple, but the fabric and tailoring were clearly of excellent quality. Her demeanor was composed and appropriate, even... excessively appropriate, carrying a composure and aloofness that seemed out of place for her age.

Her mind was in turmoil. She wanted to know when this happened, how they met, what this person did for a living, where they were from, whether their parents knew, whether they approved, and whether their feelings for Songsong were genuine.

But looking at his son, who was practically burrowing into the ground, and then at Xie Jing's calm and composed demeanor, he was at a loss for words, unsure where to begin his question.

Finally, Mr. Shang broke the silence, trying to regain some ground: "Um... Professor Xie, right? Don't stand, sit down, please sit down. Songsong, pour Professor Xie some tea!"

"Oh, oh! Right! Xie Jing, please sit down! I'll go pour some tea!" Shang Song hurriedly put down his backpack, pulled Xie Jing to sit down on the sofa, and then went to the kitchen to get a teacup.

Xie Jing's gaze followed him the whole time. When he saw that he was about to fall, he frowned slightly, but did not say anything. He simply sat down and placed his hands casually on his knees.

Mrs. Shang sat down next to Mr. Shang and finally asked the first question: "Professor Xie...how did you and our Songsong meet?"

Shang Song was just coming out with a teacup when he heard this. His hand trembled, and a few drops of hot water splashed onto the back of his hand, scalding him and making him hiss.

Xie Jing's gaze immediately swept over them before turning to Shang Song's parents and calmly replying, "At S University, Shang Song was a student there."

"Oh... S University, a good school, a good school." Mr. Shang nodded. "Professor Xie is so young, and he's already teaching at S University? He's truly young and promising."

"I'm currently on secondment. My main tasks are the restoration and research of ancient books, and I also serve as a consultant," Xie Jing replied concisely, but without being perfunctory.

Shang Song placed the teacup on the tea table in front of Xie Jing, and then placed one in front of each of his parents before holding his own teacup and sipping it slowly.

The teacup placed in front of Xie Jing looked the same as the cup from the merchant's three mouths, but a small seal script was engraved on the inside of the handle.

Xie Jing picked up the teacup, his fingertips keenly noticing the uneven texture that differed from the smooth glaze.

He didn't need to look down to know that it was the small seal script of the character "璟".

"Ancient book restoration... that's a very complex field. It's a niche area, but it's important," Mr. Shang replied dryly.

Mrs. Shang took a deep breath and asked more probing questions: "Professor Xie's family... what do they do? Are your parents in good health? Why weren't you with them for the New Year?"

Shang Song's heart jumped. Although he vaguely guessed that Xie Jing's parents might not be around, Xie Jing had never mentioned it directly, and he didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Xie Jing put down his teacup and remained silent for two seconds.

His face remained expressionless, but his eyes seemed to have deepened. He slowly began to speak:

My parents have passed away many years ago.

The living room fell silent.

Shang Song's mother exclaimed, a look of apology flashing across her face: "I'm so sorry, Professor Xie, I didn't know..."

"It's alright." Xie Jing shook his head gently, his tone calm. "Most of my elders have passed away. Now... I'm all alone."

Mr. and Mrs. Shang exchanged a glance, both seeing extremely complex emotions in each other's eyes.

Such an outstanding young man, yet his background is so...lonely and desolate?

Shang Song suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at Xie Jing.

Despite having had vague guesses, hearing this calm statement with my own ears still caused a pang of pain in my heart.

Xie Jing... he really was all alone.

Mr. Shang was the first to come to his senses. He cleared his throat and said, "Um... let's not talk about this for now. We've been on the road for so long, everyone must be hungry. I'll go check on the soup in the pot." With that, he got up and walked towards the kitchen.

Mrs. Shang quickly stood up and gave Xie Jing a gentle smile: "Professor Xie, please have a seat. I'll go lend a hand. The food will be ready soon."

"Okay, thank you, Uncle and Aunt." Xie Jing nodded slightly.

Shang Song watched his parents go into the kitchen and close the door before letting out a long sigh of relief.

He immediately turned around, lowered his voice, and angrily accused Xie Jing:

"Xie Jing! Why did you just say 'boyfriend' like that?! I almost died on the spot! I hadn't even talked to my parents about it yet!"

Xie Jing looked at him calmly: "Concealing or misleading is actually dishonest to your uncle and aunt."

Shang Song was speechless at his self-righteous attitude, but upon closer reflection, it seemed to make some sense.

If I don't tell them now, what will my parents think of Xie Jing when they find out later?

"...Okay, you're right." Shang Song rubbed his face, forced to accept this bombshell coming-out reality. His voice softened slightly, "Then your parents... I... I don't know..."

"That happened a long time ago," Xie Jing shook his head slightly. "Don't worry about it."

Looking at his calm face, Shang Song wanted to ask how it happened, how Xie Jing had gotten through those years, and how much heartache and pain lay behind it all.

But the words stuck in his throat.

Now is not the time to ask questions, and the place is also inappropriate.

He could only cautiously reach out and gently touch Xie Jing's hand, "From now on... I'll be here for you."

Xie Jing's hand stiffened slightly in his palm, and then he nodded gently.

"Um."

Shang Song glanced towards the kitchen, then at the pile of luggage and gifts in the entryway, and changed the subject: "Well... I'll go tidy up my things first, so they don't pile up in the entryway."

He got up and began to organize the pile of luggage and gift boxes that Lin Zhou and the driver had left behind.

He first pushed his suitcase and backpack, along with Xie Jing's suitcase, aside, and then began to organize the beautifully packaged gift bags.

He recognized the boxes of tonics like ginseng and bird's nest. Although they looked expensive, they were still "common" New Year's gifts. He thought his parents would be shocked, but they would be able to accept it.

When he picked up a small but unusually heavy red velvet gift box, his heart skipped a beat.

This weight... seems a bit off.

An ominous premonition came over me.

He glanced towards the kitchen, then at Xie Jing, who seemed oblivious to the commotion, and quickly opened the gift box like a thief.

The golden light almost blinded his dog eyes.

Inside the box, neatly stacked gold bars, bright yellow and shiny, were engraved with auspicious patterns and their weight.

The box even contained the issuing bank's receipts!

Shang Song's hand trembled, and he slammed the lid shut with a loud bang.

His heart pounded, his blood rushed to his head, and he jumped to his feet, struggling to hold the heavy, hot potato. Ignoring Xie Jing's resistance, he grabbed Xie Jing's arm and growled:

"You! Come with me!"