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

City S.

The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The sky outside the window was overcast and gray, and the city seemed much emptier because people were returning home.

The last rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, making the room even darker.

Shen Yan rubbed his cold fingers together, and the white breath he exhaled instantly dissipated.

The air conditioner completely stopped working; it's been blowing only cold air since the afternoon.

When I called the repair hotline, it was either busy or they said the technicians had all gone home for the Chinese New Year and wouldn't be back until the seventh day of the new year at the earliest.

He tried to take a look himself, but found nothing except that he knew absolutely nothing about electrical appliances.

The mother coughed a few more times, her voice muffled and suppressed, as if she was afraid he would find out.

Shen Yan's heart tightened, and he quickly went inside to touch his mother's forehead. Thankfully, she didn't have a fever.

But the chill in the room was real.

He added another thicker blanket to his mother's bed, refilled the hot water bottle, and stuffed it into the bed.

He whispered, "Mom, the air conditioner is broken. The repairman won't be here until after the New Year. Cover yourself up and don't catch a cold."

Shen's mother looked at him with cloudy eyes, shook her head with difficulty, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything, frowned and closed her eyes.

He knew what his mother wanted to say but couldn't: she was saying, "It's okay, don't rush."

I also know what my mother is worried about.

I'm worried that this cold, empty rented room doesn't feel like home.

I'm saddened by this year's chilling desolation.

I'm worried about my son; he's brought me so much trouble and exhaustion.

When his mother was first diagnosed with late-stage multiple sclerosis, he had only been working for a short time and had to sell their old house to cover the initial medical expenses and the high deposit for the private nursing home.

Then, she agreed to move into Zhou Xu'an's house. Rather than a sweet cohabitation, it was more of an instinctive choice when she was short of money.

He did save a lot of money on rent during that period, but he also experienced the pain of being cruelly betrayed when he was most dependent on someone.

After moving out of Zhou Xu'an's house, he was once again struggling financially, and this single room was the best option for him.

The phone screen lit up briefly; it was Zhou Xu'an.

"Yan Yan, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. It's so cold outside, are you okay? I remember you're afraid of the cold."

Below is a snapshot of the exterior of a high-end restaurant.

"It's so lonely spending the Lunar New Year alone with your aunt. I've made a reservation, and it's all your favorite dishes. I'll come pick you up, okay?"

"Stop being temperamental, okay? The New Year is all about family reunion."

One after another.

Endless.

It was as if they had never broken up.

It was as if all those previous acts of infidelity, threats, coercion, and despicable tactics had never existed.

Shen Yan stared at the screen, his stomach churning.

Nausea.

He didn't even open the notification bar; he simply swiped away the notification and then blocked the new number.

He knew Zhou Xu'an would continue to harass him with newer numbers, but there was nothing he could do.

In exchange for the substantial bonus, he promised the project manager that he would help with the subsequent optimizations before considering resigning.

Therefore, he had no choice but to block them one by one.

He glanced around the empty rented room and walked to the refrigerator in the corner.

It was completely empty when I opened it.

Since his mother fell ill, and he himself has lost his culinary skills, the refrigerator has naturally been empty.

It's almost the end of the year, and almost all the food delivery services in the area have shut down, so there's not much to buy. He decided to go to the supermarket.

Maybe you can buy some ready-to-eat instant food, or if all else fails... buy some frozen dumplings or black sesame glutinous rice balls?

He still knows how to boil water.

I had just put the keys in my pocket when my phone started buzzing.

He thought it was Zhou Xu'an who was still unwilling to give up, but he was stunned when he saw the name that popped up on the screen.

It is Xu Zhao.

A barrage of images.

Glossy, reddish-brown braised pork hock, golden-brown, crispy pork belly, golden-yellow poached chicken, red-skinned, glistening roast goose, roast duck...

Then there's a meme of a Samoyed sticking out its tongue and grinning foolishly.

This was followed by a series of audio recordings.

Shen Yan pressed the text conversion button.

"Shen Yan, Shen Yan!!! Look! My grandpa just cooked the New Year's meat!!! It smells amazing!"

"And these too! Freshly fried! My mom insists we can't finish them all! Ah! She actually fries this much every year!"

"Have you finished preparing your New Year's goods? What's your address? I'll bring some over!!! It'll be absolutely delicious! I swear on my life!"

"Eating New Year's Eve dinner alone is so boring!"

"Samoyed dog rolling around.jpg"

"Samoyed dog peeking out.jpg"

The dialog box also displays "Typing..."

But in the end, no new messages came in, as if they were waiting for his reply.

Shen Yan stared blankly at the grinning Samoyed on the screen and the pictures of steaming food.

He looked down and typed in the chat box, typing and deleting, deleting and typing again.

In the end, she simply said, "No, thank you. I'm about to go to the supermarket to buy it."

Almost at the same time he sent the message, Xu Zhao's WeChat call popped up.

Shen Yan's hand trembled, and he almost dropped it.

He took a deep breath, opened and closed the door, walked to the stairwell, and then answered the call.

"Feed?" His voice was dry.

"Shen Yan!" Xu Zhao's voice was a bit noisy in the background, mixed with the sizzling sound of oil in a pan and the laughter of his family. "Why go to the supermarket?! What time is it?! All the good stuff is gone! What's left are all junk! Listen to me! Give me your address! I'll bring you something ready-made at my house! Hot and fresh! I guarantee it'll be a hundred times better than what you get at the supermarket!"

"Really, it's not necessary, it's too much trouble," Shen Yan habitually refused.

"What's the trouble!" Xu Zhao's voice was loud and carefree, and he spoke quickly. "We're all in the same city! It's just on the way! Besides, everything's already prepared, one more bite won't make a difference! If you feel bad, just consider it helping my mom out! She's worried about making too much!"

"..." Shen Yan did not respond.

"Shen Yan?" Xu Zhao's voice was lower, and the background noise seemed to have subsided, as if he had moved to a quieter spot. He continued, "Don't be so polite with me, okay? Before Shang Song went back to his hometown, he specifically told me to look after you. I'm the kind of person who always keeps my promises to my brothers. Just consider it a task I'm completing, okay?"

Shen Yan stood in the stairwell, listening to the faint background noise of a normal family coming from the other end of the phone, and then looked back at his own silent door.

My mother is still coughing.

It was cold inside, and there was no decent food.

On the phone, Zhou Xu'an's information still lurks in the blacklist like a venomous snake.

Xu Zhao's voice, like the silly dog ​​pictures he posted, carried a vividness that he could no longer refuse.

After a long while, Shen Yan lowered his eyes, looked at his long, lonely shadow on the ground, and softly announced the name of his neighborhood.

He didn't mention the building or specific room number; that was the limit he could accept.

"Alright!" Xu Zhao's voice instantly rose eight octaves. "Wait! Half an hour! Guaranteed to be here! Everything will be hot! Get a few big bowls ready!"

The phone hangs up.

Shen Yan stared at the darkened phone screen, stood there stunned for a while, before turning around and opening the door.

He needs to find some large bowls and wash them clean.