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

Shen Yan went to the second bedroom and helped his mother to sleep before gently closing the door and going downstairs with Xu Zhao and Shang Song.

When they went downstairs, Xu Zhao's taxi had already arrived, and the three of them got into the car together.

The driver, waiting in the shadows, watched the Didi car disappear into the rearview mirror, then looked blankly back at his empty back seat before sending a communication request to Lin Zhou.

"Brother Lin, Mr. Shang and two friends got into a ride-hailing car at 10:12 and left. Their whereabouts are unknown. Should we follow them?"

Lin Zhou replied quickly: "Keep up, just make sure you're safe."

The driver kept a distance of about 300 meters and followed silently.

The Didi car stopped in front of a late-night food stall.

Shang Song and the other two got out of the car. The night wind was biting, and Chen Yu was waiting there.

Wearing a black overcoat and gold-rimmed glasses, he smiled and walked over when he saw Shang Song.

Xu Zhao secretly nudged Shang Song's arm and winked, "So the UI boss looks like such a refined scoundrel. No wonder I almost got you back then. Shang Song, you've got quite the ladies' man."

Shang Song glared fiercely at Xu Zhao, "Shut up."

Chen Yu stepped closer. "Shang Song, it's been a long time."

Shang Song smiled: "Long time no see. This is my college roommate, Xu Zhao; this is Shen Yan."

Chen Yu looked at Xu Zhao and Shen Yan, shook hands with them, and greeted them.

Seeing that Chen Yu's gaze was unconsciously falling on Shang Song again, Xu Zhao naturally took a step forward, blocking Chen Yu's view, and said casually, "Let's go inside! It's cold outside!"

The group went inside and naturally took their seats.

Xu Zhao, acting as if they were old friends, sat in the same row as Chen Yu, while Shang Song and Shen Yan sat in the same row.

While Xu Zhao was studying the menu, Chen Yu said to Shang Song, "I heard you have a boyfriend, why don't you invite him to come along?"

He said this calmly, as if it were just a casual inquiry from a friend.

Shang Song paused, his hand still tapping on his phone to report to Xie Jing. He subconsciously looked up at Chen Yu, his eyes widening slightly.

You heard it from someone? Who told you that?

Is the intelligence network at the branch office that advanced?

Or were he and Xie Jing just too high-profile?

Xie Jing only picked him up and dropped him off at get off work a few times...

So Chen Yu's purpose tonight is to see Xie Jing?

Shang Song replied, "He doesn't like lively occasions, so it's fine for just the few of us to eat."

He quickly changed the subject: "By the way, how's it going at the branch office? Is everything going smoothly?"

Chen Yu's gaze swept over Shang Song's obviously distant and guarded expression, then he picked up his teacup and took a sip: "It went quite smoothly."

He gently put down his teacup, his gaze fixed on Shang Song's face, as if he didn't want to miss any of Shang Song's next reactions. However, his tone was casual as he said, "You could even say it went a little too smoothly."

Shang Song tilted his head: "Hmm?"

At this moment, the waiter brought out the congee base, and the steaming white vapor blurred Chen Yu's glasses.

He took off his glasses and said, "Logically speaking, someone like me who was parachuted in should encounter some resistance, but in the past few months, any resources and manpower that needed to be coordinated have always been in place in a timely manner."

He paused, watching the fog on his glasses dissipate, before putting them back on. He joked, "It's as if someone gave me advance notice and asked me to take care of me."

Shen Yan, unaware of the details, dared not respond.

Xu Zhao guessed that Chen Yu's transfer and its smooth progress were mostly Professor Xie's doing, and that Chen Yu was now testing Shang Song's attitude towards Professor Xie's handling of his love rival.

Shang Song paused for a moment while scooping the porridge with a soup spoon, then calmly put down the spoon and picked up his teacup to drink tea.

He knew all along that this was Xie Jing's doing, and Xie Jing hadn't kept it from him at the time.

However, Xie Jing's forceful appearance at that time threw him into a state of turmoil. Even if he hadn't received that transfer, he would not have been able to deceive himself and continue with Chen Yu.

After getting back together with Xie Jing, he didn't even have time to think about what Xie Jing would do if Chen Yu refused the transfer.

Because after he returned to the company, he never saw Chen Yu again.

He thought that Chen Yu accepting the transfer was a kind of compensation.

The matter has come to an end, which can be considered a good outcome.

He admitted that his thinking was biased towards Xie Jing.

Because of this incident, Xie Jing was indeed in the wrong, and he was the one who let Chen Yu down. Even though a transfer would have been a better option for Chen Yu, Chen Yu was the pure victim between him and Xie Jing.

However, he just didn't understand why Chen Yu, who had accepted the transfer in the first place, would say these things to him now.

Is it regret? Or just dissatisfaction? Does it need an answer? Or does it need an explanation?

Shang Song put down his teacup and placed a piece of fish slice into the pot, where the white porridge was bubbling away.

He didn't scoop the fish slices out with a slotted spoon until they turned white and curled up, and then put them into Chen Yu's bowl.

He looked up, meeting Chen Yu's gaze. "It sounds like the environment over there is really suitable for you. The fact that you've progressed so smoothly proves that your initial choice was correct, doesn't it?"

After saying that, he looked away and continued to scoop up fish slices, serving them to Shen Yan and Xu Zhao, and finally himself.

Chen Yu looked down at the fish slices in the bowl and smiled bitterly.

He naturally understood what Shang Song meant.

Shang Song is saying, wasn't it your own choice in the first place?

Now that you've made your choice and things are going smoothly, don't look back.

Chen Yu didn't say anything more and lowered his head to eat the fish slices.

The fish slices still have the same texture as before, fresh, smooth and delicious.

Shang Song is still the same Shang Song, but in his heart... he has long had a bias.

The bias didn't just appear now; the choice was made back then.

He suddenly realized that he was only here tonight to verify something he already knew the answer to.

He had been deceiving himself into thinking that he had no choice but to accept the transfer, and that Shang Song might also have his own reasons. So they kept their tacit understandings to themselves, and that's why their WeChat messages stopped on that day.

Therefore, he was unwilling to accept it.

Unwilling to be easily sidelined without knowing anything, like a stray dog ​​being arbitrarily driven away.

So he adopted a quiet identity and stayed in Shang Song's virtual world, hoping that one day he might be able to obtain some scattered information.

For example, who was the person who so easily pushed him aside? What is their relationship with Shang Song? And what is Shang Song's attitude towards this matter?

In retrospect, it was simply that he chose that path, and Shang Song also chose that person long ago.

He swallowed the food in his mouth and finally smiled: "You're right, I was overthinking it."

With these words, the witty and pointed topic came to a complete end.

Xu Zhao quickly changed the subject, asking Chen Yu about the situation in H City.

Shen Yan would occasionally ask a couple of questions about the Qingguo branch.

Shang Song listened a lot but said very little.

The late-night snack was barely acceptable, and it was past midnight when it ended.

Just as Xu Zhao was about to open the ride-hailing app, Chen Yu offered to take everyone home.

Just as Shang Song was about to refuse, saying he would just take a taxi back, a familiar SUV pulled up in front of him.

Driver Zhang rolled down the window: "Mr. Shang, Mr. Xie asked me to pick you up."

Shang Song was taken aback; he thought the driver had already returned to Xishan.

Chen Yu's gaze swept over the black SUV and then landed on Shang Song's face: "Looks like Shang Song doesn't need me to drive him. Be careful on the way back."

Xu Zhao immediately leaned closer, glanced at Chen Yu, and said mischievously, "Your Professor Xie is keeping a close eye on you, Shang Xiaosong!"

Shang Song's ears turned red, too lazy to pay attention to Xu Zhao. He turned to Chen Yu and said, "Then Xu Zhao, Shen Yan, and I will head back first. Be careful on your way."

After saying that, he gestured to Shen Yan and Xu Zhao, telling them to get in the car first.

Xu Zhao had long been curious about Xie Jing's car, so he didn't stand on ceremony and pulled Shen Yan into the back seat.

Chen Yu glanced at the black SUV again, then looked deeply at Shang Song before nodding slightly, waving goodbye to Shang Song, and turning to walk towards his car.

Shang Song watched him get into the car, then turned around, opened the passenger door, and got in.

The car was heated up quite a bit, and Xu Zhao touched and looked around everywhere in the back seat.

The driver started the vehicle smoothly, and it silently glided into the night.

Shang Song turned to look at the driver who was driving quietly and said, "I thought Brother Zhang had already gone back. I didn't expect you to be waiting outside. I'm really sorry."

The driver glanced at Shang Song in the rearview mirror. "Mr. Xie instructed me to wait nearby to ensure your safety, since you came out in a hurry tonight."

Shang Song felt a warm glow inside and texted Xie Jing on her phone: "I've finished my late-night snack! I'll have Brother Zhang take me back to my apartment now!"

Xie Jing didn't reply to the WeChat message, but the phone call came in very quickly.

Aren't you going back to Xishan tonight?

Xie Jing asked on the other end of the phone.