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

The taxi stopped in front of a neighborhood known for its luxury and privacy.

Shen Yan got off the bus, carrying a backpack.

The snow was heavy, and the wind was strong.

He stepped through the snow and followed the direction he remembered towards Building 5.

16 floors.

This is the place where he lived for nearly two years.

He rang the doorbell, and the door opened automatically very quickly.

Inside, the lighting was excellent, and the decor and furnishings seemed exactly the same as when he left.

Except for the person sitting on the sofa.

Zhou Xu'an looked up at Shen Yan, his gaze like a blade, scraping over Shen Yan inch by inch.

From the snow-covered hair and shoulders, the pale face, to the thin body wrapped in a down jacket, to the straight legs under the black trousers, the gaze slowly rose and settled on the congealed scab on Shen Yan's lower lip.

Zhou Xu'an stood up and walked towards Shen Yan.

As the footsteps drew closer, Shen Yan instinctively took a half-step back.

Zhou Xu'an stopped one step away from Shen Yan.

"How did you get like this?" he asked, as if asking a pet that had run off to frolic and then returned home covered in injuries.

Shen Yan opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"Speak." Zhou Xu'an's face darkened.

Shen Yan lowered his head, his voice low and hoarse, "He bit himself."

"You bit yourself?" Zhou Xu'an repeated, then laughed. "You hate me that much?"

Shen Yan stared at the marble floor pattern under his feet without saying a word.

He hates.

Of course he hates it.

Zhou Xu'an reached out, pinched Shen Yan's chin, and forced Shen Yan to raise his head.

He raised his thumb, wanting to touch the wound on Shen Yan's lower lip.

Shen Yan instinctively avoided it.

My fingertip still brushed against the bloody wound, causing a slight stinging sensation.

Shen Yan's movement to avoid the attack made Zhou Xu'an frown in displeasure.

He tightened his grip on Shen Yan's chin, and with his other hand, he grabbed Shen Yan's lower back and pulled him into his arms.

A kiss that was about to land on his lips was instead forced off by Shen Yan and landed on his jaw instead.

Zhou Xu'an seemed unconcerned, greedily taking possession of that delicate, cool skin.

From the side of the jaw to the neck.

Shen Yan was trembling all over.

He felt so nauseous he wanted to vomit.

But he stopped struggling, perhaps knowing it was pointless.

It wasn't until Zhou Xu'an's hand moved down, trying to pull off his down jacket, that he suddenly pushed Zhou Xu'an away forcefully.

"Let me go!" Shen Yan used almost all his strength.

Zhou Xu'an was pushed back half a step from his infatuation, his eyes dark and frightening, but seeing Shen Yan's broken appearance, he finally did not force him any further.

You must not get angry.

Not at least not now.

The person finally came back; pressuring them too much will only backfire.

Take it easy.

There's still a long time to go between them.

"Fine, I won't." His voice was low and hoarse, suppressing a terrifying desire. "Not today."

"Where's my mom?" Shen Yan stared at him warily.

"I've said it many times, your aunt is very well." Zhou Xu'an raised his hand to straighten his clothes, which had become slightly disheveled from the earlier entanglement. "She's in a quiet place, with professional doctors and nurses taking care of her, much better than your little house."

"I want to see her," Shen Yan said.

"Okay," Zhou Xu'an agreed readily, but quickly changed the subject, "but not now."

Shen Yan's chest heaved violently. "Why?"

Zhou Xu'an walked back to the single sofa, sat down, looked up, and locked his gaze on Shen Yan, who was still standing there resisting him. "Don't misunderstand, it's late now. Your aunt has just taken her medicine and gone to sleep. We can go see her tomorrow."

Shen Yan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and asked again, "What exactly did you do to Xu Zhao?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xu'an's gaze fell on Shen Yan's red and swollen eyes.

It looked like she had been crying for a long time.

"It seems Yan Yan really cares about him." Zhou Xu'an leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Shen Yan. "Is there a deep connection between you two?"

Shen Yan didn't dodge or avoid it. "I just don't want you to hurt the people who helped me."

Zhou Xu'an remained silent for two seconds, it was unclear whether he believed it or not.

A cold smile curved his lips. "It's alright. It's all in the past. I can let it go."

"Whatever you run out to, who you meet, or what happens to you, I can pretend it never happened."

"But starting tonight, Yan Yan, you must remember this."

"This is your eternal home, and I am the one you should look at, think about, and love."

"As for all that mess outside, forget about it, including that Xu Zhao."

"As long as you behave, I won't touch him again, and your aunt will receive the best care."

"But if you have any more inappropriate thoughts... then it won't be a matter of just sleeping it off."

Xu Zhao was indeed only put to sleep by some special means.

Zhou Xu'an only wanted to achieve his desired goal.

In a society governed by the rule of law, he had no intention of going to extremes, as that would be bad for everyone.

After saying that, he didn't give Shen Yan a chance to speak again. He got up and went straight to the open kitchen connected to the living room. "Let's eat."

Shen Yan stood there, motionless.

Zhou Xu'an walked to the head of the table and sat down, emphasizing his words: "Yan Yan, I said, let's eat."

Shen Yan closed his eyes, finally put down his backpack, and walked over.

He sat down in silence, and a bowl of thick soup was placed in front of him.

"Try it, Aunt Li stewed it all afternoon." Zhou Xu'an looked at him, "After you left, she always talked about it, wondering if you could get used to the food outside."

Shen Yan stared at the bowl of soup in front of him, a soup he used to love.

He suddenly looked up at Zhou Xu'an and asked, "Zhou Xu'an, are you like this with every one of your lovers?"

Zhou Xu'an slowly ate a bite of food before asking, "What's it like?"

"Coercion," Shen Yan stared at Zhou Xu'an with bloodshot eyes, "using people or things they care about to tie them to your side, forcing them to obey. Do you do this to every... lover?"

"Since there are so many fresh, obedient, and won't run away outside... why does it have to be me?" Shen Yan asked, genuinely puzzled. "Is it because my leaving on my own initiative hurt your pride, making you feel humiliated, that you have to bring me back to prove that you, Zhou Xu'an, are superior and can get anything, right?"

As Zhou Xu'an listened to Shen Yan's hoarse questioning, he looked into Shen Yan's eyes, which had once been filled with love and dependence for him, but now only showed weariness and emptiness.

"There's no one else around." Zhou Xu'an picked up a piece of pork rib and placed it on Shen Yan's plate. "From now on, I only have you, Yan Yan."

Zhou Xu'an's self-proclaimed affectionate words sounded to Shen Yan like a death sentence.

He didn't know how much truth there was in Zhou Xu'an's words.

But he had long since stopped loving Zhou Xu'an.

The love they once shared had long been shattered by daily suspicions, arguments, and betrayals, and finally, with Zhou Xu'an's ruthless coercion of his mother and Xu Zhao, it was completely destroyed.

At this moment, even if Zhou Xu'an's "prodigal son's return" is true, it will not make him grateful; he will only feel that there is no relief.

He suddenly realized that asking any further questions was pointless.

He could only wait until the day Zhou Xu'an got tired of him.

He stopped asking questions, lowered his head, and numbly picked up the piece of pork rib.

This sweet and sour pork ribs dish was originally Aunt Li's specialty; it was perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, tender and flavorful.

But now, as he chewed it, he found it tasted like wax.

After swallowing it, he felt nauseous.

When Zhou Xu'an saw that Shen Yan had finally touched the food he had picked up, his expression softened considerably.

This means softening.

"Eat slowly." He picked up another piece of vegetables and put it on Shen Yan's plate.

Shen Yan lowered his eyes and numbly ate the next bite of food he didn't want to eat but had to.