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

When interacting with Xie Jing, avoid physical contact; you'll be responsible for the consequences.

Shang Song had been thinking about it for a year and finally decided to pay.

He started by touching Xie Jing's hand, not his butt. What could be the big deal?

then.

At 4:55 p.m., Shang Song sat in the ancient book section of the S University Library, staring at Xie Jing's hand resting on the edge of the table.

Cold white, slender, with distinct joints.

No wonder it's the work of a top-notch ancient book restorer.

Unfortunately, like those fragile ancient books, it can only be looked at but not touched.

This is so outrageous that no one would believe it if you told them.

In the past year.

Every Thursday afternoon from 2 pm to 5 pm, in the rare book section of S University Library, in this third reading room that is never open to the public.

He would search for all sorts of difficult questions on Baidu beforehand, and no matter how tricky those questions were, Xie Jing would answer them.

However, at five o'clock sharp, Xie Jing would get up on time, say "See you next week," and leave gracefully.

There was no holding hands, no hugging, no intimacy that couples should have.

They've never even shared a meal or watched a movie together.

Not to mention the bunch of idiots in his dorm laughing at him, even Plato himself recognized his expertise.

Today, even the King of Heaven himself has come, and he's going to take this hand!

Then, if things go smoothly, we might hug, kiss, or even go to a hotel room...

Shang Song subtly adjusted his posture, pretending to be stumped by the obscure book in front of him. He frowned, leaned forward slightly, and "accidentally" knocked over his pencil case with his left hand.

Several pens obediently rolled to the center of the table.

Now! Shang Song! Go!

Shang Song suddenly stretched out his right hand, slightly damp and trembling, aiming directly at the hand he had been longing for!

My fingertips were just one centimeter away from that pale skin!

In the blink of an eye.

Shang Song didn't even see Xie Jing's movements clearly.

He felt a sudden tightening of his wrist, a tremendous force coming through him, and he felt dizzy and disoriented. His body lurched forward uncontrollably, and the cold, hard corner of the solid wood table suddenly loomed large in front of him!

It’s over.

The impact was so severe that even a broken nose would be considered a minor injury.

He closed his eyes in fright, his heart pounded at 180 beats per minute, and all the blood rushed to his head. Just as he was about to perform the act of how old he was, Xie Jing suddenly released the force of his grip on Shang Song's hand, and with lightning speed, his other hand steadily supported his cheek, preventing him from possibly touching the corner of the solid wood table.

Shang Song felt his cheek brush against a warm, dry patch of skin, and then he was pulled by a force and fell hard onto the cold floor next to the table.

He slumped down, utterly terrified, his wide eyes meeting Xie Jing's face, which was inches away from his own.

Xie Jing knelt on one knee in front of him, the sharp, cold light in his deep eyes not yet completely gone.

Even Xie Jing's first reaction wasn't to check if he was alright, but rather to suddenly raise his eyes and sharply scan the entire silent reading room.

The shadows behind the bookshelves, the distant entrance to the corridor, the shadows of trees outside the window.

His gaze was cold, his eyes wary.

Shang Song had only ever seen that kind of look in police and gangster movies.

After Xie Jing checked the surroundings, his gaze returned to Shang Song's pale face, which was filled with fear.

His brows seemed to furrow slightly, and a rare look of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

He said, "...Sorry, I'm not used to sudden touches."

He reached out as if to help Shang Song up, but just before touching Shang Song's sleeve, his fingertips trembled inexplicably. Then, the hand that had been scratched by the corner of the solid wood table with a blurry bloodstain quickly curled up and clenched into a fist.

"...Are you alright?" he asked again.

Shang Song was still shaken, but he nodded.

Xie Jing opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something comforting, but said nothing.

After a few seconds of silence, Xie Jing raised his hand to glance at his watch, and uttered a few dry words, "That's all for today, see you next week."

After saying that, he stood up, hurriedly packed his things, turned around and walked past Shang Song, who was still sitting on the ground in a daze, and quickly left the reading room.

The footsteps faded into the distance and disappeared.

Shang Song sat blankly on the floor, his buttocks and wrists aching, and the warmth of the other person's palm still seemed to linger on his cheek.

So... he almost got thrown over his shoulder by his boyfriend just because he tried to hold his hand?

"Ha..." he chuckled softly.

June is summer, and it's graduation season again. The sunlight at this time of year is still dazzling.

Shang Song slowly got up, patted his pants, and walked unsteadily to the window.

Downstairs, that familiar black SUV silently glided out. It had no markings, its body lines were cold and hard, and its windows were a distinctive dark color.

The second brother, who calls himself a "car expert," said that the car is probably a custom-made model, and as for the glass... it's definitely bulletproof.

The car smoothly turned, accelerated, and disappeared.

He stared in the direction the car had disappeared, his phone buzzing in his pocket.

He pulled it out, and the video call requests in the dormitory group chat were flashing wildly, with the screen below filled with messages.

Third Brother: @Song It's 5 o'clock!!! Where's the battle report???

Second Brother: @Song, how far have we progressed?! Hundreds of thousands of brothers in the live stream are waiting!

Boss: Take this video call! Give me a straight answer, whether he's dead or alive! Did you spot him?! Even a single finger will do!

Shang Song did not answer the video call or reply.

He didn't even touch the door handles of that black SUV, let alone his hands.

My memory was suddenly pulled back to a Thursday when it was pouring rain.

The same "date" ended, and Shang Song, without an umbrella, stood under the eaves of the library, watching the torrential rain, with some inappropriate expectations.

In this weather, wouldn't Xie Jing at least ask him how he's getting home? Or maybe... offer him a ride?

Then he saw the black SUV slide to the edge of the veranda and stop in front of him.

The passenger window slowly rolled down, revealing Xie Jing's expressionless profile. Then, he reached out and handed over something.

It was a black, long-handled umbrella.

The umbrella has thick, sturdy ribs and a heavy, solid canopy. It feels heavy in the hand, more like a weapon than a rain gear.

"The rain is heavy, be careful on the road." Xie Jing's voice was mixed with the sound of rain, and then the car window rolled up smoothly, blocking his face.

Then, the car silently disappeared into the vast rain, its taillights blurring rapidly in the dense raindrops until they vanished.

Shang Song was left holding that ridiculously heavy umbrella, looking like a clown at the empty driveway.

The phone in his pocket vibrated again, abruptly pulling Shang Song back to reality from his cold, damp memories.

He numbly reached for his phone, and the screen lit up—it was an email notification.

Sender: Qingguo Interactive Arts HR

Title: Offer of Employment - Technical Art Intern

Qingguo Interactive! That top-tier game company where he stayed up countless all night preparing his portfolio and even went through three rounds of interviews!

He passed?! He really passed?!

He gripped his phone tightly, his eyes welling up with tears.

He wanted to jump, to shout, to immediately share the joy of the explosion with everyone!

He immediately opened the dormitory group chat:

"I didn't get to touch it, but I touched something bigger! Daddy, I got an internship offer from Qingguo!!"

"Hot pot, barbecue, and crayfish tonight! You can choose the place, and there's unlimited beer—it's on me!!!"

The group exploded.

The screen was filled with "Awesome," "Daddy," and "Congratulations."

Shang Song smiled and watched for a while, then exited the group chat and opened the pinned chat window.

♥ Xie Jing

The last message in the chat box was from a week ago.

It was a philological question he had searched on Baidu, and Xie Jing gave a brief answer.

He typed: "I got an offer from Qingguo Interactive Arts."

Send, screen off.