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

When Xie Jing came out of the restoration room, the moon was already high in the sky in the West Hill Garden.

It's 11 p.m.

He had just finished the final stages of restoration work on a batch of his family's ancient books, and the smell of some special reagent still lingered on his body.

He walked around the connecting corridors and through several moon gates before finally returning to the main building of the courtyard where he lived.

At this moment, the Xishan Garden, which covers hundreds of acres, is so quiet that it seems as if he is the only one there.

He went to the bathroom to wash away his fatigue, changed into his pajamas, and then walked to the sandalwood desk on one side of the study.

The phone lay quietly in a corner of the desk, screen facing down.

He maintains a precise schedule and does not handle communication information immediately unless absolutely necessary, especially after 10 p.m., when all communication devices are left idle.

But...at this moment.

He picked up his phone and unlocked it.

The screen lights up, but there are no missed call notifications.

Of course, almost no one will call him.

He clicked on the green icon.

The WeChat interface is exceptionally simple.

There are no subscription accounts, no group chats, and the only contact in the address book is named "Shang Song".

The profile picture is a warm, cuddly little orange cat.

There are two unread messages.

He clicked on it.

The first item: "I received an offer from Qingguo Interactive Arts."

Sending time: 17:07

The second line: "Professor Xie, let's break up."

Sending time: 22:21

Xie Jing's gaze swept over the two lines of text, and he frowned almost imperceptibly.

Qingguo Huyi, the name sounds familiar.

Lin Zhou reported last year or the year before that the company's growth in the domestic cultural and creative technology sector was relatively good, and its offshore fund had participated in several rounds of funding. The financial data in the past two years has been acceptable.

Lin Zhou was handling the specific affairs. He didn't know exactly what kind of company it was, only vaguely remembering that the users were mostly young.

Now that Shang Song is going to work there, perhaps... we can have Lin Zhou come over tomorrow to give a detailed report on the company's current situation.

If operations remain stable, additional funding may be available in the next round.

But before that, Shang Song getting his desired internship opportunity is something to celebrate.

He seemed to want to open the chat box to reply, but his gaze was fixed on the second line of text.

separate.

Xie Jing's brows furrowed even more deeply.

His fingertips curled slightly in a tiny arc on the phone screen, but he didn't reply immediately.

Why?

He recalled this afternoon.

Is it because of that over-the-shoulder throw?

Shang Song tried to approach, and he instinctively went on the defensive.

However, the force was withdrawn in time, and no actual damage was caused.

Furthermore, after that unexpected event, Shang Song shared his good news, which can be seen as a sign that his enthusiasm was not dampened.

So, was it because he didn't reply immediately after the other person shared the good news?

But before meeting Shang Song in the afternoon, he started a decolorization and soaking process for a batch of bamboo slips. The bamboo slips were severely alkalized and needed to be soaked precisely in a solvent of a specific concentration for 4 hours and 25 minutes to achieve the best results without excessively damaging the bamboo fibers.

He had calculated the time and knew that he would arrive at the processing point just as he returned to Xishan after the meeting.

The soaking time window for bamboo slips is crucial. The next steps of rinsing and neutralizing must be completed within a precise time frame; otherwise, all previous efforts will be wasted, and irreversible damage to the bamboo slips may even be caused.

The repair work required complete concentration, so he habitually left his phone in the study.

He slowly sat down on the large sandalwood chair, the lamplight casting his shadow on the ancient books covering the wall, silent and aloof.

For the past year, every Thursday afternoon, from 14:00 PM to 17:00 PM.

He met with Shang Song regularly and without fail at the library, answering his academic questions, guiding him to read more in-depth classics, providing him with high-quality stationery and materials, paying attention to his health, and reminding him of his routine.

Isn't this a stable, beneficial, and constructive relationship?

He needs to confirm the specific reasons why the other person decided to break up.

Making a direct phone call is the most efficient method, but given that it's currently nighttime and a rest period, it's not the preferred option.

Xie Jing picked up her phone and opened the chat window.

The cursor blinked, he pondered for a moment, and finally typed a line:

"Received. But why?"

send.

After sending the message, Xie Jing placed his phone on the table with the screen facing up, and it remained on.

He leaned back in his wide chair, his gaze unconsciously falling on the image of the little orange cat on the screen.

Warm and fluffy.

Just like the sunlight that fell on Shang Song when I first met him a year ago.

That was the corridor of the ancient book restoration room at S University. He had just checked the restoration progress of a batch of modern books and was on his way back to Xishan.

A figure suddenly darted out from the distant sunlight, carrying several copies of "Shuowen Jiezi" (a dictionary of Chinese characters) with the plastic wrap still intact, and blocked his way three steps away.

If they go any closer, they will be encroaching on his required safe distance.

"Thank you, Professor!"

His voice sounded somewhat nervous, but mostly reckless.

The afternoon sun gilded Shang Song's flushed face with a fuzzy golden edge. His eyes were bright as he looked up at him, his gaze filled with undisguised... fervor and adoration.

At that moment, Xie Jing inexplicably thought of his nameless little orange cat from his childhood.

The little orange cat also looked at him with those wet and cautious eyes.

"I...I'm Shang Song! I'm a student in the Digital Media Arts Department!" Shang Song's voice trembled as he stammered, "I...I especially love ancient scripts! I heard you're an expert in this field! Can...can I study under you?!"

Xie Jing's gaze swept over the reference book in Shang Song's arms, which had clearly never been opened, and then fell back on those overly bright eyes.

Digital media art?

It is far removed from the restoration of ancient books and the study of ancient scripts.

He had seen many such sudden "study" attempts, most of which ended without any progress.

He should have refused.

But perhaps the sunlight that day was too warm, or perhaps it was those eyes that reminded him of some memories from too long ago.

He said, "You can watch others read in the third reading room of the rare books section on Thursday afternoons."

At that moment, Shang Song's smile was more dazzling than the sunlight.

And then, this year came about.

Xie Jing's gaze returned to the phone screen.

The orange cat avatar representing "Shangsong" remained lit quietly, with no new message bubbles popping up.

He glanced at the time; ten minutes had passed since he sent the message.

Based on past communication experience, the other party usually responds very quickly.

Perhaps they've already rested.

Xie Jing tapped his fingertips lightly on the smooth sandalwood armrest, a habitual gesture he made when making a decision.

He picked up his phone, exited WeChat, found a short code without a name in his contacts, and dialed it.

The phone rang only once before it was quickly answered.

A calm and respectful voice came from the other end, showing no sign of fatigue even in the dead of night:

"Master of the family."

"Lin Zhou," Xie Jing's voice was as calm as ever, "come over tomorrow morning. I need to hear your report in person."

"Yes. Please indicate which matter you are referring to?"

Xie Jing: "Regarding Qingguo Mutual Aid."

Xie Jing cut to the chase: "I need to know whether a newly hired employee can receive sufficient support for growth there, and whether they will face unnecessary pressure or risks."

Lin Zhou on the other end of the phone was slightly surprised by this request.

Typically, in the domestic sector, the owner only inquires about strategic direction and reviews the final asset statements.

He paused for a moment before replying, "Understood, Master. I will prepare a detailed report, including its talent development system, internal promotion channels, employee benefits, and potential risk assessment. I will be in the study promptly at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Xie Jing: "Mm."

His partner is about to enter a new environment, and he should understand the specifics of that environment to ensure that his partner can adapt well there.

That makes sense.

The phone hangs up.

Xie Jing brought up WeChat again, but no new chat bubbles appeared in the conversation.

He put his phone back on the table, the screen always on, and picked up a catalog from beside him.

The above is a list of ancient books in the library that he will need to personally review or restore next.

However, those familiar book titles, editions, and descriptions of damage were now unbearable to look at.

His gaze would often drift unintentionally to the little orange cat avatar on the screen.

The little orange cat remained quiet throughout.