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

West Mountain, study.

Xie Jing remained in the position of answering the phone, standing in the quiet study for a few seconds.

The apology was accepted, but Shang Song was still determined to break up. He even showed no anger or grievance, only calmness, detachment, and a perfunctory attitude in his eagerness to end the conversation.

He put down his phone and looked out the window.

"Knock, knock, knock." The regular, steady knocking broke the silence of the room.

Xie Jing glanced at the carved door, then stepped back to sit at his desk and said, "Come in."

Lin Zhou pushed open the door and entered. The middle-aged man, dressed in a dark, impeccably pressed suit, stopped three steps away from the desk and gave a slight bow.

"Good morning, Master. I have compiled a brief summary of the information regarding Qingguo Mutual Arts that you requested yesterday."

Xie Jing nodded slightly, but instead of looking at the tablet beside Lin Zhou, he looked at Lin Zhou and spoke:

"Yesterday in the rare book section, when he approached, I instinctively used an over-the-shoulder throw. Although I held back at the end, the move... was completed."

Lin Zhou subconsciously looked up at Xie Jing.

The young patriarch sat behind a wide sandalwood desk, his posture exceptionally straight, yet exuding a distinct sense of tension. The most precious hands of the ancient book restorer were now wrapped in a white bandage, presumably from an injury sustained yesterday.

He immediately lowered his gaze and replied, "This subordinate understands. This is the patriarch's instinctive reaction, not intentional."

The patriarch's deeply ingrained defense mechanism was not simply a matter of obsessive-compulsive disorder or introversion, but rather a kind of... helplessness.

It was definitely not intentional.

"Hmm." Xie Jing responded, his tone unusually hesitant. "Afterwards, I was a little annoyed. But at the time, a batch of bamboo slips was in the critical stage of decolorization, and I couldn't delay it."

Maintaining the vast sea of ​​ancient books within the library was a responsibility that successive heads of the Xie family could not neglect.

Each step in the restoration of ancient books has a strict time limit; if it is missed, the damage will be irreplaceable.

Lin Zhou nodded slightly. "Yes, the timing of the repair is crucial and cannot be delayed."

"Now, he's broken up with me." Xie Jing said, her long eyelashes drooping, casting a small shadow under her eyes. "It might be because of that over-the-shoulder throw, or it might be because I didn't comfort him in time afterward."

"We just spoke on the phone, and I apologized again. He accepted it, but his stance on breaking up hasn't changed." He leaned forward slightly, looked up, his gaze fixed on Lin Zhou, and finally asked the only question he cared about at that moment:

"Lin Zhou, in this situation, what's the usual way to salvage the situation?"

Lin Zhou was completely stunned, and for a moment even doubted whether he had misheard.

He had been by Xie Jing's side for nearly twenty years, witnessing the patriarch's profound and dignified demeanor in his youth, as well as his strategic planning over the years. But he never imagined that one day the patriarch would ask him such a personal question with such a bewildered tone.

"Make amends..." Lin Zhou repeated the word with difficulty, his brain racing in shock, trying to extract useful information from his limited knowledge.

He considered it carefully before speaking with extreme caution: "Master, this... usually requires first determining the main reason why the other person is determined to break up. The over-the-shoulder throw and subsequent neglect you mentioned may have been the trigger that made them decide to break up, but the root cause of the breakdown in the relationship... may not be limited to that."

"The root cause?" Xie Jing frowned again. "He just said 'it's inappropriate,' but I think that's just an excuse."

Lin Zhou was silent for two seconds before replying, "...Patriarch, perhaps that wasn't just an excuse."

"Not just an excuse?" Xie Jing frowned even more, gesturing for him to continue.

"Yes." Lin Zhou took a deep breath and analyzed, "Mr. Shang is a student in the Digital Media Arts Department, and he has a rather lively and outgoing personality. Your interactions with him are fixed on Thursday afternoons in the ancient book reading room, and the content mainly consists of serious academic discussions..."

He observed Xie Jing's expression, and seeing that Xie Jing did not interrupt, he continued, "This pattern may differ significantly from the daily interactions that most young couples expect, such as dining together, playing together, and more frequent physical contact. Over time, the one who actively invests emotionally may gradually feel... that their emotional needs are not being met, thus becoming disheartened."

Xie Jing's fingers, resting on the sandalwood armrest, unconsciously tightened.

Lin Zhou's statement implies that he was not completely unaware of the situation.

He knew that his abnormality made his relationship with Shang Song abnormal as well. He had thought about taking things further with Shang Song, such as having meals together, watching movies, and taking walks like a normal couple. But every time he had the thought, he couldn't break through his own limitations.

She felt fear and timidity, afraid of losing her composure in front of Shang Song, or even showing her embarrassing side.

Just like yesterday's over-the-shoulder throw, afterwards, he couldn't even help Shang Song up.

So he convinced himself that Shang Song's smile was always bright and he never missed an appointment.

Perhaps Shang Song thought that things could continue like this between them.

He craved that stable companionship and warmth, and preferred to believe that the other person was equally satisfied.

However, the truth is probably that the other party has only been enduring and compromising on one side.

Lin Zhou held his breath and waited; the study was so quiet that only the sound of his own rapid heartbeat could be heard.

Xie Jing sat behind his desk, his eyes lowered, remaining silent.

After a long while, he exhaled almost inaudibly, his expression returning to its usual calm.

"I understand." Xie Jing didn't press further, and his voice was devoid of emotion. "Leave Qingguo's information here, and you can go back to your work."

"Yes." Lin Zhou felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He immediately put down the report, bowed, and left, gently closing the heavy, carved wooden door behind him.

The study was once again enveloped in silence.

Xie Jing's gaze fell on the quiet phone; the screen was dark.

Xie Jing sat there, motionless for a long time.

Xie Jing didn't pick up his phone again until the sunlight shifted a little further.

He turned on the screen, unlocked it, and opened the dialog box that still had no new messages.

He typed:

"Regarding yesterday's incident and the many inappropriate things that happened in our previous interactions, I apologize again. I understand that words may be inadequate, and if you are willing, I hope to have the opportunity to apologize to you in person and offer some necessary explanations or compensation. Tonight at 7 PM, I wonder if you are free? The location can be any place you find comfortable. Looking forward to your reply."

send.

The message successfully turned into a green bubble and appeared in the dialog box.

Xie Jing placed his phone on the table, screen facing up.

He sat there quietly, his eyes fixed on his phone screen, making sure he could see the reply as soon as possible.

Five more minutes.

Another ten minutes.

Just when he thought the other person might not reply to him again, his phone screen suddenly lit up.

Xie Jing's eyes immediately lit up, and he picked up his phone.

Finally, a new white bubble appeared in the dialog box.

"Professor Xie, no need. You are a respectable person; let's part ways amicably and not keep in touch."

Xie Jing sat silently, holding his phone, the light from the screen reflecting in his unfathomable eyes.

Decent.

He thought he was trying to win her back, but in her eyes, he had lost his "dignity" and become a "harasser" who needed to be clearly warned or even ordered to stop.

After a while, the screen automatically dimmed because no one was using it.

The birds outside the window have flown away at some point, leaving only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the bamboo grove in the courtyard, a desolate and mournful sound.

He finally moved, his fingertips tracing the cold body of the phone, but instead of turning on the screen, he flipped the phone over, screen down, and gently placed it on the smooth sandalwood table.

after all.

Getting entangled is the most undignified thing to do.

Xie Jing, on the other hand, was taught from birth to be proper, composed, to keep his emotions in check, and to act with moderation and restraint.

Dignity is a quality ingrained in one's very being.

Sometimes, it is also a kind of invisible constraint.