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

With each sentence Xu Zhao spoke, Zhou Xu'an's breathing became heavier.

Zhou Xu'an's chest heaved violently, his eyes filled with venom as he stared intently at Xu Zhao.

Xu Zhao's words hit his sore spots.

Company image, personal reputation, investor confidence, the game's public opinion environment... these things are a thousand times, ten thousand times more important than his anger and possessiveness at this moment.

He looked around and saw the people upstairs recording videos with their phones. He knew that he couldn't take Shen Yan away today no matter what. If he continued to argue, this reckless "deliveryman" would really make a big fuss, and the losses would be far greater than what could be recovered from a moment of anger.

"Fine...very fine." Zhou Xu'an squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, with a vicious threat: "We'll see."

He glanced at Shen Yan, whose face was deathly pale, with complicated emotions, then gave Xu Zhao a cold look, as if trying to memorize her face. He then turned around abruptly, his steps still a little unsteady, but he forced himself to maintain his composure and walked toward his car.

The Mercedes practically launched itself off the road and disappeared into the night in an instant, leaving only a faint, unpleasant smell of exhaust fumes.

Only after the car was completely out of sight did Xu Zhao spit in the direction it had disappeared.

He turned to look at Shen Yan, and the fierce and provocative expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by the happy expression of a Samoyed puppy.

It's as fast as a face change.

"Are you alright? Were you scared? Why is your face so pale? Are you cold?"

He was tall and slightly bent over, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Shen Yan's pale face, his concern undisguised.

Like a large dog whimpering anxiously around its injured companion.

"N-nothing," Shen Yan said softly, his fingers tightening around the lunchbox. "Thank you. Let's go upstairs."

Xu Zhao nodded repeatedly, then glanced at the upstairs houses where people were closing their windows as the excitement died down. He then scratched his head in frustration, "Damn it, I should have yelled at him more. That bastard got off easy. Come on, let's go upstairs, it's freezing cold outside!"

Without saying a word, he pushed the still somewhat dazed Shen Yan towards the building entrance, and took the insulated bag from Shen Yan's arms.

Shen Yan was being pushed around, his mind still foggy, and he hadn't fully come to his senses yet.

The harsh and hurtful words Xu Zhao had just spoken still echoed in his ears, and the image of him standing in front of him, twisting Zhou Xu'an's wrist, was still vivid in his mind's eye...

In the dimly lit stairwell, motion-activated lights illuminated one floor at a time.

Upon reaching the door, Shen Yan tried the keyhole several times before finally opening it.

As soon as the door opened, a chilling, medicinal smell mixed with an even stronger odor than in the hallway rushed out.

Xu Zhao followed him inside, and he was clearly stunned for a moment when he saw the scene inside.

It was a small, cramped, and simple single room with a bed on which lay an elderly person whose mobility was clearly limited, and a makeshift bed on the floor in the corner.

The hanging air conditioner was quiet, with no running sound, no indicator light, and the air vent was completely dark.

Shen Yan noticed the stunned look on Xu Zhao's face, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his own. He said in a low voice, "The house... is a bit messy. Please sit down."

He himself felt that his words were powerless; the room was as cold as an ice cellar, and sitting anywhere was torture.

Xu Zhao didn't move.

He stood at the door, his gaze shifting from the frail old man on the bed to Shen Yan's pale face, and then back to the lifeless air conditioner.

He suddenly strode in, didn't look for a place to sit, but went straight to the air conditioner, probed the vent, and asked, "Is the air conditioner broken?"

In S City, winter nights without air conditioning or heating are unbearable for most people, let alone a bedridden patient.

Shen Yan lowered his eyes, tacitly agreeing.

He opened the lunchbox that Xu Zhao had brought.

The steam had dissipated, but the aroma was still strong.

Various kinds of meat, steamed fish, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, chicken soup... the abundance seemed out of place in this cold and dilapidated environment.

Xu Zhao looked at Shen Yan's silent profile as he set out the meal, then at the old man on the bed who was drawn by the aroma but was too weak to get up. The anger that had been fueled by Zhou Xu'an was now mixed with a sharper pang of heartache.

"We can't stay here! It's so cold, how can Auntie stand it?"

His gaze darted back and forth between Shen Yan and Shen's mother, and he spoke rapidly:

"That bastard who found this place will definitely come back to cause trouble! Listen to me, I have an empty house nearby that's been unoccupied! It was just cleaned during the New Year's cleaning, and the heating is still on! How about you stay there for a few days? After the New Year, when the air conditioner is fixed, or you can think of another way!"

He didn't mention that it was the "wedding room" his parents had prepared for him.

Seeing that Shen Yan's lips were about to refuse, Xu Zhao immediately interjected, "Don't be in such a hurry to say no. That house is just sitting empty anyway. I don't usually go there, so why would I have to keep thinking about it? Besides, I still have to pay the heating bill even if I don't live there! If you guys go over, then my heating bill won't have been wasted, right?"

"Besides, if you move there now, that person definitely won't be able to find you for a while. At least you can have a peaceful New Year with your aunt, and you can finally catch your breath. I'm begging you, okay?"

He spoke clumsily and ingratiatingly, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Shen Yan, like a big dog eagerly bringing its kennel, waiting to be accepted.

Shen Yan stopped setting the table long ago. He turned to look at his mother's pale face, felt the chill in the room, and thought about the possibility that Zhou Xu'an might return. The words of refusal stuck in his throat.

"But this is too much trouble for you," he said.

"No trouble at all! Really no trouble!" Seeing his softened attitude, Xu Zhao's eyes lit up, and she immediately seized the opportunity: "I'll call a car right away! My childhood friend has a van! The kind you can lie down in, so we can pick Auntie up comfortably. You hurry up and pack the important things, medicine, clothes, and these!"

He pointed to the lunchbox he had brought, his tone extremely cheerful: "That house has everything in the kitchen, so we can have a hot meal as soon as we get there!"

As he spoke, he took out his phone, quickly dialed a number, walked to the window, and whispered a few words.

After hanging up the phone, he gave Shen Yan a thumbs-up, his tone excited: "I'll be right there! Da Bin's nearby, he's bored out of his mind!"

Seeing his enthusiastic demeanor, as if he were about to take people on a picnic, Shen Yan's initial apprehension lessened somewhat.

Without further hesitation, he turned around and quickly packed up his mother's usual medicines, some changes of clothes, toiletries, and carefully rearranged the food that Xu Zhao had brought, putting it into a bag.

The movements were hurried; they were being pushed forward.

Xu Zhao wasn't idle either. He walked to the bedside, bent down, and said to Shen's mother in an unusually gentle and patient tone that Shen Yan had never heard before, "Auntie, let's move to a warmer place for a few days. It's too cold here, and it's not good for your health. Don't worry, I'll carry you downstairs in a bit. Just lean on me; I'm very strong."

Shen's mother's eyes flickered as she looked at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan walked over, took his mother's cold hand, and nodded gently.

Then, Shen's mother closed her eyes briefly in gratitude to Xu Zhao.

Not long after, several short honking sounds came from downstairs.

Xu Zhao peeked out and exclaimed, "They're here!"

He immediately sprang into action, first wrapping Shen's mother tightly in a thick quilt, then finding a blanket to cover her head, before turning around and asking Shen Yan to help transfer his mother onto his back.

His movements were careful and steady, his tall figure crouching low, his broad back making him seem extremely reliable.

Shen's mother lay steadily on his back. Xu Zhao carefully stood up, weighed himself in his arms, adjusted his position to make sure Shen's mother was comfortable, and then took a step.

"Shen Yan, hold on tight with your things, and just close the door behind you."

The corridor was narrow and dark, and Xu Zhao, carrying someone on her back, dared not walk fast.

Shen Yan followed behind, carrying large and small bags, watching Xu Zhao walking ahead of him, a certain part of his heart...

It tastes sour and astringent.