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

It was Sunday night.

In the gardens of Xishan, the moonlight is soft and gentle, and the ancient pines are lush and verdant.

Xie Jing sat on a Chinese-style sofa made of sandalwood on one side of the study, while Lin Zhou stood three steps away with his head bowed.

"This is today's...routine report." Lin Zhou's voice was very low, and if you listened carefully, you could even detect a hint of tension:

"This evening, Mr. Shang met with Chen Yu, the head of the UI department, at the Huanyu Plaza in the new district. Afterwards, they dined at Huimingxuan Cantonese Restaurant for about one hour and twenty minutes. Afterwards, the two went to Xingyue Cinema to watch the 8:10 PM showing of 'Deep Space,' a science fiction film with a runtime of 1 hour and 58 minutes. The movie is still showing."

Xie Jing did not speak immediately, his gaze fixed on the tablet in his hand.

On the tablet is a silhouette of the two people getting their tickets checked at the cinema entrance.

Shang Song was wearing a light gray sweater and dark gray casual pants. He was slender, but his smile was clean and bright.

Chen Yu walked beside him, slightly taller than Shang Song, and was wearing a casual suit.

To outsiders, the two walking together might be considered a well-matched couple.

"How many times has this happened?" he suddenly asked.

Lin Zhou felt a slight chill and immediately replied, "Master, since our first meal together at the end of October, this is the ninth time we've had a private meeting that wasn't work-related, including meals, movies, or exhibitions."

He paused, then added, "The frequency is stable at once or twice a week, usually on weekends. In addition, informal contact such as having lunch together on weekdays and going out together after get off work is even more frequent. Mr. Shang... has never refused any invitation."

"The ninth time," Xie Jing repeated in a low voice, his usually calm eyes seeming to hold some unsettling undercurrents, their light and shadow shifting.

The frequency was stable, and there was no rejection.

Obvious.

The relationship that ended because he was told it was "not right" is being replaced by another "right" relationship.

It turns out that the price of dignity is complete loss.

He could no longer sit in his study listening to these useless reports.

Xie Jing closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. All the turmoil in his eyes seemed to have subsided. He said, "Prepare the car."

Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked up at the family head.

Xie Jing stood up from the sofa, casually tossed the tablet aside, walked straight to the coat rack, took down a dark cashmere coat, and smoothly put it on.

"Patriarch." Lin Zhou subconsciously took half a step forward, lowering his voice even further, and reminded him:

"The cinema and its surrounding area are public, densely populated areas. Although our personnel have been maintaining regular surveillance, if you go there in person, the risk of exposure and uncontrollable variables will increase significantly. Should we... further enhance the security around the area? Or, should my subordinates go instead...?"

"No need," Xie Jing interrupted him, adjusting his cuffs. His profile was long and slender like bamboo in the light and shadow. "Prepare the car, now."

He was concise and to the point, offering no explanation, no hesitation, and not even giving Lin Zhou any further opportunity to speak.

Lin Zhou swallowed all his words and bowed, replying, "Yes. The convoy will be in position immediately, and the route and emergency plan will be activated simultaneously."

He said no more, quickly stepped aside, and sent out the instructions in coded form through a specially made communicator.

In less than three minutes, three unmarked SUVs were quietly parked in the shadows of the east gate of Xishan Garden.

Xie Jing sat in the back seat of the middle vehicle.

Lin Zhou got into the passenger seat and nodded slightly to the driver in the driver's seat.

With the lead car leading the way and the rear guard following behind, the convoy smoothly drove out of the mountain road inside Xishan.

Just as they drove out of the Xishan mountain road and silently merged into the traffic on the city's main road, several equally inconspicuous dark-colored vehicles silently glided out from the auxiliary road intersection, controlling just the right distance and speed, forming a mobile protective circle around the main vehicle.

Further away, a van equipped with a full set of top-of-the-line emergency medical equipment is heading towards its designated relay support point.

Xie Jing leaned back in the back seat, his profile reflecting the rapidly passing neon lights outside the window, the light and shadow shifting and changing.

He knew what this meant.

He was acting in an undignified manner, stepping into territory that the other party had clearly rejected.

Reason was reminding me to exercise restraint, but my emotions had already crossed all the warning lines.

Underground parking lot of Huanyu Commercial Plaza.

The windows of the SUV in the middle are tinted with one-way film, allowing a clear view of the outside from inside.

Xie Jing sat in the back seat, his gaze calmly fixed on the cinema's private exit passage.

Lin Zhou sat in the passenger seat, listening to the brief confirmation sounds from various control points through his earpiece.

Time passed second by second.

Xie Jing remained unmoved throughout.

Finally, the movie ended, and people began to pour out of the exit.

Shang Song walked beside Chen Yu, seemingly still excitedly gesturing to a special effects scene from a famous movie, his eyes sparkling.

Chen Yu listened with a indulgent smile on his face, and naturally reached out and put his hand on Shang Song's lower back.

What appears to be a simple act of protecting Shang Song from being bumped by pedestrians is actually brimming with possessiveness.

Xie Jing's fingers, resting on his knees, curled slightly.

The two chatted and laughed as they got into Chen Yu's white SUV.

The convoy maintained a safe distance and followed silently.

The white SUV eventually slid into the temporary parking area below Shang Song's apartment building.

The car was turned off, but the interior lights were on.

Through the windshield, you could vaguely see that the two people were not ready to get out of the car immediately, and seemed to be talking about something.

Xie Jing's car was parked in the shadows ten meters away.

He watched in silence.

Inside the car, Chen Yu turned to face Shang Song, his smile gentle.

He reached out and brushed aside the stray hairs on Shang Song's forehead, his fingers finally landing on the side of his cheek, gently caressing it.

Shang Song seemed to be stunned for a moment, and his body unconsciously shrank back a little.

But he quickly regained control of that momentary stiffness.

He lowered his eyelashes and did not look away again.

Chen Yu's smile deepened as he slowly leaned forward.

The target is clear: the forehead.

Just as his lips were about to touch Shang Song's forehead.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud was heard, as if something had hit the driver's side door of the car.

Chen Yu suddenly stopped moving, frowned, and subconsciously turned his head to look out the window on his side.

A man wearing a helmet and a food delivery uniform was hurriedly picking up a fallen shared bicycle, nodding repeatedly to apologize to the rider inside, before quickly riding off.

It seems to be just a trivial little incident.

Chen Yu turned his head, wanting to continue the unfinished kiss, but the natural atmosphere from just moments ago had dissipated.

Shang Song seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as well. Taking advantage of the moment, he reached for his seatbelt and said in a light tone, "Oh dear! It's getting windy and a bit chilly. I'll go up now. The movie was great tonight, and thank you for dinner too!"

A hint of regret flashed across Chen Yu's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure, smiling and nodding, "I'm glad you like it. Go on upstairs and get some rest. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow! Be careful on the road." Shang Song got out of the car, waved to Chen Yu, and walked briskly towards the apartment entrance.

Chen Yu sat in the car for a few seconds, watching Shang Song's figure disappear in the direction of the lobby elevator, before starting the car and leaving.

The white SUV merged into the traffic and gradually disappeared into the distance.

Xie Jing remained silent in the shadows.

He maintained his original posture, his gaze slowly shifting from the apartment building entrance to the spot where Chen Yu had intended to kiss him.

The dim streetlights, filtering through the one-way membrane, cast deep shadows between his deep-set eyes.

That almost successful kiss on the forehead replayed in his mind like a slow-motion scene from a movie.

When Chen Yu leaned forward, his eyes held both tenderness and a determined look.

For a moment, Shang Song instinctively shrank back, but in the end, he chose to comply.

Every detail is crystal clear.

Lin Zhou carefully observed Xie Jing in the back seat through the rearview mirror in the passenger seat.

Xie Jing's face was expressionless, even more so than usual, but the silent, pervasive coldness made Lin Zhou, who was used to seeing all kinds of storms, feel a chill in his heart.

A storm is brewing.

He held his breath, afraid to make a sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Jing suddenly moved.

"Wait downstairs." Xie Jing got out of the car, his voice cold.

"Patriarch..." Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat. He turned his head, trying to say something, such as at least asking him to accompany him, but Xie Jing had already gotten out of the car, and the car door slammed shut, without even leaving him a glance.

Xie Jing strode out, not even bothering to straighten his clothes, and walked straight toward the apartment building's entrance.

Decent?

Is being dignified simply sitting in a car watching someone touch Shang Song's lower back? Watching Shang Song calmly accept someone else's kiss?

No.

Screw dignity.