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

Shang Song had one hand in his pocket and the other holding the rare giant panda's hand. The giant panda was carrying a plastic bag containing a bottle of soy sauce.

The two strolled leisurely under the warm winter sun and turned into the residential area.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Shang's mother poked her head out of the window: "Songsong! Xiaoxie! You're back!"

The two smiled at each other and went upstairs.

Pushing open the door, the living room was filled with the aroma of food; lunch had already been prepared.

Mr. Shang exaggeratedly recounted how he outsmarted Teacher Guo, and how Teacher Guo took so many photos of Xie Jing's calligraphy that her phone ran out of battery before she left satisfied. Mrs. Shang listened while smiling and setting the table.

The atmosphere at lunchtime was peaceful and relaxed.

After lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Shang went out to pay New Year's visits with gifts. Xie Jing sat on the sofa reading a book, while Shang Song nestled in his arms, playing his now fully-equipped character in the game, slicing watermelons.

After all, putting aside the huge reaction his coming out as gay would cause among his relatives, just thinking about the scene of Xie Jing being surrounded by all sorts of aunts and uncles when he took Xie Jing with his parents to visit relatives for the New Year made him want to die.

So, staying warm and cozy at home, with a soft sofa, snuggling in Xie Jing's arms while cutting watermelon, and even sleeping in the same bed with Xie Jing at night, is the best way to spend the New Year.

The day I returned to S City was the eighth day of the lunar new year.

Lin Zhou and his driver arrived early in the morning, carried Xie Jing and Shang Song's luggage downstairs and settled it in, and then waited downstairs together.

After lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Shang reluctantly saw the two off downstairs. Before they left, Mrs. Shang gave Xie Jing a large red envelope, which Xie Jing solemnly accepted and thanked her.

After the two got into the car, Lin Zhou bowed slightly to Mr. and Mrs. Shang to say goodbye before getting into the passenger seat.

The driver slowly started the vehicle, and Shang Song clung to the car window, waving goodbye to his parents.

Once the car turned a corner and Shang Song could no longer see his parents, he dejectedly shrank back into his seat.

Shang Song looked down at Xie Jing's long, beautiful hand as he fastened his seatbelt and carefully straightened the collar of his down jacket.

He sniffed and thanked Xie Jing foolishly.

After the vehicle drove out of the residential area, the lead and backup vehicles slid out from the intersection to protect the main vehicle.

Shang Song watched the passing scenery of the small town outside the window for a while, then suddenly turned his head to tug at Xie Jing.

"Let me see the red envelope my parents gave you."

Xie Jing took the large red envelope out of his coat pocket and handed it to Shang Song.

Shang Song squeezed the thickness of the red envelope, then poured it out. There was a bundle of red envelopes and a separate one.

10001.

He held a bundle of banknotes in one hand and a single bill in the other, then turned to Xie Jing and asked, "Xie Jing, do you know what this means?"

Xie Jing pondered for a moment, "A blessing from an elder."

Shang Song put the money back into the red envelope. "Yes, but not entirely."

"In our area, when a child brings their partner home, the elders always give them a red envelope, and different amounts have different meanings."

He resealed the red envelope and handed it back to Xie Jing, saying, "For example, yours is 10001, which means one in ten thousand."

Shang Song looked up and said seriously, "So it means my parents think you're exceptional, one in a million, and they really, really approve of you."

Xie Jing accepted the red envelope, his fingertips lightly tracing the smooth paper. He nodded, "Yes, thank you, Uncle and Aunt."

Then, he carefully placed the red envelope into the inside pocket of his coat, and even patted it gently in front of Shang Song to indicate that he wouldn't lose it.

Shang Song chuckled as she watched his childish actions.

Xie Jing reached out, gesturing for him to come closer.

Shang Song tugged at the seatbelt, and then leaned into Xie Jing's arms.

The two adjusted their positions together, then comfortably embraced, watching the car turn onto the highway for the return journey.

The highway was extremely congested on the way back on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. The three-hour journey took a full five hours to finally get back to Xishan.

It was already dinnertime when they returned to Xishan. Xie Jing went to his study to handle some matters first, while Shang Song returned to Tingyun Residence.

While packing his things for the night from his suitcase at Tingyun Residence, he made a WeChat video call to Shang's mother.

Shang Song placed his phone on the table, and his parents squeezed into the small screen.

Mr. Shang: "We're finally here! It took us three hours to drive here!"

Shang Song: "Yeah! The roads are incredibly congested! I'll have to go out at a different time next year! There are just too many people on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year!"

Mrs. Shang: "It's alright, it's alright! It's good that we've arrived! Have you had dinner yet? Is it cold over there?"

Shang Song: "We haven't eaten yet. We'll pack up and go eat there later. It's a bit cold, and Xie Jing is located deep in the mountains, so it's very cold!"

Mr. and Mrs. Shang: "What deep mountains and forests?"

Shang Song slapped his thigh, picked up his phone from the table, switched the camera, and showed his parents what a deep mountain forest looked like.

Mr. and Mrs. Shang saw the pavilions and towers in the hazy twilight, just like scenes from a TV drama.

Mrs. Shang gasped, "Good heavens...this is the Xie family's house? This isn't a park, is it?"

Mr. Shang adjusted his reading glasses and brought his face close to the screen: "This is... a garden?! It looks like a royal palace!"

Shang Song: "His property! It's over a hundred acres! I haven't even explored the whole place yet."

As he spoke, he took his phone and walked out the door. He stood on a high spot in the courtyard and waved it around, showing his parents the artificial hill in the courtyard, the pavilions and towers on the outside, and the buildings in the distance.

It took Mrs. Shang a while to find her voice: "...How many people would it take to clean this?"

Shang Song was amused by his mother's focus: "Mom, don't worry about that! There are people who take care of it."

Mrs. Shang said "oh" twice, then asked, "Where's Xiao Xie? I haven't seen him. Isn't he with you?"

Shang Song turned his phone around, pointing it towards the main building. "Look, he lives there, about 200 meters away from here."

Mr. and Mrs. Shang leaned closer to the phone screen, making out the distant light, and then Mrs. Shang tentatively asked, "Don't you usually live together?"

Shang Song replied matter-of-factly, "We don't live together. I work during the week and live in my little apartment. He's also busy with things like restoring ancient books, so I only come here occasionally for a couple of days on weekends. I live here in Tingyun Residence, and he lives in his main building."

Mr. and Mrs. Shang looked at each other, then Mr. Shang asked, "So...you don't sleep in the same bed?"

Shang Song: "Of course, it's not that our house doesn't have three rooms, so Professor Xie and I are just temporarily sharing a room."

Mrs. Shang leaned close to Mr. Shang's ear and whispered, "They don't even sleep in the same bed... how can their relationship last?"

Mr. Shang shook his head: "Yes, when young people are in love, they're always clinging to each other. Songsong and Xiaoxie's situation... it's easy for them to drift apart."

Shang Song heard everything clearly on the other end of the phone, and was both amused and exasperated: "Dad! Mom! What are you saying! I can hear you!"

Mr. Shang immediately sat up straight, adopting a nonchalant expression: "No! We were just saying that Xiao Xie is a good kid! He's so respectful! So...pure-hearted! Yes! Pure-hearted!"

Mrs. Shang quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! Mom sees how well you two are behaving in your relationship! So... Platonic! Yes! Platonic! Mom understands!"

Listening to his parents' increasingly rambling conversation, and recalling his relationship with Xie Jing, Shang Song realized it was definitely a platonic affair.

He laughed so hard he almost dropped his phone, the camera wobbling around. "Yes! Professor Xie and I are into Platonic relationships! We're so innocent!"

He adjusted the camera angle, then walked back into the house facing the screen. "Alright! That's all for now. I'm going to tidy up and go find Xie Jing in the main building for dinner. I'm starving!"

Mr. and Mrs. Shang agreed, and Shang Song hung up the WeChat call, tossed his phone on the table, and went to continue packing.

Finally, dressed like a ball, he picked up his phone, left Tingyun Residence, and headed towards the main building.

He walked along the connecting corridor while looking at his phone.

On my phone, the dorm group chat, which had been quiet for a long time, was suddenly flooded with messages.

Second child: [Images][Images][Images][Images]

Second brother: Holy crap! That bastard surnamed Zhou! He hired someone to smash up my shop today!

Boss: ?

Third brother: What's going on?

Shang Song paused, tapped the images with his fingertips, and swiped through them one by one. It was the familiar Xu Ji Decoration, now a complete mess.