Chapter 2645: South City Tonight Has Rain 07

Jin Chen watched him finish paying, then lifted his eyes, his tone even somewhat amiable: "Boss Xie."

The subtly meaningful address made Xie Shao unable to suppress a low laugh.

He stood up, preparing to leave, even carrying a hint of a victor's bearing, reached out and patted Jin Chen's shoulder, tone flippant: "Ren Xian still keeps saying you're hard to deal with, tough to work with, but I see… your stubbornness is just that."

Jin Chen's brow twitched slightly, he said nothing, watched Xie Shao's triumphantly satisfied back as he left, until the figure disappeared at the stairwell entrance.

【These days, there are really a lot of suckers…】 Ling Gun Gun cracked melon seeds, feeling sincere emotion.

Jin Chen ignored the bun's complaint, turning to the delighted pink-clad shop owner.

"According to our prior agreement," Jin Chen said, "the portion he transferred to you counts as your pure profit. This shop will pay you additionally, purchasing at the storefront price we originally discussed."

The shop owner's smile widened: "Understood! Mr. Jin, rest assured, I'll void this contract right now and we'll re-sign! I'll stick exactly to the originally agreed price, I definitely won't ask for more!"

He said this, swiftly gathering the contract Xie Shao had just signed, then pulling out the prepared contract from his briefcase.

However, he still felt uneasy: "Mr. Jin, is this really okay? Boss Xie, will he…?"

"No." Jin Chen's tone was certain as he took the new contract, quickly scanning the clauses: "He's been involved in grey-area real estate projects, has leverage, and wouldn't dare dig into this sort of thing."

This round is just black eating black.

Jin Chen suddenly recalled something and asked, "Did you just give him a bottle of wine?"

Shop owner: "Exactly! I saw you were opening a bar, so I handed over a decent bottle of red wine as an afterthought."

Jin Chen nodded: "Then the money he just paid nominally equals the price of that bottle of wine."

Shop owner: "???"

He widened his eyes, after a moment muttered: "You can still operate like that."

Jin Chen signed after confirming the new contract was correct.

Afterwards, he casually tore the fake contract Xie Shao had signed into two halves and tossed it into the trash.

The shop owner, pleased with the signed contract, enthusiastically recommended to Jin Chen the contact info of the renovation crew he'd used, repeatedly assuring the price was affordable.

Milan.

Xie Linzhou has recently devoted all his energy to the project at hand.

During this period of leading the team abroad, they both upgraded their skills and took on projects, their reputation gradually spreading; the effort they've poured in can be imagined.

However, the project they undertook before returning home this year has proceeded unusually unsmoothly, worthy of being called a series of setbacks.

Initially, there were constant frictions with the client over design concepts and details, repeated revisions draining energy and effort. Barely having the plan approved halfway, problems arose in coordination when contacting the construction crew.

Who would have thought, as the final design draft neared submission and the crucial point before construction approached, the client suddenly leaked word of intending to switch to another design team.

That team enjoys greater international fame, and happens to include a Chinese designer who not only knows Xie Linzhou but also understands the grudges between him and Xie Shao domestically.

In this circle, the most effective and dirtiest way to snatch food from competitors' mouths is to sabotage their reputation.

Thus, within just a few days, not only the wavering client, but even the several construction teams originally waiting to cooperate, heard more or less about Xie Linzhou's "misdeeds."

Only, the story's protagonist has switched places—the plagiarizer changed from Xie Shao to him, Xie Linzhou.

This naturally owes to Xie Shao's all-out domestic smearing and defamation.

Therefore, the client's person-in-charge specially summoned Xie Linzhou's team to the company; if these rumors proved true, for the sake of project reputation they would immediately terminate cooperation.

Precisely at this juncture, the partial design point handled by the team's youngest, Fang Ming, was seized upon by the other side as a not-small oversight, becoming strong evidence for their attack.

After the team's hard work over so long, seeing that they might end up making a wedding dress for others, nobody felt good inside.

But they were all waiting for Xie Linzhou.

It seemed that as soon as Xie Linzhou arrived, they needn't worry anymore—the sky wouldn't fall.

Xie Linzhou rushed to the client's company; the team's personnel all breathed a sigh of relief, Fang Ming with a bitter face: "Sorry, boss, I really checked repeatedly, I don't know how this happened… but glad you're here, with you I'm not afraid."

Ning Xuming stepped forward: "Linzhou, the situation isn't great; let me accompany you in."

Xie Linzhou's steps didn't pause; he raised a hand to lightly pat Ning Xuming's arm, tone steady: "No, you go first to the lounge and wait for me."

"This project, I won't let anyone take it."

He bears a unique temperament, a calm settled after weathering storms, as if even the biggest wave could strike and he'd still stand firm at the crest.

Ning Xuming watched his straight back: "Alright, call us anytime if anything comes up."

Xie Linzhou walked into the meeting room alone.

Facing the client's scrutiny, the false pity and slander from fellow Chinese, Xie Linzhou instead showed a gentle smile—though it didn't reach his eyes, hiding intense sarcasm and sharpness, undercurrents surging, highly aggressive.

He has known since childhood that no one can be relied upon; everything must be decided and borne by himself—how could he possibly truly let others slaughter him?

"Master Xie once had such a good reputation in the industry, how could there be a successor like you?"

Facing such accusations, Xie Linzhou's smile faded: "I have never been his successor."

"It seems you've stayed in Milan too long, no longer paying attention to domestic industry trends—how troublesome for you, for this project, to deliberately dig up these old scores."

That person choked, stunned, instinctively glanced at the client's representative; all the advantages previously established had vanished.

Xie Linzhou not only successfully secured the project, but also, thanks to the revision proposal he later made, increased the project's final payment by fifteen percent.

The news reached the lounge, and the team members cheered joyously.

Returning to the apartment, closing the door, Xie Linzhou's smile vanished completely, he leaned against the cold door panel and stood for a full five minutes.

He took a cup of cold water, shook out two pills, paused, then added another, and swallowed them with the cold water.

Xie Linzhou stood in place, gripping the empty glass, his fingertips icy cold.

Perhaps due to the increased dosage, the drug's effect came on swiftly and violently.

Xie Linzhou suddenly set down the cup, hurried into the bathroom, braced against the sink's edge, and retched uncontrollably.

His stomach churned; it was those past events forcibly dredged up—Xie Qiu Dong, Xie Shao, and the design work twisted beyond recognition—that made him nauseous just at the thought.

After rinsing his mouth, he repeatedly splashed cold water on his face, lifted his head; the mirror showed a pallid, weary, hollow expression.

Xie Linzhou averted his gaze, unwilling to look longer, returned to the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a heavy, dazed sleep.