Chapter 2652: Southern City Has Rain Tonight 14

In the afternoon, Jin Chen still needed to go to the bar under renovation to discuss details with the construction team's person in charge.

Xie Linzhou gave himself and his team a few days off; it was a leisurely time, and he realized he didn't want to be apart from Jin Chen even for a moment, so they went together.

The renovation team recommended by the original shop owner was indeed professional and responsible, and the progress was tightly managed.

The person in charge was a dark‑skinned, loud‑voiced middle‑aged man, checking the drawings for dimensions; when he looked up and saw Boss Jin walk in, he noticed a very handsome young man beside him.

Lao Mu set down the drawings, smiled, and went over to greet him, saying, "Boss Jin, you brought a friend to check the progress today?"

Just as Xie Linzhou was about to respond politely, Jin Chen beside him said, "This is my lover, and also the owner of the bar."

Xie Linzhou glanced at Jin Chen, saw his calm expression, then turned composedly to the somewhat surprised person in charge, extended his hand, and said, "Hello, I'm Xie Linzhou."

"Ah… hello hello, Boss Xie!" Lao Mu reacted, his face breaking into a more enthusiastic smile, and he gripped Xie Linzhou's hand with both of his, saying, "Just call me Lao Mu! Rest assured, I'll definitely get the job done beautifully."

He led the two inside, describing the current construction progress, gauging his tone well—professional yet not talkative—and soon went back to work.

But to him, whoever puts up the money is the boss; taking money to work and keeping the employer happy is what really matters.

He led the two inside, describing the current construction progress, gauging his tone well—professional yet not talkative—and soon went back to work.

Jin Chen brought Xie Linzhou upstairs along the stairs.

The second floor's structure didn't need major changes; it was mainly planned as a lounge and storage area. The stairs were a bit narrow, and Xie Linzhou held Jin Chen's hand as they stepped up together, light falling on their clasped hands.

"Am I also a boss?" Xie Linzhou, who was also familiar with the construction site, grew more curious about Jin Chen's earlier words and gently shook their joined hands.

Jin Chen hummed, curled his fingertips, and pinched Xie Linzhou's fingers, saying, "Technical equity."

Xie Linzhou grew more puzzled, tilted his head to look at him, and said, "But I don't know how to mix drinks."

Jin Chen stopped, turned to face him; the second floor was spacious and quiet, with only the construction sounds from below drifting up. He lowered his gaze to Xie Linzhou, eyes focused, and said, "To make good drinks, you need a good mood."

He lightly brushed his fingertips over Xie Linzhou's forehead hair, saying, "My good mood is thanks to you."

Xie Linzhou never expected this kind of technical equity, and a warmth spread up his ears.

But hearing such words truly made him happy, and mindful that they were on a construction site, he simply moved closer to Jin Chen in a more affectionate way, his heart turning soft.

He thought, "How does this person always wear a cold face that scares outsiders, yet say things that make your heart race?"

But I really like him.

No matter what Jin Chen is like, I really like him.

He felt increasingly grateful to the version of himself who, by a twist of fate before going abroad, left behind a business card.

Thinking of the business card, Xie Linzhou followed Jin Chen's steps, gazed at his profile, and suddenly asked, "Why did you resign from that club?"

Jin Chen's steps paused.

He turned his body, his gaze falling on Xie Linzhou's face, his voice lower than before, and said, "The boss wants me to do some… bad things."

Jin Chen reached out, his knuckles tugging at the strands of hair on Xie Linzhou's forehead, and said, "I don't want to go on with it, so I quit."

The faint itch made Xie Linzhou blink, and he asked, "What is it? Can you tell me?"

"Sure." Jin Chen's tone was gentle, without evasion.

But Xie Linzhou saw the complex emotions hidden in his calm eyes, feared that pressing further would upset Jin Chen, and a vague unease welled up inside him for no reason.

He suddenly didn't want to know.

"Better not." Xie Linzhou shook his head, stepped forward and embraced Jin Chen, saying, "Let's not dwell on the past—you've already left it behind."

Jin Chen let out a barely audible sigh, held him in his arms, and said nothing more.

——

Leaving the bar, it was already evening.

Jin Chen drove Xie Linzhou to the reserved restaurant for dinner, music playing in the car; Xie Linzhou pulled out his phone to check the team's small group, where they were chatting lively, he smiled, then switched to the office's large group to notify everyone of the official work hours.

This time he went abroad bringing only the core design team; the other office staff work from home, and suddenly resuming on‑site work requires a few‑day buffer.

There are also front‑desk cleaning and other administrative tasks, fortunately handled by Qin Xu, who remained in the country.

Xu Qin quickly replied "Received," and then casually asked where he was, suggesting they gather for a meal before the holiday ends.

Xie Linzhou replied let's do it next time, then chatted a few more lines, only then feeling a bit dizzy, he put away his phone and watched his boyfriend drive.

He rubbed his forehead and said, "I probably will never learn to work in the car; I always feel dizzy, wasting a lot of time."

The car happened to stop at a red light, Jin Chen reached out and ruffled his hair, saying, "Senior Designer Xie, resting isn't a waste."

Xie Linzhou was amused by him, leaned back relaxed into the seat, and said, "All right, I'll listen to you."

The restaurant is located in a stylish old building.

Jin Chen and Xie Linzhou walked up the steps side by side, and Xie Linzhou suddenly saw a somewhat familiar figure in the corner of the stairs.

He stopped, took a closer look, and uncertainly called out, "…Uncle Song?"

Jin Chen's brow twitched slightly, and he followed his gaze with a sidelong glance.

In the corner sat a man about forty, his hair disheveled, bearing the distinctive weariness and fatigue of a fallen elite, with a briefcase at his feet.

"Hey, Xiao Xie!" the man heard the voice, looked up, saw Xie Linzhou, hastily stubbed out the cigarette he'd just lit, rubbed his face with his palm, stood up, and began to slip the résumé he was holding into his pocket—but his motion was still a beat slow, and Xie Linzhou noticed.

"Are you… looking for a job?" Xie Linzhou stepped forward, brows slightly furrowed in puzzlement, and said, "Aren't you in Xie Shao's team?"

Song Qi was one of the members of the top‑tier design team that Xie Qidong left to Xie Shao; he had deep seniority, and even when Xie Linzhou was still in college, Song Qi was already renowned in the industry.

Only a few years have passed—how could he have fallen to the point of needing to seek work on the restaurant's doorstep steps?

Song Qi's face broke into an embarrassed smile, and he said, "Well… I got fired."

"What?" Xie Linzhou's frown tightened further.

He simply couldn't fathom why Xie Shao would do this; Song Qi's ability was evident to all, and he was the pillar of the team.

"Well, don't just single me out—pretty much all the old timers in the team were let go on some pretext."

Song Qi seemed reluctant to elaborate, his tone vague, saying, "At the end of the day, it's probably just a clash of ideas."

He sighed, his worry deepening, and added, "Plus, something's come up at home recently—I urgently need money… so I've had to set aside my pride and start over."

Jin Chen stood beside Xie Linzhou, listening quietly, his gaze sweeping over Song Qi, and he whispered, "Zhouzhou, it's time for our reservation."

Okay. Xie Linzhou replied, then glanced at Song Qi, who looked somewhat exhausted, pondered for a moment, and still took out a business card from his pocket and handed it over, saying, "Uncle Song, if you need any help, you can come find me."

Song Qi looked at the business card, his face showing embarrassment, "Little Xie... it's troublesome for you to still be willing to call me uncle and even help me."

He rubbed his hands, yet still took the business card and carefully put it away.

Jin Chen put his arm around Xie Linzhou's shoulders and led him into the restaurant.

After they were seated, Jin Chen looked at Xie Linzhou, who was examining the menu, and asked softly, "Zhouzhou, do you want him to work at the office?"

Xie Linzhou put down the menu, thought for a moment, and replied, "Uncle Song has helped me many times before, and he is capable; seeing him like this now, I really feel reluctant, but I haven't yet thought carefully about how to arrange it specifically."

Jin Chen nodded, then said nothing more.

【Zero Egg, check Song Qi's recent contacts.】

【Okay Host~】Ling Gun Gun yawned and started working.