Chapter 2655: South City Tonight Has Rain 17

For three or four days straight, South City was shrouded in continuous autumn rain.

The sky was always overcast, clouds hanging low, the autumn rain annoying, and the bitter cold air seeped straight into people's clothing.

On Saturday, there was no need to go to the office.

Xie Linzhou stayed at home, spending most of his time drawing designs; when tired he rested, drank the special beverage Jin Chen prepared, and then naturally embraced and kissed, keeping each other warm in the damp cold weather.

Xie Linzhou went limp from the kisses, laziness seeping into his joints; sitting at his desk he couldn't focus, so he simply held his laptop and curled up on the sofa, pulling a soft blanket over half his body, continuing to revise the design draft he planned to submit for the competition.

Jin Chen sat beside him, also with a laptop on his knee, browsing the soft furnishings needed for the bar.

Suddenly, several message notifications popped up consecutively in the lower-right corner of the computer, from Xie Shao.

Jin Chen clicked open and took a look.

Xie Shao seemed to have forgotten the unpleasant end of their last call, his tone noticeably softer.

Xie Shao: 'You at least need to show some sincerity for me to see.'

Xie Shao: 'Xie Linzhou probably isn't guarding against you much now, right? Can't you touch anything on his work computer?'

Jin Chen typed back expressionlessly: 'Yes, nothing.'

Xie Shao: 'Then what are you doing?'

Jin Chen: 'Dating, very busy.'

Xie Shao: '……'

Jin Chen's fingers slid over the touchpad, he casually picked two files from an encrypted folder, dragged them into the chat box, and clicked send.

Inside were partial pieces of evidence of Xie Shao's involvement in gray-market real estate deals and irregular operations.

Not fatal, but enough to make him frantic for a while.

Jin Chen: 'Let me show you something good.'

Xie Shao: '???'

Jin Chen directly dragged him into the blacklist.

Almost simultaneously, Xie Shao's call came in; the bell signal rang twice urgently before Jin Chen hung up.

This instead caught Xie Linzhou's attention.

He lifted his eyes from the screen, glanced at Jin Chen, but his gaze quickly returned to the design.

Just then his phone also rang; it was Fang Ming calling.

Xie Linzhou rose, answering the phone while making a gesture to Jin Chen, pointing toward the balcony to indicate he was going out to discuss work so as not to disturb him.

Jin Chen watched him walk to the balcony and, in passing, pulled the sliding glass door shut.

Xie Linzhou's voice on the phone immediately became muffled, blending with the ongoing rain outside, separating him into another space.

Meanwhile, on the living room sofa, Xie Linzhou's laptop remained lit, the design software still open; the detailed drawings, annotations, and core design concepts of the competition work he was editing were fully displayed on the screen.

Jin Chen's gaze withdrew from the blurry figure on the balcony and fell onto the screen.

Not long after, he set down the computer, got up, picked up the neatly folded thin blanket from the sofa, and headed for the balcony.

Jin Chen opened the glass door, stepped out carrying the indoor warmth, gently embraced the phone‑talking Xie Linzhou from behind, and draped the blanket over his shoulders.

"It's cold outside, the wind is strong."

Xie Linzhou was listening to Fang Ming's chatter on the phone about project details, feeling the warmth behind him and the weight on his shoulder.

He lowered his gaze, fixing on Jin Chen's arm that had come around him.

"I know," he said to the person on the phone, his voice a little lower than before, "Let's hang up; we'll discuss the specifics Monday at work."

He didn't wait for Fang Ming to finish, ended the call, then turned around, placed his phone into Jin Chen's robe pocket, raised a hand to hook his neck, and tilted his head up to kiss him.

Outside the balcony was a expanse of gray mist, vapor lingering, much colder than indoors.

Their breaths in the damp, icy air appeared hot, their skin in contact quickly grew slightly damp, and the kiss conveyed a moist sensation.

Xie Linzhou's kiss was a bit eager; after a while he eased slightly, burying his face in Jin Chen's neck crook, his soft hair, as he nuzzled, lightly brushed the skin on Jin Chen's neck, his exhaled breath wet and hot.

He whispered, "I designed the work to be awarded, Jin Chen, you need to help me."

Jin Chen held him tighter, "Mm, help you with what?"

Xie Linzhou, as if entranced, placed several small, damp kisses on the skin of Jin Chen's neck, his voice dropping even lower, almost like murmuring.

"Make you love me."

"I love you." Jin Chen replied softly.

His low, husky tone naturally carried a deep‑feeling quality, calming Xie Linzhou into silence; he stopped speaking, his cheek pressed against Jin Chen's neck, enjoying the intimacy of cheek‑to‑cheek rubbing.

Jin Chen felt the slight trembling of the person in his arms, remained silent a moment, then asked softly, "Zhouzhou, are you…"

Xie Linzhou's heartbeat skipped a beat.

He steadied himself, not letting Jin Chen finish the question, then lifted his head again to kiss the corner of Jin Chen's lips, deepening the kiss.

Xie Linzhou's voice slipped out between kisses, indistinct: "I'm so cold…"

Once again, Jin Chen couldn't bring himself to ask that crucial question.

He didn't know how much Xie Linzhou had guessed, whether the line 'help me' and the sudden kiss were a probe.

If he truly knew the truth, would he be acting like this now?

But if he didn't know, what was he thinking and worrying about right now?

Jin Chen held the person in his arms tighter, wrapping him thoroughly in the thick blanket until, when they kissed, no outside chill could seep in.

Xie Shao's side had been quiet for a few days, no longer bombarding with messages as before.

Jin Chen also finally understood why Xie Linzhou had been unsettled these past days.

Because of the Song Qi incident, Xie Linzhou began to associate, worrying that he too might be swayed by benefits or something else offered by Xie Shao, just as Song Qi had been.

Just like the former Ren Xian.

Jin Chen hadn't expected Xie Linzhou to speculate like that, but even this speculation alone had depressed Xie Linzhou's mood for several days, only improving over the past two days back to his usual self.

If what he knows is the truth?

The more Jin Chen thought, the more he felt he couldn't delay any longer.

The evidence he now holds is already enough to get Xie Shao into big trouble, and stirring up trouble could even land him in prison.

These two days happen to be the vacation after Xie Linzhou's design passed the preliminary review; his mood should be good, he has time to stay at home properly, and he can also take the time to comfort him well.