Chapter 2658: Rain in the Southern City Tonight 20

Xie Linzhou was held in Jin Chen's embrace, his body still trembling slightly, half of his body numb from prolonged tension and cold, his head feeling as if it were about to explode with pain.

In a daze, unable to think.

He seemed to have taken in Jin Chen's words, standing there for a moment, then began to move, somewhat sluggishly taking off his equally not-so-clean pants, barefoot, walking to the shower stall and turning on the faucet.

Warm water streamed down instantly.

Not long after, the bathroom filled with a thick, warm white mist, making things somewhat blurry.

Jin Chen stood in that hazy mist, quietly watching him, closing the bathroom door and also placing himself within that warm, humid space.

Xie Linzhou lifted his head, letting the water strike his face, his eyes constantly trembling from the impact of droplets, his eye sockets and the tip of his nose flushed with moisture.

Through the misty water curtain he looked toward the approaching Jin Chen, his voice trembling, a near-self‑torturous contradictory plea.

"Jin Chen, come kiss me……"

Jin Chen supported the back of his neck, lowering his head to cover it, half biting, half sucking, forceful yet gentle in their entanglement.

Xie Linzhou was driven almost mad by such a kiss.

The reason he could barely maintain was already precarious; he despised the person before him, despised his deceit, to the point of wanting to flee immediately, the farther the better.

Yet he could not help but like Jin Chen, liking him to the point of wanting to embrace and kiss him at all times, to draw upon that pitiful warmth.

The extreme contradiction tore at each other, leaving Xie Linzhou with no way out.

Xie Linzhou could not even feel whether he was still crying; warm water poured down from above, soaking him completely.

But Jin Chen knew he was still crying, his tears mixing with the hot water, scalding his chest with pain.

"Zhouzhou, don't cry." Jin Chen soothed him in a low voice between kisses.

His breath also grew hot from the steam, "I will let you continue the competition, make Xie Shao pay the price, put him in jail; the police are already investigating, there's still time, there's still time."

"……Jin Chen."

Xie Linzhou gazed at his eyes, made deeper by the water, the surrounding temperature continually rising, the skin where they touched scorching hot.

"I don't care whether Xie Shao goes to jail…… really I don't."

"I just want a stable life, not having to face all this messy nonsense every day, I just……" Xie Linzhou, exhausted in body and mind, choked up and was voiceless for a few seconds, then forced out with all his strength: "I just want someone trustworthy, someone I can rely on, who won't make me so tired."

Why is it so hard to achieve this?

Jin Chen never loosened his arms, still holding him tightly.

Xie Linzhou hooked his arms around Jin Chen's neck, his fingertips caressing Jin Chen's cheek also trembling, the depths of his eyes filled with endless sorrow, even somewhat dazed and lost.

He pressed his lips to Jin Chen's, kissing with such force, such desperation, using all his strength.

Best if tomorrow were the end of the world.

Seawater poured back, the city collapsed, all rules and order were destroyed.

Then, there would be nothing to think about, nothing to manage, just sink down like that.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value +10, total 65!】

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +3, total 78!】

——

Late at night. Jin Chen tiptoed out of the bedroom, closed the door, and walked to the living room.

He didn't turn on the main light, only switched on the floor lamp beside the sofa.

Jin Chen reopened his laptop; the screen's cold light fell on his expressionless face.

Ling Gun Gun popped out, blinking its bean‑like eyes, cautiously moving to his hand, its match‑stick‑sized paws lightly tapping the back of his hand.

【Host……】

Jin Chen reached out, grabbed a handful of its head, finding it somewhat amusing.

【What's the big deal, why get so worked up.】

Ling Gun Gun then relaxed, hopping onto the coffee table, picking up an apple and crunching away, also worrying along.

【Host, what should we do now?】

Jin Chen's gaze returned to the screen, his fingertip sliding on the touchpad, 【Go investigate Liu Chi, look into details, also his works' creation timeline, yes, and the agency's staff.】

【Got it~ Leave it to me!】 Ling Gun Gun devoured three apples in one go, then went to work with great vigor.

Jin Chen also pulled up several databases to search for relevant information.

Meanwhile, Xie Shao seemed to have gone mad, phone calls coming in one after another, the screen constantly popping up call notifications.

Ren Xian also sent a few messages; Jin Chen answered none, replied to none.

After a while, Ling Gun Gun let out an "ah" and jumped out.

【Host, found out! The one who leaked the design drafts is Qin Xu, no wonder…… In the team he's the only one staying domestically in charge, isn't he again bought off by the protagonist‑top? He received a payment last week from Xie Shao's overseas account, the amount not small.】

Jin Chen looked at the transfer and communication records screenshots synced by Ling Gun Gun, his eyes turning cold.

He pondered for a few minutes, casually tossed the core into the nearby trash bin, then stood and closed the computer.

【Alright.】

Ling Gun Gun settled on his shoulder, 【Host, are you going to sleep now?】

【Or what?】 Jin Chen headed toward the bedroom, teasing, 【In a civilized society, am I really going to launch a night raid on Qin Xu's house now?】

Ling Gun Gun relaxed, let out a big yawn, and retreated into the System Space to rest.