Chapter 2659: Rain in South City Tonight 21

The next day, the bedroom was tranquil, the clock hand sliding past ten-thirty.

Xie Linzhou sat up dazedly, his mind shrouded in heavy fog, thinking sluggishly.

He instinctively sought Jin Chen, reaching out to feel the spot beside him—empty, still cool.

He stared for several seconds before the chaotic, sharp memories of last night surged back, a dull pain welling up in his heart.

Xie Linzhou sat dazedly on the bed for a while before pulling back the covers; his legs felt weak, his steps on the floor like walking on cotton, not knowing what kept him from collapsing.

He opened the bedroom door and happened to see Jin Chen entering from the foyer.

Jin Chen hung his coat on the rack, still holding a paper bag of breakfast.

The two exchanged a brief glance.

Xie Linzhou lowered his eyes first, avoiding that gaze, looking somewhat weary and lost.

"Jin Chen," he said, his voice unexpectedly hoarse and dry like a hangover, "let me go."

Jin Chen's expression was normal as he set the breakfast bag on the table, glanced back at him, and said, "Going to the office? You should eat something first."

He walked into the room, saw Xie Linzhou standing still, then went over, took his hand, and led him toward the table.

Xie Linzhou offered no resistance, letting himself be led, though his steps were slow, his gaze vacant and unfocused, his brow filled with the confusion of having no way out.

Upon reaching the table, Xie Linzhou stopped.

He lifted his eyes, the fragility in them clear, his voice dropping: "Jin Chen, give me some time… my mind is in chaos… I… don't want to see you right now."

Xie Linzhou felt a pang in his chest, adding in a breathy whisper, "Don't make me… hate you…"

Jin Chen took out the soy milk and custard buns from the bag, his motion pausing at the words; he lifted his gaze, thumb lightly pressing against Xie Linzhou's slightly furrowed brow, and repeated.

"Hate me?"

Those two words made Xie Linzhou's heart jump again, as if struck by an iron hammer, a lingering dull ache.

It took him a long while before the tight pain in his chest eased a bit, and he instinctively shook his head.

Just saying those two words already left him bitter and sore.

"I don't hate, I don't hate you…"

Xie Linzhou said softly, denying the extreme emotion he had just been unable to control.

Only then did Jin Chen continue, pushing the warm soy milk toward him and placing the custard bun on a small plate.

"Have breakfast first."

Xie Linzhou leaned wearily against the chair back, feeling all his strength drained.

"I have to go to the office… deal with those messes… I also need time… to think it through."

Jin Chen sat opposite him, looking at him, and asked directly, "If you figure it out, will you let go or come back?"

Xie Linzhou's gaze fell to the tabletop, his eyelashes trembling slightly, his voice barely a whisper: "…I don't know."

He truly didn't know. His thoughts at this moment were a tangled mess.

Jin Chen looked at him for a long time, then said, "All right, have breakfast first."

Only then did Xie Linzhou utter a barely audible hum, picking up the custard bun and eating it in small bites, his movements sluggish, the taste like chewing wax.

He was too exhausted; his mind felt like rusted gears, unable to produce any effective thought.

The breakfast was finished in silent mutual regard.

Jin Chen rose to clear up and walked into the kitchen.

Xie Linzhou took the chance to return to the bedroom, intending to change clothes and then leave.

But when he entered Jin Chen's wardrobe and checked the storage closet, he found no trace of the suitcase he'd brought—had Jin Chen put it away?

Xie Linzhou stood there dazed for a moment, then could only give up.

He picked up his phone from the nightstand and his laptop bag, headed straight for the foyer, changed shoes, opened the door, and left.

Just like countless ordinary workday mornings before.

Outside the window was a clear, crisp autumn sky, the sun shining brightly, the weather pleasant.

But today there was no farewell kiss, no pre-departure hug.

When the door clicked shut behind him, Xie Linzhou felt a twinge in his chest, a faint sour tightness spreading.

But he didn't linger; his silhouette vanished at the elevator entrance.

More than ten minutes later, the apartment door opened again, and Jin Chen, his face fierce enough to frighten anyone, also stepped out.

——

Leadwood Office.

Xie Linzhou entered the work area; employees were doing their jobs, the atmosphere ordinary and uneventful.

Even Xiang Wenqing, who had been frantic on the phone yesterday, was now in a video conference at his computer; seeing Xie Linzhou enter, he lifted his head from the camera, greeted him with a normal smile, and seemed fine.

Xie Linzhou felt something odd, but his mind, like an overloaded machine's protection, couldn't process extra information; he merely notified the core team to meet in the conference room.

In the conference room, Xie Linzhou took the head seat, his face showing little emotion, maintaining a calm façade, only his speech a bit slower than usual.

"Regarding the unexpected situation in this design competition," he began, "I'll take responsibility; you don't need to worry excessively—first, organize the design drafts…"

Several team members glanced at each other, doubt slowly appearing on their faces.

Fang Ming, the most straightforward, couldn't help but interrupt: "Boss, what are you saying? Isn't this already settled?"

Xie Linzhou paused, looked at him, bewildered in his eyes: "…What?"

Fang Ming looked even more confused than he did.

"Your… really cool boyfriend, early this morning just as we started work, he grabbed Liu Chi and brought him to the office, apologizing to each of us!"

An Yu took up the thread, relieved: "Yeah, boss, Liu Chi was terrified of him, his face ashen, he personally admitted to copying our design and said he'd already sent an apology email to the competition organizers, withdrawing his entry."

Xiang Wenqing snorted: "I don't know what trick that cool guy used, but this move was brutal—Liu Chi's reputation in this circle is now totally ruined."

Xie Linzhou: "……"

The confusion in the depths of his eyes grew stronger and stronger, requiring some mental effort to slowly process the information contained in these words.

"Well..." Xie Linzhou paused, "Who leaked the design draft?"

Talking about this, everyone's emotions obviously became agitated, even the team member who was always Silence and few words, and never spoke unless work required, Zhang Luo, couldn't help but speak, tone indignant, "It's Qin Xu! Liu Chi personally identified him, I said how he suddenly asked for leave today, surely he's guilty and dare not come."

"Originally, he voluntarily asked to stay domestically to handle daily work, and not long after, he was even bribed by Xie Shao!"

Hearing it was Qin Xu, Xie Linzhou couldn't say whether he felt loss or pitiful relief. At least, it wasn't the answer he feared most.

Xie Linzhou again recalled last night, when Jin Chen, in the misty steam of the bathroom, embraced him and softly said he would resolve it.

His chest again began to feel a hollow, sinking pain.

Xie Linzhou closed his eyes, then opened them to find only weary calm in his gaze, "Understood, I'll follow up on this matter later. Everyone has worked hard during this time, you may leave now."

Team members rose and left one after another, and An Yu, who was last, gently pulled the meeting room door shut.

In the spacious meeting room, only Xie Linzhou remained.

Autumn's rare sunshine filtered through the blinds onto the long table, with tiny dust motes drifting in the air.

He stared at the faintly glowing computer screen before him, spacing out for a long time.

The busiest period after returning home had passed; he no longer needed to keep regular hours, the most pressing problem had been resolved, and for the time being there was nothing urgent to handle.

But Xie Linzhou sat there, not knowing where to go.

After a long while, he picked up his phone, contacted a cleaning company to schedule a visit, and went to clean the apartment he had lived in before going abroad, which had been vacant for a long time.

Having done that, he instinctively opened the WeChat chat with Jin Chen.

Xie Linzhou scrolled up message after message, looked for a long time, finally entered nothing, and placed the phone screen face down on the conference table.