Chapter 2661: Rain in the South City Tonight 23

The door opened, a chilly, faintly damp breath rushed in; the indoor light was darker than outside, and a coldness wrapped around.

Jin Chen stood at the doorway, his vision going black in a double sense.

He put the still-dripping umbrella into the stand by the entryway, his gaze sweeping over the living room.

The coffee table was messy, with an opened medicine box on it and half a cup of unfinished cold water beside it.

Xie Linzhou followed his gaze, inexplicably feeling guilty, hurried over a few steps, intending to put away that medicine box.

"Let me see." Jin Chen's voice came from behind, calm but impossible to refuse.

Xie Linzhou's fingers pressed against the drawer handle, his motion stalled, and he whispered in defense: "... No need, I know my limits."

Jin Chen said nothing, merely looking at him.

Silence spread between them for a few seconds.

Xie Linzhou still gave in, slowly loosening his grip and handing over the medicine box: "Here."

Jin Chen took the medicine box and glanced at the dosage.

He was quite sure it was now approaching noon, yet there was no trace of takeout in the room.

Xie Linzhou guessed that after getting up this morning he had only taken some stomach medicine to get by.

Jin Chen reached out and lightly pinched Xie Linzhou's cold earlobe, asking, "Hungry?"

Xie Linzhou tilted his head to avoid the touch, his voice muffled.

"... Not bad."

That meant he was hungry.

Jin Chen said nothing more, hung his slightly damp coat in the entryway, and headed straight for the kitchen.

Xie Linzhou sat on the sofa, watching his back, and the more he thought, the more something felt off.

Had he forgiven Jin Chen? It seemed not yet.

He hadn't even figured out how to face this person who had deceived him, yet appeared amid the utmost chaos and swiftly resolved all his troubles.

Xie Linzhou stood up, intending to say something to the kitchen, then silently sat back down.

Today Jin Chen looked a bit fierce.

About ten minutes later, Jin Chen came out holding a plate of simple tomato meat sauce pasta.

The kitchen and fridge held nothing decent to eat; only in the storage cabinet did he barely find some pasta that hadn't expired.

If he couldn't even find that, Jin Chen would have to order takeout directly.

"Come eat." Jin Chen placed the plate on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Xie Linzhou hesitated a moment, then still walked over.

He stubbornly chose the seat opposite Jin Chen, slid the central plate toward himself, deliberately keeping distance.

Xie Linzhou picked up his fork, twirled the noodles tastelessly, and put them in his mouth.

He lowered his eyes, staring at the plate's vivid red sauce, and asked softly, "Why did you come?"

Jin Chen's gaze fell on him, noting his somewhat pale face and the obvious dark circles from lack of sleep, and he thought for a moment.

"It's raining today; my boyfriend might feel uncomfortable in this weather."

Xie Linzhou's chewing stopped; his eye sockets suddenly heated, a large tear fell, hitting the fork in his hand and then sliding down the noodles.

He swallowed the salty, bitter noodles; his throat felt blocked, he could only close his eyes slightly, suppressing his emotions.

"Why… why is it you…"

"Why is it you, giving me warmth and reliance I've never had, yet also you, turning everything back to square one."

"Alright, eat first." Jin Chen's voice softened, he reached over to ruffle his hair, "We'll talk after you finish."

Xie Linzhou bit his tongue, the sting clearing him a little; he bowed his head and ate the plate of pasta, which actually wasn't bad, bite by bite.

At last his stomach had something to cushion it, no longer burning emptily.

The pasta on the plate was finished, only sauce residue remained at the bottom.

Outside, the relentless rain sounded like it was beating on a heart.

Jin Chen broke the silence: "The bar opens tomorrow; will you come?"

Xie Linzhou lowered his eyes, his voice tiny, as if muttering to himself: "No."

"I won't go."

Xie Linzhou never lifted his head to look at Jin Chen, his gaze stubbornly fixed on the wooden table before him, as if trying to make the grain bloom.

After a few seconds of silence, Xie Linzhou spoke again, voice strained: "Jin Chen, I know… you didn't help Xie Shao with anything, yet you helped me resolve many troubles."

"But…"

Having said that, Xie Linzhou felt two selves inside him pulling against each other.

One clear-headed, rational part of him wanted to finish the sentence.

The other was drowned by unease and surging emotion, desperately stopping him, making him want to flee.

Xie Linzhou could taste the metallic blood from his unconsciously bitten tongue; with all his strength he finally squeezed out the rest of the words.

"But, I really… am afraid; whenever I think of our first meeting at that club, and later… the things you said to me online… they were all arranged, fake, and I just can't… accept."

Having said that, it drained the energy he had painstakingly gathered.

Xie Linzhou leaned against the chair back, breathing lightly, his shoulders slumping.

Jin Chen listened quietly, his eyes deepening as he watched Xie Linzhou's fragile profile, his mind beginning to consider more roundabout solutions.

He lowered his voice and asked, "What should we do then, Zhouzhou?"

Hearing that, Xie Linzhou felt a sour sting at the tip of his nose.

Xie Linzhou realized he might never be able to stay calm in front of Jin Chen; his eyes were traitorous, ready to tear up at the slightest provocation.

He lifted his eyes, finally meeting Jin Chen's gaze, his eye sockets red.

"We're breaking up." he said.

As these words appeared, it was Xie Linzhou's heart feeling as if it were about to be torn apart, as if all their past intimacy were instantly shredded and could never be restored.

Jin Chen raised his hand and pressed against Xie Linzhou's nape, bringing their foreheads close, nearly touching.

His voice low, he called his full name.

"Xie Linzhou."

Just those few words broke through Xie Linzhou's repressed emotions.

Xie Linzhou jerked back, breaking free of that hand, and raised his voice.

"I said we're breaking up!"

Xie Linzhou endured the heart-wrenching pain, not wanting to let Jin Chen drain his emotions any further to appease him.

He knew Jin Chen had done nothing wrong afterward, even did well, but he just couldn't get past that hurdle in his heart.

Self-blame, anguish, despair.

Emotions surging, Xie Linzhou blurted: "I'm a white-eyed wolf! I can't accept a liar! Jin Chen, you're not like me—you have so many options, stop pretending… your life only has me in it."

The last few words, he almost growled them out, tears falling and dripping onto his trembling hand.

After shouting, Xie Linzhou seemed to have exhausted all his strength, his voice dropping again, trembling resignedly.

"Actually, I don't really understand you either… we might never have been suited to be lovers."

After speaking, Xie Linzhou seemed unable to support himself any longer, closed his eyes, and his forehead weakly pressed against Jin Chen's.

The final words were whispered pleadingly: "Go away, I beg you…"

Jin Chen showed no anger in his brow and eyes, asking: "You've thought for three days—is this your final answer?"

"…Yes." Xie Linzhou closed his eyes, squeezing out a voice from his throat: "I don't like you anymore."

【Villain Heartthrob Value +5, total 83!】

The next second, Jin Chen pinched his chin and lowered his head to kiss him.

This kiss came suddenly, even forcefully.

After two seconds of stunned hesitation, Xie Linzhou's reason told him he should struggle, should push this person away, but instead they became more entangled, fierce and lingering.

Yet his body seemed to have a mind of its own, with no thought of dodging; the hand that should have pushed him instead involuntarily climbed onto Jin Chen's shoulder, seeking support.

The already wavering scale at this moment suddenly tipped toward the abandoned side.

Looking closely, there were no weights, only a heavy, undeniable affection.

Jin Chen felt his response and the kiss softened slightly.

He freed one hand, pinching Xie Linzhou's soft, sensitive earlobe and gently rubbing it.

The familiar motion made Xie Linzhou unconsciously rub against his palm.

How could he not love him?

Precisely because the affection was so deep, learning the truth brought double the pain, yet even in pain he could not leave the embrace.

When Xie Linzhou most wanted to take back those words, Jin Chen withdrew from the kiss.

His lips brushed Xie Linzhou's ear, responding in the softest words.

"Okay, I agree."

Xie Linzhou's pupils contracted, as if a bucket of ice water had been splashed in his face, instantly pulling him from the hazy kiss.

He stared, head lifted, watching Jin Chen extend a hand, his fingertip brushing his lips: "If this is what you want."

Xie Linzhou opened his mouth, but his throat was dry and he could make no sound.

After several seconds, he dazedly blurted out a completely unrelated sentence: "... opening gift."

He didn't even quite understand why he said that, "I prepared an opening gift for you, sent to… Rain Island."

Mentioning the bar named after his name, Xie Linzhou's heart uncontrollably twitched again.

"Thank you." Jin Chen looked at him.

Jin Chen picked up the still-dripping black umbrella, opened the door, and walked out.

Xie Linzhou sat alone in the suddenly quiet room, listening to the footsteps outside fade until they disappeared.

The warmth that had briefly existed in the room because of Jin Chen's presence quickly dissipated as he left.

He maintained that posture, sitting for a long time, until the sky outside grew much darker.

Xie Linzhou suddenly stood, hurried to the window, and anxiously pulled back a corner of the curtain to look down.

The parking spot downstairs was empty, the familiar car nowhere to be seen.

Happiness came and went in an instant, fleeting like the rare sunny days in South City—bright but short-lived.

Only then did Xie Linzhou realize that, without Jin Chen by his side, no matter which city on Diqiu he was in, it felt like living in an endless rainy season.

Damp, chilly, inescapable.