Chapter 2669: Rain Tonight in South City 31

Jin Chen didn't know why Xie Linzhou suddenly went to Jing Shi, but Xie Linzhou had reported to him before leaving, saying he was going to see Xie Qidong's former secretary.

Jin Chen guessed it was probably leftover work from the firm's industry that needed handling, so he didn't ask further.

Since that day when they talked out their knot in the apartment, Xie Linzhou has become even more clingy than before; even when drunk he would rely on being a few years older, dazedly calling him "little boyfriend", but when sober Xie Linzhou in love is completely a spoiled brat. This trip to Jing Shi for three days of business, he hasn't missed a single phone or video call; previously their long-distance relationship required dealing with time differences, now it's much more convenient, and they stay in touch more frequently.

Jin Chen these days has nothing special going on; he's just resting at home, occasionally going to the bar at night to mix drinks. Now Lin Island's business is on track, with a professional manager handling it, so he doesn't need to watch over it constantly.

In the morning, Jin Chen received a call from Xie Linzhou, and he was a bit surprised.

He lazily leaned against the headboard, "Didn't you say you had a meeting with that secretary this morning? How did it end so quickly?"

"I met him."

Jing Shi, inside a private tea room.

Xie Linzhou had no intention of avoiding the people present; besides the assistant he brought, sitting opposite him was Zhou Secretary, who had served Xie Qidong for many years and had also helped him for a period.

He wore a Bluetooth earbud, flipping through the old list and data that Uncle Zhou had just found; he both wanted to see Jin Chen's name on it and felt his heart blocked, uneasy.

Xie Linzhou's gaze carefully swept over each name, distractedly talking to Jin Chen on the other end of the phone.

"You went to the bar last night? You sound like you just woke up not long ago." Xie Linzhou asked, his tone gentle and soft, transmitted through the call, making Jin Chen's just-cleared mind feel a bit drowsy again.

"Hmm," Jin Chen responded, rubbing his brow, "I got back a little late."

"Just in time, I ordered lunch for you; it should be arriving soon, remember to eat…"

Xie Linzhou's words suddenly stopped, his gaze locked onto a certain page of the list, gripping the edge of the paper.

Jin Chen's name appeared conspicuously on the early public welfare sponsorship list initiated in his name.

Xie Linzhou circled that name with a pen, handed the list to the assistant beside him; the assistant understood, quickly searched the file bag brought by Uncle Zhou, found the corresponding sponsorship record details, and handed them to Xie Linzhou.

Xie Linzhou took it, read the information word for word, including the beneficiary's basic situation and the brief evaluation notes at the time; it felt as if his strength had been suddenly drained, he slumped limp against the chairback, his fingertips slightly cold.

He hadn't remembered wrong.

The sponsorship that Jin Chen said he first received, the one that encouraged him over the phone to choose what he wanted to do, was indeed him.

But at that time, internal strife was already beginning to appear within the Leadwood Office; he was preoccupied with the mess and the watchful Xie Shao, and such sponsorship projects handled by the secretary were only given a rough glance, leaving no deep impression.

They clearly already had such an intersection back then.

If he had paid a bit more attention back then, would it have been…?

Xie Linzhou then recalled the second sponsorship Jin Chen mentioned, the one from Ren Xian.

During that period, Xie Linzhou and Ren Xian had not yet broken off contact, nor had the later betrayals occurred; but he was clear that Ren Xian's funds at the time were all used to expand his network, making it impossible for him to have the intention to do public welfare sponsorship.

Hearing the sounds of Jin Chen washing up from the other end of the phone, Xie Linzhou first muted his side.

He turned to Secretary Zhou, who was patiently waiting opposite, and earnestly asked, "Uncle Zhou, could you think again? After that batch of sponsorships under my name, about a year or two later, are there any similar sponsorships under my name, with any overlap on the list?"

"Well… let me think." Uncle Zhou pushed up his reading glasses.

Those who work as secretary assistants mostly have the habit of leaving traces of work; although the firm had undergone dissolution and reorganization, losing many old materials, these relatively important correspondence records, Uncle Zhou might actually be able to find a clue.

Uncle Zhou took out an old laptop and began scrolling through years of accumulated email archives.

After a while, Uncle Zhou let out an "uh", "Indeed I found one; the only overlapping name on the list is…"

He carefully looked at the screen, raised his head somewhat surprised, "It's the one you just looked at, the young man named Jin Chen; I still have quite an impression of that name."

Uncle Zhou didn't realize that the person muted on the other end of the phone right now was Jin Chen himself; speaking without reservation, he recalled the situation back then.

"Back then I handled many aided students, but this kid gave me a feeling…… quite different, how to put it, back then he seemed especially listless, with a gloominess between his brows and eyes that didn't match his age, even a bit world-weary, as if…… he felt it didn't matter whether he lived or died tomorrow."

Uncle Zhou sighed and continued, "But precisely because the kid was in that state, he turned out to be harder-working than anyone, and later his learning feedback was the best; I even thought back then, what kind of determination is this kid holding inside?"

Xie Linzhou quietly listened to the past of Jin Chen, feeling each word like a needle pricking his heart, raising a fine, dense pain.

He couldn't imagine what kind of pressure the past Jin Chen had endured to end up in that state, and afterward how he gradually became what he is now.

From the phone came the sound of Jin Chen finishing washing up, still a bit puzzled, "Zhouzhou? Why did you suddenly stop speaking?"

Xie Linzhou returned from his feeling of heartache, turned off the phone mute, and softly replied, "Mm, just confirming data with the secretary, a bit busy."

Jin Chen heard the doorbell, lazily walked over to take the food box inside, hearing that he teased, "Yeah, just after we talked things out I ran off to busy work; our Teacher Xie really has a packed schedule."

Having just finished hearing Jin Chen's past, hearing his amused tone on the phone again, that sour ache in his chest tightened a bit more.

At this moment, he truly felt that his earlier casual proposal to break up was practically unforgivable.

How could he say such hurtful words to someone like this?

Clearly…… clearly he had loved to the point of not knowing how to love better.

When he spoke again, his voice unconsciously grew softer, his eyes lowered as he gently rubbed the text on the page.

"I'll be back to keep you company right away; soon, I also really miss you."

"All right, knowing you're busy, go eat first; I also want to enjoy the big meal Teacher Xie ordered." Jin Chen chuckled lowly on the other end of the line.

After the call ended, Xie Linzhou rubbed his slightly swollen brow, thinking about the so-called sponsorship from Ren Xian, a ball of fire burning in his chest that he couldn't suppress.

"Uncle Zhou, I still need to trouble you to look into something," Xie Linzhou said solemnly, sitting up straight to face Uncle Zhou opposite.

"Regarding that later sponsorship, who handled it? I want to know the details."

"Sure, I'll do my best." Uncle Zhou nodded.

By the time the truth Xie Linzhou wanted surfaced, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

Uncle Zhou couldn't decline the generous remuneration Xie Linzhou insisted on giving, and took the payment home.

Xie Linzhou carefully stowed the sorted documents into his briefcase, then asked the assistant, "Check when the latest flight back to South City departs?"

The assistant blinked; their originally scheduled return ticket was for tomorrow afternoon.

"Let me see…… Teacher Xie, the latest flight is at 10:30, but arrival in South City will be in the early morning; with such a tight schedule, wouldn't it be too exhausting?"

"Please rebook me on this flight," Xie Linzhou said firmly, "you stick to the original plan and return tomorrow."

He now couldn't wait to get back to Jin Chen's side, not wanting to wait another moment.

"All right, I'll do it right away!" The assistant, seeing the urgency in his brow, immediately agreed.