Chapter 3073: After Divorce, Forced to Compete with My Ex-Husband 03

Jin Chen was very displeased.

Three thousand star coins hadn't even reached his hand when Chenshu grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside the banquet hall, fingers gripping his wrist bone as if afraid he'd run away. Jin Chen struggled a bit but couldn't break free, and because the occasion made it inconvenient to cause a big scene, he could only be led away, stumbling two steps.

The outer corridor was quiet, only the rustle of night wind through shrubs in the distant garden could be heard, and the wall lamps on both sides glowed with a warm yellow light.

Chenshu pushed open the glass door of the corridor and then closed it behind him, pressing Jin Chen against the wall, their shoulders touching so closely that he could clearly feel the faint scent of gunpowder on him.

Chenshu's fingers still gripped his wrist, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the inner side of his wrist bone.

Jin Chen forcefully pulled his hand back, glared at him, and said, "What are you doing?"

Chenshu looked at him, an indescribable emotion flickering in the depths of his eyes, "Xiao Chen."

"How do you know Chi Mu? When did you meet him?"

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow at him, saying nothing.

Chenshu seemed to realize his tone was a bit urgent, paused, then said, "Xiao Chen, you and he..."

"I won't tell you." Jin Chen cut him off, also shaking off the hair he had touched, furious, "It's none of your business."

Three years of separation, a divorce agreement, countless communication requests rejected at the door. Chenshu knew Jin Chen would dislike him, even hate him, but when those words actually came from Jin Chen's mouth, he still felt his heart clenched tightly.

But they were standing too close; after three years apart, Jin Chen's unique aura inevitably washed over him, making his chest feel heavy, with too many unspeakable words bottled up inside, which finally condensed into a single sentence.

"Xiao Chen, stay away from Chi Mu."

【Key plot point of the male supporting characters' rivalry passed! No deviation!】

Jin Chen's expression went blank for a moment.

He lowered his lashes, holding a faint, inscrutable smile, his voice turning cold: "You're warning me for his sake?"

Chenshu's heart sank.

He knew Jin Chen too well; when Jin Chen acted angry, he often hadn't reached the point of real anger, just wanting him to coax and soften him. This time, however, he was truly angry.

Chenshu said nervously, "It's not for Chi Mu, Xiao Chen, it's for..."

Before he could finish, Jin Chen suddenly reached out and shoved him.

That shove was strong; Chenshu, unprepared, had his back slam into the corridor wall, and Jin Chen stepped forward, trapping him between himself and the wall, his other hand grabbing his collar.

"Then how did you meet him?"

"You spent three years on a frontier planet, came back and got so close to him—was it during our divorce?"

"Was it the time when you gave me the cold shoulder and never came home?"

His words came one after another, turning the most hurtful phrases into weapons that stabbed at Chenshu over and over, while Jin Chen stared at him coldly, with an almost ruthless determination.

Chenshu's Adam's apple rolled; he didn't dodge Jin Chen's anger, but the emotion he wanted to express was too complex, thick and unclear.

Then he raised his hand and gently touched Jin Chen's hair, his fingertips brushing over the bangs above his forehead, his voice soft to the point of intimacy: "You've grown taller, Xiao Chen."

Jin Chen's fingers, still gripping Chenshu's collar, stiffened there, his breath sinking a little.

These three years of separation happened to be the period of fastest growth after turning twenty; Chenshu was clearly feeling sentimental, as if regretting, regretting all the missed moments of these three years, regretting the moments he should have witnessed that were now gone, aching for the growing pains Jin Chen endured, aching for the times he ought to have been by his side but couldn't appear.

Jin Chen's dark pupils seemed to well up, but it was quickly suppressed; he gritted his teeth and jerked Chenshu's collar forward.

"You have no right to say that, Chenshu—I hate you."

Chenshu's fingers hanging at his side curled, his joints pausing for a moment, then he finally couldn't restrain himself and raised his arm to embrace Jin Chen's waist.

It was a light embrace; his arm wrapped around Jin Chen's waist, his chin resting lightly on Jin Chen's shoulder as he closed his eyes.

Jin Chen's body stiffened for a moment, then he slightly turned his face away, saying nothing.

Former lovers are always like this—every intimacy feels too habitual, yet it's no longer enough to just go with the flow.

Their bodies still remembered each other's embraces, but it was no longer the kind of relationship where a hug could resolve all conflicts, with three years of blank space in between, filled with unspoken misunderstandings and unsolved knots; the arms in the embrace didn't know how much force to use, and the body's warmth didn't know if it could still be naturally transmitted as before.

Jin Chen buried his face in Chenshu's shoulder, eyes closed; he had asked so many questions but got no answers, and Chenshu said nothing.

Their overlapping embrace made their breathing gradually slow and sync, like a silent reconciliation.

After a while, Chenshu took from his pocket the glove Jin Chen had just thrown at him, lifted Jin Chen's hand, and slowly slipped it on, the glove re-wrapping Jin Chen's fingers, carrying the lingering warmth from Chenshu's palm.

And the waiter outside the corridor finally found them, bowing slightly, "General, the Grand Prince invites the seven invited members to the side hall to jointly sign the energy responsibility statement for this detection plan."

Chenshu released Jin Chen's waist, stepped back, resumed his imposing yet calm demeanor, "Understood."

Jin Chen took the opportunity to walk away from him, heading back to the banquet hall without looking back.

Seven people arrived one after another at the side hall; the Grand Prince was already seated at the head of the long table, waiting, his smile proper and approachable.

Jin Chen deliberately sat as far from Chenshu as possible; the tall man on his left saw an open seat and plopped down, giving Jin Chen a friendly grin, while the youth on his right hunched his shoulders, sat down, and began fiddling with his fingers, not looking at anyone the whole time.

Jin Chen thought of many oddballs, then observed them further, matching these two to the story's thriller male supporting roles: one was the stellar domain mine lord Steve, who used money to trump humanity; the other was the researcher Yun Wu, who secretly conducted pharmaceutical research capable of destroying an entire planet, a gloomy, neurotic figure.

Chi Mu sat opposite Jin Chen, occasionally glancing at him; several times he tried to speak, but Jin Chen blocked him with a blank expression.

The process of signing the responsibility document was simple: just confirm identity, read the terms, then sign and stamp.

Jin Chen signed without even looking at the clause details, after all he wasn't here for any star-core energy, and besides, this livestream show in the story is just a romance variety show wearing an exploration cloak, everything revolves around the mega-popular figure, and no one has ever seriously sought the star core.

After signing, the Grand Prince gave another lofty speech, essentially thanking everyone for their contributions to the empire and hoping they would unite sincerely in the upcoming cooperation to seek new hope for the empire's energy crisis; Jin Chen let it go in one ear and out the other, his mind on other things.

After much effort waiting for the event to end, Jin Chen had no intention of staying for the subsequent banquet; he made up a flimsy excuse, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door, passing the hall where he saw Chi Mu seeming to want to follow up and say something, shouting, "Mr. Jin, please wait..."

Jin Chen walked even faster.