Chapter 2665 It’s raining in Nancheng tonight 26

Xie Linzhou felt a burning sensation on the back of his neck, and fine beads of sweat appeared.

A powerful, almost consuming possessiveness burned within him, and impulse and selfishness took over.

Under the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Xie Linzhou raised his eyes, maintaining his smile, and said, "Yes."

Xie Linzhou turned on his phone screen, and the screen saver photo was seen by several people who were nearby.

It's a photo of Xie Linzhou and Jin Chen.

In the photo, Jin Chen tilts her head slightly to look at him, her eyes filled with a gentle smile that Xie Linzhou hasn't seen in a long time.

Xie Linzhou's gaze also fell on the screen. Looking at the person in the photo who had once shown him tenderness without reservation, he quickly closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the vulnerability and bitterness that surged up in an instant. When he opened them again, his eyes had regained some calm.

Yuan Qiu stood there dumbfounded, as if petrified. It took several seconds for her to find her voice and stammer out.

"I confessed my feelings to your boyfriend in front of you?"

He closed his eyes, reached up to hold his forehead, and looked like he was about to faint from the pain. "My God, I always thought the boss was single!"

Xie Linzhou pursed his lips guiltily and whispered, "...I'm sorry."

He silently added in his mind: Jin Chen is indeed single now.

"No, no, no... no need to apologize!" Yuan Qiu waved his hand violently, shaking his head even more forcefully.

He'll still have to rely on Xie Linzhou in the industry in the future!

Yuan Qiu quickly weighed her career against the handsome man, and with a quick thought, she came up with a way to make amends. She took out her phone and typed rapidly as she spoke.

"Don't worry, Brother Zhou, I'll send a message to our regular customers' group right away and let everyone know that Boss Jin has a girlfriend! He's taken!"

"...What?" Xie Linzhou looked at him in surprise. "You guys have a group chat?"

Before he could finish his question, Yuan Qiu's fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed the message and tapped send.

Yuan Qiu looked at the shocked and questioning chatter that was exploding in the group chat with satisfaction, then looked up and smiled at Xie Linzhou.

"Yes, it was built not long after the store opened; they're very well-informed!"

Xie Linzhou pursed his lips, “…”

Okay, now he feels guilty not only for hiding the breakup, but also embarrassed by the unexpected official announcement.

What would Jin Chen think if he knew...?

Will I find him ridiculous, or... will I hate him?

-

In the lounge on the second floor.

Huo Feng leaned lazily against the sofa armrest, scrolling through his phone screen. Suddenly, as if he had discovered something interesting, he exclaimed "Hey!" and handed his phone to Jin Chen.

"The group chat is flooded with messages," Huo Feng said, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. "It's from the handsome guy who just confessed to you. I remember they were together, right?"

Jin Chen took the phone, glanced at the screen, and finally a smile appeared on her face.

Huo Feng clicked his tongue twice, "It wasn't a waste of my time to sneak out and watch the show tonight."

He reached into his pocket for the cigarette pack, but Jin Chen stopped him with a look.

"If you dare to smoke here, I'll throw you off the second floor."

Huo Feng paused, reluctantly stuffed the cigarette case back into his pocket, then picked up the wine glass on the coffee table, took a sip, and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"Oh dear, I've never seen you have such a fussy habit before. So, are you going to sleep with that person tonight so you won't smell the cigarette smoke?"

Jinchen: "..."

What Xiao Huo said really hit home.

"So what are you planning to do next?" Huo Feng asked, swirling his wine glass with a hint of curiosity. "You can't just rely on this misunderstanding in the group chat and wait for them to come back on their own, can you?"

Before Jin Chen could answer, there was a knock on the door of the lounge.

Huo Feng clearly didn't expect the old man to get up and open the door on his own initiative, so he very consciously took his wine glass and went over to open the door.

Two people were standing outside the door. One was an elderly man with a kind face, but whose left leg was weak and he needed to lean on a cane.

The other one is Ren Xian.

Huo Feng recognized the person and a look of surprise flashed across his face. He quickly stepped forward to help the old man.

"...Uncle Jin? What brings you here?"

He helped the old man inside, glancing back at Jin Chen.

Jin Chen had already stood up, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze first falling on the old man, "Uncle."

His gaze then shifted to Ren Xian, his expression turning cold. "What are you doing here? Do you have something to say?"

Uncle Jin gently scolded, "Hey? How can you talk like that? Boss Ren is our family's benefactor. Be more polite."

Ren Xian smiled and said, "It's alright, Uncle Jin, Jin Chen is just like that."

Uncle Jin laughed, patted Ren Xian's arm, and looked at Jin Chen, "Yes, you two must be getting along pretty well now."

Jin Chen sensed the hidden meaning in her uncle's words, "Uncle, I have a boyfriend."

“I know,” Uncle Jin said matter-of-factly. “I just heard you two broke up.”

Jinchen: "..."

Even his uncle might not know that he and Xie Linzhou were together, so how come he's so well-informed about their recent breakup?

He sharply scanned Ren Xian, who was smiling.

Huo Feng watched the scene unfold for a while, then sensed something was off and wisely made an excuse to slip away.

Jin Chen helped his uncle sit down on the sofa, gestured for Ren Xian to stay outside the door, and then closed the door behind him.

“I originally just wanted to come here to take a look,” Ren Xian said before the door closed, his tone sounding somewhat helpless. “On my way here, I happened to run into my uncle waiting for a car by the roadside, so I gave him a ride. It really wasn’t intentional.”

Jin Chen glanced at him. "Thank you. The bar welcomes guests, but the activity area is limited to the public area downstairs. No guest will enter the private lounge without permission."

Ren Xian sighed softly at his overly clear-cut, even indifferent attitude. "It's been a long time since I've seen my uncle. I'd like to catch up. Is that alright?"

"Sure, sure!" Before Jin Chen could answer, Uncle Jin had already secretly opened the door a crack and poked half his head out. "I also want to catch up with Boss Ren."

This little old man.

Jin Chen sighed and released his grip on the doorknob. "You two continue your conversation. I'll go downstairs."

Before leaving, he gave Ren Xian a warning look and lowered his voice, "Don't do anything unnecessary."

Jin Chen went downstairs, passed through the slightly noisy dance floor area, and headed towards the corridor where the private rooms were located.

Just as I turned the corner, I saw Xie Linzhou walking out of the private room, and I was a little puzzled.

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow, the fierceness in his eyes quietly dissipating, and slowed his pace as he walked over.

Xie Linzhou looked up and saw him, explaining softly, "Huo Feng said... you wanted to see me about something?"

Huo Feng, who came out right behind him, winked quickly at Jin Chen and went off to drink with a grin.

Jin Chen withdrew her gaze and looked at Xie Linzhou. "Hmm."

He took a few steps closer to Xie Linzhou, and the distance between them shortened to an ambiguous level.

Jin Chen lowered his eyes, his gaze tracing Xie Linzhou's face, and said in a low voice, "You've lost weight in just half a month."

That's no lie. When Jin Chen first saw Xie Linzhou tonight, she noticed that he had lost some weight.

His sweet tooth is one thing, but his habit of not eating on time when he's in a bad mood is something he hasn't completely changed even after all these lifetimes.

Xie Linzhou rubbed his wrist, not really feeling anything. "I'm preparing materials for the re-examination, a bit busy, and also..."

Miss you very much.

The words rolled on his tongue, but he swallowed them back, a hint of helplessness and self-reproach showing beneath his thick, dark eyelashes.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" Jin Chen asked, her voice very close. "Don't you want to see me?"

"No." Xie Linzhou immediately looked up, his gaze meeting Jin Chen's deep eyes, and he couldn't help but stare blankly.

The lighting in the corridor was adjusted to be somewhat dim and hazy in order to create an atmosphere.

They were so close that the longing they had suppressed for half a month quietly broke through, and Xie Linzhou's eyes welled up with tears, almost causing him to lose control of his emotions.

Fortunately, Xie Linzhou was relieved that the light here was dim enough that his current loss of composure should not be clearly seen.

Little did he know that Jin Chen, with his excellent eyesight, had seen everything. His fingertips itched, and he longed to reach out and ruffle his soft hair.

Xie Linzhou felt a pain in his heart, more than just a little, mixed with guilt and other emotions he couldn't quite explain.

More importantly, he wasn't sure if Jin Chen had seen the message in the group chat, and he didn't know how to ask.

Seeing his hesitant and uneasy expression, Jin Chen roughly guessed what he was struggling with, and smiled as she took the initiative to say, "I saw it."

Xie Linzhou: "..."

His ears involuntarily burned, and he looked away uncomfortably, his voice lowering, "Has... I caused you any trouble?"

Before Xie Linzhou could finish speaking, his gaze suddenly swept past Jin Chen's shoulder and fixed on the staircase behind him, his eyes sharp and cold.

Jin Chen turned around and looked in the direction of his gaze.

Ren Xian and Uncle Jin were standing on the stairs, about to come down.