Chapter 2670 It’s raining in Nancheng tonight 31

Jin Chen didn't know why Xie Linzhou suddenly went to Beijing, but Xie Linzhou had informed him before leaving that he was going to see Xie Qiudong's former secretary.

Jin Chen guessed that it was probably some legacy work within the law firm that needed to be dealt with, so he didn't ask any further questions.

Since that day in the apartment when they opened up about their issues, Xie Linzhou has become even more clingy than before. Even when drunk, he'll take advantage of being a few years older and call her his "little boyfriend" in a daze. But when he's sober, Xie Linzhou is a total slut in love. During his three-day business trip to Beijing, he didn't miss a single phone call or video chat. Before, long-distance relationships meant dealing with time differences, but now it's much easier, and they can contact each other more frequently.

Jin Chen hasn't had anything special going on these past few days, so he's been resting at home, occasionally going to a bar to mix drinks in the evenings. Now that business on Lin Island is on track and managed by a professional manager, he doesn't need to keep an eye on things all the time.

Jin Chen was somewhat surprised to receive a call from Xie Linzhou in the morning.

He leaned lazily against the headboard. "Didn't you say you were meeting with that secretary this morning? Is it over already?"

"See you."

In a private tea room in Beijing.

Xie Linzhou didn't intend to avoid the people present. Besides his assistant, sitting opposite him was Secretary Zhou, whom Xie Qiudong had used for many years and who had also helped him for a period of time.

Wearing Bluetooth headphones, he flipped through the old lists and documents that Uncle Zhou had just found. He wanted to see Jin Chen's name, but he also felt a lump in his throat, which made him feel uncomfortable.

Xie Linzhou's gaze swept carefully over each name, his attention distracted as he spoke with Jin Chen on the other end of the phone.

"You went to a bar last night? You sound like you just woke up not long ago," Xie Linzhou asked, his voice gentle and warm, the sound carrying through the electric current that made Jin Chen's just-awake mind feel sleepy again.

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

"Perfect timing, I ordered lunch for you, it should be arriving soon, remember to eat..."

Xie Linzhou suddenly stopped speaking, his gaze fixed on a certain page of the list, and he gripped the edge of the paper tightly.

Jin Chen's name appeared prominently on the list of early charitable grants initiated in his name.

Xie Linzhou circled the name with his pen and handed the list to his assistant. The assistant understood and quickly searched through the file folder that Uncle Zhou had brought, soon pulling out the corresponding sponsorship record details and handing it to Xie Linzhou.

Xie Linzhou took it and read through the information word by word, including the recipient's basic information and the brief evaluation notes at the time. As if suddenly drained of strength, he leaned back in his chair, his fingertips slightly cold.

He was not mistaken.

The first time Jin Chen mentioned receiving financial assistance, the one who encouraged him over the phone to pursue his dreams, was indeed through him.

At that time, however, signs of internal strife had already begun to emerge within Leadwood Agency. He was overwhelmed with the mess he was dealing with and the ever-watchful Xie Shao. He had only glanced at the public welfare projects that his secretary was handling and they hadn't left a deep impression on him.

They clearly had this connection so early on.

If only I had paid more attention back then, perhaps...

Xie Linzhou then recalled the second instance of financial assistance Jin Chen had mentioned, the one from Ren Xian.

During that time, Xie Linzhou and Ren Xian had not yet broken off their friendship, nor had the subsequent betrayals occurred. However, he was well aware that Ren Xian was using all his funds to expand his network and had no intention of doing charity work.

Hearing Jin Chen washing up on the other end of the phone, Xie Linzhou immediately muted his phone.

He turned to Secretary Zhou, who was sitting patiently across from him, and asked earnestly, "Uncle Zhou, could you please think about it again? About a year or two after the batch of grants under my name, were there any similar grant projects under my name? Are there any overlaps on the lists?"

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

Most people who work as secretaries or assistants have a habit of keeping records of their work. Although the firm has undergone dissolution and reorganization and many old documents have been lost, Uncle Zhou may still be able to find clues in these important records.

Uncle Zhou took out his old laptop and began to browse through his email archives accumulated over the years.

After a while, Uncle Zhou exclaimed, "We actually found one! There's only one name that matches the others on the list..."

He looked at the screen carefully, then looked up in surprise. "It's that young man you just saw, named Jin Chen. I remember that name quite well."

Uncle Zhou had no idea that the person on the other end of the phone, who was on silent, was Jin Chen himself. He spoke without any restraint as he recalled the situation.

“I helped a lot of students back then, but this child gave me a very different feeling. How should I put it? He seemed particularly dejected at the time, with a kind of melancholy in his eyes that was not in line with his age, and even a bit of a misanthropic feeling, as if he felt that it didn’t matter whether he lived or died tomorrow.”

Uncle Zhou sighed and continued, "But it was precisely this kind of child who worked harder than anyone else, and the feedback on his learning performance was the best. I wondered what kind of drive this child was holding back."

Xie Linzhou listened quietly to the story of Jin Chen's past, feeling as if every word was a needle pricking his heart, stirring up a deep, persistent pain.

He couldn't imagine what kind of immense pressure Jin Chen had endured back then to reach that state, and how she gradually transformed into the person she is today.

Jin Chen's voice came through the phone, sounding like she'd finished washing up, and she seemed a little confused. "Zhouzhou? Why are you suddenly quiet?"

Xie Linzhou snapped out of her distress, turned off her phone and replied softly, "Yeah, I was just confirming some information with my secretary, I'm a bit busy."

Hearing the doorbell ring, Jin Chen lazily walked over and brought in the lunchbox. Upon hearing this, she teased, "Yes, we just finished talking and you're already busy with work. Our Teacher Xie is really busy."

Xie Linzhou had just finished listening to Jin Chen's past, and when he heard Jin Chen's smiling tone on the phone, the bitter pain in his heart tightened even more.

At that moment, he truly felt that his previous act of easily proposing a breakup was simply unforgivable.

How could he say such hurtful things to someone like that?

Clearly... clearly, they've fallen so much in love that they don't know how to love better anymore.

When he spoke again, Xie Linzhou's voice unconsciously softened, and he lowered his eyes to carefully stroke the words on the page.

"I'll be back to be with you right away, very soon. I miss you too."

"Alright, I know you're busy. Let's eat first. I'm going to enjoy the feast that Teacher Xie ordered." Jin Chen chuckled softly on the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Xie Linzhou rubbed his slightly swollen temples. Thinking about Ren Xian's so-called financial assistance, he felt a surge of anger that he couldn't suppress.

"Uncle Zhou, I need to trouble you to investigate something else for me," Xie Linzhou said solemnly, sitting up straight and looking at Uncle Zhou opposite him.

"I would like to know more details about who handled that later funding."

"Okay, I'll try my best." Uncle Zhou nodded.

By the time the truth that Xie Linzhou wanted came to light, it was already 8 p.m.

Uncle Zhou couldn't refuse the generous reward Xie Linzhou insisted on offering, so he took the money home.

Xie Linzhou carefully put the organized documents into his briefcase and asked his assistant, "Check when the next flight back to Nancheng is?"

The assistant was taken aback; their original return flight was for tomorrow afternoon.

"Let me check... Teacher Xie, the next bus is at 10:30, but it won't arrive in Nancheng until the early hours of the morning. Won't it be too tiring with such a tight schedule?"

"Help me change my ticket to this flight," Xie Linzhou said decisively. "You can go back tomorrow as originally planned."

He couldn't wait to get back to Jin Chen's side and didn't want to wait a moment longer.

"Okay, I'll get right on it!" The assistant noticed the urgency in his eyes and immediately agreed.