Chapter 89 So He Still Had a Fever

Chapter 89: So He Was Still Running a Fever

Jiang Tianyi's fiancé was busy with work and arrived at the restaurant around closing time.

Only a few staff members were left cleaning up. Lin Haoda stood up from the sofa with Jiang Tianyi and was about to head out when a tall man walked through the revolving door, spotted them, and came over.

Aside from his bag, he was holding a bouquet of flowers. His steps were too hurried, and the dew on the stems brushed against his coat, leaving a trail of dark, damp marks.

The night wind was cold, carrying the scent of flowers past the tip of his nose. Jiang Tianyi stepped forward, affectionately took his arm, and took the flowers from him, complaining, "Why are you so late?" but said it with a smile, her voice light.

Then she turned to Lin Haoda. "Let me introduce you to my fiancé, Tang Chen."

The man reached out and nodded to him. "Hello, I'm Tang Chen."

Lin Haoda smiled and shook his hand lightly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Tang. My name is Lin Haoda."

Tang Chen looked at him and said apologetically, "Sorry, a few bugs came up at the last minute."

Tang Chen stood tall under the ring lights on the ceiling, his face bathed in a soft warm glow. His features were gentle, with a pair of tortoiseshell glasses on the bridge of his nose, giving him an intellectual air, not at all severe.

Lin Haoda only knew he worked in game development and didn't know the specifics, so he quickly said, "No problem. Mr. Tang is so busy yet still made time to come. I should be the one thanking you."

Then he briefly mentioned the misunderstanding at the villa that day and sincerely apologized.

Tang Chen smiled graciously. "I drank too much that night and was out of line. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, Mr. Lin, don't take it to heart."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while until Jiang Tianyi couldn't hold back any longer. "Alright, they're closing. Let's find another place to talk."

Jiang Tianyi and Lin Haoda had both had some drinks during the meal, so they had to ask Tang Chen to drive.

Lin Haoda was usually busy with work, not very trendy, and didn't go out at night. When Tang Chen mentioned a pub a friend had just opened that was in soft opening and had no shady characters, he didn't think twice before agreeing.

Because of work, Lin Haoda had been a passenger in many cars, but Tang Chen was one of the few who drove very steadily—even when braking, he braked gently, steady and reliable. Jiang Tianyi was in the passenger seat, enthusiastically sharing their travel experiences in North Africa last month. Tang Chen occasionally chimed in but said very little.

When they passed an intersection, the yellow light was two seconds away from turning red. Tang Chen didn't rush; he smoothly coasted to a stop at the line. Lin Haoda looked out the window and was about to mention a nice dessert shop nearby when Tang Chen's phone suddenly vibrated, the phone rattling in the storage compartment.

Sitting in the back, Lin Haoda saw Tang Chen take out his phone, glance at it, hesitate for a few seconds, and then hang up.

The car fell silent. Jiang Tianyi noticed and leaned over to ask, "Who's that? Why didn't you answer?"

Tang Chen opened his mouth to say something, but the phone rang again. Jiang Tianyi, close to him, looked down at the caller ID and fell silent too.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Lin Haoda picked up on it. He instinctively looked up and saw the flashing caller ID on the car screen—above the number, the note read only "Jun Shan."

He almost immediately realized the source of this subtle silence.

Seeing that Tang Chen was about to hang up again, Lin Haoda called out, "Mr. Tang, answer it. Maybe it's urgent."

Tang Chen held the thin phone, glanced at him in the rearview mirror, and said "Sorry" in a low voice, then explained sincerely, "When I left, Jun Shan was still in the office. It might be about those bugs."

Lin Haoda nodded and said gently, "It's okay."

The traffic light turned green. Tang Chen pressed answer on the screen. Time seemed to stand still for two seconds, and then Guan Junshan's voice sounded in the car, saying "Hello."

Tang Chen accelerated and pulled out of the intersection while talking to him. The car's surround-sound system was excellent. Lin Haoda sat alone in the back, and Guan Junshan's every word, breath, pause, and hesitation seemed to brush against his ears. When he lowered his head, he could almost feel Guan Junshan's breath on his cheek.

Lin Haoda raised his hand and pressed the window button. The night wind rushed in, finally pushing out the stuffy air in the car.

He could only console himself that it was because he had just listened to Jiang Tianyi recalling many past events, and in those, Guan Junshan appeared far too often.

The work conversation on the phone didn't last long. Guan Junshan and Tang Chen exchanged a few words about the project, informing him that the program error had been fixed, and mentioned the business trip next week, asking if the itinerary was set.

When he found out they were on their way to the pub, as if he were familiar with it too, Guan Junshan named a specific place and told Tang Chen he could find him there.

"Have fun," Guan Junshan said before hanging up.

With two beeps, the car fell silent again. Jiang Tianyi couldn't help but speak up, her voice dropped to almost a whisper: "Why hasn't he gone home yet? Isn't he still..."

She didn't finish, but Tang Chen finished her sentence: "I already saw him take his medicine before I left. Assistant Yang is with him, don't worry."

The meaning was vague, but with a little thought, it wasn't hard to guess. Lin Haoda sat in the back, unable to stop thinking about that call—no wonder his voice was a bit hoarse. So he was still running a fever.

Tang Chen glanced in the rearview mirror and probably noticed Lin Haoda was spacing out, so he called out to him, asking if he felt cold.

Lin Haoda snapped back to reality and realized he had opened the window a bit too wide. They had entered a fast lane, and the wind was stronger and colder.

He quickly rolled up the window and said with a smile, "Sorry." Tang Chen didn't say anything, but after a while, he suddenly spoke again: "We're updating an important holiday version tomorrow, so it's been busy."

Lin Haoda nodded, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he realized Tang Chen might be explaining himself. Was his concern that obvious? He didn't want to dwell on it, so he said, "Looks like the gaming industry is tough too. Overtime is the norm."

He was about to say that his own planning industry was the same, to change the subject to something more controllable, but Tang Chen interrupted, seriously denying it: "Jun Shan is like that. He always perseveres more and takes more responsibility."

Lin Haoda was stunned. He wanted to say, "Stop talking about him," or "Sorry, we're not really close," but instead he heard himself ask in a very calm voice, "Is that so?"

Tang Chen had intended to stop there, but when he saw Lin Haoda's reaction in the mirror, he thought for a moment and continued: "Back then, with one month left before our game's release, we invited several game media outlets for trial scores. The optimization wasn't good yet, and the main storyline wasn't complete enough, so the results were terrible."

"I almost gave up then. I thought what I made was really garbage, and with outside professionals not being optimistic, I found Jun Shan before leaving work one day and said, let's just scrap it."

A car behind them sped up, and honked twice. Tang Chen stopped talking and gripped the wheel tighter, the topic was cut short.

Fortunately, when they entered a smoother stretch of road, Jiang Tianyi couldn't wait to ask, "What happened next? Did he yell at you?"

Lin Haoda gave a wry smile in the back, thinking she knew Guan Junshan quite well.

But Tang Chen denied it. He said Guan Junshan had agreed to his request and even approved his leave. But when he came back, the project had not only issued a delay announcement but had also hired new programmers and marketing. Tang Chen asked other team members and learned that during his leave, Guan Junshan had been covering for him, working around the clock.

Lin Haoda found it hard to make an objective judgment. At work, Guan Junshan was certainly rational, calm, and impeccable. He was always determined, hardworking, and responsible to the end. But unfortunately, when it came to relationships, he wasn't so good at sticking with them.

Or had it been a matter of weighing pros and cons? Because Lin Haoda, like a project, had long been judged a failure in his eyes, so no amount of effort would have meant anything.

Lin Haoda lowered his eyes, his silence making it seem as if he were listening intently. Soon Tang Chen talked about when he first met Guan Junshan, the snowy night Guan Junshan came to find him in Philadelphia, and the game demo on the hard drive that, though only half-finished, had great potential.

It sounded like a pitch for a game project. As a collaborator, Tang Chen had to support Guan Junshan and give a glowing recommendation. Luckily, they soon arrived at their destination, so Lin Haoda didn't need to make any overly insincere remarks and smoothly got out of the car.

They arrived just in time. Tang Chen parked and made a call; someone came to the parking lot to greet them.

Lin Haoda had expected a trendy pub, but when they pushed the door open, it was more like a quiet bar. The atmosphere was calm, with few people around. The lighting was dim but enough to see clearly.

The interior decoration was very distinctive. One wall of decorative glass had spray-painted images of game characters, display cases were filled with various limited-edition figurines, and there was a separate e-sports room, free claw machines, and arcade games—it felt like stepping into a game-themed world.

Jiang Tianyi was also visiting for the first time and gave a spot-on assessment: "Tang Chen, this is actually a private hangout for you gaming enthusiasts, isn't it?"

Tang Chen was a little embarrassed. At first he denied it, saying "No," then changed his mind and said, "Maybe."

The pub had an extensive drink menu. Lin Haoda ordered a non-alcoholic soft drink and watched the bartender's impromptu show for a while. After a bit, the lights dimmed slightly, and people started drifting in small groups toward the dance floor.

Tang Chen also invited Jiang Tianyi to the dance floor. Perhaps because Lin Haoda was there, Jiang Tianyi was a bit shy, refused twice, but eventually took his hand.

Lin Haoda sat on the sofa, resting his chin on his hand as he watched their silhouettes leaning together. A faint pang of envy surfaced, but he didn’t let the thought linger long.

Before he could dwell on it, the light beside him dimmed as someone sat down next to him, holding a wine glass.

“It really is you.” Lin Haoda turned his eyes to see a very young face—a good-looking boy who was strikingly forward, taking the initiative to speak to him: “Just now I thought I was seeing things, that I’d mixed you up with someone else.”

Caught off guard, Lin Haoda’s mind went blank for a second. He studied him seriously for a moment before remembering to ask who he was.

“We’ve met before, at that last gathering.” The boy took a sip of his drink, his lips glistening wet and red under the light, his voice lifting slightly at the end. “Young Master Guan was there too. You forgot?”