The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Sean Sinclair’s eyes widened.

How could the person signing the collaboration agreement with Nathaniel Cole be Leila Jennings?

But it was, undeniably, Leila Jennings.

The hairstyle, the makeup, the clothes—they were all just as he had seen them that morning.

Seeing that President Sinclair wasn’t reacting, Charles Jordan explained, "President Sinclair, your wife is the chief engineer for the proprietary chip project. Due to a non-disclosure agreement, she never mentioned it to anyone close to her." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Every single word struck Sean Sinclair, and the hand holding his phone trembled.

"What did you say?"

Charles Jordan knew President Sinclair had heard him clearly; he was just having a hard time accepting it.

For years, President Sinclair had been unable to forget Ms. Lynch, seeing her as someone who shone so brightly. But now, Ms. Lynch’s supposed brilliance was nothing compared to his wife’s.

It was like stars trying to outshine the sun and moon.

He took out his phone and forwarded an article to him.

"President Sinclair, this is an article published on an official media outlet. It’s an exclusive interview with the proprietary chip team and your wife. In just one afternoon, it’s already surpassed a hundred thousand views and shares. It includes a three-minute interview video, an introduction to the team, the project’s development history, and its achievements."

Charles Jordan gave a general summary, then pursed his lips and continued:

"Mr. Thorne was posthumously awarded the National Highest Science and Technology Award, a lifetime achievement honor. Your wife received the National Award for Science and Technology Achievement. This award is given out annually to no more than five people. This year, your wife is its youngest recipient."

It was an incredibly high honor, to say the least.

Charles Jordan had found out that afternoon, and even hours later, he was still in shock.

Who would have thought that the seemingly ordinary Leila Jennings was a national research scientist?

’A true hidden master.’

President Sinclair had judged countless people in his time, yet he had completely misjudged his own wife.

It was hard to say whether love had blinded him, or if he was just completely obtuse.

Actually, there was one more thing, but Charles Jordan hesitated, finding it difficult to bring up.

Sean Sinclair’s gaze was fixed on the photo and headline on the screen, not daring to read any further.

"What other bombshell is there? Spit it out."

"President Sinclair, Ms. Lynch’s name isn’t on the list for the proprietary chip project team. The specific reason is unclear." Charles Jordan hadn’t stayed at the bidding hall until the very end, so he didn’t know if Ms. Lynch had deceived President Sinclair or if she had been removed from the project team.

Sean Sinclair slowly looked up, his attention no longer on Sarah Lynch. He stared blankly at Charles Jordan and asked, "So Leila is the one in charge of the proprietary chip project?"

Charles Jordan nodded. "Yes, President Sinclair."

Sean Sinclair’s hand jerked, and his thumb accidentally tapped on the article Charles Jordan had shared.

The phone fell to his feet, the article opening as it landed.

On the cover image for the three-minute interview video at the top, Leila Jennings sat in the center, with Professor Cheney on her left and Chloe on her right.

A black microphone was held gently to her lips. Leila’s chin was slightly raised, her gaze directed forward, her eyes bright.

Sean Sinclair lowered his gaze, staring in a daze.

Sarah Lynch had once said there was someone on the project also named Leila Jennings.

He had never imagined it could be his wife, Leila Jennings.

Charles Jordan’s voice broke the silence. "President Sinclair, where are we heading?"

Sean Sinclair gradually came back to his senses. He bent down to pick up the phone and said, "My parents’ place."

’I have to go let my father know I’m okay.’

The car started moving slowly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Sean Sinclair tapped on the interview video.

Reporter: "Dr. Jennings, how long have you been on this project?"

Leila Jennings: "Seven years, to be exact. The proprietary chip project was spearheaded by my mentor. I joined the project team with him in my first year of graduate school. Four years ago, my mentor passed away, and the project was put on hold. It was restarted shortly after, and that’s when I took on the role of chief engineer."

’So when Leila said she had lost her job back then, she was referring to this project.’

Reporter: "Taking on the role of chief engineer at such a young age, did you ever feel you weren’t up to the task?"

Leila Jennings: "I did, but no one knows this project better than I do."

Reporter: "How did you manage to persevere?"

Leila Jennings: "Before my mentor passed away, he told me very seriously that as long as Celestia doesn’t develop its own chips, we will always be at the mercy of others. As long as we don’t develop our own chips, our technological development will always lag behind other nations. I have never forgotten those words."

Sean Sinclair heard thunderous applause from off-screen.

He never knew Leila could say something with such weight.

But every single word also pierced through the screen and struck his heart.

Sean Sinclair continued watching intently.

Toward the end, the questions turned personal.

Reporter: "Dr. Jennings, we heard that you’re an orphan."

Leila Jennings: "Yes. The state provided for me as I grew up, and I was only able to attend school through national subsidies and government support."

Reporter: "Dr. Jennings, you’re twenty-eight this year and so dedicated to your research. Do you have any intention of starting a family?"

Sean Sinclair held his breath.

Leila Jennings: "No."

Sean Sinclair was stunned. ’No?’

’Leila is already married to me, what does she mean, "no"?’

Reporter: "Then, Dr. Jennings, what kind of person do you like? A fellow researcher like yourself?"

Leila Jennings paused for a moment. "I choose not to answer that question."

Reporter: "Alright, thank you, Dr. Jennings."

The interview ended.

Sean Sinclair was dazed for a long moment.

"Charles, Leila said she has no intention of starting a family. What does that mean?" He frowned. "Is she refusing to acknowledge my existence?!"

Charles Jordan didn’t dare to respond.

’President Sinclair, you haven’t publicly acknowledged your wife’s existence all these years either.’

Furious, Sean Sinclair forwarded the article to Leila Jennings, attaching a question.

"Why did you tell the media you haven’t started a family?"

He hit send.

A notification immediately followed: You have 1 unsent message.

Sean Sinclair was confused.

He opened his chat window with Leila Jennings. A large, red exclamation mark sat next to the article he’d tried to send.

A line of small text below it read: Message has been sent, but was rejected by the recipient.

Leila Jennings had blocked him.

Sean Sinclair’s head began to pound.

Leila Jennings had actually blocked him!

He immediately found her phone number and called it.

"We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable."

She had blocked his number, too.

Sean Sinclair ground his teeth and ordered Charles Jordan, "Call Leila Jennings!"

Charles Jordan immediately dialed Leila’s number and put it on speaker.

The result was the same: the call couldn’t be connected.

"President Sinclair, she’s blocked me too."

Sean Sinclair’s face darkened.

Charles Jordan swallowed and said cautiously, "Your wife must have seen that stack of documents President Cole printed out. She knows about you and Ms. Lynch, that must be why..."

"I don’t need you to tell me that!" Sean Sinclair snapped, flying into a rage born of shame.

Charles Jordan immediately shut his mouth.

President Sinclair hadn’t been this angry even when he lost the bid. But faced with his wife’s anger and being blocked by her, he was furious.

’He clearly cares a great deal about his wife.’

"Forget my parents’ place. Go to the Thorne Residence." Sean Sinclair felt that the most important thing right now was to find Leila Jennings and explain. He could just call his parents to let them know he was fine.

However, Sean Sinclair came up empty.

The main gate of the Thorne Residence was locked tight. It was clear no one was home.

’Where could she have gone?’

Sean Sinclair suddenly realized he knew nothing about Leila Jennings.

Besides this place, he had no idea where else he could find her.

Leila had never left him before.

With no other choice, Sean Sinclair went to his parents’ house first. The moment he pushed open the door, he heard his mother anxiously asking his father, "What do we do? How are we supposed to tell our son about the divorce certificate?"