So Many People

This wasn’t the first time Nan Pei had eaten with Lu Bairan, but it was the time he spoke the least. After introducing the agent to Lu Bairan, Nan Pei focused on the food, seemingly starving.

Lu Bairan, however, found his attention quietly drawn to Nan Pei. Watching Nan Pei stuff shrimp cakes into his mouth, cheeks puffed out, made him want to laugh.

In Lu Bairan’s mind, Nan Pei was a carefree nouveau riche, but he didn’t expect him to have such a childlike side. This childishness made Nan Pei’s clothes today look more pleasing.

Thinking of how Nan Pei had been helping him secure resources these past few days, his strong demeanor in front of others contrasted sharply with his current appearance. Lu Bairan’s gaze softened a bit.

However, a few minutes later, when Nan Pei saw a certain message on his phone, his expression subtly changed, and he stopped eating.

Lu Bairan, listening to the agent talk about future plans, couldn’t help but wonder if Nan Pei was having work issues.

Nan Pei, anxious, sent several messages to Duan Heng, saying things like “The food here isn’t good,” “Let’s go somewhere else,” “I’ve almost finished eating”…

But Duan Heng didn’t reply.

He felt like he was about to faint.

The system was even more anxious: “Host, please think of something quickly!”

Nan Pei’s brain worked rapidly, and he made a decisive decision.

He looked at Lu Bairan, about to say, “Let’s go settle the bill,” but Lu Bairan calmly said:

“The tom yum soup is getting cold.”

After speaking, Lu Bairan poured the remaining soup into a bowl, handed it to Nan Pei, and added a few shrimp cakes to his plate.

These were Nan Pei’s favorites, and Lu Bairan had been observing him.

This was Lu Bairan’s way of thanking Nan Pei for securing resources for him these past few days. Though subtle, it represented Lu Bairan’s sincerity.

As a devoted supporting character, Nan Pei couldn’t refuse the male lead’s kindness. Refusing would break his character.

“I’m almost done,” Lu Bairan said gently, looking at Nan Pei, “Drink the soup, and we’ll leave.”

Nan Pei swallowed hard.

He looked at the large bowl of tom yum soup, his fingers tightening involuntarily.

Time was tight, leaving no room for thought.

The next second, Nan Pei took out the spoon, held the bowl with both hands, and drank the soup in one go.

Putting down the bowl, he met two pairs of shocked eyes, stuffing shrimp cakes into his mouth while saying to Lu Bairan:

“Xiao Ran, thank you for the soup, I’m so touched…”

The soup was spicy and sour, making Nan Pei’s eyes slightly red, and in his rush to finish eating, his words were muffled.

The other two, however, interpreted Nan Pei’s reaction as being moved to tears by Lu Bairan’s gesture.

Lu Bairan was momentarily stunned, watching Nan Pei devour the food, feeling a soft spot in his heart being touched.

Nan Pei finally finished what Lu Bairan gave him, but then heard Lu Bairan say:

“If it’s not enough, order more.”

“Ah, ah, ah…” Nan Pei choked, his eyes reddening further, tears at the corners, repeatedly refusing, “No, no, no, I’m full!”

Lu Bairan was surprised by his strong reaction—why was he so dramatic?

Luckily, he didn’t continue ordering for Nan Pei.

Nan Pei nervously clutched his phone, ready to get up and pay, when it suddenly started vibrating—

It was Duan Heng calling.

Nan Pei almost dropped the phone in shock, struggling to maintain a calm expression as he said to Lu Bairan and the agent, “I’m going to the restroom, you guys wait for me at the cashier.”

Lu Bairan and the agent Chen Zixiao left the private room, allowing Nan Pei to answer the call: “Hello? Xiao Duan? I’m already…”

“I’m at the entrance,” Duan Heng said briefly, “Are you in the outside dining area or a private room?”

Nan Pei’s heart skipped a beat.

“I’m…” Nan Pei’s fingers tightened, swallowing hard, trying to sound normal, “I’m in the innermost private room.”

He wasn’t actually in the innermost room and didn’t know if it was occupied, but he needed to divert Duan Heng’s attention.

Duan Heng murmured an acknowledgment: “Got it.”

Nan Pei held his breath, and soon, footsteps approached.

Peeking through the door crack, he saw Duan Heng’s figure flash by.

Once Duan Heng passed, Nan Pei quickly opened the door, slipped out of the room, and walked briskly in the opposite direction.

Since Duan Heng’s back was to Nan Pei, he didn’t notice.

Exiting the corridor, Nan Pei headed straight for the cashier, where Lu Bairan and Chen Zixiao were waiting.

Chen Zixiao was talking to Lu Bairan: “That guy who just walked by looked about eighteen or nineteen, pretty handsome, probably in the entertainment industry too? But not as good-looking as you…”

Lu Bairan didn’t respond. Seeing Nan Pei arrive, he glanced up: “So slow?”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Nan Pei discreetly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He took out his phone to pay, and the server who had attended to him earlier smiled and reminded him, “Sir, remember to use the discount coupon.”

Nan Pei: “I don’t need it.”

Server: “You might not have heard clearly earlier, let me explain the promotion again…”

Pressed for time, Nan Pei interrupted, handing the coupon to the cashier: “How much is the discount?”

“This time it’s 10% off.” The cashier stamped it and returned it to Nan Pei, “Next time, it’s 30% off.”

“Okay.”

Lu Bairan stood by, surprised that someone like Nan Pei would use a discount coupon.

After paying, Nan Pei sent Lu Bairan and Chen Zixiao off, telling Chen Zixiao, “Take Xiao Ran back to the company, discuss his upcoming work schedule. I’ll browse the mall for a bit.”

Lu Bairan looked at Nan Pei, sensing something odd about him today.

Nan Pei forced a smile at Lu Bairan.

But Lu Bairan didn’t think much of it, leaving with a “I’ll go first” alongside Chen Zixiao.

Cold sweat trickled down Nan Pei’s back.

Once Lu Bairan was out of sight, Nan Pei quickly took off his nouveau riche suit, stuffing it into his bag, revealing the wrong undershirt he wore today.

“Good thing I wore the wrong one,” Nan Pei felt relieved, telling the system, “If I wore that green shirt today, I wouldn’t know how to face Duan Heng.”

System: “Host, Duan Heng is still waiting for you, hurry up and go in.”

“I know.”

Nan Pei took a deep breath and returned to the “Ren Tai Duo” restaurant.

Entering the last private room, the system couldn’t help but remark, “You’re lucky, this room is empty.”

Nan Pei also breathed a sigh of relief.

Duan Heng sat at the table, looking at the menu. Seeing Nan Pei enter, he glanced up and asked, “Where did you go just now?”

His tone suggested he wasn’t in a great mood.

“I went to the restroom,” Nan Pei sat across from Duan Heng, slipping into his elite persona from the e-sports novel, “Xiao Duan, was your training smooth today?”

Having just downed a spicy-sour bowl of tom yum soup, Nan Pei’s eyes were still slightly red, and his voice a bit hoarse.

Hearing Nan Pei’s words, seeing his slightly damp hair and red eyes, Duan Heng immediately understood—

Nan Pei must have just cried but didn’t want Duan Heng to see him in a mess, so he washed his face in the restroom.

Thinking this, Duan Heng found Nan Pei’s earlier messages understandable.

No wonder Nan Pei kept refusing him to come to this restaurant, afraid he’d see him vulnerable.

“…Smooth.” Duan Heng, seeing Nan Pei hiding his vulnerability, felt his earlier irritation fade a bit, and said, “The new team’s potential has been discovered.”

Nan Pei feigned surprise, his eyes lighting up: “Really? That’s great.”

Though feigned, there was a hint of genuine joy—after all, TKT team’s strength was closely tied to Duan Heng’s career line.

Seeing Nan Pei’s mood shift from low to happy, Duan Heng’s mood improved a bit too.

He stared at Nan Pei for a while before shifting his gaze.

“I’m hungry.” Duan Heng looked at the menu and pressed the service bell, “Let’s order.”

Nan Pei nodded, a bit uneasy: “But I might not be able to eat much…”

Before he could finish, the private room door opened.

The server who had just served Nan Pei and Lu Bairan entered, smiling: “Ready to order?”

His professional smile froze upon seeing Nan Pei.

Then, his eyes filled with surprise and confusion, glancing between Nan Pei and Duan Heng, unsure of the situation.

“What, you’ve eaten?” Duan Heng raised an eyebrow, casually asking.

“Ah, no,” Nan Pei quickly said, “I was just about to order when you said you were coming, so I didn’t continue.”

He was afraid Duan Heng would notice Lu Bairan’s presence.

The server slowly tilted his head, incredulously looking at Nan Pei.

After a moment, he rubbed his eyes hard, as if confirming he hadn’t mistaken someone else.

Fortunately, the server was professional and didn’t voice the thought, “Didn’t you just eat a whole table?”

“…Just order these,” Duan Heng said, “Oh, and add a tom yum soup.”

Nan Pei’s expression stiffened for a moment, but he still said, “Up to you.”

The server resumed smiling, politely responding, “Alright, I’ll have the kitchen prepare it.”

Before leaving, the server couldn’t help but glance at Nan Pei again.

Soon, the dishes were served.

This was Nan Pei’s second lunch, and he didn’t eat heartily, chewing each bite dozens of times.

Partly because he was too full, and partly because he had to maintain his refined persona.

When the server brought the food, seeing Nan Pei’s changed demeanor, completely different from the nouveau riche earlier, he couldn’t help but doubt if he’d mistaken someone.

During the meal, seeing Nan Pei’s lack of appetite, Duan Heng assumed he was still upset, his fingers tightening around his spoon and fork.

“I didn’t understand the player change at first,” Duan Heng said, looking down, “It happened suddenly, and the club inevitably had various speculations.”

Then, he looked at Nan Pei, pursing his lips: “Don’t be upset about it.”

Nan Pei was momentarily stunned.

The usually short-tempered Duan Heng seemed to be… trying to comfort him?

Seeing Nan Pei’s dazed expression, Duan Heng lowered his head, averting his gaze, clearing his throat awkwardly:

“Don’t get me wrong, I just think… the new team is quite good. Although you don’t understand e-sports, this was a coincidence for you, but it accidentally helped the club. Anyway, you deserve some credit.”

This was probably the longest speech Duan Heng had ever given Nan Pei.

“Xiao Duan, thank you for comforting me.” Nan Pei continued, “As long as TKT can qualify, bringing you closer to your dream, I don’t mind being misunderstood.”

Duan Heng pursed his lips, quickly glancing at Nan Pei, then pretending to eat nonchalantly, muttering an “Mm.”

This time, Nan Pei was cautious, not showing preference for any dish, afraid Duan Heng would serve him.

The meal went smoothly.

However, near the end, Duan Heng took the initiative to serve a bowl of tom yum soup, handing it to Nan Pei:

“Since you didn’t eat much, if you have no appetite, have some soup.”

To avoid misunderstandings, Duan Heng explained, “I just think this soup is really good.”

Nan Pei’s hand trembled slightly.

But he quickly pretended it was a tremor of surprise, happily accepting the soup from Duan Heng: “Xiao Duan, you’re so kind…”

Nan Pei took a sip of the soup, feigning surprise: “Wow, this soup is really good…”

In reality, even his hiccups tasted like tom yum soup.

Just as Nan Pei was diligently drinking the soup, a new notification popped up on his phone.

It was a WeChat message from Song Jingchen—

[Are you free now?]

Nan Pei almost spat out the soup.

What kind of day was this, with all the male leads messaging him??

At this moment.

Song Jingchen looked at his phone, his expression serious.

Since Nan Pei saved him last time, he hadn’t appeared in front of Song Jingchen for a while.

Yet Song Jingchen occasionally thought of Nan Pei.

He remembered how Nan Pei fearlessly rushed towards the car, the chaotic heartbeat when Nan Pei tackled him to the ground, and the handsome face he saw when he looked up in the dim light.

Moreover, recently, Song Jingchen’s company took on many new projects, many introduced by Nan Pei and the Nan family, greatly helping him, allowing the Song Group to resume operations.

But Nan Pei hadn’t shown up.

Though the Nan family said Nan Pei was busy with investments, Song Jingchen was still very concerned about his absence.

Investments were busy, but not to this extent, right?

That e-sports project and entertainment industry project, were they so time-consuming?

Today, after finishing company affairs, Song Jingchen had a project to discuss with the Nan family, planning to use this opportunity to meet Nan Pei.

Although Song Jingchen disliked Nan Pei, since Nan Pei saved him once, he didn’t want to owe him a favor.

Song Jingchen thought, this meeting was solely for that purpose.

So, during his break, Song Jingchen opened WeChat, looking at his chat with Nan Pei, mostly filled with Nan Pei’s sweet talk—

“Jingchen Gege looks so handsome today,” “Where did Jingchen Gege take that photo?” “Where did Jingchen Gege buy that outfit?”…

But Song Jingchen never responded.

He realized he had never actively opened this chat.

He couldn’t even remember what Nan Pei’s profile picture looked like.

He even blocked his moments.

Song Jingchen stared at the chat for a while, pursing his lips, and impulsively opened Nan Pei’s moments.

Driven by some unknown urge, he wanted to see what this guy had been up to lately through his moments.

To Song Jingchen’s disappointment, Nan Pei’s moments were sparse.

The only recent photo was taken at a Thai restaurant in a mall, with the “Ren Tai Duo” logo on the table.

The caption was…

[Delicious.]

Followed by a drooling emoji.

Song Jingchen frowned, confusion flashing in his eyes—since when did Nan Pei like Thai food?

But he quickly realized he didn’t know what Nan Pei liked to eat.

He knew nothing about Nan Pei.

This realization frustrated Song Jingchen.

So, he drove to the largest mall in Lujin City at noon, finding the restaurant from the photo.

Entering the “Ren Tai Duo” restaurant, Song Jingchen randomly chose a seat and opened the chat.

After hesitating for a moment, he messaged Nan Pei: “Are you free now?”

He wanted to meet Nan Pei at this place.

Receiving the message, Nan Pei was startled.

However, this time he was cautious, not sending his location or mentioning he was eating, instead replying:

[Jingchen Gege! You actually messaged me! [Happy][Happy]]

[What’s up? [Playful]]

Nan Pei planned to adapt based on Song Jingchen’s reply.

Song Jingchen, sitting in the restaurant, smirked at Nan Pei’s reply, thinking how this chat style matched Nan Pei perfectly.

Childish to the core.

Song Jingchen knew Nan Pei was self-indulgent, easily moved by himself.

Receiving such a message, no matter how busy, Nan Pei would be overjoyed.

He didn’t want Nan Pei to misunderstand his intentions.

So, Song Jingchen replied: [Don’t get me wrong, I just want to discuss the Song and Nan family collaboration project with you.]

In the private room.

Relieved by the reply, Nan Pei responded with a simple “Sure.”

Luckily, it was just about the project.

After finishing the meal, Duan Heng wiped his mouth.

The two stood up simultaneously, ready to leave the private room.

At that moment, Nan Pei’s phone buzzed.

Song Jingchen’s message popped up:

[I’m at this restaurant.]

[Location: Ren Tai Duo Thai Restaurant, Shuangtian Mall, Lujin City.]

Nan Pei froze.

As if afraid Nan Pei couldn’t find him, Song Jingchen even sent a photo of his seat.

In the photo, Song Jingchen had chosen a window seat.

And this seat was visible as soon as Nan Pei opened the private room door.

Nan Pei’s eyes widened.

Cold sweat began to form on his back again.

The system shouted in despair: “Too many people! There are really too many people!”

The next second.

Duan Heng opened the private room door, standing at the entrance, looking back at the stunned Nan Pei, casually saying:

“Let’s go.”

Author’s Note:

Nan Pei: Might as well just send me on my way.