The Three Male Leads Meet

Facing Song Jingchen’s questioning gaze, Nan Pei’s brain was working at lightning speed. 

After a moment, he looked up at Song Jingchen, flashed a perfect smile, and said calmly, “An employee of the company.”

Lu Bairan was one of Nan Pei’s artists, so naturally, he counted as an employee. The brief moment of panic had vanished.

However, Song Jingchen keenly sensed something was off and continued to stare directly at Nan Pei. 

A few seconds later, as if realizing something, he asked, “You investigated me, didn’t you?”

Nan Pei was stunned by the question.

Song Jingchen sneered, his tone full of sarcasm, “Because you investigated my schedule, you knew I was coming to the charity gala, so you specially got an invitation and brought a so-called employee as a cover… isn’t that right?”

Nan Pei: “…”

As expected of an overbearing CEO, he didn’t disappoint.

Nan Pei pretended to be surprised and flustered at being found out, covering his mouth with a flicker in his eyes, “Jingchen Gege… how are you so amazing??”

After saying that, he exaggeratedly clutched his chest and took a small step back.

“Don’t I know you well enough?” Song Jingchen said casually.

After speaking, Song Jingchen was momentarily stunned—did he just say he knew Nan Pei well?

A hint of discomfort flashed in Song Jingchen’s eyes.

Nan Pei didn’t notice Song Jingchen’s unease and said apologetically, “Jingchen Gege, I know only entrepreneurs like you can attend such galas, but I also wanted to see it. You won’t blame me, right?”

Song Jingchen cleared his throat, his tone flat, “Suit yourself.”

However, he seemed to be in a good mood, even with a hint of joy in his eyes.

“The gala is about to start,” Song Jingchen said, looking at Nan Pei, “Where’s your seat?”

Nan Pei mentioned a seat number, and Song Jingchen frowned—they were quite far apart.

Last time, at the concert, Nan Pei didn’t sit next to Song Jingchen, which had been bothering him.

So, Song Jingchen casually asked, “So, do you want to switch to sit next to me?”

Nan Pei: “…” I’m not, I didn’t.

Seeing Nan Pei stunned, Song Jingchen knew he guessed right and continued, “It’s not impossible, but the ones sitting next to me are all business moguls, you…”

“Then I won’t trouble you, Jingchen Gege,” Nan Pei said “considerately.”

Song Jingchen’s expression instantly froze, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

But he quickly recovered, masking his emotions, and coldly left a “better not switch” before turning to leave.

Only then did Nan Pei breathe a sigh of relief.

The two returned to the gala site one after the other, and when Song Jingchen saw that Nan Pei hadn’t followed, his expression turned even colder.

The financial reporters on site noticed Song Jingchen and rushed forward to interview him, which improved his mood.

Taking advantage of Song Jingchen’s distraction with the reporters, Nan Pei quietly slipped back to sit next to Lu Bairan, not daring to make a sound.

Lu Bairan, seeing the usually talkative Nan Pei unusually silent, turned to him and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong with you?”

“…I forgot to wear my big gold chain today,” Nan Pei said thoughtfully, “I can’t stand out among these entrepreneurs.”

Lu Bairan: “…There’s really no need for that.” He immediately lost interest in chatting with Nan Pei.

The gala began.

Song Jingchen sat in the front row of the entrepreneur section, while Nan Pei and Lu Bairan sat further back.

Song Jingchen looked back for a moment, unable to spot Nan Pei, and frowned, a sense of frustration surfacing in his eyes.

Lu Bairan glanced at Nan Pei, who suddenly bent down to pick something up, and asked, “Did something fall?”

“A ring.”

Nan Pei knew Song Jingchen would look back for him, so he preemptively took off a ring from his finger and hid it in his palm.

After a while, Lu Bairan suddenly offered, “Want me to help you find it?”

As he spoke, he also tried to bend down.

Nan Pei quickly said, “No need…” and instinctively straightened up.

At that moment, their heads suddenly bumped into each other.

Nan Pei winced in pain, almost crying out, but quickly covered his mouth.

The ring slipped from his palm.

Lu Bairan, quick-eyed and quick-handed, caught the ring.

The next second, he handed it to Nan Pei, his voice tinged with a bit of concern and apology, “Sorry for bumping into you.”

Nan Pei quickly shook his head, “It’s okay.”

Just as he finished speaking, Lu Bairan’s hand landed gently on Nan Pei’s head, giving it a light rub.

Nan Pei was stunned.

Lu Bairan’s hand lingered only briefly before he withdrew it.

His expression was a bit unnatural, averting his gaze, he coughed and said, “…Don’t be silly next time.”

Lu Bairan internally complained, how could someone hold a ring in their palm while looking for it…

Are nouveau riche generally not very smart?

Nan Pei swallowed, putting the ring back on.

The gala officially began.

The segments and procedures were tedious, and Nan Pei sat there, constantly on edge.

Before the gala ended, there was a raffle.

Everyone around was interested in the prizes, except Nan Pei, who looked indifferent, occasionally checking the time on his phone, planning to leave as soon as it ended.

The host on stage enthusiastically announced, “The gala is nearing its end. To thank everyone for their support, we’ll now draw a lucky audience member. A special reminder, the prizes for this event are all recycled and reused items…”

The first few prizes were small household appliances, reportedly bought at high prices from charity markets and modified accordingly.

These prizes held more symbolic than practical value, and most people chose to support the event.

Nan Pei clapped along, but he felt he was unlikely to win.

Sure enough, the first few lucky audience members were announced, and Nan Pei’s name was nowhere on the list.

Those drawn went backstage to claim their prizes.

Just then, Nan Pei’s phone vibrated—Duan Heng finally sent a message.

The message was a photo.

Nan Pei opened it and immediately sat up straight, eyes widening—

In the photo, the building hosting the Shengxing Charity Gala was particularly prominent.

Judging by the size and distance, Duan Heng must have taken it on his way there.

The next second, Duan Heng sent another message: “Is this the place?”

Nan Pei almost dropped his phone.

Why was Duan Heng coming here??

After winning the match, shouldn’t Duan Heng be celebrating with his teammates?!

And… how did Duan Heng know he was attending the Shengxing Charity Gala?

Nan Pei gripped his phone tightly, then sneaked a glance at Lu Bairan beside him, who was focused on the raffle, and turned slightly to reply:

“Xiao Duan, I’m busy, don’t come looking for me.”

Nan Pei nervously watched the screen.

However, Duan Heng seemed prepared, replying, “No worries. I’m waiting nearby.”

Nan Pei didn’t know why Duan Heng was looking for him. Was it because his early departure upset Duan Heng?

But it shouldn’t be enough to come to a charity gala to block him, right?

Duan Heng looked at his phone screen, sensing that Nan Pei wasn’t eager to see him.

The more Nan Pei acted this way, the more Duan Heng wanted to find him.

He wanted to ask Nan Pei why he left such an important match early.

And also ask…

Why he was spending less and less time at the club recently.

Duan Heng shouldn’t care about these issues; after all, he didn’t like Nan Pei and hoped Nan Pei would stay far away from the club.

He thought maybe it was the investor’s negligence that annoyed him.

That’s all.

Nan Pei looked at Duan Heng’s message, and Lu Bairan’s voice came from beside him, “What’s up with you?”

Nan Pei quickly put away his phone, pretending to be calm, “Ah, just closed a deal.”

Lu Bairan didn’t press further, only saying, “I heard the first prize is a modified brand-name mountain bike, sounds pretty nice…”

Nan Pei didn’t really hear what Lu Bairan was saying; his mind was full of thoughts on what to do after the gala.

Just then, the voice on stage suddenly announced:

“Let’s congratulate the lucky audience member—Nan Pei!”

“Congratulations on winning the first prize! The prize is a modified mountain bike!”

Nan Pei looked bewildered.

A bike?

He didn’t need that thing!

The next second, the system’s voice echoed in his mind:

“Host, here’s a good chance. You can use claiming the prize as an excuse to go backstage and let the three male leads leave first.”

Nan Pei was impressed by the system’s cleverness.

Lu Bairan, beside him, said in surprise, “You’re so lucky?”

“Maybe it’s heaven saving me.”

Nan Pei left a cryptic comment that Lu Bairan didn’t understand, went on stage to receive the prize voucher, and said happily, “I’m thrilled to get this prize…”

In the audience, Song Jingchen watched Nan Pei, frowning.

He thought, this kid can’t even ride a bike, yet he’s so happy to win this prize?

Is his brain broken?

Then, the host said to Nan Pei, “The prize is a bit large, you might need to spend some time backstage.”

Hearing this, Nan Pei’s eyes lit up, even more excited, “That’s great.”

Host: ?

After the gala, Nan Pei hurriedly followed the staff backstage to claim the prize.

On the way, Nan Pei pretended to be regretful and sent messages to the three male leads, saying he had to queue for the prize and it was cumbersome to move, suggesting they leave first.

Then, to buy time, Nan Pei dawdled backstage for quite a while.

About twenty minutes passed.

None of the three replied to Nan Pei’s messages.

So, Nan Pei guessed they had probably left, finally relaxing and telling the staff, “I’ll move it myself, thanks for the prize.”

After saying that, Nan Pei cheerfully carried the bike out.

A nearby staff member: ?

How could anyone be so happy moving something?

Just as Nan Pei was about to exit the gala building.

He suddenly saw, not far from the door, three familiar figures.

Song Jingchen, in a gray suit, leaned against a luxury sports car, broad shoulders and narrow waist, exuding an aristocratic aura, his expression calm.

Duan Heng, in TKT team gear, stood under a tree, slightly frowning, a hint of impatience in his eyes, but still restraining his temper.

Lu Bairan, in a black suit similar to Nan Pei’s, stood by the door, his gaze calm as water.

They were all holding phones, typing messages.

The next second, Nan Pei’s phone vibrated three times in succession.

He held the bike with one hand, mechanically took out his phone with the other, and three similar messages popped up:

Song Jingchen: [Are you done? If you don’t come out soon, I’m not waiting.]

Duan Heng: [Why is it taking so long to move a prize? Want me to come in and help?]

Lu Bairan: [I’ve been waiting at the door for a long time. Is the bike heavy?]

Nan Pei swallowed.

A passing janitor uncle, Nan Pei asked in a trembling voice, “Excuse me, is there another exit?”

The uncle smiled and shook his head, “To maintain order at the gala, only the main door is open today, all other doors are locked.”

Nan Pei: “…”

The system’s voice sounded panicked, “How could this happen?! If they meet, won’t your pursuit of three people at once be exposed?!”

Nan Pei knew that in such moments, he couldn’t panic.

He took a deep breath, and after a few seconds, took off his jacket, pulled up his collar to cover his face, and slowly walked out of the building.

The three simultaneously noticed Nan Pei.

They all looked up at the young man walking out the door, their expressions varied.

However, before they could speak, the young man put down the bike and sat on it.

Nan Pei planned to escape the scene before the three reacted.

But before Nan Pei could ride far, three different voices called out from behind:

“Nan Pei, where are you going?”

As the three voices fell, the atmosphere plunged into an eerie silence.

At that moment, Nan Pei’s bike wobbled, almost tipping over.

He felt like the protagonist in a horror movie, too scared to look back.

The system’s voice echoed:

“Forget it, host, accept your fate.”

Author’s Note:

Nan Pei: I really want to escape but can’t.