The beginnings of a Love Rival Showdown

The Imperial Capital's most famous restaurant was not far from here.

But it was expensive, and Ning Shile had never been.

Once they were seated, a smiling server placed complimentary pastries on the table, then came over with a tablet to take their order, thoughtfully recommending the restaurant's specialties.

They had just finished ordering when a familiar male voice sounded behind him. "Lele."

Ning Shile turned and saw Zheng Ye standing behind him, though he had no idea when he had arrived.

The man was tall and straight-backed. As he strode forward, his effortless elegance and refinement made it impossible to look away.

His black hair was swept back, revealing a smooth, full forehead and handsome features. Apology shone in his deep-set eyes. "Sorry, I was in a meeting and didn't check my phone."

"Oh, that's all right." Ning Shile waved a hand. "I forgot to arrange a time with you yesterday."

Zheng Ye nodded, his gaze landing on Chu Ran.

Chu Ran was a little surprised.

So Zheng Ye was the person Ning Shile had been waiting for?

He even called him "Lele." That was so intimate. Were they close?

Chu Ran frowned and met Zheng Ye's eyes. Their gazes collided in midair like a stone dropping into a lake, shattering the tranquil scene.

The atmosphere in the restaurant changed at once.

"I should have made arrangements beforehand." Zheng Ye sat down right beside Ning Shile. "I kept you waiting so long."

Chu Ran's expression changed instantly. There were so many empty seats around them. What was Zheng Ye trying to do by sitting here?

Chu Ran leaned forward, his tone unfriendly as he asked bluntly, "Are you joining us, Mr. Zheng?"

"Yes," Zheng Ye answered just as directly, looking up. He leaned forward slightly as well and asked politely, "May I?"

Chu Ran was left speechless, suddenly feeling as though he had punched a wad of cotton.

He looked away without saying anything.

Ning Shile, meanwhile, began turning their exchange over in his mind.

Ahhhh! The male lead and the villain were at each other's throats from their very first meeting!!

This atmosphere, this tension! Two top-tier men clashing—this was what made male rivalry so exciting!!

Ning Shile's inner voice brimmed with excitement, his eager gaze moving between their faces in hopes of catching some unusual expression.

The bottom lead hadn't even appeared yet, and these two already smelled of gunpowder! How intense would this Love Rival Showdown get once he showed up?!!

The male lead? The villain?

Zheng Ye and Chu Ran each believed he was the only one who could hear Ning Shile's thoughts, so both concealed their odd expressions and pondered in silence.

So Chu Ran was the male lead?

Zheng Ye was the villain?

Then what role did Ning Shile play?

Before any of them could sort out their relationships, the food arrived.

The first dish was Whitefin Tuna. Ning Shile had been hungry all day, so naturally, he could not wait to dig in.

After one bite, his little mouth turned down, and he delivered a fair assessment.

Not good.

Chu Ran felt a little awkward. He rarely came to this restaurant either and had no idea which dishes were good. He had ordered the recommended specialties, only to stumble onto a dud with the very first one.

Chu Ran tried a bite too. The flavor was indeed a little strange. The main ingredient and its base had not blended well, resulting in an odd taste.

Watching Ning Shile grimace but stubbornly swallow anyway, Chu Ran said, "Let's wait for the next dish."

"Mm..." Ning Shile insisted on finishing what was on his spoon. "It wasn't cheap, either."

Zheng Ye suddenly rose, sought out the server to check their order, and added a few dishes before returning to his seat.

The second dish was French Snails.

Ning Shile tried a spoonful first. The moment he swallowed, his eyes lit up, and he pointed at the bowl in recommendation. "This one's good!"

Chu Ran did not touch it. Ning Shile's reaction left him a little unhappy; he had not ordered this dish.

Zheng Ye glanced casually at Chu Ran's expression, the corners of his lips lifting with perfect composure.

Ning Shile was thoroughly enjoying his food. Before long, his face was smeared like a little kitten's, and Zheng Ye instinctively reached over to wipe the corner of his mouth.

Startled, Ning Shile drew back a little. "I can do it myself."

"You can't see it." Zheng Ye brushed the crumbs from Ning Shile's face with his fingers. Catching Chu Ran's darkening expression out of the corner of his eye, he deliberately rubbed the pad of his finger over Ning Shile's lips.

Chu Ran saw it too. Was Zheng Ye staking his claim?

He gave a cold laugh and said in an unfriendly tone, "Shile has hands, doesn't he? Do you really need to take care of every little thing, Mr. Zheng?"

"It's fine." Zheng Ye smiled. "It was no trouble."

Chu Ran clenched his back teeth. Sly old fox.

Ning Shile was not paying attention to any of this. He was focused entirely on eating.

The French Snails really did taste good. The snails had a pleasantly springy bite, and the flavors were nicely balanced.

He took another mouthful, but this time, he bit into something that sent a fierce burst of heat straight to his brain, making him choke until tears nearly spilled from his eyes.

Ning Shile coughed. "Cough, cough!"

So spicy!!

Ning Shile reached for his water glass, only to burn himself the moment he touched it.

So hot! I... can't drink this.

Ning Shile looked around, growing anxious. Wasn't there any ice water?

Hearing that, Zheng Ye and Chu Ran looked up together and spoke in unison.

"Server."

"Server."

After calling out, they exchanged a glance and both raised their brows.

The server hurried over, looked at the two of them, and asked, "What can I get for you?"

Chu Ran immediately said, "A glass of ice water."

"Milk, please," Zheng Ye said.

Getting ice water meant fetching ice cubes from cold storage, which was more trouble. Milk required no such preparation.

The server brought over a carton of milk first and set it on the table. Zheng Ye took it, opened it, and placed it in front of Ning Shile.

By now, Ning Shile's eyes were red from choking, and he could not stop coughing. The carton of milk was practically a lifeline. "Th-thank you."

Zheng Ye smiled faintly. "You're welcome."

Ning Shile had drunk more than half the carton by the time the server brought the ice water.

Chu Ran's entire face had darkened. He simply grabbed the ice water and gulped it down himself, the ice cubes clacking against his teeth.

In truth, Chu Ran was not all that fixated on Ning Shile. His budding attraction was still rather vague, but now that a rival had appeared, he somehow found himself getting carried away.

The third dish arrived: Crispy Pigeon.

Chu Ran seized the initiative, placing a piece on Ning Shile's plate. "Try this. The reviews looked pretty good."

"Really?" Ning Shile readily humored him with a smile. "It looks delicious too."

"It is delicious," Zheng Ye suddenly said. His voice was calm and unhurried, like a breeze brushing past their ears, inexplicably drawing their attention.

Zheng Ye took a piece as well, then cut open the crisp outer layer with his knife to reveal the pigeon meat inside and spread a layer of caviar over it.

"Try it. It tastes better this way." As he spoke, he took away the plate in front of Ning Shile, along with the Pigeon Ball Chu Ran had served him.

Chu Ran stared. ???

Then Zheng Ye placed his own plate in front of Ning Shile. "Try it."

In one seamless sequence, he had replaced the pigeon meat Chu Ran had given Ning Shile.

Chu Ran was on the verge of losing his composure. He could not help looking at Zheng Ye.

Zheng Ye openly raised his head and met Chu Ran's gaze.

"Really? Let me try." Completely oblivious to the undercurrents between the two men at the table, Ning Shile remained focused on his food, lifting the pigeon meat Zheng Ye had cut with his fork and putting it in his mouth.

Mmm!!!

Ning Shile nodded repeatedly as he ate.

Delicious, delicious! The pigeon meat was finely textured and so fragrant. Paired with the caviar, it was unbelievably good!!

Brother Ye really knew how to enjoy his food!

Zheng Ye chuckled, picked up his water glass, and raised his brows at Chu Ran as though in provocation.

Chu Ran was furious, yet he had no way to say so outright.

He really had underestimated Zheng Ye. The man looked so cultured and refined, but he was a sly old fox hiding his tricks behind that reserved exterior. His methods were impressive indeed.

Zheng Ye won this meal decisively. He even secretly settled the bill.

Zheng Ye offered a perfectly respectable excuse. "I interrupted your meal. I should pay."

His words were so appropriate that there was not a single fault to find.

What a fake-innocent schemer!

Chu Ran followed behind them, growing increasingly uncomfortable as he watched Zheng Ye and Ning Shile's backs. Then, as though remembering something, he hurried forward and stepped in front of Ning Shile. "By the way, Shile, do you still have the painting you bought last time?"

The painting?

Zheng Ye remembered the Five Scenes Painting Ning Grandfather had torn apart. If Chu Ran really was this world's protagonist, he would surely amount to something later.

Afraid Chu Ran would hold a grudge against Ning Shile over this, he opened his mouth, ready to take the blame himself.

"Yes, I do," Ning Shile answered first.

He still had it?

Zheng Ye was puzzled.

Ning Shile was not stupid. With so many people and prying eyes at the banquet, he certainly would not bring a genuine painting worth tens of millions.

Unlike Zheng Ye, he could not hire so many bodyguards to ensure its safety, so he had brought a forgery first, intending to take out the genuine work after the banquet ended.

When Ning Grandfather had called the painting fake, Ning Shile had thought he had recognized it as a forgery. He had never expected that Ning Grandfather did not even know there was more than one Five Scenes Painting.

Master Tang had said on more than one occasion that the Five Scenes Painting consisted of two pieces, an upper and a lower one. Anyone who genuinely admired Master Tang would know that.

So his grandfather did not really like Tang Yun either. He was merely following the crowd.

When Ning Grandfather tore up the painting without listening to reason, Ning Shile had even felt a little relieved. Fortunately, he had brought a fake. Otherwise, how would he have explained it to Chu Ran?

"That's good." Chu Ran breathed a sigh of relief. "That painting is very important to me. I'll pay three times the price to buy it from you now. Would you be willing?"

"Of course. There's no need to pay triple," Ning Shile said sincerely. "It's a good thing for a painting to go to someone who appreciates it."

"All right, then let's exchange contact details." Chu Ran took out his phone and opened his QR code.

Ning Shile promptly took out his phone and scanned it.

I actually got the male lead's WeChat just like that?

Didn't that mean I had another powerful backer to cling to?!!

A. Powerful. Backer.

Zheng Ye narrowed his eyes. He was a man who knew very well how to reflect on himself.

So when Ning Shile said that, Zheng Ye began seriously considering whether he was not "powerful" enough as a backer, leaving Ning Shile unsatisfied with him alone and wanting to cling to someone else too.

It seemed he still wasn't trying hard enough.