Chapter 857
Chapter 857
Nan Chen received Qiao Zhan's report that Ning Ran was currently having coffee with a pretty young lady. Although the girl looked familiar, Qiao Zhan could not recall where he had seen her before.
Nevertheless, it did not matter if Qiao Zhan could not remember the girl. The important thing was that Ning Ran did not meet with a man.
Hence, Nan Chen continued on with his business and ignored Ning Ran's matters.
However, he soon received a call from Ning Ran. The latter requested that he make arrangements to accompany her to meet up with a friend for a meal later that night.
Nan Chen thought it strange. Currently, Nanshi Corporation was facing a crisis, and Ning Ran was not unaware of the enormous amount of stress that he was under. So why is she trying to set up a meeting now, of all times?
It also seemed like Nan Chen was always the one who organized such events and requested Ning Ran's company, not the other way around. Ning Ran had never requested his company for any occasion.
After all, there was Nan Chen's status to consider. An ordinary person could never hope to invite him.
Since it was Ning Ran's first time setting up a meeting, Nan Chen agreed to it with a condition. He only had half an hour to spare, and he wasn't planning to stay for the entire time. He was only going to show his face, greet a few people, then leave. He was a busy man, after all.
Truth be told, Nan Chen rarely spent a long time at such events. He would only make a brief appearance at dinner meetings and public affairs.
As long as Nan Chen was willing to appear at the event, he was already giving face to the organizer.
At six o'clock in the evening, Nan Chen's car arrived at the entrance of Imperial Gourmet Club.
A black-suited Nan Chen stepped out after the driver opened the door. He then headed toward the entrance of the club.
The owner of the club came out to greet him personally. This would be the first time Nan Chen dined at his establishment, and he planned to brag about it to his friends on social media for a long time.
“Sir Chen, my name is Chen Quan. Please let me know if you need anything.” Bowing, the owner handed over his business card. He wasn't about to let the opportunity to get acquainted with Flower City's top elite slip through his fingers.
Nan Chen merely nodded in response. He accepted the proffered card, gave it a light perusal, and passed it to someone standing near him.
“This way please, Sir Chen.”
With his head held high, Nan Chen walked in without uttering a word.
Just as he reached the door, he suddenly heard the sound of another vehicle.
Nan Chen faltered in his steps. Wasn't this place supposed to be entirely reserved so no one would bother them? So why is there another car?
The person who got out of the car was dressed in a casual gray suit. He was a handsome man with clear skin and warm eyes. His gaze carried no hint of hostility at all, and his every move exuded cool and calm elegance.
The man in question was a renowned pianist in Asia who had won many awards internationally, Rong Yi.
The eldest son of the Rong family and a financial expert in the financial industry, Rong Yi was a true mastermind behind the scenes.
Every time Nan Chen encountered Rong Yi, he felt as if the latter was his greatest rival in China.
They were both men who were completely different types. Nan Chen gave off a fierce aura and the impression of a king to others. Due to that, people naturally distanced themselves from him.
On the other hand, Rong Yi was the opposite. As his name suggested, he was very approachable and did not make a person feel intimidated.
Under that gentle appearance concealed an energy that could stir up storms. Although he could hold out a gentle hand one moment, he could also put a blade to one's throat the next.
Nan Chen stood there and watched as Rong Yi slowly approached him.
He had not expected the person Ning Ran invited to be Rong Yi. Rong Yi, too, did not expect that the person Rong Rong wanted him to meet was Nan Chen.
Simultaneously, the two of them eyed each other cautiously.
Rong Yi's first thought was that Nan Chen was acting guiltily, and he assumed that the latter had forced Rong Rong, who had just returned to the country, to rush over from the airport, forcing the girl to set up a meeting with himself.
Meanwhile, Nan Chen's first reaction was that Rong Yi had gotten the better of him, and the latter was taking advantage of the situation to negotiate with Nan Chen, forcing him to hand over more benefits and for him to apologize to Rong Jilin. Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
Rong Jilin had posted on Weibo beforehand, insulting Ning Ran even though his foot injury was caused by the people Nan Chen sent. Of course, Nan Chen refused to apologize.
Rong Yi believed that although Rong Jilin was also in the wrong, he was still a member of the Rong family. Nan Chen's actions of sending someone to injure Rong Jilin was a blatant declaration of war against the Rong family.
Since the two families had a long-standing grudge, the incident only served to add fuel to the flame.
Rong Yi walked forward slowly. He could feel the cold and arrogant aura that Nan Chen was giving off.
Even if other people were afraid of Nan Chen, he was not afraid of the man.
“Did you coerce Rong Rong to set this up?” Rong Yi inquired calmly.
Nan Chen's eyes darkened as he replied frostily, “Aren't you the one who kidnapped my wife?”
The owner of the club hurriedly tried to smooth things over. “Since the two of you are important guests, all the expenses today will be on me. The two ladies who arrived before you appeared to be amicable when they went in. No one was forced in unwillingly. I can personally attest to this.”
Naturally, Nan Chen knew that Ning Ran wasn't being held against her will since Rong Yi was not that sort of person. Moreover, she had Qiao Zhan with her.
However, Nan Chen was displeased that Rong Yi accused him of kidnapping Rong Rong the moment they met. Hence, he had fired back with a retort of his own.
A strong person tended to be more lenient and tolerate those who were weaker than themselves. However, the gloves came off when it came to a person who was on par with themselves.
Snorting, Nan Chen continued to walk into the restaurant.
Rong Yi purposefully slowed down because he felt as if he would be thought of as Nan Chen's follower if he trailed behind the latter. By slowing down and keeping a distance, they would each walk their own
paths.
Rong Yi, who was heavily influenced by music, had a different side to him. Even a tiger could appreciate a rose.
Ning Ran and Rong Rong both got to their feet the moment Nan Chen entered the private room.
Just as Ning Ran was introducing them, Rong Yi entered.
Although the two men were wildly different, there was no denying that it was a pleasant experience to be in the company of extremely handsome men.
It was a good thing that there were no other men present, for they would have the urge to escape. An ordinary man would only feel inferior in their presence.
“Yi, you're here!” Rong Rong went over and hugged Rong Yi's arm.
Although it had seemed like a casual gesture between a younger sister and a doting elder brother, it was, in fact, a form of physical communication.
Rong Rong was hinting at Rong Yi to behave himself, reminding him that he should not antagonize the guests she had invited.
Ning Ran turned to Nan Chen. “Rong has just returned from Epea today. Since we haven't gathered in a while, I thought, why don't we have a meal together.”
Naturally, Nan Chen understood Ning Ran's intentions. She was making use of Rong Rong's relationship with Rong Yi to invite the latter in hopes that they would be able to negotiate.
However, she was far too naive.
If it had only been a personal conflict between Nan Chen and Rong Yi, it could have been easily resolved with today's meeting.
However, this matter concerned the two families and the interests of their respective companies. It was not something that could be solved with a simple gathering.
Most of the time, the conflict could only be resolved if one party gave way.
Since they were two families with a long-standing grudge, it was near impossible to hope that one side would give in.
Also, since it involved their families, it could not be settled with merely Rong Yi's or Nan Chen's words alone, for they still had to face immense pressure from their own families.
In an ideal world, all past feuds could be forgotten with a smile. However, if a feud could be forgotten so easily, it likely was not one that was borne of true hatred, to begin with.
Although Nan Chen and Rong Yi were not too pleased, still, they took their seats so as not to embarrass their respective acquaintance and family member.