Chapter 661 I Hope So Too
“This is Ms. Rong Rong, and this is Nan Chen.” Ning Ran still went ahead with the introduction.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Nan. Actually, would you prefer if I call you Sir Chen? I heard you like it when others refer to you by that title.” Rong Rong’s brother smiled as he stretched his hand out.
“I’m fine with either.” Nan Chen shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Rong Yi. I’ve attended one of your recitals before overseas.”
“Is that so? Thank you for your support, then.”
Ning Ran had heard of the name Rong Yi before. I think I saw him on the television, too. No wonder he looks familiar. He’s one of Asia’s young and very talented pianists who won countless international awards. Additionally, he even attended a United Nations conference as a representative of China’s distinguished youth. He’s so well known that not even an average celebrity can be compared to him.
“So, you’re the pianist, Mr. Rong. No wonder you look so refined,” she commented.
“Thanks for your compliments. You’re very pretty, Ms. Ning. I’ve watched your movies before.” A pleasant smile returned to Rong Yi’s face.
She liked seeing him smile because it felt very amicable to her. Crap, am I swooning over him? Why do I feel this way?
The restaurant wasn’t big at all. It was also pretty quiet, likely because the whole building had been booked.
When they all sat at a table, Ning Ran stared at Rong Yi a couple more times. The more she did, the more she took a liking to him.
She didn’t simply like him. It was something different, more profound. Perhaps it was more appropriate to describe it as admiration.
It was then Lu Jingyuan arrived. The restaurant became livelier after the three women reunited.
Since there was still time before the dishes were served, the three of them started chatting. As for Nan Chen and Rong Yi, since they weren’t familiar with each other, they barely exchanged a word.
“How about we go out for a walk?” Nan Chen suggested on his own accord.
Glancing at Nan Chen’s leg, Rong Yi asked, “Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just a temporary injury. I can still move.”
After the two men left, the women exchanged glances with each other.
“I didn’t know your brother’s a famous pianist. Why did you never mention it before?” Ning Ran asked excitedly.
“You didn’t ask. Besides, my brother doesn’t like it when I mention his name. He said he’s not a musician, just a guy whose one of his hobbies is playing the piano,” Rong Rong answered.
“Your brother’s a very likable person, Rong Rong. He’s also very gentlemanly,” Lu Jingyuan commented.
Whew! It seems like I’m not swooning over him after all. He’s simply just that charismatic. Even Lu Jingyuan said so! Hearing that made Ning Ran feel at ease.
A smirk was set on Rong Rong’s face. “My brother’s the type of person who almost never scolds anyone. In fact, he never reprimanded me in any way, not even a little bit. I also think my brother’s very likable, haha.”
“His talent for playing the piano is astounding! I attended his recital in the capital during the Lunar New Year, and I have to say, he was so good,” Lu Jingyuan added.
Wow, she went to Rong Yi’s recital before, too. It seems like I’m the only one here who has never heard him play the piano before. I guess I have to admit I did belong in a lower class in the past, Ning Ran thought.
Abruptly, Rong Rong pleaded, “Oh yeah, can you two persuade my brother later to let me stay in this city? I still want to sing here until I have to return when school starts again.”
Ning Ran and Lu Jingyuan exchanged a glance. This is going to be difficult. We may be friends, but we only just met not too long ago. I don’t think we should interfere with her family matters.
“I know what you two are thinking, but my brother’s an open-minded person! He’ll be willing to listen to you two,” Rong Rong assured anxiously.
In response, Ning Ran asked, “Then why not convince him yourself? Why us?”
“That’s right.” Lu Jingyuan nodded slightly. “Why do you need us to convince him when you can do it yourself? It’s your family matter. I don’t think it’s okay for us to intervene.”
“My brother’s simply worried about my safety, but he’ll agree to let me stay if you two appeal to him on my behalf,” Rong Rong answered.
With a nod, Ning Ran replied, “Your brother’s right to worry about you. It really isn’t safe for a girl like you to sing in a bar alone. Besides, your brother’s a pianist, and your family’s not in any financial trouble. Why don’t you want to go back with him?”
“Yeah. Only those who struggle to pay the bills will choose to sing at a bar. Why do you want to stay here?” Lu Jingyuan was of the same opinion as Ning Ran.
Rong Rong wailed, “It’s not because I have financial issues. I just like singing! I also like a small city like this and the slow-paced life here. Yeah, there are thugs here, but what city doesn’t have thugs? What bar doesn’t have any unsavory people visiting it? What’s so bad about staying at a place like that, anyway? I get to meet different people from all walks of life. If I hadn’t come to Livingsfill, I wouldn’t have been able to meet you two!”
She’s not wrong. But… Ning Ran and Lu Jingyuan exchanged a glance again before saying to each other in near-unison, “You should do it!”
They didn’t expect the other to be also unwilling to meddle with other people’s affairs and wanted someone else to do it stand.
That was why they chuckled when they ended their sentences.
“Don’t laugh! I’m being serious here. You two must help me out.” Rong Rong stared at them with puppy eyes.
“You are really making it difficult for us, Rong. If I knew you wanted me to do this, I wouldn’t have come at all. This is clearly a trap.” A sigh escaped Ning Ran’s mouth.
“Yeah, this is too cruel. We’re here for a meal, not settling your business for you.” Lu Jingyuan grinned.
A tinge of disappointment was heard in Rong Rong’s voice. “I’m merely asking you two for help. It’s not a threat or anything. If you two are unwilling to help out, then forget about it.”
“We’ll see how things go and give it a try later, I guess,” Ning Ran promised.
While the women were having a great time conversing with each other, the men outside weren’t.
They stood silently under a tree outside of the restaurant for two minutes.
The scene was very peculiar. No one wanted to be the first to speak.
In the end, Nan Chen, who usually disliked chatters, was the one to break the silence. “I hope our meeting here is just a coincidence.”
“I hope the same, too,” Rong Yi replied.
While their conversation sounded very odd and seemingly nonsensical, those two intelligent men knew their verbal exchange was pretty much over because all they needed to say had been said.
The seemingly ordinary sentences they uttered actually contained an immense amount of information that couldn’t be comprehended fully without knowledge about their family backgrounds.
Many years ago, the Nan family wasn’t the only one dominating Flower City. There was also the Rong family.
Despite the two powerful families occupying the same territory, peace was maintained for a very long time.
However, it didn’t last. A violent, malignant competition broke out between the two families, turning them into sworn enemies.
In the end, Prosperity Holdings lost, and they had to relocate their headquarters away from Flower City. For many years, little was heard about them.
Back then, Nan Chen was still only a boy. He had no idea what had happened. He asked his grandfather about it, but the old man refused to give him a detailed answer, only saying that the two families were enemies.
Thus, he sincerely had no idea what went wrong between the two families.
The real meaning behind Nan Chen’s words was, if laid out in plain terms, “I hope it’s just a coincidence that I met you in Livingsfill and not because you’re here to attack my loved ones.”
Rong Yi’s words meant more or less the same thing, which was he hoped Nan Chen wasn’t there to target his sister.
