Chapter 23: The Rival Always Wants to Taste Him Again [23]

Chapter 23: The Rival Can't Stop Wanting Another Taste of Him "23"

"Hm? What kind of deal?"

Shi Mo had just heard 447's rundown on him, and now hearing his words, he was even more intrigued.

Cheng Sunan's eyes crinkled slightly: "Lin Ran came to me a couple of days ago, saying he could partner with me and help me leave the Cheng family."

"All I'd need to do is help them set a trap for the Ye family—tamper with the business deal they're about to sign soon."

Shi Mo's eyes narrowed: "He came to you for cooperation, and the only condition he offered was helping you leave?"

Cheng Sunan smiled: "Yeah, but unfortunately, it's not gonna work out the way he wants. I've never planned on leaving."

Shi Mo: "Then why do you want to work with me?"

He remembered that in the broken storyline, this hadn't happened at all.

Unexpected, but it made sense.

After all, no matter which storyline it was, his villain persona had never once mentioned liking men.

Cheng Sunan paused to think: "Originally, I didn't have this plan. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me who I team up with—I only care about who can offer me the best deal."

"Lin Ran's conditions weren't enough to win me over, but I'm very interested in him... He knows way too much."

Cheng Sunan trailed off, seeming to realize he was oversharing, and steered the conversation back:

"However, the moment I saw your photo, I decided I wanted to work with you."

A smile played in Cheng Sunan's eyes: "A Mo, the first time I saw you, I knew we were cut from the same cloth."

"Rather than Lin Ran, I'd much rather work with you."

"He's been getting a lot of buzz online lately, and he's built himself a perfect all-around persona. The Lin family has also been throwing money and resources at him like crazy."

"At this critical moment, him coming to me to target the Ye family—this isn't just some petty scheme. He's trying to take down the entire Ye family."

"If he wants to do that, he wouldn't just team up with the Cheng family. He must have approached you too, right? The Shi and Ye families already have a lot of business together, so it'd be easier for him to strike."

Cheng Sunan kept his tone calm, his voice gentle and unhurried.

Shi Mo didn't refute him but nodded slightly, openly showing his interest and signaling for him to continue:

"Mhm, you're right, that was indeed the plan. But he's overestimating the Lin family and underestimating the Ye family. He can't pull it off."

Cheng Sunan: "So right now, he's trying to expand the Lin family's appetite so they can gobble up the Ye family whole."

"As long as you agree, I can work with you to tear down the Lin family."

Shi Mo asked: "Why would you want to do that?"

Cheng Sunan: "If you're gonna plot against someone, you should be ready for someone to plot against you, right?"

"Besides, I can tell that Ye Qi is special to you."

"From an emotional standpoint, you wouldn't want to see Ye Qi get played. From a practical standpoint, if Lin Ran dares to target the Ye family today, next time he might set his sights on the Shi family."

Cheng Sunan saw Shi Mo staring at him silently and assumed he was skeptical, so he added:

"Of course, you don't have to doubt me. I'm also doing this for my kid's sake."

"He just took over the Cheng family, and he needs to prove himself to earn everyone's respect."

"Besides, don't you think it's time for a change in the three great families?"

Shi Mo chuckled and extended his hand toward him again: "Lin Ran coming to you for a partnership—that's definitely the worst decision he could have made."

"So then, Brother Sunan, here's to a good partnership~"

"I'm down to cooperate, but I have one condition—go find Ye Qi and work with him."

Under Cheng Sunan's slightly puzzled gaze, Shi Mo pulled his hand back and spoke in a lazy tone:

"Since you've done your research on me, you should also know that I don't like handling this kind of stuff."

"Of course, if there's anything you need my help with, I can still help out—for example... that little guy of yours who's been following us the whole way."

Cheng Sunan: "..."

Cheng Sunan: "Tsk, same to you—hasn't that Young Master Ye been tailing us the whole time too?"

Shi Mo blinked: "Looks like today's movie is gonna be interesting."

Cheng Sunan said with a grin: "Want me to help you mess with him? I can tell you seem to enjoy toying with him."

Shi Mo asked, curious: "Aren't you afraid your kid will get jealous?"

Cheng Sunan said nonchalantly: "Mm, a little jealousy now and then is healthy."

Hearing his words, the smile in Shi Mo's eyes deepened.

He now believed what Cheng Sunan had said.

They really were the same kind of people—especially when it came to certain things...

The two had just met, but they were already on the same wavelength.

When they arrived at the cinema, one went to grab sodas, the other to grab popcorn.

Completely ignoring the two people who were hiding and trailing behind them, frantic with worry.

It wasn't until they took their seats that the two who had been tailing them finally walked in as well.

Ye Qi glanced at his movie ticket—it was the seat next to Cheng Sunan, which made his face fall.

Then he looked at the seat next to Shi Mo. Behind him stood a young man whose face was just as dark.

Their eyes met, and in that instant, they seemed to reach an unspoken agreement.

Without a word, they swapped seats.

Ye Qi sat down beside Shi Mo, trying to act calm. When Shi Mo didn't react, he cleared his throat and said:

"What a coincidence, you're here to watch a movie too."

Right as he said that, he heard Cheng Ziyu's whining voice from the other side:

"Bro~ How could you sneak off to watch a movie without me?"

"Can I have some of your popcorn, bro?"

"Can I have a sip of your cola, bro?"

"Bro... I heard this is a horror movie. Can I hold your hand?"

"Bro~"

"Ziyu, stop messing around."

Cheng Sunan looked at Cheng Ziyu, who was holding his hand with fingers interlaced, like he was marking his territory, and felt a bit helpless.

Cheng Ziyu blinked softly, holding the cola that Cheng Sunan had just drunk from.

Then he deliberately raised their joined hands, waving them around in front of Shi Mo, and said with a smile:

"I'll do whatever my bro says~"

Ye Qi turned to look at Cheng Ziyu, a flash of shock in his eyes, then a thoughtful look.

As if something had clicked, his gaze gradually became determined!

Shi Mo noticed from the corner of his eye that Ye Qi's reaction seemed off, and couldn't help chuckling:

"What's wrong? Is Master Ye afraid of ghosts too?"

"Yeah, I'm really scared of ghosts, so can I hold your hand?"

Ye Qi hesitated for a second, as if he'd made a decision:

"Bro~"