Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 12 Boyfriend

Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Boyfriend

The hardest debt to repay between people was the debt of gratitude.

Today’s meal was carefully planned by Cheng Qiaobei, with the intention of letting Chen Ningxi see the architectural plans in the study naturally.

Apparently, she took the bait.

Cheng Qiaobei walked into the study with a teacup, and Chen Ningxi was pondering over the map. He handed her the teacup, and Chen Ningxi sniffed it and asked, "Why does this brown sugar water smell like ginger?"

Cheng Qiaobei said, "Crabs are cold, so I made you some ginger brown sugar water."

He was considerate, so she thanked him.

Cheng Qiaobei looked at the plans, a hint of helplessness flashing across his face. Chen Ningxi asked, "Haven’t found a suitable location yet?"

"Yeah." Cheng Qiaobei nodded, crossing his arms with a troubled expression, "After our talk that night, I found an engineer from the local design institute. He had the same opinion as you and ruled out all my plans."

Chen Ningxi said, "I really wasn’t trying to make things difficult for you."

"Hey, I didn’t say you were." Cheng Qiaobei recalled bribing her the first time they met and quickly expressed his apology, "That time, sorry, I shouldn’t have done that."

Chen Ningxi didn’t mind; it was in the past.

"It was just a misunderstanding. It’s good that it’s resolved."

Cheng Qiaobei laughed, "Were you cursing at me back then?"

Chen Ningxi smiled but said nothing.

"Did you really curse at me?" Cheng Qiaobei propped himself on the table edge and looked at Chen Ningxi with a teasing gaze. She seemed to have been seen through and pretended to fiddle with her hair to avoid eye contact, denying,

"No."

"Hey hey hey, why are you avoiding it?" Cheng Qiaobei squinted his narrow eyes, and Chen Ningxi took a breath and faced him, "I did look down on your behavior."

Cheng Qiaobei said, "How is that different from cursing at me?"

Chen Ningxi explained, "Of course, there is a difference. I judge the action, not the person. I was just expressing my disapproval of what you did, and it was only in my mind."

Cheng Qiaobei’s expression stalled for a few seconds, "You seem to have a point."

Chen Ningxi laughed, "Right, everyone makes mistakes, that’s why pencils have erasers on the other end."

"Mmm, not bad," Cheng Qiaobei raised an eyebrow, "life coach."

"Not exactly a coach, it’s normal to have misunderstandings when we don’t know each other well." Chen Ningxi shifted her gaze back to the plans, "To thank you for inviting me to cook the crab, shall I help you look at the site selection again?"

Cheng Qiaobei hesitated, "Can you?"

Chen Ningxi said, "Of course."

One afternoon, after much discussion, they finally selected a site where power facilities could be installed.

Cheng Qiaobei looked at the red pin on the plans and thanked, "Thank you, you’ve really helped me."

"You’re welcome." Chen Ningxi glanced at the clock, "Oh, it’s that time already?"

Cheng Qiaobei noticed her anxious look, "Do you have something else to do?"

Chen Ningxi hurriedly walked towards the door, "My aunt asked me to pick up her child, and there’s only ten minutes until it’s time."

Cheng Qiaobei picked up the car keys, "I’ll drive you to pick them up."

"No need, I’ll take a taxi." Chen Ningxi put on her shoes and jogged towards the elevator, but heard the door closing behind her. Cheng Qiaobei had already followed her side.

"Thank you," Chen Ningxi expressed her gratitude.

"There’s no need; if anyone delayed, it was because you helped me with the location. I feel quite embarrassed." Cheng Qiaobei signaled the elevator’s arrival, "Let’s go."

The car exited the community, and Chen Ningxi began playing the role of a human GPS. Under her guidance, they almost made it on time to the art school.

Cheng Qiaobei parked on the roadside to wait. Chen Ningxi soon brought out a little girl about seven or eight years old, who appeared to be studying dance based on her attire.

After getting in the car, Chen Ningxi asked the little girl to greet, "Huiyan, say hello to the uncle."

As the girl was about to greet him, Cheng Qiaobei frowned, "Uncle?" then asked Chen Ningxi, "What does she call you?"

Chen Ningxi, "Sister."

Cheng Qiaobei was speechless, "She calls you sister and me uncle. What would you call me?"

By this logic, it worked in his favor.

Chen Ningxi refused to admit it and corrected, "Call him brother."

The little girl smiled and said, "Hello, brother."

"Aww, how cute," Cheng Qiaobei praised, then asked Chen Ningxi in the back seat, "Where to drop off?"

Chen Ningxi replied, "To my place."

Cheng Qiaobei drove familiarly to Chen Ningxi’s community. When they got out, the little girl turned back to Cheng Qiaobei.

"Brother, are you Ningxi sister’s boyfriend?"

Cheng Qiaobei froze, and Chen Ningxi had heard it outside the car and quickly pulled the girl out, "What nonsense are kids talking about?"

She said goodbye to Cheng Qiaobei in embarrassment, closed the door, and walked quickly into the community.

Bai Huiyan, with her sharp mouth, asked, "If not, then how does he know where you live?"

Chen Ningxi feared the person in the car heard her, "Quiet down, just know it’s not."

"Then how does he know where you live?" Bai Huiyan interrogated.

Chen Ningxi said, "You are such a stubborn child, always digging into things."

Bai Huiyan said, "My mom told me when you find a boyfriend to let her know."

Chen Ningxi pulled her along and walked slower, "Why should I tell your mom when I find a boyfriend?"

Bai Huiyan said, "My mom said she’d check him out for you so you wouldn’t be deceived."

Chen Ningxi turned back. Seeing Cheng Qiaobei’s car hadn’t left, from the lowered car window, she could clearly see Cheng Qiaobei looking at her with a smile. She wished the ground would swallow her up in shame.

"Hey..." Bai Huiyan exclaimed, and Chen Ningxi ended up grabbing the girl’s hand and running.

"Pfft..." Cheng Qiaobei laughed, rolled up the window, and leisurely started the car to leave.

The next day.

Cheng Qiaobei came to the power company with the document for installation requests, knocked on Chen Ningxi’s office door, and found she wasn’t there. Passing colleagues informed him that Chen Ningxi went to the city for a meeting.

He stood in the corridor, took out his phone, and thought for a moment. Not wanting to disturb her meeting, he sent Chen Ningxi a text on WeChat.

North: I came to deliver the approval papers. Your colleague said you were in a meeting. When will you be back?

Chen Ningxi replied: Leave it on my desk. I’ll be back at work at 1:30 pm. You can come get it then.

North: OK.

Cheng Qiaobei walked into Chen Ningxi’s office again, leaving the papers on the desk and taking a photo to send her.

North: It’s on your desk.

Chen Ningxi: Got it.

Cheng Qiaobei was about to leave when he noticed a family photo of Chen Ningxi on the desk, likely taken during her student days, with a youthful and innocent expression on her face.

Looking at her parents again, Cheng Qiaobei thought they looked familiar, recalling that he had seen them once at a public event.

Leaving the power company, Cheng Qiaobei informed the construction team that work could start the day after tomorrow.

In the afternoon, he went to pick up the documents but was turned away again as Chen Ningxi wasn’t in the office. Colleagues said she’d gone to the countryside.

Cheng Qiaobei sat in his car, placing the signed approval documents on the console, and called Chen Ningxi.

The phone rang seven or eight times before it was answered, and Cheng Qiaobei asked, "Where did you go?"

Chen Ningxi covered the phone and said loudly, "I went to Linan Town. The documents are on the desk. Please pick them up yourself."

"What?" Cheng Qiaobei couldn’t hear clearly.

Chen Ningxi shouted again, and Cheng Qiaobei could barely hear her, "I’ve got the documents, thank you."

Chen Ningxi covered her other ear and walked a little further, "I can’t hear you. I’ll hang up first."

Before Cheng Qiaobei could speak, she’d already hung up.

Listening to the busy tone, Cheng Qiaobei muttered to himself, "Where did she go, and is it safe?"

People could sometimes see through others but not realize their own feelings and emotions sneaked in without them knowing.

The current concern was more about the unease that lingered.