Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 272: Lulling to Sleep

Chapter 272: Chapter 272: Lulling to Sleep

"How do we determine if the hotel beddings are the cause?" Chen Ningxi asked, "Do we have to take all the bedding, sheets, and pillows for testing?"

"You’ve got it right. If Zhang Qi’an’s agency pursues it, we’ll definitely have to go through legal procedures for testing," Cheng Qiaobei continued, "I’ve already instructed Wei Lai to seal all the bedding he used, and no one is allowed to touch anything in the room. Once his allergy report comes out, we’ll know whether it’s a hotel issue."

"There’s nothing more here; you should head to work," Cheng Qiaobei, knowing she was also busy, spoke as Chen Ningxi and Li Tao left.

In the afternoon, just before finishing work, Cheng Qiaobei called; his voice sounded cheerful, "Honey, Zhang Qi’an is fine now."

"Has the rash on his body gone away?" Chen Ningxi asked.

Cheng Qiaobei said, "It’s about eighty to ninety percent gone. You can hardly see any rash on his face. They’re staying at the hotel tonight, and Director Chang will check again in the morning. If everything’s okay, he can be discharged. I’ll stay home tonight to keep you company."

Chen Ningxi said, "What would you like to eat tonight? I’ll go buy groceries."

"I’ve got nothing on now; I can leave. I’ll do the shopping. You stay at home and wait."

After hanging up, Cheng Qiaobei started the car and drove away from the hospital.

Through his afternoon discussions with Li Tao, it appeared that Zhang Qi’an’s agency didn’t intend to hold the hotel responsible, but Cheng Qiaobei remained cautious, waiting to see Zhang Qi’an’s skin condition the next morning.

At night, moonlight brushed the edges of the curtains and swept across the foot of the bed, their clothes scattered on the floor...

Cheng Qiaobei lay with his eyes closed, her lazily napping on his arm; he rubbed his chin against her head.

At that moment, the phone on the nightstand rang.

Cheng Qiaobei picked up the phone and got up to walk to the bathroom.

Chen Ningxi was so tired her eyelids felt heavy. Watching him walk away, she started to wonder. Occasionally, Cheng Qiaobei received some overseas calls late at night, giving her a mysterious feeling—not a woman’s calls, but as if he preferred she didn’t hear them.

This time as well, just before he closed the bathroom door, she vaguely heard him reply something in English; the contents weren’t clear.

After showering, Chen Ningxi saw the computer in the study was on again. Cheng Qiaobei was quickly typing in front of it. When he saw her approaching, he closed the laptop with a smile, "What’s up? Can’t sleep?"

She naturally sat on his lap, her arms resting on Cheng Qiaobei’s shoulders, "Working so late?"

Cheng Qiaobei laughed and said, "Of course, I have to work. How else would I support you?"

Chen Ningxi said, "With the money you left with me, supporting me isn’t an issue. Why work so hard?"

Cheng Qiaobei said, "That’s not nearly enough."

Chen Ningxi widened her eyes, "I’m not a shredder; it’s enough."

Cheng Qiaobei stroked her earlobe, his gaze deep and meaningful, "Living under someone else’s roof, even if not bowing, you still need to lower your head."

"Huh?" Chen Ningxi didn’t understand, "You...?"

Cheng Qiaobei picked her up, "Come on, honey will lull you to sleep."

Chen Ningxi said, "Are you going to continue working after lulling me?"

Cheng Qiaobei curved his lips, "Mm-hmm."

Chen Ningxi pushed his shoulder, "Put me down. You hurry and get busy."

Cheng Qiaobei put her on the bed, tucked her in, and soothed her along the back, gently coaxing, "Want a lullaby?"

Chen Ningxi, worried he couldn’t handle an all-nighter, dodged the question, "If work is tricky, you should focus on it first, then come to bed early afterward."

"Are you listening or not?" Cheng Qiaobei’s words carried a hint of amusement.

"I can sleep even without your singing. Go on, get busy." Chen Ningxi gently pushed him.

Cheng Qiaobei, "Five dollars a song, minimum two songs, just singing, no sleep coaxing."

Chen Ningxi chuckled, "Alright, I’m really sleepy. You hurry and get busy."

He kissed her between her brows, then got up, left the room, and closed the door.

In the darkness, her eyes looked out at the moon, pondering what on earth he was keeping from her?

Upon waking up in the morning, the first sight was Cheng Qiaobei’s handsome sleeping face. She lightly stroked his cheek, and when she tickled him, his brows furrowed slightly. She quickly withdrew her hand, watching him for a few seconds, ensuring he was asleep before getting out of bed.

The desk in the study was already tidied up; when she came in last night, there was a pile of materials.

Two beeps sounded as the phone on the desk received a message alert. She walked over to wake the screen, seeing a heap of unread WeChat messages, many document messages sent an hour ago. He probably stayed up until dawn again.

She made breakfast and was about to wake him when a call from Zhang Qi’an’s agent rang.

"Hello?" Cheng Qiaobei’s voice was lazy.

Li Tao’s voice was cheerful, "Chairman Cheng, when he woke up this morning, the rash on his body was all gone."

Cheng Qiaobei rubbed his temples, "...Good. It’s great that he’s fine. I’ll be at the hospital in an hour, have Director Chang take another look, and proceed with discharge if everything’s okay."

Li Tao, "Alright."

After setting down the phone, Cheng Qiaobei got out of bed, stretched his neck as he walked, and noticed the breakfast on the dining table. He came up behind Chen Ningxi, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder, "Honey."

Chen Ningxi was about to turn around, but he held her in place by the sink, lifting a hand to touch the head on her shoulder.

"Was that Li Tao’s call?"

He replied with eyes closed, "Mm-hmm."

"How’s Zhang Qi’an? Has the allergy gotten better?"

Cheng Qiaobei hesitated for a second, then replied, "Mm-hmm."

"If you haven’t woken up, you should lie back down. You’re too tired." Just as Chen Ningxi was about to turn, his hand slid under her blouse, pinching her waist, "Don’t move."

She stood there, in front of the kitchen window, as a golden sun rose on the horizon, drenching the azure sky and sprawling across the cityscape, reviving all things with vigor.

Cheng Qiaobei murmured in her ear with a tone full of playful warmth,

"Good morning, Mr. Chen."

It had been a while since she’d heard that title. Suddenly, the scene of their first meeting flashed before her eyes.

Chen Ningxi smiled at the corners of her lips, "Good morning, Manager Cheng."

...

Cheng Qiaobei arrived at the hospital; after Director Chang’s examination, Zhang Qi’an’s allergic reaction was cured with no remaining rash, but the allergen was suspected to be meat.

Li Tao’s initial suspicion of beddings was ruled out, and now the focus was on identifying the cause in Zhang Qi’an’s diet.

The hotel’s meals were regularly saved for testing and review. Cheng Qiaobei contacted Wei Lai to send out the meals Zhang Qi’an consumed for analysis, using them for data comparison.

After sending both back to the hotel, Cheng Qiaobei found an issue with Zhang Qi’an’s meal plan. Since checking into the hotel, he hadn’t consumed any meat.

Wei Lai was puzzled, "The meals he ordered didn’t have meat. Where did he eat it?"

Cheng Qiaobei said, "We’ll just have to ask him."