Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 28 Issues I Don’t Want to Touch

Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Issues I Don’t Want to Touch

People shouldn’t listen too much or think too much. If you do, you’ll start to feel something’s off everywhere.

Zou Yong’s remark about Cheng Qiaobei not being concerned about money made Chen Ningxi uneasy.

If she asked about it, it would only prove she felt guilty. But if she didn’t ask, her curiosity would eat at her. She wanted to know what kind of person Cheng Qiaobei really was.

In the end, she held back.

Compared to someone she had known for less than a month, she trusted the people she had known for over a decade more.

Zou Yong didn’t let her off until they reached the entrance of the residential area where Chen Ningxi lived.

Before she got out of the car, Zou Yong reminded her again, "Ning Xi, remember what I said, okay?"

Chen Ningxi nodded, "Don’t worry, Uncle."

Zou Yong’s words lingered in her mind like a layer of smoke that wouldn’t disperse. Sitting on the balcony brewing tea, Chen Ningxi gazed numbly toward the distant city.

At this moment, snow was falling heavily. The snowflakes felt as soft as the fuzzy pillow in her arms. The little teapot was already boiling, and the sound of the bubbling tea brought her thoughts back.

She poured a cup of hot tea, placing it aside to cool, pinched a red date, blew on it, and then took a bite.

Why did Zou Yong say Cheng Qiaobei was scheming? What had happened between them to lead to such a conclusion?

As her mind started to drift, a WeChat message from Cheng Qiaobei came through.

north: Are you there?

Seeing the notification pop up on her screen, Chen Ningxi sat up from the wicker chair, gripping her phone as she debated whether or not to reply.

It felt more like choosing whom to believe.

north: I haven’t seen such a heavy snowfall in six months. The air outside is really nice right now.

Chen Ningxi opened the photo he sent; it was a snowy scene at the hotel. The building, which looked quite enchanting during the day, seemed like a fairy-tale castle when lit up at night.

She replied: I don’t like snow. When the snow stops, we have to go to the designated area at work to shovel it.

Cheng Qiaobei chuckled at her message.

north: Are you allergic to romance?

Chen Ningxi said: "Concrete heart," haven’t you heard?

Cheng Qiaobei furrowed his brow, realizing Chen Ningxi couldn’t let go of her ex, which irritated him.

In an age where intelligence was abundant, sincerity felt especially meaningful.

Yet she reserved her sincerity for another man, and a scumbag at that.

north: Thanks for the reminder. I just remembered our hotel also needs to shovel snow. I’ll notify the cleaning department right now—snow stops to order!

The last four words had a sense of mischief and humor.

Chen Ningxi: Send the notice tomorrow.

Cheng Qiaobei replied: What must be done today must be finished today. In my notice, I’ll include a note to learn from the spirit of Danjiang Power, thanks to Mr. Chen’s kind reminder.

Without realizing it, a smile appeared on Chen Ningxi’s lips. Interacting with someone interesting made her feel constantly happy.

Chen Ningxi: Are you doing this on purpose?

north: What did I do?

Chen Ningxi: Sending the notice like that will make the cleaners hate me. Next time I’m there, I might get cursed at all the way.

north: You’re quite easy to tease. We have special snow plows; we don’t need to have the cleaners do it.

Chen Ningxi pouted, gave a cold "humph," and took a sip of tea, the fragrance so refreshing and soothing.

north: Thanks for coming today.

Chen Ningxi said: No need to be so polite.

north: Heard from a friend today that you’re running for the general manager of Danjiang Power?

Only insiders knew about the election, so it was surprising how well-informed he was.

Suddenly, her heartstrings were plucked, remembering Zou Yong’s words: "He’s too scheming."

Indeed, those who are real do not appear to be, and those who appear to be are not real.

While her mind was racing chaotically, Cheng Qiaobei sent over an animated gif of fireworks.

Chen Ningxi: Wow.

Still admiring the beauty of the fireworks, Cheng Qiaobei sent another message: Celebrating with fireworks for you.

Chen Ningxi: Thank you.

north: Thank you. That’ll be 20 yuan.

Chen Ningxi blinked, puzzled by his antics, yet found him quite amusing.

She quickly retracted the last two messages and sent: "Your WeChat user is out of service range; please resend later."

north: What did you retract?

Chen Ningxi: "Your WeChat user is out of service range; please resend later."

Cheng Qiaobei sent the fireworks gif again.

north: 40 yuan, thank you.

Chen Ningxi: "Your WeChat user has logged out."

north: Our company will directly deduct from your phone bill, thank you.

In this situation, fighting fire with fire seemed to be the only option.

She sent an expression pack of an exasperated Bodhisattva.

Cheng Qiaobei really was persistent. He sent another fireworks gif.

north: Buy two, get one free. The free one is for you; please pay for the previous two, supporting WeChat Pay or Alipay.

Chen Ningxi: What did you say? The wind is too strong, I can’t see the words.

north: Do you want sunglasses? Sunglasses are 100 yuan, thank you.

Chen Ningxi: Can’t see.

Chen Ningxi: I said I can’t see.

north: I also have reading glasses, 50 yuan, thank you.

north: We also have prescription glasses, 500 yuan, guaranteed no overpricing.

Chen Ningxi: I’m allergic to numbers, can’t see anything with numbers.

Cheng Qiaobei hadn’t acted this childishly in a long time. Leaning against the sofa in the hotel’s lobby, surrounded by snow-covered mountains, all he could see was her, making his heart skip.

north: I said prescription glasses "five hundred" yuan, no numbers in this one.

Chen Ningxi: Have you heard the story of the little boy selling glasses?

A warm smile appeared at the corner of Cheng Qiaobei’s mouth, noticed by Wei Lai, the secretary stepping out of the elevator.

Wei Lai’s first reaction was to confirm the boss was in love. Walking over, she said, "Manager Cheng, there are so many bubbles around you."

Cheng Qiaobei, without raising his head, said: "What bubbles? Tell the cleaning staff to clean up quickly."

Wei Lai rubbed her forehead, chuckling meaningfully, "Hopeless, just hopeless."

Only then did Cheng Qiaobei look up, "What do you mean hopeless?"

Wei Lai lifted a finger to her mouth corner, "Your smile is about to reach the back of your head."

Cheng Qiaobei maintained a serious posture as he asked, "Is it?"

Wei Lai giggled, "Yes, very much so."

"Boring."

Cheng Qiaobei got up and headed toward the elevator, with Wei Lai following closely behind, "Manager Cheng, I’m not meddling. It’s okay to fall in love, but don’t forget to focus on your career. Our performance and salaries depend on you."

Getting their conversation interrupted by Wei Lai made Cheng Qiaobei upset, "Got it, stop following me."

The elevator doors opened and Cheng Qiaobei stepped inside with Wei Lai continuing her murmuring behind.

"Mr. Cheng just left; he’ll definitely pay attention to our hotel’s sales figures. Plus, Vice President Xu, during the opening ceremony, wanted to embarrass you, but Mr. Cheng curbed him. He’s sure to think of ways to trip you up. At critical moments, don’t let matters of the heart cloud your judgment and fall into his traps."

Cheng Qiaobei found her chatter annoying, pointed to her, standing outside the elevator, "Don’t come in, you take the next one."

Wei Lai’s mouth fell open, "But, Manager Cheng, Manager Cheng..."

Under Wei Lai’s gaze, the elevator doors slowly closed, along with her hopes of boosting performance.

Alas! More than declining performance, she worried about a boss too distracted by romance to work.

It seemed supervision was necessary.

The hotel had just opened, and though the occupancy rate wasn’t high, it was better than comparable hotels in the same period, thanks to service projects Cheng Qiaobei had introduced.

Not long after arriving in Danjiang, he sought out a few masseurs in Danjiang City skilled in their craft, veteran technicians with a stable customer base.

He hired them at high salaries, offered the venue for free, and included tea and hot spring services. Compared to just renting the venue, this was much more cost-effective.

Back in his room, Cheng Qiaobei closed the door, only to find that Chen Ningxi hadn’t replied to his WeChat messages.

Truthfully, he was quite curious to ask what kind of relationship she had with Zou Yong.

But when it came down to it, he didn’t really want to broach that subject.