Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 31 Man Triumphs Over Nature

Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Man Triumphs Over Nature

Knowing that the power company planned to hold an annual meeting, Cheng Qiaobei didn’t directly approach the company. Instead, he engaged in unofficial discussions with the company’s top executives through official leadership channels.

The reason for it being unofficial was because Jade Jiali was a project initiated by the newly appointed official leaders. Initially, Cheng Qiaobei was moved by their sincerity and made a cautious decision after conducting an on-site investigation of Zhoushan’s resources and geographic location.

Now, with the power company showing interest in hosting an annual meeting, and Jade Jiali having both the venue and quality services, a collaboration naturally became mutually beneficial and satisfying for all parties involved.

Cheng Qiaobei expressed a genuine interest in collaboration, offering to enhance the service levels and quality while reducing some costs. The power company was quite satisfied with the reduction in expenses and immediately decided to hold the annual meeting at Jade Jiali.

Over the next month, Cheng Qiaobei became busy once again, preparing for the annual meeting.

During the time he was away from Danjiang, Chen Ningxi would routinely come to Cheng Qiaobei’s house to water the plants and open the windows for ventilation.

Just as she was about to leave, she received a call from He Yunyi.

"What are you up to?"

Chen Ningxi said, "Just watering some plants."

"I just got back from an out-of-town research trip. I’m downstairs at your place and wanted to invite you to dinner."

Chen Ningxi said, "I’m not home, I’m at a friend’s house. He’s out on a business trip and asked me to water his plants."

"Where are you? I’ll come get you," He Yunyi said.

Every time he returned from a business trip, He Yunyi was utterly exhausted. Sincerely, she said, "Going on business trips is exhausting. You should just rest."

Thinking about Cheng Qiaobei, He Yunyi worried that Chen Ningxi might get tangled up with him again. "It’s not that tiring. It’s mostly listening to public lectures about advanced educational concepts. I was sitting while the teachers were standing. If anyone’s tired, it’s those hardworking teachers.

I haven’t had dinner yet. Eating alone is... really boring."

Hearing the weariness and helplessness in his voice, Chen Ningxi completely understood the loneliness of eating alone, so she agreed.

"Wait for me at the entrance, about fifteen minutes."

He Yunyi said, "I’ll come to pick you up."

"No need, it’s really not far, just in the neighboring complex," Chen Ningxi said before hanging up the phone.

Ten minutes later, Chen Ningxi appeared at the entrance to the complex. Seeing her come out, He Yunyi quickly got out to open the car door.

"I can manage to open the car door myself, no need," Chen Ningxi said as she opened the door and got inside.

Compared to Guo Heming, He Yunyi was more polite and thorough. Likely because of his job within the system, he was adept at reading people and covering all angles.

"What do you want to eat, any ideas?" He Yunyi asked.

Chen Ningxi said, "I’m easy; anything is fine."

He Yunyi asked, "How about stir-fry, or maybe hotpot or barbecue?"

"I just had hotpot with Liang Lei yesterday, so maybe stir-fry or barbecue," Chen Ningxi replied.

He Yunyi said, "I’ve been eating at the cafeteria every day, so you’re probably also tired of stir-fry. Let’s go for barbecue."

"Sure," Chen Ningxi suggested. "How about Baosheng Garden? It’s nearby."

"Sounds good," He Yunyi said as he merged into traffic, heading toward the Baosheng Garden barbecue restaurant.

Chen Ningxi didn’t expect to encounter Guo Heming there again. She and He Yunyi entered the restaurant one after another. After He Yunyi went to the restroom, Chen Ningxi went ahead and found a place to sit.

She chose a spot inside where it was warmer.

Just after she sat down, she heard loud laughter from the other side of the partition. She glanced over there but didn’t pay much attention.

When He Yunyi came back and they had ordered their food, the two sat and waited for their dishes.

Their conversation turned to Chen Ningxi’s current job application. He Yunyi asked her,

"Do you feel confident?"

Chen Ningxi said, "It’s hard to say anything certain about these things. Until the official appointment documents are announced, anything else is just wishful thinking. All I can say is I’ll do my best, but as for what decision comes down from above, we’ll just have to leave it to fate."

"You believe in fate?" He Yunyi said. "Man can conquer nature."

Chen Ningxi asked him, "How do you propose man conquers nature?"

He Yunyi knew that Chen Ningxi had always been strong-willed, even during school. She was very low key in school, even though her family lived comfortably. Unlike some of her classmates who were well off, she never flaunted brand names on purpose.

"I hope you won’t be upset by this. My uncle works for the province... if he could put in a word for you, I think it would help."

Chen Ningxi said, "When I joined the power company, I started from the ground up. I don’t want to climb using someone else’s connections, and he knows my thoughts. So, when we meet in public settings, we address each other officially."

Reflecting for a moment, He Yunyi said, "That’s true. Well, alright, if you’re determined to win the opportunity through your own efforts, I’m behind you."

Chen Ningxi laughed, "That’s the kind of thing a class president should say. Don’t forget, the two of us are..."

They spoke in unison, "A golden team."

As the conversation went on, the dishes started arriving.

Maybe because they had known each other so long, their meal was relaxed, and they chatted while eating, discussing everything under the sun. Chen Ningxi listened to He Yunyi talk about amusing incidents during his business trip, which made her laugh out loud.

Her laughter drew the attention of the people on the other side of the partition. One person stood up and looked back. As soon as his gaze crossed over the divider, Guo Heming saw Chen Ningxi, charmingly smiling and engrossed in conversation with the unfamiliar man opposite her.

Recalling being dumped by her, he guessed the reason might be because of the man she was talking to, which made his anger rise. Fueled by the influence of alcohol, he approached them.

When Chen Ningxi saw Guo Heming stumbling toward her, her expression turned from surprise to annoyance. She looked away, not intending to engage with him.

"Chen Ningxi."

The shout caught He Yunyi’s attention, who turned his head to see a heavily intoxicated Guo Heming. He stood up and said,

"Got a problem, buddy?"

"Who’s your buddy?" Guo Heming said, his disdainful gaze sizing up He Yunyi. "I’m here to talk to her. It’s none of your concern."

Seeing Guo Heming attempt to step forward to grab at her, He Yunyi raised his hand to block him. Chen Ningxi stood up, shuffled half a step back, and knowing full well how to handle him, said,

"Guo Heming, those guys with you are your friends, right? If you don’t want to embarrass yourself, you’d better head back."

"!"

Guo Heming’s gaze froze. Even though alcohol clouded his mind, Chen Ningxi’s words were like a hard strike to his head.

"The lawyer circle isn’t big. If you make a scene tonight, it’ll be all over by tomorrow, won’t it?"

Guo Heming sniffed, feeling guilty, as he forced himself to save face, saying, "I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to ask you something."

Chen Ningxi said, "What is it?"

Guo Heming nodded in the direction of the man next to her, making his intentions clear, "Did you break up with me because of him?"

Chen Ningxi frowned, "You know the reasons we broke up better than anyone. Do I need to spell it out again?"

Guo Heming’s eyes shifted, visibly panicking. Even if they had broken up, he couldn’t bear losing face in front of another man. He said, "I see."

As he turned to leave, he put on a show, smiling at Chen Ningxi and He Yunyi, loudly stating,

"Go ahead and enjoy your meal. I’m not done with my coworkers yet."

Once Guo Heming left, He Yunyi asked,

"Should we find another place to eat?"

Chen Ningxi was completely unaffected and even cheered He Yunyi on, "No need, we’ve already ordered a whole table of food. It would be a waste not to eat it."