Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 326: Different Preferences

Chapter 326: Chapter 326: Different Preferences

The winter morning was tinged with a faint orange hue at the horizon, reminiscent of the blush on her cheeks last night in the haze of passion.

The streets lay under a pristine blanket of white, towering skyscrapers stood solemnly on this tranquil land, and people, bundled in thick cotton coats, hurried along, leaving a trail of footprints, some deep, some shallow, marking the start of a new winter day.

Cheng Qiaobei stood on the balcony sipping black coffee, his eyes dark and brooding. If his calculations were correct, that résumé would soon land on Cheng Xiangheng’s desk.

He had deliberately prepared it using the company office computer, just waiting for the bait to be taken.

Sure enough, not long after Cheng Qiaobei arrived at the office, Cheng Xiangheng’s newly hired secretary, Chen Qian, knocked on his door.

Chen Qian, seemingly respectful, said, "Chairman Cheng, Mr. Cheng has something and is asking you to come over."

Cheng Qiaobei was in the middle of tackling an urgent document and raised his head to respond, "Got it. Tell Mr. Cheng I’ll head over once I finish this critical file."

Chen Qian stood unmoving, smiling as he gazed at Cheng Qiaobei. Catching this out of the corner of his eye, Cheng glanced up with amused incredulity and asked:

"In a hurry, are you?"

Chen Qian replied meaningfully, "You misunderstand, Chairman Cheng. I’m certainly not in a hurry, but Mr. Cheng..."

The implication: I’m not in a hurry, but Mr. Cheng is.

Anyone with experience navigating the workplace could sense such undertones; when someone says they themselves aren’t in a rush, the next sentence inevitably shifts the urgency onto someone else. It’s a classic tactic in office politics—leveraging one person against another to press for action.

But Chen Qian clearly didn’t understand Cheng Qiaobei well enough; he never played by the rules.

Observing Chen Qian’s subtle expressions, Cheng caught the slight tilt of his chin when mentioning Mr. Cheng, the faint disdain in his gaze—though he quickly lowered his eyes, cautious not to make it too obvious.

Cheng Qiaobei smirked sarcastically and narrowed his eyes, saying, "If you’re not in a hurry, then wait. Mr. Cheng will understand, naturally."

Chen Qian froze, rendered speechless, his face alternating between shades of red and white.

In the meantime, Wei Lai entered the office with a file in hand, spotting Chen Qian still loitering around. Her mood instantly soured.

Who calls for someone and then just stands there without leaving? Obviously waiting around to ensure the person heads out, a clear sign of disrespect toward Cheng Qiaobei.

Wei Lai, donning the practiced smile of a PR professional, greeted him warmly, "The standards for picking the CEO’s secretary sure are high—standing here like a statue."

Even a compliment laced with sarcasm was easy to decipher—nobody in the room was new to such games.

Chen Qian looked at her briefly and returned with a faint smile, "Secretary Wei has overstated my abilities."

"..." Oh? Not snapping back? Seems he’s got some finesse.

Wei Lai, still appearing earnest, continued, "Secretary Chen, since when is it proper manners to stand at someone’s door refusing to leave?"

Chen Qian had heard colleagues talk about Wei Lai before. Among the company’s elite secretaries, Wei Lai ranked second, just below Deng Yan, who had since resigned.

Judging by her irritated demeanor, the two must’ve had a close personal relationship.

Catching the subtle interplay between Chen Qian and Wei Lai, Cheng Qiaobei lightly coughed, "Ahem..."

Wei Lai grasped the cue immediately and backed off from further remarks.

She set down the file. "This is the hotel financial summary for the last month overseas."

Having wrapped up his urgent document, Cheng handed it over to Wei Lai, saying, "Tell Manager Luo to review the amendments I’ve marked inside, finalize them, and send it out to the other side."

Wei Lai nodded, "Understood."

Cheng Qiaobei got up and said, "Alright, let’s go, Secretary Chen."

Chen Qian subtly inclined his body, following closely behind Cheng as they exited. Passing Wei Lai, he shot her a mocking glance—the kind of disdain reserved for someone who climbed ranks through connections. What’s there to be smug about?

Wei Lai caught the subtext of Chen’s look with complete clarity, her fury barely restrained as she itched to throw the file in her hand straight at his face.

Anyway, he wouldn’t last long. There was no point wasting words on someone whose mind dwelled solely on petty filth.

Stopping in front of Cheng Xiangheng’s office, Cheng Qiaobei raised his hand to knock but then reconsidered, lowering it.

Glancing at Chen Qian behind him, Cheng turned his face slightly and said curtly:

"What, you’re hoping to overhear my conversation with Mr. Cheng? What makes you think you’re qualified?"

"No, I have important matters to report to him," protested Chen Qian.

Cheng’s gaze filled with scorn. "Important matters, huh? More like an excuse to embellish the fact I’m late. Spare me the theatrics—I have no energy to call you out on your pathetic schemes."

Done talking, he pushed the door and strode in.

Chen Qian was left outside, losing his chance at throwing shade at Cheng Qiaobei.

His intentions had been clear: knowing that Cheng Xiangheng disapproved of Cheng Qiaobei, he wanted to use the opportunity to sow discord, not only giving the boss grounds to reprimand Cheng, but also putting both Cheng and Wei Lai in their place—to satisfy his own petty revenge.

As Cheng closed the door behind him, he approached the lavish desk and pulled out a guest chair to sit down.

Cheng Xiangheng remarked, "Not even bothering to knock before entering now? Looks like no one matters in your eyes anymore."

Cheng countered, "Who am I supposed to disregard?"

A response here would only end in self humiliation for Cheng Xiangheng.

Earlier, when he stopped Wei Lai mid-sentence, Cheng had maneuvered in a way that paralleled his tactic now.

Often, humiliation happens because people willingly pull it onto themselves.

Staring at the man across the desk, Cheng Qiaobei remained silent.

Instead, a chuckle escaped Cheng Xiangheng suddenly. "You little rascal, always scheming—even against your own father."

Cheng found his remark tiresome. "Did you call me over to rehash trivial family-bond nonsense?"

"You... just like your mother," Cheng replied helplessly, pulling a file from the drawer and placing it in front of him. "Take a look—once verified, shares go to me, while funds hit your account."

Cheng flipped directly to the crucial page. He’d long calculated the share figures in his head.

"No issues," he said, swiftly signing his name on two copies and sliding them across the desk. "How soon will the money arrive?"

Cheng responded, "It’s a sizable amount; finance is working on it. Should be within two or three days."

Leaning back into the chair, Cheng said, "Alright. Anything else? If not, I’ll go finish up loose ends. When is my replacement set to arrive?"

Cheng signed the papers alongside him, saying, "What’s the rush? Suitable candidates haven’t been found yet."

Cheng stood up. "If you keep saying you couldn’t find someone, I still won’t stay. In one week, whether there’s someone or not, I’m leaving."

One week—it was a definitive deadline.

Handing him the signed copy, Cheng confirmed, "Fine, agreed. I’ll call HR shortly and urge them to expedite recruitment."

Cheng scowled, "That guy outside—you might want to get rid of him soon. Just looking at him makes me sick."

Cheng chuckled, "You really dislike Secretary Chen that much?"

Cheng said disdainfully, "This is where we differ in principles."

You favor things that disgust me; I loathe things that please you.

Leaving Cheng’s office, he didn’t return to his own but instead drove straight to meet Lin Hanrui.

Lin Hanrui was in the middle of sketching a high-rise design. Spotting the Cayenne pulling up outside, he set his pen down and walked to the window, tapping the glass lightly before grinning at the man stepping out.

Cheng waved in acknowledgment and noticed the reception desk had yet another staff change as he passed through the doors.