Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 344: Yearning but Daring Not to Come Close

Chapter 344: Chapter 344: Yearning but Daring Not to Come Close

By the time they exited the Ningkou expressway, it was already midnight. Ding Yuan had asked the housekeeper to prepare a lavish lunch. After eating, Cheng Qiaobei, exhausted from driving, went to rest, but in Ding Yuan’s eyes, this became evidence of Cheng Qiaobei’s frailty.

As soon as he shut the door to the guest bedroom, Ding Yuan pulled Chen Ningxi into the living room for a chat.

Ding Yuan didn’t ask too directly, mindful of Cheng Qiaobei’s pride as a man.

"Ningxi, have some fruit."

Chen Ningxi had just finished eating and couldn’t stomach more, so she picked up a strawberry symbolically.

Ding Yuan studied her. "You seem thinner, don’t you?"

Chen Ningxi replied, "No, my weight hasn’t changed."

Ding Yuan said, "You don’t look well. Has he been mistreating you? If he’s bullying you, tell me—I’ll deal with him."

Chen Ningxi smiled. "No, he’s very good to me."

Ding Yuan asked again, "How’s Qiaobei’s health?"

Chen Ningxi: "..."

She and Cheng Qiaobei were here to visit Ding Yuan, but now Ding Yuan seemed concerned about Cheng Qiaobei’s health instead.

Confused, Chen Ningxi still replied, "He’s doing pretty well."

Ding Yuan nodded. If she pushed the topic any further, her intentions would become too clear. As a mother-in-law, it wasn’t appropriate to ask her daughter-in-law about the couple’s intimate matters, so she let go of the thought. She decided to take Cheng Qiaobei to see the old Chinese medicine doctor once he woke up.

"You’ve been in the car for so long—you must be exhausted. Go get some rest," Ding Yuan suggested.

Indeed, Chen Ningxi was both weary and drained. Since it was the weekend, she longed to collapse onto a bed and sleep away the hours.

Just as Ding Yuan’s phone rang, she gave Chen Ningxi a heads-up before stepping out to take the call.

In the guest bedroom, Cheng Qiaobei was lying on the bed, pretending to nap. Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes and stretched out his hand, his lazy voice calling:

"Come here and nap with me for a bit."

Chen Ningxi walked over and lay down beside him. "Mom was acting a little strange just now. She asked me how you’re doing health-wise."

Cheng Qiaobei was too drowsy to fully open his eyes. Half-awake, he heard Ding Yuan’s inquiry about his health. It was ironically absurd—she’d never cared like that before, not once in his life.

He pulled a sarcastic smirk. "Really?"

Chen Ningxi felt that some unresolved wound lingered inside Cheng Qiaobei—a longing for familial love contrasted with an almost instinctive fear of approaching it.

This surely stemmed from his childhood experiences. She empathized, but she also wished time could mend his scars.

Unfortunately, people who’ve suffered in life often spend their entire existence trying to heal their childhood.

Chen Ningxi hugged him tighter. "Mom cares about you. She just doesn’t know the right way to show it."

Cheng Qiaobei rubbed his head softly against hers and rasped, "I’m tired. Let me sleep for a bit."

Any time the topic of his parents came up, Cheng Qiaobei instinctively avoided it.

That nap didn’t bring him peace. Instead, he fell back into a childhood nightmare, reliving the scene of Zheng Rongxi storming his home with a group of women to cause chaos. His young eyes helplessly watched as his mother was pinned to the ground by three or four other women, her hair pulled, her clothes torn. His small, frail frame couldn’t even muster the strength to run over and protect her; he was pulled aside, left with nothing but tears and screams.

This was why he disliked being around Ding Yuan. Her presence triggered a cycle of shattered memories he couldn’t escape, manifesting even in nightmares.

Suddenly, Chen Ningxi felt the sleeping man jerk, as though he were struggling yet paralyzed. He whimpered in pain but couldn’t wake up.

"Qiaobei," Chen Ningxi shook him, "Qiaobei, wake up."

Cheng Qiaobei was pulled deeper into his past. He felt a stranger’s vice-like grip around his hand, no matter how much he cried, kicked, or resisted, it was futile to break free. Ding Yuan’s hair was disheveled, her face bruised and bloody, her figure pitiful and eerie.

"Qiaobei." Chen Ningxi pressed harder to wake him.

Cheng Qiaobei opened his eyes, disoriented, staring at Chen Ningxi’s face and trying to distinguish dream from reality.

"Qiaobei, you were dreaming?" Chen Ningxi touched his forehead. "You’re drenched in sweat."

The tangible warmth of her touch grounded him, confirming it wasn’t a dream.

He clasped Chen Ningxi’s hand, placing it near his lips, inhaling the familiar scent of her. His thundering heartbeat slowly calmed.

"Qiaobei," Chen Ningxi called gently, her worried eyes fixated on him.

Finally, Cheng Qiaobei forced out a hint of a smile, saying, "I’m fine."

It was rare to see him exhibit vulnerability, but during these times in Ningkou, nightmares seemed to stalk him.

She had a vague sense of why. But it was that understanding that brought her regret.

Cheng Qiaobei sat up, rubbed his face, and got out of bed to leave the bedroom.

The living room was empty. Ding Yuan had presumably gone to play mahjong again.

He poured himself a glass of water just as the door opened. Ding Yuan was back. Seeing him, she exclaimed cheerfully: "Awake?"

Still shaken from the dream, he avoided her gaze and murmured, "Yeah."

"Perfect timing. Come with me somewhere."

Chen Ningxi emerged from the guest bedroom. Ding Yuan said, "Ningxi, come along too."

Because of the earlier nightmare, Cheng Qiaobei was in a foul mood. He snapped impatiently, "What are you trying to do, dragging us all the way out here?"

Ding Yuan explained, "Come with me to see a Chinese medicine doctor. If he ends up diagnosing something serious, I’d be scared going alone. Having you both around would give me courage."

Cheng Qiaobei tightened his lips, his gaze sharp on Ding Yuan. Chen Ningxi feared another scathing retort from him, worried the mother and son might start bickering again. She hurried over to pacify him, holding his hand. "Alright, let’s go."

In a split second, his harsh expression softened under Chen Ningxi’s touch. He glanced back at her as she playfully swayed his arm. Cheng Qiaobei relented.

"Fine... let’s go."

Ding Yuan felt secretly triumphant, glad she’d convinced him.

They got into the car, and Ding Yuan described where the Chinese medicine doctor was located—a renowned family practice housed in an old residence in Ningkou’s outskirts.

After a drive lasting over thirty minutes, they arrived at the clinic.

The place was a three-story old building, its grayish cement walls cracked with age, revealing the passage of time. A sign hung above the door that read "Li Family Chinese Medicine." Weathered by rain and wind, the sign was rusted and worn, bearing clear traces of history.

Stepping out of the car, they were greeted by an indistinguishable herbal aroma.

Ding Yuan, familiar with the routine, led the pair inside. A left-turn led to the consultation area. On the right side, Chen Ningxi noticed an entire room dedicated to herbal shelves. Two individuals in white lab coats were busy packing herbs and grinding them. Adjacent to the pharmacy was a small room with a sign reading "Complimentary Herbal Decoction." It was likely from this room that the medicinal scent had wafted into the courtyard.

The elder Chinese medicine doctor greeted Ding Yuan warmly, "You’ve arrived."

Cheng Qiaobei raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Ding Yuan had visited here before. Why did she have to drag them along this time?

Ding Yuan said, "Doctor Li, this is my son. Please check his pulse."

Suddenly put on the spot, Cheng Qiaobei frowned in confusion. "Check my pulse?"

Ding Yuan hastily pulled him toward the consultation chair. "Might as well have him take a look at you."

As a child, whenever he had a fever and sought out Ding Yuan, she’d casually toss him some medicine and leave.

And now, this? What was this supposed to be?

Making up for lost maternal affection?

Ridiculous!

Cheng Qiaobei shook her hand away. "I’m not doing it."

Ding Yuan glanced at him awkwardly, then leaned closer to say quietly, "Qiaobei, I pulled some strings to get this appointment with Doctor Li. Sit down and let him take a look."