Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 348: Fertility Talisman

Chapter 348: Chapter 348: Fertility Talisman

Wei Lai was sorting out client documents when she heard something and went to Cheng Qiaobei’s office. "I did come in earlier. I just received the city contract from FlyTravel and left it on your desk."

Only then did Cheng Qiaobei notice a new file on the desk. He picked it up and flipped through it. "...Nothing else, you can go."

He looked around the room and finally fixed his gaze on the display board.

The board marked the land plots that Eastern First-class planned to purchase in the future.

During the lunch break, Cheng Qiaobei scheduled a meeting with Shao Shangyu from the Planning and Land Resources Bureau. Shao was in charge of the Cadastral Management Division, responsible for cadastral management, land transactions, property registrations, and land surveying. He was highly knowledgeable about the land in the Danjiang district—an ideal person to consult.

The two had crossed paths before during the Zhoushan hotel project. Shao Shangyu left an impression on Cheng Qiaobei as a shrewd, low-key, and capable individual.

When Shao Shangyu entered the private dining room, Cheng Qiaobei greeted him warmly.

"Director Shao, sorry to take up your lunch break." Cheng Qiaobei extended his hand. Shao Shangyu shook it and responded, "No need to be polite. Just the other day, I bumped into Mayor Chen at a municipal meeting and mentioned that we got to know each other through the Zhoushan hotel project."

Cheng Qiaobei never once brought up Chen Weichuan in his dealings with Shao Shangyu. Although he could have played the card of being the mayor’s son-in-law to smooth things over, he understood his father-in-law too well. Mayor Chen disliked private networking and under-the-table dealings.

But just because you don’t bring it up doesn’t mean the other person isn’t showing respect to Mayor Chen.

The remark about how they met was likely just a way for Shao to make himself familiar to Chen Weichuan. All it took from Cheng was some timely agreement and a few compliments to close this loop of mutual flattery.

With a warm, easygoing smile, Cheng Qiaobei said, "My mother-in-law just invited me over for dinner tonight. When I see my father-in-law, I’ll be sure to tell him that the speedy land approval for the Zhoushan project back then was all thanks to your efforts, Director Shao. I’m not just flattering you in person—I really prefer working with efficient and decisive people like you."

"Hahaha..." Shao Shangyu laughed heartily at the praise. "No way. It’s because the documents you sent were always complete. I just followed the procedures. Trust me, I’ve met plenty of people who are all over the place. They don’t even check their materials before sending them over—missing pages, missing stamps—it’s like they’re not in a hurry at all."

Cheng Qiaobei gestured courteously. "Please, have a seat, Director Shao. I’ll have the waiter bring in the food."

During the meal, Cheng casually mentioned a few plots of land he was interested in. After hearing Shao’s analyses, Cheng had a much clearer picture in his mind.

Government agencies have strict policies against drinking during working hours. After seeing Shao off at the restaurant entrance, Cheng headed toward the parking lot.

Meanwhile, inside a black sedan parked by the roadside, someone made a call to Cheng Xiangheng.

"Mr. Cheng, he just had lunch with Director Shao from the Land Bureau. They parted ways a moment ago."

Cheng Xiangheng’s expression turned cold. "Find out which plots of land he’s interested in."

"Understood."

When Cheng Qiaobei returned to the office, he asked Deng Yan to refine the details of the Qingshan district’s land documents and hand them to him.

Eastern First-class’s hotel booking website gradually gained traction among travelers, thanks to two individuals. One was a domestic travel blogger, Wang Chuan, who had once been troubled by an inability to book a room at the Zhoushan hotel. The other was an international travel influencer, You Li, who had helped handle reputational issues abroad.

Both had been assisted by Cheng Qiaobei in the past. When he later approached them for paid promotions, they both declined any compensation and offered to promote the site for free. However, Cheng still insisted on paying them for their efforts.

When Chen Ningxi came home from work, Cheng Qiaobei was already there. Hearing the sound at the door, he closed his laptop and walked out.

"You’re back. Go wash up for dinner."

Cheng brought the dishes out from the kitchen while Ning Xi washed her hands and joined him at the dining table. She took the bowl and chopsticks he handed her and said:

"Guess who I ran into at work today?"

Cheng Qiaobei chewed slowly. "I have no idea."

Chen Ningxi smiled knowingly. "It’s someone you know."

"Ha," Cheng picked up a chicken wing and placed it on her plate. "Seeing your expression, it’s definitely a woman. Someone you think I’d feel awkward about. Could it be my old blind date, Zhou Sui?"

Suppressing a laugh, Ning Xi said, "That’s no fun. You guessed it on the first try."

Cheng smirked with a hint of pride. "Aside from Lin Hanrui and Liang Lei, I barely have anyone I’d call a friend in Danjiang. And of the people I’ve mentioned to you, the only link would be my former blind date, Zhou Sui. Process of elimination."

Chen Ningxi said, "Her company is planning a project in Qingshan. They’ve already started the approval process for electrical engineering."

Hearing this, Cheng’s chopsticks paused midair. "She’s doing a project in Qingshan?"

"Yep. She said she opened a branch there." Ning Xi kept her head down, eating, without noticing Cheng’s slightly unusual expression across the table.

"Oh," Cheng responded and took another bite of rice, his gaze faintly narrowing as if deep in thought.

Later that night, as part of their nightly routine, it was time for the herbal medicine.

Ning Xi brought the bowl to the living room. Cheng was on a business call, so she placed the bowl on the coffee table and was about to go get some rock sugar. But before she could, Cheng picked up the bowl and downed it in one go.

His face contorted with the bitterness, and Ning Xi hurried to the kitchen for sugar. By the time she returned, his call had ended, and he wordlessly took the piece of rock sugar from her hand to ease the taste.

"Why the rush? I hadn’t even brought you the sugar yet."

Cheng sucked on the sugar, still grimacing. "I thought drinking it while I was on the phone might distract me. Turns out it’s just as bitter."

Ning Xi laughed. "I’m going to take a shower."

Cheng had already showered first. When he returned to the bedroom and was about to lift the quilt, he noticed something under Ning Xi’s pillow.

Curious, he removed the pillow and saw a small red fabric pouch. Opening it, he found a paper charm inside with words written in calligraphy. The only four characters he recognized were "Fertility Talisman." It immediately reminded him of how Ding Yuan had mysteriously called Ning Xi into a room before leaving. Clearly, it was from her.

Cheng’s feelings toward Ding Yuan were complicated. He had a rebellious streak and lingering grievances toward her. Being close to her annoyed him, yet keeping his distance made him feel uneasy. Naturally, he felt disinclined to keep the talisman, so he casually tossed the pouch into the trash.

When Ning Xi came back to bed, she noticed it immediately.

"Where is it?" She asked Cheng.

Cheng feigned innocence. "Where’s what?"

She lifted her pillow and pointed at the now-empty spot. "The pouch that was here. Where did it go? Don’t say you didn’t see it."

Cheng shook his head. "I swear, I didn’t see anything."

She threw the pillow aside and pounced on him, searching under him. "Liar! Give me the pouch, now!"

"I really don’t know. Hahaha...stop it, that tickles..." Cheng twisted and dodged as she pressed on his sides.

Ning Xi refused to give up her search until Cheng grabbed her wrists, pinning her down on the bed. Hovering over her, he stared at her intently, his gaze filled with stirred desire. He asked:

"Do you even know what that is? Why are you treating it like a treasure?"

Ning Xi replied, "Mom said it’s for peace of mind."

"Tch," Cheng scoffed, his lips curling sarcastically. "Your mother gave you a Fertility Talisman."