Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 356: Is There Something We Can’t Hear?

Chapter 356: Chapter 356: Is There Something We Can’t Hear?

Before getting off the car, Cheng Qiaobei held Chen Ningxi’s hand with a serious expression and gave her some warnings.

"My second uncle lives in this town, and the row of two-story shops here are all his. He’s sharp-tongued, stingy by nature, and for a long time has been eyeing the ancestral house owned by the elders. I figure this visit is probably related to that as well. My second aunt enjoys gossiping. Don’t take her words too seriously, and if she tries to drag you off to meet relatives, don’t follow her."

Then, he continued advising her on other matters. Chen Ningxi felt she had a general understanding of the situation.

Once they got out of the car, Cheng Qiaobei pulled out the gift box from the back seat. Chen Ningxi followed him towards the villa, but before they even entered, Cheng Siluo appeared.

This was the first time the two had met since Sun Dongchen’s sentencing. Clearly, Cheng Siluo wasn’t prepared; she showed a momentary hint of surprise upon seeing Cheng Qiaobei, but it quickly turned into hatred.

She deliberately looked straight ahead, ignoring the two, but as she brushed past Cheng Qiaobei, she spat out a contemptuous curse:

"Bad luck."

Cheng Qiaobei acted as though he hadn’t heard, and Chen Ningxi also ignored it completely. Compared to their calm disregard, Cheng Siluo’s reaction made her seem like a clown performing in vain.

Cheng Siluo couldn’t shake off her anger over Sun Dongchen’s imprisonment and intentionally provoked them, demanding:

"Why are you here? No one in this house wants you here."

She put on an arrogant demeanor, her eyes filled with disdain and loathing.

Before Cheng Qiaobei could respond, the house door was pushed open from the inside, and Cheng Qiaobei’s second aunt, Zhou Qiaoxin, came out. Upon seeing him, she raised her voice to greet him.

"Oh, look who’s here! Isn’t this the old man’s favorite grandson returned? Quickly, come inside, come inside."

Cheng Siluo had been provoked by her earlier and seized the opportunity to strike back, constantly bringing up Sun Dongchen, asking when he’d be released.

Cheng Siluo cast a disdainful glance and said, "Second Aunt, the wind outside is strong. Hurry up and get back inside before your tongue gets sprained."

"Hey, you silly girl. I only asked about Dongchen’s return because I care about him." Zhou Qiaoxin tucked her hair behind her ear and hummed softly, almost imperceptibly.

Chen Ningxi’s gaze turned indifferent; it was obvious that these two were openly at odds.

Taking advantage of the moment, Cheng Qiaobei pulled her inside. While changing shoes at the entrance, Zhou Qiaoxin retreated again.

"Qiaobei, I haven’t seen your wife since your wedding. We didn’t get to chat much. So, how many months along is she?"

Chen Ningxi paused slightly while changing her shoes—still the same unpleasant elder.

Cheng Qiaobei replied, "We just arrived. We haven’t paid respects to Grandpa and Grandma yet."

With that, he took Chen Ningxi upstairs.

As soon as the topic of paying respects was mentioned, Zhou Qiaoxin and the others left, only to suddenly remember something.

"...You haven’t paid respects to me yet either."

In the kitchen downstairs, chefs from a nearby restaurant were hired to prepare the meal, as was the tradition every year.

As they got up to the second floor, they heard an elderly laugh. Following the direction of the laugh, Cheng Qiaobei’s grandfather, Cheng Jinyuan, was teasing Cheng Siluo’s child.

"Look, he smiles as soon as he sees his great-grandpa. Seems I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Hahaha..."

"Come, let great-grandma have a look." Chen Zhuxian also moved to the stroller, her face gentle as she leaned on the handle and gently rocked it. The baby inside was stretching its little hands, grabbing aimlessly. "This child takes after Siluo, so delicate and beautiful, all powdery white and adorable."

Zheng Rongxi was sitting nearby with the nanny, whose eyes were fixed on the child at all times.

Among the group, Cheng Xiangheng seemed the most carefree, sitting in a rocking chair by the window speaking on the phone.

He laughed and said, "Great, great. Happy New Year. Mr. Yue, any plans for the holiday?"

Suddenly, the laughter and conversation came to an abrupt halt.

All eyes turned in unison towards the two who had just come upstairs.

Cheng Jinyuan was the first to react, saying, "Qiaobei’s here."

Zheng Rongxi addressed the nanny, "Wang, take the child to the back room."

"Sure." The nanny immediately picked up the child and carried him to another room.

Cheng Qiaobei placed the gift box in his hand down and, along with Chen Ningxi, paid respects to the two elders, then approached Cheng Xiangheng. "Dad, Happy New Year."

In front of the elders, Cheng Xiangheng had to play the role of a kind father. "Good. Was the road easy to travel?"

Cheng Qiaobei said, "Easy."

Cheng Xiangheng gestured subtly, indicating that he should pay respects to Zheng Rongxi. Though reluctant, Cheng Qiaobei fulfilled the surface-level formalities as etiquette required.

Zheng Rongxi smiled outwardly but inwardly had already begun cursing both Ding Yuan and Cheng Qiaobei, whom she considered an illegitimate child.

The villa was missing only Cheng Pengxiao, the second uncle. But the old man proactively explained, saying:

"Your second uncle is a bit busy at the shop; he should return before lunch."

Cheng Qiaobei nodded politely in response, "I passed by the town’s shopfronts and noticed they were redone again."

Cheng Jinyuan nodded, "He’s always tinkering with things. It’s only been three years since the last renovation, but he insisted the old style was outdated. Now he’s gotten another designer from the city to create a new look."

Cheng Qiaobei didn’t want to delve too much into anything concerning the Cheng Family, simply curling his lips faintly, "Looks good."

After speaking, he led Chen Ningxi to the sofa nearby. On the coffee table were nuts and candies; Cheng Qiaobei grabbed a handful and placed them in her hand.

"Eat."

Just as Chen Ningxi was about to peel open a candy, Cheng Jinyuan called for Cheng Qiaobei.

"Qiaobei, my tea table is a bit loose. Can you take a look for me?"

Anyone could tell this was an excuse for the old man to have a private conversation with Cheng Qiaobei.

Before standing up, Cheng Qiaobei glanced at the person beside him. She smiled, reassuring him it was fine.

"Do you have tools?" Cheng Qiaobei stood and followed Cheng Jinyuan inside.

At that moment, Zhou Qiaoxin, who had been silent all along, spoke up intentionally, "Is there anything we can’t hear? Why do you have to invite someone inside to talk?"

If it weren’t for the candy in Chen Ningxi’s mouth, she might have laughed outright.

She could tell Zhou Qiaoxin wasn’t being casual. With her temperament and social skills, such remarks were definitely deliberate.

As for why she brought it up, Chen Ningxi suspected it might be related to the ancestral home—the possibility that the old man intended to leave it to Cheng Qiaobei was unsettling for her.

"Old man, deaf again?" Zhou Qiaoxin tossed a melon seed into her mouth and gave Cheng Qiaobei a side glance, "How convenient, just deaf at critical moments."

Chen Zhuxian finally spoke from the side, "Age dulls the senses; we’re becoming obsolete."

Zhou Qiaoxin spat out the melon seed shell and was about to jab at the elderly woman when Cheng Xiangheng, having finished his call, cut her off with a harsh glare and said:

"It’s the New Year; stop picking at the elders. Everyone grows old eventually. Can you guarantee you won’t be deaf or blind when you age?"

Zhou Qiaoxin opened her mouth to retort, but recalling that the family’s wealth and property depended on her eldest brother, she decided not to stir trouble.

She quickly changed her tone, smiling obsequiously, "Elder brother is right. Don’t mind me; I’m uneducated and poor with words."

Cheng Jinyuan shut the door, sat down by the tea table, and Cheng Qiaobei pulled out a chair and seated himself across from him. He poured tea for the old man, handed it over with both hands, and waited for Cheng Jinyuan to speak next.