Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 372: The Pitiful Acting

Chapter 372: Chapter 372: The Pitiful Acting

Lunchtime arrived, and Deng Yan watched as Zhou Chong walked into the office next door. Within two minutes, Wei Lai’s laughter echoed through the walls.

Shortly after, both came out chatting and laughing, with Wei Lai going to call Shen Rongshen, while Zhou Chong entered Deng Yan’s office.

"Deng Yan, it’s time to eat. Come with us," Zhou Chong said with a smile, nodding his chin towards the door.

Wei Lai also came out from behind him, "Zhou Chong said he’s treating us."

He usually treats us but hasn’t seen her this excited.

Deng Yan said, "...I have some urgent work to handle, you guys go ahead."

With that, he refocused his attention on the computer.

Shen Rongshen said, "What’s the rush? We can wait for you."

Without lifting his head, Deng Yan replied, "I’m waiting for a client’s message, uncertain about the timing. Don’t wait for me."

Zhou Chong said, "Okay, we’re leaving then. What do you want to eat? I’ll pack it for you."

Deng Yan looked at Wei Lai, who showed no intention of convincing him and was already discussing the menu with Shen Rongshen.

"No need, I’ve already ordered my meal."

Hearing this, Wei Lai asked, "What did you order?"

Too busy with work, Deng Yan didn’t recall what he had yesterday and casually said, "Beef rice bowl."

Wei Lai said, "Eating beef rice bowl three days in a row, aren’t you tired of it?"

Deng Yan looked at Wei Lai, "Not tired."

Zhou Chong said, "Alright, we’re leaving. I’ll treat you next time."

From the corner of his eye, he watched the three of them leave.

At that moment, Cheng Qiaobei exited the bank, glanced at his watch, and dialed Chen Ningxi’s number.

"I’m done here. What’s your situation?"

A new grilled fish restaurant in Danjiang had garnered rave reviews from many bloggers for its authentic taste. Chen Ningxi invited Cheng Qiaobei for grilled fish for lunch.

Chen Ningxi said, "I’m ready and just waiting for you."

Cheng Qiaobei walked towards the parking lot, mentioned a certain bank, "I’ll be there in ten minutes."

Chen Ningxi waited at the office entrance for Cheng Qiaobei, as Lu Xingyan happened to drive out of the office gate.

On ordinary days, they would definitely stop and chat, but recalling Wang Qing’s mention of people gossiping about their relationship at the office, Lu pressed the gas and drove past decisively.

Watching the car pass by, Chen Ningxi didn’t take it to heart.

However, after driving a short distance, Lu Xingyan still stopped the car by the roadside.

He looked in the rearview mirror at Chen Ningxi standing by the road, just as he intended to reverse, a Cayenne picked her up.

After Chen Ningxi got in, Cheng Qiaobei asked, "Were you waiting long?"

"No, I just came down."

Having pre-checked the grilled fish restaurant’s location, Cheng Qiaobei headed there.

The grilled fish restaurant was packed. If Cheng Qiaobei hadn’t booked a table in advance, the two might have missed out.

As Cheng Qiaobei got out of the car, surprisingly he ran into an acquaintance.

"Manager Zhou," Cheng Qiaobei addressed the person emerging from the car opposite.

Initially, he thought Zhou Sui was alone, but when Cheng Qiaobei noticed the Lexus SUV parked beside, his first guess was Zhou Sui’s boyfriend.

The man who got out of the driver’s seat looked at Zhou Sui with a smile, confirming Cheng Qiaobei’s guess.

However, there was someone else inside the Lexus; a gentle young woman, by her attire, seemed new to the workforce, got out of the passenger seat.

Cheng Qiaobei approached and introduced graciously, "This is Zhou Sui, the General Manager of Huilv Travel, and this is my wife, Chen Ningxi, call her sister-in-law."

Zhou Sui smiled, her dimples shallow, "Hello, sister-in-law. This is my boyfriend, Zhuo Yang, who works on chip development at Shengxing Technology."

The four got acquainted, leaving only the unfamiliar young woman among them.

Zhuo Yang looked at the person behind him, "She is Nie Yuqi, a new intern in our department. She’s a junior from my university. We were running an errand and happened to hit lunchtime, so we brought her along."

Cheng Qiaobei noticed that Zhuo Yang first glanced at his colleague and then at Zhou Sui when he mentioned bringing her to lunch.

Zhou Sui said, "Sure, the more the merrier."

The group entered the grilled fish restaurant, with the tables in the first-floor hall almost fully occupied, and the aroma of grilled fish filled the room.

Seeing the packed tables, Zhou Sui spotted an unoccupied table by the window.

"There’s a table."

A server approached to greet them and asked, "Do any of you have a reservation?"

Zhou Sui said, "No. Isn’t there an empty table?"

The server explained, "Table 9 is reserved for a guest. They should arrive soon."

Cheng Qiaobei said, "I’m the reserved guest, Mr. Cheng, the phone number ending 1158."

The server smiled, "This way, please."

Zhou Sui looked at Cheng Qiaobei, "Mind sharing the table?"

Cheng Qiaobei looked at Zhou Sui’s boyfriend and then at his colleague, and said meaningfully, "Sure, the more the merrier."

Originally a four-person table, an extra chair was added. Nie Yuqi insisted on sitting outside and joked, "I don’t want to be the third wheel."

While ordering, it’s normal for couples to know each other’s tastes, but Cheng Qiaobei noticed Zhuo Yang even knew his female colleague’s favorite side dishes, which seemed off.

Cheng Qiaobei hinted to Zhou Sui by asking Zhuo Yang, "Did you order garland chrysanthemum?"

Zhou Sui said, "I don’t eat garland chrysanthemum."

Cheng Qiaobei knew Zhou Sui didn’t eat garland chrysanthemum from their last business talk over dinner.

Zhuo Yang chuckled, "Nie likes it."

Nie Yuqi hadn’t touched the menu the whole time, feeling uneasy having Zhuo Yang order for her.

Assuming Zhou Sui would grasp the implication, she didn’t think along those lines.

Nie Yuqi appeared remorseful, "Sister-in-law, I didn’t know you didn’t eat it."

Zhou Sui smiled, "It’s okay, enjoy yourself, don’t mind me."

With a spirited demeanor, Nie Yuqi said, "Sister-in-law, you’re so nice, beautiful, and elegant. You and Brother Zhuo make a perfect couple."

Embarrassed by the praise, Zhou Sui chuckled, "Your colleague has such a sweet tongue."

Nie Yuqi replied earnestly, "I’m just speaking the truth."

Zhuo Yang grasped Zhou Sui’s hand, saying with a smile, "I didn’t teach her that."

Zhou Sui gave him a sidelong glance, "I doubt it."

The interaction between Nie Yuqi and Zhuo Yang seemed deliberate to the two sitting opposite. Chen Ningxi glanced at Cheng Qiaobei, who instantly understood the unspoken message in her eyes.

Chen Ningxi: This young girl has some tricks up her sleeve.

Cheng Qiaobei nodded but remained silent with a smile.

Chen Ningxi looked away, deciding to stay out of it and pretending ignorance since it didn’t concern her.

Mid-meal, Chen Ningxi noticed something dirty on her shoe. She took a napkin, turned sideways, and bent down to clean her shoe. The unexpected movement revealed Nie Yuqi’s leg pressed intimately against Zhuo Yang’s under the table.

Sensing the gaze from beneath the table, Nie Yuqi promptly pulled her legs together, opening a distance from Zhuo Yang.

After cleaning her shoe, Chen Ningxi resumed eating as usual.

Cheng Qiaobei added a piece of fish to her plate, briefly scanning her face to comprehend everything.

Zhuo Yang thoughtfully helped with Zhou Sui’s meal, gently wiping her hand with a wet wipe when soup splashed on her fingers, reassured only after confirming she wasn’t burned.

On the other side, he was also attending to Nie Yuqi, reassuring her, "Don’t be shy, eat up."

Nie Yuqi accidentally spilled water, which flowed along the table edge onto Zhuo Yang’s pants. Nervously, she grabbed a napkin to help wipe, but Zhou Sui was a step too slow.

Zhuo Yang took the napkin from Nie Yuqi’s hand, "No need, no need, I’ll do it myself."

Nie Yuqi looked flustered, "Sorry, Brother Zhuo, I didn’t do it on purpose."

"It’s alright, it’s alright," Zhuo Yang waved her off, telling Zhou Sui, "Did you see? She’s just timid like that."

Zhou Sui also laughed, "Nie, it’s okay, the pants will dry soon."

Earlier, Nie Yuqi’s movement to wipe water off Zhuo Yang was so natural, as if it was spilt on his private area, making it peculiar how a timid girl would not hesitate to lend a hand.

Chen Ningxi exchanged a knowing look with Cheng Qiaobei, evidently thinking along the same lines.

Using innocent acting to insult others’ intelligence.

Packaging oneself in frailty, somewhat pathetic.