Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 458 Gambling Agreement

Chapter 458: Chapter 458 Gambling Agreement

When the topic of their collaboration suddenly came up, asking for her opinion, Chen Ningxi was caught off guard. Before she could respond, Zou Yong laughed and said:

"Still not awake? Just like when you were a child, always dreamy."

Chen Ningxi awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear.

Zou Yong smiled warmly, shook his head, and walked away.

On the rattan chair lay a light blanket, which Cheng Qiaobei must have placed there to keep her from catching cold. She took the blanket and followed him inside.

"Qiaobei," Zou Yong only spoke after Cheng Qiaobei finished his call, saying, "I need to go back for something, let’s continue our discussion tonight."

"Alright, Mr. Zou, you go ahead."

The two went to the door to see him off. Watching Zou Yong’s departing figure, Chen Ningxi asked, "Which villa does Mr. Zou live in?"

Cheng Qiaobei pointed to a row of standalone villas ahead, "Right there, number 23."

Following Cheng Qiaobei’s direction, she remarked, "Very close to where we live."

Cheng Qiaobei said, "Yeah, we can see the north window of his house from our balcony."

"Alright, he’s gone far now." Chen Ningxi pulled Cheng Qiaobei’s hand to head back, and he turned to embrace her waist before closing the door.

At night, the small courtyard was quiet. Under the Roman parasol, the two of them enjoyed outdoor barbecue and watched a romantic movie, feeling quite at ease.

Cheng Qiaobei handed her a skewer he just grilled, and Chen Ningxi said, "Mr. Zou hasn’t contacted you yet, I guess tonight’s a no-go, let’s talk tomorrow."

Cheng Qiaobei said, "Actually, preliminary negotiations are usually just probing, testing to see if the other party has any interest in collaborating. If they’re interested, they’ll reach out actively. If not, no matter how enthusiastic you are, it’s no use."

Chen Ningxi caught the implication in his words, "You talked for so long during the day, do you think Mr. Zou is interested?"

Cheng Qiaobei sprinkled cumin over the beef skewers and flipped them to continue grilling, "He has some inclination, but not very urgently. Maybe this lack of urgency is to make me more concessive in the cooperation."

Chen Ningxi said, "When you were taking the call inside, Mr. Zou asked if I wanted you guys to cooperate."

Cheng Qiaobei raised an eyebrow, "He even asked that, what did you say?"

Chen Ningxi said, "Before I could answer, he interrupted and went inside."

Cheng Qiaobei mused, "In that case, he’s quite interested. So where’s the gap?"

Speaking to himself, he said: "It seems after the last competition, he’s become more cautious."

Chen Ningxi asked, "What about you? What do you think?"

Cheng Qiaobei placed the grilled beef skewers on the plate for her, "For the company to expand, it needs more capital inflow and strong backing to sustain further development. Of course, I hope for the collaboration, and the sooner, the better. ... Shall I grill some shrimp too?"

"Yeah." Chen Ningxi offered him the beef skewer, "Just two more skewers, I can’t eat much more."

At that moment, Cheng Qiaobei’s phone rang. He was busy grilling the skewers, the phone was on the table, and Chen Ningxi saw the number on the screen and said, "Mr. Zou is calling you," as she stood up, "Come on, I’ll handle the grilling."

Cheng Qiaobei picked up the phone, gave her his spot, and walked a bit away to answer, "Mr. Zou... No, we’re still up... now?"

Judging by the conversation, Mr. Zou wanted Cheng Qiaobei to go over right then, and in a lapse of attention, Chen Ningxi burned the shrimp whiskers.

"Ah," Chen Ningxi quickly moved the shrimp to a different spot.

Cheng Qiaobei glanced back at Chen Ningxi, "... Alright, I’ll head over now."

He took down the phone and said, "Honey, Mr. Zou wants me to go over."

Chen Ningxi said, "Go ahead, if he’s contacting you so late, he must be sincere."

Cheng Qiaobei said, "I’ll be off then, don’t touch the grill when you’re done, I’ll clean up when I’m back."

Chen Ningxi replied, "Got it, go there and come back early."

Cheng Qiaobei brushed away a chili flake from the corner of her lips with his thumb, "Greedy cat, take your time eating."

He walked out of the small courtyard, closing the door behind him.

Chen Ningxi waited until almost midnight, and Cheng Qiaobei hadn’t returned. Overwhelmed by fatigue, she ended up falling asleep.

When she woke up the next day, Chen Ningxi opened her eyes to find Cheng Qiaobei asleep next to her, unaware of when he returned last night.

She noticed his furrowed brow and his body curled up, hugging a pillow tightly.

Chen Ningxi leaned in closer, catching a strong whiff of alcohol, realizing he drank white liquor again last night.

He could barely tolerate beer, let alone highly potent white liquor, he must have suffered greatly.

Chen Ningxi tried to gently get out of bed, but as she moved, his arm circled her waist, pulling her back, and she was embraced again by Cheng Qiaobei.

From above, she heard his murmured voice, "Stay and sleep with me a little longer."

Turning around with difficulty to face him, Chen Ningxi asked, "Did you drink with Mr. Zou again last night?"

At the mention of alcohol, Cheng Qiaobei began to feel nauseous, his brow furrowing deeply, "I drank a bit."

Chen Ningxi said, "Just a bit?"

Cheng Qiaobei said, "I don’t remember how much I drank."

"Drinking so much, you’re going to wreck your stomach," Chen Ningxi said worriedly, "You can’t keep up with him, he’s been steeped in alcohol for a long time, normal people can’t outdrink him. How’s it going?"

Actually, Cheng Qiaobei had a principle of not discussing business over drinks, but for the sake of the company, he drank a whole bottle of white with Zou Yong last night.

Cheng Qiaobei replied, "The initial agreement is in place, but the follow-up cooperation documents still need to be ironed out."

Chen Ningxi gently stroked his face, noticing the stubble on his chin, "Don’t push yourself too hard, otherwise if you collapse, what would I do?"

"Haha... my body won’t give out, you won’t miss out on happiness," Cheng Qiaobei laughed carelessly, prompting Chen Ningxi to slap his chest, "I’m being serious, stop making dirty jokes."

Cheng Qiaobei finally opened his eyes, seeing the red veins in his eyes, the reproach on the tip of her tongue was swallowed back down.

"You should sleep a little longer."

"Aren’t you staying to sleep with me?" he nuzzled her with his nose, making Chen Ningxi giggle and hunch her shoulders, "Stop it, go back to sleep."

Saying nothing, he turned over and pressed up against her, his hand slipping under her shirt, lowering his shoulder, and seeking out her lips with his own.

"Mmm..." Chen Ningxi pushed at him, "You should rest properly first."

Cheng Qiaobei’s breath was heavy, his body already responsive, ignoring her advice, he used his teeth to tug at the tie of her nightgown, sinking down over her.

The sun shone brightly, the wind gentle and the clouds were light.

Zou Yong had the habit of waking early for his morning exercise. At dawn, he was already jogging along the small paths near the hotel.

On his way back, he passed by the villa where the two were staying. The door was tightly closed, and the curtains on the second floor were still drawn, indicating they hadn’t woken up yet.

Last night, he and Cheng Qiaobei discussed the cooperation details, proposing an investment in Eastern First-class through a buy-back agreement. Cheng Qiaobei didn’t immediately agree, asking for three days to consider.

Zou Yong reviewed Eastern First-class’s documents in detail last night. Due to his previous competition with Cheng Qiaobei, he still harbored some caution towards him. But if investing through a buy-back agreement, his chances of winning were greater.

Or rather, he was certain he would be the victor in this business battle.

...