Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 473: Could it really be that he was overthinking?

Chapter 473: Chapter 473: Could it really be that he was overthinking?

After nearly four hours of negotiation, Deng Yan was feeling exhausted, whereas Cheng Qiaobei still seemed sharp and full of energy.

At the negotiating table, he was always the tireless warrior, and no one could retreat unscathed from his grasp.

Zou Yong showed signs of fatigue, glanced at the time, and said, "It’s noon, let’s have lunch first."

This lunch could be considered a strategic pause. Cheng Qiaobei was well aware of this and cooperatively said, "Time flies."

As he tidied up the documents in front of him, he signaled to Deng Yan, who immediately understood, "President Zou, Mr. Cheng has already reserved a place at the Yunshan Fragrant Banquet."

Zou Yong looked at Cheng Qiaobei and smiled, "You even know I like dining at Yunshan, considerate indeed."

Cheng Qiaobei said, "Ning Xi told me."

Deng Yan looked at Cheng Qiaobei, realizing it was actually researched, but then thought establishing a connection could bring them closer and facilitate cooperation.

"Ning Xi?" Zou Yong’s eyes noticeably brightened, "She’s attentive, remembers even the small things. By the way, have her join us if she’s available, her office is also close to the restaurant."

The seemingly casual tone was noticed by Cheng Qiaobei, who glimpsed a fleeting hope in Zou Yong’s eyes.

It wasn’t the care of an elder for a junior, but more like a man admiring a woman.

With this thought, a trace of disgust arose in Cheng Qiaobei’s heart. However, he thought it might be impossible and wondered if he was being overly sensitive; he decided to probe further.

"She’s not in Danjiang, she’s on a business trip."

Zou Yong said, "Grassroots work is indeed busy; Ning Xi’s father was the same. Sometimes I would arrange to have meals with him only for them to be canceled at the last minute, I’m used to it."

Cheng Qiaobei observed him and didn’t see disappointment on his face.

Could it be that he was overthinking it?

On the way to the Yunshan Fragrant Banquet, Deng Yan glanced at Zou Yong’s car in the rearview mirror and said:

"Negotiated for four hours, it seems President Zou isn’t willing to concede."

Cheng Qiaobei used the journey to the restaurant to review the documents, casually saying, "The bet agreement is effective short-term, but not long-term. If he’s aiming to make money short-term, he will definitely agree. If not," he paused, "...then there are other intentions."

Deng Yan perceived the other intention as a chance to swallow up Eastern First-class, "Shall we test the waters in the afternoon meeting?"

"There’s no need to wait for the afternoon; lunch is a good opportunity." Cheng Qiaobei needed to probe, understand his opponent’s tactics, and determine their purpose to decide if collaboration was suitable.

Deng Yan glanced once more at the person in the back seat, only to see Cheng Qiaobei looking down at the documents, exuding a calm confidence, presumably having thought of a plan.

But Deng Yan had his considerations too, "After all, we are the investee party; if our intentions are overly obvious or we come across as pushy, it might trigger President Zou’s antagonism. What if he decides not to invest?"

Cheng Qiaobei didn’t lift his head, his gaze shifted to Deng Yan. He hated being manipulated by Zou Yong and felt unbridled anger at his suspicions, a nameless fire flared up, saying:

"What can we do? If you can afford to play, then play; if not, step aside."

"!" Deng Yan was momentarily stunned.

In work matters, Cheng Qiaobei had always been patient, never showing excessive aggression or anger, but his attitude just now was clearly off.

"You..." Deng Yan hesitated to speak.

Cheng Qiaobei realized his loss of composure, the hostility towards Zou Yong had inadvertently shown, which was detrimental to collaboration and negotiation.

"I’m fine," Cheng Qiaobei explained, "didn’t sleep well last night, a bit of morning grumpiness."

This morning grumpiness seemed to last a bit long.

Deng Yan said, "You’ve been too tired lately, after the financing negotiations, take some time to rest."

"Yes." Cheng Qiaobei also wanted to rest, to spend more time with Chen Ningxi.

The car stopped at Yunshan Fragrant Banquet, and the four of them entered the lobby one after another.

During the meal, they tacitly avoided discussing cooperation matters, instead talking about daily trivia, hobbies, and family. Zou Yong mentioned his son Zou Yihang currently studying overseas.

Cheng Qiaobei knew a lot about Zou Yong’s business information, but very little about his family relations. It seemed like he rarely brought his family to public events, so few had met He Xiaoqing.

Even when he and Chen Ningxi went to their house for a birthday celebration, considering Zou Yong’s social status, inviting only three or four friends seemed unusual. Either he didn’t value He Xiaoqing, or he had poor fortunes and his status was unstable.

Clearly, it wasn’t the latter; there was only one possibility, which was he simply didn’t care about his current wife.

Cheng Qiaobei followed up on the previous topic, "I’ve visited Yihang’s university, an Ivy League school, both its faculty and environment are excellent."

Zou Yong inquired about the university Cheng Qiaobei attended during his studies abroad. He gave a brief introduction, and then the conversation shifted from university to a man’s career.

Cheng Qiaobei changed the subject, saying, "While we are out building our careers, the women at home actually have the hardest job. Last time, when Ning Xi and I visited for Mrs. Zou’s birthday, it was evident that you and Mrs. Zou have a great relationship, we were quite envious."

When talking about He Xiaoqing, Zou Yong’s smile faded, but he still painted a picture of an ideal middle-aged couple.

"We’ve been together for years, stable relationship, and she doesn’t expect much from me for household matters. Given the workload at my company, she understands."

Zou Yong didn’t enjoy discussing He Xiaoqing at length, using the word stable as a transition to the next topic, talking about being too tired from work and wanting to find a place to relax and vacation for a few days.

Cheng Qiaobei recommended the hotel from last time, and Zou Yong asked him to book a room for Friday. When asked how long he’d stay, Zou Yong replied a week.

Today was Wednesday. If he left on Friday, he wouldn’t be back until next Friday.

Therefore, confirming and completing the financing process within two days was entirely impossible.

Uncharacteristically, Cheng Qiaobei brought up financing, "Mr. Zou, I know now isn’t the best time to discuss work, but time is tight, so we can only talk now. Regarding the suggestions I proposed, if you agree, we can continue to discuss the agreement this afternoon. If they don’t meet your expectations or you feel my proposals hurt your interests, all I can say is it’s unfortunate that our core differences prevent us from collaborating in the end."

Zou Yong smiled briefly, "Don’t rush, disagreements are normal. I’m not unwilling to compromise, but first, you must show sincerity too. As long as we both make concessions, then the cooperation can happen."

Cheng Qiaobei was firm, "I’m fully willing to cooperate, but those three clauses, any one of them is enough to crush me."

"So you mean, still unwilling to relent?" Zou Yong countered.

Cheng Qiaobei was non-committal.

Zou Yong sighed, "You need to understand one thing, the Qiankun Group is not just me as the boss; I have major shareholders behind me. I have to give them an explanation, right? Just by showing them your modified bet agreement, they’d likely think there’s some undisclosed interests between you and me."

Cheng Qiaobei was silent, indeed, that was a possibility.

Zou Yong said, "How about this, after I invest, you must obtain my approval for any decision-making."