Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 50 Do you like the New Year?

Chapter 50: Chapter 50 Do you like the New Year?

Chen Ningxi said, "He really drinks rarely with outsiders."

"Of course, what kind of relationship do we have? We went to the countryside together, endured hardships, and returned to the city together. He can tell me things he wouldn’t share with others." Bai Haifeng patted his chest. "These are old connections. ... That duty roster this year, I didn’t set it up. By the time I saw it, it had already been posted in the group." Old Li is the kind of person who can’t stand seeing others doing better. If you’re not as good as him, he mocks you. If you’re better, he envies you. I know he deliberately put you on duty for the New Year’s Festival."

The Old Li Manager Bai mentioned was in charge of personnel arrangements, and the duty roster during the New Year was solely set by him.

"Mr. Bai," Chen Ningxi understood his implication, "it’s really nothing. Any day is the same for me. I’m not married and don’t have kids. It’s right to let those with families have their reunions."

Bai Haifeng realized he hadn’t misjudged Chen Ningxi. Her mindset and perspective made her leadership material.

"Alright, stay at the office then. I’m heading back. Your aunt is still busy at home. I’ll go back and help out."

"It’s the New Year. You should show off your skills too."

Chen Ningxi stood up to see Bai Haifeng off, escorting him to the staircase. The latter said, "Go back inside."

"No worries, I’d just be sitting idle anyway. I came out for some activity."

Just as he finished, Bai Haifeng glared, "You shouldn’t say that. Did you forget what I taught you?"

"Oh!" Chen Ningxi immediately realized and covered her mouth.

One must never say there’s nothing to do or that they’re idle while on duty. It’s very taboo to say such things.

As to why, well, everyone understood.

Returning to the office, Chen Ningxi sent a WeChat message to Ye Yujun.

Chen Ningxi: Mom, what are you busy with?

Ye Yujun: Cleaning the chicken. I’ll stew it later and save you a wing.

Chen Ningxi smiled brightly and replied, "There’s only one mother that’s truly good in this world."

The next second, she received a big red envelope from her mom.

Ye Yujun: Daughter, working during the New Year is tiring.

Chen Ningxi immediately hit receive.

Chen Ningxi: Thanks for the big love, Mom.

Ye Yujun: Alright, I’m off to cook.

Chen Ningxi: Okay, my beautiful mom.

She then opened Chen Weichuan’s WeChat.

Chen Ningxi: Dad, busy with work during New Year; don’t forget to eat and take care of yourself.

One minute, five minutes, fifteen minutes... half an hour passed.

As expected, waiting for her dad’s WeChat was always a matter of fate. The reply would always be delayed but never absent.

Just as she was about to contact Cheng Qiaobei, Liang Lei called.

"Hey, is it my stunningly beautiful, elegant, and drop-dead gorgeous best friend?"

Chen Ningxi was amused by her, "Yes, yes, yes, it’s me. May I ask if you’re the breathtaking beauty whose simple hair-flip can captivate the masses, my dear sister, Liang Lei?"

Liang Lei’s laughter echoed through the receiver, almost like the honking of a goose.

"Hahaha... it’s me."

Chen Ningxi asked, "What’s up during the New Year’s?"

Liang Lei said, "Do you have time on the third day of the New Year? From the third to the sixth?"

Chen Ningxi said, "Tell me what’s up first, so I know if I’m free."

"Come on, would I lead you astray?" Liang Lei said. "It’s the company’s annual gathering. I got two tickets for a trip to Chu’an. Let’s go have fun."

"What about your parents?" Chen Ningxi asked.

"Oh, don’t mention it. They’ve already booked a trip to Jinnan and didn’t take me." Liang Lei was speechless. "You say, how capable are they? Going out without me. They said it’s their couple time and told me not to get in the way."

Liang Lei’s parents were very open-minded; they even supported her decision to be child-free, so not taking her on a trip during New Year wasn’t surprising.

In the Chen family, the first day of the new year was for visiting relatives, and the second day was for mingling.

"It should be fine."

Liang Lei whined, "You must be available, or else I’ll have no one to accompany me, and the company will retract the spot."

"Absolutely not," as soon as Chen Ningxi heard about the company’s reverse operation, she got excited, "I’m definitely going."

Liang Lei: "Hehehe, then I’ll sign you up. Send me a copy of your ID photo later, so the travel agency can book flights and hotels."

The two chatted about various things for a while, and upon learning that Chen Ningxi was on duty, Liang Lei insisted she must go to the office to accompany her.

Once everything quieted down, Chen Ningxi opened Cheng Qiaobei’s WeChat.

Chen Ningxi: Are you busy?

At that moment, inside Zhoushan’s Jade Jiali Hotel.

Cheng Qiaobei was busy coordinating the check-in for a sudden tour group arrival, having no time to check his phone.

Half an hour later, Chen Ningxi received a reply from Cheng Qiaobei.

north: Just busy, what about you? Busy?

Chen Ningxi thought of Bai Haifeng’s words before leaving and responded, "It’s alright. Are you still setting off fireworks tonight?"

Cheng Qiaobei replied, "Fireworks are not allowed. Given the proximity to the forest, it’s a fire hazard. The fire department even conducted an inspection during the day."

Chen Ningxi sighed helplessly, "Without fireworks, it doesn’t feel like the New Year."

north: "Yeah, as a kid I loved setting off fireworks, sticking small ones in the snow, lighting them, and running away. The snow would burst open, leaving black gunpowder marks on the icy surface. The day after setting them off, the smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air, signaling the New Year’s arrival."

He painted a vivid picture with just a few words.

Chen Ningxi said, "You were pretty mischievous as a kid."

Cheng Qiaobei asked, "Who took you to set off fireworks when you were a kid?"

Chen Ningxi: "Me and the kids in the family, my brother, and my sisters."

Cheng Qiaobei: "You guys even had a gang going on."

"Hehe..." Chen Ningxi chuckled, "What about you? Didn’t you have a gang?"

Reading the message above, Cheng Qiaobei’s smile suddenly faded, his thin lips pressing into a straight line, and his brow furrowed slowly.

He said, "Of course, I did, just like you."

Chen Ningxi could almost imagine the scene of Cheng Qiaobei leading a group of kids to set off fireworks, laughing and playing.

She asked, "What kind of dumpling fillings did your family make for the New Year?"

Cheng Qiaobei, holding his phone, his knuckles turned white, switched from voice to text input.

north: Beef filling, what about your family?

Chen Ningxi said, "There are three of us in the family, with three different tastes. I like celery with pork, my dad likes sauerkraut veggie filling, and my mom loves leek and egg. So every New Year, my mom makes three kinds of dumplings, which is quite tiring for her."

Cheng Qiaobei asked again, "Would your father help make them?"

Chen Ningxi said, "He used to. At that time, he wasn’t as busy as now, and on New Year’s Eve, he’d knead the dough and roll the wrappers while my mom mixed the fillings and wrapped the dumplings. Later, I also learned to wrap dumplings with my mom."

Gazing downstairs, Cheng Qiaobei saw several children playing and chasing each other, waving sparklers, while parents snapped photos of them, smiles spreading across their faces. However, his own reflection on the glass wore a melancholic expression.

A voice message popped up in the conversation box:

"Do you like the New Year?"