Cheng Qiaobei arranged the eting at Weixiang Garden Restaurant, which was relatively close to ho.
He had just stepped into the private room when Jiang Wanyi arrived.
Cheng Qiaobei had the waiter hand the nu to Jiang Wanyi, saying, "Their specialty dishes here all taste good."
Jiang Wanyi ordered four dishes, and the waiter reminded her, "Our portions are large, the two of you won’t finish it."
Jiang Wanyi looked at Cheng Qiaobei, who said, "Order whatever you like."
She handed the nu to Cheng Qiaobei, who said, "I’ve already eaten, just a pot of tea. Oh, and make a serving of pickled fish in half an hour."
After the waiter left, Jiang Wanyi said, "For her?"
She noticed that whenever Chen Ningxi was ntioned, Cheng Qiaobei’s face would naturally light up with a smile.
"Mm, she loves the pickled fish here the most."
"Why didn’t you recomnd it to ?"
Cheng Qiaobei smiled brightly, "Everyone has different tastes, what she likes, you might not."
Jiang Wanyi said, "How do you know I won’t like it? You can only tell if a dish is good after tasting it."
"Delicious and liked are not the sa," Cheng Qiaobei said with a double aning, "So dishes you find delicious, you might not like; so she likes, might not be delicious."
Jiang Wanyi lowered her eyes, a slight smile at the corners of her mouth, "Am I one of those dishes?"
Cheng Qiaobei said, "Just speaking casually, don’t overthink it."
"I’d like not to overthink it, but your words are barbed." Jiang Wanyi shifted her tone, getting straight to the point, "How is your developnt at Jade Jiali?"
The waiter brought a pot of hot tea and left, Cheng Qiaobei poured her so, "Why are you concerned about my developnt now?"
Jiang Wanyi suddenly beca serious, "I still think the sa way I did back then, you’re a capable person who needs the right platform and resources so your talents won’t be wasted."
Rubbing the edge of the cup with his thumb, a faint steam rose from it, gently and slowly drifting away, as if hiding a distant mory.
Cheng Qiaobei didn’t want to waste ti, "I’m quite fine now, thank you for your concern, but I’d like to know what concerns my future."
"Are you this impatient with won? Even with her?" Jiang Wanyi asked in return.
Cheng Qiaobei said, "Not entirely, besides my wife, I’m rarely patient with others."
Jiang Wanyi nodded, "Got it, you’re biased against because I proposed breaking up back then? You think I betrayed you and abandoned you."
Thinking that he would argue when the past was brought up, Cheng Qiaobei remained indifferent, "That was a long ti ago, I don’t even rember why bring it up."
Jiang Wanyi didn’t find it embarrassing, "Seems like I’m the only one who can’t move on, no wonder they say in love, in the end, only won get hurt."
Cheng Qiaobei took a sip of tea, glanced at his watch, and said, "The pickled fish should be ready soon."
He was reminding her that ti was short, Jiang Wanyi opened her phone and played a recording for him to listen to.
In the privacy of the booth, the recording was clear and distinct word by word.
After leaving the restaurant, it had started to rain outside. After seeing Jiang Wanyi off, Cheng Qiaobei carried the packaged pickled fish and drove ho.
Chen Ningxi heard the door and turned off the faucet, "Ho early today, I see."
Cheng Qiaobei walked straight into the kitchen, "Look what I brought you."
Chen Ningxi laughed upon catching the scent, "I’ve already finished eating before you brought it back."
"Co on, have so more, it’s freshly made." Cheng Qiaobei helped her take off her dishwashing gloves, "You leave it, I’ll wash later."
Cheng Qiaobei led her by the hand into the dining room, unwrapped the takeout box, and waved his hand in her direction, "Sll it, isn’t it fragrant?"
Chen Ningxi took the chopsticks Cheng Qiaobei handed her, "I’ve already eaten, if I eat more, I’ll gain weight tonight."
"You won’t, just eat." Cheng Qiaobei went back to the kitchen to get a bowl of rice and sat opposite her; Chen Ningxi was surprised, "You didn’t eat tonight?"
Cheng Qiaobei smiled, "No."
Chen Ningxi was puzzled, "Didn’t you say you had social engagents?"
Cheng Qiaobei picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, "What can be good at those engagents, nothing beats eating pickled fish with you at ho."
"You should have told earlier, I would have reheated the dishes." Chen Ningxi said while getting up to return to the kitchen to get the dishes from the fridge, Cheng Qiaobei followed and pushed her back to her seat, "I’ll heat them, you go eat the fish."
Cheng Qiaobei brought the reheated dishes back to the table, "Still tastes best when made by my wife."
Chen Ningxi looked at him with a smile, placing food on his plate while saying, "Next ti you want to eat at ho, call first, I’ll eat with you."
"No need to wait for , I’m not on a regular schedule." Cheng Qiaobei put another piece of fish on her plate, casually saying, "Things aren’t peaceful at the company lately, I don’t know what storms may arise."
He rarely talked about company affairs, so ntioning it to her indicated he had so concerns and needed an outside perspective for answers.
"What have you noticed? Or did sothing happen?" Chen Ningxi asked.
Cheng Qiaobei ran his tongue over the fish, realizing it wasn’t fully deboned, and spat out the bone into a tissue.
Three dishes and two small plates of salad were on the table, which Cheng Qiaobei pushed forward plate by plate, representing, "Our company has five board mbers, Cheng Xiangheng, his wife Zheng Rongxi, Xu Yunheng who has issues with , and two others..." He pointed to one salad dish, saying, "Chairman Yin Yihui," and then pointed to the other dish, "Chairman Lian Wenlong."
Chen Ningxi listened intently, nodding to rember everyone.
Cheng Qiaobei made a circle in the air with his hand, "Currently, the five board mbers have disagreents over different business philosophies. Can you guess who’s allied with whom?"
Chen Ningxi pondered, staring at the plates, thinking that spouses would surely side with each other, and as for Xu Yunheng, according to what Cheng Qiaobei had ntioned, he shared a brotherly bond with Cheng Xiangheng. She hadn’t heard of the other two board mbers, so she boldly guessed...
Chen Ningxi used chopsticks to separate the two salad dishes, "These three are together, those two are together?"
Cheng Qiaobei squinted his eyes and shook his head, saying, "Can’t stump you, can it?"
Chen Ningxi asked, "Are they the problem now, or is it those two?"
Cheng Qiaobei pointed to Yin Yihui, saying, "He asked out, said that when I face trouble in the future, he and Chairman Lian will stand up to support ."
Chen Ningxi had only seen palace intrigue and corporate wars on TV, never imagined witnessing it in person today.
"He’s quite bold, pledging loyalty so easily, isn’t he afraid you’ll pass his words to the others?"
Cheng Qiaobei ate a mouthful of rice, chewing slowly.
He nodded, "I thought the sa. Chairman Yin isn’t just talk, if he’s telling this, it seems he has another ssage to convey."
Chen Ningxi instantly grasped the implication, "He’s warning you, the others are plotting against you. But if he stands up to back you and helps solve your trouble, he becos your benefactor. Then using you to deal with the three of them would be a rightful act of borrowed strength to eliminate them."
Cheng Qiaobei clicked his tongue, "Wow... when it cos to tactics, you’re quite adept."
Chen Ningxi proudly raised her chin, "I think I’d last at least three episodes in a palace drama."
Cheng Qiaobei said, "At least three episodes, you’d make it to the final episode."
Chen Ningxi was amused and giggled, "That sounds good." But as she laughed, she worriedly looked at Cheng Qiaobei, "Do you believe him?"
Cheng Qiaobei was silent for a while, "...It’s half true, half false. Can’t wholly believe or disbelieve."
Chen Ningxi pointed out his thoughts, "You’re worried the one plotting against you is..."
Cheng Qiaobei nodded.
In Chen Ningxi’s world, her father, although stern, would never harm his children.
"Could it be Chairman Zheng and Chairman Xu? They’ve both had issues with you, one fears you’ll contest his daughter for inheritance, the other resents you for cutting off his financial gains."
He wished to believe it was as Chen Ningxi speculated, but Cheng Qiaobei knew Cheng Xiangheng better than anyone; the man cared for no one but the company he founded.
"Qiao Bei," Chen Ningxi held his hand, "I might not be right, but I believe you’ll handle it well."
Cheng Qiaobei squeezed her hand, "In crucial monts, a wife’s reliability is unmatched. Here, have another piece of fish."
"Have you thought of a solution?" Chen Ningxi asked.
Cheng Qiaobei scoffed lightly, "Not yet, I’m unsure of their tactics for now, but once I figure them out, it will be easier to resolve."
Chen Ningxi said, "If there’s anything I can help with, just let know."
Cheng Qiaobei took a tissue to wipe her mouth, "The way you say it, it’s like a child returning ho after being wronged outside, seeking parental support."
Chen Ningxi pouted, "My husband can be bullied by , but not by others."
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