Cheng Qiaobei feigned nonchalance and replied, "Nope. Why? Does my face look like soone bothered ?"
Chen Ningxi scrutinized him again, "...Hmm."
Cheng Qiaobei forced a lighthearted smile, freeing one hand to grasp hers. She said she didn’t buy it; obviously, since she saw through him, deflecting wouldn’t work.
"A bit of trouble at work. It didn’t affect the progress, nothing major."
"You’ve told before, matters at work, just do your best. When did you start overthinking it?" Chen Ningxi advised.
Cheng Qiaobei took a mont to glance at her, "Alright then, using my own words against , are you?"
As Cheng Qiaobei’s car passed the gate post again, he noticed a security guard staring intently at his car.
Being a security guard at such a high-end housing estate where luxury cars frequently co and go, his having a particular focus on a Cayenne was strange. Cheng Qiaobei had noticed him twice and sensed sothing odd in his gaze.
Judging from the tiline in the video, the fact that Pan Cheng accurately cornered Chen Ningxi probably wasn’t a coincidence. There must be soone within the housing estate acting as Pan Cheng’s eyes.
As to who could avoid suspicion and have a good vantage point, it was likely the gate post security guard.
Cheng Qiaobei parked the car and they walked towards the elevator, one after the other.
Understanding her concerns, Cheng Qiaobei took the initiative to hold Chen Ningxi’s hand. She tugged slightly, prompting him to look back: "Little kids need to be led by adults, otherwise what would you do if you ran into a bad guy?"
Chen Ningxi chuckled, "Who’s a little kid?"
Cheng Qiaobei raised an eyebrow, smiling, "You are."
With a ding, the elevator doors opened.
It seed like Chen Ningxi was still shaken by the encounter with Pan Cheng, even feeling uneasy around this elevator. Only after checking that it was empty did she enter.
Walking side by side, Cheng Qiaobei’s hand stayed protectively at her lower back, providing Chen Ningxi with a strong sense of security.
Opening the door, Cheng Qiaobei let her in first. After changing into slippers, he finally spoke,
"Next week, the program team is going to Zhoushan Hotel to record a show. With so many people coming, it’ll surely attract a lot of fans. I’m worried they won’t handle it well, so I might need to stay there a few days. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you at ho alone; go stay at your mom’s for a few days."
He wasn’t negotiating; he was informing.
If it had been before, Chen Ningxi would have definitely refused, but thinking about the possibility of encountering Pan Cheng again and being harassed by his vile words, she felt utterly uncomfortable at the thought.
"...Alright, staying at my mom’s sounds great, I won’t have to make dinner either."
Seeing her relaxed tone, Cheng Qiaobei didn’t expose her. So things were left unfinished, not suitable for being revealed.
Night fell.
She was drawn into a deep realm of desire, experiencing the exhilarating sensation of her soul soaring to the clouds.
After the intense collision, everything settled into stillness.
She lay in Cheng Qiaobei’s arms, her body covered in a sheen of sweat, hair sticking to her forehead. Breathing steadied, she finally spoke,
"Liang Lei and the others are planning to get married."
Cheng Qiaobei opened his eyes, his heart still pounding heavily, "I’d already told him to et Liang Lei’s parents, but he didn’t listen to . Given the current situation, he’d better brace himself."
Chen Ningxi said, "Liang Lei’s father isn’t that rough, he won’t."
Cheng Qiaobei replied, "Put yourself in his shoes. Even the most composed person wouldn’t give Lin Hanrui a warm welco under these circumstances."
Chen Ningxi thought about it. If the sa situation happened to her, her dad’s expression would be as dark as the bottom of a pot.
...
As expected, Liang Lei didn’t stay in the hospital for long and got discharged within two days. Early in the morning, Lin Hanrui took her ho, placed so pastries he had bought on the way on the dining table for her, and then headed to the construction site in Zhoushan.
Chen Ningxi arrived at Liang Lei’s around noon, carrying two at dishes, a vegetable, and so soup, heading straight for the kitchen as she entered.
Liang Lei said, "Didn’t you bring bubble tea?"
Chen Ningxi unpacked the dishes and re-plated them, "Pregnant won shouldn’t drink bubble tea."
"Says who?" Liang Lei followed her into the kitchen, carrying two plates to the dining room.
Chen Ningxi carefully held the soup bowl, keeping an eye on the angle, afraid the soup would spill out, and said once it was on the table,
"Advised by experts."
Liang Lei scoffed, "Experts never advise on the important stuff. Their suggestions on trivial matters are always fishy. Better lay off the advice from experts in the future; I despise it."
Chen Ningxi handed her a set of utensils, saying, "I got it from the address you gave . A mix of at and vegetables, try it out."
Liang Lei picked up a piece of fish, "Mmm... Delicious. This restaurant’s fish stew is fantastic."
Chen Ningxi said, "If you wanted fish, just tell . I’ll go to the market and buy fresh fish to stew for you. It’ll be just as good as any restaurant."
Liang Lei replied, "No need to stew fish during precious lunchti. Just having you buy and co eat with is already more than enough."
Chen Ningxi noticed how ravenously she was eating, "Your appetite is great, no morning sickness at all. How co it’s different from a few early pregnancies at my workplace? So of them started throwing up from the beginning, and a couple vomited bile right to the end, with one vomiting until they gave birth."
Liang Lei chuckled, eating, and said, "So babies co to repay kindness, so co for revenge. Coincidentally, this one is probably here to repay."
Chen Ningxi said, "By your logic, this little one sounds quite adorable."
Liang Lei gently stroked her belly, "Little one, did you hear your godmother complint you?"
Chen Ningxi said, "I rember my colleagues saying you don’t feel fetal movent until after three months, right?"
Liang Lei said, "I don’t know. The confusion from conception to natural birth persists. Whatever enters our Liang Family’s door inherits our family virtues."
Chen Ningxi asked, "Liang Family virtue? So does it have nothing to do with Lin Hanrui?"
Liang Lei said, "Until it’s born, it has nothing to do with him. Can he bear the pain for , or carry it for ?"
Chen Ningxi laughed, "Liang Lei, only Lin Hanrui can tolerate your temperant. Anyone else couldn’t."
"Finding was probably his luck. Without to save him, who knows, he might still be enjoying single life all alone." Liang Lei used communal chopsticks to grab a rib for Chen Ningxi, "Eat more, why do I feel like you’re getting thinner?"
"Really? I didn’t notice." Chen Ningxi recalled the work pants she wore last year; the waist fit fine then, but now seed a bit loose.
Liang Lei added two more pieces for her, "My mom might be coming back early. We’ll book a private room at the Golden Goblet for a eting."
Chen Ningxi asked, "Does Lin Hanrui know?"
"Nope, my mom just called ."
"Why’s she coming back so suddenly?"
Liang Lei said, "She ntioned a scenic spot was closed due to heavy rain and landslides, so she couldn’t visit."
Chen Ningxi asked, "Did you ntion the wedding?"
Liang Lei said, "Yeah, I told her, but I didn’t ntion the pregnancy."
"You can’t hide it for long. It might not show now because it’s early, but what about another two months? When they notice, if you tell them then, they’ll probably get mad. It won’t be good for Lin Hanrui either," Chen Ningxi reminded her.
Liang Lei said, "I plan to subtly ease the pregnancy news to my mom first. Once she accepts, I’ll let my dad know."
Chen Ningxi shook her head, "Liang Lei, trust , you need to tell them. No matter how big the issue, they’ll support you from your perspective. Parents’ love and concern for their children are deep. My parents initially disapproved of and Cheng Qiaobei, but look at us now. They treat him better than they do ."
anwhile, Cheng Qiaobei sat in the property manager’s office, glaring at the security guard in front of him.
"I’ll give you one chance to speak. If you do well, fine, we’ll forget about it. But if I’m not satisfied, not only will you lose this job, but you’ll have no proper place in this industry. Whether I have that power or not, you can try ."
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