Fated Love With the Billionaire-Chapter 116: All Your Favorites

Chen Ningxi was initially scared to open the car door when she saw a shadow approaching. But once she recognized who it was outside the car, she quickly got out and shut the door tightly. "The rain is so heavy, why did you come down?"

Cheng Qiaobei used an umbrella to cover her completely and pulled her close as they ran into the building.

"The rain is precisely why I came down," he said.

Inside the corridor, under a dim light, Cheng Qiaobei closed the umbrella. "Are you cold?"

Her voice was soft, and Cheng Qiaobei tilted his head to look at her. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Chen Ningxi tried to keep her cool, bypassed him, and headed towards the elevator, fearing he would notice something odd if he asked her too many questions. "What did my mom cook tonight?"

Cheng Qiaobei followed her into the elevator. "She made beef soup, stir-fried broccoli, cold bitter lettuce, and I brought some roasted duck."

Chen Ningxi turned to him. "All things you like to eat."

Cheng Qiaobei smiled. "You like them too."

"No way, I don’t even eat bitter lettuce." Chen Ningxi gently nudged Cheng Qiaobei’s shoulder. "Wow, we just got married and my mom’s already favoring you. You’ll be something else in the future."

"Hehe." Cheng Qiaobei rubbed his nose with his hand. "If you bully me in the future, I’ll tell Mom."

Chen Ningxi scoffed, "Tsk."

What she thought was a joke turned out to be true.

As soon as they entered the house, Ye Yujun wrapped a towel around each of them. "Dry yourselves quickly, don’t catch a cold."

"Look at your clothes, they’re soaked," Ye Yujun said, heading back to the room to get a set of Chen Weichuan’s pajamas for Cheng Qiaobei. "Quickly take off your wet clothes and wear your dad’s. It’s a new set and hasn’t been worn yet."

"Even if it had, they’re all clean," Cheng Qiaobei said, as he went into a room to change into dry clothes and came back out. Chen Ningxi had also changed, and she put both of their clothes into the washing machine and started it.

On the dining table was a spread of steaming home-cooked dishes, and Ye Yujun brought out two plates of her own homemade pickles. Sipping on hot beef soup, it felt like being back in school days.

Outside the window, a flash of lightning split the darkness, lighting up the entire sky. Thunder rumbled loudly, making the glass vibrate. They could only hear the rain but couldn’t see its shape.

Ye Yujun looked outside the window and said, "The rain is too heavy, why don’t you guys stay here tonight?"

Chen Ningxi didn’t mind either way. She glanced at Cheng Qiaobei, concerned it wouldn’t be comfortable if he was reluctant.

Cheng Qiaobei said, "Mom, we’ll bother you for the night then."

Ye Yujun laughed. "What bother? Isn’t this your home?"

"Hmm," Cheng Qiaobei nodded, happily eating the food in his bowl.

Chen Ningxi raised her eyebrow, realizing her concerns were unfounded.

"Did Dad mention when he’d be back from his patrol?" Chen Ningxi asked.

Ye Yujun filled Cheng Qiaobei’s rice bowl before answering. "He might not come back. There’s an orange alert upstream, and our water level has risen quite a bit in the past few days. With today’s rain, I doubt he’ll make it home."

Chen Ningxi finished eating and put down her chopsticks to head to the bedroom.

Watching her leave, Ye Yujun said to Cheng Qiaobei, "She’s probably messaging her dad."

Cheng Qiaobei said, "Actually, Ning Xi does care about Dad. It’s just that when they see each other... their energies seem to clash."

"You put it subtly, clash of energies," Ye Yujun chuckled, shaking her head. "Ning Xi wasn’t raised by her dad and there was no helping it. Back then, his position wasn’t high but his work was plentiful. He was visible all over the village and town, even mediating disputes over whose land was whose. Busy with work, he had little time for Ning Xi. Later, when Ning Xi started middle school, her dad got promoted and transferred. She had to familiarize herself with a new city and classmates. As a girl in her teenage years, she didn’t want to part from her old friends so she went to his office crying, but job transfers are beyond personal control. She left the office in tears, eyes swollen like peach pits, and after that, she contradicted everything he said. Though she was close to me, and I could console her, she wasn’t that close with her dad.

Actually, it was just the lack of his presence. It’s not that they didn’t have a bond. Blood is thicker than water, but to say they were close personally wasn’t true either. Before Ning Xi went to high school, her dad got transferred again. This time she didn’t fight it, got into the best high school in Danjiang but became sharp-tongued and quick-witted. Whatever her dad said, she had a comeback ready. They couldn’t talk for long without either going silent or having a falling out."

Cheng Qiaobei thought about his relationship with Cheng Xiangheng, which seemed like the opposite extreme. But compared to Cheng Xiangheng, he really preferred Chen Weichuan. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Chen Ningxi sat at the edge of the bed, holding her phone, hesitating. In the end, she opened WeChat to message Chen Weichuan, typing,

Dad, will you be coming home tonight?

After a few minutes, Chen Weichuan replied. Seeing the "typing" notification on the screen, Chen Ningxi felt an indescribable mix of emotions.

A line popped up on the screen: Hard to say, did you both head back?

Chen Ningxi quickly responded: No, the rain is too heavy. Mom told me and Cheng to stay here.

Chen Weichuan: Don’t leave, stay at home.

Chen Ningxi: Dad, stay safe.

Chen Weichuan: Okay.

She exited WeChat and placed the phone on the bedside table to continue charging.

"Ning Xi."

The call from the dining room made Chen Ningxi respond as she went out.

"Coming."

Ye Yujun said, "The clothes in the washing machine are done, can you hang them up? Otherwise, Cheng won’t have anything to wear tomorrow."

"Oh." Chen Ningxi opened the washing machine, took out the drying rack, and hung up their clothes piece by piece.

Cheng Qiaobei took on dishwashing duties after dinner and refused to let Ye Yujun or Chen Ningxi help.

The mother and daughter sat watching TV in the living room. Observing them, Ye Yujun noticed that when he was around, it was rare for Chen Ningxi to do any household chores.

Ye Yujun asked, "Is he like this at home too?"

Chen Ningxi bit into an apple, "Hmm? Like what?"

Ye Yujun nodded towards the kitchen, "Cooking and washing dishes?"

Chen Ningxi swallowed the apple. "Yeah. Not just cooking and washing dishes, he cleans the house and mops the floors. When I’m busy, he even does the laundry."

Ye Yujun raised an eyebrow, "Then what do you do at home?"

Chen Ningxi raised the apple in her hand, "Hmm."

Ye Yujun’s eyes widened in surprise, "Just eat?"

Chen Ningxi said, "What else?"

Ye Yujun asked, "Then why did he marry you?"

"Hehe." Chen Ningxi laughed, "Mom, he didn’t marry me to hire a maid. Whoever has the time does the chores."

"My daughter has really grown," Ye Yujun remarked, casting a sidelong glance. "Cheng must have a good temper."

"If he didn’t, I wouldn’t be with him."

"Make sure you do some chores too."

"I do. Don’t make it sound like I’m bullying him. Household chores are whoever has time, not something labeled by gender. Are women born to do housework? A home belongs to both, not just one person. Does the man get treated like a king when he comes home? He works, so don’t I?"

Ye Yujun pursed her lips, her eyes showing a teasing disdain. "With that sharp tongue of yours, looks like Cheng hasn’t been spared from your bullying. I’ll have a talk with him later."

"Mom... how can you say that?"