Then After Two Years, You Can Renew The Contract With Me
Cheng Minzhi felt she was intruding on her daughter’s phone call, so she excused herself and gestured toward her office.
Without her mom around, Wei Lai felt much more relaxed.
On the other end of the line, Zhou Sujin said, “Opening a store there aligns perfectly with my aunt’s wishes.”
“Have you done any market research?” he asked further.
The comment she had made to Zhou Sujin about it being convenient for him to shop there was a joke to lighten the mood. She hadn’t expected him to actually respond.
Wei Lai replied, “Yes, we have.”
They also analyzed the spending habits and preferences of the local residents. After a thorough evaluation, they decided to open a location at Jiang’an Cloud Residences. Currently, funds were sufficient enough, and they plan to open one or two more stores by the end of this year.
Next year, they will ramp up their expansion. Their competitor, Blissful Garden Supermarket, has over 70 stores citywide whereas they had only a fifth of that.
As they expand, various risks will inevitably arise. Unfortunately, their current management team lacked sufficient risk control awareness and capabilities.
“President Zhou, do your resources include yourself?”
“You’re targeting me for help?”
“En.”
She was candid and straightforward.
Zhou Sujin entered the bedroom and gently closed the door. Since he was on the phone with a woman, he didn’t go near the bed but stood by the window and drew back the curtains.
The Thames River had quieted down.
He said into the phone, “You’re targeting me. What do you want me to do?”
Wei Lai held her breath and spoke directly, “I’d like you to be a risk management consultant for Wei Lai Supermarket for two years. Is that possible?”
Zhou Sujin: “…”
He chuckled in disbelief, and paused for a moment before saying with no hint of amusement in his voice, “What do you think?”
Asking the second son of the Zhou family and the CEO of Kuncheng Group to be a risk management consultant for a small supermarket in Jiang City—anyone would think she was daydreaming.
“You used to work in venture capital. Why do you need me?”
“I need you because I don’t have enough experience in risk management.”
Wei Lai asked plainly, “President Zhou, do you consider yourself part of your own connections?”
“No, I don’t.”
Zhou Sujin checked the time—it was almost midnight for him. Wrapping up the call, he said, “I don’t have time to be a full-time risk management consultant, but if you have any uncertainties, feel free to ask me. How does that sound? I’ll be in Jiang City next week and can set aside two hours for Chairman Yuan. Anything else?”
Having someone to consult on uncertainties was almost like having a part-time risk management consultant. “Thank you.”
Wei Lai then asked, “President Zhou, which city are you in?”
“London.”
“Good night, then.”
After hanging up the phone, Wei Lai sat quietly in front of her computer screen for two minutes. Then, she got up and went to her mom’s office next door to inform her that everything was arranged and she could now update Chairman Yuan.
Cheng Minzhi sighed, marveling at how much Zhou Sujin must like her daughter to so readily offer his connections.
“Lai Lai, you two are just boyfriend and girlfriend, not husband and wife.”
Wei Lai understood what her mom meant. Zhou Sujin was just her boyfriend; she shouldn’t take his help for granted or overstep boundaries.
“Mom, I know what I’m doing. I treat him well too; otherwise, he wouldn’t put in all this effort.”
She and Zhou Sujin each got what they needed from the relationship. To play the role of his girlfriend well, she had put in her best effort.
Cheng Minzhi then called Chairman Yuan, letting him know he should expect a call from Zhou Sujin’s secretary, Yang Ze, to finalize the meeting details.
Chairman Yuan was a man of few words. After expressing his gratitude, he had someone coordinate with Wei Lai Supermarket about the retail lease.
Just at this moment, Yuan Hengrui was lounging in his dad’s office, sprawled on the sofa with his legs stretched out, looking extremely frustrated. “Do we really have to work with Zhou Sujin?”
Chairman Yuan counter asked, “Who else? Do you have any other connections I don’t know about?”
Yuan Hengrui fell silent. The only connections he had were for partying and having fun.
The company was currently at a critical juncture in transitioning its core business. Even though he was unwilling and reluctant to meet Zhou Sujin, he knew he couldn’t afford to be reckless or irresponsible.
Noticing his son’s uncharacteristic silence, Chairman Yuan suddenly thought of something. He picked up his teacup, then set it down, pointing at his son from across the room. “Let me tell you something, don’t you dare go to that so-called fortune teller of yours to ask if partnering with Zhou Sujin will bring bad luck! Try pulling that stunt again and see what happens!”
Yuan Hengrui: “…”
Yuan Hengrui was speechless, feeling wronged. When had he ever said he would consult a fortune teller for the company?
Besides, what’s wrong with a bit of fortune-telling?
That fortune teller wasn’t just making things up.
On the day Zhou Sujin returned to Jiang City from London, Wei Lai had already signed a retail lease contract with Jiang’an Group for a three-year term, with a priority option for renewal upon expiration.
That day, the designer arrived from Shanghai to begin working on the design for the 17th Wei Lai Supermarket store.
Zhou Sujin arrived in Jiang City at noon and scheduled a meeting with Chairman Yuan.
Wei Lai was busy at the store site with the designer and couldn’t join him for lunch anyway.
The second phase of Jiang’an Cloud Residences was only handed over to buyers last year. Due to the limited ground-floor commercial spaces, Jiang’an Group has been particularly selective about its tenants. Currently, only a few upscale Western restaurants have moved in.
“When designing the book bar, make sure to incorporate the number 17 into the design,” she instructed the designer.
The designer, standing in the spacious commercial space with a nearly six-meter-high ceiling, was concentrating on brainstorming and didn’t catch what Wei Lai said. He turned his head and asked, “What element should I incorporate?”
Wei Lai repeated, “The number 17.”
The designer knew this was the 17th Wei Lai Supermarket store, but there had been no such requests for the previous sixteen. He smiled and asked, “Does it hold a special meaning?”
Wei Lai nodded, “It does have a unique significance.”
The designer needed to clarify, “Is it about friendship, family, or love?” He explained, “The way the element is presented differs depending on the emotion.”
After a long pause, Wei Lai said, “I’m not sure how to define it.”
The designer, being a sensitive and emotionally perceptive person, responded, “Got it.”
He stared at Wei Lai for a few seconds and asked, “Will you come to the free book bar in this store often in the future?”
Wei Lai replied candidly, “I probably will.”
The designer put his hands on his hips, looked around the space, and after some thought, proposed to Wei Lai, “In this area, there’s almost no demand for study rooms from the residents. How about we turn it into a free book bar with a cozy coffee corner?”
Wei Lai didn’t hesitate at all, as she had already considered a similar idea before.
She wrapped up work and got back to the office at around 5 p.m. Tonight, Zhou Sujin was coming over for dinner. She briefly reported the design ideas to her mom and they both left work early. They picked up some fresh groceries from the supermarket downstairs to take home.
She had just driven off when Wei Huatian’s car pulled into the garage.
It had been 15 years since he had last been there.
He had avoided coming here because he couldn’t bear to face how he had gone through with the divorce back then.
The office building next door, the restaurant a short walk away—back then, he would wait every day at the supermarket entrance to pick up his ex-wife and go home together. She often fell asleep in the car from exhaustion.
Before the holidays, she would be so busy that she barely had time to eat. She used to say, “Once we’ve saved enough money, we’ll retire early and make up for our honeymoon.”
They never got the chance to go on a proper vacation before they divorced.
Memories from the past came flooding back, overwhelming him.
Wei Huatian sat in his car for a long time before getting out. Today, he had come specifically to see his daughter. Since the wedding reception on the 3rd, she had been too busy to get in touch with him.
He used to avoid coming here, but now he wasn’t sure if he had come to terms with things or if he was just forcing himself to.
His daughter was grown up and about to start her own family. He and his ex-wife couldn’t avoid each other forever; at the very least, they could acknowledge each other with a nod when they met.
He went up to the second floor, and following the door signs, found his daughter’s office. Wei Huatian knocked on the door, but no one answered.
Just then, someone came out from the office next door and asked, “Who may you be looking for?”
Wei Huatian didn’t realize that the person in front of him was his ex-wife’s secretary. “I’m looking for Wei Lai. I’m her father.”
Cheng Minzhi’s secretary was meeting her boss’s ex-husband for the first time. “Hi, Mr. Wei. Both Lai Lai and Ms. Cheng have gone home. Lai Lai’s boyfriend is coming over for dinner tonight.”
Wei Huatian was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed himself. “Alright, I’ll give Lai Lai a call. You carry on with your work.”
The last time his daughter came home for dinner, she mentioned that Zhou Sujin was her prospective boyfriend. Now they were officially together, and he had even met the family.
His daughter had suddenly grown distant, no longer sharing anything with him. The feeling was indescribable.
“Lai Lai, come over to Dad’s place for dinner when you have time.“
Wei Lai was in the kitchen, playfully hugging her mom, and didn’t see the message on her phone, which was in the living room.
Cheng Minzhi pretended to push her daughter’s head away with a look of annoyance. “What are you doing? Can’t you see I’m trying to cook! Go on, go on, go out to the patio and chat with Zhou Sujin.”
Wei Lai: “No, he also finds me annoying.”
She tended to talk a lot without thinking, and Zhou Sujin didn’t like people who were too chatty, so he probably found her annoying.
Cheng Minzhi chuckled, taking her daughter’s actions as a way of showing off how well things were going with Zhou Sujin.
“Mom’s trying to cook. How can I get anything done with you clinging to me?”
Wei Lai stood up. The kitchen was on the north side of the house so she couldn’t see Zhou Sujin on the patio on the south side from there.
She had gone out to the patio a little earlier, and he had said she didn’t need to keep him company.
Not wanting to stay cooped up in the kitchen, she washed some fruit and took it outside.
Zhou Sujin was on the patio, reviewing some documents, with several more stacked on the table beside him.
Wei Lai’s mom lived in a duplex; they occupied the first and second floors, while another family lived on the third and fourth. Occasionally, someone from the upstairs neighbor would come out onto their balcony to look down, probably curious about who he was.
Next door, the neighbors had planted two osmanthus trees right up against the iron fence that separated the patios, filling both patios with their fragrance.
The scent was overwhelming for Zhou Sujin, so he got up, intending to go back inside.
Wei Lai carried over a plate of fruit, having washed three different kinds, and asked, “What’d you like?”
“You go ahead,” Zhou Sujin said, picking up the documents from the table.
Since walls have ears, some things weren’t convenient to discuss on the patio. Since he didn’t want any, she didn’t push him and followed him inside instead.
“The osmanthus smells so nice, and the weather is nice today. Why aren’t you staying out on the patio?” Wei Lai asked as she trailed behind him.
Zhou Sujin: “The living room is quiet.”
Wei Lai casually set the fruit platter on the coffee table and sat cross-legged on the sofa next to him. At home, she couldn’t afford to appear too reserved, or her mom would see through it immediately.
She gently tugged at his suit jacket. “You’re still gonna wear this?”
Zhou Sujin still wasn’t used to thinking of this place as his “mother-in-law’s” house, so he had kept his suit on since they arrived.
He took it off, and Wei Lai naturally took it from him.
After hanging his suit jacket, she returned to the sofa, still sitting cross-legged and relaxed before asking, “How did the talk with Chairman Yuan go? I don’t really know much about him in business.”
Zhou Sujin cut straight to the point. “We can work together.”
Wei Lai joked, “Is it because of me that you agreed?”
Zhou Sujin: “No.”
“You could’ve just said yes, jeez.”
Wei Lai leaned forward to reach the fruit platter. The coffee table was a bit far from the sofa, and she was afraid she might tumble off if she stretched too much. So, she grabbed his arm with one hand while reaching for the fruit with the other.
From the moment Zhou Sujin stepped into their home until dinner, she hadn’t exchanged many words with him. But the few deliberate, intimate gestures she made managed to fool her mom successfully.
Tonight, all the dishes were prepared by her mom, who didn’t let her help with anything.
When the dishes were laid out, one side of the table had all of Zhou Sujin’s favorites, while the other side had Wei Lai’s.
Feigning helplessness, Wei Lai remarked to her mom, “Mom, look at how different our tastes are. There’s not a single dish we both like.”
Cheng Minzhi chuckled. “That’s actually perfect. This way, you’ll never have to worry about the other eating all of your favorite food.”
Wei Lai laughed at her mom’s joke.
The soup bowl was on Zhou Sujin’s side, so he picked it up to serve soup.
Cheng Minzhi quickly reached out. “Let me handle that. You two just eat.”
Zhou Sujin had already served a bowl and placed it in front of Cheng Minzhi. “Auntie, don’t be so polite. I didn’t think twice about coming here, and I was working here.”
Wei Lai stayed quiet. She wasn’t worried that Zhou Sujin wouldn’t handle it well—he had been through all sorts of social settings.
Cheng Minzhi didn’t insist any further. She took off her apron and sat down.
With an additional person joining them for dinner tonight, it was the most joyous day she had experienced in 15 years.
Wei Lai started to pick out the seafood from her plate with a spoon. Her mom had prepared a special serving of seafood paella for her tonight. She didn’t like seafood and would always pick it out and set it aside.
Zhou Sujin glanced at her and handed her an empty bowl.
Wei Lai gave him a thankful look, surprised that he was willing to help by eating the seafood she didn’t like.
She picked out all the seafood from her paella and put it in the bowl before pushing it toward him.
However, by the time they finished dinner and Zhou Sujin put down his chopsticks, he still hadn’t touched the bowl of seafood.
It turned out that when he handed her the empty bowl, it was simply to hand her a bowl, nothing more.
They had an early flight to Beijing the next morning, so they didn’t stay long at Cheng Minzhi’s place after dinner.
On the way back, Wei Lai finally thanked Zhou Sujin, “Thank you for preparing such precious gifts for my mom.”
It wasn’t just valuable; it was precious because it was chosen with care and thoughtfulness.
The gifts were a pair of vases he had brought back from London.
Her mom loved collecting various kinds of vases and had quite an extensive collection at home.
Wei Lai raised the car’s partition and retrieved her phone from her purse before opening the notes app. She handed her phone to him, saying, “Here are some topics that your family might bring up at dinner. I’ve detailed responses for each one to make sure we’re on the same page and don’t make any mistakes.”
Zhou Sujin glanced at a few topics. “You’re treating meeting my family like a major project?”
Wei Lai: “En, one must be professional. Besides, working with you benefits me too. Our family’s supermarket chain has only seventeen stores so far. My goal is one hundred, and I hope to leverage your influence to open a few more in the next two years.”
Zhou Sujin remarked, “You won’t be able to open that many stores in two years.”
Wei Lai looked at him. “Then after two years, you can renew the contract with me.”
