No Need For A Gift, Just You Coming Will Be Enough
Zhou Sujin never ate hotpot and had never made an exception for anyone. Even when he went on the blind date last time, his partner wanted hotpot and he ordered something else instead.
“I’ll find someone to accompany you.“
Wei Lai: “I won’t know them.“
She said directly, “I don’t want to eat with anyone else.“
Zhou Sujin gave up and turned to look at his older brother, who was still smoking outside the car. “Do you have a luncheon today?”
“No such plans.”
“I’ll have lunch at your place then.”
Zhou Jiaye stubbed out his cigarette. “You’re not gonna go back and eat with Wei Lai?”
“She’s going to eat hotpot.”
Zhou Sujin replied to Wei Lai, “Send me the address. I’ll come over after lunch.“
Since their relationship was fake, Zhou Jiaye didn’t try to persuade him. Even if they were a real couple, his younger brother wouldn’t necessarily make an exception to join Wei Lai for hotpot.
Not forgetting to take the precious gift their maternal grandfather gave him out of the trunk, Zhou Jiaye went inside and instructed the butler to prepare a few more dishes for lunch.
“I still have a meeting. Make yourself at home.” After setting down the gift, Zhou Jiaye headed upstairs to his study.
Zhou Sujin went straight to the wine cabinet and took out a bottle of red wine. As he raised his hand to grab a wine glass, he remembered that he was driving today and returned it.
The maid asked if he wanted tea or coffee.
Since Zhou Sujin didn’t visit often, the maid didn’t know what kind of coffee he liked, so he asked which types there were.
There were many coffee beans at home, sourced from around the world.
The maid picked out more than ten varieties and brought them to Zhou Sujin, letting him choose for himself.
There wasn’t the coffee Zhou Sujin usually drank, but there was Gesha
Wei Lai’s favorite, but he didn’t choose it and instead picked a type of coffee bean he hadn’t tried before.
While the maid brewed the coffee, Zhou Sujin quietly stayed in the living room. His homes in both Beijing and Jiang City weren’t even this quiet now—not because it was noisy, but because Wei Lai had taken up part of his personal space.
Even his bedroom and bed were now filled with her belongings.
Zhou Jiaye finished his short meeting and quickly came downstairs.
The maid finished brewing the coffee, making an extra cup for him as well.
He wasn’t particular about coffee and drank whatever was available. After taking a sip, he looked up at his little brother. “Why did you choose this one? Don’t you only drink dark roast?”
Zhou Sujin: “You don’t have what I want to drink here.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t have it; there were just too many coffee beans in the house, and the maid might not have brought out the right ones.
Taking a few sips, Zhou Sujin commented, “It’s not bad.”
It was rare for his little bro to give such a high evaluation to a medium roast. Zhou Jiaye said, “There’s plenty at home. You wanna take some back with you?”
Zhou Sujin didn’t decline.
Zhou Jiaye asked the maid to grab two bags for him to take when he left.
Since their aunt liked to drink coffee and didn’t have a fixed preference, Zhou Jiaye would bring home coffee from around the world. All the coffee beans at home were from their places of origin, not from regions where they were later introduced and cultivated.
“What kind of coffee does Wei Lai drink? Feel free to take whatever I have here. I don’t drink much coffee, and Auntie can’t drink that much either.”
“No need. Yang Ze already ordered it for her from Panama.”
Hearing that the origin was Panama, Zhou Jiaye instantly knew what coffee it was. “She likes to drink Gesha?”
“En. She says she’s just following the trend.”
Zhou Jiaye laughed. Gesha had become famous and highly sought after due to its high price. “I have something even more expensive here that you absolutely can’t find on the market. You wanna take it for her?”
Zhou Sujin knew Wei Lai well. “If she can’t look up the price, she won’t want it.”
Zhou Jiaye chuckled. Wei Lai’s attitude was completely different from his brother’s. Curious, he asked, “With her personality, how do you tolerate it?”
Zhou Sujin took a few more sips of his coffee. “If I can’t tolerate it, then I’ll only tolerate it for two years.”
Zhou Jiaye: “…”
He couldn’t believe his lil bro could tolerate it for two years.
Just at this moment, Wei Lai, who was shopping several kilometers away, suddenly felt the urge to sneeze but couldn’t.
She covered her mouth and nose in her elbow for a few seconds but ultimately didn’t sneeze.
It wasn’t cold today, so she shouldn’t have caught a cold.
She bought several dresses for herself and trench coats for her dad and mom.
Leaving the mall close to noon, she leisurely searched for nearby hotpot restaurants and chose the closest one to walk to.
“President Zhou, I’m at this restaurant.“
She sent him the location of the hotpot restaurant.
Zhou Sujin: “Got it.“
It was Wei Lai’s first time eating hotpot alone. During college, she would always have friends to join her. Shortly after graduation, she met Zhang Yanxin, and from then on, no matter how busy he was, he would always make time to accompany her to hotpot.
When he was on a business trip and not in Jiang City, she would still have her few plastic sisters to join her.
Wei Lai ordered one spicy pot and one non-spicy pot, with a lot of dishes she wanted to eat. If she couldn’t finish, she’d pack them up.
Just as the spicy pot’s base was starting to boil, Zhou Sujin arrived.
As he walked through the restaurant, every pair of eyes followed him.
Today, he wore a dark shirt, and the steamy, bustling hotpot restaurant contrasted sharply with his cool and detached demeanor.
Zhou Sujin sat down across from her. “Haven’t started eating yet?”
“No. I was waiting for you.”
“I’ve already eaten.”
“I know.”
She wasn’t waiting to eat with him but timed her order so that it would be ready when he arrived.
Wei Lai placed the beef in the mushroom broth first. Once it was almost cooked, she poured the remaining meat from the plate into the spicy pot.
Zhou Sujin leaned back against the booth, looking at his phone before she called out to him, “President Zhou.”
“En?” He responded without looking up, waiting for her to continue.
“Are you handling work?”
“Looking at the news.”
Wei Lai handed him the slotted scoop. “Then help me watch the spicy pot. When it’s almost done, scoop it out for me. I’ll eat first then.”
Zhou Sujin: “…”
After finishing the news article he was reading, he slowly looked up. “You asked me to come just to watch the pot and cook for you?”
Wei Lai laughed. “… No, I just saw that you weren’t busy.”
Zhou Sujin placed his phone face down on the booth and started to remove his cufflinks. “Don’t you think you’re asking too much?”
Wei Lai nodded. “En.”
Despite her words, she held the slotted scoop firmly and placed the handle on his side.
Zhou Sujin removed his cufflinks and placed them on the table, then rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing a well-toned and smooth arm.
He reached for the slotted scoop and scooped the cooked beef onto an empty plate.
In the spicy pot, a few Sichuan peppercorns floated to the surface with the beef. Wei Lai looked up and noticed the pale green peppercorns. “President Zhou, there are peppercorns.”
She mentioned it out of habit.
In the past, Zhang Yanxin would carefully pick out all the peppercorns when they ate hotpot together, ensuring that none ended up on her plate.
Zhou Sujin glanced at her, then used his chopsticks to push the peppercorns aside.
The half plate of beef wasn’t much. He scooped the rest out.
Setting down the slotted scoop, he wiped his hands with a wet towel and resumed reading the news.
Wei Lai didn’t dare ask him to help her cook or scoop the food anymore, so she ate while cooking for herself.
She didn’t pry where he went so early in the morning. If he didn’t mention it, she would definitely not overstep the boundaries and ask.
“President Zhou, do I need to go to your family home again tonight or tomorrow?”
“No need.” His mom wouldn’t want to see them for now.
He knew his mom well. Even if she had doubts, she wouldn’t test them directly. What troubled her was deciding how to treat him and Wei Lai when they met. So, for the time being, she wouldn’t ask him to bring Wei Lai home.
“That’s good.” Wei Lai didn’t want to go either, especially since Zhou Sujin’s mom was already suspicious. It would be hard for her to act seamlessly. Unlike at his aunt’s house, with more people around, going to his family home would mean more one-on-one interactions, making it easier to slip up.
Since she didn’t need to go to his family home anymore, her task for this trip was complete.
“I’ll go back to Jiang City tonight so I won’t miss work tomorrow.”
She had to handle the construction at Jiang’an Cloud Residences, and three days in Beijing had piled up a lot of work.
Zhou Sujin asked her, “Do you need to add more food?”
“No, it’s enough.”
He scanned the QR code and paid the bill.
Leaving the hotpot restaurant, Wei Lai booked a bullet train ticket back to Jiang City. She didn’t use his plane because taking the train was more convenient. She bought the ticket for the evening train, arriving in Jiang City a little after 9 p.m.
On the way back to the mansion, Wei Lai noticed the golden leaves falling by the roadside. They had just been swept in the morning but now there was a thin layer again.
“The ginkgo tree in Auntie’s courtyard is beautiful. It must be hundreds of years old, right?”
“En, a few hundred years.”
Wei Lai felt a bit regretful. “I was so nervous yesterday that I didn’t even take any photos.”
Zhou Sujin: “My mom is probably at my aunt’s house right now. Fallen leaves are always there in autumn. You can take photos next year.”
That’s right; their contract wouldn’t end yet next year, and she and he would still be together.
Zhou Sujin guessed right; his mom was still at his aunt’s house right now.
Ning Rujiang had delegated her morning errands to her assistant so she could keep her sister company, knowing she wasn’t in a good mood.
They had lunch together, but Ning Ruzhen, consumed by doubts, ate less than half of her usual portion.
After lunch, Ning Rujiang personally made her sister a glass of fruit and vegetable juice. “You need to keep up with your nutrition.”
Taking the juice, Ning Ruzhen sipped it, finding it both sour and sweet.
Ning Rujiang was concerned. “This won’t do. Don’t make yourself sick before they reveal anything themselves.”
Ning Ruzhen fumed, “Why is he so worrisome! He never lets me have a peaceful day.”
Ning Rujiang gently patted her sister’s back. “Mine is the same.”
Massaging her temples, Ning Ruzhen tried to calm herself. “I don’t have the time or energy to watch him every day to see if he’s really dating or not.”
“So what do you plan to do? Confront him?”
“And how would I do that?”
Ning Ruzhen was silent for a moment. “If they’re really pretending, he can lie to me, but as his mom, I can’t completely not give him face.”
He was her son, there was nothing she could do.
She finished the glass of juice, having made up her mind.
“Don’t you and Dad think Wei Lai is pretty good?”
“She is. Even if they are pretending, their contract relationship doesn’t mean she lacks character.” Ning Rujiang said, not tooting her own horn, “Dad and I are pretty good at judging people.”
Ning Ruzhen: “There’s a little over three months until New Year’s. By then, they will have been together for about half a year. If they are truly dating, they will have had time to know and adjust to each other. When the New Year comes, I’ll personally visit Jiang City to meet Wei Lai’s parents. After their engagement, they can register their marriage.”
Marriage was a serious matter, and her son wouldn’t treat it lightly.
If it was fake, he would naturally “break up” on his own.
This was the only way she could think of to handle the situation with dignity, without harming their mother-son relationship or Wei Lai’s self-esteem.
Ning Rujiang was skeptical. “About getting married, Sujin isn’t going to listen to us on that.”
Ning Ruzhen had already planned ahead. “There’s someone who can keep him in check. Let Dad talk to him. He won’t disobey.”
Since he was little, Zhou Sujin had always listened to his maternal grandfather, never defying him or making him angry.
The black Bentayga drove into the gated community. Most of the time in the car was spent in silence.
Having spent so much time with Zhou Sujin, Wei Lai had grown accustomed to this quietness.
He focused on driving while she watched the scenery.
“Uncle Yan will take you to the train station this afternoon.”
Wei Lai turned her gaze from the window back to him. “Okay.”
In his world, things like picking someone up or seeing them off were practically non-existent.
Back at the mansion, he didn’t stay long. He brought down the gifts from his family for her, then drove to the company.
She had come with two large suitcases and was leaving with an extra one. The gifts she received far outnumbered those she had given, with his aunt preparing several gifts for her.
Zhou Sujin’s mom, despite her suspicions toward her, didn’t skimp on gifts for her. She even thoughtfully labeled each gift with sticky notes indicating who it was from.
Each gift was elegantly packaged in lavish boxes, clearly not cheap.
Fortunately, Wei Lai had carefully chosen gifts for everyone, so upon receiving their gifts, she didn’t feel too bad, though guilt still lingered.
She felt especially guilty towards his aunt and maternal grandfather, both of whom genuinely liked her. Last night, his aunt had incessantly praised her beauty and maturity, eagerly planning future outings for shopping and coffee together in Beijing.
As a fake girlfriend, it was best to limit exposure to the elders to minimize the risk of exposure.
She could only vaguely promise to visit again when Zhou Sujin wasn’t too busy.
Due to having too much luggage, her mom came to pick her up when she arrived in Jiang City at night.
As a sedan couldn’t fit three large suitcases, her mom drove the company’s SUV.
Seeing her daughter, Cheng Minzhi hugged her tightly. “You must’ve been nervous to death.”
Of course, she was nervous. Wei Lai went over that night’s events to her, “Auntie invited four tables of guests. Relatives from Zhou Sujin’s maternal side were all present, even his maternal grandparents came back from overseas. It was so overwhelming, I was almost scared to death.”
Cheng Minzhi comforted her daughter, “It’s normal to feel that way when meeting the parents for the first time. It’ll get easier with more meetings in the future.”
It won’t get easier.
Her situation was the opposite. No matter how many times she met them, it wouldn’t help; she’d only get more nervous each time.
Wei Lai and her mom lifted the three heavy suitcases into the car. She hadn’t had time to open the gifts, so she didn’t know what they were.
Cheng Minzhi closed the car door. “I thought you would spend a few more days in Beijing.”
Wei Lai got into the passenger seat and put on her seatbelt. “I’ve already had three days of eating, drinking, and having fun. That’s enough.”
Cheng Minzhi considered the fact that the two were in a long-distance relationship. Although meeting wasn’t that challenging, it wasn’t as convenient as being in the same city. When they do meet, they should try to spend as much time together as possible.
“The supermarket still has me. The renovations can be overseen by others just as well.”
Wei Lai said with a smile, “That’s different. Being in a relationship shouldn’t affect my work.”
Her mom started the car, and she fell silent.
“President Zhou, I’ve arrived.“
Zhou Sujin called her. He had just gotten home and was about to take a shower. He stood in front of his bathroom vanity, which was cluttered with her makeup. Even when she wasn’t there, her things occupied his personal space.
“Did someone pick you up?” he asked.
“My mom did.”
“Get some rest when you get home.”
With that, the call ended.
If her mom hadn’t been beside her, he might not have added that last sentence.
The car wheels rolled through the tree-lined avenue covered in fallen leaves, seemingly able to hear the crisp sound of the dry leaves crunching. She rolled down the window to look outside as they passed one of their family’s supermarket stores. It was almost closing time, but customers still came and went.
At this moment, she felt that Jiang City was truly the best place to be.
The next day, when Wei Lai woke up, she first confirmed that she was at home.
Having spent the past few days in the guest bedroom at Zhou Sujin’s mansion, she was always worried that someone might come upstairs and discover their fake relationship, making her sleep uneasily.
“Lai Lai, when are you coming back? I’m not busy these days and can come pick you up.“
She received the message from her dad right after getting up but before breakfast.
“Dad, I came back last night.*”
She could imagine her dad’s disappointment on the other end of the phone.
Wei Lai: “Dad, are you free today? I need to go to the store at Jiang’an Cloud Residences this morning. I’ll take you there for a look and also bring you the trench coat I bought for you in Beijing.“
Wei Huatian: “I’m off today and have time.“
After breakfast, instead of going to the office, Wei Lai drove straight to Jiang’an Cloud Residences. To her surprise, her dad had arrived earlier than her and was waiting for her at the store entrance.
The store’s main door was already open, and the construction crew was busy working inside.
Wei Lai handed the trench coat to her dad. “See if it fits.”
Wei Huatian smiled and said pleased. “I don’t need to try it on to know it fits.”
The trench coat instantly lifted his spirits, sweeping away all his recent sadness.
He placed the trench coat in the car and brought up the location for the 17th store. “This spot is well chosen. How big is it?”
“A little over 1,500 square meters.” Wei Lai looked at the storefront and said, “I plan to buy it when I have the funds.”
Wei Huatian knew that most of the commercial property rights in this area belonged to Jiang’an Group. “Is Chairman Yuan willing to sell?”
“En. I successfully introduced Zhou Sujin to him. As long as I want to buy, I can choose any location, and the price is reasonable.”
But right now, she needed money to open new stores and renovate the fifteen older ones. Funds were tight, but Chairman Yuan gave her three years. If her finances were still tight by then but the store was doing well, he would continue to lease it to her.
Not all stores could be successful. Chairman Yuan also mentioned that if, after two years, she found the store unprofitable and wanted to close it, there would be no fees for breaking the lease.
Wei Huatian reassured his daughter, “Don’t worry about the money. Dad will sponsor part of it.”
Wei Lai smiled. “No need. I’ll use my own money that I earned to buy it.”
She linked arms with her dad and led him into the storefront, explaining where everything would go and how the free book bar and cafe corner would be designed.
She also coordinated some details with the project manager from the construction company, busying herself until nearly noon.
Her dad, who rarely had a day off, had spent the entire morning with her.
“Lai Lai, your birthday is coming up. Do you have time to have a meal with me that day? If not, we can celebrate the day before.”
Her birthday was on November 8th, just a few days away.
Wei Lai replied to her dad, “We can have lunch that day.”
Lately, she’d been so busy meeting the parents and overseeing the new store’s construction that she’d forgotten about her own birthday.
She doubted Zhou Sujin even knew when her birthday was. Given that they were supposed to be a couple in their honeymoon phase in the eyes of others and his family already suspected they were faking it, they had to be thorough in their act.
She decided to give him a heads-up so he could prepare. “President Zhou, my birthday is on the 8th of next month. Do you have time to come to Jiang City?“
Zhou Sujin saw her message after finishing a meeting. After considering for a moment, he replied, “Alright, I’ll come see you that day. What present would you like?“
Wei Lai: “No need for a present. I don’t have anything I want in mind. Just you coming will be enough.“
