After We Get Married, You Have To Pamper Me And Go Along With What I Want
After Zhou Sujin hung up, the bowl of seafood noodles had already gone cold. It was made specially for his birthday, so he took it back to the private room to have it reheated.
The birthday dinner wrapped up around 8:30 p.m., but he still needed to visit his nainai and yeye.
Lu An followed him downstairs. “Your grandma isn’t asking you to go over to set you up on a blind date, is she?”
“Not sure.”
“Don’t you usually have a good sense for these things?”
Zhou Sujin didn’t respond, focusing on sending a message arranging the next day’s work for Yang Ze.
Earlier, out of boredom, Lu An had entered a giveaway on Wei Lai Supermarket’s official social media account. He won a digital voucher of $25 off any in-store purchase over $88, valid until the 25th of this month.
Not a bad deal.
Lu An wanted to ask Zhou Sujin if he had plans to visit Jiang City anytime soon, but he swallowed his words, fearing a cold response.
When the elevator stopped, Zhou Sujin glanced at the floor indicator to confirm it was the first floor before striding out.
After getting in the car, he instructed Uncle Yan, “I’m going to Jiang City tomorrow. Bring the Cullinan to my place.”
The Cullinan was parked in the company’s underground garage, so Uncle Yan dropped him off at the ancestral residence before returning to the company to retrieve the car.
As Zhou Sujin entered the courtyard, the ancestral home felt even quieter and desolate than his own home.
Yeye was upstairs practicing calligraphy, so he didn’t go and disturb him.
Nainai was reading a medical journal, all in English. His grandparents never got along well, even when they were younger. Their marriage wasn’t arranged by matchmakers but by the orders of their parents, who were war comrades.
After marriage, raising several children and familial responsibilities kept them bound together.
The two of them could hardly exchange a few words without getting into an argument, neither willing to back down. As they grew older, they became even more stubborn, with yeye being particularly headstrong and domineering, while nainai preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble by immersing herself in medicine. Despite her age, she still insisted on seeing patients twice a week.
Seeing him enter, nainai flipped her magazine facedown on the sofa and took off her reading glasses.
“Sujin, have a seat. I’ll make you some noodles.”
“Nainai, it’s okay. I already had my longevity noodles.”
She paused, then reached behind the sofa cushion and pulled out a large red envelope, speaking to him in a playful tone, as if he were still a child. “Here, go buy yourself some food.”
Zhou Sujin smiled as he took the envelope. “Thank you, nainai.”
No matter how wealthy he and his brother had become, nainai insisted on giving them a red envelope every year on their birthdays and during Chinese New Year, always saying something along the same lines.
“Your mom’s been in London for nearly a month now, hasn’t she? Still not back?”
“… En.”
In reality, his mom hadn’t gone to London, nor was she in Beijing. She had gone on a quiet getaway with his aunt.
A few days ago, his aunt had called him, complaining that her face was sunburned and painful after spending too much time at the beach, so they were preparing to head back. His mom, however, wasn’t ready to return and planned to visit his maternal grandparents instead.
Nainai pointed to a few gifts on the side table. “Someone came to see me this afternoon. At this rate, the house is going to be piled high with presents.”
They all used the excuse of visiting his grandma to set him up on blind dates, leaving even his grandma at her wit’s end.
“Nainai,” Zhou Sujin put away the red envelope, “next time someone tries to set me up, just tell them I’m rekindling an old flame.”
Nainai put on her glasses again and resumed reading her medical journal.
She was never one to lecture, and when conversations went sideways, she preferred to mind her own business.
With nothing better to do and not in the mood to go upstairs to chat with his grandpa, Zhou Sujin counted the money in the red envelope.
After spending half an hour at his grandma’s, he got into the car driven by his bodyguard and headed back. A few minutes after he pulled into the driveway, Uncle Yan returned with the Cullinan.
Zhou Sujin was waiting in the courtyard and held out his hand, “The keys.”
He then added, “Take the next two days off.”
Uncle Yan was puzzled. “And the car?”
If he took time off, who would drive the car to Jiang City?
Zhou Sujin explained briefly, “I’ll drive it myself.”
Hearing this, even the usually stoic bodyguards glanced at him more than once.
It was over a thousand kilometers from Beijing to Jiang City, and Uncle Yan was so shocked that he stood there holding the car keys, unable to hand them over.
Zhou Sujin said calmly, “Uncle Yan, the car keys.”
Snapping out of his daze, Uncle Yan quickly handed over the keys. Driving over a thousand kilometers in one day would be exhausting for someone who isn’t used to long-distance road trips.
Knowing he shouldn’t say more, Uncle Yan couldn’t help but suggest, “President Zhou, let me drive part of the way. It’s too tiring for one person to handle such a long drive.”
“No need.”
Uncle Yan went on leave, and the two bodyguards would follow after in the Bentley.
The next morning, just before 5 a.m., the Cullinan and Bentley left the mansion in tandem, heading straight for the highway entrance.
Wei Lai woke up a little after five. Although she had slept, it was a restless sleep. Her thoughts were tangled up all night, she even dreamed about whether or not she should marry Zhou Sujin.
When he brought up marriage over the phone last night, her first thought wasn’t about whether they were compatible or not, but rather, if she refused again, there would be no interactions between them in the future.
Before hanging up, he had said he’d arrive in Jiang City around seven or eight tonight.
That left her with less than twenty-four hours to decide.
To determine the course of her entire life in just one day she wasn’t sure if it was rash or not.
After freshening up and applying her makeup, it was still dark outside.
She didn’t go to the office that morning. After breakfast, she headed straight to the Jiang’an Cloud Residences store, where the promotional event for the grand opening would continue until the 25th.
The coffee corner offered a limited supply of free coffee each day. On the first day of the grand opening yesterday, both the coffee corner and free book bar received rave reviews. Many customers bought freshly baked bread from the supermarket and sat down in the cafe to enjoy it.
“Lai Lai, you’re here early today.”
Store Manager Kang greeted her as she took off her coat.
“Good morning, Auntie Kang.”
Auntie Kang had been transferred over here from the main store. She had been a store manager for as long as Wei Lai Supermarket had been open, even older than her mom. Having watched Wei Lai grow up, she was used to calling her “Lai Lai” and would occasionally tease her by calling her “President Lai.”
With the grand opening, Manager Kang had been so busy that she was always the last to leave and the first to arrive.
“Oh right, Lai Lai, a customer suggested that we stock some Gesha coffee beans yesterday. They said they didn’t mind the price as long as it came directly from its origin. The Gesha beans you provided at the free coffee corner were praised by those who understand coffee as being authentic, and now they want to buy some to brew at home.
The area was surrounded by mid-to-high-end residential buildings, and most of the residents were young professionals. As long as the coffee beans were of high quality, they would sell easily.
Manager Kang: “Where did you get the Gesha beans? Could you look into the supplier and see if we can establish a partnership?”
There wasn’t any supplier; Zhou Sujin had someone airship them directly from a plantation in Panama.
Since the store wasn’t open yet, Wei Lai brewed two cups of coffee and handed one to Manager Kang. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
Manager Kang chuckled. “Is tomorrow some special day? To wait until then.”
It wasn’t a special day; it was just that she wasn’t sure if she could work things out with Zhou Sujin when they met tonight. If things didn’t go well, she’d feel too awkward to ask him for another favor with the coffee beans.
Shortly after 7:30 a.m., Wei Lai sent a message to Zhou Sujin, “Are you busy?“
Zhou Sujin received the message just after leaving an RSA*, so he couldn’t reply right away and had to wait until he reached the next one.
RSA – Rest and Service Area, these pit stops allow people to refuel and grab food. These RSAs are usually very nice.
By the time he replied, nearly half an hour had passed.
“Not busy now.“
Wei Lai: “As I mentioned before, marriage is a big deal. Let’s meet in person like a proper blind date.“
Zhou Sujin noticed that she no longer addressed him as “President Zhou,” without needing any reminders.
He asked her, “Where would you like to meet for our blind date?“
Wei Lai just wanted to clarify things in person. As for the location, she didn’t have any particular preference there was no restaurant in Jiang City that she wanted to go to.
“You decide.“
Zhou Sujin immediately instructed Yang Ze to book a table at Riverside Restaurant for that evening, specifically requesting a private room.
He had a simple lunch at the RSA and made four stops along the way. By 5:50 p.m., the Cullinan exited the highway in Jiang City.
Knowing he’d be driving all day, he had dressed casually in the morning.
After exiting the highway, Zhou Sujin headed to Jiang’an Cloud Residences first, passing by the 17th store of Wei Lai Supermarket. The entrance was bustling with people coming and going.
This was his second blind date. Once home, he changed into a shirt and put on a coat.
“I’ll come pick you up, be there in about half an hour.“
Wei Lai: “No need, I’ll drive over myself, just in case the blind date goes south.“
Zhou Sujin called her, saying, “I’m already on my way. You willing to go on a blind date with me means that it won’t go south.”
Wei Lai wanted to prepare him mentally. While she had considered marrying him, she wasn’t sure if they could come to an agreement in person. “You might not take marriage as seriously as I do, but it’s something I care about. Once I care, I tend to have a lot of expectations. You might not be able to accept what I say.”
“If there’s something I can’t accept, I’ll endure it it should be manageable.”
Before the half-hour was up, the Cullinan pulled into the supermarket’s garage.
Wei Lai had just finished her tasks on hand; however, her efficiency had been average today, distracted by everything on her mind.
She took out her makeup bag and was about to touch up on her makeup when her mom walked in.
Cheng Minzhi entered holding the sales reports for the first half of the month from each store. Noticing that her daughter was wearing a maxi dress and had dressed up more than usual even her nails matched the color of her dress she smiled and asked, “Going out to dinner with a friend tonight?”
“No, I’m having dinner with Zhou Sujin.”
“He’s here?”
“En.”
Cheng Minzhi rolled up the reports, and with them, tucked away her curiosity. “Let’s go over this tomorrow then. They’re just routine reports, nothing urgent.”
“Wei Lai?” Zhou Sujin’s voice came from the doorway, followed by a gentle knock.
The door was open, and with her small office, Wei Lai only had to look up to see him standing there. He was wearing a crisp black coat. It wasn’t the first time he had waited for her downstairs, but it was the first time he had come to her office.
“Hello, Auntie Cheng.”
“Sujin, come in and have a seat.” Cheng Minzhi turned to her daughter, “I’ll head home now, you guys chat.”
Zhou Sujin had already taken a few steps into the office and was surprised by how quickly Cheng Minzhi left, backstepping to walk her out.
“No need to see me off, there’s no need to be so formal with me,” Cheng Minzhi said as she closed the office door behind her. Even though they had broken up, they still saw each other frequently for meals. It never quite felt like a complete breakup.
Wei Lai’s office was simple to the point of being spartan a desk, a few light gray filing cabinets, and two sets of sofas by the window alongside a small tea cart. The room was only about twenty square meters, far from spacious and impressive offices found in high-rise office buildings.
After more than two months apart, she couldn’t think of a suitable way to start the conversation.
“Would you like something to drink?” Wei Lai stood up and walked to the tea cart.
“No need, you can finish whatever you need to do.”
Zhou Sujin took off his coat and sat down in the chair across from her desk.
Despite his reply, Wei Lai still poured him a glass of warm water. She knew he was particular about his coffee, and she didn’t have the kind he preferred.
For a moment, they sat in silence, looking at each other.
During the two months they were apart, there had been moments when she was utterly exhausted, and an unrealistic thought would pop into her mind would he suddenly come to see her?
“What brought you upstairs?”
Zhou Sujin looked at her and said, “I came up to say hello to Auntie Cheng.”
Wei Lai nodded and began organizing the reports on her desk, putting the important documents away in the filing cabinet.
She had said she would drive herself to the restaurant but realized now that Zhou Sujin hadn’t told her which restaurant they were going to for their blind date.
Once she finished tidying up, she walked downstairs with him.
As they walked side by side, her mind was racing with thoughts.
Initially, they walked in step, but as they descended the stairs, she became so lost in thought that she fell two steps behind him. Suddenly, he turned around.
It was a completely ordinary gesture, but for some reason, in that moment, it felt special to her.
Neither of them said anything as they continued down the stairs.
In the garage, alongside the Bentley was the Cullinan.
Zhou Sujin opened the front passenger door of the Cullinan. “Let’s take this one.”
He didn’t mention that he had driven the Cullinan all day to bring it here. Wei Lai assumed that a driver drove it over.
It wasn’t until the car turned onto a road all so familiar to her that she realized he had booked a table at the Riverside Restaurant.
She hadn’t been back here since she broke up with Zhang Yanxin.
He had reserved the best private room with a view of the river, right next to the one where she had celebrated Zhang Yanxin’s birthday.
Zhou Sujin gestured for the server to leave the room and poured Wei Lai a glass of warm water.
This was Wei Lai’s first official blind date, and it was with someone from an influential family, a man who excelled in all areas. She lightly held the glass cup, saying, “You’ve been on a blind date before, so you have the experience. You go first.”
Zhou Sujin’s expression remained unchanged. “That time didn’t really count as a blind date.” He wasn’t making excuses. “I can go first.”
He wasn’t planning to drink tonight, so he set the wine glasses aside and poured himself a glass of water.
As he poured, he said, “There are many reasons why I decided to marry you.”
This was the part Wei Lai most wanted to hear, and she instinctively held her breath.
He straightforwardly stated one of his reasons, “There were regrets.”
Wei Lai knew exactly what he meant by regrets. He had promised to give her two years to leverage their relationship, but it ended after just three months.
The disappointment she felt when they broke up was something no one could truly understand.
“I refused the blind dates my family arranged because I never considered getting married so early, but the way we interacted I can live with that.”
“You think the way we interacted during our time pretending was good?”
Zhou Sujin nodded. “Yeah.”
He was open and honest. “After marriage, we can continue in the same way. We’ll have a home in Jiang City, and you can continue to develop your career here. All my resources and connections will be at your disposal. I’ll visit you once every one or two weeks, and if I’m not too busy, I can come once a week. We’ll spend the holidays with our families as needed. Neither of us has to be trapped by the trivialities of marriage.”
A marriage free of mundane conflicts was exactly what Wei Lai wanted as well.
Zhou Sujin then added, “There won’t be any mother and daughter-in-law conflicts either; I’ll handle everything on that front.”
He even addressed what could happen during their marriage. “If one day you feel like you can’t continue, you can ask for a divorce.”
Wei Lai took a sip of warm water, knowing that sometimes water could help calm the mind.
She asked, “And what if one day you feel like it’s not working out?”
Zhou Sujin didn’t mince his words, “I’ve always thought our personalities aren’t compatible, but it doesn’t matter. I can tolerate most of your shortcomings.”
Wei Lai: “…”
It wasn’t exactly pleasant to hear, but it was the truth.
During the time they were pretending to be a couple, no matter what she asked for whether reasonable or unreasonable he always agreed without exception.
Zhou Sujin finished saying what he wanted to say. “Now, tell me your expectations for our marriage.”
Marrying him seemed perfect in every way, except that he was too emotionally detached. In a marriage without love, responsibility and patience were essential, and he needed to provide her with the emotional support she needed.
Wei Lai: “My demands aren’t that high, but for you, they might be very high, very difficult.”
Not just difficult almost impossible.
“After we get married, you can’t let me suffer even the slightest bit of grievance.”
“That won’t happen.”
Wei Lai gripped her cup again, feeling as if she were asking for something unreasonable for the first time, uncertain of his response. “After we’re married, you’ll need to pamper me and go along with what I want.”
Zhou Sujin: “…”
A heavy silence fell over the private room.
Wei Lai tried to lighten the mood with a laugh, saying, “I told you tonight’s blind date might fall apart, and you didn’t believe me.”
Even if they couldn’t reach an agreement, she would still enjoy the dinner.
Zhou Sujin looked at her and asked, “Any other requests?”
Wei Lai: “No, that’s it.”
Without saying more, Zhou Sujin took out the Cullinan’s car key and handed it to her. “There’s something valuable in the glove compartment. It’s for you.”
Wei Lai glanced at the car key, then at him. It seemed he had accepted her conditions.
