Let’s Get Engaged First, I’ll Give You An Engagement Ceremony
Just a day ago, around this time, she and the designer had just arrived at the restaurant, and her dad was still on his way. He hadn’t yet made that phone call to her.
It was as if they existed in parallel worlds.
Who could have imagined that just one day later, they would be on the verge of becoming husband and wife?
Wei Lai accepted the car keys and set them aside.
“I forgot to wish you a happy birthday yesterday.”
“It’s fine.”
They lapsed into silence again.
Wei Lai couldn’t think of anything else to say. She picked up her glass of water, slowly processing the reality that she was about to marry him.
Halfway done with the glass of water, she calmed down and realized that the most important thing hadn’t been discussed yet.
“There’s one more thing…” She looked up at him.
Zhou Sujin was slicing the meat on his plate. He glanced at her before continuing what he was doing. “Go ahead.”
“Are we going to have a marriage in name only, or…?”
“No, it won’t be just for appearances.” He then asked, “Do you want that?”
Wei Lai shook her head.
A scene she had once set up suddenly flashed back to her mind.
And just like this, they finished their blind date dinner.
As they reached the bottom of the restaurant stairs, it dawned on Wei Lai that Zhou Sujin didn’t let her drink because he wanted her to drive the Cullinan back.
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Zhou Sujin said, “I drove it here from Beijing. It took almost thirteen hours.”
Wei Lai stared at him in disbelief. She had assumed it was Uncle Yan who drove it over.
“You’ve always complained that I never took the initiative.”
Zhou Sujin wasn’t one to explain things in detail. He motioned for her to get in the car. “From now on, you’ll be driving this. The people who know you will understand what that means when they see it.”
Wei Lai believed that when she treated him to dinner in Su City and said those words, she had tried her best to keep the tone light as if they were just chatting.
Little did she know that she had unintentionally let slip a bit of her true feelings.
But it wasn’t to the point of truly blaming him.
It was one of those feelings that could only be understood and not easily put into words. Any attempt to explain would seem weak, so she chose to stay silent.
“When are you heading back to Beijing?”
“I’ll stay a couple more days.”
The chilly air outside prompted Zhou Sujin to motion for her to get inside the car again.
Wei Lai opened the door of the Cullinan and slid into the driver’s seat. She glanced out the window at him; his sharp features were as cold and indifferent as they had been when she first met him.
Seeing that she hadn’t started the car yet, Zhou Sujin took a couple of steps closer to the window. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Not everything had to be said tonight.
With a wave, Wei Lai drove away from the restaurant.
The Cullinan quickly merged into the traffic.
She didn’t head back to her own condo but went to her mom’s place instead.
In the depths of winter, the gated community was cold and eerily quiet.
The Cullinan came to a stop at the gate of the courtyard, and Wei Lai leaned out of the window to call for her mom to go outside.
“I’m coming!” Cheng Minzhi came out wrapped in a cashmere shawl.
Wei Lai gestured for her mom to sit in the back seat. “I have a surprise for you.”
Cheng Minzhi didn’t ask how her daughter ended up driving Zhou Sujin’s car. Her daughter has always done things with a sense of decency, so she never worried.
She said with a smile, “I have to sit in the back?”
“Yep, only from the back can you see the surprise,” Wei Lai said with a grin.
Once her mom was seated, she activated the starlight headliner.
Her mom was momentarily stunned before letting out a series of gasps in admiration.
“It even has shooting stars; this is so cool!”
Wei Lai turned to her mom and said, “It was Zhou Sujin’s birthday gift to me, but I returned it to him after we had a falling out.”
Cheng Minzhi had always been a good listener, never asking more than necessary.
From her daughter’s tone, it seemed they were planning to reconcile.
The weight that had been on her shoulders for months was finally lifted.
Wei Lai let her mom admire the starlight headliner a little longer before turning back and entering the code to the safe, retrieving the precious gift inside.
It wasn’t overly packaged, just a simple velvet box. When she opened it, the diamond-encrusted watch sparkled even brighter than the stars above.
It was the only women’s diamond watch in his collection, one he had said he would give to someone special someday.
And now, he had given it to her.
“Mom.”
“En?” Cheng Minzhi responded gently.
Her mom had never known that she and Zhou Sujin were in a contractual relationship, thinking they had truly broken up. Now that they decided to get married, she didn’t plan to reveal the truth. What was in the past would stay in the past.
So she carefully chose her words, “Zhou Sujin came to reconcile with me tonight, and he also proposed.” She counted his question about whether she’d consider marrying him as a proposal.
After all, there was no love, so expecting too much wasn’t realistic.
Cheng Minzhi asked her daughter, “What are your thoughts?”
“I want to be with him.”
“Then be with him.”
Wei Lai’s voice was hoarse. “Thanks, Mom.”
No matter what she did, her mom had always supported her unconditionally.
Cheng Minzhi gently ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Are you staying with me tonight?”
Wei Lai nodded, deciding not to go back to her condo.
“I’ll go make your bed then,” her mom said as she got out of the car. Wei Lai sat in the car alone for a long time, having not shared the news with her dad yet. She picked up her phone and began typing a message.
“Dad, Zhou Sujin and I are planning to get married. We’ll come by in a few days for dinner to discuss the wedding.“
Before Zhou Sujin reached Jiang’an Cloud Residences, he received a message from his older brother, informing him that the meeting with a British company had been rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
He replied, saying he was still in Jiang City and couldn’t return yet.
Zhou Jiaye: “On a business trip?”
He figured it couldn’t be to see Wei Lai. It wouldn’t be surprising for anyone else to get tangled up in an on-again, off-again relationship, but it was the last thing he’d expect from his brother.
Zhou Sujin: “I came to see her.“
Zhou Jiaye stared at those words on his screen for half a day, completely baffled. “Did you change your mind and decide to keep pretending?“
“No, I’m going to marry her.“
This completely upended Zhou Jiaye’s perception of Zhou Sujin.
After the initial shock, Zhou Jiaye laughed. Not even their grandpa could see this coming.
“Mom might faint from the news, but the happiest person about your marriage to Wei Lai will be our aunt. She’s the only one who can speak up for you.“
Zhou Sujin switched to his chat with their aunt and sent her a message: “Wei Lai and I are getting married.“
Ning Rujiang was stunned—married?
This kid was really going all out against the family. If they dared to pressure him into marriage, he’d go ahead and do it.
They had thought he was afraid of his grandpa and wouldn’t dare go against him, but it turned out he wasn’t scared of anyone.
She glanced at her sister, who was sitting next to her with a face mask on. If she saw the message Zhou Sujin had just sent, the mask might burst right off in anger.
“Sis, I’m going to return a call from Lao* Shen.”
Lao – a prefix often added to surnames to show respect in informal situations towards anyone not definitively young or to indicate affection or familiarity
Ning Ruzhen waved her hand, signaling her to go ahead.
Ning Rujiang returned to her room and locked the door behind her.
This kid was really something.
“What are you up to, Zhou Sujin?” She demanded, calling her nephew by his full name.
Zhou Sujin remained calm. “Mom’s so troubled by my marriage that she can’t even come home. Grandpa won’t admit it, but deep down, he hopes I’ll settle down soon. I can’t keep being unfilial.”
That it was—he had every reason on his side.
Ning Rujiang rarely got truly angry with her two nephews, but she couldn’t hold back today. “A fake marriage won’t fly with me. Don’t expect me to help you smooth things over. There’s no way!”
“Auntie, I’ve planned the rest of my life with her. Do you really think I’d enter into a fake marriage?”
Ning Rujiang snorted coldly, not believing him.
If one lied once, it was incredibly hard to earn back trust.
Zhou Sujin explained to his aunt that on Wei Lai’s birthday, he had proposed a contractual marriage to her. She hadn’t hesitated and rejected him outright.
“After we broke up, she didn’t use any of my connections or resources. Instead, she preferred to give up thirty percent of her shares to work with He Wancheng. Even if I wanted a fake marriage, Wei Lai would have to agree first.”
Ning Rujiang had a soft spot for Wei Lai, so she asked her nephew, “What’s your plan for you two’s future?”
“I’ll gradually shift my work focus. In three to five years at most, I’ll be able to split my time evenly between Beijing and Jiang City.”
If it was a real marriage, Ning Rujiang naturally was delighted. Finally, someone to chat and have coffee with in the courtyard. Her sister, however, would be angered to the point where she couldn’t sleep.
Zhou Sujin: “For the meeting between parents, can you help coordinate with Mom?”
The pressure was now on her shoulders.
But how was she supposed to bring this up with her sister?
The next morning, Zhou Sujin stayed in and spent the entire morning in a video meeting with Zhou Jiaye. Midway through the meeting, Lu An joined in.
He was a bit puzzled. “Why the sudden decision to reduce our holdings in Xinming?”
Xinming was a semiconductor materials company owned by Zhang Yanxin’s family. The original plan was for their Kunchen Group to invest another three billion next year into them.
Now, not only would they not invest more, but they would also reduce their stake.
Zhou Sujin simply replied, “We’re increasing our investments in Jiang’an Group instead.”
“But that doesn’t have to affect our ongoing partnership with Xinming.”
Once the business discussion wrapped up, they shifted to small talk. Zhou Jiaye leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee, and said teasingly, “Someone doesn’t want to make money for his rival.”
Lu An thought it was something more serious. “If we’re talking about rivals, Yuan Hengrui is one too. I heard he’s head over heels for Wei Lai.”
Zhou Jiaye: “It’s different. One’s the ex, and the other is just an admirer, unrequited.”
Zhou Sujin kept his eyes on his phone as if none of this concerned him.
Lu An didn’t dare to speak this in front of Zhou Sujin, so he privately messaged Zhou Jiaye to correct him, “How is Zhang Yanxin the ex? What about a certain someone?“
Zhou Jiaye: “He’s the current, about to marry Wei Lai.“
In his excitement, Lu An accidentally exited the meeting.
Zhou Sujin turned to his brother and said, “I’m logging off.”
The meeting ended.
Today’s discussion was just among them, but the final decision would need to be made at the board meeting.
After closing his laptop, Zhou Sujin received a message from Lu An. He opened it to find a screenshot—a coupon for Wei Lai Supermarket’s Jiang’an Cloud Residences store.
SPEND $88 GET $25 OFF
Zhou Sujin: “Besides the project, there’s nothing you don’t pay attention to.“
Lu An, being bold for once, decided not to respond.
He had never dared to do that before. Before, he would’ve responded regardless, even with just a simple ellipsis.
Zhou Sujin closed the chat with Lu An and searched for Wei Lai’s. With so many messages every day, he had to scroll down a bit before spotting her profile picture.
In his personal WeChat, the contacts were either family or close friends; he always read and replied to all unread messages, so he hadn’t pinned anyone’s contact at the top.
“What time will you be done this afternoon?“
At that moment, Wei Lai was on her way from the Yunhui Mall store to the Jiang’an Cloud Residences store. She sent him a voice message, “I haven’t arrived at the Jiang’an Cloud Residences store yet. I’ll know how much work needs me once I get there.” Manager Kang was so busy she hadn’t even checked her phone, and the morning issues hadn’t been reported to her yet.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Let’s go buy a ring for you; you should go pick it out yourself.”
Yesterday, he had given her that fully diamond-encrusted watch, so Wei Lai had assumed he wasn’t planning to get her a ring.
“If you don’t have time, tomorrow works too. I’m in Jiang City for the next few days.”
“I want to choose it today.”
“Okay,” Zhou Sujin immediately agreed.
Hearing that she was almost at the Jiang’an Cloud Residences store and knowing it was less than a five-minute walk from the store to the condominium, he asked her, “Want to come up? I’m at home.”
Wei Lai didn’t hesitate. “En.”
Zhou Sujin hadn’t ordered lunch yet. Without a butler or maid, he had to handle everything himself.
“Let me know when you’re almost here. I’ll order food in advance.”
Wei Lai planned to cook for herself, takeout often didn’t suit her taste. “No need to order for me. I’ll make bibimbap.”
After handling the issues at the store, she bought some ingredients for making beef and seaweed bibimbap and carried them upstairs.
At the door, she habitually pressed the doorbell. She pressed it twice, but no one came to open it.
Zhou Sujin was in the bedroom, changing out of his loungewear. He called her, “Did you forget the code?”
“No.”
Wei Lai realized this would soon be her home too. “I’m hanging up.”
She entered the code and walked in.
Going from a business partner to becoming his wife, she hadn’t quite adjusted to the shift in her identity yet.
The living room was empty, so Wei Lai placed the ingredients on the kitchen island. She pulled out a newly bought apron from the shopping bag, remembering that there wasn’t one here last time, so she’d had to be extra careful while making bibimbap, worried about staining her clothes.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Wei Lai instinctively turned around. He was wearing a black dress shirt today, his figure tall and lean.
During their contract period, even in his Beijing home, he had never worn a robe or loungewear in front of her. The moment he stepped out of the master bedroom, he’d always put on a dress shirt. Moreover, it would be neatly tucked into his pants, never casually hanging out.
After tearing off the tag from the apron, Wei Lai quickly tied her long hair into a bun before putting on the apron.
Noticing her skillful knife work, Zhou Sujin asked, “Can you cook anything?”
Wei Lai: “If I don’t like eating it, I don’t know how to cook it.”
As she spoke, her hands paused briefly while cutting the beef. That implied she wouldn’t know how to cook anything he liked either.
After lunch and a brief rest, they headed to a jewelry store to pick out a ring. This was just a temporary one for her to wear; the wedding ring would be custom-made from a brand he was familiar with.
It wasn’t until they were about to leave that Zhou Sujin booked an appointment at a flagship jewelry store—the only one in Jiang City.
The drive from the industrial park to downtown was smooth, with green lights all the way, much faster than expected.
Inside the jewelry store, the store manager occasionally glanced at her tablet, waiting for an email.
Twenty minutes ago, she received a notification that the second son of the Zhou family from Beijing was coming to pick out a ring. They only mentioned the surname “Zhou” without specifying his full name, and she didn’t dare to pry further. It’s not uncommon for people from Beijing to purchase the latest collection from the Jiang City flagship store. Previously, someone surnamed Min bought three limited-edition bracelets, but they were always picked up by drivers—none of the buyers ever showed up in person.
Today was the first time someone of that status would personally visit the store.
In all her time as store manager, she had never met a tycoon from Beijing.
Fresh flowers were arranged in vases in the VIP room. Not knowing the client’s preferences, she prepared a variety of teas.
As she waited for more information on the yet-to-be-released rings, a familiar customer walked into the store.
Wei Lai led the way inside, with Zhou Sujin following behind.
The store manager recognized her instantly and greeted her with a warm smile, “Lai Lai, long time no see!”
Wei Lai was taken aback by the warm greeting. “You still remember me?”
In sales, having a good memory was the most basic.
The store manager chucked. “You’re Sitian’s best friend, shares the same name as Wei Lai Supermarket, and you’re stunning. I can’t forget even if I wanted to.” It wasn’t just flattery; there was a Wei Lai Supermarket in her neighborhood, making the name memorable.
Wei Lai returned the smile. Qiao Sitian mentioned by the store manager was one of her so-called “plastic” friends and a super VIP at this jewelry store. Every time she visited, the store manager personally attended to her.
Once, Wei Lai had accompanied Qiao Sitian to pick out some jewelry and had browsed through some wedding rings herself. That was back when she was still with Zhang Yanxin.
Qi Sitian had introduced her to the store manager at the time: “My best friend, the heiress of Wei Lai Supermarket, and Zhang Yanxin’s girlfriend.”
The store manager discreetly glanced at the imposing man standing behind Wei Lai, assuming he was Zhang Yanxin. She had heard that they had been dating for over two years, and the relationship was very steady. Wei Lai had even come to the store a few months ago to look at wedding rings, suggesting that a wedding might be imminent.
“What would you like to see today?”
“Wedding rings.”
The store manager’s smile was perfectly timed. “Congratulations.” Zhang Yanxin’s family was one of the top three most influential families in Jiang City. For the two of them to make it this far was no small feat.
“Thank you,” Wei Lai replied, glancing at Zhou Sujin beside her. Her expression silently questioning him—Didn’t you make an appointment? Why isn’t anyone here to greet you?
The two women had been chatting since they walked in, so Zhou Sujin hadn’t interrupted them.
Just at this moment, the store manager said to Wei Lai, “The rings you liked before are still available, and we’ve just launched some new designs for the New Year. Would you like me to have someone bring them all out for you to take a look?”
Wei Lai: “…”
It seemed like the store manager had mistaken Zhou Sujin for Zhang Yanxin.
She quickly deflected. “Just the new designs,” she said with a light-hearted tone. “My taste has improved since then.” She was genuinely worried the store manager would call Zhou Sujin “President Zhang” any second now.
Just as she was about to introduce Zhou Sujin as her boyfriend, he spoke up first.
Zhou Sujin asked, “Is Manager Chen here?”
“That would be me.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Zhou Sujin.”
The store manager froze upon hearing Zhou Sujin’s name
The second son of the Zhou family? He’s here already? And without any entourage?
There was no time to dwell on things. She quickly composed herself and adjusted her expression. “President Zhou, welcome. My apologies for not greeting you properly. Please, come inside.”
Turning to Wei Lai, she said with her most professional smile, “Please enjoy some coffee while I have all the new designs brought over.”
She led Zhou Sujin and Wei Lai into the specially prepared VIP room, silently breathing a sigh of relief.
She had narrowly avoided a major faux pas.
Just the thought of almost addressing him as “President Zhang” sent a shiver down her spine.
She had more than one VIP client within Zhang Yanxin’s social circle, but she always maintained her professionalism, never prying into their personal lives or gossip. It turned out that Zhang Yanxin was now a part of Wei Lai’s past.
In the VIP room, Wei Lai sat down next to Zhou Sujin. With the store manager and staff busy fetching the rings, it was just the two of them. She turned to look at him, realizing he must’ve picked up on the store manager’s earlier comments. To avoid any awkward misunderstandings, he had introduced himself first.
Zhou Sujin: “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I know you don’t mind, but I still feel the need to explain. Back then, I visited every jewelry store in the city, not just this one, and it wasn’t only their rings that caught my eye. So when you suggested coming here, I didn’t think much of it.”
Zhou Sujin: “Every time you used me in the past, wasn’t it because of Zhang Yanxin? If I was going to be petty, would I still be marrying you?”
The past was the past. Bringing it up now would only be disrespectful toward him.
The two of them were sitting so close that there was almost no space between them. Wei Lai hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to place her arm. After a brief internal struggle, she decided that she would need to get used to this kind of intimacy sooner or later. Finally, she rested her arm on his leg, trying to appear as natural as possible.
Zhou Sujin glanced at her.
Regarding the rings, Wei Lai suggested, “I’ll buy your ring. You just need to buy my engagement ring.”
Zhou Sujin neither agreed nor disagreed.
While they were still waiting for the store manager, Wei Lai asked him, “Are you planning for us to register our marriage right after we buy the rings?” She added candidly, “I don’t want to register our marriage so quickly.”
Zhou Sujin looked down at her. “You love to compare yourself to others so much. Do you think I’d let you miss out on something others have? We’ll get engaged first, and I’ll give you an engagement ceremony.”
