You Can Stay A Few More Days
He had already guessed it, so Wei Lai didn’t bother being vague and told him she had just arrived in Beijing.
Zhou Sujin’s call came through shortly after. “How did you get here? Weren’t the flights grounded?”
Over the past two days, heavy snow had hit suddenly, causing some bullet train routes to temporarily close, and several flights had been canceled. He hadn’t paid attention to which flights were affected, or whether the ones from Jiang City to Beijing were still flying.
Wei Lai: “I drove the Cullinan here.”
It was rare for anything to faze him, but her response genuinely took him by surprise.
He had driven from Beijing to Jiang City himself—13 hours—so he knew exactly how exhausting it could be.
After a brief pause, Zhou Sujin asked calmly, “Did you get stuck on the highway?”
“En.” She downplayed it, “Lots of cars were stuck, but we were eventually guided to an RSA. There was hot water and food.”
Zhou Sujin: “Where are you now?”
Wei Lai glanced up. A thin layer of snow had already accumulated on the windshield, barely able to see the nearby landmarks.
She gave him a rough idea of her location.
Zhou Sujin immediately realized she was still on the South Outer Ring Road.
Wei Lai returned to the earlier topic and asked if they should agree on whether to meet up when one of them was on a business trip.
“You’re already in Beijing. Do you think we should meet or not?”
His deep, magnetic voice resonated through the phone.
Wei Lai watched as the snowflakes stuck to the windshield one by one, gradually blurring her view.
She said, “I just thought if we don’t agree on it ahead of time, a surprise meeting might disrupt your schedule or invade your personal space.”
Zhou Sujin said plainly, “It would.”
Wei Lai: “…”
He quickly followed up, “I can adjust it. It’s not a big deal.”
Wei Lai: “Alright then, let’s meet. There won’t be another chance before Chinese New Year anyway.” She asked, “Are you free tonight or tomorrow?”
Zhou Sujin: “I’m free both.”
He looked up and instructed Uncle Yan to take the next exit off the highway.
Then, speaking into the phone again, he said, “I have dinner with Lu An and the others tonight. Want to join me?”
Zhou Sujin went on to tell her who else would be at the dinner.
The problem was that she was on the South Outer Ring, and he was stuck on the overpass on the West side. It could easily take more than two hours before they could even meet.
Wei Lai turned off the car. “Don’t have Uncle Yan take a detour. You go straight to the restaurant. I’ll take the subway to meet you.”
The subway was the fastest option, and there happened to be a station nearby.
Wei Lai put on her coat while still in the car. Since arriving in Beijing, she hadn’t stepped outside, so she hadn’t fully grasped how cold it was.
The moment she opened the car door, the sharp, snow-filled wind nearly drove her back inside.
The cold cut straight through her coat, chilling her to the bone.
The coat, which had been perfect for Jiang City’s weather, was no match for Beijing’s bitter cold.
Bracing herself against the biting wind, she wrapped one arm around her chest. She clutched the collar of her coat tightly with the other, pressing forward against the freezing gusts.
She had barely walked a few dozen meters when her phone rang—it was Zhou Sujin.
“Are you cold?”
“Cold.” The instinctive response to his concern was to be coquettish.
Zhou Sujin: “Get back in the car and drive here slowly. There’s no rush. I’ll wait for you.”
Wei Lai had left her earbuds in the car. “I’m fine, I can handle it. Let’s talk later, my hands are freezing.”
The entrance to the subway station was under construction, forcing everyone to line up single file, with the queue stretching almost out to the street.
Wei Lai quickened her pace and joined the end of the line.
In the blink of an eye, three or four people had already lined up behind her.
There was an unusually large number of people taking the subway today. She had to wait for two trains before finally squeezing on.
There was no direct line to the restaurant, so she had to transfer once.
The restaurant was right across from the subway exit, so she’d have to cross a pedestrian bridge to get there.
After stepping off the train, she hurried through the warm station, knowing that the cold wind outside would be waiting for her. Next time she came to Beijing in winter, she’d definitely wear the thickest down coat she owned.
“Are you there yet?”
Before leaving the station, while her hands were still warm, Wei Lai sent a voice message to check where Zhou Sujin was.
Zhou Sujin: “I’m here.“
“I’ll be there soon, just wait for me in the lobby.”
As she sent the message, the escalator reached the top. Wei Lai quickly stuffed her phone in her pocket and pulled up the collar of her coat. The minimalist design of her coat didn’t have any buttons, so the wind crept in from everywhere.
Zhou Sujin responded to her, “I’m on the pedestrian bridge, coming to get you. Keep an eye out so we don’t miss each other.“
Wei Lai’s phone buzzed briefly in her pocket, but she didn’t feel it.
For the first time, Zhou Sujin found himself scanning the crowd, carefully watching each person who passed by.
Today, Wei Lai was wearing a light, creamy beige coat with a loose, similarly toned sweater underneath.
She liked to pair similar shades together, always choosing a slightly darker tone for her inner layers.
As Zhou Sujin crossed the pedestrian bridge, he spotted her on the stairs, head down, walking without even glancing to her sides.
“Wei Lai.”
She looked up suddenly in surprise.
Zhou Sujin had a black coat draped over his arm, matching the one he wore, though with a slightly different design.
His suitcase for business trips was packed in the trunk of the car and just so happened to have another heavy coat.
“It’s freezing. Why didn’t you wait for me inside the restaurant?”
Wei Lai’s voice was filled with delight as she walked up two steps at a time toward him.
Zhou Sujin handed her the coat. “Put this on first.”
Taking the coat, Wei Lai stepped to the side so she wouldn’t block anyone passing by.
She held the coat in her hand but didn’t put it on, looking up at him. “Honey.”
Zhou Sujin naturally could guess her intention, raising his hands. “Give me the coat.”
As she handed it to him, she instinctively took a step closer to him.
Zhou Sujin lowered his gaze, looking at her. Even in such cold weather, she still found a way to be coquettish.
He helped her put on the coat and fastened each button.
With the extra layer, Wei Lai immediately felt a bit more alive, though her body was still trembling from the cold.
Now, she was enveloped in his presence, the crisp, faint scent he carried filling her lungs with every breath.
His mid-length coat became oversized on her.
The sleeves fell past her fingertips, perfectly blocking out the biting wind.
Wei Lai nestled close to him as they walked, seeking warmth.
They crossed the pedestrian bridge together, snow swirling gently in the air. The surface of the bridge had already collected a thin white layer, and in this cold, it was easy to slip.
Zhou Sujin reached out and through the two layers of coats, grasped her wrist.
Wei Lai didn’t turn around to look at him. Instead, she looked down at the road below, where an endless line of red taillights stretched out, creating a sea of romantic lights as he held her hand and guided her across the bridge.
Once they were off the bridge and back on safer ground, Zhou Sujin released her hand.
Wei Lai then looked at him. “Honey, you’re not gonna hold my hand anymore?”
Helpless against her, Zhou Sujin took her hand back in his again.
They were less than fifty meters from S.Z. Restaurant, where they were going to have dinner tonight. Wei Lai casually mentioned that she would be treating someone there for lunch tomorrow.
Zhou Sujin asked, “Have you made a reservation?”
“En.” However, she booked late, so she wasn’t able to get a window seat. S.Z. Restaurant was a high-end restaurant known for its panoramic views which people came there for.
“How’s the seating?”
“It’s alright.”
Zhou Sujin nodded and said nothing more.
Meanwhile, in a private room at S.Z., Lu An had just arrived after being stuck in traffic for over an hour. If it hadn’t been so freezing, he might’ve considered walking the rest of the way.
A few people who had arrived early were playing cards, but Zhou Sujin was nowhere in sight.
Lu An asked Min Ting, “Where is he?”
“He went to pick someone up.”
“Who? Isn’t his car still parked outside?”
“He walked across the street to the subway station.”
“Doesn’t that mean he has to cross the pedestrian bridge!”
Lu An wasn’t overreacting; there were only a handful of people Zhou Sujin would personally walk that far to pick up, and aside from his maternal grandpa, there wasn’t anyone else. But Grandpa Ning would never be caught riding the subway anyway.
“Seriously, who’s he picking up? Stop keeping me in suspense!”
Min Ting wasn’t intentionally being evasive. He was currently focused on calculating his opponent’s hand. His opponent was his brother-in-law, and losing wasn’t an option, so he ignored Lu An.
Zhou Jiaye was nonchalant, indifferent to winning or losing, and replied to Lu An, “Who else could it be?”
Lu An connected the dots. “Wei Lai came to Beijing to see Zhou Sujin?”
“Not sure on the details.”
Just as they were chatting, the general manager of the restaurant knocked and entered the private room, checking if everyone had arrived. He was quite familiar with this group, so there was no need for the usual pleasantries.
Those playing cards continued their game while others were on their phones. After scanning the room and realizing Zhou Sujin was still absent, the GM* quietly closed the door and stepped out.
GM – General Manager
As he turned, he was met by Zhou Sujin walking toward him with a strikingly elegant beauty at his side.
“Good evening, President Zhou.”
Zhou Sujin nodded, then asked, “Are there any more window tables available for tomorrow?”
“Yes.” They had a few reserved for internal use, and not available for public booking. “For how many, President Zhou?”
Zhou Sujin turned to Wei Lai. “How many are you inviting tomorrow?”
“Just Director Qi.”
Zhou Sujin said to the GM, “For two.”
The GM reserved Table 9 for her, and Wei Lai canceled her original reservation. Before entering the private room, she said softly to Zhou Sujin, “Thank you.”
Zhou Sujin didn’t respond, simply pushing open the door to the private room.
Wei Lai had met them before at their engagement party, where Zhou Sujin had introduced them to her one by one. Seeing them again, she could still match their names to their faces.
None of them treated her like an outsider and told her to make herself at home.
Zhou Sujin saw her pour a cup of hot water. “Still cold?”
“En.”
Even though the room was well-heated and she was clutching a cup of hot water, Wei Lai still felt chilled to the bone. She hadn’t worn enough and had been frozen through on her way over.
Zhou Sujin asked her, “Want me to ask the kitchen to make you a bowl of noodles?”
Some hot soup and noodles might help warm her up.
Wei Lai nodded. “Sure.”
The GM thought Zhou Sujin was the one who wanted noodles, so he told the chef to prepare a seafood noodle.
Zhou Sujin took off his coat and stepped outside with his phone.
Lu An wasn’t playing cards, so he chatted with her, asking when she had arrived.
Wei Lai: “Two hours ago.”
Lu An was curious how she got here. Most bullet train routes were suspended, with only a few recently resuming. Jiang City Airport had been hit with massive flight delays, and his secretary was still stuck there, unable to take off.
Wei Lai smiled. “I drove here.”
Lu An gave her a thumbs-up, thinking to himself, No wonder she and Zhou Sujin are a couple—one drove the Cullinan to Jiang City and the other drove it back.
It wasn’t just a hundred kilometers, but a thousand.
“Are you and Zhou Sujin heading to London tomorrow?”
Wei Lai drank a sip of her hot water and said, “I’m here on a business trip. I still have to treat someone to dinner tomorrow.”
So, he was going to London tomorrow? He hadn’t mentioned it to her.
He was probably heading to his maternal grandpa’s for Chinese New Year.
In the restaurant’s lounge area, Zhou Sujin was on the phone with his maternal grandpa, telling him that he and Wei Lai would visit after the holiday.
Grandpa: “Good. Better that you don’t come.” Out of sight, out of mind.
“Look at your marriage! Ignoring the issue of long-distance, not even trying to fix it. First year of marriage, and you’re spending New Year’s in separate places. Zhou Sujin, your mom wasn’t wrong when she said it was a contractual marriage!”
Calling him by his full name meant his grandpa was furious.
Worried that the anger might affect his grandpa’s health, Zhou Sujin didn’t argue.
His grandpa calmed himself down and said, “Don’t come after the holiday either. Your grandma and I are going to the cherry blossom orchard soon to make cherry blossom wine.”
The cherry blossom orchard was in the southern hemisphere, and they would stay there for at least ten days to two weeks.
His grandpa was mostly retired now, rarely getting involved in the company’s affairs unless there was a major decision requiring his input.
After retiring, his grandpa had developed a hobby for making fruit wines and had bought several orchards for it.
After ending the call with his grandpa, Zhou Sujin returned to the private room.
The card game in the private room had ended, and everyone settled into their seats.
They hadn’t gathered to play cards, and even less for dinner—they were there to talk about investments for next year. Now that Wei Lai and Zhou Sujin were married, they didn’t avoid discussing anything in front of her.
Wei Lai quietly listened, not asking Zhou Sujin questions about things she didn’t understand.
When the noodles were served. She saw it was a bowl of seafood noodles. She lightly nudged him under the table.
Zhou Sujin turned around, and she signaled with her eyes for him to look at the bowl—half noodles, half seafood. He placed the bowl in front of him and continued talking about investments with the others. “The management team at Jiang’an Group is pretty solid,” he said as he began picking out the seafood.
After removing all the seafood, he handed the bowl of noodles to her.
Lu An, who had been watching Zhou Sujin pick out the seafood for Wei Lai, almost had his eyes pop out of his sockets. He thought no one would ever be able to boss Zhou Sujin around like that.
Afraid Wei Lai might feel uncomfortable, he didn’t pay too much attention to what Zhou Sujin was doing.
Min Ting didn’t know too much about Jiang’an Group, but he had heard of it. “What’s the boss’ surname?”
Lu An chimed in, “Yuan. He’s Yuan Hengrui’s dad.”
Min Ting wasn’t based in Jiang City and didn’t know much about the affairs over there. Even if he’d heard some gossip before, he had long forgotten it. He asked Lu An, “Are you friends with Yuan Hengrui?”
Zhou Sujin answered instead, “He used to pursue Wei Lai. He’s got decent vision but lacks the necessary ability. With a few more years under Chairman Yuan’s guidance, he should be good.”
Min Ting and the others glanced at him. This was Wei Lai’s former suitor, so technically a rival in love, yet Zhou Sujin was able to give such a calm and rational assessment, even considering investing in the other.
As Wei Lai ate her noodles, she glanced sideways at Zhou Sujin. Everyone said he was skilled and capable, but she felt he was more charismatic.
With just a few words from him, Jiang’an Group would likely attract a lot of capital from Beijing next year.
If Yuan Hengrui got another fortune reading for himself before Chinese New Year, it might reveal that he’s one step closer to the top richest list.
Outside, the snow was falling heavier, and by 9 p.m., the dinner gathering had wrapped up.
Wei Lai went to the restroom while Zhou Sujin signed the bill and waited for her in the private room.
She had left her phone on the table, so he picked it up and tucked it into her purse for her. Just as he did, a call came through—it was from Cheng Minzhi.
He didn’t answer, thinking Wei Lai would be back soon.
Half a minute later, the phone rang again. This time, he picked it up and answered.
“Lai Lai.”
“Mom, it’s me.”
Cheng Minzhi was momentarily taken aback, still not quite used to the way he addressed her. Her daughter had told her Zhou Sujin was busy and not in Beijing, so she hadn’t gone to his house and stayed at a hotel instead.
Did he come back after all?
“Hi, Sujin.”
“Wei Lai and I are out to dinner with some friends. She just went to the restroom. I’ll have her call you back shortly.”
Knowing her son-in-law was in Beijing, Cheng Minzhi felt more at ease. Her daughter had been stranded on the highway last night, and she’d been worried sick the whole time. “It’s nothing important, just wanted to check if she had settled in after arriving in Beijing. Now that I know, enjoy dinner. No need to call back.”
The door to the private room opened, and Wei Lai returned.
Zhou Sujin spoke into the phone, “Mom, hold on a sec.”
He handed the phone to her. “Mom called you.”
Wei Lai put the phone to her ear and gestured with her chin for Zhou Sujin to head downstairs.
As they walked out of the private room, she held onto his hand, chatting with her mom along the way about the supermarket and how heavy the snow was in Beijing.
It wasn’t until they got into the car that she hung up the call.
Wei Lai put her phone away as Uncle Yan started the car and pulled up the partition. With the sound of the call gone, the car was unusually quiet.
Zhou Sujin was reading the news, and she didn’t make conversation with him. Gazing out at the snow, she suddenly remembered, “My suitcase is still in the car.”
The Cullinan was parked several dozen kilometers away.
Zhou Sujin turned around slightly to look at her. “No need to get it. There’s everything at home for you.”
Wei Lai met his eyes and gave him a heads-up, “Lu An said you’re flying to London tomorrow. I’m not used to staying in such a big house alone, and it’s so far from everything, super inconvenient. I’ll stay in a hotel tomorrow night.”
Zhou Sujin: “I’m not going to London anymore. My grandparents aren’t home.” He added, “I’ll be in Beijing until Chinese New Year. You can stay a few more days.”
