I Thought About You Twice
Wei Lai wasn’t sure what to do about the watch.
The night they broke up, she sold it without a second thought. By then, she felt no lingering attachment to Zhang Yanxin. It was simply a coincidence that the watch ended up with Zhou Sujin.
“Do you want to hear my explanation?” she asked, looking up at him.
Zhou Sujin only looked back at her quietly, saying nothing.
He remained expressionless, but there was a trace of warmth in his otherwise cold gaze.
Wei Lai took a moment to gather her thoughts. “At first, I didn’t think it was necessary to tell you. You were the one who paid for it; I didn’t gift it to you. I figured after our contract ended, we might never see each other again. It’s just a cheap watch to you, easy to fix if it breaks, and you probably don’t even think it looks good.”
She paused. “So I didn’t mention it.”
She lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes as she continued.
“After we married, I didn’t know how to bring it up. It’s only been twenty days since we registered our marriage, and it hasn’t been easy to meet face-to-face. I thought about mentioning it a few times while in Beijing, but I held back, not wanting to ruin the mood… so it dragged on until now.”
“If I had known Zhang Yanxin wanted to buy the watch back, I would’ve told you sooner, no matter what.”
Wei Lai looked up again. “I’m sorry for putting you in such an awkward position in front of him.” Maybe even humiliating.
Zhou Sujin never liked hearing explanations, yet today, he listened to her every word with patience. And after all she said, he realized what he most wanted to hear wasn’t in her explanation.
His grip on her shoulder softened as he asked, “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
Wei Lai clearly felt his hand loosening on her shoulder. “Yes.”
Zhou Sujin gestured to her to continue with his eyes.
“I want you to hold me a little longer.”
Zhou Sujin met her eyes for a moment before pulling her tighter into his arms, more firmly than before.
Going out for a fancy dinner was out of the question tonight. Wei Lai decided she’d cook something simple herself—it’d help her calm her mind, too.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll try making something. We can just keep it casual.”
Zhou Sujin glanced down. “Weren’t you looking forward to celebrating with me all day?”
“Mhm.”
“Something like this isn’t enough to make me lose my appetite; I’ve already made the reservation.” He habitually raised his wrist to check the time, but his hand was empty.
That watch had long been taken off.
Unfazed, he said calmly, “It should be here soon. I’ll respond to an email in the study first.”
Even as he spoke, he hugged her tightly.
Only when her hands loosened around his waist did Zhou Sujin slowly let her go.
Wei Lai sat on the sofa for a moment to collect herself, taking out the watch box. She opened it and picked up the card with her fingertips, but she couldn’t quite remember what she’d been feeling when she’d written it.
Putting the watch box aside, she held the card and walked quickly to the study.
The door to the study was open, so she knocked twice before entering.
Zhou Sujin was focused on his computer screen, less perceptive than usual; he didn’t notice her footsteps until she reached the doorway. Looking up, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Wei Lai pointed to his desk. “Can I use your shredder?”
He only used it occasionally for documents, so it wasn’t on.
She turned on the shredder and fed the card into it, watching as it quickly became a small pile of confetti.
As for the watch, she still hadn’t figured out the best way to handle it. He liked collecting watches, cherishing them in a way others couldn’t understand.
She couldn’t simply discard the watch he had worn for more than half a year, the way she had shredded the card.
“Continue with your work,” she said, turning off the shredder and getting ready to leave.
“Wei Lai.”
He rarely addressed her so formally.
Wei Lai turned back around.
Zhou Sujin said calmly, “The watch…” give it to me.
“He started, but then changed his mind. “I’ll get it myself.”
With that, he closed his inbox and stood up.
She couldn’t guess why he wanted the watch and didn’t ask, silently walking beside him back to the living room.
Back in their home in Beijing, she would always reach for his hand or hold onto his sleeve as they walked together. Today, she stayed quiet. Zhou Sujin glanced at her a couple of times.
The watch and its box lay on the sofa. He bent down, carefully placed the watch back in its case, then slipped the box into the bag. He stored it in the entryway cabinet, among a few other things he kept there temporarily.
Wei Lai couldn’t quite understand his intentions. “So… you don’t need me to deal with it?”
“No need. I’ll take it back.” Zhou Sujin closed the cabinet door and added, “I have so many watch safes, plenty of space for it.”
Her eyes grew watery, and she looked away to keep him from noticing.
The doorbell rang—dinner had arrived. Zhou Sujin went to answer it.
Wei Lai took the moment to slip into the bathroom to wash her hands and steady her breath. By the time she sat down at the dining table, there was no sign of her eyes being watery. She hadn’t expected herself to feel this moved.
Tears seemed to come at a moment’s notice lately—this was already the second time.
The first was on her birthday, the day their contract ended, when he messaged her, “Lu An visits Jiang City often. If you ever need anything, you can reach out to him. Wishing you all the best in the future.“
In that moment, she couldn’t hold back; she broke down in tears.
Zhou Sujin brought out a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet but couldn’t find the corkscrew.
Wei Lai knew exactly where it was—it was she who had put it away. “I’ll get it for you.”
He took it from her. “How did you know where it was?”
She’d only been here a handful of times.
“On Chinese New Year’s Eve, I came over to clean and tidied up a few things.” Watching him open the wine, she added, “I also put up the Spring Festival couplets on the door. They’re a bit crooked.”
Putting them up alone, she hadn’t been able to get the height just right and had to rely on her own judgment.
When Zhou Sujin saw the couplets on the door this morning, he’d assumed the condominium management had put them up and didn’t think much of it.
After uncorking the wine, he handed her the corkscrew to put back.
That one corkscrew made him realize she had slowly started treating this place like her own, organizing things to her preferences.
Wei Lai stared at the wine bottle. She didn’t know much about wine and was only familiar with the labels sold from their supermarket.
“Where’s this wine produced?”
“My maternal grandpa’s vineyard. It’s his personal collection and he doesn’t sell it commercially.”
No wonder she hadn’t recognized the name.
Zhou Sujin poured her the first glass. “If you don’t like it, I can open another bottle.”
Wei Lai was particular about coffee but didn’t know much about wine; to her, they all tasted pretty similar.
During dinner, neither of them spoke much. No matter how they tried to keep up appearances, the tension from Zhang Yanxin’s actions earlier had clearly affected them both.
After dinner, Zhou Sujin went back to work.
Before Chinese New Year, Wei Lai had brought two suitcases of her clothes and belongings here when she came over to put up the spring couplets. She hadn’t had time to organize them then, so tonight, it became a way to pass the time.
Once everything was organized, the door to the study remained closed, so Wei Lai decided not to disturb Zhou Sujin and instead ran a hot bath.
The bathtub here didn’t have a view outside, which helped her focus. She mentally reviewed the store inspections from earlier in the day and started planning the upcoming round of venture funding for work.
That night, she went to bed earlier than usual, lying under the covers before ten.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind wandered. Unable to fall asleep, she sat up, determined to keep herself busy, and opened her phone to continue refining her pitch to investors.
A few days ago, Yang Ze had given her a list of Beijing-based VC firms connected to Zhou Sujin. After looking it over, she decided to give up on Beijing investors entirely; nearly all the influential firms there were run by people in his circle.
She set her sights on Shanghai instead.
Around 11 p.m., Zhou Sujin came into the bedroom and noticed her working on something. “Still up?”
Wei Lai saved her documents and looked up. “Waiting for you.”
Zhou Sujin habitually reached to take off his watch but paused, remembering he wasn’t wearing one. His fingers moved to his cufflinks, which he quietly removed.
“No protection at home,” he said, coming to her side of the bed, and while removing the other cufflink, suggested, “I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight. Are you okay sleeping in the master bedroom alone?”
It wasn’t because there was no protection; he was still simmering with anger, and he didn’t want that to intrude between them as a couple.
He placed the cufflinks on her nightstand. “I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
Wei Lai nodded, giving him time to process his emotions.
If she were the one wearing a watch he’d gifted to his ex—a woman he’d once wanted to marry, too—she wouldn’t be just sleeping in a different room now. She’d probably be heading back to her own condo to cool off.
“Get some sleep, don’t stay up too late.”
Zhou Sujin murmured a barely audible response as he went to the closet to grab his PJs.
Wei Lai put down her phone and lay back on the pillow.
Her eyes followed him as he moved from the closet door to the doorway. He reached out to turn off the light for her.
“Zhou Sujin.” She suddenly sat up.
This was the second time she’d called him by his full name.
Zhou Sujin paused, his hand hovering over the switch. “What is it?”
Wei Lai quickly got out of bed, running barefoot to him.
“Nothing; just wanted to hug you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly, more so than ever before. “Goodnight, honey. Will you take me to work tomorrow?”
“Sure. Get back into bed.”
Wei Lai looked up and said softly, “Carry me back to bed.”
She hadn’t acted this way all night. Zhou Sujin handed her his PJs, bent down, and lifted her up in a princess carry.
Though it wasn’t the first time he’d held her like this, her heart still raced.
He gently placed her back on the bed and pulled the covers over her before saying, “Go sleep.” Then he turned off the bedside lamp and took his PJs with him to the master bedroom bathroom.
Soon after, Wei Lai heard the sound of water running in the bathroom.
He might just be showering there because it was familiar, though he probably still planned to sleep in the guest room. She closed her eyes, feigning sleep, so he wouldn’t be put in a difficult position even further.
The water was barely warm, with just a hint of heat—it felt cool on his skin.
Zhou Sujin deliberately turned the temperature low, using the cold water to clear his mind.
When he came out, Wei Lai was lying on her side, breathing evenly, looking as if she’d fallen asleep.
Zhou Sujin knew what she looked like when she was truly asleep and not as tense as she was right now. He didn’t head to the guest room and climbed into bed next to her before turning off the light.
Wei Lai reached out for his hand, grasping it gently.
She didn’t move closer to him, keeping a full arm’s distance as she fell asleep.
The next evening, both the Bentley and Cullinan arrived in Jiang City.
Zhou Sujin asked Uncle Yan to return Lu An’s Rolls-Royce Wraith. Having no car to drive, Lu An had stayed in all day. He asked Uncle Yan where Zhou Sujin was and heard that he was at the office, so he took his car and drove to Kunchen Group’s Jiang City office in the Financial District.
It took some courage to try to talk sense into Zhou Sujin. After parking, Lu An lit a cigarette and opened the car’s ashtray to tap off the ash—only to spot a cigarette inside, untouched, nearly bent in half. He was stunned.
The chauffeur would never waste a cigarette like that, so it must’ve been Zhou Sujin who had wanted a smoke but found his car had no lighter.
Forget smoking himself—Lu An snuffed out his cigarette and called Zhou Jiaye right away.
“Zhou Sujin actually crossed his no-smoking line.”
“He smoked?” Zhou Jiaye was equally shocked.
Zhou Sujin never smoked, no matter who offered; he’d never once broken that rule.
Lu An rolled down the window to air out the smell. “He’s at the office. I was thinking of going in to talk him out of any more quarreling with Wei Lai.” But now, he didn’t dare.
He was worried he’d only make things worse.
“Look at what this has done to him.”
Zhou Jiaye: “Don’t bother, there won’t be any conflict between them.”
His lil’ bro wanted to acquire Xinming Group because Zhang Yanxin had humiliated him on Chinese New Year’s, which had infuriated him, but smoking wasn’t just about anger.
Lu An didn’t leave, though. He locked his car and went upstairs.
He was already here, so he might as well see if Zhou Sujin had calmed down. But any words of advice would be kept to himself.
On the 26th floor, Lu An knocked and entered the office.
Zhou Sujin was on the phone, noticeably without any watch on his wrist.
The voice on the other end belonged to He Wancheng, who began with an apology. It was a gesture from Zhang Yanxin’s father, who had been his close friend for many years and had reached out for a favor he couldn’t refuse.
As for the actual conflict between Zhou Sujin and Zhang Yanxin, Papa Zhang was in the dark; any attempt to inquire had hit a wall.
“Is it because of Wei Lai?” He Wancheng asked bluntly.
Zhou Sujin said calmly, “Chairman, it’s all in the past.”
What happened yesterday was something he didn’t want to revisit today.
If he didn’t feel inclined to give face, even He Wancheng wouldn’t be an exception.
He Wancheng glanced toward Cheng Minzhi in the distance and lowered his voice. “I don’t care about anyone else—I just want to know how Wei Lai is doing. It’s the New Year; don’t let there be arguments between you two.”
Mentioning Wei Lai, Zhou Sujin said a bit more. “She’s fine. There aren’t any arguments. This afternoon, a new employee asked to meet her for a chat.”
As long as there was no argument, He Wancheng was relieved.
Ending the call, Zhou Sujin turned to Lu An and asked if he had dinner plans.
“No plans,” Lu An replied cautiously. “You’re not going home to eat?”
Zhou Sujin set down his phone. “Wei Lai isn’t home. She went out with a colleague.”
Lu An nodded; finally, there was a hint of a couple’s dynamic in that statement.
Neither had brought a chauffeur today, so they each drove to Riverside Restaurant.
While they were waiting for the elevator, someone recognized him. “President Zhou, Happy New Year! So you’re spending the new year here. Where’s my baby, Wei Lai? Not with you tonight?”
It was Qiao Sitian, arm-in-arm with her husband, greeting him.
Zhou Sujin recognized her as one of Wei Lai’s friends from their hotpot gatherings. She had attended their engagement reception, surname Qiao—her first name slipped his mind.
He nodded politely. “She’s out having dinner with a colleague. Please send my regards to President Qiao.”
Qiao Sitian smiled. “Of course. I’ll thank President Zhou on my father’s behalf.”
Two elevators arrived simultaneously, and Zhou Sujin and Lu An took one of them.
As the doors closed, Lu An asked, “Are she and Wei Lai close? The way she addresses her is… interesting.”
Just then, a message popped up on Zhou Sujin’s phone, so he ignored Lu An.
“Honey, where are you?“
Zhou Sujin typed with one hand, “I’m at Riverside Restaurant with Lu An. Ran into a friend of yours—surnamed Qiao.“
“That’s Qiao Sitian.“
She only had one plastic sister surnamed Qiao.
Wei Lai had just gotten home, having spent the afternoon discussing the supermarket’s current issues and potential improvements with Chen Qi.
Chen Qi had some family matters to attend to in the evening, so after a quick meal, Wei Lai returned home.
She continued texting Zhou Sujin: “Was Qiao Sitian surprised you’re here?“
“En.“
“Qiao Sitian is always bragging in the group chat about how well her husband treats her. I’ve been quiet lately because I’ve been so busy. Tomorrow, though, I won’t be as busy.“
Zhou Sujin: “…”
“Go enjoy your dinner.” Wei Lai ended the conversation.
Seeing that Zhou Sujin was finally done messaging, Lu An asked, “Are you considering working with President Qiao? Otherwise, you wouldn’t suddenly ask him for his regards.”
Zhou Sujin: “That’s the plan.”
“Good call. You’ll need a partner on par with Xinming Group’s strength. Jiang’an Group alone isn’t enough to keep Xinming in check.” Lu An flipped through the menu and casually ordered a few dishes.
When he and Zhou Sujin dined together, it was usually business-focused; a simple meal to fill up was enough.
The two chatted until ten before leaving the restaurant.
When Zhou Sujin got home, every light in the house was on, but the living room was empty. He found Wei Lai in the bedroom, freshly showered, leaning against the headboard and looking over some printed reports. A bottle of eye drops rested on the nightstand.
“Why so late?” she asked, her tone carrying a playful complaint.
“Got caught up in chatting and lost track of time. I’ll remember next time.” Zhou Sujin bent down and hugged her briefly to soothe her, slipping the report from her hands. “Aren’t your eyes tired?”
Wei Lai wrapped her arms around his neck. “They are, but if I don’t keep myself occupied, I keep getting distracted. I thought about you twice.”
His Adam’s apple moved slightly, and he propped himself with one hand on her pillow, the other wrapping her in a hug.
With her cheek pressed against his, she asked, “Are you still bothered by what happened yesterday?”
A simple explanation wouldn’t convince her.
Without a word, Zhou Sujin entwined his fingers with hers, pressing them gently against the pillow, and lowered his head to kiss her.
His cool scent stole her breath, leaving her with only the warmth of his kiss, softening her completely.
His lips traveled from her chin down to her neck, where they lingered in a series of gentle kisses.
The faint fragrance on her skin filled his senses.
He had never kissed her with such tenderness.
With their palms pressed together, Wei Lai clutched his hand, savoring the warmth spreading through every inch of her skin.
Looking up, Zhou Sujin pulled her into his embrace. “What happened yesterday is in the past. From now on, I’ll come to Jiang City every week to see you.”
