What, You Want To Come Back To The Hotel With Me?
Before Zhou Sujin spoke, she wished she could bury herself on the spot. Just the thought of being exposed in front of everyone and unable to face Zhang Yanxin and Mu Di again made her want to undergo plastic surgery and change her name, completely severing ties with the identity of “Wei Lai.”
Just as she thought she was about to plummet off a cliff and shatter into pieces, Zhou Sujin reached out and pulled her back.
In this twist of fate, even Wei Lai, adept at socializing, was caught off guard.
All sorts of perplexed gazes converged on Wei Lai. Zhao Yihan picked up Wei Lai’s glass and handed it to her, saying naturally, “Go over and sit.”
The interaction between her and Zhou Sujin was an impromptu performance without a script. She couldn’t predict the outcome, but now that things had come to this, she could only brace herself and carry on.
Wei Lai tightly gripped her glass and picked up her purse before changing seats under the scrutiny of everyone’s gaze.
Zhang Yanxin watched as she moved from beside Zhao Yihan to sit next to Zhou Sujin. Just two minutes ago, he had congratulated her on her new relationship. At that moment, he hadn’t pictured the face of the man in question, so he had managed to offer his blessings calmly and sincerely.
But now, she was sitting next to that man.
Wei Lai placed her purse on her lap, her thoughts in turmoil. She had no idea how to proceed with this charade. Thankfully, He Wancheng came to her rescue, initiating a round of drinks with Zhou Sujin.
“I was wondering why you kept glancing in Xiao Wei’s direction.” He Wancheng chuckled as he clinked his glass against Zhou Sujin’s.
Zhou Sujin: “…….”
That statement was pure nonsense.
He never stared at any woman, especially not at a dinner table. Until the woman claiming to be his girlfriend mentioned his name, he hadn’t even paid attention to what she looked like. It wasn’t until she uttered the name “Zhou Sujin” that he glanced over, finding her vaguely familiar but unable to recall where he had seen her.
As the round of drinks concluded, the gossip about Wei Lai dating some big shot from Beijing finally subsided.
Zhou Sujin remained engrossed in conversation with He Wancheng, paying no attention to the woman beside him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed her sitting almost motionless, her back straight.
Glancing sideways, he caught her staring at his watch.
“Lu An didn’t come to Jiang City with you?” He Wancheng said as he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of a dish before putting them down again, finding the food not to his liking.
“He’s abroad,” Zhou Sujin replied, noticing Wei Lai was still looking at his watch. He unclasped the watch and took it off, handing it to her for a closer look.
Wei Hai hesitated briefly as she looked at the watch being handed to her. She was certain he didn’t know she had resold this watch, so what was the meaning behind suddenly giving it to her?
Their eyes met for a moment.
Zhou Sujin: “Look as much as you want.”
He must have noticed her staring at his wrist earlier and thought she might be interested in the watch.
Wei Lai reached out and took the watch. Zhou Sujin then turned back to continue chatting with He Wancheng.
The watch band retained his body temperature, and it felt surreal that she would have this watch in her hand a month later.
Wei Lai couldn’t understand Zhou Sujin. He didn’t lack watches, and this particular one was as ordinary as they come. Yet, here it was, being worn by him at a social gathering.
She could feel the curious gazes from the others at the table without even looking up. Getting into character, she wondered: if it was my real boyfriend who took off his watch and handed it to me to play with, what would I do?
Without hesitation, she would wear it on her wrist.
Hence, she directly slipped Zhou Sujin’s watch onto her wrist, gently fastening the clasp.
The watch band was too long, dangling loosely on her wrist.
She raised her arm, letting the watch slide down her skin until it rested in the middle of her forearm.
“Congratulations,” Mu Di toasted her for the second time tonight.
Wei Lai didn’t want to even glance at Mu Di again, let alone drink with her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t act willfully at the dinner table, especially now that she was bearing the title of Zhou Sujin’s girlfriend.
Zhou Sujin noticed her reluctance to pick up her glass and noticed his watch adorned on her porcelain forearm.
Zhou Sujin: “If you don’t want to drink, then don’t.”
With that, he took the glass from her hand, and his gaze swept across the table, downing the wine in the glass on behalf of Wei Lai in response to Mu Di’s toast.
Wei Lai couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched Zhou Sujin. She felt as if she really was his girlfriend, and he was covering for her. His sharp, sexy Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the wine.
The empty glass wasn’t returned to her but placed on his side of the table.
Suddenly, her view was obstructed by the addition of a black phone. Zhou Sujin turned toward her slightly, his imposing presence emanating a cold, intense aura.
Zhou Sujin said nothing, gesturing with his chin for her to look at his phone.
“What’s your name?” He typed three words in his notes.
Wei Lai: “…….”
He didn’t even know her name.
Previously, when Mu Di toasted her, she had called out her full name. It seemed he hadn’t paid much attention and cared.
Being so close, Wei Lai could clearly see the tiny patterns on his shift cufflinks. Holding her breath, she typed “Wei Lai” on his phone’s notes.
Seizing this opportunity, she continued typing to explain why she had falsely claimed to be his girlfriend.
“I didn’t intentionally use your name to deceive anyone. Zhang Yanxin is my ex-boyfriend, and his fiancee next to him is my former boss. When they decided to get engaged, Zhang Yanxin was still my boyfriend, and Mu Di was still my boss. I was dumped and lost my job overnight. I couldn’t swallow this humiliation, so I blurted out your name without thinking. I hope you can forgive me.“
She typed this long message in one breath, accidentally brushing her wrist against Zhou Sujin’s fingers thrice.
Zhou Sujin glanced at her, finding her gaze astute with a hint of sincerity. He said nothing and just deleted all the text before locking his phone and placing it face down on the table.
Wei Lai breathed a sigh of relief, but she wasn’t sure if he would let it go at that.
“When are you going back?” He Wancheng asked casually.
Zhou Sujin was noncommittal, “We’ll see.”
He Wancheng chuckled, “That’s right, you should spend more time with Xiao Wei during your visit.”
Wei Lai felt guilty. In her heart, she secretly hoped that Zhou Sujin would take the flight back to Beijing tonight and never see him again.
For the rest of the evening, she was carefree, no longer needing to socialize with anyone. Since Zhou Sujin had confiscated her glass and “forbade” her from drinking, and everyone at the table noticed, naturally, no one would insist on toasting her, lest they ruin the mood.
The dinner ended before 10:00 p.m. As they left the private room, Mu Di stepped closer to Zhang Yanxin, naturally offering her hand to him.
Zhang Yanxin glanced at her silently for a moment, a voice in his head reminding him that she was the woman he was going to marry.
In the end, he took Mu Di’s hand and held it in his.
Wei Lai walked behind him, unable to avoid seeing this scene.
Just a month ago, Zhang Yanxin had held her hand as they went out to dinner with friends. But in just one month, everything had changed.
Tonight, Wei Lai’s desire for victory and revenge was stronger than ever. She only wanted to make Zhang Yanxin feel uncomfortable.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out and grabbed Zhou Sujin’s hand.
Zhou Sujin was in the middle of discussing the Jiang City project with He Wancheng when he suddenly felt a weight on his hand, a soft and delicate touch.
Without needing to think, he knew it was Wei Lai, using him as she pleased, becoming increasingly bold.
Clutching Zhou Sujin’s warm hand, Wei Lai’s heart raced. Zhou Sujin graciously played along, continuing the charade of being fake lovers. He didn’t turn to look at her, allowing her to hold onto his fingers as he casually chatted with He Wancheng about the project.
Soon enough, she walked past Zhang Yanxin with Zhou Sujin, leading the way in front of them.
Zhang Yanxin’s gaze remained fixed on Wei Lai’s hand. Now, they both had someone else; the person beside him was Mu Di, while she held Zhou Sujin’s hand.
Jealousy surged in his chest.
In this world, there’s simply no such thing as “everyone being okay.”
As they entered the elevator, Wei Lai’s palms grew sweaty. Clutching Zhou Sujin’s hand like this wasn’t a solution, especially when Mu Di was still holding onto Zhang Yanxin.
She knew that this sort of covert rivalry and comparison was utterly meaningless, and even seeking revenge seemed laughable. But she couldn’t seem to control herself.
With sweaty palms, she released Zhou Sujin’s hand and rummaged through her purse for a hair tie. Then, she directly handed her bag to Zhou Sujin. “Hold this for me.”
There was a slightly coquettish tone to her request.
Zhou Sujin glanced at the purse in his hand and then back at Wei Lai. She was the first person who dared to command him like this.
Wei Lai pretended that her long hair was getting in the way, so she quickly tied it up into a bun using the hair tie. Only then did she casually take back her bag from Zhou Sujin’s hand.
As the elevator reached the ground floor, this scene was about to come to an end, and everyone could finally go their separate ways.
After bidding farewell to He Wancheng and the others, a black Bentley pulled up.
Zhou Sujin only drove his Cullinan when hanging out with friends. For business dinners, he often opted for a Bentley.
Playing the part to the fullest, Wei Lai naturally took a seat in the back of the Bentley. Just at this moment, her phone vibrated with urgency. Zhao Yihan seemed to be in a hurry, sending three voice messages in quick succession.
As Zhou Sujin’s chauffeur was in the car, it was inconvenient for her to hear the voice messages, so she converted them to text:
“Be careful, Wei Lai. Think about how to make Zhou Sujin forgive you.“
“I asked Lu An. He’s known him since childhood but still fears him and never dares to joke about him.“
“Don’t be fooled by how smoothly he went along with you just now as if he really had your back. What if he settles scores later? He’s not easy to deal with. He’s ruthless in business, and those who offend him always end up bankrupt. That’s what our boss said.“
Wei Lai: “……..”
Zhao Yihan’s messages suddenly made her feel uncertain and her heart in jitters.
Before she could digest these messages, the other side of the car door opened, and Zhou Sujin got in. The air in the car seemed to freeze instantly, and Wei Lai’s heart jumped to her throat.
“Knock, knock,” came two very light taps on the car window.
Zhao Yihan couldn’t see what was happening inside the car, but Zhou Sujin had a clear view of the outside. He rolled down the window, his eyes questioning the person outside.
Zhao Yihan was tall and spoke with a slight bend at the waist. She usually had a stern expression and because of her strong work capability, she didn’t even need to pay attention to her boss’ mood; they always accommodated her. But now, as she came to seek forgiveness, she couldn’t afford to maintain that stern demeanor. She had practiced several times how to speak gently and with a smile, “Hi President Zhou, I’m Wei Lai’s sister.”
Whatever kind of sisterly relationship it was, she knew Zhou Sujin wouldn’t be interested, so she didn’t explain.
“It was me who brought Wei Lai here for dinner today. Due to some reasons, she wants to change her working environment. I suggested she consider Su City, so I brought her here to meet President He. Who knew we’d coincidentally encounter her ex, Zhang Yanxin? You also witnessed what happened at the dinner table. Being dumped and then rumored to be involved with a big shot from Beijing, she felt wronged. At that moment, she was pushed into a corner and used you as a shield. She didn’t mean to offend you.”
“I was Lu An’s classmate. You can ask Lu An about me; my character is quite decent.”
Zhou Sujin had some inkling. Lu An had mentioned meeting an alumna at Riverside Restaurant that night when getting late-night, saying, “She didn’t even remember my name.”
“I knew she was from Jiang City.”
Zhao Yihan: “I guarantee you on my name that Wei Lai has no ulterior motives. She has never pretended to be your girlfriend or done anything to damage your reputation and interests. I assure you she won’t do it again. I hope you can subside your anger and forgive her impulsiveness.”
“Sis,” Wei Lai addressed Zhao Yihan for the first time like this in their ten years of knowing each other, feeling an indescribable sadness as she watched Zhao Yihan set aside her pride to plead for her. “It’s okay; I’ve already explained everything to President Zhou. You should hurry back; don’t keep your boss waiting.”
Zhao Yihan had said everything she needed to say, and although she guessed Wei Lai would surely explain, she still couldn’t shake off her worry. Coming here herself gave her peace of mind.
“President Zhou, I won’t disturb you any longer then.”
She gave a slight nod and gestured to Wei Lai with a phone sign before turning around and leaving.
During their conversation, He Wancheng and Zhang Yanxin’s cars left the restaurant one after the other.
Zhou Sujin didn’t intend to pursue the matter further. Seeing that Wei Lai hadn’t shown any intention of getting out of the car. “What, you want to come back to the hotel with me?”
Wei Lai: “……”
She awkwardly chucked, “President Zhou, I’m really sorry for causing you trouble tonight.” She got out of the car, and before closing the door, she added a thank you.
Zhou Sujin didn’t respond, and the black Bentley slowly drove away.
Tonight felt like a dream. Wei Lai sobered up for a moment by the roadside before taking out her phone to call a ride and noticing that Zhou Sujin’s watch was still on her left arm. After the dinner, she and Zhou Sujin had forgotten that the watch was still on her wrist.
