Category: A Love Letter to Wei Lai

President Zhou, Don’t Forget To Show Your Face When You Pick Me Up

Upon receiving the time and address of the gala, Zhou Sujin forwarded the details to his secretary and instructed him to find out who was hosting the event.

The doorbell rang, and Lu An arrived uninvited.

What brings you here? Zhou Sujin motioned toward the bar with his chin, indicating he could help himself.

Lu An, never one to stand on ceremony, selected the most expensive bottle of wine available and said, “Can’t I come over just to hang out? I can’t pretend not to know about your housewarming.”

He had bought a housewarming gift, which was on its way.

Lu An picked up two wine glasses, but before he could pour into the second one, Zhou Sujin stopped him with his hand. “You drink by yourself.”

Lu An shrugged and re-corked the bottle.

Sitting in front of the 270-degree floor-to-ceiling windows, sipping wine, and taking in the view of the surrounding mountains and misty clouds, he thought, This must be the life of the gods.

He could understand why Zhou Sujin chose to buy a high-floor, spacious condo in Jiang’an Cloud Residences.

“Try not to come over unless necessary.”

“What?”

Lu An was lost in the beauty of the scenery and couldn’t believe what his childhood friend was saying to him.

“Wait, why can’t I come? I can stay in any of your properties around the world and borrow any of your cars, but I can’t come here?”

He took a big gulp of wine, feeling slighted. “It’s not like I’m bringing over random people.”

Zhou Sujin: “That doesn’t matter.”

Lu An stared at him intently. “Did you really buy this place for Wei Lai?”

For the first time, Zhou Sujin didn’t dismiss such a question and actually responded, albeit with a single word. “En.”

“What exactly is going on between you and Wei Lai? You’re moving faster than a rocket! Is she some kind of fairy descended from heaven?” Lu An was dying of curiosity about this Wei Lai.

She had only known Zhou Sujin for such a short time, yet her treatment was already the same as his.

No, it had already surpassed his.

No matter how much Lu An pressed for details, Zhou Sujin refused to divulge further.

Lu An felt indignant. “I never hide anything about my relationships from you. I tell you everything, yet you’re keeping things from me.”

Zhou Sujin looked up. “What have you told me?”

Lu An: “…”

Whatever, no point bringing up the past.

He took another sip of his wine in silence.

Zhou Sujin’s phone on the bar buzzed. He picked it up immediately and saw it was a message from his secretary, Yang Ze.

“President Zhou, Miss Wei is attending the Yunhui Group’s annual gala this Friday night.“

Zhou Sujin: “Got it.“

Yunhui Group’s boss, Wen Changyun, was his childhood friend’s father-in-law. Back when he and Lu An came to Jiang City to invest, it was this childhood friend who set their KPIs.

“Finish your drink and head back. I’ve got a lot on my plate lately.” He showed his visitor the door.

Lu An, though angry, didn’t argue. To make himself feel better, he swiped the remaining half bottle of wine on his way out.

After seeing Lu An out, Zhou Sujin returned to his study to continue working.

Over the next two years, he’ll need to visit Jiang City frequently. He couldn’t neglect his work and responsibilities. So, he decided to increase investments in Jiang City Industrial Park, still focusing on semiconductor materials. It involved multiple parties and required significant coordination.

On Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., Zhou Sujin arrived at the Riverside Club* for a scheduled meeting.

Riverside Club – this refers to a private member’s club where members have to pay an annual fee to be part of

“President Zhou, they’ve arrived.”

Yang Ze hurried over. As Zhou Sujin’s executive assistant, he used to be virtually inseparable from him during business trips like a shadow. However, now that the boss no longer stayed in hotels but in his own house, he tried to remain inconspicuous, only appearing during negotiations.

As they walked, Zhou Sujin instructed, “Clear my schedule from 7:00 to 7:50 tonight. I’ll be attending Yunhui Group’s annual gala. Any appointments after 10:00, cancel them all.”

“Got it.”

With only 50 minutes allocated by the boss for the gala, including travel time, it seemed he would only spend three to five minutes at the event, likely just to greet the Yunhui Group’s chairman.

At 10:00 p.m., it was to pick up Miss Wei from the gala.

Yang Ze sent both time slots to Uncle Yan, asking him to plan the routes in advance.

The party didn’t start until 7:30 p.m., but Zhou Sujin arrived at 7:20 p.m., causing quite a stir.

Wen Changyun, the chairman of Yunhui Group, personally greeted Zhou Sujin and apologized for any oversight in welcoming him.

“Uncle Wen, you’re too polite,” Zhou Sujin said, taking a glass of wine from a server’s tray and toasting Wen Changyun.

It was rare for any soiree in Jiang City to successfully invite Zhou Sujin. His presence tonight, and his choice to address Wen Changyun informally, was entirely due to this childhood friend.

Wen Changyun: “When did you arrive here? Come over for dinner when you’re free.”

Zhou Sujin responded courteously, “Last night. I’m here to meet investors.” He placed his empty glass back on the tray and took another. “Uncle Wen, please excuse me. There’s a table of people waiting for me over there.”

After toasting twice and chatting for less than 10 minutes, Zhou Sujin left the gala.

Wei Lai arrived at 7:35 PM. As soon as she entered the venue, she was surrounded by a group of superficial friends, women she had met through Zhang Yanxin. Every encounter with them involved various forms of probing and often veiled remarks, devoid of genuine concern.

“Lai Lai, what have you been up to lately? We’ve missed you so much! Where’s your CEO Zhou? We heard he’s here in the city. Why didn’t he come with you?”

Wei Lai smiled. “He’s busy.” She paused deliberately and then added, “He’ll come pick me up later once he’s done with work.”

The women inwardly rolled their eyes. Sure, like we believe that.

If you two really hadn’t broken up, he’d be here with you.

Come on, even Zhou Sujin accompanied his marriage partner to hotpot, and you’re still here yapping.

“I heard that President Zhou doesn’t like hotpot. Is that true?”

Wei Lai kept her smile, responding with a self-deprecating retort, “Heard? I also heard I took an overnight bullet train to Beijing, crying to win Zhou Sujin back.” She then shifted the topic smoothly, “But you all know I love hotpot the most. He often eats it at home with me.”

Shameless.

“Long time no see, Wei Lai.” The one who greeted her was Mu Di. Today, Zhang Yanxin had some business to tend to and didn’t come with her.

Wei Lai gave a slight nod without showing any emotion.

Her superficial friends shot sidelong glances at Mu Di, with one of them even sneering at her. Wei Lai was used to it; they weren’t standing up for her but simply didn’t like Mu Di. Their family backgrounds were all outstanding, so they weren’t afraid of offending her.

Mu Di didn’t even look at them and gently clinked her glass against Wei Lai’s.

She knew Wei Lai hated her, especially since Wei Lai had once poured her heart out for her at work. Her feelings for Wei Lai were complex, a mix of jealousy and guilt.

Mu Di downed her drink. “I was hoping to have a drink with you and President Zhou, but I didn’t expect him to leave so quickly. Let’s catch up another time.”

With that, she walked away with her empty glass.

Wei Lai was stunned.

Zhou Sujin was here?

She never mentioned he would attend the gala.

Her superficial friends were equally puzzled, echoing the same question: Zhou Sujin was here? When did he come?

Wei Lai pulled her phone out from her purse and stepped outside the venue, texting Zhou Sujin, “I heard you were here at the gala? I just got here. Why didn’t you wait for me?“

Zhou Sujin called her directly, “Wen Changyun is my friend’s father-in-law. Since I’ll be picking you up later, I thought I should stop by and say hi first.”

So that was it.

Wei Lai said regretfully, “If you had told me beforehand, I would’ve come earlier and we could’ve met.”

Zhou Sujin could easily read her true intentions. “Did not meeting me ruin your chance to show off in front of Mu Di?”

Being seen through, Wei Lai admitted openly, “En.”

Zhou Sujin: “I’ll pick you up at ten.”

Wei Lai said softly, “President Zhou, don’t forget to show your face when you pick me up.”

Zhou Sujin: “…”

Give an inch, and she’ll want a mile by acting cute with him again.

“I have to get back to work,” he said before hanging up the phone.

Wei Lai put away her phone, reminding herself of the real reason she was at the gala: to find an opportunity to meet the person in charge of Yunhui Group’s malls.

After touching up her makeup, she returned to the venue, which was now bustling with people.

During the two years with Zhang Yanxin, he had taken her everywhere he went. Along with Yuan Hengrui’s “persistent infatuation” with her, she had become quite a well-known figure in Jiang City’s social circle.

“Gorgeous, long time no see. Haven’t seen you around lately; it’s getting hard to catch a glimpse of you now,” someone joked as they greeted her.

Wei Lai handled these interactions with ease and said with a smile, “It’s because I’ve been crying my eyes out in Beijing that I nearly went blind, so I didn’t dare step outside.”

“Haha,” the person laughed, clinking their glass with hers.

Wei Lai drank a sip, just for the gesture. “I need to find someone. Let’s catch up later.”

Tonight, the person in charge of the malls was seated with the owner of Blissful Garden Supermarket and Mu Di, chatting happily. Approaching them now would only be awkward for her.

Blissful Garden Supermarket’s owner was Mu Di’s uncle and had the strongest connections among all the community chain supermarkets in Jiang City. It was no surprise that Mu Di would do everything she could to help Blissful Garden Supermarket secure the spot in the mall.

If she were Mu Di, she would do the same to help out her uncle.

Contemplating the situation, Wei Lai downed her drink in one go. Now it was a matter of competing based on their respective merits.

She grabbed another drink and made her way toward Wen Changyun, Yunhui Group’s Chairman.

Wen Changyun was the busiest person tonight. Naturally, everyone attending the gala wanted to chat with the host. Wei Lai had been waiting patiently by the side for a full hour before finally seizing a brief opportunity to chat with him alone.

“Hi, Mr. Wen.”

Wen Changyun had just seen off a friend who came to show support and was about to step out for a smoke.

The voice was unfamiliar, so he turned around.

“Hi, Mr. Wen, I’m Wei Lai, the Operations Manager for Wei Lai Supermarket. I just need two minutes of your time, two minutes is all I need.”

Wen Changyun looked at the girl in front of him, who was about the same age as his daughter and nodded slightly.

Even as the richest man in Jiang City, he was not unfamiliar with Wei Lai Supermarket. There was one right across from his company’s building, a store he passed by every day on his way to and from work for over 20 years.

“Same name as the supermarket?”

Wei Lai smiled. “Yes, and the same age too.”

She got straight to the point, “I only need two minutes of your precious time. I’d like to discuss the possibility of securing the operating rights for the supermarket in the basement level of your company’s new mall.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a set of ring-bound cards from her purse. Each card was half the size of an A4 paper, an unconventional project proposal.

“Mr. Wen, please take a look.”

Wen Changyun, both a chairman and a doting father, couldn’t help but think of his own daughter. He wondered if she was just as cautious when seeking investments.

Suppressing his urge to smoke, he gestured toward the VIP area with a nod of his chin. “Let’s go sit over there.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wen.”

Wei Lai presented numerous pictures in the project proposal. “Here’s a redesigned interior layout by our designer for our stores. Each store follows a unified style, yet each has its unique features.” She then highlighted the innovative concepts of the free book bar and study room, succinctly summarizing the supermarket’s management philosophy on the cover page of the project proposal, making it clear and concise.

This was the most creative project proposal Wen Changyun had ever seen. It was convenient enough to fit in a purse, which was essential for attending a party without carrying bulky documents. The proposal consisted of eight pages, with seven pages of images, and only the first page containing text.

So, two minutes were enough to look through it.

He went through it again from the beginning.

The overall style of the supermarket was in step with the younger generation, yet its management philosophy remained grounded and steadfast, seeking stability amidst change.

Sometimes, partnerships simply boil down to the alignment of a single idea, without any complex reasons.

Wen Changyun turned and gestured for his secretary to approach. “Get Xiao Wei’s contact information and pass her business card to Lu Song. Tell him it’s my decision.”

The secretary was surprised at what this girl named Wei Lai could possibly have done to secure the operating rights of the supermarket from the Chairman in just a few minutes.

“Got it, Chairman Wen.”

Lu Song was the person in charge of the malls. Passing Wei Lai’s business card to him and having Lu Song contact her meant that the deal was essentially sealed. Wei Lai thanked Wen Changyun once again.

Just at this moment, there was another commotion near the entrance of the venue.

The secretary glanced over, hardly believing his eyes. “Chairman Wen, President Zhou is here again.”

Wen Changyun, seated at the moment, couldn’t see who it was. Among the guests tonight, there were five or six CEOs with the surname Zhou, so he asked, “Which President Zhou?”

Secretary: “Zhou Sujin.”

Wen Changyun was momentarily taken aback but quickly stood up to greet him.

Wei Lai rose from the sofa and followed suit.

Zhou Sujin smiled as he extended his hand. “Uncle Wen, sorry to bother you again.”

Wen Changyun had already sensed something unusual tonight but hadn’t quite pinpointed what it was. He joked, “I’m pleasantly surprised. Let’s have a drink upstairs?

There was a VIP room upstairs, quiet and private.

Zhou Sujin: “Thank you, but I’m good for tonight.”

With that, he gestured toward Wei Lai, indicating for her to come over, then turned back to Wen Changyun. “I was in a rush earlier, so I could only stay for a few minutes. She wasn’t happy to have missed me, so I came back to specifically pick her up. Let’s save the drinks for next time.”

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After The Gala Ends, I Want You to Pick Me Up

Just a moment ago, she was anxious as if walking on thin ice, but the next, her surprised expression almost couldn’t be concealed.

Zhou Sujin lowered his gaze, observing the subtle change on her face.

Wei Lai looked up, her expression returning to normal. “Thank you, President Zhou.”

Zhou Sujin calmly turned his attention to his stack of documents, setting aside the ones he hadn’t looked at yet.

It’s human nature to take advantage of something when given an inch, so he couldn’t blame her.

But indulging her unconditionally without any principles would be his own fault.

His gaze swept briefly over her face. “Did you used to get your way by acting cute?”

Wei Lai nodded honestly. Since she was a little girl, she got her way by acting cute; it was innate.

She added, “That wasn’t really acting cute at first.”

Zhou Sujin held the last few documents in his hand, about to put them down but paused, turning to look at her for several seconds.

Wei Lai met his guarded gaze, suddenly realizing she had misspoken. Saying too much could indeed lead to missteps. She hadn’t even fully resorted to acting cute, yet he had already relented. Where could he save face now?

“President Zhou, I…”

Despite her usual silver tongue, she found herself at a loss for words.

Zhou Sujin didn’t pursue the issue. “Why so anxious? I’ve already agreed to it. I won’t go back on my word.”

Wei Lai: “I know you wouldn’t.”

Zhou Sujin promptly continued, “Don’t say things like ‘I’m a good person’ in the future.”

Wei Lai remained silent.

Zhou Sujin stared at her. “Talking isn’t your thing now?”

Just at this moment, the sound of suitcase wheels rolling came from the living room, accompanied by a voice. “President Zhou?”

Uncle Yan and Zhou Sujin’s bodyguards brought the remaining luggage over, two of which contained books. Uncle Yan directly brought it over to the study.

In the past, as long as Zhou Sujin left the study door open, he could directly deliver things over. Now with the presence of Wei Lai, it was a bit inconvenient, so he had to announce his presence first.

Zhou Sujin responded with a simple, “In the study.”

Wei Lai took a step back and leaned casually against his desk, picking up a document from it.

The document remained in her hand, with its cover unturned.

Uncle Yan pushed the two boxes of books inside and placed them by the door.

Given Zhou Sujin’s purchase of a condo in Jiang City due to Wei Lai and the subsequent arrival of numerous personal belongings, Uncle Yan was not surprised to see Wei Lai looking over important documents of Kunchen Group.

Before leaving the study, Uncle Yan inquired about dinner plans for the evening. With Zhou Sujin’s instructions not to hire any help, Uncle Yan was left to take on the role of makeshift steward.

Turning to Wei Lai, Zhou Sujin asked, “What would you like for dinner?”

Quickly scanning the two boxes, Wei Lai realized the books inside would only take her half an hour to organize, allowing her several hours of free time.

“I’ll make some furikake* rice for myself. Uncle Yan, could you help me prepare some lettuce, beef… Actually, I’ll just order it myself.”

furikake – a dry Japanese condiment that contains a mixture of dried fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and MSG. There are many variations.

Zhou Sujin didn’t eat seaweed, so he told Uncle Yan, “Have my dinner sent from the Riverside Restaurant.”

Uncle Yan: “Got it.”

Each ate their own thing. There were moments when they were quite distant, not quite like a couple. Perhaps he was overthinking things.

For dinner, Wei Lai ordered the necessary ingredients from her family’s supermarket and prepared a furikake beef bibimbap along with a mushroom soup. Except under exceptional circumstances, she never messed up a meal.

Meanwhile, Uncle Yan went outside to organize the other luggage. Zhou Sujin closed the door to the study and gestured toward the sofa by the window with his chin, indicating to Wei Lai, “Go sit over there.”

He took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of a chair, then opened the boxes to begin organizing the books.

“President Zhou, let me help you with that.”

“No need,” Zhou Sujin declined directly.

These were all books he often read, and Wei Lai didn’t understand his reading habits.

Wei Lai had no choice but to sit down. However, with the “client” boss being so busy, she, as the “contractor” employee with nothing to do but oversee, felt restless and uneasy.

She stood up. “I’ll help you hand over the books. Watching how you arrange them will help me get to know you better.”

Zhou Sujin glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the bookshelf, continuing to organize the books. “Know so much about me for what?”

Wei Lai: “The better we know each other, the more tacit we become. Otherwise, even Uncle Yan will see through us eventually.”

The half-minute of silence that followed felt as long as a century.

After organizing the first box of books, Zhou Sujin bent down to open the second box. He took out five or six books at once and handed one to her. “Sort this.”

It took Wei Lai a moment to understand his intention. Watching him arrange the books wasn’t as effective as doing it herself to get to know him better. She walked over and took the book from him.

He handed her the books one by one, and she only needed to arrange them in order. This sequence likely reflected his reading preferences or habits.

Uncle Yan had told her that Zhou Sujin didn’t like people around him talking too much, so she didn’t try to make small talk.

Every time he handed her a book, she caught a glimpse of his cufflink and his new watch partially covered by his cuff sleeve.

Wei Lai memorized the titles of all the books she placed on the shelf, even remembering which books were next to which.

Once the books were organized, Zhou Sujin sat back at his desk to review some documents.

Uncle Yan knocked on the door again, this time to ask for Wei Lai’s help.

“Miss Wei, could you help me figure out how to organize the clothes?” He had sorted most of the other items but was unsure how to organize the clothes and watches.

Wei Lai was even less certain about how to organize the clothes, but she remained composed and relaxed in front of Uncle Yan. “I’ll take care of organizing the clothes. Uncle Yan, feel free to get back to your tasks.”

There were a total of five boxes containing clothes and personal items. Standing in the walk-in closet for a while, she didn’t even know where to start.

Unlike books, clothes were more personal.

As the walk-in closet door opened, Wei Lai turned around to see Zhou Sujin entering. He said, “Hang the suits and coats in the first wardrobe, shirts in the second. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Wei Lai laid the biggest suitcase flat. It wasn’t shipped from Beijing but brought directly from the hotel. Pulling off the dust cover, she saw her white blazer neatly folded on top of his shirts.

Clothes would only be placed together like this if the relationship was very intimate.

Suppressing her quickened heartbeat, she hurriedly moved her blazer to the nearby sofa.

It must have been the hotel butler who packed his suitcase, assuming she was his girlfriend, and thus placed their clothes together without hesitation.

Zhou Sujin also noticed her blazer as well. “The hotel butler packed it.”

Wei Lai nodded. “I know.”

Zhou Sujin handed her a hanger. “Hang it in the entryway closet. Don’t forget to take it when you leave.”

His calm demeanor dispelled her awkward embarrassment.

“Thank you, President Zhou.”

She wasn’t thanking him for the hanger—he should know why.

Relieved to no longer be in the bedroom, Wei Lai quickly stepped out with her blazer and the hanger. Just then, the groceries she had ordered on her phone arrived.

After finished cooking her bibimbap and mushroom soup, Zhou Sujin’s takeout still hadn’t arrived.

“President Zhou, I’ve made some bibimbap. Would you like to try some?”

Zhou Sujin glanced up at her before returning to his documents. “Go ahead and eat.”

It was a polite refusal of her offer.

“Okay, I’ll let you get back to work.” Wei Lai closed the door.

Just as she sat down and took a few bites, the doorbell rang, and the takeout arrived.

Among the dishes from Riverside Restaurant, half were seafood. Worse, even the non-seafood dishes weren’t to her liking either.

He also didn’t eat hotpot, which was one of her favorite foods. If not for health concerns, she could eat it every day.

Thankfully, she wasn’t in a real relationship with him; otherwise, their vastly different tastes would make it very difficult.

Zhou Sujin came out of the study and sat down across from her.

Wei Lai took a bite of her bibimbap and silently watched him.

“What’s the matter?”

He was rolling up his sleeves but sensed her occasional glances.

Wei Lai: “Nothing. Do you like seafood?”

“It’s alright.”

Zhou Sujin picked up his chopsticks and started eating. It was his first time having seafood from Riverside Restaurant. Last time, He Wancheng had brought him a seafood paella from there, and he found their seafood quite good, so he had Uncle Yan order from there.

With only the two of them in the condo, it was easier to talk.

He asked her, “After spending a few days together, do you have any comments or additional considerations?”

Wei Lai nodded, “Yes.”

She was always diligent in her work, even though this was just a part-time job.

“When I’m dating someone, I’m used to being pampered, indulged, and not given the cold shoulder.”

Zhou Sujin: “…”

He chuckled softly.

After a moment, he looked at her. “We’re not actually dating. Why are you telling me this?”

Wei Lai explained, “I’m a bit scared of you, but I can’t show that in front of Uncle Yan and your family.”

Zhou Sujin countered, “If you’re scared, how can you act so spoiled with me?”

That was because she had no other choice.

Most of the time, she still felt intimidated by him and couldn’t relax around him like she could with others.

After dinner, she stayed alone in the living room while Zhou Sujin went back to his study to work.

When there were no outsiders around, they were like strangers, and the living room was the only place where she felt at ease.

A little past 9:00 p.m., Wei Lai decided it was time to leave.

Unlike the previous meetings at the hotel where she had to stay long enough to avoid any doubts, meeting at one’s place was the most convenient. She could come and go as she pleased without any restrictions.

“President Zhou, I’m heading back now.”

Zhou Sujin nodded and then added, “I’ll be busy tomorrow.”

Wei Lai understood what he meant—there was no need to meet tomorrow.

“Then I won’t come by tomorrow.”

Once again, she forgot to take her white blazer from the entryway closet.

Leaving Zhou Sujin’s place, Wei Lai went to her mom’s house. After running into her dad at her condo last night, she couldn’t guess her mom’s feelings, so she wanted to spend some time with her today.

“Mom, I’m staying over at your place tonight,” she sent a voice message to her mom.

“Where are you right now? I’ll come pick you up.”

“No need to pick me up, it’s far away. I’m over around Jiang’an Cloud Residences.”

Cheng Minzhi had been to Jiang’an Cloud Residences once before. It was a high-end residential area developed by the Jiang’an Group, not far from the Jiang’an Villa area.

Her daughter didn’t hide where she was, seemingly intending to divulge some information to her.

It was almost 10 p.m. when Wei Lai arrived at her mom’s house.

As she crossed through the courtyard, before reaching the living room door, it swung open from the inside. Her mom, wearing glasses, hurried down the stairs without taking them off.

“Mom, are you still working overtime?”

Cheng Minzhi took the purse from her daughter’s shoulder. “Well, I can’t sleep anyway. I’m planning to open the sixteenth store.”

Wei Lai perked up. “Where are you planning to open it?”

Cheng Minzhi: “The mall at the industrial park has started leasing retail spaces. They plan to allocate 4,000 square meters on the basement level for a supermarket to meet the daily needs of the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Wei Lai knew about the newly constructed mall at the industrial park, which was owned by the Yunhui Group. It was an eight-story comprehensive shopping mall with a wide range of facilities for dining, entertainment, and shopping.

Surrounding the mall were more than ten newly completed residential areas, mostly inhabited by young professionals working in the industrial park. There weren’t any large-scale supermarkets planned in the area, so opening a supermarket focusing on fresh produce and ready-to-eat food there would likely do well.

The supermarket wouldn’t need all of the 4,000 square meters of space, so she could allocate two to three hundred square meters to design a uniquely styled free book cafe.

Cheng Minzhi: “Such a prime location, every supermarket will want to get the lease. But no matter what, we’ll give it our best shot.”

After discussing work matters, Wei Lai decided to subtly share some information about Zhou Sujin with her mom. “Mom, did you know that Zhang Yanxin’s wedding date has been set?”

Cheng Minzhi nodded. “I heard about it.”

She had just found out today that Mu Di and Zhang Yanxin’s wedding was scheduled for late December.

Whenever she remembered how her daughter had once happily said, “Mom, I want to marry Zhang Yanxin next year,” her heart couldn’t help but ache for her. It hurt more than her own divorce had.

Wei Lai reassured her mom, “I’ve moved on. With so many suitors, I don’t have time to be sad.” After a pause, she added, “I have a friend from Beijing. We haven’t known each other long, but he’s interested in me.”

She silently prayed for Zhou Sujin’s forgiveness for making things up in front of her mom.

Cheng Minzhi: “Is he the one who lent you the Cullinan?”

Wei Lai nodded. “En, it’s him. But he hasn’t confessed to me yet. He knows I just broke up and am not in the mood for a relationship, so he often comes from Beijing to spend time with me. He’s a good guy.”

She sounded so sincere that she almost believed her own story.

Cheng Minzhi didn’t ask further questions. “When there’s good news, remember to tell Mom.”

Wei Lai smiled. “Of course, I will.”

The sixteenth store for their supermarket chain was officially on the agenda.

The next day at work, Wei Lai began drafting the project proposal. Securing a spot in Yunhui Group’s mall would be challenging.

Her mom had informed her that Blissful Garden Chain Supermarket was also aiming to secure the lease for the mall’s supermarket.

In Jiang City, their biggest competitor was the Blissful Garden Chain Supermarket.

Cheng Minzhi encouraged her daughter, “In terms of the number of stores and connections, we can’t compare to Blissful Garden, but our supermarket’s business philosophy and management level are a cut above. When Yunhui is selecting tenants, they’ll consider various factors, so we still have a pretty good chance.”

“Blissful Garden’s owner’s connections are part of their strength. We’ll have to find a different approach,” Wei Lai said as she got up to pour some water, also filling a cup for her mom.

“Knock knock,” someone knocked on the door.

Wei Lai said toward the door, “Come in.”

She never expected that the visitor would be Zhao Yihan.

That day, she had told Zhao Yihan to drop by her office if she had time, hoping she would but not really expecting it.

Cheng Minzhi hadn’t seen Zhao Yihan for many years. Her current hairstyle and attire looked completely different from when she was in middle school, so Cheng Minzhi didn’t recognize her at first and thought she was one of her daughter’s friends.

“Hi, Auntie Cheng, I’m Zhao Yihan.”

“You’re Yihan?” Cheng Minzhi exclaimed, staring at her in surprise, and apologized, “You’ve grown so tall and beautiful, Auntie hardly recognized you.”

“Feel free to come over to our house sometime. I’ll leave you two to chat.” Cheng Minzhi made an excuse to leave her daughter’s office.

Zhao Yihan placed her purse on the sofa but didn’t sit down. She slowly walked over to the window, looking out at the bustling street, one of the busiest in the city.

Wei Lai made her a cup of coffee, which she sipped while leaning against the windowsill.

“How do you have time to come out today?” Wei Lai asked.

Zhao Yihan: “I’m out on the fieldwork, so I don’t need to go back to clock out.”

After leaving a client meeting, she drove straight to see Wei Lai, bringing something for her in passing.

“At the end of the month, Yunhui Group is hosting an anniversary gala. Our boss received two invitations and gave me one. I don’t need it, so you can have it.”

With that, Zhao Yihan set down her cup of coffee and took out the invitation from her purse.

“Don’t you want to expand your supermarket? You can’t do that without resources and connections. Relying on Zhou Sujin… that’s not a long-term solution. You still need to rely on yourself.”

The invitation was embossed with gold lettering.

Wei Lai was moved. Every time such a rare opportunity arose, Zhao Yihan always thought of her.

Zhao Yihan alleviated her concerns. “My boss knows I’m passing this on to you, and he agreed to it.”

Her boss understood her well enough to know that attending the gala would be pointless for her; she wouldn’t actively engage in conversation with anyone. When he gave her the invitation, he mentioned that if she didn’t want to go, she could give it to someone else.

The only person she could and would give it to was Wei Lai.

“Our boss is shrewd, never makes a bad deal. He guessed that your relationship with Zhou Sujin isn’t shallow and is happy to use this opportunity to establish a good relationship with you.”

After enjoying a cup of coffee and admiring the bustling crowds and traffic for half an hour, Zhao Yihan accepted a mint from Wei Lai. As the setting sun’s rays streamed in through the blinds, she picked up her purse and bid farewell.

Wei Lai opened the invitation. Yunhui Group was the most influential publicly listed company in Jiang City. They held their annual gala at the Riverside Hotel every year, and Wei Lai had been fortunate to attend once, taken by Zhang Yanxin.

At this year’s gala, the person in charge of Yunhui’s malls would surely be present. She needed to seize the opportunity to connect with them and make herself known.

The success of securing the sixteenth store’s entry into the mall depended greatly on the night of the gala.

However, that night would undoubtedly involve encounters with old acquaintances.

After staring at the date of the gala for a few seconds, Wei Lai opened the chat with Zhou Sujin: “President Zhou, how long will you be staying here?“

Zhou Sujin: “Until the end of the month, going back in early October. Is there something you need?“

There was still time then.

Wei Lai didn’t like beating around the bush, so she said directly, “I’ll be attending a gala at the end of the month. After it’s over, I’d like you to pick me up. Would that be possible?” Asking him to pick her up could help ward off some unwanted suitors. Also, it would provide an opportunity for those people to see that they hadn’t broken up and that the Cullinan wasn’t a breakup gift from Zhou Sujin.

“If it’s not convenient, no worries.“

Zhou Sujin was even less fond of beating around the bush, “Send me the address and the end time of the gala. If I’m free, I’ll come pick you up. If not, I’ll have Uncle Yan pick you up.“

Wei Lai: “I want you to pick me up.“

Zhou Sujin: “What, you’re not scared of me now?“

Of course, she was still scared. As she typed “I want you to pick me up,” her heart practically leaped into her throat. “I’m scared, but I’m slowly getting used to being around you.“

Previous | Index | Next

I’ll Agree To It Just Once, But No Next Time

Wei Lai’s phone battery was nearly depleted, not enough for further conversation.

“……My phone’s out of battery…” almost.

Before “almost” could be said, the phone shut down.

“Miss Wei, give me your phone, and I’ll help you charge it.”

“My phone is charged, do you need it?” Uncle Yan thoughtfully asked again.

“Thank you, Uncle Yan, but it’s okay,” she declined. It wasn’t convenient to talk to Zhou Sujin on the phone in the car, so she handed her phone to Uncle Yan for charging.

The unreal and absurd evening finally came to a close. Wei Lai evaluated her performance today, reluctantly giving herself a passing grade. Reluctantly because there had been a mishap in setting up the scene where she accidentally spilled too much lubricant onto his bed sheet while pouring it into her hand.

At that moment, she was anxious to clean it up, but then she thought, such a natural effect couldn’t even be replicated intentionally, so she decided to leave it be.

That’s why Zhou Sujin had asked her how he was supposed to sleep.

Although she had washed her hands, perhaps due to psychological effects, Wei Lai could still faintly smell the scent of strawberries on her fingertips.

Back home, Wei Lai washed her hands twice more with hand soap.

“President Zhou, I’ve arrived home.“

Zhou Sujin didn’t see the message as he was on the phone busy arranging matters with his secretary.

In the bedroom, the room attendant was replacing the old bedsheets and duvet covers with new ones, as the old sheets still smelled of strawberries.

The next day, with no need to meet Zhou Sujin, Wei Lai found herself consumed by work.

As the end of the workday neared, Zhao Yihan called her, asking if she was busy and if she wanted to join her for dinner at their parent’s new home if she wasn’t busy.

“Not busy,” Wei Lai glanced at the pile of sales reports from each store on her desk that she hadn’t had a chance to look at yet and said without hesitation.

After making plans with Zhao Yihan to go home together, she called her dad.

Upon hearing that they were coming home for dinner, her father and stepmom were overjoyed but also at a loss, immediately rushing to the supermarket to buy bags of groceries. Upon returning home, they thoroughly cleaned every nook and cranny of the house and prepared snacks and fruits that they knew the two of them liked.

It was even more grand than Chinese New Year.

Wei Lai arrived at her dad’s gated community entrance first, stopping to wait for Zhao Yihan.

Ten years ago, she didn’t feel like this new home was hers. And ten years later, she still felt like a guest.

“Wei Lai.”

It was Zhao Yihan’s voice.

Wei Lai snapped out of her thoughts and glanced out of the window. Zhao Yihan’s car window was down, and she was the only one inside, her brother-in-law didn’t come with her.

“Jiefu didn’t come?”

jiefu – literally means “brother-in-law”, but people also use it as a term to address one’s brother-in-law

“We rarely have meals together as a family, so I didn’t invite him.”

Zhao Yihan drove into the gated community, and Wei Lai followed behind.

There were two parking spaces at home, but her dad’s and stepmom’s cars were not there. Every time they came back for dinner, they always left the parking spaces empty, making it convenient for them sisters to park their cars.

She brought a gift for her stepmom, one that she had prepared long ago.

Zhao Yihan also brought a gift for her dad.

“Dear, why did you buy such an expensive dress? Don’t spend money recklessly next time,” Zhao Mei took the bag from Wei Lai, which contained a dress.

Meanwhile, Wei Huatian was saying the same thing to Zhao Yihan.

“You have a great figure, and you’ll look stunning in it, so it’s not considered reckless spending,” Wei Lai said with a smile to her stepmom.

Hearing Wei Lai’s sweet words, Zhao Mei burst with joy. “You’re such a sweet-talker,” she said, accepting the gift. “I’ll go try it on.”

Wei Huatian also took his gift back to his study.

The living room finally quieted down. Wei Lai and Zhao Yihan exchanged a knowing smile, accustomed to the recurring “family diplomacy” every time they came back for dinner.

There was an unspoken reservedness in Wei Lai’s interactions with her stepmom, and vice-versa.

Similarly, her dad and Zhao Yihan often found themselves being overly polite during their conversations, each trying to avoid any sense of awkwardness.

That’s why she and Zhao Yihan couldn’t find a sense of home here.

The slightly better part now was that she and this sister of hers were no longer complete strangers.

“By the way, why is your mom’s supermarket still out of stock?” Zhao Yihan tossed her a bag of Happy Lemon snacks that she liked.

“We’re still coordinating, but it should be resolved soon,” Wei Lai said.

The last time she went to Beijing to discuss their partnership with Happy Lemon’s East China Regional Manager, the discussion went fairly well. However, Qi Linsheng still hadn’t arranged shipments to their supermarket.

Pressing too hard would be annoying and wouldn’t solve the problem.

Zhao Yihan absentmindedly snacked on the snacks, unsure how to broach the subject.

Wei Lai sensed that Zhao Yihan seemed to have something on her mind. It was unusual for her to suggest going home for dinner today.

“Sis, what’s the matter?”

“Do you know about those rumors circulating about you lately?”

“I’m aware,” Wei Lai said indifferently.

“It’s been going on for so long. Zhou Sujin isn’t gonna do anything about it?”

“He doesn’t care about these things.”

Zhao Yihan didn’t say anything more. There wasn’t much she could do about such matters.

“What do you feel like eating? I’ll cook today,” Wei Lai said. She hadn’t found a chance to thank Zhao Yihan properly yet.

Zhao Yihan didn’t bother with formalities. She listed a few dishes she was craving. “Let’s cook dinner together tonight. I’ll be your assistant.”

“Sure,” Wei Lai held the open pack of snacks as she and Zhao Yihan walked into the kitchen.

Zhao Mei came out wearing the new dress and headed to the living room to ask Wei Huatian how it looked.

Wei Huatian had been watching his daughter busily washing and preparing ingredients in the kitchen. Glancing back at his wife, he said without even getting a clear view, “Looks good.”

Zhao Mei was accustomed to his predictable response; he always said this regardless of what she asked him.

“Where are they? Did they go out shopping?”

Wei Huatian said nothing, gesturing for her to look at the kitchen.

The kitchen door was made entirely of glass, allowing everything inside to be clearly visible.

Zhao Mei felt immensely happy with the scene before her. No matter what, they were family now. She hoped that her daughter and Wei Lai could get along well and take care of each other in the future.

Wei Huatian, on the other hand, felt a pang of bitterness as he looked at his daughter. He never imagined that he would get to eat a dinner prepared by his daughter, all thanks to his stepdaughter.

Wei Lai’s cooking was great and quick. In just over an hour, she prepared three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a soup, all smelled, looked, and tasted great.

Wei Huatian opened a bottle of low-alcohol liquor and poured four small glasses.

“Wishing you both happiness and good health. That’s all I wish for,” Zhao Mei raised her glass, clinking it with Wei Lai’s and then her daughter’s.

They all followed suit, offering their respective blessings.

Today was livelier than Chinese New Year.

Here is the rest of the content:

Oddly enough, the house was quieter during Chinese New Year. Wei Lai accompanied Cheng Minzhi for Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner, while Zhao Yihan went back to accompany her dad. There were only Wei Huatian and Zhao Mei left at home, so they prepared a simple dinner with just a couple of dishes.

Zhao Mei took a bite of a dish and couldn’t stop praising Wei Lai’s cooking.

Wei Lai smiled but couldn’t fully enjoy herself. She thought of that restaurant, the days when her parents used to accompany her, the days when they would all eat together as a family – all of which were now just memories.

After dinner, she spent some more time with her dad and stepmother, and likewise for Zhao Yihan.

Jiefu called, wanting to pick her sister up.

“No need to pick me up, my mom will drive me back.”

Since they had all drunk, they couldn’t drive, so her stepmom walked Zhao Yihan home while her dad accompanied her on a stroll back to her condo.

As they exited the gated community, Zhao Mei and Zhao Yihan headed south, while Wei Lai and her dad walked north along the sidewalk. Wei Lai linked her arm with her dad’s, suddenly at a loss for words.

Wei Huatian gently patted his daughter’s hand. “You’re better at cooking than Dad.”

“I inherited it from you. It’s just that you don’t cook often,” Wei Lai said.

“That car you’re driving…” Wei Huatian pondered how to phrase it, afraid it might be the breakup fee from Zhang Yanxin.

Wei Lai had driven the Cullinan to her dad’s new house today, and the car was still parked in his parking spot. She had driven it over today precisely to have a heart-to-heart with her dad.

“It’s my boyfriend’s car.”

“……He… you two…” Wei Huatian stuttered, at a loss for words, chuckling. “His family must not be bad, yeah?” At least not worse off than Zhang Yanxin’s.

Wei Lai nodded, jokingly adding, “A tycoon from Beijing.”

“Stop fooling around,” Wei Huatian patted his daughter’s hand again.

“Have you heard of Kunchen Group’s Zhou Sujin?”

How could he not have heard of him?

After a few seconds, Wei Huatian snapped out of his shock. The difference between their families was too vast. “Lai Lai, how… do you feel about this relationship?”

“Not dwelling on the past, not worrying about the future, just cherishing the present.”

Wei Huatian remained silent for a moment. “That’s good.”

On the way back to the condo, it was silent between father and daughter half of the time.

But since Wei Lai kept holding onto his arm, Wei Huatian felt his daughter wasn’t so distant after all.

It was nearly 11 p.m. when they reached the entrance of the condominium. Wei Huatian escorted his daughter all the way upstairs.

“Dad, come in and rest for a bit, have some water. I’ll order a ride for you to go back later.”

“Sure,” Wei Huatian chuckled. “I can’t walk anymore anyway.”

Wei Lai pushed the door open and froze. The lights were on inside, and her mom’s purse and clothes were hanging by the door.

She didn’t know when her mom had arrived; she hadn’t told her.

“Mom.”

“Ah, you’re back?” Cheng Minzhi responded to her daughter while coming out of the bathroom holding a towel she just washed after tidying up her daughter’s room just now.

Seeing her ex-husband standing behind their daughter felt like a blast from the past. She nodded slightly.

Wei Huatian couldn’t remember the last time he saw his ex-wife, so long that he couldn’t recall it. Despite living in the same city, co-parenting, and calling each other in emergencies, they hadn’t encountered each other.

She hadn’t changed much.

“Lai Lai, I’ll head home then.” He patted his daughter’s shoulder. “Call me if you need anything.”

Wei Huatian closed the door behind him, suddenly craving a smoke. He reached into his pocket, but it was empty.

No cigarettes, no lighter. He had nothing.

Inside the condo, Wei Lai bent down to change her shoes, leaning forward deeply, and her long hair fell in front of her, almost brushing the floor.

She struggled to hold back her tears. After over a decade, their family of three had finally briefly reunited.

“I’ll go rinse the towel.” Cheng Minzhi turned to head back to the bathroom.

By the time she emerged from the bathroom again, her daughter had changed into her loungewear. There was no sign of anything amiss on her face as she sat on the sofa, munching on the snacks she had brought.

“Mom, where did you buy these snacks?” Wei Lai shook the bag of the Happy Lemon snack in her hand.

“From our own supermarket. We just got the entire range of Happy Lemon snacks, and their manufactured date is the latest,” Cheng Minzhi wiped her hands with a dry towel.

After the goods arrived at the warehouse, she couldn’t wait to pack a large bag and send it over to her daughter. She had originally planned to call and ask when she would be back, but then she remembered that it had been a long time since Wei Lai had a chance to have dinner with Wei Huatian, so she didn’t want to disturb their father-daughter time.

“Remember to thank Qi Linsheng.”

“I know,” Wei Lai said.

Her mom sat down beside her, and she stuffed a piece of snack into her mom’s mouth.

They chatted until almost midnight, neither mentioning the dinner at the new house tonight.

Watching as her mom’s car disappeared into the abyss from the balcony, Wei Lai felt incredibly sad. She opened her chat with Zhou Sujin.

Apart from playing a role of necessity, she wasn’t anything to him.

In the end, she didn’t send anything and closed her phone.

The next day at noon, Wei Lai asked Zhou Sujin if he was available, planning to go pick up her blazer.

Zhou Sujin quickly replied, “Don’t come over.”

Seeing that it wasn’t convenient, Wei Lai was about to end the conversation when he sent her an address. It was a high-end residential area called Jiang’an Cloud Residences in Jiang City. She had mentioned liking condos, so he bought one there.

His efficiency was unusually high. In just a day and a half, he had already completed all the paperwork.

“Still the same password,” he sent another message.

Wei Lai frowned; she didn’t know the door code for his other properties.

Could he have remembered wrong? Mistakenly remembered telling her when he had told someone else.

“President Zhou, which password?“

Zhou Sujin: “The same as the one for the Cullinan, what else?“

Wei Lai quickly replied, “I didn’t realize it was the car’s password just now.“

She remembered the code for the Cullinan’s safe box distinctly and still remembered it now.

Zhou Sujin: “I’ll pass by the supermarket in the evening and pick you up.“

He hadn’t planned to buy a condo in such a hurry, but after she flipped his hotel room upside down the night before yesterday, he immediately called his secretary, Yang Ze, to secure a condo to be bought and moved in within two days.

Yang Ze was always highly efficient. Within a day and a half, he had found a suitable condo according to Zhou Sujin’s requirements, negotiated the price, and signed the deal.

The condo had been vacant before, so it was ready to move in today after cleaning.

Some of his personal belongings had also been shipped from Beijing by air.

The plane had landed, so Uncle Yan went to pick them up.

With so much luggage, they used the company’s SUV to pick them up.

This time, Lu An came to Jiang City with him for a meeting. He was currently at the Jiang City branch office. When he heard that Zhou Sujin was using the company’s SUV to transport luggage, he found it amusing. “Did you really need to use a private plane to ship your luggage just for a business trip?” He joked, “Are you planning to settle down here?“

Zhou Sujin: “More or less.“

Lu An’s eyes nearly popped out. “What do you mean? You’re not actually into that Wei Lai, are you?“

Zhou Sujin didn’t respond further. He hadn’t intended to tell anyone around him about the contract.

In the evening, he went to pick up Wei Lai after finishing work.

“Come down,” he messaged Wei Lai when he arrived downstairs at the supermarket’s office.

Wei Lai shut down her laptop. “Coming.“

Before leaving, she informed her mom, “Mom, I won’t be working late with you tonight. I’m going out for dinner with a friend.”

Cheng Minzhi smiled. “Go ahead and have fun.”

She noticed that her daughter’s attire was different from usual today.

Unable to resist her curiosity, after her daughter went downstairs, she glanced out the window at the car waiting to pick her up. It was a Bentley with a Beijing license plate, differing from the Cullinan’s by only one digit.

It seemed the owner of the car was the same person.

She didn’t ask for much, just hoped that her daughter would meet a good person to grow old with.

But it was too difficult.

Without seeing which direction the Bentley was heading, Cheng Minzhi sat back in front of her laptop. She was planning to open the 16th store. Finding a partner to grow old with in life was too difficult, so it was more practical to earn and save more money for her daughter.

Downstairs, Wei Lai sat in the back seat of the Bentley.

Not having seen each other all day yesterday, she couldn’t quite tell whether time had passed quickly or slowly during the day.

Two unfamiliar people sitting together left them with nothing to say, especially since he was naturally taciturn.

Today, it wasn’t Uncle Yan driving; this chauffeur was younger.

“Where’s Uncle Yan?” She asked, trying to find a starting point for conversation.

Zhou Sujin: “He went to the airport.”

Wei Lai nodded, assuming he had a friend coming over. It wasn’t until they arrived at the new condo that she realized Uncle Yan had gone to pick up Zhou Sujin’s luggage.

There were a total of 11 suitcases, big and small, making it seem like he was moving homes.

Wei Lai helped push two medium-sized suitcases.

Once inside the condo, Zhou Sujin glanced at the two suitcases in her hands and pointed to the one in her left hand. “You can take that one back with you. It’s full of bags I prepared for you to use when you accompany me home.”

“Your family knows you have a girlfriend?” Wei Lai couldn’t help but feel nervous, despite being mentally prepared.

“Sort of,” Zhou Sujin said nonchalantly, “They’ll know sooner or later.”

“Have they asked how we got together?”

“Not at that stage yet.” Since he went home for afternoon tea last time, he hadn’t returned home as he was busy with projects.

After regaining her composure, Wei Lai asked him, “If someone asks, how do you plan to respond?” She needed to discuss this with him beforehand to avoid any mishaps in the future.

Zhou Sujin glanced up at her. “Just say you pursued me.”

“……” She had never pursued anyone before, and she couldn’t break that precedent even if they were just acting. If outsiders found out she had actively pursued him, how could she continue to mingle in the social circles here? “Can we say it was you who liked me first and pursued me, and it took a lot of effort to finally win me over?”

Zhou Sujin didn’t respond, instead opening a suitcase and taking out important documents.

Wei Lai went over to him, but Zhou Sujin’s aloof demeanor made her hesitate to act coquettishly with him. Summoning her courage, she spoke softly, “President Zhou, can you say something?”

Zhou Sujin remained impassive.

“President Zhou, you’re a really good person.”

“It’s not against your conscience to say that…?”

“It wouldn’t.”

But Zhou Sujin still didn’t relent or change his mind.

Wei Lai looked at him silently, not easily discouraged.

Her finger accidentally brushed against the hem of his suit jacket before gently pinching the corner of his jacket. “President Zhou.”

Zhou Sujin placed the documents he was holding on the desk before glancing at her and pausing. “I’ll agree to it just once, but no next time.”

Previous | Index | Next

Zhou Sujin: “You Forgot To Take Your Blazer. I’ll Keep It Here?”

Wei Lai took a few seconds to digest his sudden arrival. Perhaps it wasn’t so sudden to Zhou Sujin, as he was here in Jiang City for a meeting.

She wasn’t shy at all and said, “See you tonight.”

Zhou Sujin responded, “Okay.”

He asked her where she was, offering to come pick her up.

Wei Lai was currently on the road, out handling some work matters, and hadn’t returned to the office yet. She glanced out the car window. “Are you still staying at the same hotel as before? I’ll wait for you there.”

She added, “I’m near the hotel, so it’s convenient for me to come over.”

But Zhou Sujin insisted, “Just wait where you are.”

Wei Lai found a parking spot and sent him her precise location. In less than ten minutes, a black Bentley turned onto the street.

Recognizing the Beijing license plate, she got out of the car.

Almost simultaneously, Zhou Sujin stepped out of the Bentley.

Separated by three weeks in different cities, long-distance “lovers” finally met again. However, because they weren’t really a couple, her acting still hadn’t reached the point where she could run over and ask if he missed her.

Of course, it wasn’t just a matter of acting; his cold and reserved demeanor made her reluctant to do so.

Meeting his gaze, Wei Lai smiled and greeted him, but for some reason, her smile felt forced, as if she were greeting a client with a professional, artificial smile.

Turning to look at Uncle Yan at the side, she smiled genuinely. “Uncle Yan.”

Uncle Yan smiled and nodded in return.

Zhou Sujin approached her and extended his hand. “The car key.”

Wei Lai handed him the key, noticing his long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles, unable to resist stealing another glance.

It was now their private time together. He got into the driver’s seat of the Cullinan, and Wei Lai got into the passenger seat. It was the first time sitting in a car driven by him.

In the past, it was always Uncle Yan who drove, making it inconvenient for her to talk to him. Now that it was convenient, she found herself at a loss for words.

“I’ll treat you tonight,” Wei Lai broke the silence in the car.

Zhou Sujin: “There will be plenty of opportunities for you to treat me. Today, I came to see you.”

“What do you want to eat?” he asked.

No longer fixated on who would treat whom, Wei Lai blurted out, “I wanna eat hotpot.”

Zhou Sujin: “….”

Wei Lai genuinely wanted to have hotpot, but seeing his reaction, she realized belatedly that he and his blind date had gone to eat hotpot. In their social circle, even the details of what he ate on his blind date were vividly discussed.

She chuckled, “Let’s go somewhere else. If we really go for hotpot and bump into someone we know, they’ll definitely say I’m a copycat.”

Zhou Sujin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. It seemed that someone had told her what he ate that night.

“Accompany me to try some local dishes?”

“Sure,” Wei Lai suggested a renowned local restaurant, a decades-old establishment loved by locals for its authentic and affordable cuisine.

The restaurant was located on the same street as her office, about a ten-minute walk away.

During the designer’s recent visit to Jiang City, she had accompanied them to this restaurant for lunch for five consecutive days, trying out all their signature dishes. The designer had even openly stated that they must visit again the next time they were here.

Zhou Sujin inputted the destination into Maps, and a “Wei Lai Supermarket” appeared on the screen.

“How large are your family’s supermarkets?” he asked casually.

“From several hundred to several thousand square meters,” Wei Lai pointed toward the one displayed on the screen, “This one is the largest, and my office is on the second floor.”

The latter part of her sentence was a bit unnecessary, but once spoken, it couldn’t be unsent like a message.

She was adept at swiftly changing the subject, talking about the SUV, “Why didn’t you opt for the Starlight Headliner?”

Zhou Sujin: “What’s the point of that? You can see real stars in the sky for free.”

Wei Lai: “…”

Not romantic at all.

But in the next moment, he glanced at her and asked, “Do you want the Starlight Headliner?”

The way he asked made it difficult for her to respond.

After all, they weren’t in a real relationship.

Wei Lai could only dodge the main question. “The Starlight Headliner looks nice.”

He didn’t respond, and the conversation subsided.

As they neared the restaurant, Wei Lai realized she had overlooked the parking issue. It was peak dining time, and the restaurant was bustling with customers, making parking spaces scarce. The only convenient place nearby to park was at her family’s supermarket, where there was both an underground and outdoor parking lot.

“We’ll have to park in front of my family’s supermarket.”

She explained, “We’re going a bit late, so there’s definitely no parking now. Sorry, I didn’t think it through.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t care where they parked. It was just a few extra minutes of walking, nothing too tiring.

He asked her, “Do you want to walk? If not, I can drop you off at the restaurant first.” He then added, “It’s okay if you don’t want to walk, no need to be polite with me.”

Wei Lai found it hard to believe he had such a considerate side. Still, she declined, “No need, I’ll walk with you.”

It wasn’t about politeness; how could she let him, someone unfamiliar with Jiang City, go park alone and then walk from the supermarket parking lot to the restaurant alone?

Zhou Sujin signaled and turned into the supermarket parking lot, following the flow of traffic.

The lights were on in the office on the second floor of the supermarket, and someone was standing by the window, taking a break and drinking water. Suddenly, that person turned excitedly and shouted to Cheng Minzhi, “President Cheng, come over here! Quick! It looks like Lai Lai has a boyfriend.”

“A boyfriend?”

Cheng Minzhi almost dropped her mouse and rushed to the window in one stride.

The window glass was opaque from the outside, making it impossible to see inside. She pressed against the glass to look downstairs, only to see her daughter standing by the car, exchanging a few words with the man accompanying her before the two of them walked toward the parking lot exit.

“Lai Lai’s boyfriend has such a presence!”

“He’s not her boyfriend,” Cheng Minzhi said with certainty.

She knew her daughter well. Wei Lai was super clingy, and she had seen how relaxed and casual her daughter was with Zhang Yanxin. But her daughter seemed visibly tense in front of this man, which was definitely not the state of someone dating.

She watched as her daughter walked into the distance before returning to her laptop.

The two walked along the sidewalk toward the restaurant.

Zhou Sujin handed her the car key. “Henceforth, this car will stay in Jiang City for you to use.”

Only then did he notice what she was wearing tonight. She had on a gray-pink gradient sweater, loose and soft, paired with brown shorts and matching ankle boots.

It was too hot to wear a sweater in Jiang City at this time of year, yet it would be chilly at night with shorts.

What was she even wearing?

He didn’t know whether to ask if she was hot or cold.

“Wei Lai.” Someone called her from a light brown sedan parked by the roadside.

She could tell who it was even if the voice turned to dust.

She just hadn’t expected him to call out to her.

“Your jacket.” Zhang Yanxin’s voice was flat. “You left it in my car before.”

Wei Lai forgot what jacket it was, so she turned around to see.

It was a thin blazer.

On his birthday, she had left the blazer on the back seat of his car. That night, they hadn’t even gotten to eating dinner before they broke up. Who would remember to take the jacket in such a situation?

Afterward, various things came up, and she had forgotten about the blazer.

If he genuinely wanted to return her jacket, there were a hundred ways he could’ve done it. Waiting by the roadside in front of Zhou Sujin to return it to her was deliberate, intending to taunt him by bringing up the jacket and sabotaging her new “relationship.”

Fortunately, she and Zhou Sujin weren’t really dating. Otherwise, this sly move of his would’ve caused a rift between her and her boyfriend, even if they didn’t break up.

The most gratifying and face-slapping response at this moment would be to decline and tell him to throw it away.

But she particularly liked the fabric and style of that blazer. She hadn’t worn it many times since she bought it, and it cost tens of thousands of dollars. She couldn’t bring herself to throw it away just like that.

Zhou Sujin asked quietly, “Do you want it?”

Wei Lai nodded. There was no need to impulsively refuse just for the sake of gratification. She decided to go over and accept it gracefully.

Just as she was about to step forward, Zhou Sujin said to her, “Wait here,” before walking straight toward the car parked a few meters away.

Zhang Yanxin was sitting in the car, and Wei Lai’s blazer was in his hand. His expression changed slightly, looking at Zhou Sujin approaching him with disbelief.

He had been waiting here for Wei Lai for over an hour. During this time, two men had been standing guard at the restaurant entrance, never leaving their posts, their gaze sharp and their attire casual. They were Zhou Sujin’s personal bodyguards.

When Wei Lai hesitated about whether to take the blazer just now, Zhou Sujin turned to her and said something. Zhang Yanxin couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he thought Zhou Sujin would ask one of his bodyguards to come over and take it. He hadn’t expected Zhou Sujin to come over himself.

Zhou Sujin walked to the front of the car in a few steps and took the blazer before straightening it out. When facing Zhang Yanxin, he maintained his usual elegance. “Thank you for the trouble.”

Zhang Yanxin had no choice but to get out of the car, even though there was no longer any need for him to do so.

“It’s no trouble at all.”

In the past, they would at least exchange pleasantries whenever they met in social settings. However, there was no unnecessary conversation between them tonight. After Zhou Sujin took the blazer, he turned and left, nodding slightly toward Wei Lai. “Let’s go.”

He kept hold of the blazer, not letting her take it.

Zhang Yanxin withdrew his gaze and instructed the chauffeur, “Let’s go.”

He couldn’t figure out why he patiently waited here for over an hour after seeing Wei Lai enter the restaurant, waiting for her to come out after having dinner with another man.

As Zhang Yanxin’s car drove away, Wei Lai thanked Zhou Sujin repeatedly. “I can hold it myself.”

Zhou Sujin said nothing, simply handing her the blazer.

Just at this moment, a black Bentley slowly pulled up. The front window rolled down, revealing Uncle Yan in the driver’s seat.

Zhou Sujin glanced at Wei Lai’s legs and said, “Get in.”

Wei Lai expressed her gratitude, “Thank you.”

Good, she didn’t have to walk back to the parking lot, and her legs wouldn’t have to endure the cold anymore.

Sitting in the car, she draped the thin blazer over her legs, unable to fathom that Zhou Sujin would personally retrieve her blazer from Zhang Yanxin’s hands.

Without any specific instructions, Uncle Yan drove straight to the hotel.

Looking out the window, Wei Lai noticed they weren’t heading toward her condo.

Alone in the hotel room with him, she pondered how to interact with him without feeling awkward.

“Do you prefer living in a condo or a villa?” Zhou Sujin asked after a moment of contemplation.

Wei Lai turned to face him, surprised. “Are you planning to buy a house here?”

Zhou Sujin: “En.”

Rarely, he elaborated a bit, “Staying in hotels is inconvenient.”

If he came to Jiang City to see her henceforth and she would only visit him at the hotel, never spending the night, it would eventually raise suspicions. Having his place would eliminate the risk of exposure.

Wei Lai considered for a moment, “A condo then.”

She liked houses with more panoramic views, even though she might not necessarily spend much time at home.

Glancing at the rearview mirror, Uncle Yan exclaimed at the speed of the two’s growing affection.

Just after one meal, and they were already going to live together?

As the boss, Zhou Sujin couldn’t possibly discuss everything with his chauffeur. He hadn’t mentioned the contract with Wei Lai of pretending to be his girlfriend to appease his matter. And, Uncle Yan, being down-to-earth, genuinely believed that the two were really in love.

It wasn’t until they were alone in the hotel elevator that Wei Lai asked, “Uncle Yan doesn’t know? Should I be careful about what I say in front of him henceforth?”

“En,” Zhou Sujin pressed the floor button and added, “If even Uncle Yan doesn’t suspect anything, then there’s a chance we can fool my family.” Especially his aunt, who knew him too well. Faking a relationship could easily be seen through by her.

Wei Lai felt the pressure. Any slip-up in their act could arouse Uncle Yan’s suspicions.

Arriving at the door of the suite, Zhou Sujin swiped his card and entered, turning back to her. “Close the door. I still have work to do. Make yourself at home.”

He headed to the study, leaving her alone in the spacious and quiet living room.

Wei Lai sat on the sofa, reviewing the design sketches sent by the designer and discussing the details. Her phone battery was running low, and she didn’t have a charger in her purse, so she decided to conserve battery power.

Feeling bored being alone, she wanted to go home earlier so she went to find Zhou Sujin.

“President Zhou,” she still addressed him as such when they were alone, “approximately how much longer do you think I’ll need to stay here?”

Zhou Sujin was looking at documents, not bothering to look up. “How long do you think is appropriate for you to stay?”

Wei Lai hadn’t thought deeply about other aspects yet. How would she know how long was appropriate to stay? If she knew, she wouldn’t have come to ask him.

Seeing her silence, Zhou Sujin continued, “We’ve only been back for half an hour. You can decide for yourself how much longer you should stay.”

Wei Lai: “…”

She suddenly understood what he was implying. In a normal long-distance relationship, half an hour definitely wouldn’t be enough to make love after such a long time apart.

Zhou Sujin glanced at her and continued, “Aren’t you aware of the services for the presidential suite? They know exactly when you arrive and when you leave.”

Wei Lai responded with a faint “En,” then added, “Got it. I’ll let you get back to work now.” Just as she closed the door, she pushed it open again, politely asking, “Can I take a look at the bathroom and your bedroom here?”

Zhou Sujin’s instinctive reaction was to refuse. Those were his personal spaces, and he couldn’t just let any woman enter them freely.

However, considering that she was now his “girlfriend,” sooner or later she would need to learn about his life, including his clothing preferences. In fact, by bringing her back to the hotel tonight, he had already subconsciously allowed her to enter his life.

Wei Lai was also not insistent on entering the bedroom. “It’s okay if it’s inconvenient. I’ll just look around elsewhere.”

Zhou Sujin: “It’s not inconvenient.”

“Thank you.” Wei Lai assured him, “Aside from what’s provided by the hotel, I won’t touch any of your personal belongings.” With that, she quietly closed the door to the study and left.

When Zhou Sujin finished all his work, it was already close to midnight. Two hours had passed, and Wei Lai hadn’t disturbed him again.

Not seeing her in the living room, he surmised she hadn’t left yet as her blazer was still hanging on a chair.

“Wei Lai?”

There was no response from the room.

Zhou Sujin made his way to his bedroom and heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. It soon stopped, and Wei Lai emerged from the bathroom, drying her hands with a towel.

“Are you done with work?” Wei Lai pointed to the sofa and the bed. “I arranged it a bit. Since we’re acting, we need to act it to perfection. We can’t overlook any details. That’s the only way to ensure a foolproof performance, capable of withstanding any suspicion.”

Looking around, Zhou Sujin noticed the sofa was in a mess, with cushions scattered everywhere and a crumpled towel lying on the armrest. As he looked at his bed, it was even more chaotic.

On the nightstand, there was a half-empty pack of tissues, and the garbage bin was filled with crumpled tissues stained with lubricant. Among the tissues were also three plastic wrappers.

She had fabricated the scene of intimacy down to the smallest details, making it all look convincingly real.

So her visit to his bedroom was for this purpose.

Zhou Sujin glanced again at the bedding that was too messy to look at directly. It was even more chaotic than the sofa, and he couldn’t be angry, nor could he express it.

Looking at her, he suppressed a laugh and said calmly, “How do you expect me to sleep? En?”

Wei Lai tried to maintain her composure, but her voice was noticeably weaker than usual, “Sorry, President Zhou, I didn’t consider it well.” Fortunately, the bed was big enough, so he could just sleep on the edge and avoid the messy area in the middle.

There would be room service tomorrow morning, and this was enough evidence to convince anyone that they were a real couple.

While fabricating the scene, she felt her face burning and her heart racing, even her ears felt hot. But she reminded herself that they would eventually have to share a bed under the same roof when she accompanies him back home in the future. It was better to start getting used to it now to avoid the awkwardness and the risk of being exposed later. She thought of herself as an actress, honing her acting.

She had fulfilled her task. “I suppose it’s about time for me to leave?”

As she passed by him, Wei Lai’s heart inexplicably raced.

Being an actress was really not easy.

Coming out of the bathroom, Zhou Sujin watched her retreating figure. “Let Uncle Yan take you back.”

Wei Lai didn’t refuse. It was late, and her phone battery was already super low. What if it died halfway and she couldn’t pay for the ride?

On the way back, she received a call from Zhou Sujin.

She kept his words in mind, “If Uncle Yan doesn’t suspect anything, then it’s possible to keep it hidden from my family.” As Uncle Yan was sitting in the front, she couldn’t address him as “President Zhou.” “You’re not asleep yet?”

“No.”

“I’m still on the way home but I’ll be there soon.”

Zhou Sujin replied with a knowing “En.” He called to remind her, “You forgot to take your blazer. I’ll keep it here?”

She had a good memory, but in the heat of the moment, she had forgotten everything, just wanting to escape the scene as quickly as possible.

“Okay, leave it there with you for now. I’ll come to pick it up when I have time tomorrow.”

Zhou Sujin checked his schedule for the next few days. He had meetings all day tomorrow. “I’ll be at the hotel the day after during the morning. If you want to come over, I’ll have Uncle Yan pick you up.”

Jiang City was her stronghold; there was no need for any pickups; she just needed to step on the gas pedal to get there.

“No need, I’ll drive over there myself.”

Zhou Sujin: “In the future, if you want to see me, you don’t have to come over yourself. Just give me a call, and I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

Previous | Index | Next

Zhou Sujin Asked Her, “Meet Tonight or Tomorrow?”

Wei Lai had originally planned to stay in Beijing for three days, setting aside a day to treat Zhou Sujin to dinner. Even though they now had a contract between them and were officially boyfriend and girlfriend publicly, owing him a favor was a separate matter.

However, plans often fail to keep up with changes.

Around noon, her dad called her, informing her that he had managed to get in touch with the up-and-coming interior designer.

After looking through the designer’s portfolio, Wei Lai found that their design style was exactly what she was looking for, perfectly aligned with her aesthetics. It was rare to come by such a designer.

Her dad informed her that the designer’s schedule had been nearly fully booked. If it weren’t because he had previously helped the designer resolve a legal issue, she would’ve had to wait until March or April of next year to book a consultation.

“Let Dad help you with half of the design fee.”

Wei Lai smiled and declined, “Dad, it’s really not necessary. I have the money.”

Now wasn’t the time to discuss these matters. Wei Huatian gave his daughter the designer’s number.

Wei Lai immediately contacted the designer. The designer’s studio was in Shanghai, and they arranged to meet in Jiang City tomorrow morning to discuss the design proposal.

She could only abruptly end her trip to Beijing and rush back today.

There were still two years between her and Zhou Sujin—plenty of time. There was no rush to treat him to dinner.

“President Zhou, I’ve bought a train ticket for this afternoon to return home and have a consultation with a designer.“

“I’ll treat you to dinner next time we meet.“

“No need to have Uncle Yan pick me up. I already ordered a ride, and I’ll be checking out of the hotel shortly.“

She sent him three messages in a row.

Zhou Sujin was en route to his family home and couldn’t even have Uncle Yan send her.

He replied, “Got it.“

Returning to the family home today was his mom’s suggestion. She wanted him and his older brother to come home for afternoon tea if they were free and stay for dinner.

The last time they had dinner together was during the Lantern Festival, and it was now September already. He and his brother had almost forgotten what the dinnerware and silverware at home looked like.

Lantern Festival – a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the 15th of the 1st month in the Chinese Calendar, during the full moon. It marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. People would eat sticky rice dumplings.

Usually, he would go home to spend time with his mom when he wasn’t so busy, but there was no dinner.

Today, Zhou Jiaye arrived home before Zhou Sujin as he wasn’t busy.

The several parking spaces were already occupied, with their aunt’s car occupying one.

Apart from their dad, everyone was gathered. Today’s agenda undoubtedly involved the three of them questioning why he had rejected such an outstanding blind date before subtly probing about his girlfriend.

Their uncle had brought his own tea set and was brewing tea in the dining room, filling the whole house with the aroma of tea. Mom and Aunt were enjoying tea and snacks while Zhou Jiaye chatted with their uncle over tea.

“Sujin, you’ve come at the right time. Come have a cup,” their uncle used tongs to place a cup of hot tea on an empty spot.

After exchanging greetings, Zhou Sujin sat down beside his older brother.

“With both brothers present, Ning Ruzhen spoke frankly, “I know you both dislike blind dates, but to be honest, I’m even more fed up. Whenever someone introduces a prospective daughter-in-law to me, they always introduce two. You reject once, I have to reject twice. Today, let’s have a good chat about how to decline blind dates without offending anyone.”

After saying that, she glanced at her eldest son, then at her youngest. The eldest held a snack in his hand nonchalantly while the youngest leisurely sipped his tea, neither saying a word.

“If either of you had a girlfriend, I could still stall the matchmakers. But here you guys are, with no girlfriends and refusing blind dates. How am I supposed to reject others? En?”

Zhou Sujin and his older brother remained silent.

“Say something!”

They remained silent.

Ning Ruzhen’s anger was rising rapidly.

You should come clean about having a girlfriend.

Zhou Sujin turned to his older brother and said, “Why don’t we go back first? Out of sight, out of mind for Mom, and it’ll prevent her from getting mad.”

Ning Rujiang: “…”

Ning Ruzhen was so angry she felt like grabbing a broom and chasing them out.

Seeing the situation, their uncle could only try to smooth things over for the two brothers. “I heard the tea in Jiang City is not bad. Sujin, since you’ve been visiting often, did you bring back any tea?”

He hadn’t brought any.

However, there were other types of tea in the trunk as backup.

Zhou Sujin set down his teacup. “I’ll go get it.”

Their uncle waved his hand, urging him to hurry.

Once he left, the dining room finally quieted down.

“See that? Did you all see that!” Ning Ruzhen wanted to complain to her sister and brother-in-law, but there were too many grievances, and she didn’t know where to start.

Ning Rujiang comforted her sister and shared what she knew, “Sujin has a girlfriend. I heard about it only yesterday, but I’m not sure if he just found someone to deal with the family or if it’s a genuine relationship?”

Ning Ruzhen took a sip of tea to calm her anger. Being constantly angered had become accustomed to her, so she quickly composed herself. She looked at her eldest son and asked, “Do you know your brother has a girlfriend?”

Zhou Jiaye: “Yes.”

Then, he added “Knowing or not knowing makes no difference; I’ve never met her.”

The only person who probably knew the truth was Lu An, but he kept his mouth shut tight. There was no way to pry even half a word out of him.

Ning Ruzhen pondered for a moment, “Here’s a deal: if you find out whether your brother’s relationship with his girlfriend is serious or if he just found her to fool us, I’ll spare you from blind dates for a year.”

Zhou Jiaye: “…”

This temptation was strong.

However, the idea of backstabbing each other was out of the question for him and Zhou Sujin. They had reached a consensus to cover for each other since childhood, seamlessly cooperating every time without any mishaps. Whenever they encountered a problem, they would deflect it to each other or sabotage each other, leading their family to believe they didn’t get along. In reality, it was all part of their strategy.

“Sis, I think we can start by investigating Sujin’s watch.”

“What watch?”

“He’s been wearing a rather ordinary watch quite frequently in the past couple of months. It doesn’t seem like something he would buy himself.”

“What watch did he wear today?” Ning Ruzhen, still feeling a bit muddled from being angered, hadn’t paid attention to her youngest’s watch.

Ning Rujiang: “He didn’t wear that one today. I’ll take a picture of it for you next time I see him wearing it.”

“If you don’t want the family to find out who your girlfriend is, erase any relevant information about your watch.“

While their aunt and mom were engrossed in chatting, Zhou Jiaye quickly wrote a message and sent it over.

Zhou Sujin: “As I told you before, it wasn’t a gift from her. Auntie and Mom can investigate all they want.“

At 8:30 p.m. the high-speed train stopped at Jiang City Station.

Wei Huatian stood at the exit, scanning the crowd for his daughter’s figure.

“Dad!” Wei Lai’s voice sounded from behind him.

Wei Huatian swiftly turned around. His daughter had grown up, and their time together had become scarce compared to before. With her wearing new clothes and a different hairstyle, it would be challenging for him to spot her in a crowded place.

She passed right by him in the stream of people, and he didn’t notice her.

He took her luggage. “Why didn’t you call me if you couldn’t find me?”

Here is the rest of the text with italicized portions kept with enclosing quotation marks:

Wei Lai had assumed her dad was waiting for her outside the station. She had nearly reached the parking lot without seeing him. “I called you, but you didn’t answer. I figured you must be in the lobby, so I came back.”

Wei Huatian suddenly remembered, “I had my phone on silent when I was talking to a client this afternoon and forgot to turn it back on.”

As usual, it was the chauffeur driving today, and Wei Lai sat in the back with her dad.

Once in the car, Wei Lai yawned.

Wei Huatian said distressedly, “You must’ve been exhausted. Take a nap; I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”

Wei Lai shook her head. “I’m not tired. It’s just that my circadian rhythm is a bit messed up.” Going to Beijing and suddenly having a pseudo-boyfriend had disrupted her sleep for the past two nights.

She leaned against her dad’s shoulder and dozed off, inexplicably reminded of leaning on Zhou Sujin’s shoulder last night while asleep.

“Tomorrow, Dad will be busy, so you’ll have to meet the designer on your own.”

“You don’t have to accompany me.” Wei Lai joked, “It’s not like when I used to go to preschool—if you don’t accompany me, I won’t go.”

Wei Huatian smiled wistfully but didn’t respond.

Sometimes he felt like his daughter was growing further and further away from him, a feeling he couldn’t quite describe.

Over the next week, Wei Lai was so busy that she barely had a moment to rest.

With a total of 15 stores, each varying in size, layout, and consumer preferences, Wei Lai took the designer to visit each store one by one, explaining the situation and describing the design effect she desired as thoroughly as possible.

As her dad had said, this design project was a big undertaking.

The designer stayed in Jiang City for six days before returning on the seventh day.

Wei Lai finally had a chance to catch her breath, returning home from work at a normal time today.

But it hadn’t been long since things quieted down when that dark blue sports car appeared again outside her condominium.

Yuan Hengrui leaned against the car door with his hands in his pockets. After standing for a while, his back started to ache, and his legs felt sore, so he decided to lean his entire back against the car, resting his head against the roof.

Before him, the night sky stretched endlessly, so dark that it seemed to swallow everything whole.

With a slight turn of his head, he could see the lights of countless homes.

His car was parked in Wei Lai’s parking spot, and suddenly, two high beams flashed a few times, nearly blinding him.

Wei Lai’s back.

Wei Lai said coldly, “What are you doing again!”

What was he doing?

What else could he be doing?

He missed her.

He finally found an excuse to see her.

During this period, he had been locked up at home by his dad to reflect on his actions. He couldn’t even come out to show off because he couldn’t even walk properly, thanks to his dad nearly breaking his leg.

That day, his dad took him to Zhang Yanxin’s office and kicked him hard in one of his legs in front of He Wancheng and Zhang Yanxin, giving Zhang Yanxin an explanation.

But he would rather have his leg broken by his dad than apologize to that scoundrel Zhang Yanxin.

If given the chance again, he would still punch Zhang Yanxin. After all, it was because of him that Wei Lai was hurt so deeply.

Yuan Hengrui opened the car door and grabbed his phone from the passenger seat before opening a photo.

“See for yourself,” he said, handing his phone to Wei Lai.

Wei Lai’s gaze fixed on the photo, which showed a woman with exceptional looks and demeanor.

Yuan Hengrui glanced at the wind direction and took a few steps back, creating some distance between himself and Wei Lai before pulling out a cigarette box and a lighter from his pocket.

“That woman comes from a family compatible with Zhou Sujin’s. They will get married. They even went on a blind date and met each other. Don’t tell me you’re not bothered by it at all.”

Wei Lai had been so busy lately that she barely had time to sleep. Besides, knowing about Zhou Sujin’s blind date, she didn’t pay much attention even when her plastic sisters tried to pry into the situation.

“Many people have been talking about you behind your back these days. And you? No reaction at all, pretending to be deaf and blind! Someone even saw you showing off that Cullinan yesterday. Wei Lai, do you not care about your reputation anymore? Or do you think your pride and reputation are worthless compared to connections and resources?”

Wei Lai couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Seeing her silence, Yuan Hengrui felt uneasy. She was admitting it.

“So, you’re willing to be Zhou Sujin’s girlfriend in Jiang City, knowing full well that he’s engaged to someone else, just to enjoy the prestige and connections he brings you, right?”

“Since you only care about fame and fortune and don’t care about feelings, would you finally take me seriously if I made it into the top three of Jiang City’s richest list?”

He added, “I’m not bad-looking either.”

Wei Lai shoved the phone back into his arms. “Go wherever you want to cool off!”

Yuan Hengrui took another step back, trying not to let the smoke choke her. “Don’t be mad. I’m just sharp-tongued. I know you’re not that kind of person.”

Wei Lai: “You act like you know me so well.”

“Of course. I know you better than Zhou Sujin, better than Zhang Yanxin, better than you know yourself! Do you believe me, Wei Lai?”

Yuan Hengrui stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it into the trash. “I know you don’t believe me.”

“It’s inevitable. I’m not a big shot, so my words carry little weight. But when I become one of the top three richest people in Jiang City, you’ll definitely believe what I say.”

Wei Lai: “…”

“I’ll get going. Get some rest soon,” Yuan Hengrui retreated before irritating her, driving away in his flashy sports car in a cloud of smoke.

At this moment, mixed emotions flooded him. He was glad Wei Lai’s relationship with Zhou Sujin probably wouldn’t last long, but he was saddened that it would take him ages to make a fortune.

Just a couple of days ago, he consulted a fortune teller to have his fortune told, inquiring about his financial prospects.

The fortune teller assured him that he would naturally become wealthy and prosperous in the future.

As if it needed to be said; he had been wealthy and prosperous since birth. So he asked the fortune teller if he could become one of the top three richest in Jiang City.

The fortune teller suddenly fell silent…

After the sports car left, Wei Lai parked her own car in its spot.

Regarding Zhou Sujin’s blind date and the rumors of her dreams of marrying into affluence being shattered again, she ignored them.

She hadn’t anticipated that over the past few weeks, the rumors would become increasingly absurd. They claimed she willingly wronged herself, unwilling to leave Zhou Sujin, and even went as far as to take an overnight train to Beijing to tearfully salvage their relationship, only for Zhou Sujin to remain unmoved, who eventually grew annoyed and dismissed her with that Cullinan.

“You’re not even part of that circle anymore, yet they still obsess over you, caring about how you’re doing, whether you’ve been abandoned, and even worrying over how much you could sell that car for. Look at how much they love you. (smirk).“

During her break, former colleague Tang Zhi couldn’t wait to share the gossip she overheard in the kitchen with Wei Lai.

Today, Wei Lai was driving the very same car, the Cullinan, and she was currently sitting inside it.

As for the rumors, she simply laughed them off.

It had been over three weeks since she returned from Beijing, and she received the initial design draft for her first store today. The book cafe and study room she had envisioned were faithfully recreated by the designer.

She shared this pleasant surprise with her parents and forwarded the renderings to Zhao Yihan; these three people were now the people she cared most about.

After some thought, she opened her chat with Zhou Sujin and sent him a copy of the renderings too.

“I rushed back just to design this.“

He didn’t reply.

An hour later, Zhou Sujin called.

After three weeks, he was almost like a stranger.

Wei Lai answered, “President Zhou.”

Zhou Sujin: “I just arrived in Jiang City. I’ll be having meetings here for the next few days. Should we meet tonight or tomorrow?”

Previous | Index | Next

The First Day of the Contract

After leaving the blind date, Zhou Sujin went straight back to the office.

He instructed Uncle Yan, “Let her use the car tonight. You drive.”

Back in his office, he had just sat down and hadn’t even opened his laptop when he received a call from his aunt questioning him.

Ning Rujiang had just returned from playing cards, and among the people she played with was the mother of Zhou Sujin’s blind date. It turned out her nephew had rejected the girl after eating hotpot with her.

The rejection was thorough, leaving no room for any delusions.

Ning Rujiang couldn’t understand and was so angry that she mocked her nephew, “Did you realize her choice of broth and dipping sauce didn’t match yours, so you decided your values didn’t align?”

Zhou Sujin didn’t argue back, allowing his aunt to vent fully.

Zhou Sujin: “I simply followed your instructions to show the other party the utmost respect.”

Ning Rujiang was almost unable to retort. She couldn’t understand; the girl was so outstanding and pretty! If her nephew didn’t fancy someone like her, what kind of girl was he looking for?

Zhou Sujin: “I’ll bring her over for you to see if there’s a chance.”

Ning Rujiang caught on and asked three consecutive questions, “What do you mean? Do you have a girlfriend? Since when?”

Zhou Sujin carefully considered how to respond so as not to arouse doubts from his aunt.

Ning Rujiang quickly calmed down, squashing her nephew’s little schemes in advance. “If you found a girlfriend just to deal with blind dates, don’t bring her over.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t say much more; some things were better left unsaid.

Ning Rujiang had to admit that her nephew’s few words had successfully piqued her curiosity.

Since her nephew wasn’t willing to divulge voluntarily, she had to press him a little.

Zhou Sujin wasn’t making excuses to hang up. He had missed several hours of work due to the blind date, so there was still some work unfinished.

Working overtime until 9:10 p.m., he asked Uncle Yan, “When will she be done?”

Uncle Yan: “Just dropped Miss Wei off at the restaurant. The regional manager she was meeting with had a last-minute meeting tonight. The meeting just ended 10 min ago, and he just came out of HQ.”

Zhou Sujin pondered for a moment. “Come pick me up first.”

Uncle Yan arrived in less than 20 minutes, and Zhou Sujin left the office.

Once in the car, he didn’t specify where to go. Uncle Yan wasn’t sure and didn’t dare to presume, so he asked for instructions, “President Zhou, are we going to pick up Miss Wei?”

Zhou Sujin responded with a simple “En.”

Uncle Yan drove to the restaurant where Wei Lai was meeting someone. The parking spot he had parked before was now taken by someone else. He informed Wei Lai, “Miss Wei, the car is parked in the spot diagonally across from the restaurant. Walk about 50 meters north from the restaurant, and you’ll see it.”

He didn’t inform Wei Lai that Zhou Sujin was also in the car.

Wei Lai had just met with Qi Linsheng, and they still hadn’t gotten into the main topic of discussing their partnership yet.

Qi Linsheng’s phone kept ringing tonight one after another, all from the general distributors of Happy Lemon. Unable to ignore the calls, her conversation with Qi Linsheng was constantly interrupted.

Qi Linsheng said into his phone, “Let’s discuss this in detail tomorrow morning. I’m meeting with someone right now.”

It was unclear what the other party said, and he hung up the phone.

Wei Lai learned tonight that all the regional managers held a third-quarter meeting at HQ with adjustments to market policies, which prompted various general distributors from different areas to call in to inquire about the specific details.

Afraid their conversation would be interrupted again, Wei Lai directly handed Qi Linsheng a sales report she had rushed to prepare overnight, along with relevant image explanations.

“Mr. Qi.”

Qi Linsheng, puzzled, glanced at Wei Lai before setting his phone aside to take the report.

The report detailed the expected purchase volume of each snack for the upcoming year for Wei Lai Supermarket. However, that wasn’t the main focus. It was the last column indicating the promotion fees that could be allocated to Happy Lemon based on the actual sales of each snack.

Their supermarket would earn slightly less, sacrificing a portion of their profits for promotional activities. The promotional plans were also attached at the end, providing a comprehensive and clear overview.

Apart from the promotional sales, each supermarket store would display Happy Lemon products in prime spots for free, and two prominent window advertising spaces would also be allocated for Happy Lemon at no charge.

The report consisted of two pages. He flipped to the second page, quickly scanning it from top to bottom.

Per usual practice, promotional sales and advertising fees were covered by Happy Lemon. The supermarkets were not expected to bear these costs.

This was Wei Lai’s gesture of sincerity for a partnership.

Qi Linsheng flipped back to the first page, looking at Wei Lai again. Originally, he hadn’t intended to meet with her.

The first time Qi Linsheng spoke with this woman in front of him, he couldn’t imagine what she looked like, nor did he care about her appearance. He only felt that she was confident, tactful, articulate, and pleasant to talk to, which prompted him to agree to meet her.

Seeing her in person tonight, her appearance was remarkably striking with an innate temperament that overshadowed her capabilities.

He folded the report and set it aside. “Forgive my curiosity, but what did you do before?”

Wei Lai: “Venture capital.”

Qi Linsheng: “No wonder.”

Wei Lai stroked while the iron was hot. “I was involved in several projects of Happy Lemon in the new development zone of Jiang City.”

The day Zhang Yanxin and Mu Di got engaged, the bonus that the finance department deposited to her account was from one of Happy Lemon’s projects.

Qi Linsheng drank a few sips of warm water. She wouldn’t mention Happy Lemon’s projects without reason, and he had a rough idea of what she was getting at.

Wei Lai continued, “I heard that the new factory that Happy Lemon built in Jiang City’s Industrial Park two years ago has entered the trial production stage?”

Qin Linsheng nodded. “En, the new products will be launched by the end of the year.”

Wei Lai: “The pre-launch campaign for these new products has been exceptionally successful. It’s gone viral before even launching, with one snack in particular being eagerly awaited by everyone online. All our supermarket stores have already cleared out a row of shelves specifically for these new products.”

Her flattery came effortlessly to her.

She raised her wine glass in a toast to him. “Mr. Qi, don’t forget to prioritize our supermarket for orders when the time comes. Let’s all make money together.”

Qi Linsheng smiled but said nothing, drinking the toast she offered.

The atmosphere finally lightened somewhat.

Even when dinner was over, Wei Lai didn’t ask him whether he could provide inventory to their supermarket.

As they walked toward the elevator lobby after leaving the restaurant, she chatted casually, “Mr. Qi, when will you be visiting Jiang City? When you come, you should visit our supermarket to inspect the market. We expect all of our stores to finish renovating by the end of next year.”

This time, Qi Linsheng’s response wasn’t so ambiguous. “I look forward to visiting the supermarket.”

As they bid farewell to each other downstairs, Qi Linsheng’s colleague arrived to pick him up. Their destination was out of the way from where she was staying, so she politely declined the offer of a ride.

“Miss Wei.” Uncle Yan wasn’t in the car; he had been waiting outside the restaurant the whole time. He extinguished his half-smoked cigarette. “I sent you a message, but you didn’t see it.”

Wei Lai apologized, “I had my phone on Do Not Disturb while discussing some matters just now. I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”

“No worries.”

Uncle Yan gestured to the north. “The car is over there.”

Uncle Yan took a few steps and then turned back. “President Zhou is also here.”

It was strange, Wei Lai felt apologetic when Uncle Yan waited for her, but she didn’t have the same reaction to Zhou Sujin waiting for her. In fact, upon hearing him in the car, she couldn’t help but quicken her pace.

Opening the car door, she was greeted by a familiar tall figure.

He didn’t turn around at the sound, still focused on his laptop screen.

Wei Lai got into the car. “Thank you for coming to pick me up so late.”

Zhou Sujin: “It’s nothing; just fulfilling my duty as host. And also to discuss some matters with you.”

He saved the file. “Is the partnership settled?” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

Wei Lai: “It should be, not a big problem.”

Uncle Yan started the car, heading to drop Wei Lai off at her hotel first.

Wei Lai waited for him to discuss the contract, but he just continued working. Perhaps it was because Uncle Yan was at the front, making it inconvenient to chat.

Zhou Sujin glanced at her. “If you have nothing else to do, rest for a while. Don’t feel embarrassed.”

Although Wei Lai had caught up on sleep during the day, her sleep hadn’t been very deep, in a half-dream state. In the past, she would have felt awkward sleeping in someone else’s car, but now that their relationship had changed, she needed to gradually adapt.

Without further hesitation, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

Uncle Yan parked the car in front of the hotel entrance, and Wei Lai was sound asleep.

Zhou Sujin called out, “Wei Lai.”

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, and Wei Lai didn’t respond.

He called out again, gently shaking her shoulder.

Wei Lai hovered between waking and sleeping. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, that meant someone was beside her, and reflexively, she leaned toward Zhou Sujin.

Soon after came the fragrance from her hair, a refreshing scent.

In her subconsciousness, Wei Lai grabbed onto the clothes of the person beside her, seeking something to hold on to for security. Her hand fumbled around his waist.

It was only at this moment that Zhou Sujin remembered the pros of captain’s chairs.

Zhou Sujin’s voice was cold and stern, “Wei Lai!”

A chilly tone sounded from above, startling Wei Lai, who was just about to wake up. With a start, she realized what she had done and quickly jerked back.

She quickly glanced at the driver’s seat in panic. Fortunately, Uncle Yan wasn’t in the car; it was unclear when he had gotten out.

“I’m sorry, President Zhou.”

Zhou Sujin wasn’t bothered and changed the subject. “Two years from today, our relationship will automatically end.”

Wei Lai nodded. On the first day of the contract, she had already caused trouble. She was now completely awake, devoid of drowsiness.

Zhou Sujin: “There’s no need for regular contact. If you need anything, just call me. When you come to Beijing on business, you can come find me.”

Wei Lai voiced her concerns which she had previously overlooked. She couldn’t leave Jiang City to develop her career in Beijing. “Being long-distance and unfamiliar with each other, my pretense of being your girlfriend might easily be seen through by your family.”

Zhou Sujin: “That won’t happen. From now on, I’ll come to Jiang City to see you every one or two months.”

Previous | Index | Next

Have You Considered Being My Girlfriend in Beijing As Well?

Wei Lai had just finished showering, and before she could blow dry her hair, Zhou Sujin’s call came in. His crisp, clear voice came through from the other end of the call, “I’m downstairs. Can you come down for a bit?”

As they parted ways in front of the siheyuan, she had thought it would be difficult to see him again.

“Sure, but President Zhou, you’ll have to wait a few minutes.”

“No rush.”

He then hung up.

Wei Lai draped a towel over her shoulders and began blow-drying her hair in front of the mirror.

He couldn’t possibly be calling her about work; the only thing they could discuss was her identity as his “girlfriend”, which might be causing him some trouble.

With her hair dried but no time for makeup, she grabbed her room key and headed downstairs.

That Bentayga EWB was parked in front of the hotel’s main entrance, and she got in as Uncle Yan got off.

“There were only the two of them in the car. She took a deep breath to compose herself before asking, “President Zhou, what’s the matter?”

Zhou Sujin didn’t like beating around the bush. “You’re just my girlfriend in Jiang City. Have you considered being one in Beijing as well?”

It was too sudden, and Wei Lai didn’t know how to respond momentarily.

Zhou Sujin: “You don’t have to date me. Just occasionally accompany me home to deal with my family.” It would spare him the trouble of blind dates. He continued, “I won’t let you help for nothing. You can freely use the title of my girlfriend to your advantage, leverage connections and resources, whatever you like.”

He didn’t need an immediate answer, giving her a night to consider.

However, there were additional conditions to pretending to be his girlfriend. Once she agreed, she couldn’t back out halfway, and during their “relationship,” she couldn’t go on any other blind dates. Any excuses for unavoidable blind dates were not acceptable.

Wei Lai felt a bit overwhelmed, but after composing herself, she looked at him and said, “If I agree to pretend to be your girlfriend, of course, I can refrain from going on blind dates. My parents never pressure me to marry.”

Her concern was, “What about you? What if your family doesn’t care at all about me being your girlfriend and continues to pressure you into blind dates; what then?”

Zhou Sujin: “As long as you’re my girlfriend for even a day, blind dates would be of no concern to me.”

It was strange; she had only known him for a few weeks, and she didn’t know him that well, yet she believed every promise he made.

Perhaps it was because she viewed him through rose-colored glasses.

She still had many more questions. “How long do you plan to ‘date’?”

Just at this moment, Zhou Sujin’s phone buzzed. His aunt had shared the WeChat contact of his blind date, which he ignored. Turning back to her, he said, “At least two years.”

That long?

Wei Lai negotiated with him, “Can’t it be just one year? Or we could pretend for a year first, then decide whether to renew the contract based on the actual situation?”

Zhou Sujin didn’t allow for negotiations. “I don’t have time to change girlfriends often.”

Two years, no room for negotiation. He disliked people negotiating with him the most.

Seeing her hesitation, he gave her time. “Take your time to think about it.” Then he asked, “Do you have plans tomorrow?”

Wei Lai nodded. “En, dinner at 8.”

Zhou Sujin: “You can use the car.”

Wei Lai declined without hesitation. “Thank you, President Zhou, but it’s fine. I’ll take a taxi; it’s more convenient.”

Zhou Sujin looked at her, seeing through her thoughts. “Whether you agree to my proposal or not doesn’t affect me lending you the car. They’re two separate matters.” He wasn’t so unchivalrous. “Even if you refuse me on the spot now, if you invite me to dinner another day, I’ll still go.”

With that, he ended the conversation. “Go upstairs and rest.”

Wei Lai wanted to say something but hesitated.

She hadn’t noticed it when she got into the car, but now she saw that the bag was still in the car.

She was puzzled. “You asked me to pretend to be your girlfriend, but whose bracelets are these…”

It took Zhou Sujin a moment to understand what she meant. Rarely, he explained, “It’s a friend’s gift for his sister.”

Wei Lai felt apologetic. It turned out she had misunderstood; it wasn’t a gift he bought for someone he liked.

Back in her room, she was no longer sleepy.

Having pulled an all-nighter to finish the sales report last night, Wei Lai felt like she could barely keep her eyes open while showering just a while ago. Yet, she was now wide awake, as if she had slept for a dozen hours.

Regarding Zhou Sujin’s proposed contract, she found it difficult to decide at the moment.

Who dared to guarantee that they could spend two years with a man like him, who not only had business acumen but was also charismatic, without developing feelings? Once the two-year contract ended, he would either marry someone suitable or continue finding a contract girlfriend to appease his family.

Two years were a bit long. She was worried that she might develop feelings for him over time. If she harbored feelings she shouldn’t have, she would be the one suffering when they parted ways someday.

However, the conditions he offered were incredibly tempting, especially for someone as pragmatic and worldly as her.

—

Until noon the next day, Zhou Sujin hadn’t received a response from Wei Lai.

Silence implied rejection.

Contracts like these were all about mutual agreement; there was no need to force someone into it.

He found the WeChat contact his aunt shared with him last night and added them as a friend.

In just a few minutes, the request was accepted.

Zhou Sujin sent the address of the restaurant his aunt had booked and said, “Anytime you’d like.”

Blind Date: “I don’t feel like having Italian cuisine tonight.” Seeking his opinion, she asked, “How about going somewhere more lively? How about hotpot?“

Zhou Sujin: “I’m fine with that.“

Blind Date: “Let’s go eat hotpot then. I’ll make a reservation.“

Shortly after, she sent the confirmation of the reservation to him.

Zhou Sujin glanced at the address of the hotpot restaurant; it was near the Kunchen office, only a five-minute drive away.

His aunt was very distrustful of him. Fearing that he might back out of the blind date at the last minute, she called him once at noon and again in the afternoon.

“Try to arrive a few minutes early; don’t let the girl wait.”

“Regardless of the outcome, be respectful.”

“Looks like Auntie is getting old, starting to nag.”

Just at this moment, there were two knocks on his office door. Before he could even say “Come in,” the door opened and Lu An walked in, holding a file folder.

Lu An had been on a business trip abroad recently and had just landed in Beijing two hours ago. Instead of going home from the airport, he came straight to the Kunchen office to discuss a few remaining issues with Zhou Sujin regarding a project.

“Auntie, someone’s here.”

“Alright.” Ning Rujiang said “alright” but didn’t intend to hang up just yet. “Hey, wait, Sujin, why did I receive a message on my phone saying you canceled the reservation?”

“Not in the mood for Western food, so we’re having hotpot.” Zhou Sujin rarely revealed his inner thoughts. “Auntie, I’m not a child anymore. If I added their contact information, I wouldn’t cancel on them at the last minute.”

“Of course, I know you wouldn’t do something like that.”

He should’ve said so earlier, causing her to be needlessly worried.

Seeing the cancellation message, blood rushed to her head, and she almost couldn’t resist swearing.

Upon hearing that her nephew was going to eat hotpot, Ning Rujiang had a gut feeling that this blind date might be successful.

Zhou Sujin bid goodbye to his aunt and hung up.

Lu An was very curious. Who could make Zhou Sujin accompany them to eat hotpot?

“What kind of social obligation requires you to go eat hotpot?”

“Blind date.” Zhou Sujin locked his screen and tossed his phone aside before grabbing his tablet to continue reading.

Lu An stared at him as if he were observing a rare species. “Are you interested in your blind date?”

Without even looking up, Zhou Sujin replied flatly, “I didn’t even know who she was before we got in touch. Where would the interest come from?”

That didn’t make sense.

Normally, Zhou Sujin avoided hotpot like it was his enemy, never touching it. How could he agree to go eat hotpot on a blind date? If he didn’t know who she was before, he knew after getting in touch.

The focal point was that he was willing to accompany someone to eat something he didn’t like after finding out who she was.

Lu An: “Are you… sure you’re not just trying to cater to her preferences?”

Zhou Sujin couldn’t be bothered to respond to him.

Despite being afraid of him, Lu An was also the most gossipy about his affairs. “Didn’t you admit to having a girlfriend in Jiang City? Does she know you’re going on a blind date?”

Zhou Sujin was currently reviewing work reports from various teams on his tablet, looked up, and scoffed, “Even going abroad hasn’t stopped you from being nosy.”

Lu An: “…”

How did this end up being his fault?

He thought to himself, If you had a better reputation and were a good person, Zhao Yihan wouldn’t have asked me so much about you.

Due to his business trip, he missed the dinner with He Wancheng and the rare occasion of witnessing Zhou Sujin going public with his girlfriend. He was dying of curiosity. What kind of extraordinary charm did this Wei Lai possess to make Zhou Sujin be a good person for once?

As for why he was abroad but knew about the events that happened in Jiang City so clearly, Lu An explained, “My university classmate, Zhao Yihan, is Wei Lai’s stepsister. She asked me for your number that night, saying Wei Lai wanted to give you a watch but didn’t have your contact information. I was confused and had to clarify the situation. I wouldn’t just give out your personal number without knowing what was going on, would I?”

“By the way, remember how I was eyeing a villa in Jiang City before? The previous owner was Wei Lai, but I was too late; someone else bought it.”

Lu An took out all the project documents from the file folder and started flipping through them. “Later, I heard that the villa was given to her as compensation from her ex after they broke up. She doesn’t seem to be short of money; her dad has a law firm, and her mom runs a supermarket. Selling it off in such a hurry must be due to a ….” heartbreak.

Zhou Sujin looked up, silently looking at him.

Immediately, Lu An shut his mouth. This kind of expression from Zhou Sujin often meant his patience had run out.

Lu An stayed until 4:50 p.m. before taking his leave.

He couldn’t stay any longer even if he wished to since Zhou Sujin had to go meet his blind date.

—

Meanwhile, in the hotel, Wei Lai had just woken up.

She hadn’t slept at all last night due to thinking about the contract. Staying up all night was exhausting, and even though she slept the whole day today, she still hadn’t fully recovered her energy.

She had plans to meet Qi Linsheng tonight. After getting up, she took a shower, applied a face mask, and spent a long time doing her makeup to conceal her dark circles.

After applying lipstick, she picked up her phone and called Zhao Yihan to tell her about the decision she had thought about all night with her so-called sister.

She could hide it from her parents, but the one person she didn’t want to keep it from was Zhao Yihan.

After listening to all the details of the contract, Zhao Yihan stopped what she was doing and remained silent for half a minute.

“As long as you don’t regret it.”

There was a brief pause.

“Worst case scenario, if you get dumped, I’ll come to Beijing and bring you back.”

Wei Lai laughed, feeling a pang in her heart. She had thought Zhao Yihan would scold her for being crazy and irrational.

She reassured Zhao Yihan, “It’s not like I’m really dating him. Even if it comes to the ‘breakup’ day, it won’t be as painful as last time. Besides, I’m not going to Beijing; I’m staying in Jiang City.”

The feelings of sadness were often beyond one’s control. Zhao Yihan: “Two years isn’t two days. As people spend more and more time with each other, it’s hard to distinguish between what’s genuine or acting.”

After a pause, she continued, “Anyway, since you’ve already made up your mind, enjoy yourself while you can.”

Wei Lai: “….”

“I heard from my mom that you’re working at the supermarket now?” Zhao Yihan changed the subject.

“En. If you have time, come visit me.” It wasn’t just polite words. Wei Lai genuinely hoped Zhao Yihan would come over to visit someday.

They chatted about this and that for a few more minutes before hanging up.

She pulled open the curtains in the room, and dusk had already fallen. It was almost 7 p.m. Zhou Sujin should be done with work by now.

“President Zhou, I’ve decided to accept your contract.“

Shortly after, Zhou Sujin called. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I just finished my blind date.”

Through the phone, Wei Lai could hear the server saying, “Please take care, come again.” It felt like something pricked her heart.

“You didn’t tell me you had a blind date today.”

“En.” Zhou Sujin got into the car and absentmindedly rolled down the window. “Whether I told you or not didn’t matter. If I did, it might seem like I was trying to provoke a reaction.”

Wei Lai was silent for a moment. “Is it too late now?”

Zhou Sujin: “Not too late. If you had replied to me earlier, I wouldn’t have had to go on this date.” It was just an extra meal to deal with; it didn’t matter.

He added, “Are you sure about being with me for two years?”

Wei Lai: “I’m sure.”

Previous | Index | Next

Meeting

Wei Lai stayed with her mom until half past ten before carrying several bags of snacks she bought at the supermarket on her way back.

Seeing that it was quite late, Cheng Minzhi suggested for her to stay over.

“I still need to pack for the business trip when I get back and prepare a sales report.”

“What sales report?”

“I need to request inventory from Qi Linsheng, so I have to show some sincerity.”

Cheng Minzhi nodded understandingly. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Handle it as you see fit.”

Wei Lai opened the car door but didn’t hurry to get in. Instead, she first checked how many valuable items she needed to bring to Zhou Sujin and whether they were heavy.

The safe was located in the center console between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. She bent down and entered the password directly. She had memorized the password Zhou Sujin had given her.

Standing by her daughter’s side, Cheng Minzhi observed Wei Lai’s familiarity with the password as if she were entering her own frequently used password. She stared at the car thoughtfully.

To lend such an expensive car to someone else indicated that the owner must be nonchalant about it, and likely owned more than one luxury vehicle.

Moreover, the license plate of this car was not an ordinary Beijing plate. She had pondered all night but still couldn’t figure out which friend of her daughter owned the car.

Among her daughter’s close friends, there were some whom she hadn’t met but had heard of whose financials didn’t allow them to afford this type of car.

Was it the breakup fee from Zhang Yanxin?

Afraid of delving into her daughter’s heartache, she suppressed her curiosity and casually remarked, “I heard that the starlight roof of the Cullinan is a highlight with meteor effects. Does your friend’s car have it? Let Mom broaden her horizons.”

Wei Lai blurted out, “No, it wasn’t added.”

It seemed to fit Zhou Sujin’s character; he was allergic to these romantic features.

The safe opened, revealing several valuable items inside. At the top were three velvet boxes.

Wei Lai recognized the logo on the velvet boxes. Zhang Yanxin had gifted her jewelry from this brand on their second anniversary, but she had sold all of them after their breakup, not keeping a single piece.

Aside from the jewelry, there were two men’s watches; the combined value of which could buy a Cullinan.

“President Zhou, there are a total of five valuable items in the safe.“

Zhou Sujin sent pictures of three bracelets over. “No need to bring the others.“

Following the pictures, Wei Lai opened the jewelry boxes to reveal this year’s limited edition women’s bracelet collection. Having bought all the styles, it seemed he also understood romance. Wei Lai retracted her earlier words that he was allergic to romance.

If she had known that these valuables were bracelets he intended to give to another girl, she wouldn’t have insisted on bringing them herself. It would have been simpler to just mail them directly.

—

The next morning at 11 a.m. Wei Lai took a taxi to the high-speed train station.

That morning, she had called Happy Lemon’s East China regional manager, Qi Linsheng, to schedule a meeting within the next two days. When he learned that she was the newly appointed buyer for Wei Lai Supermarket and wanted to meet him in Beijing, he fell silent for a moment.

In the silence that lasted for several tens of seconds, there must have been a strong mental struggle. Finally, he replied, “I’m available after 8 p.m. tomorrow night.”

After expressing her gratitude, she immediately booked a restaurant near where he was having his meeting.

Wei Lai’s seat was by the window. As the high-speed train left the city, the window turned into a dynamic watercolor painting: wheat fields nearby, vast expanses of low-lying clouds in the distance, villages nestled among the fields, rivers winding around the villages, and endless power lines stretching into the distance.

Lost in the scenery, her mind wandered off.

“Stay a few more days in Beijing and go have fun,” her mom messaged her.

Wei Lai snapped back to reality. “I used to go there often; there’s not much to do.“

She glanced at the bag containing the bracelets. This time, she didn’t plan to invite him to dinner again; she needed to be mindful.

With almost two more stops until Beijing, Zhou Sujin’s chauffeur, Uncle Yan, called her, saying he was already waiting at the exit.

It seemed that Zhou Sujin treasured those bracelets a lot, to have Uncle Yan come over so early.

After agreeing on a meeting point, Wei Lai got off the train and headed straight for her destination with her luggage. She had only met Uncle Yan twice before: once at the hotel to hand her the car key, and once when he drove her home.

“Hello, Uncle Yan,” she smiled, handing over the bag. “These are President Zhou’s three bracelets. Please open it and verify.”

Uncle Yan didn’t take the bag but instead took her suitcase. “You should personally hand over the items to President Zhou.”

“Is President Zhou in the car?”

“No, he’s at the office.”

Uncle Yan explained, “The restaurant where President Zhou will have dinner tonight is less than 500 meters from your hotel. I’ll drop you off on the way.”

Wei Lai didn’t refuse. It was a perfect opportunity to thank Zhou Sujin in person.

Today, Uncle Yan came to pick her up in a black Bentayga EWB. She couldn’t help but wonder how many luxurious SUVs Zhou Sujin owned.

Before Wei Lai could touch the passenger door, Uncle Yan stopped her. “Miss Wei, please sit in the back. There are flowers on the passenger seat that President Zhou bought for his elders.”

“Oh, okay.”

Wei Lai turned and opened the rear door to get in. Like the Cullinan, the rear seats were not equipped with captain’s chairs, allowing three people to sit side by side.

She speculated that Zhou Sujin probably drove SUVs himself most of the time, so the comfort of the rear seats wasn’t his primary concern. Unlike his sedans, which were usually chauffeur-driven and he spent more time in, hence the captain’s chairs in the rear.

Once settled, Wei Lai noticed the large bouquet on the front passenger seat. It was a mix of baby blue hydrangeas and eucalyptus—modest in cost but refreshing and pleasing to the eye.

As they descended from the highway, Wei Lai caught sight of the Kunchen Group’s office building. Its all-glass curtain wall gleamed brilliantly in the sunset.

The car stopped at the main entrance, conveniently allowing her to watch as people came out of the building’s ground floor.

Thanks to his long legs, she saw him take just a few steps down the stairs and walk right up to her in just a few strides.

His crisp black suit accentuated his noble aura, making him imposing.

The chauffeur had already opened the door for him. Soon, a shadowy figure got into the car, filling the interior with his unique scent.

Once he was settled, Wei Lai handed him the bag. “President Zhou, here are your bracelets.”

Zhou Sujin set the bag aside and sent a voice message to Min Ting, “The bracelets have arrived. Come over later to pick them up.”

Wei Lai’s peripheral vision unintentionally caught sight of the bag again before quickly averting her gaze.

“Didn’t you resign?” Zhou Sujin placed his phone away and glanced at her sideways.

Wei Lai understood the meaning behind his question: Why are you on a business trip if you’ve resigned?

She explained, “I just started yesterday, working under my mom for now. Tonight, I have a meeting with a regional manager of a snack company to discuss a partnership.”

Zhou Sujin nodded. He had looked into her background before, knowing that her dad was a law firm partner and her mom ran a chain of supermarkets.

For the rest of the ride, Zhou Sujin handled work matters on his phone, and Wei Lai didn’t disturb him, also occupying herself with her phone.

The SUV drove all the way to a private siheyuan. Zhou Sujin got out, taking the flowers from the passenger seat with him.

siheyuan – a Chinese historical type of residence surrounded by buildings on all fours sides

“President Zhou,” Wei Lai called out to his retreating figure, realizing that it might be difficult to see him again in the future.

Zhou Sujin had only taken a few steps before stopping in his tracks and turning around. He waited for her to continue speaking.

Wei Lai: “Thank you for getting Chairman He to help me out with such a big problem.”

Zhou Sujin said nothing but just nodded slightly in acknowledgment before turning around to walk toward the siheyuan again.

Just at that moment, a voice came from inside the siheyuan. “Your uncle has been eagerly waiting for you. You’re finally here.”

Wei Lai looked over and saw an elegant and noble older woman welcoming him from inside the grand gates.

“Your brother didn’t come with you?”

“No.”

Zhou Sujin handed the flowers to his aunt.

“I didn’t raise you for nothing; you still remember what flowers I like.”

As they continued chatting and entered inside, their voices gradually faded into the distance.

The car started moving again, and Wei Lai withdrew her gaze.

It was only upon arriving in Beijing that she truly felt the vast difference between his world and hers.

Uncle Yan escorted her all the way to the hotel entrance and retrieved her suitcase from the trunk. “Miss Wei, if you need anything, feel free to call me anytime.”

“Thank you, Uncle Yan, but there’s no need. I’ve already troubled you so much.”

She reminded Uncle Yan about the bracelets on the back seat before wheeling her suitcase into the hotel. Meanwhile, Uncle Yan reported to Zhou Sujin, “President Zhou, she has been safely escorted to the hotel.“

—

Just at this moment, Zhou Jiaye, his older brother, had also arrived at their aunt’s siheyuan.

The scolding from their aunt echoed throughout the courtyard, audible to everyone present.

“What’s the matter with you two? I told you not to look at your phones, didn’t I? The more I say it, the more rebellious you guys get, right? Put your phones down.” Ning Rujiang placed the bouquet of baby blue hydrangea and eucalyptus into a vase, commanding her two nephews not to look at their phones.

She had just given them a long lecture, but instead of listening, one picked up his phone claiming he had to reply to an email and the other followed suit.

Zhou Sujin wasn’t replying to an email; he was checking Uncle Yan’s message.

Glancing at his older brother beside him, he noticed that his brother’s phone screen also displayed a WeChat conversation.

“Hey, hey, hey! I’m talking to you guys! You two are such unruly brats!” Even Ning Rujiang, who was usually composed, couldn’t help but swear when dealing with these two brothers who were sparing with words.

Every time she saw them, she felt like she lost a few years of her life. That’s why she avoided seeing them as much as possible. It was no wonder that her sister and brother-in-law avoided them, too. While most families longed for reunions, their family was the opposite. Apart from the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year, they didn’t usually ask the brothers to come home for dinner. It wasn’t worth it to risk aggravating themselves and potentially causing health problems.

So, out of sight, out of mind.

Her sister often said that if she didn’t die from anger caused by her two sons in this lifetime, it must’ve been her good fortune from her past life.

Today, she had invited her two nephews over for dinner at her sister’s request. Her sister had poured out her grievances, saying that this year alone, there had been over a dozen attempts to introduce their daughters to her sons. Some were outright rejected, while for a few, she didn’t know how to refuse politely, finding it hard to turn them down.

Just now, she had mentioned the topic of blind dates to Zhou Sujin and Zhou Jiaye. Naturally, she had phrased it delicately, using ethos:

“How many blind dates do you think your parents have turned down for you guys in the past few years? You guys have no idea, do you? Parents do everything they can for their children without seeking anything in return.”

“Your parents also have their own social circles to maintain and their own interpersonal relationships to consider. While you might think your dad doesn’t need to give others face and can simply refuse directly, there are times when it’s necessary to consider the face of certain friends and acquaintances, isn’t it?”

She stopped there, seeking their opinions on who should go on a blind date first.

So, the opportunity was passed back and forth. Zhou Sujin declined, and Zhou Jiaye didn’t need to be asked.

“Jiaye, what’s your opinion?” Ning Rujiang directly called on her eldest nephew.

Zhou Jiaye looked up, then gestured his chin slightly toward Zhou Sujin, stating, “He’s more filial than me. I’ll give him the opportunity.”

Zhou Sujin: “No need to be so polite. You’re not usually filial, so this is the perfect chance to show some.”

They started passing the ball back and forth to each other again, leaving Ning Rujiang feeling exasperated. The bouquet of baby blue hydrangea and eucalyptus she held still hadn’t been trimmed yet, so she did and placed them into the vase.

After each of them spoke a sentence, silence fell again. Seeing their nonchalant attitudes was infuriating. Ning Rujiang picked up a spray bottle and sprayed the bouquet of baby blue hydrangea and eucalyptus in the vase as if spraying it onto her own heart to cool down some of her anger.

Seeing their aunt getting angry, Zhou Jiaye put down his phone. With his long and strong fingers, he undid the clasp of his watch and placed it on the table before saying to Ning Rujiang, “I’ll go make tea for Uncle.”

He found an excuse to leave the living room.

“Thank you so much, but you don’t have to.” Just as he stood up, Ning Rujiang hurried over and pulled him back into his chair. “Your uncle doesn’t drink tea at night. Drinking strong tea will keep him awake.”

“Auntie, how about this,” Zhou Sujin suggested to Ning Rujiang, “We will draw lots.”

Whoever drew the short straw would go.

It’s all up to fate.

Zhou Jiaye glanced at Zhou Sujin. Despite his dissatisfaction, he agreed, “Sure.”

A hint of the most content smile of the evening bloomed on Ning Rujiang’s face as she addressed her little nephew, “You’re still the one who cares for Auntie the most, more sensible than your brother.”

On-the-spot mockery.

She fetched paper and pen, making two simple lots.

Zhou Jiaye drew first. He unfolded the paper but didn’t win. Glancing at Zhou Sujin, he said with a hint of sarcasm, “Congrats.”

Zhou Sujin still hadn’t opened his lot, but since his brother had spoken, there was no need to open it to know what he had drawn.

With a slight exertion of his clearly defined fingers, Zhou Sujin unfolded the paper lot, revealing that he was the one who would be going on the blind date.

Ning Rujiang didn’t care who would be going on the blind date; she just wanted to get the task done. She quickly shared the good news with her sister and asked about Zhou Sujin’s blind date partner. She only knew which family’s daughter would be introduced to Zhou Jiaye but was unaware which was for Zhou Sujin.

Ning Rujiang returned to her room to make the call, leaving the living room finally quiet.

Zhou Jiaye stood up and opened the window with its vintage design before lighting a cigarette and leaning against the window to smoke.

Glancing back at Zhou Sujin, he said, “Should’ve just eaten dinner tonight. Yet, you insisted on drawing lots and ended up getting yourself into this mess. It’s your own doing.”

Zhou Sujin looked up. “You saw Auntie’s attitude. If we don’t comply tonight, do you think you can leave this place, or do you think I can?”

Zhou Jiaye exhaled smoke. Auntie raised them both, so their relationship was different. She was adept at using emotions to manipulate both him and Zhou Sujin.

“Once you go on this blind date and meet the other party, Auntie will have ways to make you settle down and get married. How do you plan to handle the person in your car?”

As he was coming to their aunt’s house, his car met Zhou Sujin’s SUV head-on. The rear window of the SUV happened to be lowered, and he saw the person sitting in the back seat.

Being able to ride in his younger brother’s SUV and not hesitate to let her know the location of Auntie’s house, it was clear that they weren’t just ordinary friends.

Zhou Sujin glanced at his brother but didn’t respond.

As Zhou Sujin couldn’t stand the smell of smoke, Zhou Jiaye only took a couple of puffs before putting out the cigarette. He sat back down and picked up his watch from the table, putting it on.

Suddenly, he remembered something and looked at Zhou Sujin’s wrist. He noticed he was still wearing that new watch of no collector’s value.

“Your girlfriend gave you that?”

Zhou Sujin wanted to say, “What girlfriend?” but then he remembered that he had openly admitted to being with Wei Lai in Jiang City, not denying the existence of a girlfriend in front of Zhou Jiaye either.

Zhou Sujin: “It wasn’t given by her.”

It was Lu An’s card that bought the watch that night. Later, he reimbursed Lu An, essentially buying the watch himself.

“Dinner’s ready.” Ning Rujiang returned to the living room after her phone call, calling her two nephews to eat. Her voice was full of joy. “The chef made dishes that both of you love tonight.”

“Oh, Sujin, I just spoke with your mom on the phone. The blind date is set for tomorrow night, and I’ve already reserved a table for you for dinner.”

With the blind date settled, Ning Rujiang was in high spirits. The dinner went smoothly and happily, except for Zhou Sujin, who didn’t feel happy in the slightest.

After dinner, Zhou Jiaye went to the tea room to brew tea for their Uncle. Who said Uncle didn’t drink tea at night? He loved tea, and they all sat in the courtyard, leisurely enjoying it.

Zhou Sujin left early, and Auntie, in a good mood, let him go without any fuss.

After he got into the car, he instructed Uncle Yan, “Go to the hotel.”

Uncle Yan took a moment to react. “Got it.”

It was to the hotel where Miss Wei was staying.

Previous | Index | Next

You’re So Good At Causing Trouble For Me, Yet You’re Worried About Not Seeing Me?”

Nearly two hours passed before her friend request was finally accepted.

Wei Lai: “Have you arrived?“

After sending the message, she realized she forgot to add “President Zhou” as an honorific. Her tone was casual, but unsending the message would seem too deliberate, so she left it at that.

Zhou Sujin replied: “En.“

Wei Lai: “I might be heading to Beijing soon. I’d like to treat you to a meal.” It wasn’t a mere possibility; she was definitely going, intending to express her gratitude to him personally.

Zhou Sujin didn’t give her a definite answer, only replying with “We’ll see.” Wei Lai wasn’t sure if this was an agreement or a polite refusal; sometimes, his thoughts were not completely understandable to her.

Feeling it wasn’t appropriate to continue asking further, she ended the chat.

“President Zhou, I’ll let you get back to work.“

Zhou Sujin didn’t reply back.

Neither of them mentioned the assault on Zhang Yanxin or He Wancheng’s subsequent efforts to handle the aftermath; it was a tacit understanding between them.

Putting away her phone, Wei Lai drove the Cullinan to her mom’s office.

The scent in the car was reminiscent of Zhou Sujin, crisp and cool, almost as if he were sitting right beside her.

“Mom, are you at the office? I’m coming over.” She sent a voice message to her mom.

Within half an hour at the cafe, she had decided what to do.

Her mom quickly replied, “Yes, come over.”

Turning left, less than two hundred meters ahead, was the largest store among all Wei Lai Supermarket’s branches. The first floor was the supermarket itself while the second floor served as the management team’s office space.

Wei Lai had once asked her mom how she came up with the name for the supermarket.

Her mom said she hadn’t thought of a supermarket name that sounded good and was easy to remember, so she simply named it Wei Lai, hoping to turn it into a century-old store and pass it down for generations to come.

Estimating the time, Cheng Minzhi walked over to the window to wait for her daughter. The dark emerald car was quite distinctive, catching her attention; there were only a few such expensive cars in the whole city.

As the car door opened, her daughter stepped out. She looked again to confirm she wasn’t mistaken.

“Lai Lai,” she waved through the window.

Wei Lai looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand, and pointed to the stairs. “I’ll be up in a moment.”

She quickly went up the stairs.

“Did Zhang Yanxin buy another car?” Cheng Minzhi placed a bowl of prepared fruit in front of her daughter.

Wei Lai sat down on the sofa and picked up a green grape with a fork, popping it into her mouth. On the way here, she had already decided to confess everything to her mom. “I don’t know if he recently bought a new car or not. We broke up. The car belongs to a friend; they let me borrow it to take it for a spin.”

Wei Lai was seated directly in front of the AC vent. Concerned that her daughter might feel too chilly from the cold air blowing on her, Cheng Minzhi adjusted the vent upwards. Upon hearing her daughter mention that she broke up, her hand suddenly paused.

Just last month, her daughter had mentioned wanting to get married next year and even showed her the wedding bands she had her eyes on, asking if she thought it was nice.

“What was the reason for the breakup? Can you tell Mom about it?”

“Fell out of love. He chose someone of similar background for marriage,” Wei Lai’s tone was brisk as if discussing someone else’s affairs. “I originally wasn’t planning on telling you to avoid worrying you. But since we’ll be spending every day together henceforth, I can’t keep it from you, so I might as well come clean.”

She popped another green grape into her mouth. “Sweet.”

“What do you mean? What do you mean by ‘spending every day together henceforth’?” Cheng Minzhi strode over and sat down beside her daughter before snatching the fruit fork from her hand. Anxious yet exasperated, she said, “Wait a sec. You’re driving me crazy by leaving your words hanging.”

Wei Lai chuckled. “You’re the one who told me to eat fruit, and now you’re blaming me.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense!” Cheng Minzhi pretended to scold her with a stern expression.

Wei Lai: “I resigned. I plan to come and help you expand the supermarket. It’s better to work for my own mom than for someone else. Plus, I can slack off when working.”

“You… you want to come work at the supermarket?” Cheng Minzhi looked at her daughter incredulously, smiling unconsciously from sheer joy.

She had thought about handing over the management of the supermarket to her daughter, but she didn’t want to impose her own wishes on her child, so she never hinted at her thoughts.

“You can slack off as much as you want. As long as you’re willing to work here, Mom is content.”

While Wei Lai joked about slacking and loafing around, she had her own plans regarding the supermarket. She shared some of her preliminary ideas with her mom.

She aimed to transform the supermarket into a new type of community chain store. In addition to introducing smart management systems, she planned to allocate a certain proportion of space at the exit of each supermarket to create book cafes and introduce a chain of tea shops.

“The space in the supermarket won’t be greatly reduced. I’ll hire a professional designer to handle the layout.”

She, personally, enjoyed reading but found the library too far away at times, so she was too lazy to go. The combination of a book cafe and study area near a residential area would surely be in demand.

The book cafe would have a separate glass door for entrance and exit, so there wouldn’t be any concern about noise from the supermarket affecting the book cafe. She had already planned for soundproofing.

When she broke up with Zhang Yanxin, she had been thinking about what to do with the breakup fee. She wanted to do something that would not only generate income for her but also help others. Creating free book cafes and study areas was the best idea she could come up with. She aimed to make the book cafes a hallmark of Wei Lai Supermarkets.

“Mom, didn’t you mention a while ago that if you were ten years younger, you’d want to renovate the supermarket completely and change its style? You lack the energy, but I have plenty to spare.”

In reality, Wei Lai knew that it wasn’t because her mom was incapable, it was because she wanted to save up more money for her. Investing all the money into the supermarket for a slow return might not pay off with a high risk.

So her mom didn’t dare to take any more risks.

Cheng Minzhi reached out and hugged her daughter. Many of her daughter’s ideas coincided with hers. “You’re definitely my child,” she said, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

“Oh, Mom, I also plan to open more stores.”

“How many are you aiming for?”

Wei Lai said solemnly, “The goal is to open one hundred stores in Jiang City, making it the largest chain of supermarkets in the city and striving to be among the top twenty in national chain supermarkets.”

Cheng Minzhi handed the fruit fork back to her daughter with a smile and asked, “To be among the top twenty in national chain supermarkets, do you know that the annual revenue needs to exceed ten billion?”

“I know.” Wei Lai took the fruit fork and continued eating the grapes. “Making it into the top twenty is the ultimate goal of my life. You’ve got to have something to strive for. As for the next few years, I aim to make it into the top one hundred, even if it’s at the bottom.”

Cheng Minzhi’s business philosophy leaned toward stability, which is why she had only managed to expand to 15 stores over 25 years, with each store maintaining a steady revenue. She understood her daughter’s mindset; after all, Wei Lai was involved in venture capital and wouldn’t be as conservative as she was.

“Mom, I won’t blindly expand stores. I’ll prioritize stability first. I’ll raise funds for opening new stores myself, without touching your savings.”

“Financing is too difficult.”

“Not for me.”

In truth, it was also difficult for her, but she had grown accustomed to only reporting good news to her mom, keeping the bad news to herself.

Setting aside the design and renovation costs, Wei Lai would still need additional funds to open new stores. The money she currently had on hand was far from enough. Since she was planning to seek financing anyway, she decided not to mention the breakup fee to her mom.

After finishing half a bowl of green grapes, Wei Lai set down the fruit fork. “Mom, I’ll let you go back to work. I’ll go home and make dinner for you.”

“We’re eating at home tonight?”

“En, I’ll keep you company.”

“What a lucky day today. I’ll go buy a few lottery tickets after work.”

“I’ll cook for you more often from now on,” Wei Lai said with a smile as she waved goodbye and left.

Her cooking skills were decent, and satisfying one’s appetite was not a problem. While studying abroad, she spent half of her time dining out and the other half cooking on her own, gradually honing her cooking skills from scratch to excellence.

As Wei Lai reached the corridor outside, Cheng Minzhi suddenly remembered, “Lai Lai, buy some groceries on your back. There’s only beef in the fridge!”

“Got it, I was just planning to buy some snacks.” Wei Lai headed down to the supermarket on the ground floor.

She bought two large bags filled with snacks, veggies, and various meats. However, her favorite snacks from Happy Lemon were out of stock. According to the store clerk, they had been out of stock for a while.

Back home, Wei Lai put on an apron and busied herself in the kitchen.

Steam wafted from the steamer containing the fish, the aroma of scallion oil in the frying pan filled the air, and the exhaust hood hummed as it cleared the cooking fumes. The usually desolate house now had a long-absent atmosphere of being lived in.

Busy with cooking, Wei Lai left her phone in the living room and missed four calls, only noticing when the landline rang. The landline’s ring was loud enough that even with the kitchen door closed, she could hear it.

Wiping her hands on the apron, Wei Lai picked up the landline, assuming it was her mom.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Lai Lai, it’s me.”

“Dad, why didn’t you call my phone?”

“You didn’t pick up. I called four times.” Unable to reach her, he had called his ex-wife to find out that their daughter was at her place.

“I was in the kitchen, didn’t hear it.” Wei Lai said, keeping an eye on the cooking, worried it might burn. “Dad, I’ll call you on my phone.”

After hanging up the landline, she picked up her phone and returned to the kitchen.

With one hand holding her phone, Wei Lai asked her dad what was the matter, while using her other hand to stir the veggies in the pan.

Wei Huatian had learned about Yuan Hengrui’s altercation, knowing that the boy tended to be reckless and impulsive. “Yuan Hengrui didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

“Nope.” To be fair, Yuan Hengrui had always restrained his temper around her, fearing her anger the most.

“That’s good,” Wei Huatian said, relieved, as he removed his glasses and rubbed his temples.

Hearing the sound of a spatula hitting the pan from his daughter’s end, he asked, “What are you making?”

Wei Lai told her dad she was making two protein dishes, two veggie dishes, and a soup.

Wei Huatian: “Dad hasn’t had the chance to taste your cooking yet.”

Wei Lai paused for a moment before saying, “I’ll cook for you next time.”

After she grew up, she rarely visited her dad’s new home, and when she did, she would only stay for a short while before leaving. Every time her dad mentioned not having tasted her cooking yet, her response was always the same as just now.

Tonight’s dinner was enough for a family of three, but they will never have a chance to sit down and eat a home-cooked meal again.

Their conversation this time didn’t touch upon her mom, yet they fell into a brief silence once again.

“Your mom hasn’t come back yet?”

“Not yet, she should be back soon.”

It had been a long time since Wei Huatian had the chance to have dinner with his daughter. “Whenever you’re free, tell Yihan to come over for dinner. Dad will cook.”

Wei Lai agreed, “Sure, I’ll ask her when she’s free.”

Zhao Yihan, like Wei Lai, rarely visited that new home. With only her dad and Auntie Zhao in the large, spacious house, they often remarked on how empty it felt, hoping that Wei Lai and Zhao Yihan would visit more often. However, both of them had never liked going to that so-called new home since they were little because it wasn’t their real home.

Wei Huatian didn’t want to end the call just yet and wanted to chat a bit more with his daughter, but he wasn’t sure what to talk about.

“Dad, I’ve decided on what I want to do.” Wei Lai shared her plans with her dad.

Wei Huatian was genuinely surprised by his daughter’s plans, but he always supported any decision she made. “Not a bad idea. I know a designer. We haven’t been in touch for a while, but I’ll contact them tomorrow and see if they’re available.” However, he knew the designer’s fees were quite high, so he planned to support his daughter by covering half of the costs.

What he was curious about was, “Why did you decide to manage the supermarket?”

Wei Lai’s tone was light. “Just wanna challenge myself.”

She didn’t reveal the truth. In actuality, she wanted to spend more time with her mom while she still could. After her dad remarried, he had his own family, and eventually, she would have her own life too. But her mom would be left alone.

Working at the supermarket would not only allow her to help her mom with some of the workload and fulfill her wishes but also have plenty of time to spend with her, killing two birds with one stone.

When she was just a few months old, her mom resigned from her job to open the supermarket so she could bring Wei Lai to work with her, ensuring that Wei Lai could always be near her mom.

After hanging up the call with her dad, Wei Lai finished cooking the last dish.

After all four dishes were served on the dining table, the main door opened. Her mom had returned home.

Cheng Minzhi, without even changing her clothes, hurried to the dining table to catch a sniff. “The plates will be licked clean tonight.”

“I heard about the issue with Happy Lemon snacks from the store clerk. Is it resolved?” Wei Lai asked with concern as she took off her apron.

“Not yet. Let’s eat first; it’s not the end of the world,” Cheng Minzhi said as she went to change her clothes.

Happy Lemon snacks were the oldest and best-selling snacks in the market. If their supermarket kept running out of stock, it would mean driving customers to their competitors.

Wei Lai asked her mom what exactly was going on.

“Our buyer had a conflict with the Happy Lemon manager of the East China region, offending them. Things got quite unpleasant.” As for whether the conflict was about money or something else, only the parties involved knew the real reason.

However, the buyer denied any wrongdoing and claimed that Happy Lemon’s refusal to supply wasn’t their fault. The buyer had also resigned just last week.

Many actions of the buyer represented the supermarket, and it was clear that the East China regional manager had no intention of continuing their partnership.

Cheng Minzhi: “I contacted Qi Linsheng again tonight. He’s been attending meetings at the headquarters lately.” She planned to visit him and discuss the matter face-to-face.

“Is Qi Linsheng the East China regional manager?”

“En.”

Wei Lai volunteered, “I’ll go to Beijing to see him tomorrow. No matter what, if we were at fault, we should apologize, clarify any misunderstandings, and express our sincerity for our partnership.” Someone who could become the East China regional manager wouldn’t be so petty.

Cheng Minzhi waved her hand habitually. “Mom will handle it herself. You focus on your own matters.”

After saying that, she felt something was amiss and suddenly laughed. She had forgotten that her daughter was already an employee of the company. “Alright, then I’ll leave this matter to you.”

It was also a good opportunity to let her daughter take a break and relax a bit.

—

At this moment in Beijing…

Zhou Sujin had just left the office, and it was already 10 p.m. The traffic on the highway was still heavy.

His aunt sent him a message, asking when he would return from his business trip.

Zhou Sujin: “I’m back.“

Aunt: “Come over for dinner tomorrow; I’ll also invite your brother.“

It wasn’t just a simple dinner; Zhou Sujin agreed: “Okay.“

Returning home, he noticed an extra car in the driveway, indicating an unexpected visitor.

As he entered the living room, smoke filled the air. The unexpected guest sat on the sofa with one leg over another, leisurely smoking. A beautifully crafted ashtray rested on the armrest.

Zhou Sujin didn’t smoke. The ashtrays provided for guests were typically plain white. However, the one before him was brought by his friend to show off.

This friend of his was a sis-con. When his sister gifted him the ashtray, he took a photo of it and made it his profile picture so everyone would know.

“Where are the bracelets?” Min Ting pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray. He had an eye on several bracelets to give to his sister, but only the flagship store in Jiang City had them in stock. Since Zhou Sujin happened to be in Jiang City on a business trip, he asked him to bring them back.

Zhou Sujin disliked the smell of smoke, so he went to open the window to air out the room. It dawned on him that the bracelets were all inside the safe of the Cullinan.

“My car is in Jiang City. I’ll have someone send the bracelets over tomorrow.”

Min Ting glanced out into the courtyard, noting the absence of an SUV.

From his words, it seemed that the Cullinan wouldn’t be returning tomorrow.

In the past, whenever Zhou Sujin went on a business trip and decided to fly back on a certain date, the chauffeur would have the car headed for Beijing early in the morning, arriving in Beijing at the latest by the evening of the same day. It was unusual for him to be back while the car still hadn’t.

“Lu An isn’t even in Jiang City; who is the car for?”

Zhou Sujin didn’t respond to his question. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves to his forearm and walked over to the bar before nonchalantly tossing his black cufflinks aside and grabbing two glasses to pour some drinks.

“Has my older brother done something to upset my parents recently?” He changed the subject.

“Not sure; I haven’t seen him. What’s up?” Min Ting sat up straight, setting down his legs and earnestly cleaning his ashtray with a wet tissue.

Zhou Sujin: “My aunt asked me and my brother to come over for dinner.”

Aunt wouldn’t want to see them if it wasn’t necessary, let alone invite them over for dinner for no reason.

After finishing a drink, Min Ting picked up his ashtray and left. Before leaving, he reminded Zhou Sujin not to forget to have the bracelets sent over.

Zhou Sujin tried calling Wei Lai via voice call, but she didn’t answer.

Wei Lai didn’t rush to leave after dinner. Instead, she stayed on the patio chatting with her mom. Her phone was left on the sofa in the living room.

As they were chatting, Cheng Minzhi frowned, thinking she might’ve imagined it, or perhaps it was the sound of a phone ringing. “Lai Lai, was that your phone ringing?”

Wei Lai put down the fruit she was holding. “Let me go check.”

She walked into the living room, but the ringing had already stopped.

It was a missed call from Zhou Sujin along with a message containing a six-digit code and an address. She couldn’t understand it, so she immediately called back.

“President Zhou, what’s the matter?”

“The car’s safe contains some valuable items. Find a time to send them over tomorrow.”

Even he described them as valuable, implying they were of considerable value. Wei Lai: “What a coincidence, I just so happen to be going to Beijing tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Wei Lai explained, “I’m going on a company business trip.”

Although she explained it clearly, Zhou Sujin was straightforward. “You don’t need to go out of your way to treat me.”

He saw through her intentions directly.

Wei Lai didn’t defend herself because she had originally planned to go out of her way to treat him, but then she had a legitimate reason to go to Beijing on a business trip. She candidly admitted, “You’ve helped me so much, and for you, it might really be just a small favor. You might not even think much of it, but for me, it meant the world. And now that you won’t be coming to Jiang City anymore, I won’t get to see you.” Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone all the way to treat him.

There was a brief silence on the phone.

Zhou Sujin: “You’re always causing me trouble, yet you’re worried about not seeing me?”

“…”

When had she ever caused trouble for him?

Wasn’t it all her own matters?

Wei Lai didn’t delve too deeply into the first half of his sentence; her focus was on the latter half.

What did he mean?

She had a lot going on, much like the incident this afternoon where Yuan Hengrui punched someone. If it weren’t for He Wancheng being in Jiang City, he would have had to handle it personally. She’ll have plenty of chances to see him, was that what he meant?

Wei Lai felt like she might be overthinking it; perhaps he just said it offhand, giving her an easy way out, without any deeper meaning.

Zhou Sujin continued, “There’s no need for you to come all the way over here; just have the things mailed over.”

Wei Lai calmly explained, “I’m really going on a business trip tomorrow. I bought the train ticket half an hour ago. Bringing the items in person will be faster and safer than mailing them. Should I have the chauffeur pick them up at the station, or should I deliver them to the address you sent me?”

“The chauffeur can pick them up.”

Wei Lai informed him of her arrival time, “I’ll arrive in Beijing around 4 p.m. tomorrow.”

“En.” After hanging up the phone, Zhou Sujin instructed the chauffeur, Uncle Yan, “Be at the train station at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow to pick her up.”

Previous | Index | Next

It’s Me, Wei Lai

Wei Lai drove the Cullinan back. She hadn’t slept well last night and now had a splitting headache, so she decided to shower and catch up on some sleep.

She had planned to sleep until she naturally woke up, but she was awakened by her dad’s phone call after only dozing off for a short while.

Her dad was downstairs outside her condo. Hearing her sleepiness, he said, “You sleep, it’s nothing.”

“Dad, wait for me, I’m getting up.”

Wei Lai washed up and changed her clothes. Before leaving, she grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge. The tangy and sweet chilled juice woke her up a bit.

Her dad must’ve heard something, otherwise he wouldn’t have come at this time. Moreover, he was certain that she hadn’t gone to work and was at home.

Today, the chauffeur was driving, and her dad sat in the back.

Seeing her come out of the condominium, the chauffeur made an excuse to step away from the car.

Wei Huatian opened the car door for his daughter from inside and placed his suit jacket from the middle seat on the backrest of the passenger seat. He took a good look at his daughter. With many things on his plate lately and having to oversee wedding preparations, he hadn’t seen his daughter in over a month.

Wei Lai smiled. “You don’t recognize your daughter anymore?”

Wei Huatian patted his daughter’s head twice. “Why didn’t you tell Dad that you broke up?” His words were full of self-blame.

“You know about it?”

“Just found out.”

Wei Huatian had accepted a client’s invitation for lunch today, thinking it was to discuss legal matters. However, he learned from the client that his daughter had broken up a month ago and that Zhang Yanxin had gotten engaged to the daughter of the chairman of Yichen Group—Mu Di.

Upon hearing that Wei Lai had broken up, the client’s young son eagerly asked his dad to arrange a blind date for him.

Wei Lai: “Is it Yuan Hengrui?”

Wei Huatian nodded. “Yeah, he asked his dad to talk to me.”

Chairman Yuan invited him to lunch and apologized upon meeting, saying that Wei Lai had just gone through a breakup and probably wasn’t in the mood for blind dates, let alone dating. However, his son was worried that Wei Lai had too many suitors and feared missing this opportunity.

For the sake of his son, he could only swallow his pride.

Not knowing the exact situation between his daughter and Yuan Hengrui, nor his daughter’s recent affairs, Wei Huatian went straight to his daughter’s condo after parting ways with Chairman Yuan.

“Yuan Hengrui said that you and he should’ve been together two years ago but were interjected by Zhang Yanxin. Can you tell Dad what’s going on?”

Wei Lai: “… It’s true that he pursued me first, but I rejected him.” She only met Zhang Yanxin afterward.

However, in Yuan Hengrui’s eyes, he had only pursued her for a few days, and getting rejected was normal. If it weren’t for Zhang Yanxin’s strong interference, he and Wei Lai still had a chance.

Wei Lai vaguely remembered that Chairman Yuan was a client of her stepmother’s, and she confirmed this with her dad again.

Wei Huatian nodded. Chairman Yuan was indeed his wife’s client.

He could guess what his daughter was worried about. Rejecting the blind date might offend Chairman Yuan, and his wife’s client might not be retained.

He reassured his daughter not to have any psychological burden. “It doesn’t matter whose client they are; it’s not important. Marriage shouldn’t be forced. You don’t have to go on this blind date. I’ll let Chairman Yuan know tonight.”

Wei Lai would never sacrifice her own happiness to retain a major client, but she wanted to avoid causing trouble for Auntie Zhao as much as possible.

In the past, she wouldn’t have hesitated to reject any suitors, but now things were different. Zhao Yihan had lowered herself for her sake, and that became her soft spot.

“Dad, you don’t understand Yuan Hengrui.” He was very stubborn, and a simple rejection wouldn’t work for him. Wei Lai reassured her dad not to worry, “I’ll talk to him in person and make things clear.”

“Then you should arrange a time to meet with Yuan Hengrui.” Wei Huatian reiterated to his daughter, “Don’t worry about this or that. Losing one client doesn’t matter; at most, we’ll earn a little less money. It’s not a big deal.”

Pausing for a moment, he asked, “Does your mom know about your breakup?”

“No. She doesn’t know anything.” Wei Lai replied, lifting the armrest between the two seats and leaning against her dad’s shoulder just like when she was a child.

There was a pause of more than ten seconds.

Every time her mom was mentioned, there would be a period of silence between Wei Lai and her dad, more or less. Her dad’s feelings toward Mom were complex. They were each other’s first love, from school uniform to wedding dress. Despite being long-distance during university, their relationship remained strong. They got married in the second year after graduation, but all the conflicts started accumulating gradually after they began living together.

Perhaps due to his profession or her dad’s personality, he was always reserved and didn’t express his emotions easily, making it difficult for him to provide emotional support to his partner.

When they were young, Mom tolerated Dad’s personality because of his good looks, but as they grew older, what she wanted changed.

Mom blamed Dad for not understanding her, while Dad complained that Mom didn’t understand him.

When she was 10, her parents had a complete falling out. There was no turning back. A year later, they divorced.

In her first year of middle school, her dad had gotten into a new relationship, which was with Zhao Yihan’s mom.

Her mom had also dated twice, but her dating principle was to not pursue marriage, so both relationships ended without progressing further.

“Which financial firm do you want to work for? Dad can help connect you,” her dad broke the silence in the car.

Wei Lai shook her head. “I’ve decided to do something on my own. I haven’t figured out what exactly yet, but I’ll let you know when I have a concrete plan.”

“Alright, Dad will be waiting for good news from you.” Wei Huatian was worried that his daughter would overthink things if she stayed home alone for too long. “Take this time to go out and clear your mind.”

Wei Lai: “There’s nowhere I want to go.”

She couldn’t muster any interest in going out alone.

“I’ve been free lately, so if there’s anything you need help with for the wedding, just let me know.”

“No need.”

Wei Lai joked, “I can’t just spend your money without lifting a finger.”

“…….”

Wei Huatian exasperatedly tapped his daughter’s head.

—

After her dad left, Wei Lai immediately called Yuan Hengrui.

Instead of arranging a meal with Yuan Hengrui, she chose to meet at a cafe.

The cafe was located on the ground floor of a building. Wei Lai parked the Cullinan directly at the parking spot near the entrance. Yuan Hengrui arrived earlier than her, and the reserved table was by the window, making it hard for him to miss seeing her car.

Yuan Hengrui’s first words upon seeing her were, “I was wondering why you wouldn’t even have a meal with me.”

Wei Lai smiled and sat down, ordering an iced coffee.

Yuan Hengrui leaned back on the sofa, staring at the car outside the window. “When did you two get together?” He had heard the rumors but didn’t believe them.

Just last night, someone had called him specifically to tell him that his goddess was with Zhou Sujin from Beijing. He thought it was ridiculous.

Only now did he realize he was the really ridiculous one.

She had just broken up a month ago, so Wei Lai chose somewhere in the middle. “About half a month ago.”

The timing lined up seamlessly. Surely, there was no love involved.

Yuan Hengrui was filled with regret. “I should’ve gone to find you as soon as you broke up.” He shouldn’t have given her a month to adjust herself.

Wei Lai didn’t give him any hope. “It wouldn’t have made a difference even if you had come to find me. We’re not compatible.” She emphasized, “**Our personalities aren’t compatible.**”

Yuan Hengrui turned to look at her, his gaze softening as he gazed at her.

“Wei Lai, you haven’t let go of your bias against me. How can you be so sure that I’m not serious about you and wouldn’t spend a lifetime with you?”

He gestured toward the car outside the window. “Or is it that you want to marry into an influential family of that level?”

Wei Lai couldn’t be bothered to explain.

As the coffee was served, its strong aroma diluted the stiff atmosphere in the air.

“Do you even know Zhou Sujin? Can you see a future with him?”

“You’ll be crying in two years!”

“Or maybe not,” he chuckled. “Maybe you won’t even need two years before being dumped again. Wei Lai, is it worth it to find just anyone for revenge against Zhang Yanxin?”

Wei Lai remained silent, drinking her coffee. No matter what he said, even if he was being blunt, she didn’t respond or get angry.

He was about the same age as Zhang Yanxin but far from as mature and steady as him. Sometimes, he even acted impulsively. Perhaps it was related to his upbringing; Chairman Yuan had him late in life and tended to indulge him, spoiling him rotten.

Naturally, he wasn’t completely lacking in propriety, but he certainly didn’t have much.

“Is your boyfriend really Zhou Sujin?” Yuan Hengrui couldn’t help but ask, unrelenting.

“En.”

“Wei Lai, are you doing this on purpose?”

“What do you mean?”

“For rejecting me. You’re intentionally choosing someone I wouldn’t dare to provoke. Last time, it was Zhang Yanxin. Now, it’s Zhou Sujin.”

“…. You’re overthinking it.”

“Haa.“

Yuan Hengrui grabbed his iced coffee and gulped it down in one go, completely foregoing his usual elegance.

Even the iced coffee couldn’t suppress the frustration in his heart. He loved her more than anyone else, but unfortunately, she just couldn’t see it.

“Since you’ve made your choice, I wish you well and hope you don’t regret it.”

He set his coffee cup down, paid the bill, and left.

Wei Lai remained in the cafe for another half an hour. She had finished her coffee but hadn’t planned on leaving yet. As she surveyed the cafe’s decor, her mind was filled with plans for her future career.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, displaying an unknown number.

She answered softly, “Hello, who is this?”

The caller identified themself by name in a harsh tone and demanded to know her location, insisting that she come over.

Upon hearing that it was Yuan Hengrui’s dad, Wei Lai felt a surge of anxiety, causing her right eyelid to twitch. Upon inquiry, she learned that Yuan Hengrui had punched Zhang Yanxin…

“Just a moment.”

The cafe was too quiet for such conversations, so she quickly gathered her belongings and hurried outside. “Mr. Yuan, please continue.”

It was a long story. Half an hour ago, after Yuan Hengrui left the cafe, he grew increasingly vexed. With nowhere to vent his anger, he drove his dark blue sports car straight to Zhang Yanxin’s company.

Previously, he had been cautious and hesitant to offend Zhang Yanxin. But now, with the addition of Zhou Sujin, whose background was even stronger, he couldn’t allow both of them to lord over him.

At first, he hadn’t intended to punch him; he simply wanted to vent by hurling a few insults at him.

“Zhang Yanxin, you should be ashamed! I was pursuing her just fine, but you had to stick your nose in. When you’ve got her, you should’ve treated her well!”

“Why should the person I like with all my heart be trampled on by you!”

Zhang Yanxin had just finished a meeting when Yuan Hengrui cornered him at the doorway. There were people inside the meeting room and in the corridor outside. There was no time to question the receptionist about how someone was allowed in so easily. He glanced at Yuan Hengrui and sneered, “Do you know why Wei Lai didn’t like you?”

His words struck like a dagger to the heart.

Yuan Hengrui, consumed by a mix of new grievances and old grudges, lost his temper completely after being struck in a sensitive spot. In a fit of rage, all rationality left him. He grabbed Zhang Yanxin’s collar and swung his fist, his mind consumed by a single thought: I don’t dare to hit Zhou Sujin, but you’d think I won’t dare to hit you?!

As his punch was thrown, the entire floor seemed to fall silent.

But just as quickly as it began, bystanders intervened and restrained Yuan Hengrui, pulling him away.

Zhang Yanxin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Despite the loss of face in front of his subordinates, he managed to keep his temper in check.

Secretary Liu, trembling with fear, asked, “President, how should we handle this?”

Zhang Yanxin issued, “Notify his dad to come here and take him away!”

Secretary Liu immediately called Chairman Yuan and explained the situation.

Zhang Yanxin had only one demand: Yuan Hengrui must bow down and apologize to him, with no room for negotiation.

Yuan Hengrui’s stubbornness was as obstinate as a mule; even his dad’s words couldn’t reign him in when he was stubborn.

Apologize? Not a chance.

Whoever loves to apologize should apologize.

After receiving Secretary Liu’s call, Chairman Yuan, who was in the middle of a meeting, dropped everything and rushed over. His presence proved futile; no one was willing to compromise. In a deadlock, he had no choice but to call Wei Lai to resolve the situation.

“Come over now,” his tone was commanding.

Without giving her a chance to respond, Chairman Yuan angrily hung up the phone.

Wei Lai calmed down in her car for a while. Previously, she had been afraid of offending Chairman Yuan, a big client. Now, she had thoroughly offended him.

Zhang Yanxin was the last person she wanted to see, and his office was the last place she wanted to go.

But now, not going was not an option.

Almost simultaneously, news of Zhang Yanxin being assaulted spread within their circle.

“Have you arrived in Beijing? Your girlfriend’s admirer just beat up her ex. It’s become quite the scandal.“

Just as Zhou Sujin was boarding his flight, he received a message from a friend in Jiang City. This friend had been present at the dinner when he had gone public with Wei Lai as his girlfriend.

“I’m still at the airport; the flight’s delayed.“

“That’s normal. It’s a small airport, so flight delays are common. Next time you come here, you should just fly your own plane.“

Returning to the main topic, Zhou Sujin asked, “Who beat up Zhang Yanxin?“

“Yuan Hengrui.“

Zhou Sujin hadn’t heard of this name before and wasn’t interested, so he didn’t bother asking further.

“Yuan Hengrui is currently at Zhang Yanxin’s company. His dad hasn’t managed to take him away yet. Chairman Yuan cares a lot about his reputation, so he’s probably angered to death this time. Originally, the assault wouldn’t have much to do with your girlfriend, but Chairman Yuan’s company is a big client of Wei Lai’s stepmother. Her stepmother’s daughter treats her pretty well. It was Zhao Yihan who took her to the dinner party that day.“

His friend said so much, mainly just wanting to gossip. “By the way, how did you and Wei Lai meet?“

Ignoring him, Zhou Sujin found a number in his contacts and dialed it.

As soon as the call connected, he got straight to the point. “I need a favor. It’s related to Wei Lai, and it involves Zhang Yanxin and someone named Yuan Hengrui. I’m at the airport. As soon as I left, she caused trouble. It’s really a headache.”

He Wancheng chuckled, teasing, “Look at that, there’s finally someone who can make you scratch your head. And finally, there’s someone who can make you explain so much at once.”

Zhou Sujin chuckled for once.

—

Outside the cafe, Wei Lai spent over 10 minutes calming herself down inside the Cullinan before starting to drive toward Zhang Yanxin’s company. If she didn’t handle this matter well, she would completely offend Yuan Hengrui’s dad. Her stepmother could potentially lose more than just Chairman Yuan as a client.

Halfway there, she received another call from Chairman Yuan.

His tone was neither warm nor cold but slightly better than before, informing her that there was no need for her to come over anymore.

“You’ve got quite a bit of face, managing to get He Wancheng to make a personal visit.”

Wei Lai was puzzled, but the caller had already hung up.

She didn’t have the ability to get the wealthiest man in Su City to make a personal visit on her behalf. The only person who could have that kind of face was Zhou Sujin.

Wei Lai looked around for a spot to park her car. After driving a few hundred meters, she finally found a parking spot by the road. After parking the car, she called Zhou Sujin, but it didn’t go through.

Then it occurred to her that he should still be on the plane.

Texting him was futile; he never checked his messages. However, his personal WeChat didn’t add people so easily. After much hesitation, she added him on WeChat.

It’s me, Wei Lai.

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