Chapter 8

Wei Lai drove the Lamborghini back. She hadn’t slept well last night, and now she has a splitting headache. She took a shower to freshen up and tried to catch up on sleep.

She had planned to sleep until she naturally woke up, but she was disturbed by her father’s phone call after only a short nap.

Her father was downstairs in the apartment building and heard that she was still sleeping. “Then you sleep; I’m fine.”

“Dad, wait for me. I’ll be up in a minute.”

Wei Lai washed up, changed clothes, and before leaving, she grabbed a bottle of juice from the refrigerator. The sour and sweet cold juice refreshed her a bit.

Her father must have heard something, otherwise, he wouldn’t have come at this time, and he was so sure she wasn’t at work but at home.

Today, the driver was driving, and her father was sitting in the back.

When she came out of the apartment building, the driver got out of the car on pretext.

Inside, Wei Huatian opened the car door for his daughter and draped the suit jacket from the middle seat over the back of the passenger seat. He looked carefully at his daughter. He had been busy lately and had to take care of the wedding preparations. He hadn’t seen his daughter for over a month.

Wei Lai smiled. “Do you not recognize your daughter anymore?”

Wei Huatian raised his hand and rubbed his daughter’s head twice. “Why didn’t you tell Dad about the breakup?” His words were full of self-blame.

“You knew?” Wei Lai asked.

“Just found out.”

Wei Huatian had lunch with a client today. He thought it was about legal matters, but he found out from the client that his daughter had broken up a month ago, and Zhan Yanxin was engaged to Mu Di, the daughter of the chairman of Yichen Group.

The client’s son, upon hearing that Wei Lai had broken up, couldn’t wait to ask his father to arrange a blind date for him.

Wei Lai asked, “Is it Yuan Hengrui?”

Wei Huatian nodded. “It’s him. He asked his dad to find me.”

At dinner, Yuan Hengrui apologized first, saying that Wei Lai had just broken up and probably wasn’t in the mood for dating, let alone love. However, his son was worried that Wei Lai would have too many pursuers and was afraid she might miss this opportunity.

For the sake of his son, he had to humble himself.

Wei Lai vaguely remembered that Yuan Dong was a client of her stepmother’s, and she confirmed it with her father again.

Abai Tian nodded. He was indeed a client of his wife’s.

Knowing what his daughter was worried about, Wei Huatian said, “You don’t need to worry about whose client he is. It’s not important. Marriage is important, and you shouldn’t force yourself. You don’t have to go on this blind date. I’ll give Yuan Dong a reply tonight.”

Wei Lai wouldn’t sacrifice her happiness to keep a big client, but she wanted to avoid causing trouble for Aunt Zhao.

Before, she would have rejected any pursuer without hesitation, but now it was different. Zhao Yihan had bowed down for her sake, and that had become her weak spot.

“Dad, you don’t understand Yuan Hengrui.” Yuan Hengrui was a stubborn person. A simple rejection wouldn’t work on him. Wei Lai reassured her father not to worry. “I’ll talk to him in person.”

“Then find a time to meet Yuan Hengrui.” Abai Tian repeatedly reminded his daughter, “Don’t worry about this and that. Losing one client isn’t a big deal. You might earn a little less money, but it’s no big deal.”

He paused for a moment and asked, “Does your mom know about your breakup?”

“She doesn’t know. She doesn’t know anything.” Wei Lai lifted the armrest between the two seats and leaned against her father’s shoulder, just like when she was a child.

There was a pause of more than ten seconds.

Whenever her mother was mentioned, there would always be a moment of silence between her and her father, more or less. Her father’s feelings for her mother were very complicated. They were each other’s first love, from school uniforms to wedding dresses. Even when they were in different universities, it didn’t affect their relationship. They got married in their second year after graduation, and all the conflicts accumulated slowly after they started living together.

Perhaps because of his profession, or perhaps because of his personality, her father had always been reserved, making it difficult for him to provide emotional value to his other half.

When they were young, her mother would tolerate his personality because of his handsomeness. As they grew older, what she wanted was different from when she was young.

The mother blamed the father for not understanding her, while the father complained that the mother didn’t understand him.

When she was ten years old, her parents had a complete falling out, and after that, there was no turning back. They divorced a year later.

In her first year of junior high school, her father had a new relationship, which was Zhao Yihan’s mother.

Her mother also had boyfriends, two relationships in total, but her principle was not to talk about marriage, so both relationships ended quietly.

“Which financial company do you want to go to? Dad will help you get connected.” Her father 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 yet. I’ll tell you the specifics when I have a plan.”

“Okay, Dad will wait for good news from you.” Wei Huatian was worried that his daughter would think too much if she stayed at home alone for too long. “Take this time to go out and relax.”

“I don’t have any place in mind to go.”

Even going out alone couldn’t lift her spirits.

“I’ve been idle lately, so if you need help with the wedding, just let me know.”

“No need.”

Wei Lai joked, “I can’t just spend your money without contributing anything.”

“… “

Wei Huatian helplessly tapped his daughter’s head.

—

After her father left, Wei Lai immediately called Yuan Hengrui.

She didn’t make a dinner date with Yuan Hengrui but chose a coffee shop to meet.

The coffee shop was on the ground floor, and Wei Lai parked the Lamborghini directly in the parking space in front of the door. Yuan Hengrui arrived earlier than her, and the reserved seats were by the window, making it hard not to see her car.

The first thing Yuan Hengrui said when he saw her was, “I was wondering why you wouldn’t even have dinner with me.”

Wei Lai smiled and sat down, ordering an iced coffee.

Yuan Hengrui leaned back on the sofa, staring out the window at her car. “When did you two get together?” He had heard those rumors but didn’t believe them.

Even last night, someone called him specifically to tell him that his goddess was dating Zhou Sujin from the Beijing circle. He felt it was ridiculous.

Only then did he realize it was ridiculous.

“It was about half a month ago,” Wei Lai said seamlessly. There was definitely no love between them.

Yuan Hengrui regretted it bitterly. “I should have come to find you as soon as you broke up.” He shouldn’t have given her a month to adjust.

Wei Lai didn’t give him any hope. “Even if you came to find me, it wouldn’t have helped. We don’t have a chance. We’re not suitable for each other.” She emphasized, “We’re not compatible.”

Yuan Hengrui turned to look at her, his gaze gentle when he stared at her.

“Wei Lai, you haven’t put aside your prejudice and spent time with me. How can you be so sure that I’m not serious about you and wouldn’t spend the rest of my life with you?”

He gestured to the car outside the window. “Or is it that you want to marry someone from a family of that level?”

Wei Lai didn’t bother to explain.

As the coffee arrived, the strong aroma diluted the slight unpleasantness in the air.

“Do you know Zhou Sujin well?” Yuan Hengrui asked unwillingly.

“Yeah.”

“Are you doing this on purpose, Wei Lai?”

“On purpose? What for?”

“To reject me, deliberately finding someone I wouldn’t dare to provoke. Last time it was Zhan Yanxin, and this time it’s Zhou Sujin.”

“… You’re overthinking it.”

“Huh.”

Yuan Hengrui picked up the iced coffee and gulped it down, completely losing 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 couldn’t see it.

“Since you’ve made your choice, I wish you no regrets.”

He put down the coffee cup and left after paying the bill.

Wei Lai sat in the coffee shop for another half an hour. The coffee was finished, but she hadn’t planned to leave yet. Looking around the coffee shop’s layout, her mind was full of plans for her future career.

At this moment, her phone vibrated, a call from an unknown number.

She answered the phone softly, “Hello, who’s this?”

The caller identified themselves with a harsh tone and asked her whereabouts, instructing her to come over.

Wei Lai, upon hearing it was Yuan Hengrui’s father, felt a surge of emotions and her right eyelid twitched a few times. It was only after she asked that she learned Yuan Hengrui had beaten up Zhang Yanxin.

“Just a moment, please.”

The café was too quiet for such discussions, so she quickly grabbed her belongings and stepped outside. “Mr. Yuan, please continue.”

The story was lengthy. Half an hour ago, after leaving the café, Yuan Hengrui had grown increasingly frustrated. Burning with anger, he drove his navy blue sports car straight to Zhang Yanxin’s company.

Previously, he had been cautious, not daring to offend Zhang Yanxin easily. But now, with Zhou Sujin, who had deeper connections, added into the mix, he couldn’t let both of them trample over him.

Initially, he hadn’t intended to resort to violence, only wanting to vent his frustrations with a few harsh words.

“Zhang Yanxin, can’t you have some decency? I was pursuing her just fine, and you had to stick your nose in. Now that you’ve got her, you’re treating her well!”

“Why should someone I love with all my heart be trampled on by you like this?”

Zhang Yanxin had just finished a meeting when Yuan Hengrui blocked him at the door. There were people inside the meeting room and along the corridor outside, but there was no time to question how the receptionist had let someone in so casually. He glanced at Yuan Hengrui and sneered, “Do you know why Wei Lai looks down on you?”

The truth hurts.

Yuan Hengrui was hit right where it hurt the most. With fresh grievances added to old ones, he lost his temper and all sense of reason. He grabbed Zhang Yanxin by the collar, and with only one thought in his mind as his fist swung, “I don’t dare to hit Zhou Sujin, but I won’t hold back against you?!”

As his fist landed, the entire floor seemed to fall silent.

But before he could land more than one punch, people nearby reacted and restrained him.

Zhang Yanxin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, losing face in front of his subordinates, but he restrained his anger.

Secretary Liu, trembling with fear, asked, “Mr. Zhang, what should we do?”

Zhang Yanxin replied with one command, “Inform his father to come here and take him away!”

Secretary Liu immediately called Mr. Yuan and explained the situation.

Zhang Yanxin had one requirement: Yuan Hengrui must apologize to him, with no room for negotiation.

But Yuan Hengrui’s stubbornness was as obstinate as a mule; he wouldn’t listen even to his own father.

Apologize? Not a chance.

He could apologize if he wanted to.

After receiving Secretary Liu’s call, Mr. Yuan hastily left his half-opened meeting. His presence wouldn’t change anything; no one was willing to compromise, and things couldn’t continue like this. He had to call Wei Lai; she was the one to untangle this mess.

“Come over right now,” he ordered.

Without giving her a chance to respond, Mr. Yuan huffed and hung up the phone.

Wei Lai remained calm in the car for a while. She had been afraid of offending Mr. Yuan, a significant client, but now she seemed to have done just that.

Zhang Yanxin was the last person she wanted to see, and his office was the last place she wanted to go.

But now she had no choice.

Almost simultaneously, news of Zhang Yanxin being beaten spread within their circle.

[“Are you in Beijing? Your girlfriend’s admirer beat up her ex-boyfriend, and it’s quite a big scandal.”]

When Zhou Sujin boarded his flight, he received a message from a friend in Jiangcheng. That evening at dinner, this friend had been there, witnessing him openly declaring Wei Lai as his girlfriend.

[“Still at your Jiangcheng Airport; the flight’s delayed.”]

[“No way, that airport is small; delays happen often. Next time you come to Jiangcheng, you should use your own plane.”]

Returning to the main topic: [“Who beat up Zhang Yanxin?”]

[“Yuan Hengrui.”]

Zhou Sujin hadn’t heard of this name, nor was he interested, so he didn’t bother asking further.

[“Yuan Hengrui is now in Zhang Yanxin’s company. His father hasn’t taken him away yet. Mr. Yuan cares about his face; he can’t afford to be humiliated this time. Originally, the fight between them had nothing to do with your girlfriend, but because Mr. Yuan’s company is a major client of Wei Lai’s stepmother. Her daughter treated your girlfriend well, the one who took her to the dinner that day, Zhao Yihan.”]

The friend said all this in hopes of gossiping: [“By the way, how did you meet Wei Lai?”]

Ignoring the gossip, Zhou Sujin found a number in his contacts and dialed it.

When the call connected, he got straight to the point: “Could you please help me out? It involves Zhang Yanxin and someone named Yuan Hengrui from Wei Lai’s side. I’m at the airport, and as soon as I leave, she gets into trouble. It’s really annoying.”

He laughed, teasing, “Look at that, finally, there’s something that can give you a headache too, and someone who can make you explain so much at once.”

Zhou Sujin smiled rarely.

—

Outside the café.

Wei Lai took more than ten minutes to compose herself in the car, then drove to Zhang Yanxin’s company. If she didn’t handle this matter properly, she would completely offend Mr. Yuan, and her stepmother could lose more than just Mr. Yuan as a client.

Halfway there, she received another call from Mr. Yuan.

His tone was neither warm nor cold, but slightly better than before, informing her that she didn’t need to come over anymore.

“You have quite the face, managing to get He Wancheng to come over in person.”

Wei Lai found his words cryptic and hung up the phone.

She didn’t have the ability to have the richest man in Suzhou City handle things for her. The only one with that kind of influence was Zhou Sujin.

Looking around for a convenient parking spot, Wei Lai drove a few hundred meters before finally finding a roadside parking space. After parking the car, she hurriedly tried to call Zhou Sujin, but his phone was unreachable.

Then it occurred to her that he should still be on the plane.

Sending him a text was futile as he wouldn’t check it, and his personal WeChat wasn’t something she could easily add herself to. After hesitating for a while, she finally added him on WeChat.

[“It’s me, Wei Lai.”]