Chapter 11

Wei Lai had just taken a bath and hadn’t had time to blow dry her hair yet when Zhou Sujìn called. His crisp voice came through the phone from the other end, “I’m downstairs, can you come down for a chat?”

As they parted ways at the entrance of the quadrangle courtyard, she thought it would be difficult to meet again.

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

“No rush,” he hung up.

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

He couldn’t be calling her to discuss work. The only thing they could talk about was her role 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.

The extended version of the Range Rover was parked at the hotel’s main entrance, and she got in as Uncle Yan got out.

There were only two of them in the car. She took a breath and adjusted herself. “Mr. Zhou, what can I do for you?”

Zhou Sujin didn’t like beating around the bush. “You’re just my girlfriend in Jiangcheng. Would you consider being one in Beijing too?”

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

Zhou Sujìn continued, “You don’t have to date me. You just need to occasionally accompany me home to deal with my family. It saves me the trouble of arranged dates.” He added, “I won’t let you help for nothing. You can freely use the title of my girlfriend to your advantage, leverage connections, whatever you need.”

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

But there were conditions for pretending to be his girlfriend. Once she agreed, she couldn’t back out midway, couldn’t go on other blind dates during their ‘relationship’, and no excuses for arranged dates would be accepted.

Wei Lai’s mind was a bit chaotic, but she steadied herself before looking at him. “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? If your family doesn’t really care about me being your girlfriend and keeps pressuring you for blind dates, what then?”

“As long as you’re my girlfriend for a day, blind dates won’t happen to me,” Zhou Sujin replied.

It was strange. She had only known him for a few weeks, yet she believed every promise he made without doubt. Perhaps it was because the filter of seeing people as good was too thick.

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

At this moment, Zhou Sujin’s phone vibrated. His aunt had shared the WeChat contact of a blind date prospect, 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 pretend for a year first, then decide whether to renew the contract based on the actual situation?”

Zhou Sujin didn’t allow room for negotiation. “I don’t have time to change girlfriends frequently.”

Two years, no room for negotiation. He hated bargaining the most.

Seeing her hesitation, he gave her time and said, “Take your time to think about it.” Then he asked, “Got plans for tomorrow?”

Wei Lai nodded, “Yes, dinner at 8.”

Zhou Sujin offered, “You can use the car.”

Wei Lai refused without hesitation, “Thank you, Mr. Zhou, but it’s unnecessary. I’ll take a taxi; it’s convenient.”

Zhou Sujin looked at her, seeing through her thoughts, “Whether you agree to my proposal or not, it doesn’t affect my offer of using the car. Two separate matters.” He wasn’t lacking in grace. “Even if you reject me now, if you want to invite me for dinner another day, I’ll still come.”

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

Wei Lai wanted to say something but hesitated.

She hadn’t noticed when getting into the car, but now she saw the handbag was still inside.

She didn’t understand, “You asked me to pretend, but whose bracelet is this…”

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. So, she had misunderstood; it wasn’t a gift he bought for someone he liked.

Back in her room, she wasn’t sleepy at all.

She had stayed up all night finishing statistical tables, barely able to keep her eyes open in the shower just now. Yet now she was wide awake, as if she had slept for a dozen hours.

Regarding Zhou Sujin’s proposed contract, she was momentarily unable to decide.

Who could solemnly promise to be around someone like him, a man with both business acumen and personal charm, for two years without developing feelings? After the two-year contract ended, he would either marry someone suitable or continue finding contract girlfriends to appease his family.

Two years seemed a bit long, and she feared she might develop feelings in the long run. If she ever had inappropriate thoughts about him, she would suffer when they parted ways.

But the conditions he offered were too tempting for someone as pragmatic and vulgar as her.

—

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

Silence meant rejection.

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

He found the WeChat contact shared by his aunt the previous night and added them as a friend.

Within minutes, the request was accepted.

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

The blind date prospect replied, “I don’t feel like having Italian food tonight.” Seeking his opinion, she asked, “How about going somewhere lively? How about a hotpot?”

Zhou Sujin replied, “I’m fine with that.”

The blind date prospect said, “Let’s go for hotpot then; I’ll make the reservation.”

Soon, she sent the confirmation of the booked table.

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

His aunt was very distrustful, fearing he might back out of the blind date at the last minute. She called him twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

“Try to be a few minutes early; don’t keep the girl waiting.”

“Whether it works out or not, there has to be respect.”

“It looks like I’m getting old and starting to nag.”

Just then, his office door rang twice. Before he could say ‘come in,’ someone pushed it open from outside—it was Lu Yu, holding a briefcase.

Lu Yu had been traveling abroad recently and had just landed in Beijing two hours ago. Instead of going home after coming out of the airport, she came straight to the Kunchen Building to discuss a few remaining issues with Zhou Sujin regarding their project.

“Aunt, I’ve got someone here.”

“Alright.” Although Níng RuJiang said okay, she didn’t mean to hang up yet. “Oh, wait, Sujin, why did I receive a message on my phone saying you canceled the reservation?”

“We’re not having Western food; we’re going for hotpot.” Zhou Sujin rarely revealed his thoughts, “Aunt, I’m an adult now. I’ve exchanged contact information; I can’t just back out at the last minute.”

“Of course, I know you wouldn’t be so unreliable.”

She should have said that earlier; it made her unnecessarily anxious.

Seeing the cancellation message, her blood rushed to her head, almost making her swear.

Hearing that her nephew was going for a hotpot, Níng RuJiang had a hunch that the blind date might work out this time.

Zhou Sujin said goodbye to his aunt and hung up.

Lu Yu was very curious. Who was this person that made Zhou Sujin accompany them for the hotpot?

“What kind of obligation is this that you have to go for hotpot?”

“It’s a blind date.” Zhou Sujin locked his phone screen and picked up his tablet to continue reading.

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

Without lifting his head from the tablet, Zhou Sujin replied calmly, “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 as if it were plague. How could he agree to go for hotpot on a blind date? If he didn’t know who she was before, he would know after getting in touch.

Knowing who she was and still being willing to accompany her to eat hotpot, was the point.

Lu Yu asked, “Are you sure you’re not just catering to her preferences?”

Zhou Sujin couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Lu Yu was afraid of him, but he was also the most gossip-worthy. “Didn’t you admit to having a girlfriend in Jiangcheng? Does she know you’re going on a blind date?”

Zhou Sujin was looking at the work reports summarized by various departments. He lifted his head from the tablet and sneered, “Being overseas hasn’t stopped you from meddling in domestic affairs.”

Lu Yu: “…”

How come it was always his fault?

Thinking, if you had a better reputation, and were a good person, Zhao Yihan wouldn’t have asked me about you in various ways.

Because of the business trip, he missed He Wancheng’s dinner and missed the rare scene two years ago when Zhou Sujin publicly announced his girlfriend. He was extremely curious. What kind of person named Wei Lai could make Zhou Sujin act like a good person for once?

For someone abroad but concerned about domestic affairs in Jiangcheng, Lu Yu explained, “My university classmate, Zhao Yihan, is Wei Lai’s half-sister. That night, she asked me for your number, saying Wei Lai wanted to give you a watch but didn’t have your contact information. I was confused; why would I give your private number out casually?”

“By the way, didn’t I like a villa in Jiangcheng before? The previous owner was Wei Lai, but I was too late to make a move, and someone else bought the house.”

Taking out all the project files from her bag, Lu Yu started to talk non-stop. “Later, I heard that the villa was compensation from her ex-boyfriend after they broke up. She doesn’t seem to lack money; her father has a law firm, and her mother runs a supermarket. She was in a hurry to sell it, probably because of the…emotional baggage.”

Zhou Sujin lifted his gaze, silently observing him.

Immediately, Lu Yu closed her mouth. This kind of expression from Zhou Sujin often meant his patience had run out.

She stayed until 4:50 and then took her leave.

She had to go because Zhou Sujin was going to meet his blind date.

—

At this time in the hotel, Wei Lai had just woken up.

She hadn’t slept at all last night due to considering the contract. Staying up all night was exhausting, and even after sleeping for a whole day, she hadn’t fully recovered.

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 cover her dark circles.

After applying lipstick, she picked up her phone and called her sister, Zhao Yihan, to tell her about the decision she had carefully considered overnight.

She could keep it from her parents, but the one person she didn’t want to hide 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’re dumped, I’ll come to Beijing to bring you back.”

Wei Lai smiled, feeling a bit sour inside. She thought Zhao Yihan would scold her and think she was crazy, feeling that she was unreasonable.

She reassured Zhao Yihan, “It’s not like I’m really dating him. Even if it comes to the ‘breakup’ day, I won’t be as sad as last time. Besides, I’m not going to Beijing; I’ll stay in Jiangcheng.”

Whether it was sad or not often couldn’t be helped. Zhao Yihan added, “Two years is not two days. When people spend a long time together, sometimes they can’t tell if it’s sincerity or acting.”

After a pause, she continued, “Anyway, since you’ve already made up your mind, enjoy yourself.”

Wei Lai: “…”

“I heard from my mom that you’re working at a supermarket now?” Zhao Yihan changed the subject.

“Yeah. Feel free to visit me when you have time.” It wasn’t just polite words; she genuinely hoped that one day Zhao Yihan could come over and visit.

They talked about this and that for a few more minutes before hanging up.

She pulled back the curtains in her room, and dusk had already fallen. It was almost seven o’clock; Zhou Sujin should be done with his busy schedule.

【Mr. Zhou, I’ve decided to accept your contract.】

Shortly after, Zhou Sujin called her, “Why didn’t you do it earlier? I just finished my blind date.”

Through the phone, Wei Lai could hear the sound of the waiter saying, “Goodbye, welcome next time.” Her heart was pricked by something invisible.

“You didn’t tell me you were going on a blind date today.”

“Yeah.” Zhou Sujin got into the car and casually opened the car window. “Whether I tell you or not doesn’t matter. If I do, there’s a risk of provocation.”

Wei Lai was silent for a moment. “Is it too late now?”

“Not too late. If you had replied earlier, I wouldn’t have had to go for this meal.” It was just a matter of dealing with one more meal; it didn’t matter.

He added, “Are you sure about being with me for two years?”

“I’m sure.”