Early the next day, Zhou Sujin had the property management arrange for someone to clean and tidy up his home, preparing a suite for his aunt and uncle to stay in.

He notified Wei Lai: “My aunt and uncle will be staying with me for the next few days.”

Wei Lai understood that it wasn’t time to meet the parents yet, so she didn’t need to go to Jiangan Yunchen recently.

She asked, “Does that mean we won’t see each other for the next few days?”

Zhou Sujin replied, “Yeah. Didn’t I just pick you up from the cocktail party yesterday? Isn’t that enough for you to boast about for a few days?”

Wei Lai whispered, “Not enough.”

Chapter 18

Wen Changyun took a few seconds to realize what was going on. So, the girl named Wei Lai was Zhou Sujin’s girlfriend.

What surprised him even more was that Wei Lai, with her relationship with Zhou Sujin, didn’t use it to her advantage and instead came to him to compete for the supermarket’s operating rights.

“In that case, when you have time, bring Wei Lai to my house for a drink. We made some fruit wine this year; you two can taste it.” He then added, “I was just talking to Wei Lai about cooperation, and the discussion went well.”

When Zhou Sujin entered the banquet hall and saw Wei Lai sitting with Wen Changyun, he smiled lightly. “She’s bold and has many ideas.”

Wen Changyun also smiled. “Wei Lai is indeed bold and intelligent.”

The complex shopping mall was just a non-core business under the Yunhui Group, and Wen Changyun never intervened; it was all managed by a professional team.

Rarely did anyone dare to intercept him directly for such a small collaboration.

Wei Lai then walked over to Zhou Sujin, and her handbag’s zipper brushed against his arm.

Zhou Sujin took the wine glass from her hand. It was his third glass tonight, which he raised for Wei Lai. “I may have troubled Uncle Wen tonight.”

He tilted his head slightly and drank it down.

The glass was emptied.

With that, he left with Wei Lai following at a slower pace, looking around as if searching for someone.

Zhou Sujin turned his head slightly and whispered, “Who are you looking for?”

Unable to spot that face in the crowd, Wei Lai asked, “Why didn’t I see Mu Di?”

Zhou Sujin replied, “…”

Tonight, everyone in the banquet hall knew that he had come specifically to pick her up and had learned about their relationship. Yet, she still felt the need to flaunt it in front of Mu Di.

“I’m leaving,” he said, and walked away.

With no other choice, Wei Lai had to follow, “Don’t walk so fast; wait for me.” She grabbed his arm, slowing him down.

Under the gaze of the public, Zhou Sujin didn’t say much but cooperated with her slow pace. This was his limit of patience.

They didn’t leave through the main entrance of the banquet hall but directly from the back door, taking the hotel owner’s private elevator down.

“Didn’t they say Zhou Sujin came again? Why didn’t we see him?” The owner of Fumanyuan had just come in after a smoke outside, and all along the way, they had been discussing Zhou Sujin.

Mu Di replied to her uncle, “He went back through the back door.”

In the time it took for the owner of Fumanyuan to smoke a cigarette outside, something unbelievable happened. “He was only here for a few minutes?”

Mu Di said, “He came to pick someone up; he wouldn’t stay long.”

Zhou Sujin was not only indifferent and taciturn but also low-key in his actions. If it weren’t for his consideration for Wei Lai’s vanity, letting everyone know that he came to pick someone up, he wouldn’t have entered through the front door and attracted so much attention.

She told her uncle, “The person he came to pick up is Wei Lai, the daughter of Cheng Min.”

The owner of Fumanyuan paused for half a second. “What’s their relationship?”

Mu Di shook her head. She couldn’t understand it either. A friend said that Zhou Sujin had a fiancée, but tonight he broke his usual low-key demeanor and publicly acknowledged Wei Lai.

The only thing she could be sure of was, “We won’t be able to enter the complex.” Wen Changyun would definitely give the supermarket’s operating rights to Wei Lai.

—

As Wei Lai walked out of the hotel lobby, she continued to hold onto Zhou Sujin’s arm.

Next to a black sedan, the person inside gripped the door handle tightly, wanting to open the door but holding back. Hearing that Wei Lai appeared at the party tonight, Yuan Hengrui had been waiting for her here until now.

The day before yesterday, he went to see the fortune teller again, not for himself but to read the fortunes of Zhou Sujin and Wei Lai, to see when they would break up.

The fortune teller said instead of waiting for them to break up, he should try to see if he could become one of the top three richest men in Jiangcheng.

Until now, he still didn’t understand what the fortune teller meant by that.

Before, he asked if he could become one of the top three richest men, and the fortune teller remained silent. Now he was asked to try.

Since the fortune teller gave him guidance and believed he had a chance to become one of the top three richest men, he decided to try. He had already made up his mind to delineate the boundaries with his hobbies, sell all his sports cars, put away all his trendy clothes, and change into suits and shirts. He started reporting to his company on time every day.

Today, waiting for Wei Lai, he wanted her to see what he looked like now. He had completely changed his appearance and lifestyle and was no longer indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun all day long.

As he watched the receding figure, which was now quite far away, Yuan Hengrui stood next to his car. Without thinking, he loosened the tie that was almost suffocating him. He had worn the tie today just to see Wei Lai and almost strangled himself with it.

It’s not okay, I can’t just suffer for nothing.

Can’t bother with so much.

Yuan Hengrui loosened the handle in his hand, opened the door, and randomly grabbed a pack of cigarettes before getting out of the car.

“Brother,” he caught up in a few steps, “sorry to bother you, could you lend me a light?”

That’s all he’s got…

Zhou Sujin turned around, glanced at the man who called him brother, and said lightly, “I don’t smoke.”

Yuan Hengrui smiled and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay, sorry to bother you.”

Whether he borrowed the light or not didn’t matter; the purpose had already been achieved.

Wei Lai recognized him and was momentarily stunned.

Even his hairstyle had changed, with his hair cut very short, looking particularly spirited, as if he had matured overnight. When she first saw him, she only felt familiar, never linking him to Yuan Hengrui.

After getting into the car, Uncle Yan lowered the front and back shields.

Wei Lai found it easier to speak and said to Zhou Sujin, “The person just now was Yuan Hengrui. I almost didn’t recognize him.”

Zhou Sujin glanced outside the car again without responding.

He had never been interested in these matters.

“Our supermarket wants to enter Yunhui Group’s mall. We came to see Director Wen tonight to find a breakthrough.” Wei Lai understood him; he wouldn’t ask her what she discussed with Director Wen and how it went.

So, she brought it up herself.

Zhou Sujin had drunk quite a bit tonight, three glasses at the reception, and two at the dinner. He leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, “Why didn’t you use my connections? It’s a trivial matter.”

Wei Lai said, “I wanted to try on my own first. If that doesn’t work, I’ll mention your name.” She turned to look at him. “You said my abilities were inadequate and wanted me to improve.”

Zhou Sujin tried to recall if he had said something like that.

“Add a contact for yourself.” He gave her Yang Ze’s phone number.

Wei Lai took out her phone to add him on WeChat and asked Zhou Sujin, “Who is he?”

“Yang’s assistant.” Zhou Sujin added, “In the future, if you need to use my connections, just contact him directly.”

Wei Lai’s hand paused as she entered the phone number. At that moment, the passing scenery outside the window lacked tall and lush trees, and the streetlights illuminated the car brightly. She could see him very clearly; his face, with distinct features, showed no emotion.

When Zhang Yanxin was about to break up, he had said similar things, asking her to contact Secretary Liu for anything, as Secretary Liu would take care of it for her.

After being abandoned once, she didn’t expect to have such a reaction.

She didn’t like this feeling at all.

Wei Lai deleted the phone number she had entered into the search bar. “I won’t add him. If I need anything, I’ll contact you.”

Zhou Sujin said, “There are times when I’m too busy to answer your calls.”

Wei Lai didn’t want to dwell on the past or that relationship, so she couldn’t explain why she didn’t want to add Yang’s assistant. Even if she did explain, he might not understand.

“If you’re busy, just reply to me when you’re free.”

Zhou Sujin couldn’t fathom her thinking but didn’t press further. If she didn’t want to add Yang’s assistant on WeChat, he would leave it at that. He then gave her another phone number. “This is my business number.”

Yang’s assistant was responsible for managing and answering calls on his business phone when he couldn’t.

Wei Lai immediately added his business WeChat account and labeled it ‘Manager Zhou.’ His personal account was labeled with his name.

Zhou Sujin had hardly eaten anything at the dinner tonight. “Do you want supper?” he asked for her opinion.

Usually, when a leader or a boss asks like this, it’s because they want to go themselves. Even if Wei Lai wasn’t hungry, she went along with it, “Sure, I’m a bit hungry.”

The problem was, their tastes differed. Where should they go for supper?

Zhou Sujin instructed Uncle Yan, “Go to that restaurant we went to last time.”

Wei Lai turned to look at him, he still had his eyes closed, and it was dim inside the car now, making it hard to see his expression.

“Don’t you dislike their food?” she asked.

Zhou Sujin replied, “There are two dishes that are decent.”

Wei Lai knew which two dishes he meant, and coincidentally, those were the two dishes she didn’t like.

The restaurant closed before midnight, and they were the last customers.

Downstairs was full, so they went upstairs and sat in almost the same spot as last time.

After ordering, both of their phones received messages almost simultaneously.

Wei Lai opened her phone, and the message was from Director Wen’s secretary, reminding her to accept Lu Song’s friend request. All the comprehensive facilities under Yunhui belonged to Lu Song, and he added her proactively, so there was basically no suspense about their supermarket entering.

She accepted the friend request.

Wei Lai greeted him: “[Mr. Lu, hello.]”

Lu Song replied with a handshake emoji. He didn’t dare to neglect any task personally assigned by the chairman, especially considering Wei Lai was also Zhou Sujin’s girlfriend.

What frustrated him was that he had almost finalized the discussion with the boss of Fumanyuan tonight, agreeing to let Fumanyuan occupy the negative first floor of their complex. However, Wei Lai Supermarket unexpectedly intervened halfway.

He had to ‘break the promise.’

Both the boss of Fumanyuan and Mu Di understood his actions, after all, who dared to go against the chairman’s wishes.

The chairman’s secretary also told him that Wei Lai gained the operating rights for Wei Lai Supermarket based on her own abilities, unrelated to Zhou Sujin. He just smiled at this, finding the statement absurd.

Who would believe it?

He promised the boss of Fumanyuan that as long as Wei Lai and Zhou Sujin broke up completely and had no further relations, the complex would change its merchants at that time. He would find a reason to replace Wei Lai Supermarket and let Fumanyuan move in again.

“[Monday afternoon at two-thirty, it’s troublesome for Mr. Wei to come over, let’s discuss some matters about the occupancy face-to-face.]”

Wei Lai: “[Sure, no problem. Mr. Lu, just call me Xiaowei.]”

On the opposite seat, Zhou Sujin was replying to a message from his aunt.

Ever since that day at her sister’s house when she saw her nephew, Ning Rujiang hadn’t met him again. Every time she called him, he was either abroad or on a plane for a business trip.

Actually, her nephew had always been busy before, but now she couldn’t seem to meet him no matter what. Subconsciously, she felt her nephew was avoiding her.

Not seeing her nephew naturally meant not seeing that watch.

She asked several younger relatives who played with her nephew in the compound, but none of them could say clearly whether Zhou Sujin had a girlfriend or not, as they had never seen him bring anyone out.

They had probably already discussed how to deal with her in advance.

“[Still on a business trip? If you have time, come home for a meal. Your uncle always talks about you.]”

Zhou Sujin replied: “[I won’t be free until mid-October. I’m in Jiangcheng now, and I’ll be going abroad in early October. I’ll come to see you and uncle after I’m done with my busy schedule.]”

Ning Rujiang checked the time, feeling disappointed, as she had to wait for more than twenty days again.

She would urge him to get married, but she had her limits and wouldn’t interfere with her nephew’s work.

“[Alright, you’re busy, remember to tell auntie when you come back.]”

“[By the way, Sujin, is Jiangcheng fun? Your uncle has mentioned Jiangcheng tea several times recently. If it’s interesting, I’ll accompany him to the tea garden and buy some tea leaves.]”

Zhou Sujin: “[It’s not bad.]”

Ning Rujiang felt assured; if her nephew said a place was good, then it must be.

“[Okay, got it. When I have some free time, I’ll accompany your uncle there.]”

Although Zhou Sujin didn’t want to hear his aunt nagging, he never neglected his filial duties. “[Jiangcheng is the best for tourism now, neither too hot nor too cold. It’s better to visit now than later.]”

He added: “[I’ve been in Jiangcheng recently. Do you and uncle want to come over now?]”

Ning Rujiang hesitated: “[Won’t it affect your work?]”

Zhou Sujin: “[It won’t. When I’m busy, I’ll let Uncle Yan take you around.]”

Ning Rujiang was tempted. She said she would go and immediately started packing her luggage, planning to take the earliest train tomorrow.

“I wonder if Sujin wore that new watch on this business trip,” she chatted with her husband.

Her husband was puzzled, “Why are you staring at Sujin’s watch? When it’s time to meet the parents, he’ll naturally bring his girlfriend. Why are you in such a hurry?”

Ning Rujiang took out her suitcase and said, “You don’t understand. I’m not in a hurry. These kids nowadays, dealing with the blind dates arranged by their families, are quite scheming. Look at the Lu family’s Lu Yu, isn’t it a ready example? He found someone to pretend to be his girlfriend to please his family, which made them very happy, but in the end? It was all for nothing. Since Sujin is so close to Lu Yu, could he not be influenced by him?”

As she packed her clothes, she continued, “The brand of watch Sujin wears usually has a long waiting list, some models even take several years. If it was given by his girlfriend, it should be a serious relationship. I just want to confirm the original order, not investigate the girl. Rest assured, I won’t ask a single extra question related to that girl.”

Zhou Sujin sent her another message: “[Auntie, you don’t need to bring daily necessities, I have everything in my house here.]”

Ning Rujiang: “[You have a house in Jiangcheng too?]”

“[Yes, I just bought it.]”

Early the next day, Zhou Sujin had the property management arrange for someone to clean and tidy up his home, preparing a suite for his aunt and uncle to stay in.

He notified Wei Lai: “My aunt and uncle will be staying with me for the next few days.”

Wei Lai understood that it wasn’t time to meet the parents yet, so she didn’t need to go to Jiangan Yunchen recently.

She asked, “Does that mean we won’t see each other for the next few days?”

Zhou Sujin replied, “Yeah. Didn’t I just pick you up from the cocktail party yesterday? Isn’t that enough for you to boast about for a few days?”

Wei Lai whispered, “Not enough.”