Chapter 25

She had seen entire walls of closets filled with bags and a room full of shoe racks, but she had never seen so many watch safes before, each cabinet filled with watches.

Wei Lai stood in front of the glass safe in the middle, without needing to open the door, all the watches inside were visible.

“The glass is bulletproof, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

Zhou Sujin’s voice sounded distant now as she turned to find him; he was already standing by the wardrobe.

Wei Lai withdrew her gaze and continued looking at the watches.

He added, “If you’re interested in any of them, you can take them out and have a look.”

She was interested in every piece. It was her first time seeing so many antique and valuable watches, broadening her horizons.

Wanting to take a closer look, but the safe wasn’t open, and she didn’t know the password.

“Mr. Zhou, the pass…word for the safe.”

Zhou Sujin took out a shirt from the wardrobe, not waiting for her to finish asking, he replied, “Your Cullinan’s password.”

Wei Lai wanted to say, “That’s your Cullinan, not mine.”

She was curious why he used the same password for everything, from cars to houses, even the safe.

After entering the password, there was a beep, and the lock opened.

There were gloves nearby, and she put them on.

Before, she had only taken a cursory glance; now, upon opening the safe, she noticed the second row had a ladies’ watch fully studded with diamonds.

It should be even more expensive than that Kullinan.

“Mr. Zhou, do you also collect ladies’ watches?”

“That one isn’t part of my collection, you don’t need to know about it.”

“Okay.”

Wei Lai didn’t ask further.

Zhou Sujin turned to her and said, “Take your time,” holding some clothes to leave.

“Mr. Zhou,” Wei Lai called out to him, “could you educate me about these watches? I’d like to know more about their origins and history in detail. Your only hobby is watches, and I can’t be ignorant about it.”

“Professional knowledge can be tedious.”

“It’s okay.” Wei Lai had already taken out her phone, ready to record.

As long as it involved contracts, her level of seriousness matched that of her work projects.

“Mr. Zhou, take it slowly.”

Zhou Sujin lowered his gaze as she worked on the PowerPoint, taking photos of each watch and inserting them into the presentation with corresponding serial numbers, matching the order of the watches in his safe.

“Do you really need to jot it down?”

“Yeah. A good memory is better than a bad pen.”

“I have over a hundred watches in my collection, are you sure you want a page for each?”

Wei Lai nodded confidently, “It won’t be more than some of my project plans.”

She was willing to listen, so Zhou Sujin continued.

After listening to the descriptions of fifteen watches, Wei Lai couldn’t help but glance at the one she had sold to him, wondering why this watch, seemingly without any collectible value, had caught his eye in the first place and why he often wore it to social events.

She pointed to that watch, “Since you often wear it, is there anything special about it?”

Zhou Sujin replied, “Nothing special. It’s cheap, easy to repair if it breaks.”

Wei Lai: “…”

So that was it.

Cheap was relative to him.

For her, that watch was very extravagant, enough to buy a luxury car, almost depleting all her savings at the time. She had bought it as a birthday gift for Zhang Yanxin, using all the money she earned, yet Zhang Yanxin never even saw what it looked like.

She boasted, “I think it looks pretty durable, and the bracelet is nice.”

Zhou Sujin said, “It’s average.”

Wei Lai fell silent completely.

Next, they moved on to the only ladies’ watch in the safe.

He would probably skip it directly, after all, he had already said it wasn’t part of his collection and didn’t need to be known.

“It was bought at an auction and will be given as a gift in the future.”

Unexpectedly, he said it with a simple sentence.

Wei Lai understood; given in the future, that meant it was for his future wife.

She praised, “It’s beautiful, very special.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t respond, as the ladies’ watch fully studded with diamonds didn’t quite match his aesthetic. He had bought it on his grandfather’s suggestion.

Three years ago, at an auction in London, he had bought this watch while accompanying his grandfather. His interest in collecting watches was also influenced by his grandfather.

Although he collected watches, he never bid on ladies’ watches. On the day his grandfather showed him the auction item information, he suggested, “This watch is not bad, rarely comes across something like this nowadays, bid on it later, and I’ll give it to you as a wedding gift in advance. You and your brother haven’t even found girlfriends yet, I don’t even know if I’ll live to see your wedding day.”

That day, his grandfather bought two watches, giving the other one to him.

After introducing the thirty-six watches in the cabinet, it was already past midnight.

“Let’s go to bed. I’ll tell you the rest later.”

“Alright.” Wei Lai neatly stored the documented information and put away her phone.

As she was leaving, she glanced at the most conspicuous watch in the cabinet again. She guessed that this watch was the king among them, dazzling and radiant all over, as if a dial had been carved into a colorful gemstone.

Zhou Sujin: “If you’re interested, let’s take a few more minutes to look.”

“No need, Mr. Zhou, you should rest early.”

“A few more minutes won’t hurt.” Zhou Sujin entered the password, reopened the safe, and glanced at her when he had the chance. “Why stop now when you’ve come this far?”

Wei Lai smiled, “I’ve always known where to draw the line.”

Zhou Sujin handed her the watch. She took it, feeling completely different from when he introduced it earlier. “Mr. Zhou, a few minutes isn’t enough just to look.”

—

Early the next morning, Zhou Sujin had just finished breakfast and was about to go to study to work when he received a call from his elder brother. “Mom wants you to come home now, says you can bring Wei Lai or not, it’s up to you.”

The implication was quite clear, no need to bring her.

“Did Mom say anything specific?”

Zhou Jiaye: “No.”

Originally, their mother had asked him to come back to the old house, but at the last moment, she said to bring his younger brother back too.

Zhou Jiaye hesitated for a moment. “Come pick me up, I’ll go back with you.”

Their mother calling them back home early in the morning likely meant something was wrong.

Before leaving, Zhou Sujin instructed the butler not to disturb Wei Lai upstairs since she hadn’t woken up yet.

Last night, she stayed up late looking at the watches and said she wanted to sleep in today.

The driver and the Bentley stayed at home to facilitate her outings, while he drove the Range Rover to pick up his elder brother.

His elder brother lived in the neighboring villa area, less than a fifteen-minute drive away.

After picking him up, Zhou Jiaye’s first words were, “Mom hasn’t found out yet that you and Wei Lai are pretending, right?”

Zhou Sujin looked at the rearview mirror while reversing, “Not likely.”

Uncle Yan wasn’t even clear about his relationship with Wei Lai, and their mother wouldn’t find out even if she investigated.

Zhou Jiaye was glad he didn’t resort to the risky move of hiring someone to pretend to be his girlfriend. Someone like Wei Lai, with emotional intelligence and intellect, yet also displaying flaws that could be overlooked by older generations, would easily be detected, let alone an ordinary person.

At home, their mother was putting on a coat, indicating she was going out.

“Mom, what’s going on?” Zhou Sujin casually placed the car keys on the side cabinet in the living room.

Ning Ruzhen pointed to a pile of gifts beside the sofa, “These are all for Wei Lai. We didn’t have time to bring them up to your car last night. There are gifts from me and your father, as well as your grandparents, your two aunts, and uncles, who all prepared gifts for Wei Lai.”

She paused, then pointed to a meticulously packaged box on the coffee table, addressing her eldest son, “That’s the wedding gift your grandfather gave you. He said the one Sujin gave him three years ago was finally suitable for you, so he bought it a while back.”

“There’s no food at home for you two today.” Ning Ruzhen tied her scarf, picked up her bag, and headed out.

The two brothers exchanged a glance. Zhou Jiaye couldn’t understand and asked his mother’s retreating figure, “Mom, you called us back just for this?”

Ning Ruzhen stopped and turned around, “Isn’t that enough?”

As she left, she glanced again at her younger son’s wrist, still wearing the new watch, feeling like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Leaving the old house, Ning Ruzhen instructed the driver to go to her sister’s courtyard.

The autumn morning sun was warm and gentle, filtering through the sparse, yellowing ginkgo leaves and casting light on the shallow walnut tea table under the tree.

Ning Rujing was about to go out when she received a call from her sister, saying she was coming over.

She took off her outer clothes and asked the maid to prepare two cups of coffee to be served outside.

She liked sitting in the courtyard filled with fallen leaves, drinking coffee, and arranging flowers. It would be even better if there was a smart and talkative child like Wei Lai to chat with her about anything.

In the past, it was just a fantasy, but now with hope, this wish could be fulfilled after Zhou Sujin and Wei Lai got married.

The sound of her sister’s car came from the gate, and the coffee from the maid was ready.

Ning Rujing tore off the wilted petals of the ice-blue flowers in the vase, “Having a daughter-in-law is different; they have the mood to come over and have morning tea with me.”

On the phone, her sister mentioned coming over for coffee and a chat.

Ning Ruzhen put her bag on the empty chair beside her and almost rudely took off her scarf, feeling for the first time that wearing it was a bit suffocating.

Ning Rujing was earnestly plucking petals and didn’t notice her sister’s unusual behavior.

She chatted with her sister, “Is Sujin bringing Wei Lai home for dinner today?”

“I didn’t ask them to come back. They were here last night, after all.”

“Even though they’ve met, Wei Lai is still your daughter-in-law since she came to our house last night.”

“Not yet.”

Only then did Ning Rujing look at her sister and notice her burdened expression, which she couldn’t hide and was written all over her face.

“What’s wrong with you?” She dropped the withered flower petals she had been plucking and sat down on the chair next to her sister, placing her bag on the table.

Ning Ruzhen found it difficult to speak, but apart from her sister, she had no one else to confide in.

“I was upset with Sujin all night and couldn’t sleep. He and Wei Lai might be pretending.”

“What do you mean?” Ning Rujing was even more panicked than the parties involved. She had finally encountered a child who spoke sweetly and could speak to her heart, and she hoped that someone would accompany her in the courtyard to drink coffee and chat in the future. She couldn’t let her be disappointed.

“Sis, have you discovered something or found out something?”

Ning Ruzhen replied, “I’ve noticed something is amiss.”

As a mother, how could she not understand her son’s character? When the details didn’t add up, she felt uneasy. She couldn’t just let it go, so she had someone check the watch again last night and took the opportunity to learn more about Wei Lai.

“The watch was indeed ordered by Wei Lai,” Ning Rujing was certain of this, “What could be the problem?”

“There is a big problem.”

Ning Ruzhen couldn’t bring herself to say it. She picked up her coffee to drink, but Ning Rujing stopped her, “Be careful, it’s hot.”

Putting down the coffee cup, Ning Ruzhen pinched her temples with her thumb and ring finger. When she saw her younger son at home just now, she almost couldn’t control herself.

“The watch was indeed ordered by Wei Lai, but it was intended to be given to her ex-boyfriend, not to Sujin.”

“T-then…how did it end up with Sujin?”

Ning Rujing was almost incoherent with shock.

“Sujin bought the watch. On the day when Jiaye’s watch, the one he gave to his grandfather, broke, he went out to buy a replacement watch. Coincidentally, Wei Lai went to the flagship store that night to sell her watch.”

Ning Rujing breathed a sigh of relief, thinking her nephew was unaware.

Now she understood what was going on. Her nephew and Wei Lai meet because of the watch transaction and then fall in love at first sight.

Ning Ruzhen also told her sister why Wei Lai broke up with her ex-boyfriend and why she left the Beijing circle to work in her family’s supermarket.

After listening, Ning Rujing said, “That Mu Di, her ex-boss, is really…”

Indescribable.

She didn’t have the mood to care about Wei Lai’s ex-boyfriend and ex-boss now. She got to the point, “Wei Lai got together with Sujin shortly after the breakup. Do you think it’s too fast, so you deduced that their relationship is fake?”

Ning Ruzhen replied, “That’s one reason.”

She analyzed it carefully for her sister.

Wei Lai was beautiful and elegant, meeting her son’s requirements for a love-at-first-sight appearance. Although Wei Lai’s family background wasn’t as good as theirs, in Jiangcheng, they were also well-off. Her grandparents were retired professors at Jiangcheng University’s Law School, her father was a lawyer, and her mother ran a sizable chain of supermarkets. She grew up without lacking money or love, was ambitious, emotionally intelligent, and knew when to advance and retreat. Such a girl was the ideal contractual girlfriend.

As for why Wei Lai agreed to pretend, she had been hurt by her ex-boyfriend, whose fiancée was her boss.

Certainly, she wanted to show off in front of her ex.

Being abandoned and hurt by someone you love, at this time, people are not rational, especially needing a new boyfriend with a stronger family background to show off in front of their ex.

Wei Lai also wanted to expand her mother’s supermarket business, and her son could provide her with any connections and resources she wanted.

“Their cooperation isn’t convincing.”

Ning Rujing said, “…that makes sense, but it doesn’t prove that they’re fake. Couldn’t it just be that the two kids are attracted to each other?”

Ning Ruzhen couldn’t explain to her sister, “It’s not just deduction; it’s also my intuition.”

But intuition is something others can’t understand.

Anyway, saying it out loud made her feel better. She picked up her coffee and drank.

Ning Rujing advised her sister, “Stay calm and don’t show it in front of Sujin and Wei Lai. If they are really together, how will you, as a mother, deal with it in the future? If you can’t get past it yourself, just observe them more in the future. If it’s fake, they’ll reveal themselves sooner or later.”

Ning Ruzhen nodded, but there was one thing she couldn’t understand, “You said, even though Sujin knew that the watch was originally meant for Wei Lai’s ex-boyfriend, how could he still wear it?”

Ning Rujing didn’t find it strange, “What’s the big deal? If it weren’t for that watch, he wouldn’t have known Wei Lai. The person who falls in love first always has to compromise a bit. Besides, the watch hasn’t been worn by anyone else, it’s new. Furthermore, from a collector’s perspective, among the watches he collects, some have a history of nearly a hundred years, and the love stories behind them are much more complicated than Wei Lai’s.”

Ning Ruzhen replied, “…”

Ning Rujing continued to explain, “For anyone who has a hobby of collecting, what they care about is the significance of the collection itself. As for who the previous owner of this watch was and who it was intended for, they wouldn’t care.”

Although this was said, Ning Ruzhen still couldn’t convince herself, “But that watch hasn’t even reached a million, it has no collectible value.”

Ning Rujing used to think the same way, but her husband’s thoughts influenced her, “Sis, whether it has collectible value or not is a matter of time. The watches that have collectible value now were definitely considered worthless by most people at the time. We are amateurs, just watching the excitement, while Sujin is an expert, he sees the intricacies.”

Ning Ruzhen said, “…”

For a moment, there was no argument.

—

At this moment, the black extended Range Rover stopped at the entrance of Zhou Jiaye’s villa.

Carrying their respective gifts from home, the two of them didn’t speak on the way.

After turning off the engine, Zhou Sujin adjusted his seat backward.

Zhou Jiaye pushed the door and got out, smoking outside the car.

Through the car window, he said, “From Mom’s reaction today, she not only suspects you guys.”

Zhou Sujin replied, “Hmm, Mom probably already checked me and Wei Lai, but didn’t find anything.”

“You’ve been careful.” Zhou Jiaye flicked the ash off his cigarette lightly. “What’s the plan next? Once Mom starts suspecting, her doubts won’t be easily dispelled.”

Zhou Sujin said, “There’s no need to deliberately do anything; the more deliberate we are, the more Mom will suspect.”

At this moment, there was a message on his phone from Wei Lai: [Uncle Yan said you went out for something, are you done?]

Zhou Sujin replied, [Yes, I’ll be back soon.]

Wei Lai was already out at this time, not expecting him to finish so quickly, [I’m out for a stroll. I’m thinking of having a hotpot for lunch.]

Zhou Sujin glanced at the time, it was not even half past ten.

He asked her, [Are you meeting friends for lunch?]

Wei Lai replied, [I don’t have close friends in Beijing.]

She sent another message, [Mr. Zhou, will you come and accompany me?]