Chapter 30

After the separation, he never came to Jiang’an Yunchen.

Allowing Lu Yu to do as he pleased, he placed the suitcase in the bedroom. The cosmetics brought here by Wei Lai were still piled up on the dressing table in the bedroom.

There were also her cosmetics at home in Beijing, which had already been packed up and organized by the aunt from his room, and neatly placed in other rooms. The bathroom vanity had returned to its original state before she took him home.

There was no maid hired here in Jiang’an Yunchen. Usually, the property manager arranged for someone to clean regularly, but it was only cleaning, and they wouldn’t casually organize his belongings.

Her makeup box was in the dressing room. Zhou Sujin found it and, not knowing how to categorize and arrange these cosmetics, could only arrange the bottles and jars by their sizes and neatly place them in the makeup box.

There were dozens of different brushes.

“The chef is here. What do you want to eat?” 

Lu Yu walked to the bedroom door but didn’t enter, waiting for him to speak.

“Help me call for a delivery.” Zhou Sujin didn’t raise his head, busy writing a note at the dressing table.

I don’t know if you’ll need these, but I’ve packed them up for you here.

– Zhou Sujin left

Lu’an asked, “Where should it be sent?”

“To Wei Lai.”

“Then just call a courier.”

Lu Yu didn’t know they were impersonating. She thought it was Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou who disagreed with their relationship. The starry sky was just installed, and they broke up before the second day.

“I didn’t mean to say you were wrong. You shouldn’t have broken up with her on her birthday.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t say anything, pressing the note onto the makeup box with a little force.

“Which address should I choose?” LunYu asked.

“Send it to her office.”

He had never been to her office, only hearing her mention it was on the second floor.

—

During this time, Wei Lai was extremely busy. According to the original plan, the store in the Yunhui Complex should have been renovated by the end of this month and opened for trial operation during the New Year period. Due to various reasons, the construction period was delayed by more than a quarter.

Just now, Lu Song, the person in charge of the complex, called her secretary directly and bluntly told her that the bakery area of the supermarket had to be removed and replaced with other business projects.

The reason for removal was that there were chain dessert and bakery shops on the first floor of the mall, and when the bakery moved in, they requested exclusivity, so the bakery in the supermarket had to be removed.

Baking was a major feature of Wei Lai Supermarket. Because of their good quality and affordable price, the bread and cakes baked on the same day were always sold out. If removed, it would lose its uniqueness, and profits would be greatly affected.

There was no exclusivity agreement when they first moved in.

Nowadays, most people in Jiangcheng circles already know that Zhou Sujin and her had broken up. Lu Song couldn’t directly breach the contract, so he made various difficulties for her, urging her to voluntarily withdraw from the complex and give way to Fumanyuan Supermarket.

It had been nearly three weeks of being made difficult, and she had complied with their requests, but no matter how she changed, they were never satisfied, and the renovation progress kept being delayed.

Now they were even starting to interfere with their supermarket’s business projects.

Since there was no room for maneuver, there was no need to endure any longer. Wei Lai smiled and retorted, “Exclusivity agreement? There are two bakeries and one dessert shop on the first floor. Why didn’t they mutually exclude each other?”

The secretary simply ignored her and informed her, “In addition to removing the bakery area, the free book bar also needs to be changed.”

As for why the book bar needed to be changed, not even a specific reason was given.

In short, Wei Lai Supermarket had to conform to the concept of mall operation and overall interests.

Anything that needed to be changed naturally didn’t conform to the mall’s requirements.

Wei Lai was furious but laughed sarcastically, and hung up the phone directly.

If they withdrew, the four thousand square meters of renovation and design fees would all be in vain, which was a visible loss, not to mention many sunk costs.

She opened the window and stood at it, letting the cold wind calm the anger in her heart.

Her phone rang, an unfamiliar number.

They said they had her package and asked which specific office was hers.

She had been too busy recently to shop, so Wei Lai informed them that it was the second room on the south side of the second floor and asked where the package was sent from.

“Jiang’an Yunchen.”

Wei Lai was slightly startled. “Alright, got it.”

Soon, there was the voice of the courier outside the door.

After signing for it and opening it, it was her makeup box and a note from him.

So he is in Jiangcheng now.

Just a dozen kilometers away from her.

He didn’t message her before sending the package, and she didn’t reply to inform him that she had received it.

She didn’t know when he came to Jiangcheng, how long he would stay, and when he would leave.

Wei Lai leaned against the edge of her desk, holding the note he had given her for a long time.

She stayed in the office until half past ten. Downstairs, the supermarket had already closed, and only the lights in her office on the second-floor office area were still on.

Wei Lai finished her cold coffee, washed the coffee cup, turned off the lights, and left.

Downstairs, there was a Maybach parked sideways in front of her car, which belonged to Yuan Hengrui. Even though there were empty parking spaces available, he never parked properly. Every time, he either parked in her spot or blocked her car.

She lightly tapped on the car window, signaling for him to move his car.

Yuan Hengrui was half lying in his chair, looking at the skylight. The weather had turned cold, and even the clouds had become thinner and fewer.

He was so engrossed that the sound of the tapping on the window startled him. Squinting, he saw Wei Lai outside the car and quickly got out.

Looking at her across the car roof, he said, “You’re the only one working overtime here in such a big office area. Aren’t you afraid?”

Wei Lai glanced at him, not expecting him to ask such a question.

She replied, “I’m fine.”

Yuan Hengrui had come over long ago, waiting from sunset until now.

Today, passing by the Complex Shopping Mall in the Yunhui Group Park, he specifically went to the negative first floor to take a look. The supermarket was still not finished with its renovation.

“Weren’t they supposed to have a grand opening on New Year’s Day? Now it’s already the 20th, with only ten days left. Even if you work 48 hours a day, you won’t finish the renovation.”

He guessed roughly, “Lu Song is making things difficult for your supermarket?”

Wei Lai answered indirectly, “Move your car.”

“I’ll move it right away, but let me say a few words first.”

Yuan Hengrui came to give her peace of mind, “Don’t worry, even if you and Zhou Sujin have broken up, Jiang’an Yunchen’s storefront will continue to be rented to you. The promise to sell the house to you will still be honored. If you can’t afford it in three years, then five years. There will always be a day when you can afford it.”

“Thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

Yuan Hengrui didn’t praise himself, “My father said that. He never goes back on his word. If he promises something, he will definitely do it.”

He walked around to her side from the driver’s seat, leaning on the car door.

His influence was limited, and he couldn’t affect the decision of the Yunhui Complex, after all, Fumanyuan had the backing of the Mu Di’s family.

At this moment, he only regretted his own incompetence. “When I become one of the top wealthy people in Jiangcheng in the future, you can open a supermarket in any location you want, and no one will dare to make things difficult for you.”

Wei Lai thanked him again. Nowadays, Yuan Hengrui is no longer as carefree as before. She was willing to chat a bit more, “Don’t spend all your time on me. It’s been wasted for three years. It’s not worth it.”

“It’s not a waste. Having someone you like gives you motivation every day.” Yuan Hengrui walked back to the driver’s side, “You don’t understand, Wei Lai.”

He opened the car door, “Go back and rest well. I’ll find a solution for you.”

“No need to trouble yourself.” Wei Lai refused without hesitation.

She said, “I’ll find someone myself.”

“Who are you looking for? Can they help you?” 

“They can.”

Yuan Hengrui hesitated to speak, and her expression didn’t seem like she had found someone who could solve her problem.

Wei Lai was tired and didn’t want to chat further. She drove back to her apartment.

The next day was the weekend. Before going to bed, she turned off her alarm clock and set her phone to silent, planning to sleep until she woke up naturally.

She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep for over twenty days.

For the past month, she has been revising renovation plans every day, and after revising, she had to go to the Runfeng Group for filing, and submitting materials and plans for approval.

Lu Song was the one in charge of approval, and every time, there was either something wrong with this or that.

Other merchants only needed to file before renovation, and after the renovation, they only needed to wait for inspection. Lu Song had special requirements for their supermarket and even claimed it was for the good of their supermarket.

The next day, she woke up at a quarter past nine.

Yesterday, after considering it all night, apart from finding someone to cooperate with, there seemed to be no other way.

Calling someone at nine o’clock on a weekend seemed a bit early, so she put down her phone and went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

She brewed a cup of Geisha coffee, fried two eggs, and toasted a few slices of bread.

The Geisha coffee beans were sent by Yang Ze a few days ago. He said they were specially airlifted from a plantation in Panama.

Yang Ze said, “President Zhou doesn’t drink these lightly roasted coffee beans. It’s a waste to put them on the plane.”

After thanking him, she accepted them.

She carried the breakfast to the folding table on the balcony. The balcony wasn’t big, and the table was small, just enough for two people to eat. When her father had renovated this apartment for her, he specifically designed the east balcony into a dining area in her favorite style.

Today, the sun was shining brightly, casting a large piece of sunshine on the table.

The coffee emitted steam in the sunlight.

This was the most comfortable breakfast she had had in months.

She leisurely took a sip of coffee, finding its taste slightly different from the coffee beans she had bought before.

“Lai Lai, make sure to rest well at home today.”

“I’ll figure out a solution for the Yunhui Complex matter.”

Her mother sent two voice messages in a row.

Wei Lai brought the phone closer and replied to her mother’s voice message, “You don’t need to find anyone else. I have a solution here.”

“Lai Lai, don’t go looking for Zhou Sujin.”

“Mom, don’t worry, I won’t trouble him.”

Outside, no one knew they were fake lovers. He would go on blind dates and get married in the future. It wouldn’t be appropriate to contact him again.

She had a sense of propriety.

“Mom, you go ahead and busy yourself.”

“Mom, can I ask one more question? Who did you find?” Cheng Minzhi couldn’t bear to see her daughter lose face by asking someone for help. At worst, the renovation and design fees would go to waste.

“He Wan Cheng.”

“You found him?”

“Yeah, I’m talking about cooperation, not asking for his help. After it’s settled, I’ll tell you the details.”

After breakfast, Wei Lai cleaned up the table and kitchen. It was still early, so she opened the makeup box Zhou Sujin had sent her and placed everything neatly on the dressing table. She kept the note in the drawer.

At five past ten, she messaged He Wancheng: [Director He, sorry to bother you on the weekend. When are you available? I’ll give you a call.]

He Wancheng: [Don’t call me Director He. Looks like you’re here to discuss business.]

[Yes, I want to discuss a cooperation with you. Are you interested?]

He Wancheng called directly, smiling as he asked, “Are you asking me to open a supermarket with you?”

Wei Lai also smiled and said, “Nothing gets past you.”

She dared to ask Sucheng’s richest man to cooperate in opening a supermarket because he had invested in a commercial supermarket before. He owned shares in the supermarket of his old classmate in Sucheng. Back then, his old classmate lacked startup capital and came to him. His investment was entirely out of camaraderie, helping his old classmate through a difficult time without getting involved in any operations. He probably didn’t even know how many stores the supermarket had.

Inadvertently, that chain supermarket now makes considerable profits.

With the current scale of Wei Lai Supermarket, He Wancheng naturally wouldn’t be interested. “Director He, as I mentioned before, my goal is to be in the top thirty of the Fortune 100.”

“You don’t need to invest, just provide resources and take a 30% stake. I’ll handle the operation, and you’ll oversee the risks.”

Before approaching He Wancheng, she had thought it over carefully.

As their supermarket expanded and grew, they would need to establish more and more relationships. With a shareholder like He Wancheng, who had such a background, no one in Jiangcheng would dare to make things difficult for her in the future, solving the problem once and for all. Moreover, with He Wancheng’s backing, future financing would be easier.

Although she was giving up 30% of the shares, in the long run, she wouldn’t lose.

“Director He, if you think it’s still acceptable, we can discuss the specifics of how to enter the company, how to distribute profits, when we meet.”

He Wancheng had many resources and connections in Jiangcheng. It would be a waste not to utilize them.

Becoming a shareholder of Wei Lai Supermarket would only bring profits and no losses. From a businessman’s perspective, he had no reason not to cooperate.

Moreover, Zhou Sujin had specifically asked him to take care of Wei Lai Supermarket a bit more. 

He asked, “Is this your mother’s idea?”

“No. It’s my decision alone. My mom has already entrusted the entire supermarket to me. If I don’t do well, she’ll clean up after me.”

He Wancheng smiled and said, “That’s good.”

He immediately agreed to the cooperation. “You don’t need to come to Sucheng. I’ll be in Jiangcheng next week for a wedding. We can meet and discuss then.”

He was attending Zhang Yanxin’s wedding, but he didn’t specify. Even if He Wancheng didn’t say it, Wei Lai knew whose wedding he was attending. He and Zhang Yanxin’s parents were close friends, and Zhang Yanxin was getting married to Mu Di the next week.

“Director He, I have one more difficult request.”

“Don’t be so polite, just say it.”

“Our supermarket’s sixteenth store is located in the Yunhui Complex. Lu Song, the person in charge, is friends with the owner of Fuman Yuan Supermarket. He’s been obstructing us at every turn, and the scheduled opening on New Year’s Day is now indefinite.”

“Okay, leave it to me to solve.”

He Wancheng didn’t even need to personally intervene. He had his secretary make a phone call to the secretary of the Yunhui Group’s board secretary, and all the problems of Wei Lai Supermarket were quickly resolved.

Cooperating with Wei Lai was not a small matter. It was necessary to inform Zhou Sujin. He dialed Zhou Sujin’s number, but there was no answer.

At this moment, Zhou Sujin was in the old mansion, facing his mother. He immediately silenced his phone.

His son had arrived home ten minutes ago, but besides a greeting, he hadn’t said a word.

Ning Ruzhen found her own nagging annoying, but she had to say it anyway. “Sujin, I can accept you finding a partner from an ordinary family, but I absolutely won’t allow you to treat marriage as a joke.”

Zhou Sujin remained silent, sipping his tea.

“Your grandmother said that someone has been to her place recently, arranging to introduce potential partners to you.”

Everyone around them gradually learned about their son’s breakup. Marriages were originally about family background and interests, so they didn’t care much whether their son had just broken up or not.

Ning Ruzhen had enjoyed some peace for less than three months. The phone calls inviting her out for tea had started again. She made excuses, saying she was in London accompanying her parents, and politely declined them all. As a result, they went directly to her mother-in-law.

Now, the one who probably wanted to avoid matchmakers the most wasn’t her son, but her.

Zhou Sujin suddenly reached out. “Give me those people’s phone numbers. I’ll ask them if they’re too idle. If they are, I’ll find something for them to do.”

Ning Ruzhen exclaimed, “You!”

“I have something else to do. I’ll go back first.” Zhou Sujin grabbed his coat and walked straight to the yard to call He Wancheng.

—

With the issues at the Yunhui Complex completely resolved, Wei Lai grabbed her car keys and headed downstairs to the office to report her work to her mother and discuss the cooperation with He Wancheng.

Just as she sat in the car, before she even fastened her seatbelt, a call came in.

Seeing the number on the screen, she hesitated for a few seconds before answering, “Mr. Zhou, hello.”

Zhou Sujin asked, “Is someone bothering you?”

It had been a month since she heard his voice, giving her a feeling of being worlds apart.

Wei Lai’s throat felt hot, and a sudden surge of grievance rose up within her.

During that month of being harassed, she only felt angry. After all, the business world was always a jungle, and there was nothing to feel aggrieved about. Sometimes, when Lu Song went too far, she really wanted to roll up her sleeves and fight.

But at no point had she felt wronged or unfair.

Yet today, with his question, she unexpectedly felt a sense of grievance.

“It’s okay. Mr. He has already helped me solve it.”

“By the way,” she told him, “I’ve decided to invite Mr. He to invest.”

She was giving away 30% of the shares.

“Yeah, I heard from Mr. He.”

Zhou Sujin added, “Well done, willing to spend money to solve problems, and knowing to find a big tree to lean on in advance.”

“Thank you for your praise, President Zhou.”

After a quiet moment, Zhou Sujin said, “I’m busy.”

Wei Lai saw the call duration on the screen, just a few tens of seconds. “Okay, President Zhou, goodbye.” After a pause, she added, “Thank you for your concern.”

After ending the call, she remembered one more thing she forgot to mention.

【Mr. Zhou, please have the housekeeper take care of everything at your home in Beijing, including my belongings.】

【Okay.】