Chapter 31

Wei Lai glanced again at the ‘good’ he replied with, put down his phone, absent-mindedly pulled the seatbelt and buckled it with a click, then unconsciously grasped the seatbelt for a while.

When she snapped out of it, she hastily let go, took out a cup from the cup holder, unscrewed it, drank half a cup of warm water, and calmed herself down before starting the car.

The sixteenth store in the complex couldn’t catch up with the New Year’s opening.

At the company, she discussed with her mother postponing the opening day to the same day as the Jiang’an Yunchen store, holding simultaneous promotional activities for both stores.

“Mom, you choose the opening day.”

“I haven’t had a chance to tell you,” Cheng Minzhi mentioned the opening day, “Xiao Yuan called me this morning and said he found a master friend to calculate the opening day for our seventeenth store. January 18th is an auspicious day. I also checked the almanac, and that day is indeed good for opening.”

Wei Lai: “Yuan Hengrui, he…”

Speechless.

He likes to calculate everything. He had calculated when she and Zhang Yanxin broke up, and even calculated who her future husband would be. He was only a step away from asking the master directly if her future husband’s surname was Yuan.

But on January 18th, should it be considered suitable or not?

It was a day she had only recently deleted from her memo.

Cheng Minzhi said to her daughter, “Let’s set it on that day.”

Wei Lai didn’t oppose the opening day, it happened inadvertently, not intentionally her.

So the opening day was set.

Cheng Minzhi instructed her secretary to arrange everything and ensure the promotional efforts for each item, with a week of full-platform advertising push in the Jiangcheng urban area before the opening.

In addition, printed promotional leaflets should also be prepared.

“Lai Lai, when discussing cooperation, you should find a lawyer.”

Involving share transfers and future dividend issues, everything needed to be written into the cooperation agreement.

Wei Lai came to her senses. “Let my dad accompany me.”

Cheng Minzhi nodded slowly. “That’s fine.” To be fair, Wei Huatian cared more about his daughter’s affairs than his own.

And she herself had to try to open up a little bit.

Delayed by the progress of the sixteenth store, the plan to open other new stores this year had to be postponed. Wei Lai planned to propose it again after He Wancheng joined as a shareholder.

Feeling a bit weary recently, she urgently needed a vacation.

“Mom, I’ll take a long vacation.”

So many things had happened in the past half year, Cheng Minzhi felt sorry for her daughter. “Go out and relax, play for a few more days. He Wancheng will come at the end of the month, and I’ll handle the talks.”

Wei Lai smiled. “I don’t need that long, just a few days at home will do.”

She wasn’t interested in traveling, just wanted to bask in the sun and read in her small apartment.

She handed over her work to her mother and switched to vacation mode in the afternoon.

She hadn’t finished reading the several prose books she bought during her last long vacation, so she continued reading at home.

Although she was on vacation, she still took time before bed to check messages in various work groups and sometimes handle them.

Some store managers didn’t know she was on vacation, so they still sent her work reports as usual.

After Wei Lai finished her work, she made an appointment with her father.

When Wei Huatian heard that she wanted to transfer her shares: [Your mom agreed?]

[Yes. My mom has met He Wancheng and they got along well. Only by cooperating with He Wancheng can our supermarket have a chance to squeeze into the top thirty nationwide.]

Wei Huatian didn’t say much anymore: [Alright, Dad will accompany you that day.]

After saying goodnight, Wei Lai turned off her phone and went to sleep.

For the next few days, she had a regular schedule, waking up at seven in the morning, having a simple breakfast, making a cup of coffee, sitting on the balcony reading a book, cooking herself a sumptuous lunch at noon, and making various home-cooked dishes.

Afternoon naps were followed by a visit to creative stores and dinner at the food street.

She made sure to go to sleep before ten o’clock.

When she woke up from her nap one day, she heard the muffled roar of a sports car on the road downstairs. She used to associate such arrogant noises with Yuan Hengrui.

Since he had settled down, he hadn’t touched sports cars again.

She couldn’t help but think, ‘Speak of the devil.’

Just as one thinks of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives.

People’s minds were indeed powerful. She had just mentioned that he had stopped playing with cars, and the next second she was proven wrong.

“I’m downstairs at your place. Come down.”

Yuan Hengrui hadn’t driven a sports car for a long time, so his hands were a bit rusty. This bright red sports car was given to him by his father, he drove it out for the first time today.

But definitely not to seek excitement.

Wei Lai: “Whatever it is, just say it over the phone.”

Yuan Hengrui leaned against the sports car, looking up at the sixth floor. “I’ll take you for a ride.”

After waiting for a long time, she still hadn’t appeared at the window.

“Today, just consider me your friend. You’ve known me for more than a day or two. I don’t need to say much about my character, right? I promise I won’t pursue you today, absolutely won’t.”

In terms of character, Wei Lai still trusted him.

Today was December 28th, the day of Zhang Yanxin’s wedding.

She thanked him for coming to console her. “I don’t need a ride. I didn’t go to the company not because of Zhang Yanxin. Lu Song has been making things difficult for me for almost a month. Now that it’s resolved, I suddenly feel a bit tired.”

She had just changed her clothes and was about to go out for a stroll.

“Let’s do this, I’ll treat you to afternoon tea.”

Yuan Hengrui was pleasantly surprised. He had liked her for three years but had never received such treatment.

However, his joy lasted less than two seconds before alarm bells went off in his mind. “You’re not going to formally reject me face-to-face, are you?”

Scaring himself, he said, “Wei Lai, just treat me to a cup of coffee simply. You don’t need to say anything. I understand. I know you won’t be interested in me. We don’t stand a chance.”

His tone was humble yet sincere, with a hint of anticipation.

He hoped she would willingly invite him for coffee.

Wei Lai: “I’ve rejected what needs to be rejected a long time ago. I don’t have the energy for lectures. If I were to lecture you, you wouldn’t even get a cup of coffee from me.”

Yuan Hengrui’s spirits lifted instantly. “My bad. Can we go to the coffee shop we went to last time?”

That time was supposed to be a blind date with her, but she brought Kurinami instead. He was extremely upset and didn’t even properly enjoy a cup of coffee. He drank it as if it were water and then went to confront Zhang Yanxin.

Later, he regretted not spending a few more minutes at the coffee shop with her.

Wei Lai: “Sure, you decide.”

She didn’t take his sports car; she drove her own car there.

She chose the same seat as last time. At that time, Yuan Hengrui could see Cullinan in the parking spot with just a turn of his head. Today, when he looked out, he saw Wei Lai’s car.

In just a few months, she and Zhou Sujin had openly flaunted their relationship, driving around in Kurinami on the streets. Zhou Sujin had bought a house in Jiangcheng, and the two had even met each other’s parents. But after returning from Beijing, they silently broke up.

Even Yuan Hengrui, who had hoped for their breakup, felt sorry for them.

Wei Lai locked her car and entered the coffee shop.

Today, she treated him to coffee as a thank you for his help during this period and also hoped he could let go of his obsession with her.

She used coffee instead of alcohol, saying, “I hope your wish to be one of Jiangcheng’s top three richest people comes true soon.”

Yuan Hengrui’s voice was a bit hoarse. “Thank you.”

For the sake of this sentence from her, he would strive to be in the top three.

Wei Lai took a few sips of coffee and asked, “Did you really calculate the opening day of the supermarket?”

Yuan Hengrui was especially happy that they adopted that day. He had envied her buying a watch for Zhang Yanxin and admired her opening a supermarket for Zhou Sujin. Now that the opening day was set by him, he felt content.

“Of course, I even specially picked a good day for it.”

Wei Lai: “Do you know that it’s Zhou Sujin’s birthday that day?”

“I…!”

Yuan Hengrui wanted to punch himself.

—

The day after Zhang Yanxin’s wedding, Wei Lai received a call from He Wancheng, asking to meet at his Jiangcheng branch office.

She arrived a few minutes before her father and waited downstairs.

At this moment, a light brown sedan pulled up, bearing the Jiangcheng Five Consecutive Number plate.

It was she who had said that light brown looked better than black, so Zhang Yanxin bought this color.

With tinted windows, it was impossible to see who was inside and how many people were there.

As the car turned in, Mu Di saw Wei Lai standing in front of the building, wearing a camel-colored coat that accentuated her tall figure.

Today, she accompanied Zhang Yanxin to deliver the wedding candy to He Wancheng. There were many people at the wedding yesterday, and the hospitality wasn’t as good as usual. The parents-in-law asked them to come again specifically.

“Wei Lai.” she reminded Zhang Yanxin.

“I see.”

Mu Di turned her head. He looked indifferent, and his current state of mind was unfathomable.

The car stopped, and they had to get out.

Whenever the two of them appeared together, Wei Lai always noticed Mu Di first.

In Mu Di’s eyes, she should be pitiful right now, her dreams of marrying into a wealthy family shattered again, dumped once more, and various difficulties in her career.

But it was indeed quite unfortunate. She had been harassed by Lu Song for a month, draining her energy.

Mu Di closed the car door, and the diamond ring on her ring finger gleamed in the sunlight.

She greeted Wei Lai first with a faint smile and said, “Long time no see.”

Wei Lai nodded slightly.

Not a word more was spared.

As Zhang Yanxin passed by Wei Lai, he glanced at her. During the vows at the wedding yesterday, he suddenly remembered what she had said to him on his birthday: “Happy birthday, always love me.”

They entered the building, and Wei Lai continued to wait at the entrance for her father. It was six minutes before her father arrived.

She hurried to her father’s car and told him not to hurry, suggesting they sit in the car for a while before going upstairs.

“Is there something urgent for Director He?” asked Wei Huatian.

“You could say that,” Wei Lai said from the back seat, closing the car door. “Zhang Yanxin came over to deliver wedding candy to him.”

Wei Huatian nodded, took his daughter’s hand, and rubbed it to shift her attention. “Why aren’t you wearing more clothes?”

Wei Lai smiled. “It’s okay, not cold.”

They didn’t wait long in the car. After Zhang Yanxin and Mu Di delivered the candy, He Wancheng mentioned that he had a sudden appointment, so they left.

In the conference room on the twenty-second floor, He Wancheng’s secretary and legal adviser were both present.

After some brief introductions and pleasantries, Wei Lai introduced her father, who is naturally a legal adviser.

With the surname Wei and a resemblance to Wei Lai, there was no need to think too much to know who he was: Wei Lai’s father, Cheng Minzhi’s ex-husband.

He Wancheng smiled gently and shook hands with the other party as a matter of courtesy.

That night, when he introduced his old classmate to Cheng Minzhi, it was a coincidence that all three of them were divorced. They talked about their perceptions of marriage, with Cheng Minzhi saying the least.

It seemed that she hadn’t completely let go of her ex-husband yet.

After the pleasantries, they sat down, and Wei Lai laid out all her sincerity. The cooperation with He Wancheng went smoothly, and after three hours of discussion, all the details were finalized.

By mid-January, all the necessary procedures for the changes had been completed. Without time to rest, it was already the day for the opening of the Jiang’an Yunchen and Yunhui Complex stores.

On the opening day of January 18th, a designer specially came from Shanghai to congratulate them. When they arrived at the store, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon.

The supermarket was crowded, so they chatted in the coffee corner.

The designer took a sip of the coffee Wei Lai had brewed for him. “Geishia?”

“Yeah, do you like it too?”

“Some colleagues in the studio like it, so they make me an extra cup.”

Wei Lai brought her own cup over. “I brought all the Geishia beans from home. I plan to finish them and switch to other coffee beans.”

The designer looked around the coffee corner. “You’ve put more effort into this store than the other sixteen combined.”

Wei Lai smiled. “Is it that exaggerated?”

The designer said, “Not at all.”

He asked her again, “You previously said you didn’t know how to define your feelings for the number seventeen, unable to determine whether it was familial love, friendship, or romantic love. Have you figured it out now?”

Wei Lai said, “There’s no need to define it anymore.”

They chatted on and on, and before they knew it, it was already evening.

Wei Lai stood up. “Let me treat you to a big meal.”

“No need for a big meal. I’ve been longing for the restaurant in your Jiangcheng.”

The designer called Wei Huatian, and the three of them went to eat Jiangcheng’s specialty dishes.

As they drove to the restaurant, Wei Lai glanced at the Jiang’an Yunchen again, feeling inexplicably nostalgic.

—

At S.Z. Restaurant in Beijing at this time, Lu Yu inserted a candle with the number 30 into the cake.

Tonight, Zhou Sujin would also go to his grandmother’s place, so they came at five o’clock to celebrate his birthday. Every year, Zhou Sujin didn’t blow out the candles or make a wish, but every time, Lu Yu diligently inserted the candles.

“Thirty years old, you should at least make a wish.”

With a flick, Lu Yu lit the candle with a lighter.

Everyone who wasn’t away on a business trip came to the circle of friends today, urging him to make a wish.

Min Ting tapped the table in front of Zhou Sujin with his finger slightly bent. “Make a wish quickly, any wish.”

“Then I wish for you all to talk less in the future.”

“…”

After making his wish, Zhou Sujin picked up Min Ting’s lighter and directly extinguished the candle wick.

There was no discussion of Cullinan’s starry sky dome at the table tonight, nor was there any mention of Jiangcheng. As he raised his glass of red wine, Zhou Sujin couldn’t help but think of Wei Lai.

“You are kind-hearted.”

“After the two years are up, renew the contract with me.”

“Preferably, if you could complete the two years. Mr. Zhou, you know, I don’t want to end it prematurely.”

“I plan to open one hundred stores and make it into the top thirty of the national supermarket ranking.”

He emptied the entire glass of wine.

For the first time in his life, he made a wish for a woman on his birthday, hoping she would get what she wished for.

After three rounds of drinks, the room was filled with smoke.

To avoid the smoke, Zhou Sujin took a glass of wine and went to the rooftop terrace.

It was cold outside, and he was alone on the terrace.

Quieter than home.

In the private room downstairs, Lu Yu searched for him for a long time but couldn’t find him. He asked several waiters, and finally one of them saw Zhou Sujin heading to the rooftop terrace.

“Why didn’t you bring your phone?”

Lu Yu held Zhou Sujin’s phone in one hand and a tray with a bowl of longevity noodles in the other.

“Aunt called you twice. i couldn’t find you, so I answered it for you. The aunt told you not to forget to eat birthday noodles, so I had the chef make them fresh.”

Lu Yu put down the tray. “Eat while it’s still hot.”

He had drunk quite a bit tonight, so he leaned back in the nearby chair. The rooftop was windy and cold, but the fresh air was helping him sober up.

Zhou Sujin put down his wine glass and saw that there was still seafood in the bowl.

Lu Yu pulled the chair closer to the table and leaned her elbows on it, rubbing her temples to relieve her headache.

“Today is not only your birthday, do you know what day it is?”

Zhou Sujin glanced at her.

Lu Yu was too familiar with that look, reminding him not to beat around the bush.

“Today is also the opening day of Wei Lai Supermarket’s Jiang’an Yunchen store. Oh, and the sixteenth store in the complex also opened today.”

He pressed his temples. “Wei Lai is quite dignified. When you were together, she opened a supermarket for you. After the breakup, she celebrates your birthday in this way. And you? You broke up with her on her birthday.”

He had drunk a bit more, so the words came out more freely.

He declared, “I didn’t contact Wei Lai. I saw the opening news on my phone. I used to follow Wei Lai Supermarket’s official account and received advertisements. You definitely didn’t follow her.”

It was at least minus three or four degrees on the rooftop at night. Lu Yu couldn’t stand the cold. “Take your time to eat. I’ll go back to the private room first.”

Zhou Sujin hadn’t touched the noodles, so he picked up his phone and called Wei Lai.

“Hello, Mr. Zhou.”

“Where are you? Is it convenient to talk?”

“I’m having dinner with my dad and the designer.”

“Go out and find a place to meet.”

“Okay, wait a moment.”

Zhou Sujin heard the noisy background on the other end of the phone, and then heard, “Table 65, your order is ready.”

This voice was familiar, the voice of the restaurant’s calling machine.

Soon, the noise disappeared, and only the slight sound of her footsteps could be heard.

“Mr. Zhou, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing.”

“… ” Wei Lai’s heart inexplicably thumped a few times.

Zhou Sujin asked, “Is the cooperation with He Wancheng finalized?”

“Yes, we completed all the procedures the day before yesterday.”

Zhou Sujin raised his wine glass and took a slow sip before saying in a deep voice, “You don’t need the free social resources, but you insist on investing thirty percent of the shares.”

Wei Lai could hear the emotion in his words. That day, he praised her for her generosity and willingness to spend money to settle things, which seemed to carry a hint of blame.

“Mr. Zhou, sooner or later, you will have to go on blind dates and get married. In the eyes of others, I am your ex-girlfriend. It’s not appropriate for me to continue using your resources.”

When it came to blind dates and marriage, Zhou Sujin said, “My mother used the excuse of wanting to stay in London for a while, so she’s been visiting my grandparents every few days. They’re old and can’t withstand the constant bombardment of people.”

He didn’t say more, but Wei Lai understood. It wouldn’t be long before he was forced into blind dates again.

After a pause, Zhou Sujin said, “It was inappropriate to terminate the contract with you on your birthday. It was my fault for not considering it carefully. Today is my birthday, so I’ll ask again.”

Wei Lai’s heart suddenly jumped to her throat.

Zhou Sujin said to the phone, “Are you considering marrying me?”

He added, “Not a contractual marriage, just living together like we used to. You don’t have to answer now. I’ll come to Jiangcheng to see you tomorrow.”