Chapter 57

During the time I spent waiting for his response, every second felt like an eternity.

Zhou Sujin was straightforward: “I have no plans whatsoever.”

Wei Lai’s mind was slow to process at the moment, unable to grasp it immediately. “What do you mean?”

“I have a lot of things to deal with and no time to focus on Baiduo Industrial. The confrontation between you and Zhao Lianshen has Kunchen’s backing, so you should try to resolve it yourself.”

Wei Lai responded with a faint “Oh.”

Her voice was so soft that only she could hear it.

Zhao Lianshen had overestimated his importance in Zhou Sujin’s eyes, thinking that Zhou Sujin would use her supermarket as a pawn against him. Little did he know, that Zhou Sujin didn’t even care about him. If he didn’t come to provoke, Zhou Sujin wouldn’t bother.

Wei Lai had also overestimated her own importance in Zhou Sujin’s heart, thinking that he would care at least a little about the cooperation between Wei Lai Supermarket and Baiduo Industrial.

“Wei Lai?” After a while, Zhou Sujin asked from the other end of the line.

“I’m listening. Thank you,” Wei Lai said, somewhat inexplicably adding the “thank you.”

Zhou Sujin noticed the unusual tone in her voice. “Are you upset?”

“Not upset. I thought you didn’t know about the relationship between Baiduo and Zhao Lianshen.” She decided not to dwell on it further and wanted to handle it herself without causing trouble for him.

But he did know, and knowing didn’t change anything for him.

Zhou Sujin said, “You need to accumulate experience gradually.”

“Yeah, I understand,” Wei Lai said, looking down at the bustling street below, trying to locate the approximate location of her small apartment. Finding it, she then looked for their home in Jiang’an Yunchen.

She couldn’t see anything clearly right now.

“I know you mean well, but your approach is more suitable for friends or subordinates, as they wouldn’t have much emotional attachment to you. But for me…”

She stopped herself in time.

The grievances she had been accumulating deep inside were ignited today, and although she stopped, she didn’t stop for too long. Afterward, she poured out all her pent-up emotions.

“Sorry, I lost control of my emotions today. I didn’t mean to blame you for not helping me. I can handle it myself.”

Meanwhile, Zhou Sujin had been listening quietly.

He had been outside the meeting room the whole time. Yang Ze had come out once to find him, but the meeting had already started. Zhou Sujin gestured for Yang Ze to go in first and then spoke into his phone, “Is it better now that you’ve said it?”

“A bit better,” Wei Lai replied, turning to her desk to grab a couple of tissues, composing herself for a moment. “I know you’ve been exceptionally accommodating to me. It’s been tough for you to travel back and forth to Jiangcheng so many times this past year. I’ve been asking for too much. From now on, you should do things the way you’re comfortable with. Visit me once every one or two weeks or once every two or three weeks. You have your personal space, and I’ll do my own thing.”

No more demands.

As she spoke, there was a knock on the door. She used this opportunity to end the call. “You’re busy, go ahead. Someone’s looking for me. Goodbye… see you.”

After hanging up, she didn’t open the door, ignoring the continued knocking.

“Ms. Wei?” It was Chen Qi.

Wei Lai took out a makeup mirror from her bag, and her eyes reddened. She didn’t want to see anyone right now, pretending not to hear the knocking.

A few minutes later, Tang Yi came to find her: [What’s wrong with you? Chen Qi said you’re in the office.] but Wei Lai didn’t respond, pretending to be busy.

Wei Lai explained: [I was on the phone just now, and now I’m thinking about how to deal with Zhao Lianshen.]

There was a coffee machine in the office, and there were Geisha beans.

After brewing two cups, her mood gradually calmed down.

She called Chen Qi and asked him to come over.

Whether she could win against Zhao Lianshen in this battle depended on Chen Qi. If Chen Qi sided with Zhao Lianshen, she would undoubtedly lose.

“Chen Qi, you should know about the grudge between Zhao Lianshen and Zhou Sujin,” Wei Lai said, handing him the coffee.

Chen Qi nodded. “I know.”

Many people knew.

Moreover, Mu Di had specifically mentioned it to him and had also mentioned that Baiduo Industrial was controlled by Zhao Lianshen.

Wei Lai looked at him. “What did Mu Di tell you to do?”

Chen Qi hesitated for a moment, his coffee cup halfway to his lips, and then stopped.

He looked up at Wei Lai, who had a faint smile on her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

He took a sip of coffee and smiled. “Have you always been suspicious of me?”

“Yes.” Wei Lai opened her phone and showed him the evidence she had taken in her photo album.

Chen Qi glanced at it briefly and continued drinking his coffee.

Wei Lai closed the album, and the evidence was right in front of him. He couldn’t deny it anymore.

As for when she obtained the evidence, she certainly wouldn’t tell him the truth.

“Despite knowing that you’re Mu Di’s man, I still gave you 3% of the shares.”

Chen Qi seemed pensive, a bit unreadable to Wei Lai.

“You have something to hold over Mu Di, so you must also worry that she might threaten you in turn. Now you can rest assured. If she buys you as a mole and you use your position to harm the company’s interests, it won’t affect your career with me. As long as you’re with Bai Duo, I won’t hold you accountable for anything.”

Chen Qi couldn’t fail to see the naked threat in her words. If he left the company or sabotaged it, there would be consequences.

If he worked wholeheartedly for the company, she would let bygones be bygones.

Wei Lai raised her chin slightly, indicating that he had to drink his coffee. “When Baiduo goes public, you can calculate your net worth. What Mu Di gave you doesn’t count for much.”

From the evidence provided by Lu Manyi, it was clear that Mu Di had been generous, giving Chen Qi more than triple what He Wancheng had given him. It was understandable why Chen Qi had taken the risk.

“Both of us are using each other. When others are done using you, they won’t give you any benefits anymore. But I’m different. Our interests are tied together, and there’s no question of abandoning you.”

With that said, she started drinking her coffee, giving him time to make a decision.

Using both the stick and the carrot.

Wei Lai had him by the scruff of his neck, but she didn’t forget to offer him benefits.

Chen Qi remained silent for a long time until the coffee had cooled.

He looked up again. “I have a criminal record. Aren’t you worried?”

Wei Lai smiled. “This isn’t about finding a partner. What I want from you is a genuine commitment to the company’s performance.”

She gave him some extra perks. “You can still pretend to work for Mu Di on the surface, and take as much as she gives you. Consider it a bonus from me.”

Chen Qi: “…”

Wei Lai brought up Mu Di again. “This time, when Zhao Lianshen comes to Jiangcheng, she will definitely want you to take advantage of the situation and strike at me from behind.”

Chen Qi didn’t refute.

That was what Mu Di meant, to make Wei Lai think it was Zhao Lianshen’s doing, thus keeping Wei Lai in the dark.

“You can’t just take Mu Di’s money and do nothing. It’s not easy to explain.” Wei Lai even thought of an excuse for him. “Just tell her that I suspect you’re working for Zhao Lianshen and that I’m investigating you. You wouldn’t dare to make any moves.”

Chen Qi: “…”

He realized that the real ruthless one was Wei Lai.

With things having reached this point, he had no choice but to put down his coffee cup. “I’ll go back to work and see how to deal with Zhao Lianshen’s attempt to sabotage us.”

Wei Lai nodded. “Take care.”

With Chen Qi’s trouble resolved, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She poured herself another cup of coffee and finished it before leaving work.

She was used to parking her car in the supermarket’s open-air parking lot and walking to the office building, which took about three minutes.

Cheng Minzhi was standing by the window, gazing into the distance. She caught sight of her daughter coming from the office building and waved from the window. “Lai Lai.”

Wei Lai, who had been lost in her thoughts just now, came back to her senses and smiled at her mother.

“Are you going to inspect the stores?” Cheng Minzhi asked her daughter.

It was only a little past four o’clock, not yet time to leave work, but Wei Lai was known for her overtime. She didn’t want her mother to worry, so she lied, “Yeah, I’m going to the Jiang’an Yunchen store.”

There was a surging undercurrent between her and Zhao Lianshen, but her mother remained blissfully unaware. One of the wisest things she had done was to move Bai Duo to the office building.

Cheng Minzhi told her that the plane tickets to Haicheng for New Year’s Eve had been booked, and they were flying to Haicheng on the morning flight.

“Mom won’t be able to spend New Year’s Eve with you this year. Go with Sujin.”

Wei Lai smiled as usual. “Okay.”

The vacation to Haicheng was arranged by He Wancheng. There was only a thin layer of paper separating her mother and He Wancheng.

In the car, she made a phone call to reserve a table at the Riverside Restaurant, treating herself to some delicious food.

The person on the other end asked her how many people would be dining.

Wei Lai: “Just one.”

“…Oh, alright.”

The private rooms were fully booked, so she only managed to reserve a table in the main dining area, which was perfectly fine since she was dining alone.

The Riverside Restaurant specializes in French-style Chinese cuisine, with each dish being uniquely crafted.

Tonight, Zhang Yanxin was dining with a few friends here. He and Mu Di always appeared harmonious in front of others, and tonight, he brought Mu Di along.

He usually walks without glancing around, but today, he scanned the dining area, which was nearly full, and his gaze settled on a familiar figure.

When she felt upset, she usually dined alone.

“Aren’t you going to say hello?” Mu Di spoke up.

Zhang Yanxin retracted his gaze towards the private rooms, saying nothing.

Mu Di turned to look at Wei Lei again and caught up with Zhang Yanxin, saying, “Do you regret not choosing her firmly back then?”

It was pointless to ask.

She only sought solace in speaking her mind. As long as there were no outsiders present, he would ignore anything she said and respond with silence.

Since he found out about that watch, he never wore a watch again, no matter how important the occasion.

Mu Di’s phone rang at this moment. Glancing at the caller ID, she stopped at the entrance to the private room, turned around, and found a quiet place to answer the call.

Lu Manyi had been searching for six months but still hadn’t identified who among his team had been bribed by Wei Lai. So, now, everyone seems suspicious of him.

How could he be at ease if he couldn’t find out who was causing losses to several of his stores right under his nose?

“Uncle, what’s up?”

“Could you do me a favor?” He briefed his niece on the situation, admitting he couldn’t figure it out and had to rely on her perspective.

Mu Di was speechless—it was her doing.

“Sure, I’ll go over and help you investigate when I have time.” Feeling guilty towards her uncle, she compensated with valuable information: “Uncle, weren’t you planning to open a new store? You hadn’t finalized the location yet, right? Consider opening it next to Wei Lai’s Baiduo. Their internal situation is chaotic now and will get even worse, which is an opportunity for Fumanyuan.”

“Is the information reliable?”

“Yeah.”

It was what Chen Qi had told her, so it couldn’t be wrong.

—

Wei Lei was having some fruit after her meal when suddenly a figure blocked the light in front of her. She looked up, and Zhao Lianshen was sitting across from her.

He had taken off his coat and was wearing only a navy blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.

Zhao Lianshen was dining with a friend from Jiangcheng tonight. When the conversation didn’t go well, he made an excuse to make a call. It just so happened that he saw Wei Lai dining here.

Wei Lai pushed the fruit plate towards him. “If you’re here to threaten me to transfer all of Wei Lai Baiduo’s shares to you, forget it. If it’s about Zhou Sujin, forget that too. You’re just deluding yourself; he doesn’t care about you or your company.”

It seemed there was more than one person deluding themselves. Zhou Sujin also didn’t care about what his wife was up to. Since he didn’t even care about his own career, it was boring to watch him perform alone.

He had originally wanted to poach Chen Qi and her team to Baiduo Industry but failed. He was interested in Chen Qi and her team, but if he couldn’t get them, swallowing Wei Lai Baiduo alone wouldn’t be meaningful.

There wasn’t just one way to make money and make Zhou Sujin feel uncomfortable. Giving away 10% of her shares in exchange for long-term cooperation with Baiduo Industry was acceptable and not a loss. She had chosen Baiduo initially because of its comprehensive strength.

【Trouble solved.】 she informed Tang Yi.

Tang Yi was so excited that she almost stood up from her chair. 【Did Mr. Zhou help?】

【I didn’t ask him. I exchanged 10% of my shares for long-term cooperation with Zhao Lianshen.】

Tang Yi felt sorry for the 10% share, but what could she say? It was better than both sides suffering losses. If she really tore up with Zhao Lianshen, the loss would be more than 10%.

Wei Lai: 【It’s fortunate that Chen Qi was kept stable. Otherwise, Zhao Lianshen wouldn’t have agreed even if I offered him 20% of the shares.】

She was confident that Zhao Lianshen had approached Chen Qi but hit a wall.

Tang Yi sent an exploding fireworks emoji, indicating that Wei Lai Baiduo was making her way into the top thirty, giving her hope of becoming a wealthy woman.

She held a tiny fraction of Wei Lai Baiduo’s shares, not much, but enough to assert dominance at home. If her brother ever wanted to use money to make her work, she would just throw the money back at him.

Wei Lai exited Tang Yi’s chat box and sent it to her father, asking him to review the contract terms with Baiduo Industry tomorrow.

Wei Huatian: [Dad will be there on time. Have you eaten?]

Wei Lai: [Yes, I have.]

She had just left the Riverside Restaurant, still early, and with nowhere else to go, she drove back to her apartment.

[Lei Lai, Dad and your Aunt Zhao will be traveling during the Spring Festival this year, not at home on New Year’s Eve. When are you free to come back with Yihan and have a meal?]

Wei Lai only saw this message from her father when she got home. She had only visited her father’s house once before Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

Sitting down at her desk, she replied to her father: [Alright, I’ll ask Yihan when she’s coming back.]

Putting down her phone, she leaned back in her chair for a moment, then opened the drawer of the low cabinet and took out the topmost photo, the last family photo before her parents divorced.

They split up after her tenth birthday.

Her phone vibrated, it was Zhou Sujin calling.

Wei Lai settled herself and answered the call, unable to muster any coquettish tone, so she gave up, “Hello.”

Zhou Sujin had just finished work and was still at the office, asking her, “Are you working overtime?”

“No, I’ve already had dinner outside and come back.” She bent down, put the family photo back into the drawer, and closed it gently.

Zhou Sujin could sense the indifference in her voice, and whispered, “Are you still mad at me?”

Wei Lai calmly explained to him, “I’m not really angry. You may not understand me. I rarely get angry, only when someone makes things difficult for me at work. I’ve always regarded Ba Duo as Zhao Lianshen’s, so why would I be mad at you? What I said this afternoon was just me losing control of my emotions.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t say much more. He felt the distance in her words. Instead, he said, “I can handle Zhao Lianshen.”

“No need. I’ve sorted out the company’s affairs.”

“How did you sort it out?”

“I gave Zhao Lianshen 10% of the shares.”

After a few quiet seconds, Wei Lai added, “Maybe you see it as me backing down, but this is the only way to preserve Wei Lai Supermarket. What we care about is different. I’d rather back down than let my mom’s fifteen stores be affected. I’ve tried to minimize the losses, and I’m satisfied with this outcome. It’s not a loss.”

After a pause, she asked, “Anything else?”

In the past, it was always him asking her this question, indicating the end of the call.

Zhou Sujin replied, “No.”

Wei Lai didn’t linger, “Goodnight then.”