Chapter 63

Wei Lai put the dress in the suitcase. Among the ten dresses in the wardrobe, eight were bought by her, and the styles and colors were becoming more and more in line with her aesthetic.

Zhou Sujin stood at the entrance of the cloakroom for a moment, then turned back to the study.

He instructed Yang Ze: “Ask Wei Lai’s assistant for the specific information about tomorrow’s flight and request a flight three hours earlier. You don’t need to accompany me on my private trip.”

After instructing Yang Ze, he called his elder brother. He would be in Australia for the next ten days, and if there was anything, his brother could reach him, considering the time difference.

Zhou Jiaye was playing cards at the clubhouse but couldn’t play a card because he was holding his phone. He had to call someone else to take his place, and he went outside the box to answer the phone.

“You were supposed to accompany Wei Lai to Jiangcheng. Why do you have to go see our grandparents?”

Their grandparents had orchards in several countries in the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia, where some cherries had already ripened, and they had just arrived there a few days ago.

Zhou Sujin said, “I’m going to accompany Wei Lai.”

Zhou Jiaye naturally assumed, “To pick cherries with her?”

“She’s going on a business trip. She may not have time to go to the orchard.”

Their mother’s sixth sense was very accurate. She said there was a problem between his brother and Wei Lai. It wasn’t that she couldn’t find time to go to the orchard; perhaps Wei Lai wasn’t in the mood.

Zhou Jiaye said, “Mom asked me to tell you that if you don’t resolve the long-distance issue, your conflicts will only increase in the future.”

Zhou Sujin replied, “We are resolving it.”

Their mother had been worried about the long-distance issue since their engagement.

After ending the call, he sat in the study for another half hour.

Wei Lai finished packing and knocked on his door, asking him when he would sleep.

“You go ahead. I still have a few things to take care of,” Zhou Sujin said, turning on his computer. His flight was three hours earlier than hers, so he had to leave for the airport early in the morning.

Looking up at her, he said, “My flight back to Beijing is early tomorrow morning. I can’t take you to the airport.”

Wei Lai tried to smile but couldn’t. “It’s okay.”

She didn’t want their relationship to drift further apart. She explained again, “The negotiation schedule in Australia was adjusted suddenly. I’m not trying to distance myself from you.”

“I know,” Zhou Sujin said, getting up and embracing her. “I’m not mad at you for going back to Beijing. There’s work I need to handle. I promised to accompany you for ten days, but I’ve only been with you for one day. I won’t miss out on the rest.”

Wei Lai looked up. “Mr. Zhou, I’ve always had a filter on you, a thick one, so I wouldn’t deliberately ignore you or avoid you. If I didn’t want to see you, I would have divorced you.”

Zhou Sujin bluntly asked, “Is it because I publicly acknowledged you at He Wancheng’s banquet?”

Wei Lai nodded and added, “It’s not just that. There are many other reasons.” After a pause, she continued, “You appeared when I was most vulnerable, indulging me in everything, even catering to my vanity in your own way. You don’t know how important you are to me.”

Resting her forehead against his chest, she breathed in the fresh air. “Do you also mind that I initially used you for your influence? Just to gain an advantage?”

For the first time, Zhou Sujin was ambiguous. “Your situation was special at that time. I understand.”

He had been prepared for this when they got married. If she wanted to leverage his influence, he was willing to let her do so for a lifetime.

He kissed her lightly. “Still calling me Mr. Zhou?”

Wei Lai didn’t speak.

Zhou Sujin didn’t deepen the kiss. If she didn’t respond, he just lightly touched her lips.

What moved Wei Lai the most was when he held her tightly and kissed her repeatedly.

He didn’t ask why she called him Mr. Zhou instead of husband.

The next morning at six o’clock, Wei Lai got up after Zhou Sujin woke up.

They were about to be separated for another month. She wondered if they would become strangers when they met again.

Zhou Sujin was packing in the cloakroom, mostly shirts, without any thick clothes.

Wei Lai thought he might gradually take the clothes from here to Beijing.

When the wardrobe was empty, their marriage would probably just be a formality.

Seeing her staring at his suitcase, Zhou Sujin sensed her overthinking but couldn’t tell her directly. He could only explain, “These clothes are rarely worn. I’ll take them back and exchange them for a few more. I’ll be in Jiangcheng for two or three months in the first half of the year.”

After packing the suitcase and putting it aside, Uncle Yan was already waiting for him in the underground garage.

Before leaving, he said a few more words, “As we gradually solve the long-distance issue, the problems between us will diminish. Before we got engaged, I was already thinking about how to shift the focus of my work to spend more time with you.”

However, in the end, he couldn’t satisfy her. He could only stay in Jiangcheng for half a year each year.

As he said this, he picked her up.

He didn’t kiss her, just held her silently after lifting her up.

Wei Lai suddenly realized that she was keeping her distance from him now and didn’t lean up to kiss him like she used to. So he lifted her up, eliminating the need for her to stand on tiptoes.

She kissed him on the cheek. “Have a safe trip.”

After Zhou Sujin left, the house felt even emptier.

She turned on some music. Since she didn’t need to go to the airport so early, she went to the kitchen to make breakfast to pass the time. Although he said he wasn’t angry, he must still be somewhat upset; otherwise, he wouldn’t have left so early in the morning.

Her father called, offering to take her to the airport.

Whenever she went on a business trip, if her father had time, he would always pick her up.

“Aba, you don’t have to work today, do you?” Wei Lai said.

Without giving her a chance to refuse, her father insisted on taking her.

At nine in the morning, her father came to pick her up. It was the first time he had been to her and Zhou Sujin’s new home.

As he looked around the spacious living room, he noticed there was no festive atmosphere. His daughter liked butterflies, orchids and willows. In previous years, she would spend half a day specifically going to the flower market before the Spring Festival.

This year, she probably didn’t have time to do so. Wei Lai had opened so many new stores, keeping her busy.

Wei Lai poured her father a glass of warm water. “Dad, please have a seat. I’ll go change clothes.”

“No rush, we have enough time.” Wei Huatian picked up the glass of water and took a sip. Then he noticed the coffee table, which had no snacks at all. It was even cleaner than a hotel suite; hotel suites usually had fruit platters prepared.

On the way to the airport, Wei Huatian spoke with concern, “Lai Lai, even though you’re busy with work, you still need to take care of your health. You used to have time to read and snack.”

Wei Lai responded quickly, “I have snacks, at my apartment. We spend our days there, so it’s convenient for shopping.”

“And flowers? Did you buy any? If you don’t have time in the future, Dad will go buy them for you.”

Wei Lai smiled, “I bought them. They’re all at my apartment. I don’t usually stay at Jiang’an Yuncheng, so I didn’t bring them.”

Aba always felt that living apart from her husband was not a long-term solution. Even though he felt their relationship was strong now, he believed conflicts would arise slowly.

Because his own marriage had failed, he never interfered with his daughter’s decisions. But long-distance relationships were not trivial matters, so he had to remind her, “Are you and Zhou Sujin planning to live apart indefinitely?”

Wei Lai confided in her father, “Zhou Sujin is shifting the focus of his work to Jiangcheng, and I’m also shifting mine to Beijing. Wei Lai plans to open fifteen new stores there this year, with a total of thirty-five planned. In addition to supermarkets, Baiduo Industrial and I also have other collaborations next year.”

Hearing his daughter’s plans, Aba felt reassured.

Now he understood, “That’s why you transferred 10% of the shares to Zhao Lianshen.”

Wei Lai just smiled. Transferring the shares was unavoidable. It was all in the past, and she didn’t need to say more. There was no need to make her father worry afterward.

Since the beginning of the cooperation with Baiduo, she had planned to shift some of her work to the North China region. So when Zhao Lianshen approached her early, and he showed no concern, she felt her mindset suddenly collapse.

Like a deflated balloon, exhausted.

During this period, she would sit by the bedroom floor-to-ceiling window and watch the night scene before going to bed. When she calmed down, she would become rational. He was also shifting the focus of his work, and he had never mentioned the difficulties.

“When are you coming back?” Wei Huatian asked his daughter.

Wei Lai snapped back, “It’s not certain yet. Once the negotiations in Australia are settled, I’ll fly directly to Europe.”

Just as she finished speaking, her mother called, asking roughly what time she would depart.

“I’m already on the way.”

“So early?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid of traffic on the road.”

Cheng Minzhi knew it was her ex-husband taking their daughter to the airport. After a few words of advice, she hung up.

“Lai Lai, is He Wancheng pursuing your mom?”

Wei Lai played with her phone, then turned her head suddenly. “You know?”

“Yeah,” Wei Huatian told his daughter about what he had seen in the parking lot yesterday.

Wei Lai nodded. “Director He has always been nice to my mom. We spent New Year’s Eve together this year.”

“That’s good.”

Wei Lai didn’t know how to respond.

The carriage fell silent.

After a while, Wei Huatian advised his daughter, “Your grandparents have always been concerned about your mom, saying she spends every holiday alone. Next time you go to their house, remember to tell them.”

“Okay.”

After that, neither she nor her father mentioned her mother again, nor did they speak.

At the airport before departure, Wei Huatian hugged his daughter.

He felt guilty about his previous marriage, guilty towards Cheng Minzhi, and guilty towards his daughter.

Watching her father leave, Wei Lai went to the rest area to wait for Yu Younian and her assistant to check in their luggage together.

During the Chinese New Year period, she was too busy and distracted to check the messages in the plastic girlfriends’ group chat. She set it to “Do Not Disturb,” and even though they mentioned her with “@,” she didn’t notice.

The most frequent message was: “Where are you, darling?”

Now they were chatting again.

Qiao Sitian: “My husband carried me around all day and said his shoulders almost went out. The cherry orchard we chose this year is not bad. If you want to eat cherries, I’ll pick a box and send them to you.”

Yin Le: “I’ve taken too many photos of the stars here, and I’m no longer excited. We’re going to the next stop the day after tomorrow. I won’t be able to receive what you send, so send a box to Darling. She loves them the most.”

Qiao Sitian: “She disappeared during the Spring Festival.”

Wei Lai popped up: “What are you going to send me?”

She didn’t beat around the bush; she asked directly.

Qiao Sitian: “Where did you go? You didn’t reply to any messages!”

Yin Le: “Come on, tell us, are you busy making babies with your Mr. Zhou at home?” with an accompanying emoji that said. “(Not that simple).”

Wei Lai: “…”

“Every day, I’m visiting stores. Some executives came over from Baiduo, and I was too busy to check my phone. “

Qiao Sitian gossiped: “Didn’t your Mr. Zhou come to Jiangcheng? Didn’t he rush over to be with you on the first day of the Chinese New Year last year?”

Wei Lai: “He came for New Year’s Eve this year and had dinner with me.”

They were stunned by her revelation.

Qiao Sitian: “You never go to his house for Chinese New Year every year. Aren’t his family members angry?”

Wei Lai wasn’t sure and didn’t inquire further. “He promised me before we got married that there would be no conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. He would handle everything on their side.”

Qiao Sitian decided to curb her curiosity. Every time she asked a question, Wei Lai would show off her affection.

She changed the subject: “I’m in a cherry orchard. Shall I send you a box? They’re all picked by me.”

Wei Lai sent her flight information: “By the time they arrive, they’ll probably be rotten. I’m going to be in Australia for about a week. I’ll come over to see you.”

Yin Le suddenly decided to change the next destination to Australia. These days, skiing and stargazing had almost frozen her, so she preferred surfing and eating cherries.

“Is your Mr. Zhou accompanying you on vacation?”

Wei Lai: “No, he’s not going. I’m going on a business trip.”

Although she had time on her phone, she looked down at her watch. He should have arrived in Beijing by now, but he hadn’t sent her a message after landing.

After staring at the dial for a few seconds, she found that the starry sky didn’t have the same impact during the day as it did at night.

“Wei Lai?”

A somewhat familiar yet not quite unfamiliar voice startled Wei Lai, and she looked up suddenly. “Long time no see, Happy New Year.”

Lu Yu put his bag on the seat in the middle and sat down, one seat away from her. “I thought I was mistaken just now. Are you leaving?”

He didn’t dare to speculate.

“On a business trip, waiting for my colleagues to arrive.” Wei Lai replied in the group chat and then put away her phone, asking, “What about you?”

Lu Yu smiled and said, “Same as you, a hard life.” He was on a business trip to London and needed to coordinate some issues with the project.

Having not contacted Zhou Sujin for a few days, she wasn’t sure about the status of their relationship, so she didn’t mention him.

“Didn’t you spend the New Year with Zhao Yihan?” 

Wei Lai: “We had a meal together before the New Year.”

Lu Yu nodded and said, “It’s been a long time,” he thought for a moment, “almost a year since I last saw her. Is she still at the same company?”

“Yeah, she hasn’t changed companies since graduation.”

“Are she and your sister’s husband still the same?”

“Their relationship has always been good.” Her brother-in-law was a model husband who doted on her sister.

“That’s good.”

Wei Lai felt something was off and stared at him.

Lu Yu felt guilty under her gaze and laughed, “The way you’re looking at me is just like Zhou Sujin.”

Wei Lai laughed too. “You’re changing the subject.”

“Would you like some water?” She took a bottle of soda water from her bag and gave it to him.

Lu Yu took the water and said, “Thank you.”

The two tacitly understood about that secret.

They didn’t talk about Zhao Yihan anymore, nor did they mention why he was in Jiangcheng during the Chinese New Year. Instead, they talked about the discounts at Wei Lai’s supermarket during the Spring Festival.

Lu Yu’s flight was earlier than hers, so they chatted for less than twenty minutes before he went to line up for security checks.

Wei Lai watched his somewhat lonely figure and couldn’t help but feel a myriad of emotions.

After waiting for a while, Yu Younian and the assistant gradually arrived.

From passing security to boarding the plane, the assistant seemed particularly happy.

“What’s making you so happy?” Wei Lai asked with a smile.

The assistant replied, “I’m just excited about spending a month abroad, visiting several countries. I can’t help but feel excited.”

Wei Lai didn’t doubt him. “I’m going to take a nap.”

She raised the partition in the middle and put on her eye mask.

Many images floated before her eyes: her first eye contact with Zhou Sujin at He Wancheng’s dinner, him asking her to sit next to him, her first time pulling his clothes and acting spoiled, him surprising her by showing up at Jiang’an Yuncheng Store last New Year’s Day…

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Before falling asleep, she only remembered Qiao Sitian saying she would pick her up at the airport.

The plane landed in Melbourne at 9:30 in the morning local time. Qiao Sitian strolled casually to the arrival hall.

After getting her luggage and passing through customs, Wei Lai still had some time to wait.

“Darling, I’m here,” Qiao Sitian sent a selfie to Wei Lai. “I’m wearing this dress today, so don’t mistake me for someone else.”

As she sent the message, she looked up and saw a tall and straight figure walking towards her. Qiao Sitian took a few steps forward, confirming that she wasn’t mistaken. His back and presence were unmistakable.

“Mr. Zhou?”

Zhou Sujin visibly paused. The chances of meeting in a foreign airport were slim.

He nodded and asked, “Here to pick up Wei Lai?”

Qiao Sitian smiled. “Yes, to pick up our Wei Lai darling.”

It seemed like he came specifically to surprise Wei Lai.

Qiao Sitian wasn’t going to intrude. “Mr. Zhou, I’ll go back first. Let’s have dinner together when you’re free.”

Zhou Sujin said, “Could you please help me take Wei Lai to the hotel later? I have other matters to attend to.”

It was the second time Qiao Sitian had dealt with him, and she felt that he handled things thoroughly. Obviously, he came specifically to surprise Wei Lai, so it was unlikely he had other matters to attend to. He just didn’t want her to make a wasted trip.

Half-jokingly, she said, “There’s nothing more important than our Wei Lai darling. If you have anything, just push it back. I’m going back now. I’ll find you in a couple of days to hang out.”

Waving her hand, she left before Zhou Sujin could say anything.

“Darl, how much longer till you’re out?”

“Almost there.”

“There’s a super-duper big surprise waiting for you.”

Wei Lai was quite looking forward to it. There weren’t many things that Qiao Sitian would describe as a surprise.

Fifteen minutes passed, each second feeling like an eternity.

Zhou Sujin kept his eyes fixed on the exit, waiting until that figure appeared.

Their eyes met, and Wei Lai’s breathing hitched. Looking at him, her nose tingled with emotion. All the grievances she had felt before were now replaced by longing. The noisy surroundings seemed to miraculously disappear, and she couldn’t see anyone passing by him.

The assistant nudged her arm. “Ms. Wei?”

Wei Lai pushed her suitcase towards the assistant and hurried towards Zhou Sujin.

Zhou Sujin stepped forward gracefully and caught her in his arms, holding her tightly.

She tiptoed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his neck.