Chapter 19

Wei Lai knew she had said something equivalent to saying nothing at all because Zhou Sujin wouldn’t pay any attention to it whatsoever.

He allowed her to boast, but he would never indulge her unconditionally.

At twelve twenty-five, Aunt and Uncle arrived at Jiangcheng Station. Zhou Sujin picked them up and asked Aunt what she wanted to eat, suggesting they go for a meal first.

Ning Rujiang and her husband had a makeshift meal on the high-speed train. “Let’s go out for dinner tonight. Let’s go home first and drop off our luggage.”

Then she remembered, “You haven’t eaten yet, right? How about Auntie making something for you?” Her cooking skills were average, but there were a few dishes her two nephews liked, and she was quite good at those.

Zhou Sujin nodded, “Sure.”

Ning Rujiang reminded her nephew in advance and stopped by a fresh supermarket on the way.

Zhou Sujin sat in the passenger seat, extending his arm to input “Wei Lai Supermarket” into the navigation interface.

Uncle Yan glanced at the words “Wei Lai” on the interface. The nearest store was less than a kilometer away, but it wasn’t the one under the office building of Wei Lai.

The boss’s gaze remained on the navigation screen without withdrawing.

He speculated whether the boss wanted to go to the Wei Lai office building supermarket but didn’t know the exact address, so he couldn’t input it into the navigation.

He remembered the address over there.

Uncle Yan directly searched for the address, and the navigation voice announced the change of destination successfully.

Zhou Sujin suddenly turned his head, glanced at Uncle Yan a few times, and said nothing in the end.

Uncle Yan: “…”

It turned out the boss intended to buy ingredients nearby, not to go to the supermarket downstairs at the Wei Lai office building. He had misinterpreted it.

Zhou Sujin never made things difficult for those around him and said, “Let’s go to this one.”

Uncle Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Okay.”

When Ning Rujiang heard the navigation voice announcing the change of destination, she asked curiously, “Why did you change the place again?”

Zhou Sujin said, “This store is larger.”

Ning Rujiang teased her nephew, “Not bad, you’re almost half a native of Jiangcheng now, even knowing the size of each supermarket.”

Zhou Sujin remained habitually silent.

Uncle Yan remained even quieter.

From the North Station of the high-speed train to the Central West District, plus the traffic jam on the road, it took almost forty minutes.

After parking the car, Ning Rujiang patted her nephew’s shoulder from behind, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to the supermarket.”

Zhou Sujin: “…I’m not a kid anymore.”

“If you don’t want to go, forget it.” Ning Rujiang dragged her husband to accompany her to the supermarket.

Looking at the supermarket sign, she said to her husband, “The boss of this supermarket should be surnamed Wei, and the single name is Lai. Not bad, the name is quite memorable.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t get out of the car, nor did he look upstairs, browsing today’s financial news.

At two thirty in the afternoon, Wei Lai had to meet with Lu Song, the person in charge of the Yunhui Complex. Since she had no time for a nap at noon, she made herself a cup of coffee before leaving to refresh herself.

Every time she drank coffee, she leaned against the window and watched the endless stream of traffic and people outside.

When she finished her coffee and stood up straight, she glanced at her own building downstairs. Her movement froze momentarily as she saw Zhou Sujin’s Bentley, with him sitting in the passenger seat.

She saw a middle-aged couple get out of the back of the Bentley and walk straight into her supermarket, holding hands.

She recognized the elegant lady, Zhou Sujin’s aunt.

【Zhou Sujin, I see you.】

Zhou Sujin turned his head slightly and glanced at the second floor from inside the car.

Their eyes met.

Through the clear glass window, she could see him.

He couldn’t see her.

Zhou Sujin replied to her, 【My aunt wants to buy groceries, and Uncle Yan took the liberty to stop here.】

Wei Lai half-jokingly replied, 【Then thanks to Uncle Yan, my supermarket’s revenue increased a bit today.】

Since she couldn’t joke with him, she got back to the point, 【Zhou Sujin, do you know, if we were a real couple, in the honeymoon phase, you would tell me that you’re downstairs right now. I would take advantage of my aunt’s time in the supermarket to pretend to be a passerby and walk past your car. Anyway, we would see each other one way or another.】Two minutes was enough time while her aunt was shopping.

Zhou Sujin asked, 【Is this how you date?】

Wei Lai thought about the question, realizing he was probably asking about her previous relationship with Zhang Yanxin.

She replied, 【More or less like that before.】

Zhou Sujin: 【Got it.】

Then, he added, 【Come down, no need to pretend to be a passerby.】

Since there was no need to pretend not to know each other, Wei Lai grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and grabbed a bottle of coffee. She came down the stairs quickly.

Handing the soda water to Uncle Yan, she handed the bottle of coffee through the car window to him and said, “I like this flavor.”

Uncle Yan took the water and cigarettes and went down, standing by the trash can in the distance to smoke. Young people who had just started dating were like this, always trying to meet whenever they could. He understood.

“Uncle Yan won’t suspect us of pretending to be in love anymore.” With the task completed, Wei Lai didn’t linger any longer. “Mr. Zhou, I’ll go upstairs first.”

Zhou Sujin nodded, and she hurried upstairs just as she had when she arrived.

Her taste in coffee was different from his; he only took a sip after opening the bottle of coffee.

Aunt and Uncle soon came out of the supermarket, and Uncle Yan started the car.

“No wonder you brought me to this store, the fresh produce is excellent.” Ning Rujiang was very satisfied with the groceries she bought; here, she could find all the imported foods she usually bought.

The car drove from Wei Lai Supermarket to Jiangan Yunchen in the Dongcheng Park, taking more than forty minutes again.

“Jiangcheng City is so big.” Ning Rujiang exclaimed.

Uncle Yan silently thought, it wasn’t that Jiangcheng City was big, it was that he had taken more than half a detour.

After taking a big detour, they finally arrived home. Uncle Yan only helped push the luggage to the door before leaving.

Zhou Sujin carried the luggage into the house and took out the slippers he had prepared for Aunt and Uncle from the shoe cabinet.

“This house is spacious.” Aunt stood in front of the French window in the living room, admiring the lake and mountains. She was used to living in a courtyard house and thought it was nice to occasionally stay in a high-rise.

Zhou Sujin took off his suit, hung it in the foyer closet, and opened the closet door, revealing Wei Lai’s white suit jacket hanging inside. She had forgotten to take it back last time she came.

Aunt was the kind of person who would think he was up to something if she directly saw some women’s items, so she would believe he was genuinely in love if he was secretive about it.

Zhou Sujin didn’t take out another hanger; he directly draped his suit over the white one. His clothes were large enough to conceal Wei Lai’s clothes inside.

Ning Rujiang noticed every subtle expression on her nephew’s face. Anything out of the ordinary definitely had its reasons.

She discreetly withdrew her gaze, pretending to be attracted by the scenery outside the window.

“You bought this house well; the view is broad. I’d like to stay a few more days.” She praised her nephew generously.

Zhou Sujin walked from the foyer and said, “Then stay a few more days with Uncle.”

“Your Uncle is afraid that the company won’t function properly without him once he leaves.” Ning Rujiang scolded gently, taking off her coat and casually taking her husband’s coat, “Give it to me.”

She hung the two coats in the foyer closet and lightly adjusted the hem of her nephew’s suit, revealing a thin white suit inside.

She didn’t need to see the whole thing; just from the fabric and button details of the white suit, she knew which brand and style it was. She had a similar one herself.

“You can accompany your Uncle to have some tea, and I’ll cook for you.”

As if nothing had happened, she closed the closet door and took the bag of groceries she had bought from the supermarket into the kitchen.

Staying here for two or three days, she bought a little more, intending to cook for her nephew tomorrow.

Ning Rujiang put away the groceries she wouldn’t use today in the refrigerator, which surprisingly wasn’t empty; there was beef and a large packet of seaweed for rice balls.

She understood her nephew; he had never liked seaweed since he was a child, so such things could never appear in his refrigerator.

With both women’s suits and seaweed, it seemed that his girlfriend had been to Jiangcheng. Her nephew was very clear about his public and private matters; he wouldn’t bring his girlfriend along on a business trip.

That left only two possibilities: either he came here specifically to accompany his girlfriend, or his girlfriend was from Jiangcheng.

If it was the former, it meant her nephew wasn’t just a workaholic but also capable of love.

If it was the latter, she came to Jiangcheng at the right time; there might be unexpected gains this time.

“Sujin, why is there seaweed in the fridge?” she deliberately asked.

“Seaweed?”

Zhou Sujin suddenly remembered that Wei Lai had eaten seaweed with rice balls that night and had left some behind.

He remained composed, “The things in the fridge were all sent by the property manager.”

Ning Rujiang could only think, ‘Heh, you’re just spouting nonsense,’ inwardly. “The property manager’s service is not up to par; they send things without asking if the owner needs them.”

Uncle, who was unaware of the truth, felt his wife was too picky. “It’s not a villa area; there are so many residents in the high-rise, how could the property manager attend to everything?”

Ning Rujiang didn’t tease her nephew anymore; she tied her apron and got busy.

She didn’t cook often, so cooking was especially slow for her.

Zhou Sujin waited for half an hour before he got a meat dish and a vegetarian dish.

Ning Rujiang had noticed the new watch her nephew was wearing today, but she hadn’t had a chance to take a picture of it before. “Sujin, wait a moment before you eat; let me take a picture and post it on my Moments to show off my cooking skills.”

With two clicks, she aimed at her nephew’s wrist and took a clear picture of the watch, then casually handed her husband’s secretary the photo: “Check the original order for this watch, we don’t need detailed customer information.”

Twenty minutes later, Ning Rujiang received a reply.

“The customer is a lady named Wei Lai, a native of Jiangcheng.”

That was all the customer information they had, but the information about the watch was very detailed: “The watch had been on the waiting list for more than seven months, it was made to order, and the bracelet was customized at an additional cost. The customer also requested a customized greeting card to be sent with the watch, presumably as a surprise for her boyfriend.”

Wei Lai?

Wasn’t the supermarket named Wei Lai Supermarket?

Her guess was indeed correct; the girl was indeed from Jiangcheng.

Ning Rujiang went over the message from her secretary again. Waiting for seven months in the queue for the watch, it meant the two of them had been in a relationship for at least a year.

Her nephew had come to Jiangcheng for investment two years ago, which matched the timeline.

She reported the good news to her sister: “Sister, if anyone tries to introduce a girl to Sujin again, just tell them he has a girlfriend, a girl from Jiangcheng.”

Ning Ruzhen: “Who told you she’s from Jiangcheng?”

Ning Rujiang sent her sister a screenshot of the message from the secretary. “The watch was indeed a gift from that girl. Let’s not investigate further; let’s respect the privacy of the two kids. As long as we’re sure they’re really dating.”

Ning Ruzhen wasn’t entirely convinced. “Can we be sure they’re really dating just from a watch?”

Ning Rujiang replied, “It’s not just about the watch; I know Sujin’s temperament. He wouldn’t go through so much trouble to plan this since a year ago and make everything so detailed if it wasn’t genuine.”

After giving it some thought, Ning Ruzhen’s remaining doubts were dispelled. “In that case, let’s think about how to find a suitable reason for Sujin to bring his girlfriend home soon. If he does bring her back, I’ll let everyone know the same night that he’s taken. Then I won’t have to worry about rejecting any more introductions.”

Ning Rujiang thought about probing her sister’s thoughts about the girlfriend’s family background. “Sister, do you have any requirements for Sujin’s girlfriend’s family?”

Of course, Ning Ruzhen had requirements for her son’s partner’s family background. How could parents not hope for a match from a good family for their children? But her son had a strong personality now; even if she had preferences, he wouldn’t listen to her.

“If it’s a girl he’s set his heart on, do you think my opposition will be effective?”

After hearing her sister’s words, Ning Rujiang felt reassured.

She racked her brain to think of a reason for her nephew to bring his girlfriend home. “How about we use Mr. Song’s fiftieth birthday? We can say it’s for her husband’s fiftieth birthday and ask him to bring his girlfriend home for dinner. This reason should be reasonable enough.”

For someone else’s birthday, Zhou Sujin might not necessarily give face, but this person was her husband, who had taken care of the two brothers on road trips since they were young. There was a bond there.

The two sisters immediately agreed on this reason, and Ning Rujiang smiled contentedly.

Zhou Sujin occasionally glanced at his aunt; if he guessed right, their conversation must have something to do with him.

“Sujin, where are we going this afternoon?” Ning Rujiang finally finished chatting and put away her phone, asking her nephew.

Zhou Sujin replied, “To the tea garden?”

“Alright, the air in the tea garden is good.”

Before leaving, Zhou Sujin went to the cloakroom and took another suit.

Aunt’s mood was particularly good today. She hadn’t been interested in tea gardens before, but she strolled in the tea garden for more than an hour today, and Uncle bought a lot of tea leaves.

It was already dark when they returned to the city.

Ning Rujiang said to her nephew, “I don’t want to have a big meal; take us to eat some local dishes in Jiangcheng.”

This Uncle Yan really knew where to eat, but having learned from past mistakes, he didn’t dare to make decisions rashly.

Zhou Sujin instructed, “Go to that restaurant.”

To get to the restaurant, they had to pass by the main branch of Wei Lai Supermarket. Ning Rujiang was exceptionally fond of the words “Wei Lai” now. She quickly instructed Uncle Yan, “Turn into the supermarket up ahead.” Then she turned to her husband and said, “Don’t you want to taste the local yellow wine in Jiangcheng? I’ll go buy you a bottle.”

Uncle: “The restaurant must have yellow wine; it’s troublesome to buy from the supermarket.”

“The restaurant’s is expensive.”

“…” He had never seen his wife being so thrifty before.

In the evening, there were many cars coming to the supermarket for shopping, and Uncle Yan queued to enter the parking lot.

Ning Rujiang looked at the queue of traffic patiently, feeling happier than when she was in love with herself years ago.

“Hey, Sujin, isn’t that your Cullinan?” 

Deep green, and there was the familiar consecutive license plate number.

Zhou Sujin followed his aunt’s gesture and saw the Cullinan just returning from outside. Wei Lai had her own designated parking spot, and she was parking in it.

Wei Lai quickly parked the car and got out, holding a file folder in her hand.

Without turning back, she briskly walked towards the entrance to the second floor.

Ning Rujiang didn’t see Wei Lai’s face clearly, only a graceful figure, with an otherworldly aura.

After Wei Lai entered the building, everyone withdrew their gaze.

The car suddenly became unusually quiet.

Ning Rujiang smiled and said, “Now, let’s see what else you have to say. Are you still not planning to admit it?”

Zhou Sujin replied, “There’s nothing to deny. She’s my girlfriend.”

Ning Rujiang knowingly asked, “What’s her name? Is she from Jiangcheng?”

“Wei Lai.”

Ning Rujiang also had a bit of acting skills, “Wei Lai?” She pointed outside the car window, surprised, “Named after the supermarket? No wonder you…”

She shook her head with a wry smile, “No wonder you insisted on me shopping at this supermarket.”

She was giving it her all in this little act.

“Aren’t you going to invite your girlfriend to join us for dinner?”

Zhou Sujin responded, “I’ll bring her home at an appropriate time.”

Ning Rujiang asked in return, “And when do you think is the appropriate time?”

“Well, how about this? Your uncle-in-law’s fiftieth birthday is on October 20th. You can bring your girlfriend home. Does that work for you?”

Zhou Sujin considered for a moment, “I’ll bring her home that day.”