Chapter 35

Clearly, it was just a shallow kiss, but Zhou Sujin’s breath invaded all the surrounding space, her breath completely seized by him.

As his lips departed, Wei Lai opened her eyes, but her hands still clung to his suit.

Someone in the audience started cheering, and Lu Yu joined in, urging them to kiss again.

Zhou Jiaye sat beside Lu Yu, reminding in a low voice, “Why are you making a fuss? Zhou Sujin may not recognize others’ voices at once, but he could guess yours even with a voice changer.”

Lu Yu looked at the stage. “I’m not afraid of him now.”

“Have you grown a backbone?”

“…No, what do you mean by that? What does growing a backbone mean?”

Lu Yu chuckled at his own words. One of his most precious traits was his self-awareness. “It’s not about backbone. He only has so little personal time, which has been taken by Wei Lai. He doesn’t have time to scold me.”

Naturally, Zhou Sujin paid no heed to the voices below. As Wei Lai hadn’t let go of his clothes, he didn’t release her either, holding her in his arms, giving her time to calm down.

Wei Lai’s breath steadied. From the moment he kissed her to the cheering below, it had only been a short span of thirty seconds, but because of the countless eyes on stage, each second felt infinitely elongated.

It seemed like it had been minutes.

Zhou Sujin looked at the person in his arms, lowered his head again, kissed her temple, and whispered softly in her ear, “Let go of my clothes if you want to grab them again,” with a coaxing tone.

His breath warmed her earlobe, sending shivers down her spine.

Wei Lai responded with a soft “Hmm,” letting go. Before leaving his embrace, she hugged his waist and kissed him back, completing the act.

They coordinated perfectly, everything seeming so natural that no signs of unfamiliarity between them could be discerned.

As Zhou Sujin kissed her ear, Lu Yu below claimed credit, “See, it’s all thanks to my cheering.”

Zhou Jiaye didn’t refute but thought to himself that it was because Wei Lai hadn’t let go of someone’s clothes momentarily.

Today, Mu Di also came, accompanying her father. She sat at the table diagonally behind Lu Yu.

Her father patted her hand. Mu Di understood her father’s meaning. The better Wei Lai’s relationship with Zhou Sujin, the more stable her future with Zhang Yanxin would be.

She whispered to her father, “Zhang Yanxin’s father doesn’t want Wei Lai to marry Zhou Sujin.”

Because after they got married, Zhou Sujin might reduce his investment in Xinming Semiconductor, which was something Zhang Yanxin’s father didn’t want to see.

People are selfish. Mu Di’s father only cared about whether his daughter would be happy after marriage, not about whether the interests of the son-in-law’s family would be harmed.

If the son-in-law’s family was too powerful, it might not be a good thing for the daughter. Without the capital support from the Beijing circle, it would be better for the son-in-law to keep a low profile.

When Zhou Sujin kissed Wei Lai just now, Mu Di recorded it. She sent the video of those tens of seconds to Zhang Yanxin: [They aren’t as speculated by outsiders, marrying just for mutual benefit. From their current state, there seems to be genuine affection. Wei Lai is doing fine, you can rest assured, no need to feel indebted to her all the time.]

The latter sentence was purely to disgust Zhang Yanxin.

She added: [Continue giving her the compensation she deserves. I have no objections.]

Zhang Yanxin must have been taking his oath, as he opened it directly without any guard.

When the video played to the scene where Wei Lai hugged Zhou Sujin actively, it felt like a dull pain pierced his heart.

He closed the video and deleted it.

Mu Di deliberately sent this video to make him unhappy. He didn’t react angrily but transferred twenty thousand yuan to her casually, with a message: “Well done.”

Seeing the transfer, Mu Di couldn’t control her emotions and unconsciously bit her lip hard.

Suddenly realizing she was in a public place, she quickly managed her facial expression, picked up her bag, and left the banquet hall to the restroom to touch up her makeup, worried that she had lipstick on her teeth.

In the restroom, it was finally quiet.

The lively atmosphere continued in the banquet hall.

Wei Lai changed into her third outfit and went with Zhou Sujin to toast.

He didn’t let her drink alcohol, giving her a glass of soda instead.

After the proceedings on stage concluded, she went backstage to change her clothes. The makeup artist commented that her ears were like peach blossoms in March or April, with a light pink tint mingled with deep red.

So she had her hair styled differently.

After a round of toasts, she changed into her fifth outfit, the only constant being her hairstyle.

When would she develop a heart as strong as Zhou Sujin’s, unshaken even by Taishan collapse?

After toasting, she went to change into the final set of evening gown.

The makeup artist said, “This set isn’t suitable for casual wear anymore.”

Looking into the mirror, Wei Lai lifted her long hair. Upon closer inspection, one couldn’t discern the previous fervor. When Zhou Sujin leaned in to speak by her ear, his lips brushed against her earlobe.

Her ears were sensitive, otherwise they wouldn’t have turned so red.

Zhou Sujin waited for her at the dressing room door. His glass was empty, so he placed it on the tray and replaced it with a cup of warm water, gesturing for the waiter to leave him alone.

He glanced at his wristwatch. She had only been inside for five minutes. She might need some time, so he went to the adjacent lounge.

Leaning back on the couch, he pressed against his temples.

The last time he drank this much was at the anniversary celebration of the Yunhui Group. He had toasted Wen Changyun three times when he went to pick her up and had two more drinks at his own dinner.

“Wei Lai?”

Wei Lai was looking for him in the hallway.

They had known each other for almost half a year, and this was the first time she had addressed him by his name.

Zhou Sujin stood up. “I’m here.”

Wei Lai had reached the entrance to the lounge. “I thought you went to the foyer.”

Zhou Sujin glanced at her gown, which was more elaborate than the previous ones, the hem of the dress weighted down. “Is it tiring to change so many outfits?”

Wei Lai shook her head. “Not at all. I could change two more.”

“… “

His gaze briefly swept over her lips, meeting her eyes. “We’re getting registered tomorrow. In the afternoon, you let Uncle Wei draft the prenuptial agreement, and I’ll come over to sign it in the evening.”

Wei Lai was somewhat surprised. “Let my dad draft it?”

“I proposed the marriage. I can’t take advantage of everything.”

“Then I’ll have to include all my demands in the agreement.”

Zhou Sujin was speechless. He took a few sips of warm water before speaking again. “A prenuptial agreement is for worst-case scenarios in marriage. If one day I forget to comply with you, are you going to divorce me over this?”

“Not that serious. If you occasionally forget, I’ll forgive you. But what if it accumulates and I become disappointed in marriage because of it?”

“I don’t have amnesia.”

Wei Lai smiled. “Then I’ll still write them down.”

Zhou Sujin couldn’t argue with her playful attitude, so he let it be.

He explicitly prohibited some clauses: “Not accompanying you for hot pot is not an affront, such clauses can’t be included in the agreement. Got it?”

Wei Lai chuckled. How far did she have to push to make him worry like this?

After marriage, she would definitely respect his preferences and wouldn’t demand changes in his habits, just like he couldn’t expect her to switch to drinking dark-roast coffee beans for him.

Teasing him, she laughed, “Didn’t hear anything.”

Zhou Sujin silently looked at her.

Wei Lai tugged at his suit. “You need to speak.”

“… Still pulling.”

“You said on stage that you wanted to grab your suit back again.”

Both of them involuntarily recalled the kiss from before.

Wei Lai regained her composure. “I was joking just now. I won’t include the hot pot clause.”

She still hadn’t let go of his suit hem.

He held a cup of water in his hand, which she thought was hers. “Let me have a sip.”

As she reached for the cup, Zhou Sujin handed it to her. “Your cup was taken away by the waiter. This one’s mine.”

Wei Lai hesitated, then still held onto the cup and brought it to her lips.

Zhou Sujin glanced at her other hand, which was clutching his clothes. Even for just drinking water, she held onto him.

Wei Lai only took a sip. “I’ve been at a loss today.”

“At a loss for what?”

“You took the initiative with the kiss; I was completely passive.”

“Well, what are you going to do about it?”

“Make up for it.”

He chuckled briefly, speechless.

“The feelings are completely different when you kiss and when you’re being kissed.” Developing a strong heart was almost impossible, but taking the initiative was still feasible.

Wei Lai handed him the cup, wrapping her hands around his neck. “You have to follow my lead.”

Zhou Sujin turned his head slightly and took a sip of water. “Not cooperating with you means not following your lead?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you being unreasonable?”

“Yes.”

She leaned in closer to him, just a step away. The final evening gown had a large skirt, but even being this close wasn’t as intimate as being on stage, almost glued to him.

Zhou Sujin put down the cup and turned his head, his left arm around her waist.

Wei Lai was a head shorter than him, and her high-heeled shoes weren’t very tall. If he didn’t lower his head, she couldn’t reach to kiss him.

“Come closer to me.”

Since it wasn’t a contractual marriage, Zhou Sujin indulged her and bent down to accommodate her height.

She lightly pressed her lips against his and kissed him once, “You kissed me twice on stage.” With that, she kissed him again.

Zhou Sujin’s breath halted for a moment, even with his self-control, his Adam’s apple involuntarily moved.

Now he understood her statement, “The feelings are completely different when you kiss and when you’re being kissed.”

Wei Lai withdrew after the kiss and took a step back.

No need for verbal communication, he should have felt similar to what she did on stage, where his breath momentarily faltered.

She looked composed. “Let’s go to the foyer. Auntie might be worried since we haven’t come out for so long.”

Just as calm as her, Zhou Sujin didn’t lose to her.

He gave her a glance and then took her wrist, leading her to the banquet hall.

“Do I need to include this in the agreement too?” he asked.

Wei Lai smiled, “Yes, write them all.”

As soon as the engagement banquet ended, she went to find her father.

Hearing that he was supposed to draft the prenuptial agreement, Wei Huatian’s worries eased. Marriage wasn’t about divorce, but an extra layer of security wouldn’t hurt.

Drafting the agreement was a top priority now, so he went straight to the law firm.

Wei Lai changed back into her regular clothes in the dressing room, and six sets of evening gowns were packed and sent to the Jiang’an Yunchen residence.

Zhou Sujin had drunk quite a bit today and had a slight headache. He hadn’t rested well since rushing back from Shanghai last night. “I’ll go back to get some rest. Are you going to my place or back home?”

Wei Lai was removing her eye makeup when she looked at him in the mirror. “I won’t come over. You should go back and have a good rest.”

Zhou Sujin nodded, put on his suit, and left.

She watched his back in the mirror.

—

Zhou Sujin woke up at five o’clock, took a quick shower, changed into another set of clothes, and went to the hotel.

It was still dark by half past five in the winter.

His mother and aunt were staying at a hotel in the city center. His mother had only visited him on the night she arrived in Jiangcheng.

Zhou Jiaye was making a phone call in the hotel lobby.

Seeing him, he briefly said a few words before hanging up.

Zhou Sujin also saw him and went straight over.

Zhou Jiaye put his phone aside. “Don’t go up. When I went downstairs, Mom was still talking as if you were reluctantly engaged. People who didn’t know might think it was an arranged marriage.”

Zhou Sujin sat across from him and poured himself a glass of warm water. “How does it seem reluctant?”

“She thinks the process was too simple for someone like you.”

“Mom overthinks. Even if it’s a girlfriend I actively pursued, the engagement process wouldn’t be more elaborate than today’s.”

Zhou Jiaye wanted an honest answer from him about how he felt about the marriage, whether it was good or bad.

Zhou Sujin remained silent for a moment. “It can’t be described as good or bad. I decided to marry her myself.”

Zhou Jiaye reiterated, “I want a straightforward answer from you.” He emphasized each word, “A straightforward answer.” He wasn’t interested in all those words.

Zhou Sujin raised his gaze. “I’m not used to it, not comfortable with it.”

Having been accustomed to being alone, now everything he did had to consider her feelings and accept all her good and bad habits.

After chatting with his older brother for three or four minutes, roughly the time it took to smoke a cigarette, he put down his glass. “Tell Mom I’ve been here.”

Zhou Jiaye said, “…”

Watching his back as he left, Zhou Jiaye asked, “Where are you in a hurry to?”

“To sign the agreement.”

Wei Huatian had already drafted the agreement in the evening and sent it to his email for review and discussion. He informed his daughter to come to the law firm at eight o’clock, and asked Zhou Sujin and his personal lawyer to arrive at seven-thirty, half an hour early for some instructions.

He handed the paper version of the agreement to Zhou Sujin. “The terms are unchanged. Take another look.”

Saying that, he took out a few more pages, scribbled something on the header, and smiled, “Consider this a supplementary agreement. Lailai insisted on having it written down.”

There was no legal binding force, but his daughter insisted on putting it into words, so he prepared a supplementary agreement.

Zhou Sujin took it. These were her demands on him, detailed into two pages.

He knew that what Wei Lai cared about the most wasn’t the legally binding agreement, but this one.

His personal lawyer, Xing Lu, stopped him from signing directly on the supplementary agreement. “Mr. Zhou, let me take a look first.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t give it to him. “This one isn’t necessary.”

He signed his name on the supplementary agreement and dated it.

The next morning.

At 8:20 am, Wei Lai arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau. They were getting married in Jiangcheng.

Zhou Sujin was delayed on his way from the industrial park, arriving five minutes later than her.

He asked her if they should take photos outside or have them taken inside.

Wei Lai didn’t mind whether the photos were retouched or not, or how good they looked. “Let’s have them taken on-site.”

It wasn’t a special day, so there weren’t many people there to get married.

In less than twenty minutes, their first photo together was stamped with a steel seal.

He was now her husband.

It still felt surreal.

After leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau, Zhou Sujin handed her his copy. “You keep this.”

Wei Lai didn’t hesitate to take it, placing both marriage certificates together.

Zhou Sujin informed her that his mother and aunt’s flight back to Beijing was in the afternoon.

Wei Lai said, “I’ll go see them off.”

The room hadn’t been vacated yet, Ning Ruzhen was still packing her bags.

Ning Rujiang was at her sister’s place, standing on the balcony outside and carefully overlooking the entire city of Jiangcheng. The last time she came, she felt that the main urban area of Jiangcheng was incredibly large, but looking at it now, it wasn’t as big as she had imagined.

The doorbell rang, and she went to open it.

“Auntie.”

“You’re back. Let me see the certificate quickly.”

Ning Rujiang looked at the photo on the marriage certificate and praised it endlessly.

“You two look like a married couple.”

Wei Lai smiled but remained silent.

She couldn’t see the resemblance of a married couple.

On the day they got married, Ning Ruzhen also prepared a gift for them. She took out the gift box and gave it to Wei Lai. She didn’t speak much, but there was a faint smile on her lips as she said, “A little token of my husband’s and my goodwill. Take care of each other in the future. If Sujin ever makes you unhappy, tell me.”

Wei Lai couldn’t help but feel moved. “Thank you… Mom.”

As she changed the address, it didn’t sound very natural.

When she called her “mom,” Zhou Sujin glanced at her more.

Ning Ruzhen didn’t let them see them off at the airport, saying that there was no need to be so polite as a family.

However, Wei Lai insisted on seeing them off. Together with Zhou Sujin, they saw them through the security checkpoint before heading back.

On the first day of getting married, Zhou Sujin didn’t make any arrangements and asked her what she planned to do.

“I’m going back to the office,” Wei Lai said. With more than ten days before Chinese New Year, everyone was starting to prepare for the holiday. The days before the New Year were the busiest for supermarkets.

She couldn’t forget her responsibilities just because they got married.

When they reached the office building, before getting out of the car, Wei Lai turned to him and asked, “In the future, will you pick me up from work?”

Zhou Sujin looked at her thoughtfully. “Do you want me to pick you up from work today?”

He always understood her thoughts. Wei Lai nodded. “Yes.”

Zhou Sujin glanced at his watch. There were still two and a half hours before the end of the workday. He opened his bag and took out his laptop. “Go ahead, I’ll wait in the car.”