Chapter 42

They kissed briefly, then Zhou Sujin pulled away from her lips, but his hand remained around her waist, gently holding her close. Wei Lai still clung to him, so he didn’t let go of her either.

Zhou Sujin: “Apart from the suits, did you find anything else you liked? If not, I can arrange for more.”

“No need to arrange; I like the colors.”

As for the style, even if they were to arrange for more, the store didn’t have anything she liked better.

Wei Lai gestured towards the two watch safes and said, “Give me some insight.”

Zhou Sujin looked at the person in his arms and said, “Let’s go eat first.”

Wei Lai almost forgot that they hadn’t had dinner yet. She was definitely someone who took all three meals seriously, something she probably wouldn’t have forgotten in the past.

“Then you can explain after dinner.” She stood up straight from his embrace.

It wasn’t until she loosened her grip first that Zhou Sujin let go of her.

Wei Lai didn’t hold his hand as they descended the stairs. There were maids and other people at home, so she didn’t cling to him. During dinner, they chatted casually.

“Do you remember allowing me to add five clauses to the prenuptial agreement?”

Zhou Sujin calmly reminded her that it was three times, not five.

Wei Lai was accommodating, “Then let’s start with three times, and you can add more when I’ve used them up, okay?”

“… “

Zhou Sujin didn’t respond to her request. “When will you make me worry less?”

Wei Lai laughed, “I’m afraid that won’t happen in this lifetime.”

She continued discussing the prenuptial agreement, intending to add a clause today.

Zhou Sujin asked, “What do you want to add?”

Wei Lai stated directly, “In the previous agreement, it was agreed that you would indulge me.”

Zhou Sujin nodded and asked, “Did I forget to indulge you at some point?”

“Not really.”

He always catered to her requests, patiently coaxing her without letting her feel any grievance. Even a boyfriend in the honeymoon phase couldn’t match his actions.

Wei Lai wanted to bring them closer emotionally, at least by ensuring that their feelings weren’t superficial. “Can you take the initiative to indulge me in the future? Without me having to ask, are you willing to do it?”

Zhou Sujin’s gaze was calm. “If I don’t take the initiative to indulge you, would you consider it as causing you distress?”

Wei Lai shook her head and said, “No.”

She put down her fork, saying seriously, “I’ll definitely discuss any additional clauses with you and respect your opinions. Think about whether to add it or not.”

Zhou Sujin replied, “Let’s not add it.”

Wei Lai hesitated, “Alright, let’s not add it then.”

She lowered her head to continue eating from her plate.

As long as she didn’t initiate any conversation, there would be silence at the dining table.

Zhou Sujin put down his chopsticks and picked up the warm water beside him, “Did I not agree? Are you unhappy?”

“No.” Wei Lai paused for a few seconds, “You have to allow me to feel a little disappointed sometimes.”

She continued to eat absentmindedly with her head lowered.

Zhou Sujin looked at her and said, “Your request doesn’t fit our marriage, which is based on mutual benefits. That’s something for couples.”

Wei Lai raised her head, “But we can still have love between us.”

After saying this, she regretted it, but it was too late to take it back.

After staring at her for a few seconds, Zhou Sujin said, “Didn’t you think marriage and feelings were meaningless? Marriage is just a way to have a backup and reassure your family.”

Wei Lai tried to recall. She had said this when he first mentioned the idea of marrying him. She had spoken those words because she was hurt by Zhang Yanxin, and whatever she felt at the moment, she had expressed it.

She explained, “Ideas can change, can’t they? Didn’t you also not want to get married before?”

Zhou Sujin put down his cup and reached out, “Give me the pen and the additional agreement.”

Wei Lai didn’t move, “I’ve eaten.”

Suddenly, the salad in her mouth became flavorful.

Zhou Sujin caught the change in her expression from despondent to pleased. He had just made a breach in his own bottom line, and how this breach would end, whether it would eventually be out of his control, he had no idea.

After dinner, Wei Lai went upstairs to the bedroom to get the pen and the additional agreement. The pen was the one he used at Jiangcheng’s house, and she always carried it with her.

She couldn’t decide how to add the clause to the agreement, so she just handed it to him.

“You write it.”

Zhou Sujin spread the agreement on the dining table. “Do you carry the agreement with you every day?”

“Yes.” It could be supplemented at any time.

Wei Lai stood next to him and saw him ponder for a few seconds before scribbling a few words in the blank space: “To take the initiative to indulge her in the future.”

Sign your name and date.

This should be the shortest agreement content.

Yet it touched her the most.

Zhou Sujin capped the pen and handed the agreement to her along with it. He glanced at his watch. “I’ll give you some insight into the watch in an hour. We also have a video conference later.”

“No rush, you go ahead.”

Wei Lai, satisfied with the signed agreement, returned to the bedroom.

Zhou Sujin was in the study having a meeting while she worked in the bedroom, dealing with messages in the workgroup.

Most of the messages had already been handled by her mother. It only took her half an hour to resolve the remaining ones.

Zhou Sujin hadn’t finished the meeting yet when she started running the bathwater.

It was overcast today, and the snow in the backyard had hardly melted, just like it was in the morning. There were a few footprints on the soft, snowy grass.

Looking down from the second floor at those footprints, she realized how bored she had been in the morning.

She soaked in the warm bathtub, looking at the jade trees outside the window. His strong and forceful words, “To take the initiative to indulge her in the future,” inexplicably appeared in her mind.

She also remembered the first time she met him at He Wancheng’s dinner party when they were worlds apart.

“Wei Lai?” Zhou Sujin finished the meeting and came to find her in the bedroom, but she wasn’t there.

Wei Lai was lost in thought and didn’t hear him.

It wasn’t until he entered that she asked, “Why aren’t you answering when called?”

“… ” Her brain short-circuited for half a second.

She was in the bathtub, with only a few drops of essential oil, no petals, no foam, completely exposed.

Wei Lai instinctively grabbed the edge of the bathtub. “I’ll be right out.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t deliberately avoid her, but he didn’t stare at her either. His gaze fell on her face. “Did you bring your pajamas?”

“I did.”

He nodded and turned to leave.

Wei Lai hesitated, then got up from the bathtub and wrapped herself in a towel.

They didn’t sleep clinging to each other last night, but the room wasn’t lit at the time, and just now it was different, with sensations being too direct.

The dressing room was temperature-controlled, but not as warm as the bedroom. She put on a loose caramel-colored sweater over her camisole nightgown, with a large neckline that revealed the straps of the nightgown as if it were a decoration.

Zhou Sujin had also showered and changed into his pajamas. He pushed open the door of the dressing room, and Wei Lai was in front of the safe, taking out a watch to examine.

The nightgown wasn’t long, and at a glance, all he could see were her straight long legs.

Wei Lai put the watch back in place and took off her gloves before taking out her phone. “Wait a moment.” She quickly opened the last PPT and continued to add to it.

Zhou Sujin asked, “Do you need to take such detailed notes?”

“Yeah.”

Wei Lai listened attentively to his entire explanation. Her hands were fast, and she could basically remember everything he said.

Due to time constraints, Zhou Sujin only gave her insights into ten watches.

He locked the watch cabinet and said, “I’ll tell you more later.”

Wei Lai saved the PPT.

Zhou Sujin glanced at her. She wasn’t very talkative tonight, nor did she lean on him. She just recorded everything seriously. He said in a deep voice, “I gave you the agreement, aren’t you happy?”

Wei Lai suddenly raised her gaze. She wasn’t unhappy; she was just figuring out how to articulate it.

Zhou Sujin pulled her in front of him. “I didn’t agree once, and you’re still feeling hurt.”

It was definitely a bit hurtful.

Wei Lai saved the document and tossed her phone onto the nearby sofa, leaning into his arms and looking up at him. “Husband, let’s solve the height difference problem.”

This time, without a princess carry, he easily lifted Wei Lai to his waist. She naturally wrapped her legs around his waist.

She was taller than him, carefully examining every inch of his distinct contours.

Her gaze fell on his lips, and she leaned down to kiss him.

Zhou Sujin tightened his arms around her and tilted his head slightly to match her, letting her lips and tongue roam freely.

After holding her for a long time, Wei Lai’s legs grew tired, so she could only let them naturally hang down.

Zhou Sujin gently put her back on the ground, but Wei Lai grabbed his arm, unwilling to let go, and even asked him to hold her.

Zhou Sujin asked, “Can’t you rest for two minutes?”

“No, two minutes is too long.”

Zhou Sujin looked at her and lifted her again. This time, not in a princess carry or lifting her high, but just a few inches off the ground.

Wei Lai felt like she was about to slip to the ground at any moment, so she tightly grasped his neck.

This way of holding her wasn’t strenuous at all for Zhou Sujin. He didn’t need both hands; just one arm could hold her tightly, while the other hand rested on the hem of her loose sweater.

Suddenly, Wei Lai shivered all over, and before any sound could escape her lips, his kiss invaded her mouth.

A cold kiss, gentle fingertips.

Zhou Sujin was extremely patient, and the tingling sensation he gave her was like waves of wheat, surging layer by layer.

Wei Lai buried her face in his neck, not looking at him.

She was suspended in the air.

This suspended, stacked tingling sensation doubled the impact on her heart.

“Husband, I’m coming down.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t let go until she trembled uncontrollably in his arms, still holding her tightly with both hands.

The second hand of his watches had circled four or five times by now, and Wei Lai finally calmed down.

There were no wet wipes in the dressing room.

Zhou Sujin went to the sink, turned on the faucet, and rinsed his hands under the running water; they were covered with fingertips and finger pads.

—

The next morning, Wei Lai was awakened by the alarm clock at half past seven.

Zhou Sujin had already gone to the company and left a note for her on the bedside table: “Wake up and call me.”

Wei Lai rubbed her waist and legs, propping herself up.

A box of three, with one left.

She had said she had a meeting with someone today, so he hadn’t opened the third one.

Today she had to wear a high-necked sweater; there was a faint kiss mark left by him on her neck.

“Husband.”

“Awake?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Zhou Sujin asked her to wait for him at the hospital entrance at half past five in the afternoon and told her the address of the hospital.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Lai couldn’t help but feel nervous. “Is it you who’s not feeling well, or is someone in the family not feeling well?”

Zhou Sujin said, “To pick up my grandmother. She’s doing an afternoon clinic.”

He wasn’t going to his own home or his aunt’s home, but he was taking her to see his grandparents. They weren’t sensitive to emotions, so there was no need to act; normal conversation would suffice.

Wei Lai was startled just now; it wouldn’t be okay if someone wasn’t feeling well.

She got out of bed, rubbing her legs a few more times before getting up.

“I have to go to Yuanwei Capital in the morning to see if I can get some funding.” After adding the supplementary agreement last night, feeling a step closer, she proactively informed him of some of her plans and arrangements.

Zhou Sujin said, “Yuanwei Capital won’t invest in you.”

“… ” Wei Lai chuckled in exasperation, “Can’t you give me some confidence early in the morning?”

“It’s not that I don’t give you confidence, but several shareholders of Yuanwei know who you are. They’ll think you’re secretly seeking financing behind my back. If they agree, it will create conflicts between us.”

Wei Lai only knew the apparent boss of Yuanwei Capital; she wasn’t aware of the true boss behind the scenes, but they must have a deep background. She guessed, “Is the major shareholder behind Yuanwei your friend?”

“Yeah, they were at that dinner party.”

“…”

Asking his friend for financing was no different from asking directly for money.

Wei Lai changed her mind on the spot, “Then I won’t go to Yuanwei. I’ll try another institution.” There were so many venture capital firms, and she knew more than just this one.

Zhou Sujin fell silent for a moment. “Why not seek financing from me?”

Wei Lai joked, “Isn’t that what you were waiting for?”

Zhou Sujin suddenly chuckled.

Wei Lai had considered seeking financing from him, but that would be a last resort, a step she had to take only if there were no other options. If there was still a way, she would go her own way.

She returned to the topic, “I want to try to get financing on my own first. If I can’t, I’ll come to you.”

“Okay.”

Wei Lai was worried that the next venture capital firm she found might still be related to his friend, so she asked him for help. “Ask your assistant Yang to list the names of your friend’s capital firms for me, so I can avoid these institutions.”

Zhou Sujin confirmed with her, “Are you sure you want Yang Ze to compile the list and send it to you directly?”

“What’s there to be unsure about?”

“Do you have no objections to Yang Ze now?”

“…”

Wei Lai wasn’t sure herself when she had objections to Yang Ze, so she asked Zhou Sujin why he said that.

“You didn’t want to add him on WeChat, and every time I asked you to find Yang Ze, your reaction was a bit big, as if you were reluctant.” The time he asked her to ask Yang Ze about the supply of Gueisha coffee beans, he initially asked her to ask Yang Ze herself, but after realizing the situation, he personally instructed Yang Ze and didn’t let her contact him.

Wei Lai said, “It has nothing to do with Assistant Yang.”

She used to think explanations were unnecessary, but now that they were married, she explained, “It’s a stress response left over from the previous relationship. At that time… he didn’t directly tell me we were breaking up and asked me to contact his secretary for future matters. So every time you ask me to contact Assistant Yang, my subconscious reaction is whether you intend to end this relationship.”

She smiled and said, “It’s all good now.”

“We’ll talk about it when I get home tonight; I’m at Big Brother’s place.”

“Then you’re busy.”

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Sujin gestured for Zhou Jiaye to continue.

Before Wei Lai’s call came in, they were discussing a project cooperation issue for next year involving four partners. One of them was the company of his previous blind date.

He disagreed with the cooperation; either the other party withdrew, or they withdrew from the project.

Zhou Jiaye didn’t understand. “It was just a blind date. We didn’t even date. Can’t companies cooperate?”

“Not in my case.”

Zhou Jiaye knew a little about the blind date process. The two met at a hotpot restaurant. Zhou Sujin’s brother ordered something else and barely managed to finish the meal. Although they exchanged WeChat contacts, it was added using the company’s account. After that meal, they never contacted each other again.

“Wei Lai won’t mind.” From his understanding of Wei Lai, she wasn’t the jealous type.

“She won’t mind.” They were just a married couple without feelings, so of course, she wouldn’t be jealous.

Zhou Jiaye laughed, puzzled, “You know Wei Lai won’t mind, so what are you worried about?”

“I rushed into marriage with her. Everyone is speculating that our marriage is either a sham or a mutually beneficial arrangement and that we’ll divorce sooner or later. If we cooperate now, others will start talking. I can’t control what people say behind her back, but I can’t create opportunities for them to gossip about her.”

Zhou Sujin pushed the cooperation intention letter back to his brother, “You also know that I’m not in it just for the money.”