Chapter 59

Wei Lai still shook her head, not wanting to go anywhere.

When many people feel bad or especially tired, they choose to travel to relax and adjust. She was just the opposite. When she had time off, she just wanted to stay at home, eat well by herself, and quietly read.

Traveling was her choice when she was in a good mood and full of energy.

Now, in winter, the fun places are either skiing or going out to sea in the southern hemisphere. She has been to those fun places several times. During college, she traveled to many countries with her classmates, and later someone accompanied her to revisit those places more than once.

She had seen all the starry skies, even the polar skies, twice.

Zhou Sujin held her with one hand, took her hand from his coat pocket, and held it tightly. “It’s been a year since we went out. Don’t you want to find a place to stay for a few days?”

Wei Lai: “I don’t want to. After the New Year, I will go to Australia and Europe with my colleagues to negotiate overseas procurement cooperation. I will play for a few days then.”

Zhou Sujin didn’t say anything more.

There was suddenly silence between them.

The cold wind wrapped around him with its chill, creeping into her coat, and into her face.

It wasn’t warm in his arms at all. Wei Lai subconsciously leaned her nose against the shirt over his heart, trying to find some warmth.

Zhou Sujin looked down at her, her slightly raised nose turning red. He lowered his head and kissed her cold nose.

His warm breath fell down, and Wei Lai held her breath. “Thank you.”

Thanking him for keeping her warm, Zhou Sujin did not respond.

Wei Lai raised her head. “You should go back. I’ll leave in a while.”

Before letting go of her, Zhou Sujin said, “I’ve been working on the long-distance issue. Next year, I’ll have about four months to stay in Jiangcheng.”

“If you weren’t that important, I wouldn’t divert my focus from work.” He released her. “Go have breakfast.”

Wei Lai said, “Okay,” and added, “You should also get in the car.”

Unable to restrain herself, she hugged him again when he turned around.

Zhou Sujin hugged her back. “I’m not leaving yet. My phone is in the car. Let me get it and accompany you for breakfast.”

Wei Lai withdrew from his embrace. “Tang Yi is waiting for me in the restaurant. There will be plenty of time for you to have breakfast with me in the future. You go back early and don’t delay your work in the morning.”

She waved and turned back to the hotel.

As before, Wei Lai’s hands were in her coat pockets.

But what was different was that she walked a bit faster, taking two steps at a time.

Before entering the revolving door of the hotel, she glanced back at him.

Tang Yi had the chef cook a bowl of noodles, just placing it on the table, and hadn’t started eating when Wei Lai returned.

“Where’s Mr. Zhou?”

“He had something to do this morning and went back.”

Wei Lai went to get her breakfast, both Western and Chinese style. She only took bread, milk, fried eggs, and a few grapes.

Tang Yi stared at her plate. “So much food, why did you only pick these?”

Wei Lai smiled. “Don’t you only eat noodles?”

Tang Yi was speechless but smiled.

She could see that Wei Lai was much more relaxed. “Indeed, surprises can bring good moods to people.”

Wei Lai smiled faintly without refuting.

Her mood lightened because she had accepted from the bottom of her heart the way they interacted with boundaries. Today was good enough. He came to see her, said a few words, and everything went well with her.

She missed him, but she wouldn’t act spoiled or force him to do anything anymore.

Not forcing it meant not getting tired.

He had his comfortable personal space, and she would also become relaxed because she didn’t have to wait.

In these days, she finally digested all her emotions when she hugged him just now and reconciled with herself.

While eating and chatting with Tang Yi, eating slowly, the driver had already finished eating and gone downstairs to the car.

Tang Yi hadn’t had enough of her noodles, so she went to get some grilled meat.

Wei Lai received a call from the driver. Zhou Sujin was going to change cars with him.

“Zhou Sujin hasn’t left yet?” She was surprised and put down the glass in her hand.

“He hasn’t.”

Whether to change or not, he couldn’t decide. Zhou Su Jin wasn’t his boss, so he had to ask Wei Lai.

“I’ll go over now.”

Wei Lai hurriedly left the restaurant. The restaurant was on the second floor, so she went down the stairs directly.

Zhou Sujin let them use his Bentley and said, “Uncle Yan will be with the car. Change driving with your driver. Two people driving won’t get tired.”

After Wei Lai figured it out, she calmly accepted his kindness as before and politely asked, “Will it affect your use of the car these two days?”

Zhou Sujin said, “It won’t. The company has plenty of cars.”

The seats in the Bentley were more comfortable than those in the business car. Wei Lai had the driver change cars and leave the business car to Zhou Sujin. She didn’t worry about how the car would return to Jiangcheng; he would arrange it properly.

After moving the things from the car to the Bentley’s trunk, Wei Lai went back upstairs to the room to collect her luggage for checkout. During this time, Zhou Sujin stayed downstairs and didn’t leave.

When saying goodbye again, Wei Lai didn’t hug him.

She got into the car through the back door and sat in the seat where Zhou SjJin usually sat.

Tang Yi sat on the other side, closing the door, and couldn’t help but take a look around the car. It was luxurious, deep, and clean.

She had ridden in all kinds of luxury cars before. Her brother’s second-hand car dealership had a variety of luxury cars, but no matter how expensive the car, it wouldn’t make her feel as restrained as sitting in Zhou Sujin’s car. Subconsciously, she felt like holding her breath, and there was an invisible sense of oppression.

It was more comfortable to sit in the business car.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew into the car. Tang Yi turned her head, and it was Wei Lai who had lowered the car window.

“I’m going back,” Wei Lai waved to Zhou Sujin.

As the window slid up, he couldn’t see her outside the car.

Uncle Yan started the car, and Wei Lai turned her head to look at him a few more times.

Zhou Sujin watched the Bentley drive off before getting into the business car.

The driver started the engine, turned left, and drove in the opposite direction of the Bentley.

Having gotten up around four in the morning to rush here, Zhou Sujthe in leaned back in his seat on the return journey to rest.

Wei Lai’s anger subsided.

But she no longer clung to him.

Back at the Kunchen Building, she met Zhou Jiaye coming in from outside.

The license plate of the business car looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen it.

“Whose car is that?” he asked.

Zhou Sujin closed the car door, and they walked towards the elevator together. He replied, “Zhao Lianshen’s.”

Zhou Jiaye: “…”

No wonder it looked familiar. Zhao Lianshen sometimes used this car to visit his grandmother’s house during the New Year. She had seen it a few times in his grandmother’s yard.

The elevator ride to their floor only took a few seconds, not enough time to ask Zhou Sujin what was going on or why he was using Zhao Lianshen’s car.

Back in his office, Zhou Jiaye called Lu Yu, asking, “Have they made peace?”

Lu Yu: “…Impossible. The car was given to Wei Lai by Zhao Lianshen after he saw the introductions in the Jiewen plus Qq skirt. It was meant to be a gift for her birthday. Maybe Wei Lai used this car for a business trip, and Zhou Su Jin swapped it with his own car.”

“What does Zhao Lianshen want?”

“Who knows? You’ll have to ask him.”

Lu Yu had just arrived at his own company and felt a sense of unfamiliarity with his original office in Jiangcheng.

His mother said he wasn’t focusing on his career and ordered him to come back from Jiangcheng. There were so many younger generations in the Lu family, and the group wouldn’t stop without him; it might even run faster.

Jiangcheng was about to become one of Zhou Sujin’s main focuses. He might as well cooperate with Zhou Sujin comprehensively and stay in Jiangcheng in the future.

“How long has it been since you last went to Jiangcheng?”

Zhou Jiaye said, “A year.”

The last time he went was when Zhou Sujin and Wei Lai got engaged.

Lu Yu suggested he take some time to go to Jiangcheng. Wei Lai and Zhao Lianshen’s supermarket seemed to be everywhere on the streets.

As he spoke, he suddenly thought of a possibility. “Zhao Lianshen is adept at doing unethical things. Could he be planning to open several Wei Lai stores in Beijing? And maybe even along the route, Zhou Sujin takes to and from work?”

Zhou Jiaye: “…”

Zhao Lianshen had no idea his car had been intercepted until the twenty-eighth day of the lunar New Year, when he saw the business car that was supposed to be in Jiangcheng on the road.

Today, he was accompanying his grandmother to make New Year’s visits. The business car was driving in front of his car, going in the same direction.

Zhao Lianshen guessed who it was but found it unbelievable.

When they arrived at the gate of the big courtyard, he confirmed that the person in the car was indeed Zhou Sujin.

The person his grandmother was going to visit was Zhou Sujin’s grandmother. The two cars drove into the courtyard of the Zhou family mansion, one after the other.

Thinking that they had reconciled, their grandmothers were pleased.

Zhao Lianshen smiled but didn’t say anything, casting a fleeting glance at the business car.

Zhou Sujin looked indifferent as he greeted the two elders and went straight into the villa.

His grandmother asked, “How come you have time to come over today?”

Zhou Sujin replied, “Returning the car.”

Zhao Lianshen looked up. Zhou Sujin had planned for him to come today.

Zhou Sujin stayed for only half an hour, leaving the business car and the car keys. Uncle Yan parked the Phantom at the gate of the courtyard, and the Bentley remained in Jiangcheng, driven by the driver for Wei Lai’s Many. 

—

On the twenty-ninth day of the lunar New Year, Wei Lai went to her father’s new house for a reunion dinner.

It was cold, so when she went back, she told her father not to send her off and took a taxi by herself.

Wei Huatian put on his down jacket. Even though she was taking a taxi, he insisted on sending her.

Stubbornly, Wei Lai said, “Then let’s walk back.”

Wei Huatian couldn’t bear his daughter being cold. “It’s too cold outside.”

“It’s okay, we won’t feel cold once we start walking.”

Wei Lai put on her down jacket’s hood and walked back with her father, arm in arm.

Yesterday, Jiangcheng had a heavy snowfall, adding a lot of festive atmosphere to this spring festival.

Wei Lai walked slowly. There was unmelted snow on the roadside, reminding her of the footprints she left in Zhou Sujin’s backyard grass last year.

Wei Huatian asked with concern, “How are you and Zhou Sujin?”

“We’re good. He treats me very well and doesn’t hesitate to spend money on me.” Wei Lai asked her father what time their flight was tomorrow.

“Nine o’clock.”

“That means we have to get up early.”

“It’s alright, I can’t sleep anyway.”

This time, Father Wei and Aunt Zhao brought their grandparents along to experience the different Spring Festival customs in different places.

After a few seconds of silence, Wei Huatian reminded us, “You and your mother shouldn’t be too busy tomorrow, come back early for the New Year’s Eve dinner.”

Wei Lai smiled. “Okay.”

Her mother’s flight to Haicheng was at noon the next day, departing from Shanghai.

The next day, New Year’s Eve.

Wei Lai got up as usual and went to the company. Today, the supermarket would be open until seven in the evening.

At the entrance of the supermarket’s main store, she met Chen Qi.

Chen Qi was holding freshly baked bread. There were fewer varieties of pastries today, so he didn’t wait for his favorites and just bought two to suffice for breakfast.

Wei Lai got out of the car and greeted him. “I’m on duty today. Why are you here?”

Chen Qi sighed helplessly. “If I don’t come to the company, my mother will force me to go on blind dates right after the New Year’s Eve dinner.” Now, besides Wei Lai’s Many, he had no interest in anything else.

He knew what he was like. Once he got busy with work, everything else was pushed aside, and that was how his previous relationship ended.

“The locations for the Beijing stores are almost finalized. I’ll show you later.”

Wei Lai chatted with him as they walked. “Okay, send it to my email. The progress is faster than I expected.”

Chen Qi replied honestly, “Baiduo Industries has provided some suggestions, otherwise, my investigation here might have taken a few more weeks.”

Baiduo’s cash flow was abundant. After the New Year, they had simultaneous renovations of more than ten stores in various cities, and the construction of logistics cold chains also needed to keep up simultaneously. There was far more to be busy with than she had imagined.

“I may not be able to make time for the business trip to Australia.”

Wei Lai said, “You focus on what’s urgent, I’ll arrange for someone else to go with me.”

In the office, she turned on her computer and got busy.

Around noon, Chen Qi knocked on her office door. He was ready to go home for lunch, and his mother had called him three times already.

“Miss Wei, I’m going back now.”

He was going to be on duty until seven o’clock today, so he asked one more question, “Miss Wei, how will you have your New Year’s Eve dinner?”

Wei Lai smiled and said, “I’ll go home after work. You go back quickly. Happy New Year, and may you get rich.”

Chen Qi returned the same wishes and closed the door.

Wei Lai picked up her phone and glanced at it for a few seconds, then put it down and continued working.

In the apartment, some New Year goods and ingredients were prepared. Every year, her grandmother made sweet and savory soup dumplings, so she brought a portion for her mother. This year, her mother would stay in Haicheng for a week, so she brought the soup dumpling filling back to the apartment.

She made a few dumplings in the evening and cooked two more dishes, enough for her to eat alone.

At seven twenty, all the store managers finished reporting their work, and the duty was over.

Every New Year’s Eve at seven o’clock, fireworks were set off in the old city on time.

Various roads were controlled, and the streets were bustling with cars and people. Going home could only be done after the fireworks display ended.

Wei Lai turned off the lights, leaving only the computer screen on, and stood by the window with a glass of warm water. This angle was perfect for watching the fireworks.

Far away, she couldn’t hear the sound, only seeing the brilliant colors bloom in the dark night sky. This year, she didn’t have any wishes; she just watched the fireworks without making any.

The phone on the table vibrated, and she walked over to pick it up. It was Yuan Hengrui.

【On the occasion of the arrival of the New Year, Yuan Hengrui wishes you and your family a happy and prosperous New Year, may all your wishes come true, and may your business flourish!】

Wei Lai replied to him: 【Happy New Year. May you make a fortune in the New Year and soon climb onto the rich list.】

Yuan Hengrui smiled: 【Thank you, I will.】

He wanted to ask her if she was in Jiangcheng, if she had seen the fireworks, and if she had had her New Year’s Eve dinner, but it wasn’t appropriate.

The fireworks ended at seven thirty and lasted until eight o’clock, and then the pedestrians on the road gradually dispersed.

Wei Lai turned off the computer and left the company. Coming out of the parking lot, she went straight to Jiang’an Yunchen.

Before the last Spring Festival, Wei Lai used to clean the house herself at Jiang’an Yunchen, and all the items were arranged by her. This year, she hired a cleaning company to tidy up.

After cleaning, the Spring Festival couplets were not yet hung.

In the trunk, she brought two pairs of couplets, one large and one small, along with a folding ladder.

The large couplet was to be pasted on the rolling shutter door of the seventeenth store, and she specifically told the store manager that she would paste the couplet.

Arriving at Jiang’an Yunchen, she parked her car at the supermarket entrance. She first went into the community to hang the couplets at home. Without entering the house, she simply passed the couplets at the door and then went downstairs.

At nine o’clock, there were few pedestrians and vehicles on the road.

She took the folding ladder out of the trunk and set it up in front of the door.

The light from the advertising lightbox above the door was bright enough, so she didn’t need a flashlight.

Wei Lai first used a tape measure to mark the approximate position. She had experience pasting the couplets here at the store last year, so she knew how to do it.

As she was measuring and marking, a brown car slowly stopped by the roadside.

Zhang Yanxin came out of the Jiang’an villa area and passed by here. He knew there was a Wei Lai supermarket here, so he glanced over and unexpectedly saw her pasting couplets at the door.

After pasting one side, she came down from the folding ladder and moved it to the other side to continue.

Looking at her lonely figure, he suddenly thought of her saying, “Love me forever.”

His phone vibrated on the center console, and Mu Di called him.

He hung up directly and looked toward the supermarket.

The phone vibrated again, and he turned off the phone directly.

He rolled down the driver’s side window, turned off the engine, and the car lights went out instantly.

He reached for the cigarettes and lighter in the center console, lighting one up.

The smoke was blown out of the window by the cold wind and then blown back into the car.

He turned his face again, looking out the passenger side window towards the supermarket’s entrance. The other side was also done, ready for the horizontal couplet.

At this moment, a diamond black Phantom passed by his car, slowed down, stopped in front of his car, and then reversed a few meters.

Zhang Yanxin glanced at the license plate and extinguished his cigarette.

Tonight, Zhou Sujin drove by himself, and Uncle Yan went back with the plane.

He didn’t accompany his mother for the New Year’s Eve dinner this year. After having a meal at the old house, he went straight to the airport. Due to the rain and snow, the flights were delayed extensively, and it took longer to get to his mother-in-law’s place from the airport than from Beijing to Jiangcheng.

When he arrived at his mother-in-law’s house, it was dark, and there was no one there.

The same went for the apartment; no one was there. He drove all the way from the apartment to here.

After parking the car, he glanced at Zhang Yanxin’s car through the rearview mirror, unbuckled his seatbelt, and pushed the door to get out.