Chapter 62

Wei Lai lightly traced her fingertips on his palm without responding.

Zhou Sujin released her hand and got up to turn off the lights.

Suddenly, the house plunged into darkness, with nothing visible except for the faint light on her wrist.

On the watch face, a deep blue night sky was adorned with stars, with a faint glow effect.

Wei Lai was momentarily immersed in this brilliant starry sky, realizing how breathtaking the starry sky could be. However, the moment didn’t last long, and gradually, the stars dimmed compared to when the lights were turned off.

Zhou Sujin sat back beside her and remotely opened the living room curtains, without turning on the lights.

Wei Lai sank onto the sofa, her legs crossed. The last time he gave her a watch, it was the stars and moon; this time, it was the Milky Way.

“Did you go to London just to buy me a watch?” In the darkness, she could only vaguely discern the distinct contours of his profile against the light from outside.

“The watch was custom-made, and I had other matters to attend to while I was there,” Zhou Sujin replied vaguely without elaborating further.

Wei Lai stared into his eyes, though in the darkness of the house, she couldn’t see clearly. But she continued to gaze at him.

Zhou Sujin had a gut feeling that she had something to say. “Do you want to tell me something?”

It wasn’t about wanting a divorce or ending their marriage. So, some things still needed clarification between them. “I didn’t mean to neglect you intentionally. I’ve already explained the reason earlier.”

She didn’t know how to love him anymore.

“Zhao Lianshen suddenly came over today. I couldn’t control that. Besides, he’s the largest shareholder of the company. No matter what, I had to entertain him.”

Zhou Sujin embraced her. “If I minded, there wouldn’t be cooperation between us.”

Wei Lai muttered, “I got confused during the New Year and forgot that you don’t care about these things.”

Zhou Sujin lowered his head and kissed her lips.

She still held a grudge against him for not paying attention to the cooperation between Wei Lai Supermarket and Baiduo Industrial. She still hadn’t gotten over it.

“When your two companies signed the contract, Lu’an told me about Zhao Lianshen’s relationship with Baiduo,” Zhou Sujin explained. 

Wei Lai opened her mouth, but she didn’t have the energy to pursue the matter further.

Originally, Zhou Sujin didn’t intend to say much more. But if he didn’t explain a few more things, this matter would become a thorn in her heart.

“When you cooperate with Baiduo, the biggest risk is me. I understand Zhao Lianshen. As long as I don’t deal with Baiduo and endure his provocations, your seventeen stores won’t be affected, and your cooperation with Baiduo will continue smoothly.”

Of course, there were times when he couldn’t tolerate Zhao Lianshen’s behavior, such as the incident with the business car. He didn’t endure it then; he directly took it back.

Zhao Lianshen delighted in causing trouble for him at every opportunity. Now he could foresee that Zhao Lianshen would be even more audacious in provoking him in the future under the guise of work.

What he could do was ignore it. It wasn’t a compromise with Zhao Lianshen, but a compromise with himself.

Re-wearing that watch and showing mercy during the acquisition of Zhan Yanxin’s company were all acts of self-compromise.

“Even if there are unexpected problems in your cooperation with Baiduo and Zhao Lianshen goes off the rails, you have shares in Kunchen. You can sell a few million shares, enough to deal with any risk.”

Zhou Sujin paused for a few seconds before pulling her into his arms again.

“How could I not care about your feelings?”

Wei Lai didn’t say anything in his arms. Now, her feelings were complicated.

“Do you want to get up early tomorrow to see the snow scenery? If you do, I’ll wake you up.”

Wei Lai asked, “Where are we going to see it?”

“By the lake.”

“I want to go.”

Zhou Sujin turned on the lights and told her to go wash up and go to sleep early. He wasn’t tired yet due to his messed-up sleep schedule.

He didn’t mention the long message again.

She also didn’t inquire further about the contents of the message that she hadn’t fully digested.

Before taking a bath, Wei Lai went to the cloakroom to find clothes suitable for going out tomorrow. It would be minus six or seven degrees by the lake, and wearing a coat would freeze her into an ice block. There was only one down jacket in the wardrobe, so she didn’t have many options.

She matched the white down jacket with a dark coffee-colored turtleneck sweater, and then took her pajamas to the bathroom.

Until after her bath, Zhou Sujin still hadn’t entered the bedroom.

She felt parched after soaking in the bath for so long. She had wanted to call him to help pour her a glass of water. The word “Zhou” was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t say it. She went to the kitchen with the cup herself.

Living room lights are half off, and half on, with Zhou Sujin leaning back on the sofa, holding her book, and reading.

“You’re not sleeping yet?” she asked proactively.

Zhou Sujin turned his head. “Not tired yet, you go ahead and sleep.”

“Don’t stay up too late.” Wei Lai took her water glass and went back to the bedroom.

In fact, she wasn’t sleepy either. Wrapped in a wool blanket, she sat on the sofa by the bedroom window, pulling back the curtains to look outside. Being on a high floor, it was difficult to appreciate the beauty of the heavy snowfall.

She turned off all the lights in the bedroom but continued to gaze out of the French window.

It was nearly one o’clock when Wei Lai went to bed, and she didn’t know when Zhou Sujin came into the bedroom.

In a drowsy state, she was pulled into a solid and warm embrace.

The next day, at six o’clock, before dawn, Zhou Sujin called her to wake up.

“Aren’t you getting up yet? The snow on the other side will be cleared if we delay any longer.”

Wei Lai rubbed her sleepy eyes, Zhou Sujin had already dressed, leaning over with one hand supporting himself beside her, just like every morning he called her to wake up.

In the past, she would wrap her arms around his neck, acting coquettishly, to sleep a few more minutes.

Both of her hands were outside the blanket now, and Zhou Sujin held one of them. “Sleep for another ten minutes.” Holding her hand tightly for a moment, he put it under the blanket.

Wei Lai was now fully awake and couldn’t possibly fall back asleep.

“Has the snow stopped?” she asked.

Zhou Sujin said, “It should have.”

Wei Lai sat up, realizing she had slept on his side, using his pillow.

She had already prepared her clothes last night and changed them directly after washing up.

Her sweaters were mostly in similar colors, and sometimes it was hard to distinguish between them.

Zhou Sujin stared at her deep brown sweater for a moment before handing her a cup of warm water.

Wei Lai glanced down at herself. “Did I wear it inside out?”

Zhou Sujin said, “No.”

“Wear something warm, it’s cold today,” he changed the subject.

“Okay, I’m planning to wear a down jacket.” Wei Lai chatted with him, though he didn’t say much. Apart from not being clingy anymore, everything between them seemed no different from last year.

The lake was very close to Yunchen on the riverbank, just a five-minute drive away.

They arrived early, and there was no one by the lake.

The snow hadn’t stopped yet, sporadically drifting down.

After parking the car, Wei Lai put on her gloves.

Zhou Sujin held her hand and led her to the lake, without wearing gloves himself. Wei Lai withdrew her hand, not letting him hold it. “It’s too cold. Put your hands in your pockets.”

The surroundings were quiet, with only the crisp sound of footsteps underfoot, leaving four sets of footprints.

The heavy snow had bent the branches of the pines and the tips of the willows.

A thin layer of ice had formed near the shore of the lake, and the pavilions in the center of the lake were covered with soft snow, presenting a picturesque scene from a distance.

Standing by the lake, surrounded by vast whiteness, it felt as if they were in a world of ice and snow in the north.

Wei Lai took off her gloves and took out her phone to take photos.

The cold wind was biting, and she felt like her fingers could freeze in the next second.

Before she could even open the camera app, Zhou Sujin took the phone from her hand. “Let me take it.”

Wei Lai hurriedly put her hands back into her gloves, leaning next to him and looking at the screen to adjust the framing. “Move a little to the left, I want to use it as my wallpaper.”

Zhou Sujin took shots from various angles, letting her choose later.

Putting away her phone, her hands were almost numb.

Wei Lai took her hands out of the gloves again. “Mr. Zhou, let me warm your hands.”

She wrapped both of his hands around hers, feeling the coldness of his ring finger.

“No need,” Zhou Sujin said, pulling her into his arms.

If it weren’t for this recent conflict, on such a snowy day, she would’ve nestled in his arms for warmth, and he would’ve held her a little longer.

After seven o’clock, people began to arrive at the lake to capture the snowy scenery.

It was too cold, so they headed back to the car.

Wei Lai left another set of footprints in the snow and said to Zhou Sujin as they walked, “I left footprints in the backyard of your villa before. Did you see them?”

“I saw,” Zhou Sujin said, “You left four sets.”

Most of Wei Lai’s face was covered by her scarf, and she bit her lip slightly under the scarf, not expecting him to count. She thought he might find her boring.

Back home, it wasn’t even eight o’clock after dinner, and the two books in the living room had been almost flipped through. She had no idea how to spend the rest of the long day.

She stood in the living room looking out over the lake, a different scene from before, but not as immersive.

There were footsteps behind her, and Wei Lai turned around to see Zhou Sujin bending down to pick up the car keys from the coffee table.

“Are you going out?” she asked.

Zhou Sujin said, “When you go back to your apartment if there’s no one at home, the orchids are prone to freezing.”

A whispered “thank you” stuck in her throat.

On the way back to the apartment, she tried to talk to him, “Mr. Zhou…”

Before she could say what she wanted to, Zhou Sujin interrupted, “Why don’t you call me ‘husband’ anymore?”

When he was straightforward, she couldn’t keep up with the conversation.

The road was slippery from ice, and Zhou Sujin was fully focused on the road conditions, unable to spare a glance at her.

Unable to explain, Wei Lai fell silent.

This issue couldn’t be avoided when they reached the apartment. Wei Lai changed into her pajamas, intending to take a nap. “You can use my computer to work overtime. I’m too tired. I’ll sleep for two hours.”

Zhou Sujin took off his coat, walked up to her, and lifted her up horizontally, asking her why she was willing to call him that now.

Wei Lai grabbed his shoulder, her heartbeat was uncontrollable.

Zhou Sujin leaned down and kissed her, waiting for her response.

Wei Lai remained silent.

He dove deeper into the kiss but still got no answer.

Zhou Sujin laid her down on the bed. “You don’t need to set an alarm, sleep a little longer. I’ll be in the living room.”

Wei Lai lay flat, and pulled the blanket over herself, with his hands on her side, showing no intention of leaving.

Even with the blackout curtains drawn, there was enough daylight to see each other clearly.

She looked at him, unsure of what to say.

Zhou Sujin broke the silence. “Are my mistakes unforgivable to you?”

Wei Lai’s breath paused briefly, her chest slightly rising and falling under the blanket.

His presence was as imposing as usual, his gaze as calm as ever, but now with a hint of warmth.

“You didn’t make any mistakes. It’s my greed, always wanting everything,” Wei Lai said.

Zhou Sujin propped himself on the bed with one hand, reaching around her neck with the other, embracing her gently. “Yes. I promised not to let you suffer, but I didn’t fulfill it.”

He looked at her again. “You can have everything. Didn’t I tell you before, you can’t reach my bottom line.”

Wei Lai closed her eyes, avoiding his gaze.

Zhou Sujin kissed her lips. “Sleep now.”

He released her, closed the door, and went to the living room.

The bedroom fell silent, and the drowsiness that was once present was diluted. Wei Lai took over an hour to fall asleep again.

She had a messy dream, dreaming that her parents were still together and that she was on winter vacation from college. Her parents came to pick her up to celebrate the Spring Festival, and she was wearing a white down jacket. Her mother said the style of the jacket was nice.

She suddenly remembered that this down jacket was bought for her by Zhou Sujin.

She wore it to the lake to see the snow in the morning.

But she didn’t know Zhou Sujin when she was in college.

Realizing she was dreaming, she didn’t want to wake up.

Her phone kept vibrating, waking her up with calls from colleagues.

For the first time in seventeen years, she dreamed of her parents being together.

That night, her father called her. They returned from their trip that night and brought her gifts, asking if she would be at home or at the office tomorrow.

Wei Lai: “I’ll be going to the office tomorrow. I’ll come to your office to get it when I have time.”

Her father: “I’ll deliver it to you.”

On the morning of the fifth day of the lunar new year, she went to the company for a meeting.

The timing of her trip to Australia to discuss overseas procurement needed to be arranged in advance. She had previously made appointments with several platforms, and one of them notified them that the boss’s schedule had changed, asking if they could advance it by three days. If they couldn’t make it in time, they could postpone it by ten working days.

It was better to be early than late, so of course, they chose to advance it.

Wei Lai asked her assistant to reschedule the flight tickets. They had to fly over tomorrow afternoon.

Chen Qi was too busy to go with her, and Yu Younian had relevant experience in overseas procurement. “I’ll go with Ms. Lai.”

Together with the assistant, the three of them went over.

When Yu Younian started working at Wei Lai’s supermarket, Wei Lai was only ten years old, so he could be considered her elder. He inquired about her private affairs: “During the company’s team-building dinner that day, did Mr. Zhou mind? Even if they’ve been at odds for so many years, it’s common for couples. It’s just dumplings. Zhao Lianshen purposely mentioned that you cooked them.”

Wei Lai smiled. “They’ve been fighting for so many years, so it’s not a matter of minding or not. It’s just routine.”

Yu Younian said, “That’s good. Don’t let you two quarrel on such an important day.”

“When will Mr. Cheng be back?”

“He’s already back, but he might only come to the office in the afternoon.”

Wei Lai thought her mother would rest at home.

Cheng Minzhi had originally planned to rest at home for half a day, but He Wancheng was there, and it was inconvenient to stay at home, so she used the excuse of overtime to come to the office.

He Wancheng accompanied her from Haicheng to Jiangcheng and drove her home.

He didn’t say much, and he was almost inseparable throughout the Spring Festival. He personally arranged everything for her, taking care of every detail.

As the car stopped in the supermarket parking lot, Cheng Minzhi unbuckled her seatbelt, and the interior of the car was so quiet that even the sound of the seatbelt rubbing against her clothes was audible.

She turned to him, smiling and saying, “Thank you, Director He.”

He Wancheng looked at her. “You can continue to trouble me.”

Cheng Minzhi: “…”

At her age, faced with such a romantic remark, she was unexpectedly speechless.

He Wancheng got out of the car and walked around to her side to open the car door for her.

Only then did Cheng Minzhi regain her senses and quickly get out of the car.

Soon, she regained her composure. “Drive slowly.”

He Wancheng nodded. He hadn’t planned to return to Sucheng today. “You go up.”

In another car a few meters away, a phone rang, and Wei Huatian silenced it.

His daughter was calling him, probably asking if he had arrived.

He didn’t expect to run into his ex-wife coming to the company so coincidentally. He Wancheng drove her personally and even opened the car door for her. This was something a man would only do for a woman. It was a thought that couldn’t be experienced in a mere business partnership, enjoying the experience of being driven by the richest man in Sucheng.

Seventeen years ago, he used to wait here every day to pick her up.

They were both so young back then.

Now, only fragmented memories remained.

A message from his daughter came in: [Dad, I’m here. Call me.]

Wei Huatian didn’t hear the vibration, and Cheng Minzhi had already gone upstairs. He Wancheng’s car left, and he stared blankly at the empty space.

He snapped out of it twenty minutes later.

He wanted to call his daughter, but he cleared his throat and changed it to a text message: [I’m at the supermarket entrance.]

Wei Huatian had two offices, and he was currently in the Wei Lai·Baiduo side. It would take four or five minutes to walk over.

[Dad, wait for me for a few minutes. I’ll be there soon.]

In those few minutes, Wei Huatian managed to calm himself down. When his daughter opened the car door, he smiled and said, “How’s the business at Wei Lai?”

“It’s okay, not bad.”

“It’s pretty good, after all, it’s just opened not long ago.”

Wei Huatian handed the gifts in the back seat to his daughter and asked her what she had been busy with during the Spring Festival and if she had gone on any short trips with Zhou Sujin.

“No, I just rested one day yesterday, and I’ve been busy the rest of the days.”

Wei Lai opened her handbag, which was full, of seven or eight items inside.

Wei Huatian gripped the steering wheel tightly, wanting to ask his daughter if her mother was with He Wancheng, but the words didn’t come out of his mouth.

“Can Zhou Sujin and I go to my place for dinner tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow won’t work, I’m going on a business trip.”

The flight was at three o’clock in the afternoon, so she had to go to the airport at noon, which wouldn’t be enough time.

Back home in the evening, Wei Lai took out her suitcase. Turning to Zhou Sujin, she said, “I’ll be going on a business trip tomorrow.”

During this holiday, she only had one day off, and she spent that day catching up on her sleep. Zhou Sujin looked at her. “How long will you be gone?”

Wei Lai was quiet for a few seconds. “About a month.” she explained, “It’s not to avoid you.”

Zhou Sujin asked, “What time is your flight?”

“Three o’clock.”

Zhou Sujin nodded and canceled the lunch reservation they had made for tomorrow at the riverside restaurant.