Chapter 78 Extra-Ten: End of the Full Text

“The sound of the gong announcing the opening of Wei Lai Baiduo resounded through the trading hall, and Zhou Sujin applauded for Wei Lai once again. During the contract period, she had eagerly talked to him about how many stores she wanted to open in the future.

At that time, she had given herself ten years, perhaps still a long time.”

“Cheng Minzhi embraced her daughter on stage, a wish she had never dared to hope for, realized by her daughter.

She could still picture the moment when her daughter had said she wanted to help out at the supermarket after resigning.

Once the ceremony was over, Wei Lai went down to find Zhou Sujin. She draped the red scarf, symbolizing prosperity, around his neck, her excitement and joy hard to express.

Zhou Sujin gently hugged her for a moment and said, ‘Congratulations, Ms. Wei.’

Wei Lai adjusted the scarf for him, saying, ‘Thank you, Mr. Zhou, for being with me all along and never minding my temper.’ He accepted everything, the good and the bad.

Having once misunderstood him, she felt that at the moment she rang the gong on stage, all the joy and achievements belonged entirely to her. She was not Mrs. Zhou; she was Ms. Wei.”

“Afterward, there was a thank-you banquet, and Zhou Sujin accompanied her.

He Wanchen also came to the ceremony, sitting in the back row of the guest seats, just like Zhou Sujin. Since Cheng Minzhi went on stage, his gaze had never left her.

After the event, Cheng Minzhi searched for a long time in the crowd before finding him. ‘Why are you sitting so far back?’

He Wanchen smiled, ‘I didn’t want to overshadow the main event.’

It wasn’t until Wei Lai and her husband, as well as her ex-wife and He Wanchen, left the hall that Wei Huatian finally stood up from his seat. Today, he had come to the listing ceremony as Wei Lai Baidu’s legal advisor.

Twenty-six years ago, when Wei Lai Supermarket had only four stores in Jiangcheng, her ex-wife used to be busy until ten or eleven o’clock on New Year’s Eve.

He would wait with their daughter at the supermarket entrance for her to finish work and take her home for the New Year’s dinner. By then, it was too late, and their daughter would fall asleep in the back seat of the car.

When her ex-wife got in, she sat in the back and held their daughter in her arms.

At that time, the supermarket going public felt like a distant dream—one that no one dared to hope for.

Now, another New Year’s Eve was approaching. Those days felt far away, yet sometimes it seemed like they had just happened yesterday.

‘Dad!’

Wei Huatian looked up; his daughter had returned.

Wei Lai walked over and linked her arm with his. She had been too focused on talking to Zhou Sujin and only remembered her father was still in the hall when they reached the car.

‘Dad, you don’t have to go to the thank-you banquet. We can celebrate together just the two of us tonight or tomorrow.’

Wei Huatian understood; his daughter was trying to consider his feelings since He Wanchen was also going to the banquet. For her, such an important day meant he had to witness it all.

He smiled, ‘You go ahead with Sujin. I’ll wait for you, Aunt Zhao, and Yihan.’

Wei Lai was pleasantly surprised. ‘Aunt Zhao and my sister are here too?’

‘Yes, Aunt Zhao had court this morning and couldn’t make it, but she’s coming to the banquet,’ he explained. His wife and Zhao Yihan had rushed over from Jiangcheng. His wife said that the company’s listing was as important as their wedding and couldn’t be missed.

When Zhao Yihan had given birth, Cheng Minzhi had gone to visit, and his wife had completely let go of her worries.

The thank-you banquet had reserved the largest banquet hall in the hotel, with six to seven hundred people attending.

When Zhao Mei arrived at the banquet hall, she didn’t specifically greet Cheng Minzhi but found Wei Lai to deliver her blessings.

Wei Lai hugged Zhao Mei. ‘Thank you, Auntie,’ she said, complimenting the beautiful dress Zhao Mei was wearing.

Zhao Mei beamed; this was a new dress she had bought specifically for the banquet. She no longer asked Wei Huatian how she looked in it—such questions only caused her frustration.

Now she had completely let go, choosing to focus on the good things about him, no longer forcing changes on what she couldn’t control. Over the past year, her life had been much more pleasant.

‘You’re busy, Lai Lai. Your dad and I will find a place to sit. We’re all family here, so you don’t need to be polite. Go greet the others.’

Zhao Mei and Wei Huatian sat in the employee area of Wei Lai Baidu.

After sitting down, she looked for Zhao Yihan but couldn’t find her after searching for a while.

Zhao Yihan encountered Lu Yu at the entrance and took a glass of wine from the waiter’s tray. ‘I should have thanked you a long time ago, but there never seemed to be an appropriate opportunity.’

When Wei Lai had flirted with Zhou Sujin at a dinner party, Lu Yu had helped a lot, even giving her Zhou Sujin’s personal number directly.

Lu Yu smiled, ‘No need to mention it; helping out between old classmates is only natural.’

Zhao Yihan didn’t say much and raised her glass in a toast to Lu Yu.

Lu Yu downed his drink in one gulp, bringing a perfect end to their youthful memories.

That night, after picking up Chen Jiarui from work and clearing the air, he added her as a friend again, and this time, his friend request was finally accepted.”

Finally, a good beginning.

“Mr. Lu.”

A familiar voice called out to him.

Lu Yu turned his head. It was Yuan Hengrui.

Zhao Yihan nodded in greeting and went into the hall to find his mother.

Lu Yu smiled and said, “I thought you wouldn’t come.”

Yuan Hengrui, dressed sharply in a well-tailored suit and a rose-purple tie, looked dashing. “It’s such an important day for Wei Lai, how could I not come?”

He joked, “I’d crawl here if I had to.”

The two of them chatted as they walked into the banquet hall.

Not only did he come to the appreciation banquet, but he also rented every outdoor advertising screen in Jiangcheng under the name of Jiang’an Group to congratulate Wei Lai Baiduo on going public today. There would even be a light show at 8 PM.

Zhang Yanxin must be green with envy.

“Why didn’t you come to Jiangcheng this year?” Yuan asked.

Lu Yu replied, “I’m pursuing someone.”

Yuan Hengrui raised a glass of red wine and clinked it with his, “Congratulations.”

Not knowing where his significant other might be, if he met them, he would cherish them greatly.

Wei Lai had to go on stage to deliver a thank-you speech and couldn’t personally greet all the friends who came to support her today.

She saw Yuan Hengrui and raised her glass from afar to express her gratitude.

This year marked the ninth year she had known Yuan Hengrui, and looking back, he had been there on so many important occasions.

Now, with all her wishes fulfilled, she made this year’s wish for him, hoping he would meet someone to grow old with.

She shifted her gaze and inadvertently caught sight of Zhou Sujin. She saw him take a glass of wine and offer a toast to Zhao Lianshen.

Zhou Sujin didn’t say anything, just downed the drink in one go.

Aside from causing him some discomfort, Zhao Lianshen had played a significant role in helping Wei Lai Baiduo achieve today’s success.

Zhao Lianshen said quietly, “This is a toast you owe me.”

If it weren’t for him letting go of the past, Zhou Sujin would never have received five million shares of Wei Lai Baiduo stock as a birthday gift next year.

After the appreciation banquet, Wei Lai stayed in Shanghai for two more days, and the matters regarding the IPO finally wrapped up.

After days of travel and late nights, she was utterly exhausted and took a long vacation. The next day, she slept until after 11 a.m.

Zhou Sujin was in the walk-in closet, packing his luggage. She sleepily approached him, “Husband, what are you doing?”

“Going to Australia. Didn’t you want to take wedding photos on the coastal road? We’ll go this time, and we’ll also take Chen Chen to play for a few days.”

After packing, Zhou Sujin went to find Chen Chen to get his phone.

As soon as Chen Chen saw his father coming, she bolted.

“Why are you running?”

Ning Rujiang laughed, “Afraid you’ll take her phone.”

The phone was locked, and Chen Chen couldn’t unlock it. She kept trying random passwords, which eventually locked the phone, but she continued to press buttons.

“Chen Chen, give the phone to Daddy for a moment. I’ll give it back to you afterward.”

Chen Chen, holding the phone, ran hurriedly into her nursery. Zhou Sujin followed, but when he entered the room, he didn’t see her. He checked behind the door—nothing.

“Chen Chen?”

He bent down to look under the bed.

There she was, lying under the bed, staring straight at him. She burst into giggles.

Patiently, Zhou Sujin coaxed his daughter, “Daddy will take you to buy bread.”

Chen Chen crawled out from under the bed, head first, and sweetly called, “Daddy.”

Zhou Sujin scooped her up into his arms. After promising to buy bread, he made a call and then took her to the supermarket.

The next afternoon, they flew to Australia.

Her grandparents had an orchard there, and her aunt went along with them.

As the plane ascended into the clouds, Chen Chen’s eyes widened as she stared out the window. Though it wasn’t her first time seeing the sea of clouds from a plane, she had long forgotten the view.

After watching the clouds for a few minutes, she grew restless.

“Daddy.” Her small hand reached out, wanting to be held by Zhou Sujin.

He placed her back in the safety seat so she wouldn’t run around.

“Daddy is right here, not going anywhere.”

“Daddy.”

She wanted to get out.

Of course, Zhou Sujin knew what his daughter was thinking, but this time he didn’t grant her wish.

Wei Lai and her aunt were sipping coffee in the front, chatting leisurely. Zhou Sujin stayed with his daughter.

Chen Chen wriggled for a while, but her father didn’t pick her up.

“Daddy.” She reached out again.

After five or six calls, Zhou Sujin finally gave in, lifting her out of the seat and telling her that they were on a plane and she couldn’t run around, as falling could lead to injury.

Chen Chen responded seriously, “Mm-hmm.”

In reality, she didn’t understand at all.

After playing in her father’s arms for a while, she wriggled to get down again. “Mommy.”

Zhou Sujin held her tighter and pulled the hood of her onesie down to cover her eyes, then quickly lifted it back up. Chen Chen giggled in delight.

Just when she was about to tire of the hide-and-seek game, Zhou Sujin said, “Daddy will teach you how to draw.”

Before boarding, he had prepared drawing supplies. Holding her tiny hand, he guided her in drawing fireworks for the New Year on a blank sketchpad.

Chen Chen, amazed, stared wide-eyed at the colorful patterns blooming under her hand.

They drew picture after picture of different fireworks until Chen Chen got hungry.

After drinking milk, she nestled against her father’s chest and fell asleep.

Today she wore a pink and white onesie, looking like a little snowball curled up in Zhou Sujin’s arms.

Wei Lai and her aunt ordered another round of coffee, with a dessert platter from the supermarket.

Ning Rujiang sipped her coffee and said, “I thought after you two got married, at least one of your tastes would change.”

Wei Lai smiled and replied, “Neither of us changed.”

They still drank the coffee they liked and ate the food they enjoyed, never forcing themselves to accommodate the other.

Their preferences and habits seemed no different from before their marriage.

Ning Rujiang still remembered what her nephew once told her: “I’ll slowly shift my work focus. In three to five years, I’ll spend half my time in Beijing and half in Jiangcheng.”

Shifting her focus at work was easier said than done; at the time, she was half skeptical.

Looking back now, every word her nephew said had come true.

At 8:30 AM local time, she landed in Melbourne. The one who picked her up was Zhou Jiaye, who had attended Wei Lai Baiduo’s thank-you banquet. He flew in directly to visit his grandparents, not expecting that his brother’s family would also be here.

The last time he saw Chen Chen was a month ago. After not seeing her for a while, she didn’t refuse his hug; she was very obedient, staring at him without blinking.

“Do you still recognize me?”

Chen Chen loved to smile, and regardless of whether she recognized him or not, she nodded with a smile: “Yes!”

Zhou Jiaye smiled too. No wonder his brother had no temper when it came to Chen Chen, spoiling her endlessly without boundaries. If it were him, he wouldn’t have any more principles either.

Once they reached the orchard’s open grassy field, Chen Chen was fully unleashed, running barefoot across the grass. But when she saw small animals, she stopped running forward, calling out, “Daddy!”

She dashed straight into Zhou Sujin’s arms.

Grandfather Ning sat under the sunshade, sipping fruit wine that he had brewed himself, watching as Chen Chen dragged Zhou Sujin to see the small animals. Four or five years ago, he couldn’t have imagined that in his lifetime, he’d witness his most rebellious grandson start a family and have his own child.

He turned to his youngest daughter and asked, “Sujin talks so little. Does he have trouble communicating with Chen Chen?”

Ning Rujiang replied, “He has his own way of communicating. Just look at how attached Chen Chen is to him.”

Grandfather Ning commented, “Chen Chen’s personality doesn’t seem like Sujin’s. She must take after Wei Lai.”

Ning Rujiang smiled. “Thank goodness she’s not like Sujin. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be terribly boring when father and daughter are together?”

Grandfather Ning muttered to himself, “I wonder when Jiaye will finally stop giving me headaches.”

Ning Rujiang replied, “Soon.”

Grandfather Ning looked at his daughter. “What do you mean by ‘soon’?”

“He’s probably seeing someone,” she said. She had asked Zhou Jiaye if he liked anyone because his focus had changed lately. Her eldest nephew didn’t deny it.

Ning Rujiang picked up a cherry that her father had washed for her, eating it as she watched the father and daughter interacting on the grass. She thought back to her own childhood, when her father was still young, taking her and her sister out to play, just like Zhou Sujin did now.

But now, her father’s temples were gray, and this year, he needed a cane after walking for too long.

Shaking off the sadness, she picked up her phone to record a video of Zhou Sujin and Chen Chen.

The next day was sunny and bright.

Large clouds floated low under a sky washed clear and vivid blue, a blue that touched the heart.

The photographer, knowing Zhou Sujin’s personality, had a hard time getting good poses from him. So, he set up a speaker on the beach and played a jazz song that both Zhou Sujin and Wei Lai liked.

Wei Lai, having finished her makeup and styling, stepped out of the RV.

Chen Chen was rolling around in the sand. Seeing her mom in a wedding dress, she tilted her little face and stared, frozen in place.

Ning Rujiang was there that day, having come specifically to take care of the child. She blocked Chen Chen’s line of sight, redirecting her attention: “Sweetie, where’s your little bucket for the sand?”

On the other side, Zhou Sujin took Wei Lai’s left hand.

This haute couture wedding dress had taken thirteen months from design to hand-stitching. For a while, they had worried it wouldn’t be ready in time for this year’s shoot.

In the sunlight, the wedding dress sparkled, just like her diamond watch, both sharing the same name: Starlight.

Wei Lai’s heart raced as he looked at her. She tugged at his suit jacket.

Just when she thought Zhou Sujin was about to kiss her, he suddenly stepped back half a step.

Before she could react, Zhou Sujin knelt on one knee in the sand. First, he removed the diamond ring from her ring finger, then looked up into her eyes. “Everyone else gets a proposal; you didn’t.”

Wei Lai struggled to find her voice. “Our situation was different.”

Zhou Sujin said, “Even if it’s different, I can’t let you go without one.” He gazed at her. “I love you. More than you think.”

Wei Lai’s voice was hoarse. “I know.” He had done far more than she had seen.

Her vision blurred.

After sliding the ring back onto her finger, Zhou Sujin stood up and gently kissed her lips.

Wei Lai wrapped her arms around his waist, unable to resist kissing him back in the morning light.

Zhou Sujin lifted her hands away and swept her up into his arms.

The photographer captured all the moments on camera.

Ning Rujiang played with Chen Chen in the sand until they finished shooting.

The photographer called out, “You can bring Chen Chen over now; let’s take a family photo.”

“Sweetie, come here,” Wei Lai called to her daughter.

Chen Chen suddenly scrambled up from the sand, abandoning her toys. “Mommy!”

In her wedding dress, Wei Lai couldn’t easily pick her up. “Give Mommy a kiss.”

Zhou Sujin lifted his daughter in one motion. Chen Chen stretched her neck and kissed Wei Lai several times on the cheek. After kissing her mom, she turned her head. “Daddy.” Then she planted a kiss on Zhou Sujin’s cheek too.

After the beach shoot, they headed to the next location.

They filmed along the coastal road all day, returning to the beach in the evening as the sun set.

Wei Lai and Chen Chen changed into matching outfits. Holding one of Chen Chen’s little hands each, she and Zhou Sujin strolled along the beach under the sky lit with evening hues.

The sea water rushed in, and Chen Chen’s little feet were covered by the waves.

Zhou Sujin and Wei Lai held onto their daughter’s wrists and lifted her up in the air. Chen Chen kicked her feet excitedly as she dangled in the air.

Laughter filled the air.

The photographer captured every warm moment.

On their first New Year’s Eve as a married couple, Wei Lai had wished for Zhou Sujin to love her deeply one day.

Now, her wish had long come true.