My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Story – “Ideal Threescore Years”

My question must have stirred up some memories for Qiu Qi. She stood up without answering, pacing back and forth with her hands behind her back. I thought I had said something wrong and was about to apologize when Qiu Qi sat back down at the table, tapping it: “You want to know that badly? Then hurry up and eat while you listen.”

“You’re truly heartless, using your own story as food for me!”

I teased, and Qiu Qi laughed heartily without a care: “Hahaha… What kind of description is that? I call this being tough on myself, giving all my love to the people… I’m kind!”

I gave her a thumbs-up, replying, “A 666 heart for you!” (A reference to the Chinese slang for “awesome.”)

Following her direction, my gaze fell upon the steaming food on the table. I couldn’t help but swallow, and Qiu Qi lit a cigarette, looking like she had seen through the world: “No matter how much things weren’t going your way before, once you’ve eaten your fill, you’ll have the strength to continue being sad, right~”

I rolled my eyes. What kind of advice was that? I immediately slipped on my slippers and rushed to the dining table. The whole sequence was smooth and seamless! While unwrapping the packaging, I cocked my head and stared at Qiu Qi, my eyes screaming “Hurry up and tell me!”

Perhaps most people with stories share a common trait: they always like to wear a mask of nonchalance or cynical joy, wanting the whole world to know they’re doing well, happy as can be. The truth, however, is that they have a belly full of things to say but struggle to find a worthy listener. Thus, Qiu Qi was like this, and so was I.

With a momentary sigh, the joy from thirty seconds ago vanished from her face. Perhaps she was organizing her thoughts, or maybe recalling memories frantically. I buried my head and started gobbling down the food. Qiu Qi put out her cigarette and hooked her arm over my shoulder: “Let’s make a trade.”

I paused, holding my chopsticks, looking at her confusedly: “What trade?”

“I can’t be the only one telling stories. After all, you were wailing like a banshee last night, so you have to tell one too! Otherwise, if I’m the only one talking, I’d be losing out!”

“Hey, I didn’t force you!”

“Deal or no deal? Deal or no deal? Deal or no deal? Deal or no deal?”

“Fine, fine, fine… You go first!”

So, Qiu Qi looked earnestly into my eyes, a mischievous smile playing on her lips: “The first time I saw you, I guessed you liked women.”

I smiled and lowered my head, feeling helpless, but admitted Qiu Qi’s guess without flinching: “Yes.”

Qiu Qi tilted her head and playfully raised her hand: “Fellow traveler, hello~”

In this society, ‘universal harmony’ (LGBTQ acceptance) wasn’t rare. I truly did run into my own kind everywhere. I smiled and shook hands with Qiu Qi. She lit another cigarette, exhaling a sigh of relief:

“I was with her for a total of eight years. Do you know what that means? It means I gave her the most beautiful decade of a woman’s youth, and our goal was to be together forever—we even survived the equivalent of the Sino-Japanese War.

I’m a carefree person with my own hobbies and freedom. As long as I had enough to eat, I wouldn’t be greedy for more. But she was completely different. Her mind was entirely focused on her career. She loved working overtime, having meetings, negotiating with clients, and having many zeros in her bank account. It was as if all of this surpassed her liking me, though that’s what I believed…”

Qiu Qi’s brief words pulled me into Phoebe’s vortex. I looked at her in disbelief. My appetite instantly vanished. I put down my chopsticks, pulled out a tissue, wiped my lips, and asked softly, “Then… what happened next… what became of you two?”

Qiu Qi’s face darkened, looking terrible. She lowered her eyes, staring at the cigarette butt in her fingers. Our gazes fixed on the tobacco that was about to burn out. I saw the butt about to catch fire, yet Qiu Qi remained motionless. With quick reflexes, I crumpled the tissue in my hand, quickly snatched the cigarette butt, and extinguished it: “Are you crazy… let me see… does it hurt?”

I grabbed her hand to check for burns. Plop. A tear hit the hand that had nearly been burned. I raised my head, looking at Qiu Qi innocently. She tilted her head back, sniffled, trying to keep smiling, but couldn’t suppress a spreading sorrow. It was an expression filled with a hundred emotions and a thousand sorrows.

“Since it’s so painful, let’s not think about it.” I put my hand on her shoulder to console her.

Qiu Qi closed her eyes and buried her head in my shirt. How much pain must one be in to break down in heartbreaking tears merely by mentioning it unintentionally?

Pulling away from my embrace, Qiu Qi stared at me with red-rimmed eyes, making me feel uneasy. Finally, she stood up and walked behind me, saying mournfully yet extremely calmly: “The ambitious woman she was, successfully listed her company in the seventh year of our love. The following year, the company survived the financial crisis. But soon, a company specializing in acquisitions set its sights on her life’s work.

Upon hearing the news, we hired a private investigator to look into the opponent’s background. We initially thought the company was strong enough, but it turned out we couldn’t compete with them at all. The opponent resorted to every trick, repeatedly creating various public opinions, causing the company’s stock to plummet, and using this method to acquire a large number of shares at a low price, not even sparing the scattered shares held by small investors.

She began visiting major and minor shareholders everywhere. Even if those bastards demanded a price higher than the market rate, she willingly paid a premium to buy them back. After going back and forth like this, before the board of directors meeting could even be called, and before the mastermind behind the opposing company even appeared, the usually strong woman collapsed.

The day was clear and beautiful. She was strange that day; she didn’t go to work early but stayed in the kitchen to make me breakfast. I hugged her and asked cautiously, ‘What’s so special about today? Did the sun rise in the west? My busy bee is slacking off at home~’

Soothing music was playing on the Bluetooth speaker. She took my hand and we danced a slow waltz to the piano music. I had never seen her like this before. It was as if all crises were non-issues. Her face was calm and peaceful. She was a woman of few words, quietly leaning against me, closing her eyes for a nap. Suddenly, her legs gave out, and she collapsed. My clothes were stained with a horrifying patch of bright red. She covered her nose, tilted her body, and fell to the floor. I was completely stunned…”

My fingers unconsciously gripped my pants. I still weakly pressed the question: “What… what was the illness?”

Qiu Qi took a deep breath, pausing for a long moment before continuing: “A rare form of leukemia. It came without warning. I remember sitting on a chair outside the hospital, lost in thought for a long time. The doctor’s jokes were the hardest to accept. But she was calmer than I was. She said she had fought desperately to prove herself, but the truth was she forgot to look at the scenery outside the office building, forgot to enjoy life with me.

That day, the doctor quietly told me there was no saving her. We should just let the patient have what she wanted—eat and drink what she liked. That scene was exactly like a vulgar, old Korean drama—ridiculous and tragic. But this sudden, tiger-like strike was a stark, undeniable fact. I knew the heavens hadn’t left her much time, so despite her objections, I quickly hired a professional team to manage the company. I bought that old Beijing Jeep, packed my bags…

Her stubborn resilience kept me from seeing how the disease was tormenting her. We drove away, going to the easternmost island just to watch a sunrise over the sea, then traveled across Inner Mongolia and into Northern Xinjiang, eating and drinking along the way. We whispered secrets in the Kanas valley. She said Xinjiang was truly beautiful, asking if we could just live there… As she wished, she left her soul with me, and her flesh and blood forever remained in that picturesque landscape.

I brought her ashes back to the city where we spent our lives together. One day, after handling all her final affairs, I locked myself at home. I cleaned our house over and over again. When it was time for her to get off work, I made a lavish dinner, but I would never wait for her to come home again.

Unexpectedly, there was a knock at the door. It was a stranger. He handed me a small cardboard box, saying it was arranged by the deceased, and hoped I would accept it. Then he left. I opened the box. Inside was a notarized distribution of all her assets. She had left me her life’s work, making me rich many times over. There was also a voice recorder attached. She had recorded all her love confessions for the rest of our lives.

Those days, I lived in constant fear, afraid that she would be gone when I woke up the next morning. Living a life counting the days was truly suffocating. Even when she was truly gone, I continued to live cautiously, always feeling like she would return. It wasn’t until I collapsed on the floor, hugging the things she left me, that I cried inconsolably, like a child who had lost her beloved doll.

Yes, I gained everything, but I lost her alone.”