My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 106

Chapter 106: Sub-Chapter · “Sunny Day”

After dinner, we returned to the Guan Corporation to continue the liquidation talks. Eventually, the three parties reached a consensus to establish a creditor-debtor relationship. Doris Venture Capital, acting as Party A, split the investment projects previously given to Party B (Guan Corp) in half. The debt rights for this half were transferred to Party C (Phoebe’s company, Jieshi). The negotiations were essentially finished, leaving only the formal paperwork and signing process.

During a break, I followed Guan Shuyun into her office while she went to retrieve her official seal. Seeing me enter so boldly, she leaned against her desk with both hands. Her expression was hard to read—neither entirely good nor bad. I approached her tea table and began fiddling with the tea set. “Young lady, are you alright?” I teased.

Guan Shuyun was amused by my words. She looked down slightly, playing with the seal in her hand, then sniffled and replied dejectedly, “This young lady isn’t doing too well.”

I set out the tea tools and paced back and forth in front of her. “Things will get better.”

Guan Shuyun walked toward me until we were standing face-to-face. I knew that at this moment, she was making a difficult break within her heart. Her flickering eyes betrayed her sadness. Finally, with a red nose, she let out a long sigh. “I know you’ve done your best to help me. Actually, you didn’t have to. I’m the one who owes you, not the other way around. Doing this only deepens my guilt toward you.”

Hearing her words, I nodded. This was exactly what I wanted. “Guilt is good. You always said you couldn’t guess my thoughts—well, here is the answer: what I wanted was an apology and a face full of remorse. I knew from the start that if I fought people with your wealth and power head-on, winning would be a dream. You were right about one thing before—I have no money or status, and I really didn’t fit into your world. Since you looked down on me so much, I had my own ways to fight. It turns out that if you have the heart to win, you don’t necessarily need money or power.”

Guan Shuyun suddenly grabbed my hand and bit down hard. Looking at her furrowed, frantic brow, I could only endure the pain in silence. Finally, she let go and stepped back, looking as if she had lost her soul. “From now on, we go our separate ways. You Feifan, I’m impressed by your ‘needle hidden in silk’ skills. You stole my heart—how are you going to pay me back? Bastard… hahahaha… you bastard…”

……

By the time we left the Guan Corporation, it was nearly evening. Duoran was in a bit of a mood, likely still thinking about Zhao Taian. When we reached the parking garage, she headed toward her own car. “I won’t disturb your ‘two-person world.’ I’m heading out.”

I leaned against her car door and asked jokingly, “Do you plan on visiting the prison?”

Duoran started the engine, buckling her seatbelt as she nodded. “We were husband and wife once; it’s better to go see him. I need to make a proper ending.”

“Can you pass on a message for me?”

“Don’t provoke him further,” she replied. “Better not to let this grudge last a lifetime.”

“Fine. Drive safely then.”

After seeing Duoran off, I returned to Phoebe’s car. “The Guan Shuyun chapter is officially closed. Next, I still have things to do.”

Phoebe rested her head against the car window. I kissed her forehead, but she didn’t let me off easily, grumbling, “Still thinking about Li Shuhua?”

“My contacts gave me news. After Qiao Xin’s incident, their joint trading company was seized. I want to add more fuel to the fire so her later years aren’t so comfortable. Also, before I was kidnapped, I learned that Li Shuhua is eyeing your second brother’s shares in the Lan Group. She already holds Lan Feichun’s portion; if your second brother gives her his, she’ll become your biggest rival on the board.”

Phoebe tidied my bangs, her smile warm yet her voice gently critical. “You’ve always been kind and gentle. I don’t want you to become like them.”

“Back then, Li Shuhua came to beg me, and it was my soft heart that planted the seeds of this disaster. I caused this mess, so naturally, I have to end it.”

“Feifan, be good and listen to me. Li Shuhua’s plans won’t succeed anyway. Let me handle it this time, okay?”

I tucked her long hair behind her ear and leaned in to nip at her earlobe. “The two of us haven’t exactly resumed our relationship as a couple yet.”

“Why bring that up so suddenly?”

“Therefore, you can’t control me.”

“You’re acting out again!”

“It’s not like I just started acting out today, so you have to humor me. Also, how is Qingfan doing? I haven’t heard you mention her lately.”

“The child is doing great. Ever since she recovered from her last illness, the whole family has been pampering her. We can’t let her have a single scratch. It’s a good thing you weren’t there, or you would have spoiled her rotten.”

“As long as she’s okay. Alright, I’m off. You should head back too.”

I shrugged, preparing to leave, but Phoebe grabbed the back of my collar, asking urgently, “Where are you going?”

“To find Yu Xiao for a couple of drinks and relax.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Big Boss Lan, when did you become such a nagging, clingy person?”

“The way you are right now is no different from a kite in the sky—I have no idea when you’ll suddenly fly away. If I don’t follow you, my heart won’t be at peace.”

Seeing her fear of me leaving, I didn’t say anything but opened the car door and practically shooed her out of the driver’s seat. “Out, out…”

“What are you doing!”

“I’m driving you there myself. We can catch up with your Miss Jian (Jian Yumeng) while we’re at it. What do you think?”

At my words, Phoebe scurried over to the passenger side and sat as still as a Buddha statue. I leaned on the steering wheel, looking at her sideways. “What on earth are you angry about now?”

Phoebe fidgeted with her fingers, looking displeased. After a long silence, she finally spoke up, her voice rising: “I treated you poorly before, but you were always considerate of me. Now you’ve learned all this ‘street grit’ outside; you’re so tough in everything you say and do—even toward me!”

“Are you blaming me?”

Seeing my questioning look, she waved her hands in a panic. “I’m not! We both know how hard this past year has been. You have a knot in your heart, and it can’t be untied in a day or two. I thought that by staying by your side, I could change your opinion of me, but you still won’t accept me. I truly have no way to handle you—I never did.”

I sat up straight and put an arm around her shoulder, admiring her beautiful face. “Neither of us is the person we used to be. I wanted to settle everything before reconsidering our relationship, but since you’re already resenting me, I won’t delay. Let me think about it.”

“How long are you going to hesitate? I just want to live a stable life with you. Is it that hard?”

“We were stable once before, weren’t we? And look where it got us. No one treats me kindly, so I’ve had enough of a life as ‘flat as water.’ This time, I won’t agree so easily. This is your punishment.”

Phoebe looked at me with piteous eyes. I expected a sharp retort, but instead, I got a hug. “I don’t care anymore! This time, I’ll be the one to chase you. Until I catch you, don’t even think about having peace!”

“Whoa! Are you throwing away all your pride?”

“Just you wait. Drive!”

……

At Jian Yumeng’s club, Yu Xiao was waiting at the entrance as usual. Seeing Phoebe and me together, a flicker of surprise crossed her face, but she didn’t ask. She simply said, “Perfect timing, Yumeng is here today too. CEO Lan can chat with her so you don’t feel bored visiting the club for once.”

Inside the private room, Jian Yumeng stood up to greet Phoebe. “CEO Lan is a rare guest. Please, sit. Is Feifan’s injury better?”

“The electricity cleared all my energy meridians. It feels great!” I joked.

Phoebe shot me a glare. “You have the nerve to joke? You almost died!”

Yu Xiao joined in. “She’s talking and laughing; looks like she didn’t get fried into an idiot.”

I gave Yu Xiao a look. “I’m going out for a smoke so I don’t choke you two precious ladies.”

Yu Xiao followed me out of the room like a puppy. We walked to the small bar inside the club. Yu Xiao sat at the bar and ordered two cocktails, asking curiously, “So mysterious. Tell me, what’s your next move?”

“Old A has stopped his surveillance, but I still have a lingering sense of unease.”

“Duh,” Yu Xiao replied. “Qiao Xin is gone, so naturally Old A has no lead to follow. But he did contact me once, saying we can’t let our guard down. Qiao Xin and Nian Buhe are fugitives. If they want to take someone down with them, the first person they’ll go for is you.”

Thinking Yu Xiao had a point, I crunched on some rice crackers. “Lin Chen has been hunting for Nian Buhe to pull the weeds out by the roots, but there’s been no news.”

“Anyway, just be careful. Let’s talk about something happy. Why did you come with CEO Lan today? Haven’t you reconciled yet?”

“We haven’t. She’s just been clinging to me all day, so I’m just turning a blind eye to it.”

“Ooh, look at you being all high and mighty. Careful she doesn’t settle the score with you later. You know what they say—a woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the ocean. She’s probably got notebooks full of your offenses!”

Yu Xiao’s words were hilarious. I teased her back, “You sound like someone with a lot of experience. You would know, wouldn’t you?”

“My partner is exactly like that. Take my advice: CEO Lan might have a temper, but since you ran away, she’s completely transformed. I used to be scared of her; now that she’s learned how to act spoiled, can you even handle it!?”

I held up my glass and thought for a moment, then nudged Yu Xiao’s arm. “Tell me… what did she do while I was gone?”

“After you left, she lived in that run-down house of yours. She handled everything—eating, sleeping—all by herself. Good thing you still have that dog. The ‘down-to-earth’ CEO Lan is actually quite nice…”

“Aiee!!!”

“What’s with the shouting… what’s wrong?”

“I forgot Xiduo (the dog) at Guan Shuyun’s house!”

“What kind of owner are you? That dog follows you around all day and never gets a break…”

As Yu Xiao and I were joking around, my phone rang. I walked outside the bar to a quiet spot to answer the persistent call. “Officer Jiang? Is something wrong?”

“Where are you right now?”

“I’m with a friend, I’m very safe.”

“You might be safe, but get back to the Lan family ancestral house. Now. As fast as you can.”

Though Officer Jiang’s tone was incredibly steady, I smelled a crisis. “What happened?” I pressed.

As I hurried back toward the private room, Phoebe rushed out, her face pale with panic. She didn’t have time to listen to the phone, so she hung up and grabbed my hand tightly.

Her eyes were red, and she looked utterly helpless, followed by a wave of invisible dread. I had a rough idea of what had happened. I spoke calmly: “I saved the two of you once. I can do it a second time.”