My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: A Little Vacation II. “Nostalgia”

After a brief stop in Ya’an, the two of us continued our journey. The cement road on the national highway was full of potholes from the heavy trucks that passed day and night. Qiu Qi drove with more aggression than I did, keeping the accelerator down without slowing. As a result, I was bounced around, my stomach churning. And now, we had a flat tire!

We sat in an unknown small town by a shabby wooden shack for tire repair, which had a unique feeling to it. We waited listlessly for the mechanic to come change the tire. I held a cigarette in my mouth and gave Qiu Qi a glare: “Who told you to drive so fast? Are you trying to kill us?”

“How was I supposed to know there was a nail in that puddle? This tire must be made of brittle material, it just burst!”

“If you dare to floor the accelerator again, I’m going to fight you!”

“Ai-yo, I’ll be more careful next time.”

Changing the subject, I elbowed Qiu Qi: “I’m quite puzzled. You could totally send people from your company to inspect this area. Why do you insist on running off yourself? Life in the poor mountain regions isn’t easy. Can you handle it?”

Qiu Qi took out her wallet and pulled out a photo that was nearly deformed from being folded, handing it to me: “Why wouldn’t I handle it? It’s not like I haven’t experienced roughing it. Look at this…”

I curiously unfolded the photo and asked, “A school?”

Qiu Qi nodded, her gaze fixed on the photo. I couldn’t figure out why she was going there, but her eyes held a gentle glow, as if recalling the past. She slowly replied, “Yes, it’s a Project Hope primary school. The company undertaking the construction project is secondary; this is the place I privately want to visit.”

I returned the photo to her and joked, “Not bad. Very philanthropic. Couldn’t you just donate a few million yuan? Why do you have to run into the mountains yourself?”

“She once said that shared joy is better than solitary joy. Having money and living a decadent life is solitary joy. Being charitable and kind is shared joy. I couldn’t understand why she worked herself to the bone all day yet still thought of doing good deeds. But once she was gone, I realized that using the money she left behind to do some good things—even if no one remembers who she was—means she didn’t live in vain.”

I patted Qiu Qi’s shoulder. I truly couldn’t imagine what the woman she deeply loved looked like. Based on her description, she must have been a very gentle person. At least, Phoebe and I hadn’t seriously considered doing any charitable work. This was truly something worth learning.

“Your vehicle’s tire patch won’t work, the inner tube is already blown out. You have to change to a new tire. If you’re going to drive the Sichuan-Tibet highway, you need thicker ones, and it’s best to have a spare tire, otherwise you won’t make it a few kilometers before you break down again. The road ahead is very bad!”

The mechanic spoke in a thick dialect. Qiu Qi and I were utterly confused. Finally, Qiu Qi started haggling in a very inauthentic dialect. After a long bargaining session, she managed to knock a good amount off the price. So, all four tires were replaced with new ones. I truly admired her relentless smooth-talking and her aggressive, street-smart demeanor. Her nerve was thicker than the tire itself.

Because changing the tires took up a lot of time, driving at night was particularly nerve-wracking. Qiu Qi gulped down a can of Red Bull, then reached out and tugged my sleeve: “If you’re tired, just take a nap.”

“No way. I have to stay up and talk to you. Otherwise, if you fall asleep while driving, who knows what kind of trouble we’ll run into.”

“You’re quite sweet, aren’t you?”

Qiu Qi’s softened tone carried a warmth that I reluctantly accepted as a compliment. I changed to a comfortable position and quietly watched her profile. I had to admit, this woman was truly beautiful. Despite having a face designed to seduce, she lived a life rougher than a rugged man. How much her past relationship had impacted her, perhaps no one but herself could truly understand.

“Stop staring at me like that, it’s making me uncomfortable.”

Qiu Qi said self-consciously. I asked softly, “Why don’t you start a new relationship to free yourself from the pain?”

I expected Qiu Qi to be stunned, but instead, she looked back at me with smiling eyes: “Then why don’t you start a new relationship?”

“I…”

“The answer is probably that you can’t bear to let go…”

…

After tucking the two little ones into bed, I tiptoed onto the balcony to smoke. The lounge chair, swaying gently with the breeze, caught my attention. I sat down comfortably, leaning my head on one hand and looking up at the blue sky. The clouds were like thirsty marshmallows; I really wanted to taste how sweet they were. Everything looked so pleasant—all thanks to the good mood Phoebe had given me.

Feeling the occasional surge of warm sea air, I squinted, dozing off for a moment. What Su Wei had mentioned casually about marriage, caught my attention. Did I want it? Of course, I did. I dreamt of seeing Phoebe in a beautiful, exquisite wedding dress. The sight of all our friends and family gathered would surely be joyful.

I was curious about how Qing Fan and Xiao Zhuang would look dressed in formal wear as flower children—they would definitely be adorable! She would say “I do” with only me reflected in her eyes, and then amidst all the commotion, we would drive away to an unknown city for a marvelous honeymoon… Thinking about it, I drifted into sleep.

When I woke up again, someone was knocking on the glass door of the balcony. I groggily sat up and looked around. The two little ones were already awake, pressing their faces against the glass, making funny faces. Feijun and Su Wei stood beside them. Su Wei smiled gently, raising a finger and pointing outside. I followed the direction she indicated.

The massive sun was setting over the horizon. The fiery layers of sunset glow blended with the vast sky crossed by flying birds, forming a spectacular oil painting. The sight captivated me for a moment. Then, Feijun pushed the door open: “Come on, it’s time for dinner.”

“Time to eat~”

“Time to eat~”

Accompanied by the children’s cheers, I stood up and took their hands: “Are you hungry? Let’s go, time for good food~”

We found a seafood stall with a relatively nice environment. Su Wei helped watch the two children, while Feijun and I went together to choose seafood. Feijun talked while picking out a mud crab: “I heard Phoebe is going to be away for a long time this trip.”

“Yes, the company has been so busy lately, as you know… but I rarely see her travel for this long…”

“Wow, this mantis shrimp is really fat. Let’s get half a kilo to try! The razor clams are quite large, too. Would half a kilo be too little? Should we stir-fry them with pepper and salt, or steam them?”

Seeing Feijun’s relaxed expression, I figured he and Su Wei had been together for many years and were still inseparable. I was suddenly envious: “Second Brother…”

Feijun put the selected seafood into a plastic basket and looked up at me, confused: “What is it?”

“You and Su Wei have been together for a long time. Don’t you ever get tired of each other?”

“Tired? I don’t have time to be tired; I love her too much. Even though I, as a brother, don’t truly understand relationships between two women, love is pretty much the same. As time goes on, it’s inevitable to feel things are getting bland, but who can handle eating hot pot every day? Blandness is good; it’s healthy. When you two first got together, it was like eating hot pot. Now, it’s like this seafood—even the steamed kind has a subtle saltiness.”

“Xiao Fan, I don’t mean to criticize, but I hear you and Phoebe have had a lot of problems lately. Is it because of Miss Guan? You are the person who sleeps next to her; you know her better than I do, her second brother. Phoebe doesn’t easily change her mind about the people and things she’s committed to. Living a simple, peaceful life is what’s called a steady stream of water. She’s busy with her career; it’s impossible for her not to have troubles, and she’s stubborn, bottling up a lot of grievances. You might not be able to see it.”