My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: 2009 III. “Silk Road”

I opened the Dove chocolate bar, broke off a piece, and fed it to her mouth. You Feifan, her cheeks flushed, happily took a bite, almost nipping my hand. She mumbled, “Have you seen a movie called Hidden Track (Finding Jay)? The plot is interesting. A girl searches for a Jay Chou vinyl record and consequently meets a group of people with varying views on love. The movie’s title mentions Jay Chou, but throughout the film, he only appears at the very end. He eats one of the female lead’s earrings and says two words—’sweet one’—and the song Track (Gui Ji) plays throughout.”

I didn’t quite understand why You Feifan was bringing up such a meaningless topic when she was this sick: “So what? What are you trying to tell me?”

Her voice was hoarse, and she sang slightly off-key: “I will be in a daze, then smile faintly, then tightly close my eyes, thinking that one day someone will take my place, so I no longer have to miss you.”

The melody stopped abruptly. I knew she was choked up, so I closed my eyes as if I were asleep. She was silently sad, and I really wanted to tell her I was sorry. I would, someday.

…

I mistakenly thought Qin Yun’s house would be a small villa with a beautiful garden. When we arrived at the community, I found out it was actually an upscale, standalone elevator building with two units door-to-door on each floor. Following her out of the elevator, she stood at the corridor entrance, fiddling with her keys, and said casually, “One side is the master suite, the other is the guest suite. Two complete units are enough for you to work with…”

I was a bit dumbfounded. Counting the entire corridor, the entire floor belonged to her. How large must the area be? This was going to be a huge project! My ability to eat well and put on weight this year depended on this one contract. I had to take it, even if it meant biting the bullet! I couldn’t help but marvel that the thought process of rich people was more convoluted than the eighteen bends of a mountain road—not only winding but also intertwined, making it impossible to understand!

Seeing me somewhat dazed, she smiled and waved her hand in front of me: “What are you thinking about?”

I snapped back and shook my head. My attitude made a 360-degree turn. I looked at Qin Yun, grinning broadly. Qin Yun narrowed her eyes slightly and said with a smile, “Don’t have crooked thoughts. If I’m not satisfied, I will ask for rework.”

“Boss, your requirement is my standard, and your satisfaction is my bottom line. Our goal is to exceed the boss’s requirements and satisfaction, achieving value for money, honest cooperation @#%…”

Qin Yun immediately waved her hand seriously, criticizing in a leader’s customary tone: “Enough, enough… Turns out you’re just pretending to be serious.”

I blushed self-consciously and buried my head, then peeped up at Qin Yun, muttering softly, “Salespeople outside all talk like that… I didn’t know it wouldn’t sound right coming from me…”

Qin Yun chuckled. She tilted her head and stared into my eyes, explaining, “Because you’re not in that line of work, you naturally don’t have that demeanor. Let’s go inside and take a look first.”

So, the moment she opened the door, I froze again. I thought it would be an empty shell, but it was already decorated, and everything looked brand new. I stared at Qin Yun in confusion: “This… it hasn’t been decorated for long, has it?”

The smile on her lips faded, but she said calmly, “Tear it down and renovate.”

I asked cautiously behind her, “Isn’t that a bit too extravagant?”

Qin Yun turned around with a touch of aggression, grabbing my arm and pulling me straight into the bedroom. I didn’t have time to react, only hearing her say, “I’m asking you, should the bedroom walls be painted or wallpapered? What color is best… And the walk-in closet… what material is good for the cabinets… I have too many shoes and bags, preferably the hidden kind…..”

I didn’t know why her mood changed so drastically. I grabbed her arm back, stood rooted to the spot, and looked around the bedroom. Scattered on the dressing table was a photo frame containing a picture of two people together. That gave me the definitive answer—she had just broken up.

Qin Yun couldn’t pull me, so she stopped and fell silent. I bent down and looked at her, sticking out my tongue and making a funny face to cheer her up: “Young lady… Are you okay?”

She didn’t speak, seeming to be regulating her emotions. Finally, she let out a sigh: “No matter how it’s decorated, I have only one request: it must be different from the current style…”

I nodded knowingly, reaching out to hold her wrist. She didn’t understand what I meant. I motioned for her to follow my lead, and we began to walk around the house. She asked suspiciously, “What are you doing?”

I led her back to the living room and began to explain in detail: “Come, look. Right now, your house is purely Western European style. If you were to hand-paint the Salvation of the Virgin on the ceiling, it would look exactly like a church. It certainly looks magnificent, but won’t it feel too solemn when you live alone? A home should look like a home. We’ll knock down the partition between the living room and the balcony, then make the balcony windows into floor-to-ceiling sliding doors. This maximizes both the view and the space.”

“The wallpaper on the TV wall is too busy; we’ll tear it down and start over. The overall style will be simple luxury. The ceiling is beautiful and can be kept. The kitchen is so large that we’ll separate it into two spaces. The side near the life balcony will be our Chinese kitchen, and the other side will be an open-concept Western kitchen and bar area. You work a lot and don’t seem like someone who cooks daily, so most of the time you can make simple meals or have a drink in the Western kitchen.”

“Because we’re knocking down the partition, the dining room space will be relatively larger, and it will also be completely open-plan, making serving and moving around very convenient. However, the unit across the hall is specially for guests, so we can simplify the dining room.

“The living room won’t have wall coverings but a light yellow wall paint. The brightness of the space won’t be too bad, and it won’t look too monotonous. The master and guest bedrooms will have wallpaper with subtle patterns in warm tones, which aids sleep and increases coziness. Most importantly, the color scheme will echo the living room wall paint. We’ll remove and buy new wardrobes, dressing tables, and beds… The bathrooms are simpler….”

I practically described my dream home, the one I’d envisioned countless times. Finally, I just pulled her down onto the sofa, chattering non-stop. Qin Yun listened in a daze, until she finally stopped me: “Stop, stop, stop… I thought you didn’t like to talk! Why are you speaking like a machine gun? Just prepare the blueprints for me to see. If I’m satisfied, I’ll have the business department prepare a contract for you… and pay a forty percent deposit in advance…”

Hearing the word ‘deposit,’ my eyes lit up. I asked excitedly, “Great! Boss, are you feeling better now?”

She pressed her hand to her forehead wearily, leaning back into the sofa, and responded lazily, “I was a bit out of control just now. I apologize.”

“A breakup is normal.”

“You…”

I immediately bit my tongue, having spoken too soon. Qin Yun stared at me quietly, then smiled helplessly: “How did you know I broke up?”

“Uh… the photo frame on the dressing table…”

“Very keen observation…”

She stood up, walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine, and shook it at me: “Have a couple of drinks with me. The cost will be included in your working hours.”

I looked at her shyly: “Oh, I’m not a calculative person. It wouldn’t be right for you to pay me to drink your wine. Besides, I don’t have a good tolerance for alcohol…”

“Oh, come on… I can tell you’ve already figured out the calculations… You need to learn to hide your emotions…”

“The boss is right…”

This woman was really good at reading people; she left me speechless!

Qin Yun was a typical gentle Yujie (mature, commanding woman). She leaned in the corner of the sofa with her curly hair loose, a few stray strands covering half her face, creating a messy beauty. From an aesthetic point of view, I rated her well-defined, delicate features at five points, her elegant makeup at five points. She could make cheap clothes look designer, not to mention her well-proportioned figure. So, I gave the remaining ninety points entirely to her demeanor. Her seriousness never translated into judging her status versus others. Her approachability was full marks. Two perfect scores, which was excellent.

I was puzzled. She had money, looks, and education—she was a returnee, after all. Her strong career drive meant extraordinary responsibility. She was practically a flawless human being, yet she still experienced a breakup. The man must have been blind, the kind that even a cornea transplant couldn’t fix!

Qin Yun swirled her glass and took a leisurely sip. She looked at me and offered a gentle smile that almost melted my heart. Then came a moment of self-criticism: I was also a woman, so why couldn’t I smile so beautifully? Thinking this, I returned a smile that I thought was pretty, then glanced down at my Converse sneakers. This… this distressed wanderer look… I couldn’t compare to women like her. The more I compared, the more self-conscious I became.

“You’re always zoning out. What are you thinking about now?”

She saw right through me again. I gave an awkward laugh and replied, “I’m thinking, Boss is young, beautiful, rich, and capable. If I were a man, I would definitely shamelessly pursue you…”

She said airily, “Oh? Is that so?”

…

The sun set, and the sky outside the window was blazing red, though the nightlife hadn’t yet begun to stir. The two of us had already finished three bottles of red wine. I vaguely remember her calling out a name as she collapsed into my arms, sobbing softly.

I tried to comfort her, but it was useless. She wasn’t the cat under the tree; she couldn’t be satisfied with a single sausage. The warm liquid on my neck made me shiver, an addictive tingling sensation. Why was she wiping her tears on my neck?!

I raised my hand to cup her head, rubbing her ear. Perhaps she liked the feeling, as she snuggled further into my neck comfortably. Neither of us spoke. This inexplicable emotion was hard to describe. But I was enjoying the feeling of being relied upon and needed for companionship.

However, things went beyond our expectations. She reached out and gently stroked my cheek, raising her head with a pool of crystal tears in her eyes. In that moment, it felt like someone had violently crashed into my heart, causing a fierce flutter. Alcohol vaporized between our breaths. Our breathing became rapid. There were thousands of lonely people in this city, and once again, we were just right. Starting inexplicably, we embarked on a ‘journey.’ Her lips were sweet, but the kiss was astringent.