My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: 2015. “for him.”

The man went along with You Feifan’s chatter, and the two chatted enthusiastically about random topics from all over the world. Soon, the table was piled high with delicious food, with the roasted lamb leg naturally being the grand finale. When excited, You Feifan liked to clap her hands, grabbing the mutton with her bare hands, eating with a mouth full of oil, not even bothering to wipe her face. I had to pull out a tissue and wipe her mouth for her: “Careful the oil doesn’t drip on your clothes. Can’t you even wipe your mouth!”

The look of satisfaction on her face was as if she were about to ascend to heaven. She mumbled with a bulging mouth, “Thank you~”

After speaking, she made a move to shove the lamb leg into my mouth! After a round of excessive eating and drinking, she called the boss for a large pot of highland barley wine, determined to drink with the man until they were thoroughly drunk.

The man’s name was Geriletu. At 1.8 meters tall, he was strong as an ox, sitting next to You Feifan like a mountain, with typical Mongolian features. He drank by the bowl, chatting vividly with You Feifan, clearly hitting it off instantly as if they had met too late. The two would empty a bowl of wine from time to time. The barley wine was sweet and smooth going down. I also joined their excitement and drank a bowl. His wife found it too noisy, so she switched seats to sit with me. I managed to coax the information out of her: this trip to Yading was their “divorce trip.”

Hearing this, I was surprised. Parting amicably was not a bad thing, and separating this way had a sense of ceremony. The woman turned her head to look at the man. There was sadness in her eyes, but also determination. I didn’t know how much courage it took for her to decide to end this marriage, nor did I know what exactly happened that led them to this outcome. Since it was their private matter, I didn’t ask further.

But there was no denying that they must still love each other. Even the small details, like one serving food and the other pouring wine, showed natural, tacit understanding. After three rounds of drinks, Geriletu’s face hadn’t even flushed, but You Feifan was drunk. She watched the travelers from all directions singing and dancing around the bonfire. The atmosphere was incredibly lively, but I didn’t particularly like it. It seemed to disturb the deep night serenity of Yading.

Eventually, the party wound down, and travelers gradually returned to their tents. Geriletu saw that You Feifan was drunk and offered to carry her back to the tent. I declined his kind offer, allowing the couple who were about to separate to stay together for a while longer. I patted You Feifan’s shoulder: “Are you alright?”

She squinted, reached up to cover her face, trying to clear her head, and finally replied with a silly smile: “Say anything, just don’t say I can’t!”

She braced herself on the table, stumbled a few steps, and stood up, but didn’t walk toward the tent. I followed closely: “Where are you going? Don’t start acting crazy because of the alcohol in the middle of the night!”

“I’m sober! Who’s acting crazy!”

“Then where are you going?”

She leaned sideways and pointed straight up at the sky: “To look at the stars.”

What was with this inexplicable romantic gesture? She turned and walked forward, eventually finding a patch of grass to sit cross-legged on. I walked over and sat down beside her. She leaned her head on my shoulder, pointed at the stars in the sky, and hummed “Lu Bing Hua”: “The stars in the sky don’t speak, the children on the ground miss their mother… The eyes in the sky blink and blink…”

I reached out and put my arm around her shoulder, sighing, knowing the answer but still asking, “Missing your mother? Why don’t you go home…”

She lowered her head, plucked a blade of grass, and fiddled with it: “My mother passed away a long time ago. As for ‘home’… I don’t have one.”

“Feifan, I’m sorry…”

She suddenly laughed: “Mother’s precious heart is far away~”

I poked her head, complaining: “You set a sad mood, and as soon as I get into character, you break it by laughing. You heartless thing.”

She lay down, hands pillowing her head, quietly enjoying the night sky, and couldn’t help but sigh: “It feels like the entire Milky Way is within reach right under my eyes. The clear night sky in Yading is truly beautiful. I hope this place is never contaminated by the mundane world.”

I also lay down to appreciate the view: “Since you love it so much, look at it more. Do you know why you can’t take beautiful photos of the scenery?”

“Why?”

“Objectively, you don’t have sophisticated photography equipment. Subjectively, the beautiful scenery you see can only be recorded by the eyes, which have the highest human pixel count. Instead of worrying about capturing the beauty, it’s better to slow down and appreciate it with a calm mind. That’s why I haven’t taken photos along the way.”

“Makes sense…. Qiu Wuming, do you know? The first time I saw you, I felt we were kindred spirits, with stories of incomplete endings and an unshakable sorrow.”

I interrupted her, stating definitively, “No, we are not kindred spirits. The endings will always be different.”

The darkness amplified our loneliness, stirring up the most painful memories. You Feifan tried to drown her sorrow in wine, which instead brought up the melancholy of her unpleasant past. Her background and circumstances were clearly recorded in the documents I held, as extraordinary as her name.

As for me, I could comfort her in her sadness, but I choked back my own story. Now was not the time for anyone else to know it…

…

The summer of 2015 was destined to be the best for us! Qin Yun, wearing a modernized silk Qipao, her high heels clicking, suddenly burst into my studio, startling Lucky, who hid at my feet. I picked up Lucky, grabbed his paw, and teased her in a cat’s voice: “Meow~ Mommy, your aggressive manner scared me!”

She held a document wrapped in brown paper, leaning against the desk, panting. After catching her breath, she pushed the package towards me: “Quick! Open it and see!”

I didn’t open the package immediately. Instead, I stood up and walked over to her, pulling out a tissue to wipe the sweat from her forehead: “My mature, steady, and unflappable big boss, what’s the rush today? Did something wonderful happen?~ It’s so hot out. Be careful you don’t melt your beautiful makeup. Come, drink something to quench your thirst, and let’s talk slowly~”

I took her hand and led her into the kitchen, handing her the iced plum juice I had prepared earlier. She laughed helplessly, leaning on my shoulder, complaining, “Can’t you cooperate and act a little excited?”

I rubbed her long hair and said tenderly, “Nothing excites me more than seeing you.”

Qin Yun was unconvinced and waved her arm in protest: “When I rushed in just now, you didn’t look very excited, did you?”

She playfully punched my chest. I pretended to be hurt, covering my chest and grimacing. She thought she had hit me too hard and hurt me, so she quickly put down her cup, supported me, and asked worriedly, “Did I hurt you? Let me see, let me rub it… Does it still hurt?”

Her hand rested on my chest. I gently covered her hand with mine, looked up, and said happily, “Let me show you. As long as you are by my side, my heart will constantly flutter, dong-dong-dong… beating so strongly! That’s what you call unexpressed excitement.”

“Your mouth is so oily!”

Back in the studio, accompanied by Qin Yun’s shining, excited eyes, I deliberately opened the package slowly. Inside were two documents. One was a listing prospectus, and the other was a document entirely in English, which looked like a contract. Attached was an exquisitely crafted six-pointed star key.

I looked at Qin Yun, puzzled. She proudly raised her head, clasping her hands behind her back, and recounted like an old cadre: “First, the company’s qualifications are in place. He Mu drafted a better plan, and this time he fully supports the listing. Our company will soon enter a new phase. At the same time, the company won a major government project. The engineering is huge, undertaken by several joint venture groups. This means the company’s annual revenue base is secured.”

“Second, may I ask when Miss Qiu is free to accompany me on an impromptu European trip to Italy? Oh, right… I heard there’s a farm for sale there. It has a huge flower field planted around it and a super large warehouse that can be used for artistic creation and holding art exhibitions. So… I got happy, and entrusted the local agency to…”

She paused dramatically, staring intently at the key in my hand. I looked at the key, then back at her in disbelief: “You didn’t actually buy the farm, did you?”

She jumped over to me, hooked her arm around my neck, and her tone of affection was extremely pleasant: “Of course I bought it~ We’ve been together for almost six years. You never wanted to use or take anything from me. Before, I strived because I wanted to prove myself. Meeting you, I found a better goal. I want to give you the best of everything. You just need to do what you love. I can support you. Let’s get married and be together officially.”

A wave of sourness hit my nose. I held the key, tears welling up in my eyes: “It’s the same old question: what about me is so good, or are you blind, that it has to be me…”

“You? Tut-tut-tut… you are an ordinary, mediocre talent… But I just love your easy-going, unambitious look. Since we met, hasn’t everything been just right? Money can buy happiness, but it can’t buy a lover. If boundless wealth could buy a home, I would exchange everything I have with you. But, you love me. You gave me what I wanted most without reservation. We will spend countless six-year periods together. Qin Yun simply must have Qiu Qi!”

The way she loved me always seemed to stop at the innocent, pure brilliance of someone in their early twenties. She navigated the world with calculation, but reserved all her purity for me. Although our European trip was later postponed due to the complexities of the company listing, we still hoped to find a time to properly relax at that farm.

I promised her that I would paint her into my artwork, hanging them all over the warehouse for an exhibition, so everyone could see that the scenery in my eyes was all Qin Yun. The listing was the thing Qin Yun had longed for the most all those years. Just as everything came true, darkness was drawing its curtain, ready to devour the happiness we cherished.

…

Six years into our relationship, we had our first argument. The reason was that Qin Yun was too busy. She was so busy that the days she stayed home in a month could be counted on one hand. I sat silently on the sofa. She knew I was angry, but she was too tired to console me. She simply tossed her handbag aside and went straight to the bedroom. After she closed the door, I got up and paced back and forth in the living room, finally rushing into the bedroom.

“When will you finally be done with work?”

Qin Yun’s complexion wasn’t good; to be precise, it was very pale. She leaned on her hand, staring straight at me, and finally said coldly, “I’m very tired.”

“How many times have I told you, you can never earn all the money in the world! Do you only feel satisfied when you’ve overworked yourself to collapse?”

“Qiu Qi, can you please not make a scene.”

“I’m not making a scene! I’m stating a fact!”

“Enough! You go out and cool down. I need to rest!”

Slam! I slammed the door shut fiercely. I knew I felt inferior, and the reason for my inferiority was my inability to help her. I couldn’t find any way to alleviate her work worries. I stood on the balcony, taking deep breaths. I must have been wrong, because I was the one being unreasonable today!

A while later, Qin Yun walked out of the bedroom. She hugged me and said tiredly, “Xiao Qi, I have something very important to deal with and need to go on a business trip for a while. Be a good girl at home while I’m gone, okay?”

Hearing that she was leaving, I immediately turned to face her: “Where are you going? How long will you be gone… I can go with you!”

“Aren’t you preparing for an interior design competition soon? Focus on your preparation. Don’t worry about me.”

She pulled me to sit in the living room. We huddled on the sofa, and she continued calmly, “I know I’ve been too busy with work recently and neglected your feelings. I’m sorry.”

I twisted my fingers, replying sheepishly, “I’m sorry… I’m the one who should apologize. You’re so tired, and yet I still lost my temper with you…”

“It’s a good child who corrects her mistakes once she knows them~”

“Can you come back early… I’ll miss you terribly!”

“I’ll bring back delicious local specialties for you when I return~”