My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: In My Heart. “Hostage”

Sitting on the sofa and scrolling through my phone, I saw intimate photos of Qin Yun and me shared on Weibo. The number of reposts was astonishing. Keyboard warriors were out in force, leaving sickening, malicious comments. Clearly, someone had maliciously exposed our relationship.

He Mu stormed into the office, holding a newspaper and a set of documents: “Qin Yun, have you seen the news? Also, look at this…”

Qin Yun leaned back in her boss’s chair, calmly staring at the two monitors on her desk. The company’s stock price had plummeted due to the sudden news, the green of the limit-down making one uneasy.

I couldn’t contain my anger and stood up, shouting, “Who is operating behind the scenes, and what is their motive?”

He Mu threw a document at me. I flipped through a few pages, and he explained, “Someone is definitely targeting our company. We don’t know the exact purpose yet, but one thing is clear: these people are aiming at the company. Several small shareholders sold all their stock half a month ago.”

Qin Yun calmly shut down her computer and called her secretary: “Book me a flight. The destination is in the message I sent you on WeChat.”

He Mu stared at Qin Yun in surprise, wanting to speak but holding back. I didn’t understand why she suddenly wanted to leave: “Where are you going?”

She stood up, came close to me, and instructed gently: “Stay with He Mu during this time. Don’t run around, and listen to He Mu.”

She didn’t answer my question directly and simply left with her handbag, leaving He Mu and me staring at each other in the office. I didn’t know where Qin Yun went. When I asked the secretary, she refused to say more. I didn’t know what she was hiding, but since that day, Qin Yun’s whereabouts became a mystery. Our communication relied entirely on phone calls. She still checked in on time to reassure me she was safe, but she refused to disclose her location.

I was very worried about her. The public exposure incident eventually died down, but the company faced a bigger problem. We traced the source and found that the company attacking us was a shell corporation. Someone was using it to buy shares, and their holdings were rapidly approaching Qin Yun’s controlling position. Who it was remained unknown.

During the time He Mu was running the company, we still couldn’t come up with a countermeasure. Qin Yun held one online meeting, where she calmly proposed a terrible plan: using high-priced buybacks to maintain absolute control.

After this proposal, the shareholders, big and small, immediately showed their ugly side. They tightly held onto their resources with one demand: they would sell the shares, but the price must be three percent higher than the current market price. Facing this unreasonable, money-losing proposal, He Mu and Qin Yun were helpless. To save the empire they had worked so hard to build, they had no choice but to be exploited.

…

After the company weathered this storm, I thought our lives would return to peace. The continuous smooth sailing had made us forget that we were extremely vulnerable to reality. The morning was bright and sunny. Qin Yun had been waking up earlier than me recently; work had made her incredibly thin. Today was even more surprising; she was actually tinkering with breakfast in the kitchen.

I turned on the Bluetooth speaker, playing a piano piece, and walked into the kitchen. I hugged her tightly from behind: “Did the sun rise from the west? My busy bee is actually cooking?”

She closed her eyes and leaned on my neck, seeming very tired but shaking her head with a gentle smile: “You always cook. You’ve almost spoiled me into a domestic idiot. Today, I don’t want to go to the company. I just want to stay home and spend time with you.”

I kissed her forehead tenderly. Following the melody, I held her hand and invited, “Miss, would you care to dance with me?”

Qin Yun turned off the stove, amused by my playfulness. She held her head high, extended her left hand to take mine. I pulled up the hem of my nightgown, and we danced gracefully to the rhythm of the music, following her steps. As the song ended, Qin Yun wrapped her arms around my waist, one hand stroking my cheek, exactly like the indispensable affectionate gaze of ancient European nobles at the end of a waltz.

She fell into my arms, and I held her tightly. Just as I was enjoying this moment of happiness, she suddenly collapsed weakly from my embrace onto the floor. A patch of glaring scarlet stained my pink nightgown. Qin Yun covered her nose, frantically trying to avoid my gaze. I tried to help her up, but she had no strength to stand.

I felt frightened and helpless. After dialing 120 in a panic, I sat on the floor, holding Qin Yun tightly: “When did this symptom start? Are you hiding something from me? Don’t scare me, please, don’t scare me!”

I used tissues to wipe the blood, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop. The floor was covered with bloodied tissues. Qin Yun looked pale and regarded me calmly, trying to hug me: “Be good… don’t be afraid…”

…

“Are you the patient’s family member? Come out with me.”

After a series of examinations, Qin Yun’s condition temporarily stabilized. The attending physician took the test results and called me out of the ward. I looked at the doctor anxiously. He looked at the results and offered words of comfort: “The patient’s condition is not ideal…”

I looked at him calmly, pressing him: “Don’t beat around the bush. Tell me directly how bad it is.”

“There are many types of leukemia. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia is a very tricky kind…”

My lips trembled, and I was stunned for a moment before asking through a choke, “Can it be cured?”

“I recommend the patient undergo a bone marrow aspiration. Domestic medical technology is relatively mature. We can attempt a bone marrow transplant to recover. But setting aside whether a matching bone marrow can be found, we cannot give a definite answer on the full recovery rate after the operation.”

“Matching bone marrow… Can I get tested?”

“You can try. It’s not impossible, but we still recommend the patient’s family members come in for testing. The match rate is relatively higher.”

The doctor had just left when He Mu rushed over: “Xiao Qi, how is the situation?”

I held onto He Mu’s shoulder and found a nearby plastic chair to sit down: “Chronic Myeloid Leukemia…”

It was the first time I saw He Mu panic. The hand he used to pull out a cigarette was trembling. When he prepared to light it, a passing nurse stopped him: “No smoking here.”

He Mu probably wanted a moment alone. He walked toward the emergency exit. I returned to the ward. The now-conscious Qin Yun looked at me gently. I put on a smile and lied: “The doctor said you’re just overworked and told you to rest up well. See? I told you, you only feel at ease when you’ve exhausted yourself.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you from now on. I won’t be a workaholic anymore, okay!”

Qin Yun smiled and replied, then turned her head to look out the window. He Mu, having composed himself, walked into the ward. I excused myself to buy water, deciding to give them some space. I walked to the open-air garden outside the hospital building and found a wooden bench to sit on. Finally, I couldn’t hold back and covered my face, weeping bitterly. I had never been afraid that she would leave me.

Our love made me certain she wouldn’t leave. This time, I was wrong again. Life must have made me too comfortable, which is why it had to stage a drama like this. I cried for a long time, not daring to imagine what life would be like without her. I chose to be pessimistic from the start.

Returning with fruit, He Mu said he had to go back to the company to deal with things. He left after repeatedly telling me to take good care of Qin Yun and ensure she wasn’t injured. I was peeling an apple, trying to remember any jokes I had seen recently to cheer up Qin Yun. She reached out and patted my hand, saying calmly: “Xiao Qi, this disease is incurable.”

At this statement, my nose stung, and my tears became uncontrollable. She sniffled, her eyes red, and wiped my tears: “Crybaby, when will you learn to be strong?”

“Do you mean… you’re not planning to treat the disease? I’m going to get tested now. If that doesn’t work, we’ll pay to search. We can surely find a matching bone marrow. You spent half your life earning money; it’s time to enjoy life!”

She shook her head: “Will you listen to me this time? We are not treating this disease.”

“Are you planning to leave me alone in this world? Do you know how cruel that is?”

“Finding a matching bone marrow is difficult, and the risk of a bone marrow transplant is high. Instead of that, why don’t I dedicate the rest of my time to you?”

She was stronger than me. She didn’t even cry, accepting a cruel reality so lightly. I shook my head, still disagreeing with her choice, but when she was stubborn, I had no power to refute her. She commanded me as if I were one of her employees: “From now on, you can only smile. Smile when you’re happy, and smile when you’re not. Don’t let me see you sad.”

I forced out an ugly, strained smile. I held her tightly. How much longer could I hold you? You are too cruel. When you throw me into this world alone, what will I do?

…

I took Qin Yun home. He Mu often came to visit. The three of us would cook a sumptuous dinner at home, acting as if nothing had happened, just like that New Year’s Eve many years ago when he returned, harmonious and complete. Throughout everything, Qin Yun’s family never appeared. I didn’t dare ask, fearing it would upset her. Every time I accompanied her to the hospital for a follow-up, my heart was tormented. In my eyes, the nurses in white seemed more like judges sentencing people to death prematurely.

One day, I took Qin Yun back to the company. With both He Mu and her present, I proposed that for the better development of the company and the needs of the team, the company should be fully managed by a professional management team, handling all matters, big and small. Qin Yun refused the plan, but this time He Mu stood by me. She was a little angry, but I insisted, even acting first and reporting later by immediately having the team enter the company. This was a result I had previously discussed with He Mu.

Back home, Qin Yun sulked and ignored me. No matter how I tried to comfort her, she remained aloof: “Do you think that because I’m sick and useless, you can mess around?”

I looked at her seriously, then took two plane tickets from my bag: “Next, you only need to do one thing with me. You said you’d give the rest of your time to me, didn’t you? Well, I’m here to cash that in… It’s time to do something meaningful… Let’s go to the easternmost island to watch the sunrise, young lady, while you can still walk…”

She held the tickets, looking at me sadly. From that day on, I started fulfilling my promise. Every day, I would draw a painting for her. Her back sitting in the garden sunbathing, her look as she held Lucky and dozed on the sofa, even the scenes of us having a pillow fight at home, and the sight of us doodling on our faces with expensive makeup—all were recorded in my sketchbooks.

For this purpose, I specifically bought an SLR camera to document the moments of our life…

He Mu drove us to the airport, repeatedly emphasizing that I must take good care of Qin Yun and not let her get hurt. Just as we were about to enter the waiting area, He Mu called out to Qin Yun. They spread their arms and embraced each other with silent understanding. He Mu said that having seen countless landscapes over the past decade or so, Qin Yun was the most unforgettable sight. That farewell, for both He Mu and Qin Yun, was an eternal parting.