My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Her Uneasy Fear. “It’s All the Same”

We were scheduled to leave the day after tomorrow. I had discussed it with You Feifan and He He, and we decided not to formally say goodbye to the children. Sometimes, a sense of ceremony feels too heavy, making everyone uncomfortably sad. A sudden, abrupt departure better suited our style. It was late, and after helping You Feifan settle the children, we gathered on the playground.

Zhang Qingyue had burned some firewood in the kitchen. You Feifan quickly built a simple earth stove on the playground and secretly buried four potatoes in the dirt. He He, being strong, took the shovel and helped Zhang Qingyue move the burning wood into the stove. After the hustle, we finally settled down, gathered around the bonfire to warm our hands.

Zhang Qingyue clapped her hands, signaling us to wait. She went back to the office, fumbled for a while, and then came out carrying a few cans of beer: “These are my treasures! I only drink one on special holidays.”

You Feifan grabbed a beer, took a huge gulp, and then shivered: “Ha~ Naturally iced. That is so refreshing~~”

Zhang Qingyue stood up, raised her beer, and said steadily: “I want to thank you all on behalf of the children for coming. This has been a unique month. You brought joy and hope here. I’ll drink this first as a toast!”

You Feifan waved her hand casually: “It’s nothing. I thought life here would be incredibly difficult, but I actually love it here. If Qiu Wuming wasn’t rushing to leave, I’d stay for six months or a year, no problem.”

Zhang Qingyue smiled and reached out, insisting on pinching You Feifan’s cheek: “Since you like it so much, come back again later~”

He He suggested playing a song by the campfire. We listened quietly to the guitar, looking up at the scattered starlight in the Tibetan mountain night sky. When we finished the beer, Zhang Qingyue patted my shoulder: “Walk with me.”

You Feifan held onto He He, pulling a sad face, and then excitedly grabbed a pair of tongs to flip the potatoes she had buried in the fire: “Hurry back, the potatoes are ready!”

We didn’t walk far, just circling the basketball court repeatedly. Zhang Qingyue slowed her pace considerably and suddenly sighed: “I know about your relationship with Qin Yun.”

I wasn’t surprised, but thinking He Mu didn’t seem like a blabbermouth, I asked curiously, “Did He Mu tell you?”

Zhang Qingyue shook her head: “Qin Yun told me herself. It was just after you two first met… I majored in civil engineering, so we often talked about things related to the company, like project bidding. Although we hadn’t met after leaving here, we often exchanged emails and phone calls. You know, that day, she was in her office talking to me about an engineering tender, and suddenly, she changed the subject…”

I froze for a moment, staring silently at Zhang Qingyue. She was someone who didn’t smile often, and she looked rather rigid with her glasses, but when talking about Qin Yun, her expression clearly softened. She paused, then smiled and continued: “She suddenly said, ‘It’s funny. There’s a girl downstairs who feeds the stray cats in the same spot every day.’ I said there was nothing strange about that. She said, ‘It’s precious,’ and she giggled. I knew she had broken up with He Mu and was calling me every now and then because she needed company. That day on the phone, she was laughing happily and seemed so down-to-earth. After that, she finally stopped bothering me.”

When Qin Yun was mentioned again, my heart, after a brief storm, was able to return to calm: “I’m the girl downstairs who fed the cats.”

Zhang Qingyue scrutinized me, then put her arm on my shoulder and continued walking: “When I learned that she was sick and passed away, I couldn’t accept the reality, so I didn’t attend her funeral. After quitting my job, I returned to the school and started living alone. Time plays tricks on people. Although it’s been several years late, we finally met. Hello, girl who fed the cats downstairs.”

I stared into Zhang Qingyue’s eyes, tilted my head, and offered my hand: “Zhang Qingyue, you liked her, didn’t you?”

Zhang Qingyue’s eyes widened, and she finally remained silent. Everyone hides secrets in their hearts, and perhaps Qin Yun was hers. Then, she suddenly burst into laughter, ultimately not answering my question.

…

You Feifan checked the calendar and saw that the 30th was a Friday. She decided to send all the children home after school, then return to pack our bags and leave for Chengdu. I thought this was a good idea, so I rushed to the market a day early and specifically filled up the car with gas. The children didn’t know we were about to leave. Sitting in a car for the first time, they were squeezed together, excitedly giggling and happy beyond measure.

We drove back and forth four or five times. The children who lived the farthest away reportedly had to walk several kilometers to school previously. It was past 5 PM when we rushed back to pick up the last batch of children. The winter sky was already turning murky. Zhang Qingyue looked at the weather and gave a few instructions: “It feels like it’s going to rain. Drive slowly.”

You Feifan hugged each child onto the car and looked up at the sky: “It’s winter. It’s not that easy to rain.”

“Better safe than sorry. It’s very dangerous to drive in the dark on mountain roads. Be extremely careful.”

“Got it!”

You Feifan switched places with me, saying she’d let me drive on the way back, which would be easier for me—a bit of opportunistic tenderness. So, like bus drivers, we stopped at one location after another, said goodbye to the children, until the very last one was dropped off at home. You Feifan lit a cigarette, leaned against the car door, smoking. Suddenly, a booming thunderclap sounded as if to tear the sky apart.

Then, heavy rain poured down. We scrambled into the car as if fleeing. You Feifan cursed: “Zhang Qingyue is more accurate than the weather forecast! Scary!”

I brushed the remaining dirt off myself and looked at the sky outside the car window: “The rain isn’t too heavy yet. Let’s hurry back.”

“The mountain roads are treacherous. Let me drive.”

“It’s not my first time driving. What are you afraid of?”

The rain suddenly intensified. We couldn’t even clearly see a nearby winding section of the Jinsha River; visibility became very low. Our location on the mountain road was awkward; there were many sharp turns. We were afraid of passing cars, so stopping wasn’t an option, nor was moving forward quickly. We could only continue driving at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.

Suddenly, You Feifan sat up straight. She wiped the front windshield with her sleeve, seemingly staring at something. I turned my head in confusion: “What are you looking at?”

“Hiss… No… Don’t you think something is constantly falling down the mountain slope next to us?”

I also leaned forward to look. Just as we continued driving with mounting suspicion, there was a loud CLANG, and a rock larger than You Feifan’s head smashed onto the hood of the car. Fortunately, the car wasn’t moving fast. I quickly slammed the brakes. The impact jolted us both wide awake.

What we encountered next would be unforgettable for the rest of our lives. We were unlucky enough to have entered the edge of a landslide zone. Rainwater brought mud and rocks pouring down from above. The road ahead was completely blocked. The usual childish joy immediately left You Feifan’s face. She struggled to look up to gauge the situation on the hillside, then said calmly, “Reverse.”

I backed up while checking the rearview mirror. Rocks of all sizes were falling both in front and behind us. Our Jeep couldn’t withstand such an impact. Suddenly, the old Beijing Jeep that had accompanied us throughout the journey stalled. At that moment, both of us panicked. Buddy, don’t break down now! You Feifan guessed it might be related to the large rock smashing the hood. She made a move to get out of the car.

I grabbed her arm: “Are you crazy! Rocks are falling everywhere outside! You’ll be crushed!”

“Stopping here isn’t an option! The rain is so heavy, if the landslide doesn’t stop, we’ll be… Ah….”

Suddenly, a loud, rumbling tremor hit us. We watched helplessly as rocks and yellow mud cascaded down in front of us. The car was churned into the debris. You Feifan yelled in panic: “Cover your head!”

…

I had a long, beautiful dream. Qin Yun was singing in the dream. She reached out her hand to me, saying, Come home… come home. Qiu Qi, who has been wandering, should come home… Just as I reached out to take her hand…

“Don’t you dare sleep… Don’t you dare sleep… Qiu Wuming, wake up!”

I don’t know how long I was unconscious. I was awakened by You Feifan’s voice. My foot was stuck beneath the control panel, unable to move. My diagonal position was badly contorted. I moved my hand, trying to push her. You Feifan was in better shape than me. The rocks had pressed the car into a tilted position, pinning me tightly.

You Feifan had already opened the car door and jumped out. Thankfully, we seemed to be wedged against the roots of a giant tree, or we would have been swept into the Jinsha River long ago.

I tried to move my body, but pain surged through me. I grimaced: “It hurts so much…”

Tears stained You Feifan’s face. Seeing that I was awake, her voice was thick with post-crying congestion as she held my hand: “Bear with it. I’ll figure something out… Please don’t fall asleep, please, don’t sleep.”

Through the shattered car window, I could see You Feifan moving rocks back and forth outside. She was trying to place stones under my side to prevent the car from shifting too much and sliding down the cliff. She wiped away tears while carrying rocks, her body covered in mud. After placing all the stones, she tried to push away the massive rock pinning me. No matter how hard she strained, the rock above my head didn’t budge at all.

You Feifan’s face was nearly pressed against the rock. I could see clearly through the window. She let out pained groans, trying again and again to push the rock away. She cried, saying: “I won’t let anyone else leave my side! I won’t!”

I looked at her weakly. I remembered she had been in a car accident once, and the woman in the driver’s seat died. I didn’t know what kind of memories this accident was stirring up in her. She was like a woman possessed. Even when the rock tore her face and hands, leaving blood and pain, she kept straining with all her might. Finally, the massive rock roared and tripped her. I thought You Feifan had rolled down the cliff. The only hand I could move frantically pounded the car. I cried out in panic: “You Feifan…. You Feifan…”

Suddenly, smack! A hand hit the car door. You Feifan stood up, her face covered in blood. With her wounded hands, she began frantically ripping at the car door. She gritted her teeth and yelled: “I’m a mad dog… I’m a mad dog… There’s nothing a mad dog can’t do… No one is allowed to die… Qiu Qi, just wait for me…”

I covered my mouth with my hand. This version of You Feifan, resisting with sheer refusal, looked pathetic. When she finally dragged me out of the car, a fine drizzle began to fall again. The cold and pain made us shiver. I wrapped my arms around her neck and reached up to stroke her cheek, my crying mingling with the rain: “I thought you fell down!”

She looked at me wordlessly, shaking her head repeatedly. Then she squatted down: “I’ll carry you back.”

The dark mountain road made it impossible to see the way ahead. I felt a sense of security nestled against You Feifan’s back. Her steps were slow, and we couldn’t find the phone. We could only desperately move forward. The path was rough and winding. I was used to You Feifan’s weak, useless, and giggling demeanor. But now, she was more like a giant beast defying fate, low growling, moving one step at a time…

Life had never been easy for her, I realized. I finally saw the exhaustion and stubbornness buried deep within You Feifan. She gasped, saying: “I absolutely refuse to let our world… witness another separation by death… I’m going to take you back…”