My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Threat. “Profile”

Back at the office, Guan Shuyun was already waiting in the lounge next to my suite. She had brought her own set of the proposals Xiao Du had sent earlier, lining them up neatly on the table as if the matter would be settled the moment I picked one. She stared at me intensely, though the bandage on her face made her look rather ridiculous. “Have you chosen a proposal?”

I ignored her. Instead, I walked straight to Xiao Du’s office door and snapped, “Didn’t I say all arrangements for today were canceled? Who let her in? Escort her out immediately!”

With a loud slam, I shut the door, leaving those nuisances outside. A wave of heavy exhaustion hit me. I collapsed onto the sofa, holding my phone with hesitation. One tap and I could hear her voice—so why was I hesitating? Then, Qiao Xin’s words echoed in my mind, dragging me back to reality: “Let’s raise the stakes, Lan Feiyi. Let’s play a ‘two-out-of-three’ game. Love, family, and career are all your favorites, but you must discard one. Who will you give up? Of course, every game has rules: you cannot tell anyone about this bet. Otherwise, with so many people around you, we can’t guarantee who might suffer.”

I tossed the phone aside and sat up, trying to untangle the mess. Mu Duoran was my only trump card. Until I was ready to act, I had no choice but to swallow my pride and endure.

…

“President Lan, here is all the information on the Guan Group you requested.”

Xiao Du’s efficiency never disappointed. We sat in the office analyzing Guan’s situation over the past few years. Guan Shuyun’s network was staggering—no wonder she could easily secure an internal lock on such a massive project. However, her business tactics were filthy. After closing the files, Xiao Du asked, “Do you need anything else? I can keep digging.”

“I’m very interested in this project. Set up an appointment with President Guan. Also, arrange a meeting with the business and marketing departments of both Jieshi and Zhuoyue.”

“Understood. Should I notify Beisheng International as well?”

“It’s not their strength. No need.”

“Got it.”

…

“I knew President Lan would come here for tea eventually. Tea is better than wine; a pot of clear tea boils the universe, while a glass of strong wine only charges through the world.”

Guan Shuyun’s office was decorated entirely in rosewood, giving it an antique feel that matched her temperament. She fiddled with the tea set as she spoke. I took the cup and inhaled the aroma. This was perhaps the difference between us; our rhythms were on entirely different levels. Seeing through me, she smiled and continued, “President Lan is famous in the industry for being swift and decisive—time is precious to you. I’m just too lazy; I like drinking tea while talking business. Please bear with me.”

“You flatter me, President Guan. Slowing down occasionally isn’t a bad thing.”

“I knew you were broad-minded. You wouldn’t care about small projects. But if you want to make friends and seek cooperation, you have to ‘let go of the child to catch the wolf.’ Hahaha, I hope you don’t mind the expression.”

Knowing full well that I was the one in the passive position today, I realized Guan Shuyun’s hypocritical humility had reached a certain level of artistry. Neither of us would get straight to the point, so I could only play along with a polite smile. “You are too modest. Since I am sitting here, you are the host and I am the guest. We can set the bidding project aside for a moment.”

Guan Shuyun waved her hand and pushed a file across the tea table toward me. “This is my sincerity. It’s not just for a one-time collaboration. I want to reach a common goal with you—sharing the gains and the burdens. This city’s market is huge; monopoly is my ultimate goal.”

I opened the file with suspicion. It was a Letter of Intent to co-invest in a new company under both our names. This new company would handle the construction for all future joint-bid projects. We would each provide half of the essential qualifications and capital. Most importantly, Guan Shuyun offered to share her relationship resources. On the surface, the risks were balanced, and I seemed to be the primary beneficiary.

A person like Guan Shuyun never lets herself lose; she must have an ulterior motive. Pie doesn’t just fall from the sky. Closing the letter, I looked up at her. “Tossing such a ‘sweet deal’ to a competitor… President Guan, how do you expect me to trust you?”

Guan Shuyun shook her head and laughed for a while. “I told you, this is my sincerity. If you really don’t believe me, let’s find a time for a dinner. One meal, and I’ll introduce you to the people you want to know. One meal, and I’ll significantly increase the win rate for Jieshi or Zhuoyue on the Island Project. When your companies win the bid, don’t forget my kindness.”

She poured me another cup of tea. Our eyes met over the document. “Fine. I’ll take the Letter of Intent. I need time to consider.”

“Of course, take your time. But we are the same kind of people—time is precious. If you still don’t trust me after that dinner, there’s nothing more I can do.”

…

For the first time, the office felt suffocating. I grabbed my bag and fled the company in a panic. Once in the car, I realized I had nowhere to go. I didn’t want to go home—Feifan wasn’t there—and seeing Guan Shuyun would only be more frustrating.

I wondered where Feifan was now. By the time I snapped out of it, I had already driven to Feifan’s old apartment. I remembered during her prison sentence, I would often stay there for a few days. Lying in her bed, I would dream of her. I would wash her clothes and fold them neatly into the closet, keeping the place spotless, wanting the space to feel lived-in. But those quiet moments without her noise were incredibly lonely.

I used my key to open the door. The lingering smell of smoke inside made me frown. I must have made her so sad. I walked to the balcony where her favorite lounge chair sat; the floor was covered in cigarette butts—the remains of her melancholy. I took off my coat and leaned back into her chair. She must have spent all of last night here; her scent still lingered on the pillow.

After resting for a while, I decided to clean the place. Later, I’d go pick up Xiduoduo. My You Feifan, when are you coming home? I’m a little hungry; I want to eat the food you cook.

I opened the study door and froze. The floor was covered in photos she had cut into pieces. I knelt to pick some up, trying to piece them together. It wasn’t hard to see: the photos were of me and Guan Shuyun.

I scrambled to assemble a few. These were scenes of me and Guan Shuyun out on business over the past few days, taken by someone secretly. There were many of them, complete with timestamps. I realized then what Feifan had been going through while I wasn’t by her side. To use such dirty tactics to drive a wedge between us… I could think of no one else but Guan Shuyun and Qiao Xin.

I gathered the photos into a bag, cleaned the study, and drove straight to the villa area. Back at home, I lost my mind. I grabbed Xiduoduo, who was wagging his tail at me, and since we lived so close, I stormed straight toward Guan Shuyun’s house.

As luck would have it, she was home, sitting in her garden drinking tea and watching the sunset. Seeing me approach so aggressively, she remained her usual slow, lazy self. Rage made me lose my reason; it made me childish and naive. Without thinking of the consequences, I pushed open the garden gate, let go of the leash, and commanded: “Bite her!”

Duoduo seemed to understand. He began barking incessantly the moment he entered the garden. I dropped the leash, and he roared as he lunged toward Guan Shuyun. Terrified by the barking and my behavior, she immediately stood up and ran. Duoduo chased her, snapping at her heels.

“Lan Feiyi! Did you forget your meds? Are you crazy?!”

“Duoduo, come here!”

Reclaiming the leash, I walked up to Guan Shuyun with the bag in my hand. “How do you explain this?”

Guan Shuyun stayed wary of Duoduo, leaning far forward to hook the bag with her hand while glaring at me. “What is this?”

“What is this? I should be asking what kind of thing you are!”

Guan Shuyun looked at the contents, tilted her head, and stared at me. Then, she burst out laughing. “You’re really special today. You have a bit of ‘fire’ in you. More adorable than usual.”

“What’s so funny? Shut up!”

She opened the bag and fished out some fragments. After looking closely, her expression turned even more amused. “Who took these? The angles are quite clever.”

“Hmph. Stop playing dumb.”

“You surely don’t suspect I hired someone to take these?” She thought for a moment, then it clicked. “No wonder You Feifan was acting like she’d swallowed gunpowder yesterday. It was because of this. But that’s fine. Even though I didn’t do it, since it had such an effect, it plays right into my hands. I’m happy to take the blame.”

“You!”

“You’re so angry because You Feifan ran away, aren’t you? You’ve had your tantrum, President Lan. Go home and rest. I need those proposals urgently.”

“Guan Shuyun, do you think I came here just for a joke? I’m here to inform you—”

She reached out to stop me, her face turning serious. “Don’t tell me you’re canceling the cooperation. Yes, you have plenty of money; you could ignore hundreds of millions in penalties. But the new company has already started operating several major projects. If you withdraw now, your losses won’t be just a few hundred million. Along with Jieshi, Zhuoyue, and Beisheng International—can you afford to play that way? Right now, you still have capital to play against us. If you lose everything, how will you fight? Don’t forget, you have a whole crowd of people around you—all happy families of three.”

It was a blatant, naked threat. I stared at Guan Shuyun’s smug face and finally had to concede. With a helpless, bitter smile, I pulled the leash. “Duoduo, let’s go home.”

Guan Shuyun followed me to the gate and suddenly grabbed my sleeve. “Lan Feiyi, there is actually another path you could try. We—”

Before she could finish, I turned back and looked at her coldly. “Don’t even think about it… You are so dirty… I’m out of your league.”

No matter how I attacked her verbally, Guan Shuyun kept that smile on her face. Her depth was far beyond my imagination. At my response, she rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily. When she leaned her face close to mine again, her expression was gone. A cold, murderous glint flashed in her eyes. “I’m a petty person, and I hold grudges easily. It’s better if you speak a bit more gently, President Lan.”

Before I could react, Duoduo moved between us again with a low growl, refusing to let her near. I smiled and stroked Duoduo’s head, muttering to myself, “I didn’t even want to keep Duoduo at first, but today I got to see a great show of ‘dog-eat-dog.’ Don’t try to out-grudge me. Who isn’t a petty person these days?”