My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Defeated Return. “Trash”

I slammed my hand on the table, stood up, and glared at her. “Qiao Xin, I’m warning you! You’d better stay away from the child. If you have too much money and nowhere to spend it, and you want to play at lawsuits, I’ll take you on to the bitter end.”

My anger only delighted the three women sitting there. Guan Shuyun pulled at my hand and said with fake concern, “I told you, don’t be so hasty. Let Qiao Xin finish. Why get so angry, President Lan?”

I brushed her hand away. “Hypocrite.”

She shrugged noncommittally and looked at Qiao Xin, signaling her to continue. Qiao Xin downed another glass of wine before speaking slowly: “I see. Qingfan is your weakness because you raised her yourself. But that child’s existence has been tragic from the start. If she knew she wasn’t the product of her parents’ love, but merely a tool for her mother to seize a family fortune, imagine how devastated she’d be. She would hate you. She’d hate you for the rest of her life.”

I moved as if to confront Qiao Xin, but Guan Shuyun was quick to stop me. She feigned the role of a peacemaker, muttering a few rebukes: “Qiao Xin, don’t put it so harshly. The child is innocent, after all.”

Qiao Xin laughed coldly and shook her head. “Innocent? What a ridiculous word. Who sitting here is truly ‘innocent’ except for Lan Feiyi?”

Her smile vanished, replaced by a dark expression as she asked again: “I want a 10% investment stake.”

“I refuse.”

Seeing my continued defiance, Qiao Xin smashed her wine glass on the table and stood up. “I know your stubborn temper well, Lan Feiyi. So don’t blame me for being ruthless. That child is expendable to me—I have no feelings for her. But can you really afford to lose her? I’ve thought of a perfect plan to turn everything you cherish into nothing.

I have many friends in the domestic financial media. You suppressed the news of how my brother died, but I will leak it all. I’ll throw that child into a whirlpool of public scrutiny; she’ll live her whole life in a shadow, branded with an indelible stain. Public opinion will crush the Lan family’s stock price, make you the laughingstock of the industry, and jeopardize all your projects.

And even if only a few people in the circle know your sexual orientation, it’s still a goldmine for gossip. When all the scandals point at you, what will you do? I can’t wait to see you occupying the headlines of every news platform. Your little girlfriend will be dug up, too—doxxing is so simple these days.

I won’t even need much effort. Your so-called business empire, your reputation, your family—everything will collapse. Finally, I’ll send you a lawyer’s letter stating that your actions have caused trauma to the child and that the environment you provide is unfit for raising her. Guess if I’ll win custody? I don’t think it’ll be that hard.”

I gritted my teeth in a low growl: “Qiao Xin! You dare threaten me?”

Qiao Xin laughed loudly while pouring more wine. “Hahaha! What wouldn’t I dare? You made us lose the people and things we cherished most; we can do the same to you. Lan Feiyi, let’s make a big bet. Family, love, career—you must choose to give up one. Which will it be? The rules are simple: you must play alone. I want to watch you suffer in silence as you cut off what you love. If you don’t follow the rules, I will do everything I just promised.”

“Do you think I’ll step down just because you’re cornering me with threats?”

“If you don’t care about the child, then you don’t have to fear me or play my game. Do you know why we waited until now to show up? Because you’ve already signed the cooperation agreement. Even if the terms look fair on paper, I want that 10%, and you no longer have the right to veto. Any VC you recommend from now on, President Guan will reject. You are bound to us, and we can suppress you with ease. There is no chance for a clean getaway.”

Guan Shuyun chimed in: “President Lan is a smart woman. If I were you, I’d choose to give up love. After all, if love is gone, you can find it again. But if your child and the empire you worked so hard for are gone, they’re gone for good. Am I right? Come, drink this glass of wine, and the game officially begins.”

I was completely at a disadvantage. Their blatant blackmail left me no choice. Guan Shuyun pushed the glass toward me. I glared at her, hesitated, and then downed it in one go. “Fine! If you want to play so badly, I’ll go to the end with you. We’ll see who wins when the dust settles.”

Guan Shuyun clapped. “Splendid! I like that.”

Li Shuhua stood up and walked over to me. “You’re more capable than your mother. Too bad a mistress’s child is still a mistress’s child. It’s a pity Old Man Lan put all his effort into supporting you, only for the family business to fall into your hands like this.”

Faced with Li Shuhua’s crude insult, I clenched my fists and ignored her. She pushed the door open and left. Qiao Xin stood up as well. “President Guan’s wine is good. I’m heading back to France tomorrow. Since you’ve chosen to give up love, President Guan will play out a good show with you while I’m away. I’ll take my leave now~”

Only Guan Shuyun and I remained in the restaurant. I stared at her in silence. She turned her face away. “I was thinking, if it weren’t for all this baggage, I would have really liked you—just like Joann was obsessed with you. I’m sorry our positions are so different that I have to strike at you.”

I used both hands to push myself off the table to leave, but a sudden wave of dizziness forced me back into the chair. “What did you put in the wine?!”

“How could the wine be the problem? I just put a micro-dose of a sedative in the glass. It won’t hurt you; it just makes you feel limp, like you’re drunk.”

“What do you want to do to me?”

The feeling of weakness grew. Slumped on the table, I could only glare at her. She leaned in, pinched my chin, and wore a nauseating look of petty triumph. “Such a beautiful face. What? Scared I’ll eat you? I’m just taking you home to see You Feifan. The game has started, after all.”

“What do you want to do to Feifan?”

“What? Hmph. Back then, she was so heroic, swapping places with the hostage to die with Joann. I want to meet her and see how brave she really is. For a nobody like her, a beating isn’t enough to satisfy my grudge. You can barely save yourself, so don’t worry about her. What I want is simple: make her hate you and leave you. The greatest pain in this world isn’t death—it’s being separated while still alive.”

I tried to move, but it was useless. My mind began to cloud, and Guan Shuyun’s voice grew muffled. I vaguely heard her instruct the servants: “President Lan has had too much to drink. Help her to the car.”

Guan Shuyun changed her clothes before getting in. She leaned against the window and signaled the driver to go. A bizarre atmosphere filled the car. I was powerless, unable even to change my posture, only able to squint at her. She suddenly spoke:

“Do you know how much Qiao Xin hates you? Enough to not even spare the child. After Joann died, the Lan family blocked the news. When the old lady found out the truth, she collapsed and has been paralyzed ever since. Qiao Xin once looked up to you as an elder sister. During your time in France, do you realize how much Joann did to help you win the inheritance?

The moment You Feifan got out of prison, you laid your cards on the table with Joann. He loved Lan Qingfan no less than You Feifan did; even the child’s name was a massive insult to him. Did you ever feel a shred of gratitude toward him? What did he get in the end? Everyone must pay for their mistakes. Yes, Joann was wrong—he shouldn’t have taken his wife and child hostage, he shouldn’t have killed himself, he shouldn’t have loved you at all.

But who bears the bigger fault for things reaching this point? You are so arrogant and capable, yet you manipulated Joann’s feelings to win a fortune. Do you know how many people you’ve hurt for your own gain? Now your child has to suffer for you, and even You Feifan is dragged in.”

I couldn’t argue. The dosage Guan Shuyun used was calculated—it kept me paralyzed but conscious. As her car entered the garden, she raised an eyebrow and pointed to a passing villa. “I bought a house here a long time ago, waiting for today. I think I’ll be neighbors with You Feifan very soon.”

Guan Shuyun deliberately had the driver stop outside the garden. She opened the car door, draped my arm over her shoulder, and whispered, “If we’re going to act, we have to make it look real.”

She supported me, panting as she crossed the garden, and finally knocked on the door. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the first formal meeting between Guan Shuyun and You Feifan. Feifan opened the door. Thinking I was drunk, she took me from Guan Shuyun with worry. After a few pleasantries, Guan Shuyun finally left.

I collapsed on the sofa. Feifan went to the kitchen to get water, complaining the whole time. After a while, I managed to move my feet—I could finally move. I couldn’t explain what had happened. Qingfan is still small, and the world outside is treacherous. I have to protect my child. With Beisheng International in deep trouble, I couldn’t be sure when Jieshi would face the same.

Looking at Feifan’s earnest face, my heart was a mess of emotions. I believed she wouldn’t leave me; she would trust me unconditionally. She had said she was a streetlamp—no matter how far I went or how many detours I took, she would be there, waiting for me to come home.

I vented my frustration on her without reason, shouting at her. She stood there stunned and helpless as I stumbled upstairs. She tried to help me, but I brushed her off. In my heart, I kept saying I’m sorry.

I’ve faced so many crises and always managed to turn them around. But this time, Qiao Xin’s group caught me completely off guard. I need time and energy to plan. I need Mu Duoran; she’s the only one who can stabilize the situation.