My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Drunk. “Don’t Speak”

Mu Duoran stood before the wine cabinet, browsing through the selection before picking out two bottles of red wine and returning to the sofa. As she opened the wine, she stared at me. “I see only two words written on your face: ‘hidden troubles.’ Ever since Feifan left, you’ve been completely out of sorts. Qiao Xin is blackmailing you, making it impossible for you to resist right now—I understand that. But how about I find someone to bring Feifan back?”

I pushed my wine glass toward her and shook my head despondently. “When Feifan was here, she was like a habit I couldn’t break. I felt her presence everywhere. That sense of security was like breathing; you never worry about running out of air. Since she left, life has become a mess. Qingfan cries for her, and I don’t have the strength to manage. But what if I bring her back? It would only give Guan Shuyun and Qiao Xin another chance to play their tricks.”

“I can’t imagine… if Feifan knew Qiao Xin wanted to take the child, she would definitely go after them regardless of the consequences. After all these years, she still hasn’t fixed that impulsive streak.”

“That is exactly what I’m afraid of. Qiao Xin’s chessboard encompasses everything I own. Guan Shuyun driving Feifan away was nothing more than a move to make me feel the pain of lost love. If Feifan hadn’t left, with their methods, they would have had countless ways to torture her. I’d rather be the villain who hurts her than see her fall into the hands of Guan and Qiao.”

We clinked glasses. I tilted my head and drained the wine in one go. Mu Duoran looked at me in shock. “You’re wasting good wine.”

“Can’t you tell? I’m getting drunk on purpose!”

“You… have you already contacted Feifan?”

Duoran’s sharp intuition made my hand pause as I poured more wine. I looked up at her and finally shook my head in silence. She pressed on with a hint of agitation: “She refuses to come back?”

“No.”

“Guan Shuyun and Qiao Xin are screwing you over, and you can stay silent, but the only people in this world who can shake your emotions are the child and Feifan. You’ve always been like a proud rooster, refusing to lower your head, but now you look utterly defeated. Only Feifan could turn you into this.”

I set down the glass and looked at Mu Duoran with a faint smile. “You don’t know… there was a time when I was actually quite jealous of you. I thought, how could such a wonderful person be wasted on you? Later, I became jealous of myself. How could I have the right to waste someone so good? We are clearly stronger than her, yet in the end, she’s the one who protects us. She has nothing but her own flesh and blood, yet even when she hits a wall and bleeds, she refuses to turn back. We owe her too much.”

Mu Duoran lowered her gaze to the wine, her eyes reflecting the crimson liquid. “I still remember when I was trapped in that car; she cried like a child. We pushed her into the abyss over and over, yet in the end, she was too kind to hate me. Have you ever seen her wearing that helmet, riding her little scooter? I especially loved watching her squatting in the parking lot repairing it, her face covered in grease, muttering curses under her breath.”

“She never did take me for a ride. She must have invited me a dozen times, and I rejected her every time.”

“Tell me. You contacted her. What happened?”

My lips curved into a bitter smile. As I looked up, tears betrayed me again, streaming down my face. I replied to Mu Duoran with a raspy sob: “The person who answered the phone wasn’t her. It was a stranger. A woman.”

Mu Duoran shook her head in disbelief, nearly spilling her wine. “Impossible… Feifan isn’t that kind of person. There must be a mistake. I’ll find someone to track her down immediately. Don’t panic.”

“Duoran, let’s let her go. If this departure is our end, then I accept that we were never meant to be. I don’t hate her or blame her. Instead of suffering with a personality monster like me, why not let her live more freely, more like herself? There’s no reason for her to share the burden of my sins. I’ve already hurt her enough.”

Duoran grabbed my shoulder. “Wake up! Losing you is the worst thing that could happen to her. You can’t give up on her. You two fought so hard to be together; you can’t let Guan Shuyun and Qiao Xin win. Didn’t you swear that no one could take You Feifan from you? Besides, everyone is still in the dark. How will you explain this to our friends and the child? I won’t allow you to make this decision!”

I brushed her hand away and stood up, sobbing. “In Feifan’s eyes, I am a cheating, horrible woman. She’s the one who said ‘break up’ this time. I was talking business with Guan Shuyun, but those terrible photos made her misunderstand. I have no way to defend myself.”

Duoran stood and grabbed her bag, her chest heaving with anger. She scolded me firmly: “I’m not staying to drink this depressing wine with you. Since you’ve lost your fighting spirit, I’m making the decisions! I’ll finish cleaning up all of Doris’s background data. My people have already had several dealings with Guan; she is very interested in Doris’s investment. I will use my German identity to meet her on Monday. If you’re willing to help, bring Miss Bi Lan to the Guan Group on Monday and put on a good show with me!”

Bam! Mu Duoran slammed the door as she left. I tossed my wine glass aside, grabbed the bottle, and began to gulp it down like a madwoman. I walked through the villa barefoot like a ghost. I went into the kitchen, but Feifan wasn’t there. I went into the bedroom, but she was gone. Not in the study, not in the garden, not even in the piano room in the attic.

Like someone who had lost a priceless treasure, I searched frantically. “Where are you? You Feifan, where are you… let’s not play hide and seek anymore, okay? Please come out…”

Exhausted, I curled up on the bay window in the bedroom, clutching Feifan’s pajamas. The world was darker than the sky outside; it must be because the streetlamp was gone. The bottle in my arms was empty. I stumbled downstairs to get another. A sudden lurch sent me off balance. I fell straight down the stairs, rolling several times. The pain made me wail. I sprawled on the floor, my vision blurred by a sea of empty bottles.

“Phoebe!”

Someone burst into my house and rushed toward me with a cry. I smiled through my tears: “Feifan… it hurts… Feifan, save me…”

Everything went black. I lost consciousness.

…

My nostrils were filled with the sharp scent of disinfectant. I opened my eyes and stared dizzily at the white ceiling. A joyful voice reached my ears: “You’re awake!”

I looked at the person beside me with immense hope, thinking it was Feifan. The disappointment was even greater than the hope. The person standing watch was Yu Xiao. She pressed the call button for the nurse. “The patient is awake; have the doctor come in.”

I tried to speak, but my throat was excruciatingly painful. Yu Xiao sat back down. “Acute alcohol poisoning. They pumped your stomach. The intubation injured your throat; don’t try to talk yet.”

She looked at my eyes and seemed to understand. She patted my hand. “Last night, a friend of yours named Doris called Yumeng and said you were drinking alone at home. We rushed over. You scared us to death; what could possibly be worth doing this to yourself?”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. Yu Xiao reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. “You are the famous Lan Feiyi. You can’t just collapse like this. Everything will get better.”

With the sharp click of high heels, Jian Yumeng walked in with some fruit, her signature mischievous smile in place. “Oh? The drunkard is awake?”

“Even now, you’re making snide remarks,” Yu Xiao scolded.

“I just think it’s a great honor to see the legendary President Lan lose her composure like this!”

The doctor entered. Yu Xiao asked, “Doctor, she’s awake. How is she?”

“Multiple soft tissue injuries on her knees and arms. Fortunately, no broken bones. She can be discharged once the IV is finished. Stick to a liquid diet for a while, and no more alcohol!”

The doctor left in a hurry. Jian Yumeng pulled up a stool. “Who is Doris?”

“Phoebe can’t talk yet, what are you doing!”

“Fine, I’ll shut up! But I have some good news Phoebe might be interested in. I had someone check Feifan’s general location. She’s in Sichuan. Based on travel and housing records, she went to Chengdu, then Kangding, then Daocheng. The records stop at Daocheng. That girl really knows how to travel—the Sichuan-Tibet line.”

I managed to force out a raspy, hoarse whisper: “Can you find out… who is with her?”

A flash of surprise crossed Jian Yumeng’s eyes. I caught her trying to hide something. She shook her head helplessly. “Honestly, nothing gets past you. There is indeed a woman with her. Probably a travel companion she met on the road.”

“Any more info on her?”

Jian Yumeng snapped her fingers. “Her name is Qiu Qi. She’s around Feifan’s age. That’s all I have for now. I’ll need to dig deeper for her background. Just focus on recovering.”

“Miss Jian… thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. If I run into trouble in the future, I’ll be relying on you, too. We’re in this together.”

…

Back at Feifan’s house, Yu Xiao was busy cooking in the kitchen. Jian Yumeng leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Does this scene look familiar? The biggest similarity between Yu Xiao and Feifan is their sense of family responsibility. But all these years, I’ve never forced her; she likes design and painting, so she does as she pleases. We’re quite casual. I suppose the difference between you and Feifan and us is that you have a child. An extra responsibility is an extra shackle.”

Yu Xiao walked toward the door carrying a steamed sea bass. “Go, go, go talk in the living room. Why are you blocking the door? A child? I want one too—are you going to give birth to one for me?!”

“See? Aren’t they cut from the same cloth?”

I looked at the two of them with a faint sense of comfort and sighed. “They really are.”