My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Born to be King. “Radio Love Song”

I reclined on the balcony lounge chair, sipping coffee and feeding bits of bread to Duoduo. The weather was quite pleasant today; even if the winter sun lacked warmth, its light was enough to lift one’s spirits. Had it not been for Guan Shuyun’s phone call, my mood would have been perfect.

I tidied the house unhurriedly before beginning a complex and lengthy makeup routine. It wasn’t until I finished lining my lips in the vanity mirror that I deemed myself ready. I selected a classic Burberry plaid trench coat, paired it with a dark brown wool scarf from the same brand, and gathered my long hair, letting it fall loosely over my shoulders. By the time I put on my boots and checked the time, it was already 9:30 AM. Grabbing my handbag, I bent down to kiss Duoduo’s head. “Be a good boy and wait for me to come home!”

Duoduo, who had been wagging his tail, suddenly let out a sharp bark. As I stood up to reach for the door handle, the door was pulled open from the outside. Along with a rush of cold air, a smiling face I hadn’t seen in a long time appeared in my line of sight. At that moment, my world seemed to stand still.

She had tanned, making her teeth look exceptionally white, and her smile was as radiant as the sun outside. Her hair had grown much longer, messy and wind-swept, with bangs covering half her face. Unfortunately, that smile wasn’t for me—it was for the stranger standing behind her.

They looked like a couple who had been traveling for a long time, wearing similar heavy jackets and carrying massive trekking backpacks. They seemed to carry the dust of the entire world on their shoulders, a mix of exhaustion and inexhaustible joy. I stood frozen in the doorway, panic-stricken. The smile on Feifan’s lips solidified, then slowly vanished.

I saw her instinctively let go of the woman’s hand. We stared at each other, yet remained speechless.

“I said 9:10! I gave you until 9:30, and you’re still not—”

Guan Shuyun was walking slowly up the stairs, her sarcastic grumbling audible from a distance. When she saw Feifan standing at the door, she stopped in her tracks. Then, a slow, predatory smile spread across her face.

Feifan glanced at Guan Shuyun, then turned back to stare at me. In the small space between the hallway and the door, among the four of us, a tiny world of outward calm and inward emotional turbulence formed. Feifan looked like she wanted to say something, but my first reaction was to grab her collar and violently haul her into the house, with the stranger following close behind.

Feifan tried to approach me, her voice a tender whisper: “Phoebe… I…”

Due to the momentum, she stumbled against me. I could smell that unique, comforting scent of hers—not a perfume, but something that made me obsessed. I wanted so badly to reach out and hold her, to touch her cheek and say Welcome home, to tell her I was trying to change, and that all my longing and love belonged to her. She was my home.

But hearing Guan Shuyun’s footsteps approaching outside, I shook my head. My eyes welled with tears of frustration and helplessness. For Guan Shuyun to run into a returning Feifan face-to-face was worse than I had imagined. Her warnings still echoed in my ears.

I gritted my teeth and pushed her away ruthlessly. I barked at her harshly, “Didn’t you leave? Not a word for weeks! Who told you to come back?!”

I turned my head to avoid her bewildered gaze and left as fast as I could, slamming the door shut behind me. I stood against the door, leaning back, and raised an eyebrow at Guan Shuyun, saying casually, “Let’s go.”

Guan Shuyun tilted her head, trying to peer past me at the door. She sighed meaningfully, “This is getting more and more interesting.”

I ignored her and strode forward, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. Seeing my silence, she continued, “What? Are you afraid I’ll cause trouble for You Feifan? Don’t worry, many things are more important than her right now. We’ll take our time. Going on a trip and just bringing a woman home… You Feifan certainly knows how to give surprises.”

I stopped and glared at her. “If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re a mute.”

Guan Shuyun smirked. “I remember when she left, she told you it was a breakup. Finding someone new is only reasonable.”

“Guan Shuyun!!!”

“I’m right here!”

I forced a smile and pinched her cheek. “Please shut up. Thank you.”

Sitting in Guan Shuyun’s car, I closed my eyes in exhaustion. My mind was filled with the image of the woman behind Feifan. She must have been the one who answered my call with such smugness. You Feifan… you really are something else!

…

The office building Duoran chose for Doris Venture Capital was interesting; it sat right between Jieshi Excellence and the Guan Group headquarters, creating a perfect three-point line. The money and time spent on the office and recruitment were the costs of resisting Guan Shuyun. It was because of this preparation that Duoran, despite being back for a while, had only recently started interacting with the Guan family.

I had to admire her. Those years of drifting and fighting alone abroad had given her the experience to handle an old fox like Guan Shuyun with ease. As Guan Shuyun and I walked into the lobby, Duoran was already waiting at the door with her team of executives recalled from abroad.

She wore a smile of supreme arrogance, her tone laced with mock complaint: “President Guan, President Lan, you’ve finally arrived. Please, come in.”

Guan Shuyun looked around at the decor and whispered in my ear, “Looks decent enough.”

Seeing our whispering, Duoran turned back to us, still sounding triumphant. “I’m quite satisfied with the branch office’s renovation. What do you two think?”

Guan Shuyun nodded and began shamelessly praising it. “Excellent! It fits the comfortable, casual style of a foreign firm perfectly.”

“I suppose,” Duoran said. “My management style isn’t as meticulous as yours. As long as the work gets done and makes me money, I don’t care if people clock in. My standard for hiring is less fluff, more strength. Follow me.”

We took the elevator to the conference floor. The meeting rooms of various sizes were all partitioned by floor-to-ceiling glass. They were either rectangular or curved; the irregular shapes added a bit of fun to the otherwise rigorous floor. Some teams were already in sessions. At the very end was a private room.

Duoran pushed the door open and explained casually, “The ones outside are for the teams. This one is more suited for us. Please.”

The hollow circular conference table could accommodate dozens. The secretary had prepared hot tea, and materials and pens were already laid out. We took our seats, with Duoran at the head. She signaled the secretary to lower the motorized curtains and turned on the projector. It was a PPT from the administrative department, showcasing the successful investment cases of Doris Venture Capital over the years.

Duoran stood before the screen, lecturing on the strength and success of Doris. I found it somewhat ironic—as the secret owner of this fund, even I hadn’t realized how capable my “son” had become.

I leaned back in my chair, impressed. 365 days a year, the monthly, quarterly, and annual reports never arrived late. Sometimes I couldn’t even believe how good the Doris Fund’s business was. I was grateful to Duoran; she had made me money faithfully all these years without a single disloyal thought.

“President Lan? President Lan?”

When I snapped back to reality, the projector was off, and the curtains were up. The room was flooded with light. Duoran called my name softly while Guan Shuyun cleared her throat. I looked up at Duoran, dazed. “Hmm?”

She frowned slightly, though her lips kept a smile. “Do you think our Doris Venture Capital has enough strength now?”

I woke up completely, shifting my posture to hide my distraction. I stammered a response, “Yes… not bad… market prospects… the future looks promising.”

Seeing my approval, Duoran nodded with satisfaction. “That’s wonderful.”

She signaled her secretary, who quickly handed us the prepared documents. “President Guan already gave me the cooperation contract. But we still need President Lan’s final word to make it official. Please, take a look.”

Guan Shuyun flipped through the pages lazily, while I examined every line. I went over it several times to ensure there were no traps. Finally, I closed the folder. “I see no problems.”

Guan Shuyun’s face showed a flicker of relief. It was as if she thought this deal would fill her pockets to bursting. Her thoughts weren’t hard to guess—with Doris involved, it was all benefit and no harm to the Guan-Lan partnership. For instance, if the investor had been Bi Lan, she would have been too professional; disagreements on engineering details would lead to friction. But Doris Venture Capital was different—they just provided the cash and collected dividends. As long as things were legal, they wouldn’t interfere.

And as Guan Shuyun said, this was sustainable. In the future, if our respective companies had projects, Doris could provide the funds. Beyond commercial bank loans, this company acted like our private bank, providing layers of financial security. Everyone wins.

This was exactly why I chose a company half a world away to implement my plan. The early stages of an engineering project are like gambling; every step, from materials to construction to launch, relies on massive capital.

Guan’s projects were different from Jieshi Excellence. Lan’s projects were mostly hotel chains, pedestrian malls, and resorts; residential development was secondary. Guan’s projects were mostly government-related and massive in scale, meaning capital turnover was slower.

Therefore, Guan Shuyun would slowly become dependent on the Doris Fund. This was my bet. As long as it didn’t affect the operations of the Lan family companies, Doris only had to do one thing from now on: provide the money for Guan Shuyun’s expansion. When her commercial empire was in full bloom, it would be my time to harvest in the autumn.

Under everyone’s witness, the three of us signed. Duoran was beaming as if the achievement was her greatest yet. Guan Shuyun even stood up to embrace her, whispering something in her ear. While they were talking, I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Looking at the heavy traffic outside, an inadvertent smile touched my lips—a smile mixed with the joy of a successful scheme.

I couldn’t help but think: The view here is no worse than Jieshi Excellence.