My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Inkling. “Love Has a Way Out”

After hearing Su Wei’s words, I fixed a broad smile directly on Qiao Xin. Seeing my expression, the slight, arrogant sneer on her face actually faded. We stood there in a silent standoff until she finally grew tired of the staring contest. She looked away and quipped, “How boring.”

I could see it now—Qiao Xin’s trip really wasn’t about seeing the child. At the very least, she had come empty-handed with nothing but a thin sheet of paper, not even a small gift for the girl. I didn’t know what she was plotting, but it certainly wasn’t anything good.

Losing my patience, I spoke up again: “We told you the child isn’t home. Why are you still lingering here? Waiting for us to serve you lunch? Sorry, we’re not providing guest meals today.”

Qiao Xin looked back at me, shifting her body to get even closer. Her eyes were filled with disgust, yet her voice remained calm. “In this place, the person least qualified to kick me out is you. Who exactly are you to the Lan family? Do you have a blood relation? A marital connection? I am, at the very least, the child’s biological aunt. Don’t you find your status awkward? Don’t think that because you raised a child for a few years, you’re suddenly the mother. To put it bluntly, you’re just a high-end nanny… Oh, wait… I seem to recall… you and Lan Feiyi have already broken up. Looking at it that way, your presence here is just laughable.”

I gritted my teeth, holding back an outburst. Su Wei was even more furious; she rushed in front of me, shielding me as if she feared I’d lose control and throw a punch. She barked out an angry rebuke, “This is the Lan house; it’s not your place to lecture anyone! Watch your mouth!”

Su Wei’s movement triggered Qiao Xin’s two bodyguards, but Qiao Xin stopped them just in time. She stared at Su Wei, turning her venom toward her instead: “You’re no better. Since you couldn’t make it work with Lan Feiyi, you set your sights on her brother. Now you consider yourself half a Lan, having a son and wondering how much of the Lan fortune you can snag.”

Suddenly, a figure shot past me like a bolt of lightning, yanking Su Wei behind him. He braced his hands against the back of the sofa, looming over Qiao Xin. Erm… where did Fei Jun come from? For a moment, everyone was stunned. He first glared at the bodyguards, uttering a single word: “Get out.”

Then he looked down at Qiao Xin and said coldly, “I’ll give your brother face and won’t resort to violence. Apologize to my wife.”

Good grief. In the middle of all this, he still managed to deliver a sudden, overwhelming dose of “1982 Royal Italian Dog Food.” The protective, overbearing CEO vibe was strong—has he been reading too many romance novels? Sorry… I don’t know why I’m suddenly narrating like a critic.

Qiao Xin leaned back into the sofa, crossing her arms without a hint of fear. She looked up at Fei Jun with a radiant smile. “Second Brother, long time no see.”

At that moment, accompanied by the sharp, hurried click of high heels, a low-pitched reprimand came from the doorway: “Haven’t you had enough?!”

We all turned in unison. Phoebe appeared with several bodyguards of her own. Fei Jun straightened his clothes and stepped back to Su Wei’s side, taking her hand as they moved to another sofa. Since the head of the house was back, there was no reason for me to stay. I hadn’t helped much—instead, I’d just ended up feeling blocked—so I decided to leave before more trouble found me.

As I walked toward the exit, I passed Phoebe. She stared at Qiao Xin, then shifted her gaze to me. Our eyes met in a silent exchange, but she didn’t stop me. However, just as we brushed past each other, Qiao Xin’s mocking voice rang out behind me: “Don’t go, You Feifan. Weren’t you quite spirited just now? Why do you lose your nerve the moment Phoebe arrives? The real show is about to start. Stay and watch.”

I paused and turned back. Phoebe said sharply, “Qiao Xin, I’ve given you enough face. Do not push my boundaries.”

Qiao Xin looked around, seemingly satisfied that everyone was present. She picked up the visitation order and began reading it aloud, word by word. Phoebe’s expression grew grimmer by the second. I noticed her hands clenched into fists, veins popping. She then commanded the group behind her: “Get them out of here!”

Phoebe’s men had only taken a few steps forward when the two bodyguards moved to protect Qiao Xin. Qiao Xin burst out laughing. “Fine, fine, I’m done playing. It seems I won’t see my little niece today. Consider this a special trip just to deliver this order.”

She picked up her designer bag, certain that no one would dare touch her, and walked toward Phoebe. The standoff between them was an invisible war. Qiao Xin dropped the playful smile, her voice dripping with irony, seemingly intended for my ears: “I’ve got the ten percent equity. You’ve lost your lover. And in the end, I can still come and see the child whenever I want. Look at you—trusting the words of an enemy. Have these past few years been too comfortable for you? You’ve grown quite dull. Don’t worry, we’re just getting started.”

With that, Qiao Xin looked at me and fished a business card out of her bag. She reached out to straighten my crumpled collar. I dodged and dismissively swatted her hand away. “Ugh! You’re so annoying, keep your hands off me!”

Amused by my reaction, she forced the card into my hand. “Take it. You’ll definitely find it useful later. Since I’ve seen all the faces, old and new, I’ll take my leave. After all, we have a long time ahead of us.”

She crumpled the visitation order she’d been holding and tossed the paper ball at Phoebe’s feet. As the arrogant woman marched out, she suddenly remembered something and turned back, calling out to Fei Jun: “Oh, Second Brother. Your mother asked me to pass along a message. It’s been a long time, and she misses her little grandson dearly. Remember to come home for dinner often. And she asked me to remind you—don’t bring Su Wei. She doesn’t recognize her as a daughter-in-law. Bye-bye~”

Qiao Xin vanished as quickly as she had come, leaving everyone’s faces looking terrible. Fei Jun even took off his shoe and threw it toward the door with all his might. “Get out! You piece of trash!”

I stared at him wordlessly, walked a few steps, picked up the shoe, and handed it back. “That woman’s tongue is pure poison.”

Fei Jun was clearly exploding with rage; otherwise, a gentleman like him would never have lost his composure like that. Though, the act was actually quite endearing.

“Duoduo, let’s go.”

I called out to the dog, but the little traitor was lying at Phoebe’s feet, nuzzling her head against her as if acting spoiled. Phoebe knelt down to pet him. I was a bit shocked; usually, she would have dodged in disgust. The moment of softness Duoduo brought her lasted only a heartbeat. Phoebe stood back up and commanded sternly: “From now on, without my permission, no one is allowed to let Qiao Xin into this house, nor is she allowed to see Qingfan. If she has an issue, tell her to come to me directly.”

She then glared at me and added one more thing: “The same goes for You Feifan. No entering the Lan house, and no seeing Qingfan.”

The same old habits. Here she was again with her authoritarianism. Su Wei and Fei Jun tried to speak up for me, but I quickly made a “hush” gesture to stop them. I simply shrugged at Phoebe’s orders. As Qiao Xin said, there was no way for me to have a connection with the Lan family.

I took a step forward and stared seriously at Phoebe. In the past, I usually faced her with a playful grin, but now that the affection was gone, even a smile felt like a luxury.

“What exactly are you and Guan Shuyun doing? I never knew Qiao An had a sister. Why did she suddenly pop up and get mixed up with you? And… what does ‘ten percent equity’ mean? What does ‘losing your lover’ mean? That Qiao Xin is clearly coming for Qingfan. So much has happened, and even now, why do you still refuse to tell me the truth?”

Indifference. Always that indifference. Just how incompetent do I have to be for Lan Feiyi to hide every difficulty from me? I pressed closer and continued: “Do you know how it feels to be an outsider? You never understand that your self-righteous ‘protection’ is actually another form of harm. Fine. You don’t have to say anything… there are plenty of people who will tell me.”

I waved the business card Qiao Xin had given me. In the next second, Phoebe snatched it from my hand, tore it to shreds, and threw the pieces at me. She was trying to suppress her impulse, but she couldn’t quite hold it back. She warned me with a threatening tone, “I advise you to stay far away from Qiao Xin and Guan Shuyun. Neither of them is good news. Also, do not cross my bottom line again.”

I stared at the shredded paper on the floor and said with a smile, “It doesn’t matter if the card is torn; I can still find her. Bottom line? What is your bottom line? Do you know what mine is? Lies, deception, betrayal. You were the one who repeatedly said you wouldn’t hurt me, yet you’re the one who trampled on my feelings over and over. You crossed the line a long time ago.”

She kept her lips tightly pressed. What on earth could be so difficult that it could paralyze even the all-powerful Phoebe? I was disappointed, and my heart had turned cold. We had lost the last of our trust in each other. I turned and strode toward the exit, raising my voice so everyone could hear: “I won’t give you another chance. I won’t listen to anything you say. From today on, if anyone dares to lie to me or bully me, I won’t let a single one of you off—even if you are Lan Feiyi!”

I left just like that, as if I wanted nothing anymore. I didn’t want the child I had painstakingly raised. I didn’t want the lover who had been like my shadow. I didn’t want the friends who loved and protected me. I got into the car and floored the gas. In the rearview mirror, I saw Duoduo running frantically after the car with his tongue out. Fine. I don’t even want the dog.

What I abandoned was a world called “Home.” It was a world I had traded my freedom for, nearly lost my life for, and changed my identity for—a world I had fought with everything I had to obtain. Today, I returned it all to Lan Feiyi. I wanted her to remember: You Feifan owes her nothing. Instead, it is she who owes You Feifan a decade of life built with a sincere heart.