My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Heart to Heart. “Red Rose”

“It’s so cold out here, why aren’t you resting in your room? Don’t forget you’re an injured person.”

In the dead of night, I stood in the garden admiring the desolation of late winter. Guan Shuyun held a coat in her hands and kindly draped it over my shoulders. I rubbed my hands together and exhaled a cloud of white mist into the night sky. “Thank you…”

“Even though I don’t quite trust you, I still need to thank you for… today.”

I lowered my head with a smile, kicking a pebble at my feet. “If it weren’t for Qiu Qi and He Mu stirring up trouble, I wouldn’t have stabbed you that day either. What goes around comes around; let’s just say we’re even.”

“Young lady… are you okay?”

Guan Shuyun’s question caught me off guard. I tilted my head and stared at her blankly. “Hmm… what do you mean?”

“I saw how harshly you berated Lan Feiyi today. Doesn’t your heart ache?”

“Why would it? All she gave me was a dead heart and cold disappointment. Talking about heartache is meaningless now.”

“I’ve thought of a good idea. Would you like to be my assistant? I want to keep you by my side at all times. That way, you and Lan Feiyi will meet often. I want to see if your heart is truly dead or if you’re just putting on a show for me.”

What is this woman plotting now? I lit a cigarette and thought for a moment. “I care more about how much you’re going to pay me. I won’t be an errand girl if the benefits aren’t good.”

“How can you be so realistic? I’m providing room, board, and a job opportunity. Don’t be ungrateful.”

Guan Shuyun seemed to be in a good mood. She reached out, snatched the cigarette from my lips, threw it on the ground, and crushed it. “I don’t like the smell of smoke. Smoking is bad for your health. Didn’t Lan Feiyi ever control you?”

“I’m a simple person. Besides cooking and raising a child, smoking is one of my few habits. She used to turn a blind eye—a kind of respect, I suppose.”

“Well, with me, you have to break your bad habits.”

With that, Guan Shuyun prepared to leave, but I called out to her. “CEO Guan, did you love your sister?”

She stopped but didn’t turn around. After a long silence, she replied, “Don’t try to pry into others’ hearts. It’s none of your business.”

“If there were no feelings, you wouldn’t avoid the question. Do you regret it? I traveled with Qiu Qi and saw many places. Though I never knew Guan Qinyun, I could see the shadow of a lover in her. People tend to become like the ones they love deeply. If it weren’t for love, she wouldn’t have ended up this way. I’m an outsider, unfortunately dragged into this mess, but I’m just looking at the truth from a bystander’s perspective.”

Guan Shuyun turned and walked briskly toward me. She looked like she wanted to poke my shoulder but hesitated, like an angry cat with an arched back. “What do you know? You only know that Guan Shuyun is unscrupulous, playing the villain to the best of her ability, destroying lives easily. But you don’t know how Guan Shuyun got to where she is today.

People like Lan Feiyi and me never get to live our own lives. We are bound by so many shackles. A commoner like you wouldn’t understand.

The most selfish person was Guan Qinyun. Her hypocritical tenderness only fooled ignorant people like Qiu Qi and He Mu. To escape her innate shackles and gain freedom, she left me here alone while she enjoyed the world and had her comfortable romance. Did she ever ask her sister if the soul trapped here was tired?

Guan Shuyun never owed anyone anything and used to be kind-hearted. It’s the world that’s unfair, taking away everyone who loved me one by one. I was happy once, but for me, it was just a fleeting moment. If I don’t use every means necessary, how can I preserve all this glory?”

At this point, the Guan Shuyun who had never cried in front of me was actually in tears. She’s such a stubborn, tsundere woman. Perhaps Qiu Qi’s confrontation today touched her vulnerability; she stubbornly believes Guan Qinyun abandoned her, turning her life gray. But as humans, everyone needs to live their own life—who isn’t selfish? Yet, at this moment, she must be full of regret.

She grabbed my collar and rested her head against my chest. I was stunned by the gesture and didn’t know if I should comfort her. She just sobbed, “Let me borrow your shoulder…”

I hesitated for a moment, then finally stroked her long hair and sighed. “If you want to cry, let it out. Holding it in only makes it worse. Everyone has to take responsibility for their actions. You punished her for leaving by rejecting her, but in doing so, you lost her forever. This is also your punishment from heaven.”

A woman nearly forty crying like a rain-drenched pear blossom! But as she looked up at me, I felt a trace of pity for her. “You mean… everything is karma?”

I used my sleeve to wipe her tears, saying sadly, “Just like my struggle with Qiao An over Phoebe. I won and he died, so you guys showed up. Karma is a constant cycle; stories of love and hate never end.

Do you know why I love Qingfan so much? Partly because of ‘love me, love my dog’—she’s Phoebe’s child, so I love her unconditionally. On the other hand, during that explosion when I took the place of Phoebe and the child as a hostage, Qiao An chased me out. He stood in the hallway watching his two favorite people leave, and he stopped. That was the last bit of conscience he had in his despair.

Even when I fell down the stairs, he could have caught me, but he didn’t. He chose to detonate the bomb. He could have put it anywhere, but he kept it by his side. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived. A child losing a father is a tragic thing, so I love Qingfan deeply, carrying Qiao An’s share of regret. This is my karma.”

…

“Hmm, this suit fits you well. How’s the wound?”

A week of recovering at the Guan estate passed in the blink of an eye. On Monday morning, Guan Shuyun had a work outfit prepared for me. I cleaned myself up before heading to the dining room to meet her.

Since that night, my interactions with Guan Shuyun were no longer hostile. While we weren’t sharing everything, our communication was harmonious. I patted my shoulder. “It’s starting to scab. I don’t need bandages anymore.”

Guan Shuyun waved her phone at me. “Perfect. Today is the Guan Corporation’s mid-to-high-level annual meeting. You’ll accompany me to get familiar with the staff. By the way, I’ve invited CEO Lan. You can communicate with her then. Once work is on track, many of the people you’ll deal with will be old faces; you shouldn’t be a stranger.”

“Okay.”

I pulled out a chair and answered briefly, then served myself a bowl of oatmeal. I put butter on a slice of bread and toasted it, adding a fried egg and bacon. Guan Shuyun had developed a habit; every time she saw me making a breakfast sandwich, she would lean her head over and wait silently.

Once I finished, she pushed her empty plate toward me. I secured the sandwich with a toothpick and put it on her plate, muttering, “Don’t you get tired of eating this every day? If you like it, you can have the chef make it. Why do you always eye mine?”

She greedily picked up the sandwich for a bite, shot me a glare, and said, “Ahem… you’re the only one who likes to play with food. These ingredients are mine anyway. What’s wrong with me having one of your sandwiches?”

“The boss is always right.”

“Glad you realize it. That’s more like it.”

After breakfast, we went to the garden. I headed for my car, and Guan Shuyun followed me, circling it with a look of utter disdain. “This junk car of yours looks so flimsy.”

I jingled my keys and retorted, “Of course it can’t compare to your luxury cars. Besides, what did the Tiguan do to you? Volkswagens are solid and can take a hit.”

“Fine, fine. Drive my car.”

She tossed the keys to me. I was stunned. “An assistant is an assistant; a driver is a driver. I’m not happy about doing two jobs for one salary.”

Guan Shuyun didn’t bother arguing. “Are you driving or not?”

Seeing her face darken, I immediately opened the door for her. “I’m driving.”

On the way to the office, Guan Shuyun sat in the back in silence until we picked up her secretary. She began arranging the day’s affairs while listening to the schedule report. Everything was progressing as I hoped, but I couldn’t let my guard down. For all I knew, Guan Shuyun’s sudden kindness was just a test.

Being a driver had its perks; I could overhear many things about her work, including projects involving Phoebe and Duoran. As we entered the company garage, the secretary suddenly said, “CEO Guan, Miss Qiao Xin sent an email specifically requesting to talk to you before the annual meeting begins.”

Guan Shuyun gave a lazy reply: “I know.”

I suddenly stopped the car and looked awkwardly at the secretary in the passenger seat. “Um… which one is the boss’s parking spot?”

The secretary covered her mouth with a folder, stifling a laugh. “There isn’t a specific one, but the boss usually parks closest to the elevator. Drive over there; there’s bound to be a spot.”

“Oh, okay, okay.”

After getting out, I rushed to open the door for Guan Shuyun, carrying her files and bag. I whispered a complaint: “Does the boss of such a big company not have an assistant before this?”

Guan Shuyun overheard me and shot me a glance, changing the subject. “I heard you used to be CEO Lan’s assistant too.”

That felt like a lifetime ago. I brushed it off with a laugh. “My main job was finance and project management. The assistant role was a side gig! More accurately, I was Qiao An’s assistant, and he bullied me relentlessly.”

“So you have experience. Good. When we get to the office, make me a cup of coffee.”

I let out a sigh, clutching the files and bag, and responded obediently, “Oh… okay.”

This woman was moving into ‘boss mode’ very quickly. However, I had mastered the art of shifting identities and attitudes under Lan Feiyi. For now, it was best to be obedient.

I reminded myself deep down: Don’t ever forget why you’re doing this. Qiao Xin would be here today. I still remembered her saying I would come looking for her. Indeed, Guan Shuyun was not my ultimate target. The person I wanted to get close to, from beginning to end, was Qiao Xin.