My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Audio. “Don’t Trouble Me”

I prepared a late-night snack of fermented rice soup with small tangyuan and poached eggs—an old classic. Guan Shuyun hovered at the kitchen door, noisily asking when it would be ready. She claimed she almost never stepped foot in a kitchen and was only “supervising” to make sure I didn’t poison her. It was obvious she was just bored and looking to kill time—a classic case of her mouth saying one thing while her heart felt another.

Still, she found watching me knead the tangyuan dough fascinating. Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her, and she started playing with a piece of dough, getting white flour all over her hands. As I began scooping out the small pearls, I muttered, “You’ve eaten every delicacy under the sun. Why are you insisting on this common sweet soup of mine?”

“You make the things Lan Feiyi likes. If someone as demanding as her enjoys your cooking, the taste must be worth a try.”

“Well, aren’t you the clever one.”

I handed her the bowl. She leaned against the clean marble countertop and began to eat, offering a critique between bites: “The soft-boiled poached egg is excellent. Biting into it and seeing the yolk overflow is very satisfying. Actually, I’m not that picky with food. Maybe you should show off your skills more often to keep me happy.”

I took a sip of the soup and shook my head, flatly refusing. “Entering the kitchen tonight was a ‘job requirement.’ Let’s not make this a habit. I don’t want to step back into a kitchen, and I don’t want to deal with pots and pans anymore.”

Guan Shuyun froze, looking at me with a moment of sudden realization. Finally, she scooped up a tangyuan to change the subject, nodding. “Sticky yet chewy… such a subtle texture~”

…

After a fair bit of fuss, I finally managed to send the “Mischievous Goddess” Guan Shuyun back to her bedroom. I collapsed onto my own bed, letting out an exhausted groan. “I must have owed Guan Shuyun a fortune in my past life. Why else would I end up here in this bizarre karmic debt collection?”

Suddenly, I bolted upright and grabbed my phone. I hadn’t had a chance to reply to Yu Xiao’s WeChat message.

‘Qiao Xin is planning something big. Be careful.’

I quickly deleted the chat history, opened my laptop, and plugged in my headphones. After a burst of static, the recording of Qiao Xin and Guan Shuyun’s conversation began to play…

Qiao Xin: “I haven’t seen you make any moves lately, so I came by for a visit today.”

Guan Shuyun: “Is it really just a visit? What ‘big moves’ were you expecting? The new company is on track. Between your shares, mine, and Doris’s investment, our stake far exceeds Lan Feiyi’s. She has no say anymore. Besides, now that You Feifan has officially broken up with her, she’s in a terrible state. We won the first round completely.”

Qiao Xin: “Since the first round is a victory, it’s time for the second. By the way, I heard You Feifan has been getting very close to you lately. What are you doing? You know better than anyone whose side she’s on. I know you like to play, but don’t touch her. I suggest you don’t play with fire.”

Guan Shuyun: “I won’t lie, she has been close to me. But I’ve found she has great utility. You should have seen the look on Lan Feiyi’s face when she saw us together—she looked like she wanted to eat me alive. Isn’t this exactly the effect we wanted? It’s completely poisoned their relationship. The principle of ‘using four ounces to move a thousand pounds’ never fails.”

Qiao Xin: “Are you so sure You Feifan doesn’t have other motives? Don’t be fooled by sugar-coated bullets. If you really want to keep her around, you should test her. You’re a smart person; you should know what to do.”

Guan Shuyun: “Of course I’ll test her. I haven’t seen any red flags yet… so, how do you want to test her? Give me some advice.”

Qiao Xin: “I’ve already prepared all of Lan Feiyi’s negative files. I’ll pick an auspicious day to leak this dirt; it’ll be a heavy blow. Naturally, it includes her relationship with You Feifan. I’ll dump it all on the gossip media, then I’ll come to you personally to demand she be handed over. I want to see exactly what You Feifan’s attitude is.”

Guan Shuyun: “Arrange it however you like. As for the person, it doesn’t matter if you ask for her. I only have one requirement: however she leaves with you, she must come back to me in one piece.”

Qiao Xin: “You’re protecting her… you haven’t actually developed feelings, have you?”

Guan Shuyun: “She’s my person now. At the very least, I owe her a favor. Excluding other factors, I’m a person with a conscience who repays kindness.”

Qiao Xin: “Enough of that. What’s the situation with the new company?”

Guan Shuyun: “Lan Feiyi’s ability is unquestionable. She’s already landed several big projects for the startup. Unfortunately for her, she’s hit a wall in decision-making; I haven’t accepted a single one of her proposals. She’s quite frustrated. I’ve taken over the projects, and we don’t have to worry about funds for now—Miss Doris has given us guarantees. Just sit back and wait for the returns.”

Qiao Xin: “Fine. You handle this side. Auntie Li and I have other things to settle. Beisheng International is struggling lately. Since the supply chain broke, Lan Feiyi has been searching for new partners with no luck. I plan to strike next year and force her to sell her Beisheng shares so I can buy them at a low price. That way, we can slowly start interfering with Jieshi Excellence’s business.”

Guan Shuyun: “Good luck.”

Qiao Xin: “I’ll say it one more time: I don’t trust You Feifan. You can play, but don’t get serious. If I find any sign of betrayal, I’ll step in and ‘resolve’ her for you.”

Guan Shuyun: “Suit yourself. By the way… do you really intend to push that child into the line of fire too?”

Qiao Xin: “Why not? Lan Feiyi protects that child so well. A simple threat from me and she compromised. Now that we’re going back on our word, I really want to see her angry but helpless. When everything is exposed, let’s see how she manages to protect her.”

Guan Shuyun: “You really are quite wicked, hahahaha…”

…

I deleted the audio in silence. Eavesdropping never feels good, and even though I knew Guan Shuyun’s closeness wasn’t out of genuine kindness, the confirmation of being used still made my blood boil. I clenched my fists and paced the room. Their conversation revealed just how grave the threat to Phoebe was.

Qingfan was the starting point of all this. My guesses in the study that day were now fully confirmed, and my plan was becoming clearer.

Guan Shuyun was intentionally protecting me, but Qiao Xin was waiting for the right moment to confront me. What she planned to do to me remained unknown, but one thing was certain: her hostility far exceeded Guan Shuyun’s. Falling into her hands would be incredibly dangerous.

What could I still do for Qingfan? If Qiao Xin leaked Phoebe’s dirt, I’d be dragged down too. Since Qiao Xin wanted to see my “attitude,” I could certainly give her a performance. But the child is innocent. I needed to consult with Yu Xiao, but for the plan to work, everything I knew had to stay buried inside me.

After all, I wanted Lan Feiyi to collapse. I truly wanted her to have nothing, to let her feel the pain of loss. Setting aside all external factors, I was doing this for revenge—it had nothing to do with anything but my dignity and my pain. I wouldn’t abandon the course just because I knew the truth. When my love turned to hate, I stopped caring about anything of hers—except the child.

I walked into the bathroom with a sense of infinite exhaustion. The hot water hit me with a stinging, prickling heat. I closed my eyes, feeling the pleasure of being enveloped by steam while the heat stimulated my skin. I used an excessive amount of facial cleanser, scrubbing my forehead frantically. “So dirty… You Feifan, you’re so dirty…”

My mind was filled with images of Guan Shuyun’s intimacy. I scrubbed my body with a towel, overcome by a sense of nausea. I felt filthy. I washed with body wash several times until my forehead and skin were red and raw. Only then did I feel a sliver of peace.

Putting on a bathrobe, I toyed with the skincare products at the mirror. My hair had grown quite a bit. I touched the stranger’s face in the mirror. When did I start forgetting what I originally looked like?

Just as sadness was about to take over, a brilliant, terrifying idea emerged. It scared me, but it was the only way to gain the full trust of Qiao Xin and Guan Shuyun—the only way to truly get on the inside and learn more of their plans.

If I’ve decided to be the villain, why not be a thorough one?

…

“Now that you’ve seen the company’s operational flow, any thoughts?”

Guan Shuyun leaned back in her chair with a smug expression, looking at me as if I were a prize student. I mused, “Thoughts? I feel like I know nothing about engineering projects. I want to learn, but I feel like I’m too old to start.”

She tilted her head. “There’s nothing you can’t learn, only a heart that wavers. If you really want to learn, I can arrange for you to work in the departments. Professional design and budgeting might be too hard, but you can handle everything from documentation to bidding to on-site management.”

It sounded like she was ready to let me build my own path within the Guan Corporation. “Really?” I asked, incredulous.

“Really.”

I rested my chin on my hand, feigning suspicion. “Wait… why are you being so good to me? Do you have an ulterior motive? Weren’t we mortal enemies? Why the sudden change in tone?”

Guan Shuyun chuckled and stood up. “Because I think you’re teachable. If you want to stand on your own feet here without being ‘kept,’ there’s only one way—make money for me, work for me. I can overlook the past, but I don’t keep useless people. You’d better prove your worth. Remember: if you don’t know, ask. If you can’t do it, learn.”